Michael Toye has been a consultant on community economic development and the social economy, a social entrepreneur, author, lecturer, researcher and a Policy Analyst for the Library of Parliament. Since 2008, Michael has been the Executive Director of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNET).
Michael’s involvement with CCEDNet dates back to 2000 when he helped organize CCEDNet’s National Policy Forum while serving as a coordinator with the Coopérative de consultation en développement La Clé. In 2003 he joined CCEDNet officially as Community Learning Program Director.
As CCEDNet’s program director from 2003 to 2006, Michael coordinated a 3-year action-research project exploring the links between social inclusion and CED. In addition, he led the coordination of CCEDNet’s annual national conferences, which attracts hundreds of CED experts and practitioners from across the country each year.
More recently Michael has deepened his knowledge of Canadian social policy and parliamentary process serving as a policy analyst at the Library of Parliament in Ottawa, while teaching courses on CED and social enterprise at Concordia University.
Michael has written a number of articles and other publications on CED and the social economy, including co-editing the book, Community Economic Development: Building for Social Change.
Originally from Southern Ontario, Michael now resides on a farm in Tingwick, Québec that has been in his wife’s family for five generations, along with six kids, three cats and two dogs. He enjoys the tranquility of being at the office.
