E-newsletter (summer edition)
Looking for some summer inspiration on climate action action, public engagement, happy cities, plastic bags, transport, and more? Take a look at the summer edition of Briefing Notes. Read full Briefing Notes
E-newsletter (summer edition)
Looking for some summer inspiration on climate action action, public engagement, happy cities, plastic bags, transport, and more? Take a look at the summer edition of Briefing Notes. Read full Briefing Notes
An Evening of Celebration with the Columbia Institute
NEW DATE: Tuesday, October 29, 2019 An Evening of Celebration…Join us for our third fundraising dinner – a celebration of the invaluable contribution of Charley Beresford, our former Executive Director for 12 years – for her nurturing leadership of sustainable, equitable, and inclusive communities across Canada. The evening celebration includes a delicious buffet dinner, cash bar, raffle, READ MORE
What you need to know about child labour in BC
Did you know the work-start age in BC is twelve? First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition commissioned a public opinion survey in June and found that only six percent British Columbians could correctly identify the age at which a child can be formally employed without the need for a government permit. We’re not talking about babysitting or raking grass. Twelve year-olds can work in READ MORE
Local government leaders have a powerful new tool to tackle carbon
A small women-led Vancouver company is helping resource-challenged municipalities get the most bang for their climate-fighting buck. Climate change was always supposed to be a distant threat, something that “other people” would one day have to deal with. We all know how that panned out. Across Canada, local government leaders are grappling with wildfires, floods, READ MORE
Municipal resources for healthy cities during extreme-heat events
Taking heat to heart: local government climate change leadership can play a key role in protecting the health of citizens Extreme heat is a rarity in coastal Vancouver. However, in Vancouver, in 2009, 110 persons died during a week-long extreme heat event. With a changing climate, BC is expected to experience a continued increase in average summer READ MORE
Exclusive limited time offer: On demand course on pronouns and inclusive language
As a forward-thinking leader, you know that inclusive language is one of the most powerful ways to break down barriers to inclusion and to build sustainable and inclusive communities. Being current with pronouns and knowing inclusive greetings and phrases is important for locally-elected community leaders. We’re happy to offer a unique on-demand course on Pronouns and READ MORE
#LostVotesYVR: Give permanent residents a voice
The City of Vancouver passed a motion to permit permanent residents to vote in local elections in April. Ela Esra Gunad, a human rights and social justice advocate, as well as a presenter at 2018 High Ground, shares her thoughts on this motion. At the Centre for Civic Governance’s progressive forum in 2014, I READ MORE
Build a Better Waterfront with Nature
This post is an adapted excerpt from Lea Elliott’s book: Work Like Nature: Sustainability lessons from ecosystems for your job or business “Every time I walked the waterfront, I saw it as a bit of a disaster. I could see what was wrong and what could be right,” said Adrian Rowland, a coastal engineer and West Vancouver resident. West Vancouver’s urban shoreline is a mixture of sandy READ MORE
March On Vancouver 2018
It’s been a year since a new women’s movement came together in response to the inauguration of the forty-fifth president of the United States. On this occasion, the movement – representing a broad range of grassroots organizations and individuals — organized the first Women’s March in Washington, DC. From there, another 673 marches were held READ MORE
UN climate discussions open in Bonn – Top climate actions for local government
(November 11, 2017) – From November 6 to 17, the world’s governments – now including Syria – are meeting in Bonn to continue work on the historic Paris Agreement. New reports tell us that the time for climate action is very short. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), current global commitments are only READ MORE
It’s time for a zero waste strategy in British Columbia
In British Columbia, regional districts and their member municipalities have made great advancements in the past decade on improving compost and recycling options. Diversion rates have also increased. Still, the province needs to do its part to reduce the amount of material moving through the system and mandate producer responsibility. In fact, BC is one READ MORE
Staving off the coming global collapse
‘Overshoot’ is when a species uses resources faster than can be replenished. We’re already there. And show no signs of changing. Humans have a virtually unlimited capacity for self-delusion, even when self-preservation is at stake. The scariest example is the simplistic, growth-oriented, market-based economic thinking that is all but running the world today. Prevailing neoliberal READ MORE
Public services need public scrutiny to protect public interest
The federal government’s new infrastructure bank has become increasingly controversial over the last few months. Studies have suggested the bank’s projects will be expensive and slow to advance. The high-priced developments will likely be out of range for all but the largest municipalities. However, little attention has been paid so far to what is perhaps READ MORE
The future of work in a low carbon economy
The Future of Work in a Low Carbon Economy The inevitable global transition to a low carbon economy presents an opportunity to address two pressing issues of our time – the climate crisis and income inequality. Eighteen to twenty-five-year-olds – who are about to become the largest demographic group in the work force – consistently READ MORE
What does the Paris Agreement mean to me?
