Canadian Evaluation Society - Ontario Chapter

Evaluation During Social Distancing
2020-05-21 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Toronto) | Online
From the Eval Cafe website:
The COVID 19 crisis has required people and organizations to shift priorities and practice social distancing.
In response, Evaluation Cafe Ontario is shifting to online meetings during this crises to help people connect, share, and learn how to deal use evaluation to support the response to COVID 19.
Join us on CES National’s Zoom Meeting platform to get help with your challenges, share tips to help others with their challenges, or discuss sector trends and developments.
Anyone interested in conducting evaluation during these times can RVSP and join the conversation; you don’t have to be a CES member (https://evaluationcanada.ca).
Make sure you can receive organizer messages, and I will send the meeting password the day prior.
Rapid response and action is important during crises, so anyone is also welcome to join our Slack group for more real-time sharing and support. https://join.slack.com/t/evaluationduringcovid/shared_invite/zt-dcqj8qbq-vV2kcuROqt_zwkaXhN6lzA
Tickets: https://www.meetup.com/Evaluation-Cafe-Ontario/events/270647982/?rv=co1&_xtd=gatlbWFpbF9jbGlja9oAJDAzOTRjYjgyLTViOWUtNDk2NC1hYTMyLWUxOWJmNjcxYmQ2OQ.

Evaluation During Social Distancing
2020-06-04 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Toronto) | Online
From the event organizer:
The COVID 19 crisis has required people and organizations to shift priorities and practice social distancing.
In response, Evaluation Cafe Ontario is shifting to online meetings during this crises to help people connect, share, and learn how to use evaluation to support the response to COVID 19.
Join us on CES Ontario’s Zoom Meeting platform to get help with your challenges, share tips to help others with their challenges, or discuss sector trends and developments.
Anyone interested in conducting evaluation during these times can RVSP and join the conversation; you don’t have to be a CES member (https://evaluationcanada.ca).
Make sure you can receive organizer messages, and I will send the meeting password the day prior.
Rapid response and action is important during crises, so anyone is also welcome to join our Slack group for more real-time sharing and support. https://join.slack.com/t/evaluationduringcovid/shared_invite/zt-efzixjau-NfQJH0OkyWDQllteUWG0vQ
Tickets: https://www.meetup.com/Evaluation-Cafe-Ontario/events/270931875/.

Evaluation Cafe Ontario Online
2020-06-18 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Toronto) | Online
The COVID 19 crisis has required people and organizations to shift priorities and practice social distancing. Movements against systemic racism are leading us to question our practices and what we can do to work toward liberation for all.
In response, Evaluation Cafe Ontario is shifting to online meetings to help people connect, share, and learn how to use evaluation to support the response to COVID 19 and support anti-oppression action.
Join us on CES Ontario’s Zoom Meeting platform to get help with your challenges, share tips to help others with their challenges, or discuss sector trends and developments.
Anyone interested in conducting evaluation during these times can RVSP and join the conversation; you don’t have to be a CES member (https://evaluationcanada.ca).
Make sure you can receive organizer messages, and I will send the meeting password the day prior.
Rapid response and action is important during crises, so anyone is also welcome to join our Slack group for more real-time sharing and support. https://join.slack.com/t/evaluationduringcovid/shared_invite/zt-efzixjau-NfQJH0OkyWDQllteUWG0vQ
Tickets: https://www.meetup.com/Evaluation-Cafe-Ontario/events/271190672/.

Eval Cafe: The Intersection of Race and Gender in Evaluation
2020-10-05 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Toronto) | Online
As a segue from Evaluation Café’s recent dialogue on anti-black racism in evaluation, this next session will examine the intersection of race and gender in evaluation, building on a group’s experience and expertise. As some projects, programs and organizations are lacking in sensitivity of race and gender, evaluation can be a catalyst for change, and the conditions for this will be discussed. Looking inward, if the evaluation process and systems are insensitive to race and gender, this adds another layer to the challenge and needs to be responded to.
Chairs of this event:
Abena Thomas – public health, evaluation and project management specialist, and instructor in international project management
Marcus Tan de Bibiana – peacebuilding and governance project management specialist, arts advisor and instructor in international project management
Tickets: https://www.meetup.com/Evaluation-Cafe-Ontario/events/273460883/?rv=ea1_v2&_xtd=gatlbWFpbF9jbGlja9oAJGFkOWUwZDYyLThkYjAtNDM2Ni05MTQxLWI0MjgyZDg5MmZlNQ&utm_campaign=event-announce&utm_medium=email&utm_source=promo.

