Toronto to get a Center for Social Enterprise

Toronto is all set to get a premier center for social innovation called the David Pecaut Center for Social Enterprise. The center is named after Toronto's famed champion of new social ideas, David Pecaut. It is a bold initiative to promote innovative social programs that make a positive impact on the lives of a large number of people.

Pecaut's widow, Helen Burstyn, who is one of the driving forces behind the new center, says that the aim is to establish a strong organization that gives inspiration and support to new social entrepreneurs by drawing on the Pecaut's example. Replicating Pecaut's achievements can be the best way to celebrate his memory.

The center will represent a project in association with three funding organizations, which include MaRS, a business innovation center, Trillium Foundation run by the Government of Ontario, and the Boston Consulting Group, where Pecaut was a senior partner.

The center will finance, foster and fast-forward the type of projects that Pecaut believed in. During the 2003 SARS crisis, Pecaut has worked with the province and the city to create Toronto03 Alliance to push the city's recovery.

Burstyn said, "In all of these social ventures David worked as easily with the homeless and poverty activists as he did with governments, philanthropists, cultural mandarins, corporate CEOs, educators and labour leaders."

One of the core programs of the center will be called "Talent Hub" which will be devoted to the mentoring and developing the next generation of social entrepreneurs. Another program called "Knowledge Hub" will evaluate and demonstrate the impact of socially innovative programs. A division meant to convert enterprising ideas into start-up ventures, and then lead their further development will be headed by entrepreneur Sam Duboc.

One of the key questions at the moment is how far the Ontario government will contribute financially to the center. This question is likely to be answered next spring at the time of the province's 2012 budget release.

Photo Credit: hisks