Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) – What are they?
Lead researcher, Salomeh Ahmadi shares that “CBAs directly include the community in making legal and contractual negotiations with developers to ensure portions of their profits are invested back into the community by way of: public land, work and wages directly for adjacent neighborhoods, community shared spaces, among other asks. This is not to say that no other better and more effective tools exist, or that CBAs will resolve all the many pressing socio-economic issues, but rather to examine and best utilize what CBAs might offer.” Salomeh Ahmadi has written a paper on CBAs pointing out this not a solution to the housing crisis, but one tool to help negotiate social procurement in the process. It must emphasize community needs and not just developer needs. Read the paper here. As part of the Humber College research study, we’ve successfully helped launch a Community Benefit Agreements (CBA) ad hoc group. Salomeh had also helped with initial grassroots action on visioning for the Rexdale Woodbine Casino CBA back in 2017.
Toronto Community Benefits Network
Working with Kumsa Baker, Director, Community Benefits Campaigns with the Toronto Community Benefits Network (TCBN). The goal is to focus on social procurement through community benefits and how it can enhance economic well-being of neighborhoods. A South Etobicoke chapter, CBASE, has convened and you can find out more here: https://cbase.ca/
TCBN’s primary objectives are to:
Provide equitable economic opportunities that promote economic inclusion for all Toronto residents
Contribute to the development of a system of training and workforce development programs that can enable economic inclusion
Support social enterprises and other related vehicles to economic inclusion through commitments to social procurement
Contribute to sustainable communities with neighbourhood and environmental improvements built through new transit infrastructure.
Ensure clear commitments and accountability from all parties to deliver on Community Benefits
CBAs – a Means and Not an End
In the pursuit of community economic development (CED), community benefit agreements (CBAs) in present day Toronto, has benefits and challenges in an urban context. The paper provides a thorough analysis of the limitations of the CBA tool with the hopes of pointing out that critical reflection. As learners and researchers we must always be questioning new methods and refining such tools to better meet community needs rather than just strictly economic ones. The report concludes by suggesting solutions for moving towards more robust and meaningful activities in response to the challenges of depleted community.
Affordable Housing in South Etobicoke
With CBAs a topic of discussion expanding in the city, the creation of a partnership with Toronto Community Benefits Network (TCBN) underscores the importance of responsiveness to community needs in a practical manner. CBAs are one tool used to leverage social procurement through development projects, and there are over 25,000 new units being built in South Etobicoke alone. A TCBN information session has inspired the group, residents and agencies, to form in South Etobicoke. The SEHA research team has hosted five sessions to day.
Currently, the group is collaboratively meeting bi-weekly, and the next working group meetings are on November 24th, 2021.
Email Salomeh to join or to find out more, salomeh.ahmadi@humber.ca