Eval Cafe: Water Well Evaluation Cafe
2020-10-22 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Toronto) | Online
From the event description:
Your participation is welcome to the first of a fall series of the Water Well Evaluation Café. While we are practicing social distancing, this meeting will be virtual.
This month’s topic: community-based evaluation. We will explore principles of voice, participation, and respect. There will be three cases presented, followed by a Q&A discussion:
1) Community-led baseline and monitoring in Zambia
2) Culturally responsive evaluation with the Michigan Energy Assistance Program
3) TeleMedicine in Northern Ontario
We’ll connect on CES Ontario’s Zoom Meeting platform to build a network of evaluation professionals in the Waterloo Region and Wellington County areas, learn from each other, share tips to help others with their challenges, and discuss sector trends and developments.
Anyone interested in conducting evaluation in the region can RVSP and join the conversation; you don’t have to be a CES member (https://evaluationcanada.ca).
Tickets: https://www.meetup.com/Evaluation-Cafe-Ontario/events/273798787/.

Eval Cafe: Experiences with Inequitable Research – Lessons for Equitable Practice
2020-10-27 12:30 - 14:30 (America/Toronto) | Online
From the event description:
During this Evaluation Cafe session, Cameron Kroetsch, a member of the Board for Pride Hamilton and Chair of the City of Hamilton’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee, will describe his experience with third party research and reports on Hamilton Police’s handling of the 2019 Hamilton Pride events and on the City’s Hate Prevention and Mitigation Initiative. He will describe how systems of power and oppression shaped and reacted to the research and describe the effects it has had on him and others in the community. Then, Carolyn Camman, will facilitate small and large group discussions on lessons to be learn relating to equitable evaluation practice and on what power evaluators have to promote equity in our work.
Cameron Kroetsch (he/him) is a queer community builder, organizer, and labour relations professional living in the traditional territories of the Anishinaabek, Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas, also known as Hamilton, Ontario. He’s a founding member of the Pride Hamilton Board of Directors, Chair of the City of Hamilton’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee, and proudly serves on the Governing Council for the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion. He’s active on Twitter @CameronKroetsch where he advocates for better civic engagement, safer pedestrian and bike infrastructure, and access to affordable housing for all.
Carolyn Camman (they/them) is an evaluation consultant living on the ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil‑Waututh) in what is currently called Vancouver, BC, Canada. They specialize in evaluating in complexity and in service of justice, practicing developmental and equitable evaluation. Part of the joy they find in their work is co-hosting the podcast Eval Cafe (https://evalcafe.wordpress.com/) with friend and colleague Brian Hoessler, digging into all kinds of evaluation-related topics, from R Stats to how evaluation is like Star Trek. You can check them out on their website (http://www.camman-evaluation.com/) and on Twitter @c_camman.
Tickets: https://www.meetup.com/Evaluation-Cafe-Ontario/events/273824074/.

Eval Cafe: Water Well Evaluation Cafe: Community-Based Evaluation
2020-12-10 11:30 - 12:30 (America/Toronto) | Online
Welcome to the second in a fall series of the Water Well Evaluation Café. While we are practicing social distancing, this meeting will be virtual.
Equity continues to be a theme with this month’s topic exploring community-based evaluation. We will explore principles of voice, participation, and respect.
The Michigan Energy Assistance Program (MEAP) is one of the largest program’s implemented by United Way of Southeastern Michigan. This year’s evaluation was conducted during the height of the public health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and also during the height of the civil unrest caused by anti-black racism and police brutality. In the absence of opportunities for formal community-based participatory evaluation methods, other opportunities emerged–use of an Equity Lens to “nudge” the organization toward having a closer alignment with equitable evaluation practices. Results were positive!
Bring your own examples of enabling factors or challenges you have observed around conducting equitable evaluation!
We’ll connect on CES Ontario’s Zoom Meeting platform to build a network of evaluation professionals in the Waterloo Region and Wellington County areas, learn from each other, share tips to help others with their challenges, and discuss sector trends and developments.
Anyone interested in conducting evaluation in the region can RVSP and join the conversation; you don’t have to be a CES member (https://evaluationcanada.ca).
Tickets: https://www.meetup.com/Evaluation-Cafe-Ontario/events/274650842/?rv=ea1_v2&_xtd=gatlbWFpbF9jbGlja9oAJDc0YjBkMzg2LTUwOGItNDUwNy1iYjZkLTJhZDRkOTc1NDMyYw&utm_campaign=event-announce&utm_medium=email&utm_source=promo.

