Problems can only be solved if we support problem solvers, says entrepreneur Shaun Loney

Shaun Loney left his bureaucracy-heavy civil servant job in pursuit of a new idea he had - to pull people out of poverty one must create new opportunities out of the very things standing in their way.

The Winnipeg entrepreneur says it's working.

"We can use entrepreneurial tools to solve social problems and environmental problems," Loney tells The Current's Anna Maria Tremonti.

According to Loney, social enterprises are economic ventures that solve problems while shying away from government funding.

"In Canada, we believe the defining issue is connecting people who most need the work with the work that most needs to be done," he explains.