CSI Network News

Happy International Women's Day to all the women-identifying folks out there! CSI is a women-led organization, and just over 50% of our staff identify as women, so it's safe to say that at CSI, we're celebrating women all year long. Today, we asked our staff to highlight some of the women who inspire us every day. Here are the people whose cultural, social, economic, or political achievements inspire, encourage, and motivate us to continue putting people and planet first.

We spoke with Regent Park entrepreneur Gail Lynch, CEO and Experience Designer of ZERO Cocktail Bar, about building a non-alcoholic bar and her experience as a Black woman entrepreneur. 

It’s been almost a year since we announced the official opening of the CSI Community Living Room - a community experiment that provided a platform on which community initiatives could thrive, a new innovation in our 10th year in the Regent Park community.

As we celebrate Black History Month, we’re continuing our learning, and we thought an update to our Black history reading lists (see our lists from 2018 and 2020) was in order! This year, we turned to our CSI community to crowdsource their recommendations. We asked our members and staff to share with us a favourite book, essay, movie, show, or podcast that they found impactful about the Black experience.

Every year, we honour a member or members with the Bow Tie Award during our famously festive Holiday Gathering. And no, it’s not for the best dressed attendee!

The Canada Animal Welfare Scorecard, the second annual report and the only one of its kind in the country, ranks more than 50 food companies. We spoke to PJ Nyman, Corporate Engagement Manager, about the report, its implications for the Canadian agriculture sector and for consumers nationwide, and how being a CSI member has benefited their work.

From all of us at CSI, we’re wishing you and yours a very happy new year! As we kick off 2023, we wanted to take a moment to pause and reflect on all of the progress, events, and people from 2022. And of course, we’re excitedly looking forward to all that 2023 will bring – impactful work from our members, growing our community, and more.

For our November Innovator Drinks, we were lucky enough to host CSI Annex Member and author, Alessandra Naccarato, and our event sponsor, Book*hug Press, to discuss Alessandra’s latest book, Imminent Domains: Reckoning with the Anthropocene. Alessandra joined us to discuss her book, the process of writing at CSI Annex, and advice for ourselves in this changing world.

CSI is chock full of amazing member organizations and entrepreneurs working on changing the world. Sustainable climate action start ups, literacy initiatives, newcomer services, and building leadership skills are just a few of the many ways our members are making a difference. Did you know that in addition to their changemaking work, some organizations also offer up awesome benefits to their fellow CSI members? One of those groups is Good Foot Delivery, a CSI member since 2014.