Eval Cafe: Mobilizing Evidence in Complex Social Systems
2021-01-21 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Toronto) | Online
Interested in systems change? Welcome to the winter series of the Water Well Evaluation Cafe. Our guest speaker will be Daniel Buckles, who will provide a road map to tools and concepts for engaging people and mobilizing evidence in complex social systems. The approach, detailed in various books and a website, combines rigor with participation and systems thinking with meaningful action to help evaluators deepen and broaden the analysis of interventions and new directions.
We are a network of evaluation professionals in the Waterloo Region and Wellington County areas (and beyond!), learning from each other, sharing tips to help others with their challenges, and discussing sector trends and developments.
Anyone interested in conducting evaluation can RVSP and join the conversation; you don’t have to be a CES member (https://evaluationcanada.ca).
Tickets: https://www.meetup.com/Evaluation-Cafe-Ontario/events/275704158/?rv=ea1_v2&_xtd=gatlbWFpbF9jbGlja9oAJDNjYWNiMTA2LWNjMDItNGJjZS04N2ViLWI1ZjA2NmI0MGUyZA&utm_campaign=event-announce&utm_medium=email&utm_source=promo.

Eval Cafe: Canadian Evaluation Society Membership Benefits
2021-02-10 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Toronto) | Online
From the event description:
The Canadian Evaluation Society Ontario Chapter (CES Ontario) is one of the largest Provincial chapters of the Canadian Evaluation Society, the professional association of evaluators. As you may have heard, CES Ontario is a proud sponsor of Evaluation Cafe Ontario.
CES Membership has its benefits, including professional development and credentialing, networking, mentorship and job opportunities, and promotional rates. Did you know that you can even save on home and auto insurance, and printing costs? We can also answer your questions about CES Ontario’s trainings or membership events, or other aspects of CES membership.
On February 10th at Noon, join us to find out about CES-Ontario and the growing list of membership perks and benefits you can take advantage of!
With whatever time is left after Q & A, we’ll go into breakout groups for networking.
Presenters:
Maria Mardirosian (Membership Committee Co-Chair, CES-ON)
Rachel Laxer (Membership Committee Volunteer, CES-ON)
Kaitlyn Kochany (Administrative Coordinator, CES-ON)
Tickets: https://www.meetup.com/Evaluation-Cafe-Ontario/events/275540939/?_xtd=gatlbWFpbF9jbGlja9oAJDZhY2RlNDgxLTI1ZDUtNDk2MC04NzdiLWNlOTRjNTUwOTFmMw.

Eval Cafe: Demonstrating Value Presentation
2021-04-15 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Toronto) | Online
Ten years ago, Vancity Community Foundation led a collaborative project to address challenges that community-based organizations face in measuring impact. The project resulted in the Demonstrating Value framework, a simple process, with supporting resources, to help organizations work out how to use information and data more effectively for management, planning and engaging partners, funders and other stakeholders (www.dvtools.org and www.demonstratingvalue.org).
Demonstrating Value supports organizations to consider their data needs holistically in terms of what information can be used to understand organizational sustainability, community impact and organization (business) performance and to consider the explicit uses of information by different stakeholders. It also focuses on the development of a ‘Snapshot’ which can be used strategically to communicate the performance and value of an initiative, program and/or organization (an illustrative example is shown to the right). The process of developing a Snapshot can also highlight areas to strengthen measurement capacity and strategies for doing this.
The talk will highlight recent work with Carleton University’s Centre for Community Innovation to update Demonstrating Value’s resources and to align them with the Common Approach to Impact Measurement. It will also describe our work over the Fall and Winter to work with 10 community based organizations to develop Snapshots and to develop recommendations to strengthen impact measurement capacity.
About the Presenter:
Bryn Sadownik is Consultant, Learning & Evaluation at Vancity Community Foundation. Bryn has 20 years experience working in impact assessment, evaluation and cost-effectiveness analysis. Prior to joining Vancity, Bryn worked as a consultant and researcher at Simon Fraser University, leading numerous projects for government, private sector and non-profit organizations. Bryn holds a B.A. from Carleton University and a Masters of Resource and Environmental Management from Simon Fraser University. She is co-author of award winning book ‘The Cost of Climate Policy’ (UBC Press, 2007), and other publications including a chapter in ‘Accounting for Social Value’ (U of T Press, 2013).
Tickets: https://www.meetup.com/Evaluation-Cafe-Ontario/events/276957969/?rv=ea1_v2&_xtd=gatlbWFpbF9jbGlja9oAJGM2NTY4MDg5LTc3NWItNGRhZi1iZDkzLTgzZjNiODBkODQyMg&utm_campaign=event-announce&utm_medium=email&utm_source=promo.

