BUILDING STRENGTH
IN OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1970

Community Development & Research

The CDCD operates its community development and research functions as a core part of its community services mandate. The community development and research team seeks to engage and support the community in public planning and decision making processes, create spaces for dialogue and the co-creation of knowledge, and also to affect positive social change through community driven social research and planning.     

Community development is the process of developing active and sustainable communities based on social justice, inclusion and mutual respect.  It is a process that seeks to affect positive social change through community engagement, participation and empowerment. As a community development organization the CDCD facilitates the participation of individuals and groups in this process. We achieve this through the administration and support of a variety of initiatives, including:

• Community-Based Research
• Asset Mapping and Gap-Analysis
• Policy Analysis and Development
• Collaborative Program and Service Planning
• Public Education and Awareness
• Facilitation

The community is central to all of this work, both defining and participating in our community development, research and social planning initiatives. The CDCD strives to ensure that all members of the community are appropriately and equitably engaged in the social, cultural, economic and political life of our community. 

Statement on Community-Based Social Planning

For the document on social planning principles please click here.

Statement on CDCD's Principles of Research Practice  

If you are interested in current or past community development or social research projects please follow the links above.

If you have questions or would like to partner with the CDCD in one of your initiatives, please contact Ben Earle at bearle@cdcd.org or by phone at 905-686-2661, ext.115.