At High Ground 2016, we asked attendees to send a message to the United Nations in the form of a 30 second video that addressed the question: “What does the Paris Agreement mean for me?.” We then shared these videos with our community right before the official Paris Agreement signing ceremony was held on Earth Day (April READ MORE
Municipalities and Universal Pharmacare
96.5% of local elected municipal leaders say that federal and provincial downloading of costs onto local governments is a problem for their community.1 A new story about downloading is the one emerging through the national pharmacare conversation launched by Canadian Doctors for Medicare.1 Why? There is no universal plan to cover the costs of prescription drugs READ MORE
Getting the Majority to Vote: Practical solutions to re-engage citizens in local elections
Across BC voting is decreasing in all levels of elections—federal, provincial and municipal. Voter turnout in federal and provincial elections is now below 60 per cent, but more dramatically we are seeing many municipal elections in which only 20 to 30 per cent of people go out to vote. What is happening in communities where 70 to 80 per cent of READ MORE
Opportunity lost for the BC economy
The Columbia Institute’s local economy work is hitting the news with the recent announcement that three new BC ferries will be built offshore by Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. in Gdansk, Poland. Check out Made-In-BC Ferries for a detailed analysis of how our local economy would grow if they were built in BC instead. Listen to an interview READ MORE
Buying Local in Metro Vancouver
Metro Vancouver is a powerful purchaser in the region. In 2012, the total payments to Canadian suppliers by the regional district – over 750 – was over $800 million. The regional district’s current Sustainable Procurement Procedures and Green Procurement Procedures, focus on the conduct of suppliers and contractors relating to environment attributes of products and READ MORE
More local governments considering divesting from fossil fuels
More and more local governments and education institutions are facing questions about the impacts of climate change, and the risk of having money invested in fossil fuel companies. Mike McGinn, Mayor of Seattle, recently wrote a letter to the President of Harvard, outlining why Seattle decided to persue fossil-fuel divestment. You can read the full READ MORE
Municipalities stake a claim for more balanced mining rules in BC
Mining in BC is booming. But with outdated regulatory legislation, that boom is presenting challenges for local governments, and at this week’s Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) convention, councillors from across BC called for the legislation to be updated. The 2011 BC Jobs Plan foreshadowed eight new mines and nine mining expansions operational by 2015. READ MORE
Opinion: Municipalities concerned over new recycling plan
By Charley Beresford Read this on the vancouversun.com here . Any 10-year-old will tell you that newspapers don’t go in the garbage, they go in the recycling. That happens because many years ago, municipalities in B.C. took on the responsibility to get products like paper, glass and cans out of the garbage stream and into recycling. Local governments did it READ MORE
Canada’s energy strategy: it’s not just a federal-provincial issue
Last month, three Canadian premiers provided a public update on interprovincial efforts to develop a national energy strategy. While their update on the Council of the Federation’s plans opened a needed window on the negotiations, missing from public discussions so far is any reference to the stakes – and potential roles – for municipalities in READ MORE
Don’t Exclude Cities from Canada’s Energy Plan
By Charley Beresford Read this article on the Tyee at: https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2013/05/31/Canada-Energy-Plan/ On slashing emissions, many municipalities are already trailblazers. Bring ’em to the table! In April, three Canadian premiers met with media to provide an update on interprovincial efforts to develop a national energy strategy. While their update on the Council of the Federation’s plans opened READ MORE
More Leaked Documents Rip Lid off CETA Giveaways
By Robert Duffy and Charley Beresford. Read this article on the Tyee.ca . We’ve been following the CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) negotiations between Canada and the European Union since 2010, starting with a legal analysis of early leaked documents , commissioned by the Centre for Civic Governance at Columbia Institute. That analysis, by trade lawyer Steven Shrybman, identified problems for municipalities who want READ MORE
Saving the planet by saving energy just got easier.
As our friends at Blue Green Canada have said, “If you’re a homeowner in Ontario, it just became easier to save money. Oh, and it also became easier to help the planet and to support your local economy.” Ontario became the first Province in Canada to open the door for Municipalities to take the lead READ MORE
What’s the Big Deal About CETA?
By Robert Duffy Read this article on The Tyee at: https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/05/03/Secrets-of-CETA/ The proposed Canada-Europe Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is generating serious questions and concerns from local governments across Canada. CETA, a sweeping trade and investment deal, is currently in its tenth round of negotiations, and the Canadian government believes it could be READ MORE
Strengthening Local Democracy
Submission to the BC Local Government Elections Task Force by the Centre for Civic Governance at Columbia Institute April 15, 2010 Click here to download a PDF version of the report including sources . Introduction The Centre for Civic Governance appreciates this opportunity to present our perspectives and research on electoral and campaign finance reform to the BC Local Government Elections Taskforce. About the Centre READ MORE
Wild Weather Hammers Home Case for Green Jobs
By Charley Beresford Read this story on The Tyee at: https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2011/06/06/CaseForGreenJobs/ Recent spring flooding across Canada, and the carnage wrought by tornadoes in the American Midwest, are terrifying reminders of the potential implications of climate change. Let’s face it, Mother Nature is mad as hell, and she’s not going to take it anymore. These dramatic READ MORE
School Board action on Carbon Offsets
The Trustees of British Columbia’s School District 5 (Southeast Kootenay) recently passed the following motion, and wrote an explanatory letter to the Honourable George Abbott, BC Minister of Education. The motion, and letter, communicate challenges they face within the current structure of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act, and suggests improvements that would help their district READ MORE
2011 Polling – Centre for Civic Governance at the Columbia Institute
Each year the Columbia Institute does polling on the local issues that British Columbians consider most pressing. Below is a comparison of results from 2007 to 2011.* You will find a breakdown of responses on the following page. Social Infrastructure includes: Homelessness, Healthcare, Poverty, Immigration/Integration, Education, Lack of social services/sense of community, Childcare. Economic Bottom READ MORE
Local Governments Should Have a Bigger Piece of the Pie
Local government officials meet at the Union of BC Municipalities the week of September 24th through 28th. Climate change, increased social challenges and aging infrastructure will be hot topics. The public is on their side. Polling by the Columbia Institute Centre for Civic Governance shows that British Columbians trust their local politicians twice as much READ MORE