Eval Cafe: Reflective and Reflexive Practice
2021-06-23 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Toronto) | Online
Reflective and reflexive practice is increasingly being recognized as a method by which evaluators can monitor their biases, better understand their privilege and increase their awareness of power dynamics. The intended goal of reflexive practice is to reduce the risk that an evaluator uncritically perpetuates systemic oppressions during the course of an evaluation. Furthermore, if the aim of a program or service is to be equitable, integrating a disciplined practice of reflection is increasingly being recognized as a method of practicing social justice and anti-oppression when evaluating those programs and services (Archibald, Neubauer & Brookfield, 2018; Caldwell & Bledsoe, 2018; Jewiss & Clark/Keefe, 2007; Hall, 2019; van Draanen, 2016).
Nick Petten has been practicing reflexivity in his evaluation practice and has opened this practice to investigation through a research project on team-based critical reflexivity. He also occupies some leadership positions within his professional associations, CES and AEA, and is aware of the increasing importance that is being placed on reflective practice and reflexivity as a core competency within the profession. His ecology of evidence tells him that reflective practice and critical reflexivity can be used by evaluators to maintain an ethical stance and be culturally responsive to groups of people that do not fully identify with the dominant ideology in contemporary Western society.
In this presentation, participants will have a chance to learn more about some techniques and practices in critical reflexivity and then discuss the role and impact of critical reflexivity on an individual’s practice, within the dynamics of a team and within the professional community of evaluators.
Those interested in attending are encouraged to read the following short articles:
– AEA’s Statement Regarding Racism and Inequality in our Society (https://www.eval.org/Full-Article/statement-from-the-aea-board-of-directors-regarding-racism-and-inequality-in-our-society)
– CES’s updated competencies on Reflective Practice and Ethics (https://evaluationcanada.ca/sites/default/files/crwg_revisions_clean_version_april_23.18.pdf)

Evaluation Cafe is sponsored by CES Ontario.

Tickets: https://www.meetup.com/Evaluation-Cafe-Ontario/events/278626144.

Eval Cafe: Evaluator Speed Dating
2021-08-19 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | Online
RSVP online here: https://www.meetup.com/Evaluation-Cafe-Ontario/events/279368328/
From the MeetUp event description:
We can’t quite yet get together safely as a big group on a patio this summer, but we can share some food and drink virtually.
Come join us anytime between 6 and 8pm on August 16 to connect with fellow evaluation enthusiasts. I will put people randomly in small breakout rooms for 15 minutes rounds, where you can meet new people or reconnect over your favorite refreshments. Looking forward to (re)connecting and hearing what going on both personally and professionally.

Eval Cafe: Journeying to Truth and Reconciliation
2021-10-07 12:00 - 13:30 UTC | Ontario
The Water Well Evaluation Cafe will be convening a fall 2021 series of 2-3 Zoom sessions on Journeying to Truth and Reconciliation. There will be advance readings, discussion, and guided facilitation. We anticipate traveling together as a group, and value commitment for the entire series. Our first meeting is on October 7, at noon, with these two articles under discussion. Interested evaluators can email jillianbaker@gmail.com to join.
Advance reading:
Increasing Cultural Competence in Support of Indigenous-Led Evaluation: A Necessary Step toward Indigenous-Led Evaluation
Nan Wehipeihana Research Evaluation Consultancy Limited
© 2019 Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation
Volume 34 (2) 2019, Fall 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3138/cjpe.68444
White Privilege and the Decolonization Work Needed in Evaluation to Support Indigenous Sovereignty and Self-Determination,
Kate McKegg The Kinnect Group
© 2019 Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation
Volume 34 (2) 2019, Fall 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3138/cjpe.67978

