Key dates in SEDI's evolution:

1986		SEDI is born and along with YMCA Canada begins to introduce the concept of self-employment training for low income people to Canada.
1990		Employment and Immigration Canada responds to SEDI’s advocacy by establishing the Minister’s Advisory Group on Self-Employment, the catalyst for the national Self-Employment Employment Benefits (SEB) Program.
1992		SEDI partners with the City of Toronto, Government of Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Labour to develop and launch the first and largest urban Self-Employment Employment Benefits (SEB) Program.
1994		SEDI succeeds in convincing the province of Ontario to reform welfare regulations pertaining to self-employment.
1995		The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) acknowledges SEDI’s Canadian expertise in self-employment.
1995		SEDI is the first Canadian group to provide organizational capacity-building in self-employment for women through the unique Developing Enterprising Women’s Initiatives (DEWI) project.
1997		SEDI introduces the concept of asset-building for the poor to Canada.
1999		We contribute recommendations to the Prime Minister’s Task Force on Youth Entrepreneurship.
2000		SEDI, in partnership with Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), 10 communities from across the country, the RBC Royal Bank and the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC), launches, the largest demonstration of Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) for learning in the world.
2001		SEDI’s youth initiatives are short-listed for an innovation award by the Peter F. Drucker Foundation.
2002		SEDI participates in a Russian-Canadian Women and Labour Market Reform initiative which produces breakthrough results.
2002		SEDI is commissioned by CMHC and the NSH to undertake a National Consultation on the feasibility of IDAs for affordable Homeownership and for those living within transitional housing.
2002		SEDI co-sponsors the first international IDA Learning Conference in partnership with the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) and the Center for Social Development (CSD).
2003		SEDI develops a national youth-at risk economic self-sufficiency model for testing by the Government of Canada.
2003		CMHC publishes SEDI's positive findings derived from the national consultation respecting the study of IDAs for greater access to affordable housing.
2004		SEDI launches ILA (Independent Living Accounts) Demonstration Project in Edmonton, Toronto and Fredericton.  The project has community-based administrators, private and public sector funders and the NSH's financial support for research and evaluation being undertaken by Ryerson University.
2005		SEDI creates a financial capability education curriculum for youth and people living within transitional housing facilities.
2005		SEDI is commissioned by CMHC to design a National Demonstration Project that includes 8 to 10 sites and up to 2000 accounts for low-income, working poor Canadians in order to assist to increase their ability to accumulate assets for homeownership.