Future of Good

Winnipeg social enterprise, Build Inc. is a contractor and training program for people facing barriers to employment. (Build Inc./Facebook.) For decades, Sean Hogan has been proving that one contract can do two jobs at once. Through his Indigenous social enterprise in Winnipeg, Build Inc., affordable housing units are renovated while people facing barriers to employment get paid work experience.

Crisis situations are characterized by incomplete information, time pressure, unprecedented leadership challenges with unclear options and a threat to the group’s reputation. (Canva/Supplied) By Mel Rutherford, McMaster University Leading always requires listening and understanding the goals and values of the people in your organization.

The Bald Range Wildfire in the Okanagan. As the first B.C. round-up for Future of Good, I wish I could open with something lighter. Over the past week, close to 20,000 people were ordered to leave their homes across the province — most of them from Summerland and Peachland — after the Bald Range wildfire exploded from roughly 50 to more than 18,000 hectares in a matter of days. As of Monday morning, some were being allowed to return home, but all are still on alert.

Why, despite the fact we’re spending billions on social housing, is so much of it in disrepair? (Canva/Supplied) A note on the data: figures below come fromCMHC’s 2025 Social and Affordable Housing Survey, which covers subsidized and non-market rental housing — co-ops, non-profits, and public housing — not private-market rentals.

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A bike path and wide sidewalk combine to encourage active travel. (Unsplash) By Paula Negron-Poblete, Université de Montréal A sedentary lifestyle is a trap lurking around every corner, and adopting more active lifestyles is an increasing priority. But what really motivates people to walk? A neighbourhood may offer excellent opportunities to walk to many destinations, but only a few specific routes will actually be perceived as conducive to walking.

Mutchi Obas chats with participants during a session on strengthening local governance. (CECI/Supplied) In northern Haiti, young people, women, and local authorities are joining forces to transform local governance through CECI’s Alliance for Inclusive and Accountable Governance in Haiti (AGIR)project. The project aims to promote more participatory, inclusive, and accountable governance by ensuring a central role for women.

Mutchi Obas discute avec d’autres participantes lors d’une conversation sur le renforcement de la gouvernance locale. Dans le Nord de l’Haïti, les jeunes, les femmes et les autorités locales se réunissent pour transformer la gouvernance locale dans le cadre du projet Alliance pour une gouvernance inclusive et redevable en Haïti (AGIR) du CECI. Le projet vise à promouvoir une gouvernance plus participative, inclusive et redevable, en accordant un rôle central aux femmes.

After nearly seven weeks on the picket line, Oxfam staff in Ottawa and Toronto are back to work. The union representing staff announced that it had ratified its collective agreement and staff would return to work July 29. The strike was sparked by allegations that Oxfam’s previous agreement did not reflect the values the organization promotes externally.

The new First Bite Fund hopes to help smaller food producers as Canada focuses on food sovereignty. (Canva/Supplied) First Bite Fund, a new early-stage financing vehicle, is betting it can reach small and medium-sized food processors — 92 per cent of the industry, by its own count — that conventional capital has passed over. The fund is a joint initiative of the Small Scale Food Processors Association and impact investing firm SVX.