Eval Cafe: Exploring Equitable, Transformative Evaluation
2021-10-27 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | Ontario
Register here: https://www.meetup.com/Evaluation-Cafe-Ontario/events/280748966/
As evaluators seek to integrate more equitable (and dare we dream, more transformative) approaches to evaluation, we often find that the systems that employ us to evaluate are not yet positioned to enable approaches that give more voice and decision-making power to clients or beneficiaries. Despite this, we are seeing increasing examples and opportunities for community-based participatory evaluation. In this Meetup, we’ll see an example from the international development sector that “put the community in the driving seat” of conducting a baseline of their goals and see the impact this led to. We’ll discuss what it would take for the principles of this work to be replicated in other contexts based on consolidated learning from Salanga’s work in Community-Led Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (CoLMEAL).
For more information, check out www.salanga.org and what they are doing in Community-Led MEAL at https://salanga.org/measure-impact/colmel/
This session will be facilitated by Elaine Stavnitzky. She has experience leading and implementing a wide range of complex strategic, programmatic and quality assurance processes to support leadership, staff, communities and children in international development and humanitarian aid programs since 2002. To date her expertise has covered on-going learning and improvement in 30 countries across 15 sectors, including gender equality and youth. The nexus of her passion, skills, and value is in empowering communities to understand and monitor the change they seek to actualize. She is ever ready to apply her energy and enthusiasm to support organizations in strengthening systems that ensure people have right-sized information to trigger change making decisions. She loves experiencing with others the “a-ha” moment that tips the balance for transformation at the individual, community and/or systems level.
Find out more about Elaine on her LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elaine-stavnitzky/

Eval Cafe: Evaluators Picnic
2022-07-07 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | Ontario
From the Eval Cafe description:
We are looking forward to finally seeing people in-person again!
We hope you can join us at the first ever Evaluator’s picnic on July 7th starting at 6pm. Also, save the date of July 14th in case July 7th gets rained out.
Come bring your favorite food for just yourself or for sharing (optional) to Wells Hill Park (145 Hilton Ave. Toronto; just across from St. Clair West subway station’s main exit). If you want to buy food along the way there’s a Lawblaws right there, and you may want to get some Dutch Dreams ice cream nearby as well.
There will be ice-breaker activities and games like bocce ball, table tennis, frisbee, and other games you want to bring.
The park has picnic tables, but you can also bring picnic blankets/chairs if you prefer those options.
Wells Hill Park is family friendly, so if you would like to bring your kids along, you can.
As this will be an outdoor event, masks will be optional, but we ask that you respect physical distancing with anyone choosing to wear a mask.
We’ll start wrapping up around 7:30/8pm, but people are free to hang out or go to a nearby place afterwards.
Exciting to see many of you again.
If you can’t make it, don’t worry. We will book more online events in the future.

Eval Cafe: Evaluation Mentoring to Support EDI
2022-10-20 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | Ontario
From the Meetup description:
The Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) values mentorship as an important facet to evaluation learning, and currently offers an informal self-directed mentoring initiative that enables members of the CES to voluntarily register as a mentor, mentee, or both (https://mentoring.evaluationcanada.org/). As CES is launching a new Association Management System, there is an opportunity to enhance the features and usability of the mentoring platform to better meet the needs of our members. With an increased focused on diversity & inclusion in the evaluation field and within CES, this new mentoring platform can be developed in a way to bring a more diverse group of new practitioners into the practice from an EDI lens. This Evaluation Café session will discuss the importance of mentoring in the lens of inclusion, and the potential benefits for consultants and new practitioners from equity-deserving groups, as well as look at how the CES mentoring platform can further support EDI moving forward.

This session will be facilitated by:
Cassandra Parsons is a senior evaluation consultant with Ference & Company, an independent research and evaluation firm based on Vancouver, BC. She is an emerging evaluator who has been in the field for almost three years with an interest and focus on health and social programs. Cassandra is currently the student & emerging evaluator representative for the CES Board, and leads the ongoing Mentorship Platform Initiative.
Natalie Kishchuk, CE, FCES, has worked as an independent evaluation consultant for close to 30 years, with mandates in health and social services, community development, and research, for various types of organizations and levels of government. An active volunteer in CES since the 1990’s, she was its Vice-President in 2017-19. Now mostly retired, she is a member of the Fellows’ executive and its representative on the CES National Board.

