Month: May 2011

Placemaking: Cool Ideas for Locally Elected Leaders

Progressive Governance Forum 2011 at Harrison Hot Springs – March 25-26

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR PARTICIPANTS! WE ENJOYED ANOTHER INSPIRING FORUM:

Michael Shuman Keynote: Revitalizing BC Communities From the Inside Out with audio!

David Thompson Plenary: Green Jobs for BC

Patrick Condon: Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities with audio!

Mayor Darrell Mussatto: Leadership for a Sustainable Future with audio!

Sharon Gregson: Early Childcare and Learning

Blair Redlin: Canada/EU Trade Agreement (CETA) and Municipal Purchasing

Claire Beckstead: Municipal Financing for Energy Efficiency

Ken Melamed: Competence or Knowledge with audio!

Grant Pearsell: Four Strategies for Achieving Biodiversity

Barinder Rasode: Child Focused Communities

Full Program

Presenter Bios

Collaborating on Carbon Commitments – A Training Ground for Gaining Ground

This all-day workshop focused on the tools that the public sector can use to reduce GHG emissions in buildings and operations, and tactics that can successfully be used to overcome resistance to climate action within your community. This workshop is aimed towards local elected officials and staff, school trustees and facilities managers, as well as hospitals and health region representatives.

This intensive, one-day event on October 19 at the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre was part of the lead-up to the Gaining Ground conference, and focused on how to build resilient communities through collaboration.  Centre for Civic Governance presented Collaborating on Carbon Commitments in partnership with the Community Energy Association and the Columbia Institute, who sponsored the lunchtime keynote address by Councillor David Cadman on international climate negotiations and local action.

A detailed agenda is here.

Workshop description is here.

Presentations made at the workshop may be found here:

The Science Behind Copenhagen

Canadian Energy Association Introduction

Mini Bootcamp Presentation

BC Healthy Communities Citizen Engagement

Call Centre for Civic Governance for further information: 604 408-2500  Fax: 408-2525

 

This workshop was a shoulder event as part of the Resilient Cities: Urban Strategies for Transition Times /Gaining Ground conference in association with Smart Growth BC and in collaboration with the Canadian Society for Ecological Economics.
Date: Oct 20-22, 2009
Location: Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC
Web site: www.gaininggroundsummit.com
Email: info@gaininggroundsummit.com
Tel: 250-858-4600

Leadership Matters: Governance Forum for Local Leaders in Ontario

The keynote speaker at this year’s Forum is former mayor of Salt Lake City, Rocky Anderson.

 

Click here to link to videos taken from the Columbia Institute’s 2nd Annual Governance Forum at Harrison Hot Springs. Videos include:

Donna Morton, alternative economies, tax-shifting

Julie Spezia – affordable housing

Emanuel Machado & Josha MacNab – Dawson Creek’s energy planning

Rick Quail – sustainable Okotoks

Felice Mazzoni – community planning in Ucluelet

Blair Redlin – public-private partnerships

Ellen Gould – the Trade, Investment, Labour Mobility Agreement

John Malcolmson – changes in school district governance

Dan Paris – Vancity Enterprises & affordable housing

Dean Fortin – Burnside Gorge Family Self-Sufficiency program

Lee Ann Johnson – affordable housing crisis in Gibsons

Alice Sundberg – building partnerships for affordable housing

 

Columbia Institute Poll 2008

In a recent poll by the Columbia Institute, 15.8% of British Columbians have named housing and homelessness as the most important problem facing their community, up from 14.3% last year. Columbia Institute Executive Director Charley Beresford says “These numbers show a rising concern about housing and homelessness in communities across BC. They are a call to action.”

Columbia_Institute_Poll_2008.pdf

Emissions from the production of globally traded goods and servives increased by 26% between 1990 and 2008

From 1990 to 2008 CO2 emissions in developed countries have stabilized, but emissions in developing countries have doubled. The study finds that emissions from the production of traded goods and services have increased by (26%). Most developed countries have increased their consumption-based emissions. The net emission transfers via international trade from developing to developed countries exceeds the Kyoto Protocol emission reductions. Results indicate that international trade is a significant factor in explaining the change in emissions in many countries, from both a production and consumption perspective.

To view report from the US based National Academy of Sciences, click here. 

CETA absent from party platforms during 2011 election

Canada is currently negotiating the biggest free trade contract since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), yet it has been invisible on the campaign trail. The Conservative government has been involved in negotiations with the European Union regarding the Canada-European Trade Agreement (CETA) since 2009. The deal, which is intended to be negotiated by 2012, would increase drug prices, privatize Canadian water, and prioritize foreign multinational corporations over local industries. Read the full story in The Tyee.