Evaluation Cafe Toronto Meet and Greet
2023-07-06 17:30 - 19:30 UTC | The Duke of York, 39 Prince Arthur Avenue, Toronto, Ontario
Evaluation Cafe Toronto is bringing together evaluators in the area to meet up! We’ll be meeting on Thursday July 6th at Duke of York after work for drinks. Hope you can join to get to know other evaluators, build connections, and have fun.
Hope to see you there!
For information about the venue please visit: https://dukepubs.ca/duke-of-york/

Evaluation Cafe Toronto September Meet Up!
2023-09-19 17:30 - 19:30 UTC | Fox and Fiddle, 27 Wellesley Street East, Toronto, Canada
Happy Friday!
We’ll be hosting another event to meet up on Tuesday, September 19th from 5:30-7:30pm at The Fox and the Fiddle, which is just across the street from Wellesley subway station.
The theme of this meet up is: Unearth New Insights! We encourage the Eval community to join fellow evaluators to spark conversations, hear fresh perspectives, and uncover innovative approaches to evaluation. Light refreshments will be provided.

Eval Café: Film to Enhance Impact
2023-11-29 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | Online
Gary Hayes will share a story of health impact in Indigenous communities in Alberta through digital storytelling and his doctoral research that examined how strategic impact campaigns can be respectfully co-created to affect change. There will be time to discuss how we can use film to enhance the impact of our evaluations/reports.
Gary Hayes is an impact practitioner, filmmaker, and adventure enthusiast. Drawing on his documentary television production experiences, he partners with clients to co-create digital stories with accompanying impact campaigns. Through respectful engagement, Hayes develops and co-designs initiatives that produce digital stories that have measurable impact goals. Hayes works with passionate social ambassadors, communities, organizations, and government to strategically distribute and engage with audiences to co-create impact.
Presented by EvalCafé Toronto with the support of CES Ontario. Members and non-members are welcome to attend. Visit the LinkedIn Event Page for more information

Evaluation Café Meet-Up
2024-02-07 17:30 - 19:30 UTC | Fox and Fiddle, 27 Wellesley Street East, Toronto, Canada
CES Ontario + Evaluation Cafe Toronto will be hosting another event to meet up on Wednesday February 7th from 5:30-7:30pm at The Fox and the Fiddle, which is just across the street from Wellesley subway station.
Light refreshments will be provided. This event is for program evaluators, monitoring and evaluation specialists, practitioners, and students! I hope you can join!
Find more information here: https://www.linkedin.com/events/evaluationcafemeet-up7156398232938442753/

Evaluation Café Meet-Up
2024-04-29 17:30 - 19:30 UTC | Imperial Pub, 54 Dundas Street East, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
About
The next Evaluation Café meetup is coming soon in Toronto!
🌟 Our next Evaluation Café meetup is brewing up something special! Join us for an evening where numbers meet narratives, and charts mingle with chats. 📊💬
🗓 When: Monday, April 29th, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
📍 Where: The Imperial Pub (54 Dundas St E)
🍻 Sponsored by: Canadian Evaluation Society – Ontario Chapter (CES-ON) (Yes, they’re the cool folks making this happen!)
🤔 Wondering what to expect? This is a casual gathering of evaluation enthusiasts, from seasoned pros to curious newcomers, all sharing insights over pints and pub grub. Whether you’re looking to network, nibble, or just nerd out over data, there’s a seat at the table with your name on it!
👉 Bring your best evaluation questions, your funniest data disaster stories, and your appetite – both for knowledge and for pub fare.
🥂 RSVP now and let us know you’re coming!🍻
#EvaluationCafe #CESOntario #TorontoEvents #Networking #EvaluationCommunity

Eval Café: Developmental Evaluation and Theory of Change
2024-11-27 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | Online
From the Eval Café description:
Our next online evaluation cafe will feature small group discussions on Developmental Evaluation and Theory of Change.

Agenda:

10 minutes: log-on and intro
30-40 minutes: split into two groups, one for Developmental Evaluation (DE) DE and one for Theory of Change (TOC).

The DE discussion will be lead by Scott Christian (CE) a Senior Evaluator at LogicalOutcomes was 1 of 11 evaluators involved in last year’s Team Primary Care: Training for Transformation initiative which included (possibly) the largest scale developmental evaluation to date. He’s applied a developmental evaluation toolkit in a variety of other contexts too. This discussion will focus on practical insights that Scott and his colleagues have identified for effective developmental evaluations.”
The TOC discussion will be lead by Elizabeth (Lizzy) Sweitzer, who is a Monitoring and Evaluation Subject Matter Expert, working as a management consultant in the energy and sustainability field. Lizzy hosts meetups for evaluators with CES-ON and host professional development workshops for evaluators. The discussion will focus on how to make TOC’s useful after initial development.

Last 10-20 minutes come back to the large group and share key learnings.

Join online: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86026011026?pwd=[REDACTED]
Interested in learning more about Eval Café and joining our Groups.io online forum? Email EvaluationCafeOntario+subscribe@groups.io to subscribe to our listserv!

Eval Café: Engaging Marginalized Communities in Evaluation
2025-02-28 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | Ontario
Presenter: Janet Murray, MA, CE – Resources for Results Evaluators
Co-Presenters: Mary Kay MacVicar and Monica Forrester, Harm Reduction Team – Street Health, Toronto.
During this session, we will reflect on our experience evaluating the four-year Community Harm Reduction Response Teams (CHRRT) initiative and other projects funded by the Substance Use and Addictions Program of Health Canada (2018-2023).
We will offer insights into how to ground project evaluations in participatory, community-based processes and collaborative partnerships.
Key discussion points will include:
• How a knowledge mobilization approach shapes project evaluation strategy and implementation.
• Practical strategies for engaging marginalized communities in learning and evaluation, including both successes and challenges.
• The impact of community engagement on the quality of outcomes evaluation and evaluation products.
Event link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86087237039?pwd=[REDACTED]

CES-Ontario / C2025 Watch Party
2025-07-03 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Online
CES has made select content from the 2025 conference available to chapters, and CES Ontario has asked Evaluation Cafe Ontario to host its conference watch party.
Come join us over lunch to watch the session “Let’s Have a Data Party! Stories of Collaborative Learning and Change”, presented by Jakub Nemec, Paula Richardson. Afterwards, we’ll break into small groups for discussion and networking.
An RSVP is requested. Please click here to RSVP.

Eval Café: Quantifying Qualitative Data
2025-08-07 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | Hemingway’s, 142 Cumberland Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
You’re invited to join us for an informal Evaluation Café meetup over drinks and conversation at Hemingway’s! This month’s topic: Quantifying Qualitative Data.

As evaluators, we’re often asked to put numbers to stories—whether it’s coding themes from interviews, summarizing open-ended survey responses, or making sense of focus group notes. But when does counting help, and when does it risk oversimplifying?
We’ll explore practical ways to quantify qualitative data, discuss when it adds value (and when it doesn’t), and share tips from our own practice.

Bring your stories, questions, and maybe a notebook.
Open to evaluators, researchers, and curious minds at any stage in their career. More details and add the event to your calendar using the following link: Evaluation Cafe Toronto Meetup: Quantifying Qualitative Data

Eval Café: Games & Mingling Night
2025-11-20 17:30 - 20:30 UTC | The Dylan Bar, 1276 Danforth Ave, Toronto, Ontario, M4J 1M6, Canada
Join us for a relaxed, social Evaluation Café where we’ll mix purposeful networking with a couple of light, laughter-friendly games to help folks connect across projects, sectors, and roles. Expect easy icebreakers (think Human Bingo / Speed-Friending energy), evaluator-adjacent shenanigans, and plenty of time to chat.
What to expect

5:30–5:50 Check-in, grab a bite, casual intros

5:50–6:25 Game #1: quick mixer to meet new people

6:25–6:55 Game #2: small-group fun (zero prep required)

6:55–7:30+ Open networking

Food & drinks: Light snacks provided; drinks available for purchase at the bar.
Who should come: Evaluators, researchers, data/strategy folks, students, and anyone evaluation-curious.
Vibe: Friendly, low-stakes, come-as-you-are.

Eval Café: Evaluation Trivia
2026-01-07 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | Ontario
To start the new year, let’s have a bit of fun together. Join us for some trivia about evaluation and your peers!

Evaluation Cafe Ontario online events are an opportunity for us to network and learn from our colleagues across the province. Anyone can join whether from Ontario or not, but presenters/facilitators will always be from Ontario.

We have a continuous open call for topics, activities, discussions, etc. Whatever you want to share, do, discussion with peers from across Ontario, you let us know, and we make it happen.

To RSVP, join the CES Ontario Groups.io group and RSVP online.
