Centre for Civic Governance

The Centre for Civic Governance works to support community leadership meeting today’s social and environmental challenges: climate change, Canada’s increasing equity gap, and shifting social trends. At the Centre for Civic Governance, our goal is to strengthen Canadian communities through sharing best practices, providing tools for locally elected leaders, and progressive policy analysis. We strive to provide knowledge and information to make real and positive social change.

BC childcare advocates present at United Nations

Hoping to call international attention to the child poverty in Canada, the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC joined other Canadian advocacy groups and made presentations to the UN working group on Convention in the Rights of the Child. The organization is focusing much of their work on child poverty and the lack of childcare funding. The organization has recommended increasing the minimum wage and income assistance rates as well as creating more quality childcare spaces. The provincial government has stated it will not raise income assistance rates despite clear evidence and data submitted by UBC’s Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) that income is a prominent factor in determining vulnerability for children.

Survey reveals scope of wage theft in Ontario

The Workers Action Centre based in Ontario has released a survey describing wage theft in Ontario.

The Workers’ Action Centre survey of low-wage workers found:

• 20% earned less than minimum wage

• 39% failed to receive earned overtime pay

• 36% were fired or laid off without termination pay or notice

• 34% struggled to get vacation pay

• 33% were owed wages and of those only 23 per cent were ever paid

The organization wants employers to comply with the law and is pressuring the government for better enforcement.

Job Creation with a Green Touch

Across British Columbia, Environmental Organizations and Labour Unions are working together to promote the bold idea of a Green Jobs plan.

GreenJobs BC is hosting a forum on Retrofits February 10th, 2012 in Vancouver. Our research shows that they are one of the fastest way to reduce greenhouse gases. You can read our report, “This Green House: Building Fast Action for Climate Change and Green Jobs”, here.

Paid in Full (Update)

An updated study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives shows that university graduates more than pay off the cost of their undergraduate degrees: degrees mean higher incomes, which mean higher taxes paid into the public treasury. These two infographics from the study help explain their calculations. Read the full report here.

INFOGRAPHIC: Who pays for university education in BC? INFOGRAPHIC: How should we pay for university education in BC?

Getting a Say in the City’s Budget

This past year, city councils in Toronto and Calgary initiated Participatory Budgeting processes, to allow citizens more of a voice about where their city’s money goes. In Calgary 23,000 people took part in the process.

Other communities, such as Victoria, are watching closely and talking about possibilities for engaging their citizens.

Participatory Budgeting is being used in over 1200 municipalities globally, most strongly in Brazil, where the city of Porto Alegre has been involving citizens in the whole budgeting process since 1989.

Read more about Participatory Budgeting in Victoria here.

Canada is a hot spot of ecological change

A report by NASA has shows Canada, in particular the prairies and northern boreal forests are areas of severe ecological stress. These regions and in particular the transition zone between them will likely see a dramatic change and loss in species in less than 100 years. The red hot spots are areas “where 100 per cent of the landscape is predicted to see major changes in plant species.” Read more at CBC.

Gerald Amos, Chief of the Haisla Nation responds to claims that foreign radicals are hijacking the pipeline debate

Chief Gerald Amos Chief of the Haisla Nation has written a response to claims by Minister of Natural Resources, Joe Oliver, that radical environmental groups funded by foreign interests are hijacking the debate surrounding the proposed Enbridge pipeline. Read his response in the Huffington Post.

Deregulated electricity costs Albertans more

A decade ago, Alberta allowed consumers the option of buying electricity from private companies. Those that took the plunge, roughly 30% of Albertans, are now facing significantly higher energy costs than those who stuck with the provincial regulated option. In some cases, energy costs are double what the public sector is charging. Read more in the Edmonton Journal.

Vancouver Health Authority wants to expand safe-injection sites

Vancouver Coastal Health is considering offering safe injection services at medical clinics throughout the region. The recent ruling by the Supreme Court that ruled the current injection site, Insite, saves lives and that medical staff and users could not be prosecuted should make it easier to start such a program. Read more in the Globe and Mail.

Fresh roots bring healthy food and hands on learning to Vancouver Schools

A Vancouver organization, Fresh Roots is working with schools to develop “market gardens.” The gardens provide food to the cafeteria and to culinary programs, but are also used as a learning tool in curriculum. Known benefits of school-based food programs include, a decrease in bullying and vandalism, improved nutrition and academic scores, greater community connections and support for local farmers. Read more in the Courier.

Prairie weather unseasonably warm

Temperatures across the Prairies have been in the double digits and the warm weather is expected to continue. While some are enjoying the weather, the change in climate is creating problems for many northern communities, where ice roads are not even close to being completed. Communities may have to rely on food and other stables being flown in at great expense. Read more in The Star.

BC scraps plan to reduce GHG emissions by one third by 2020

The BC government’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one third will not be attainable if plans for three new liquid nitrogen plants go through. While the first two will be powered by electricity the third and the largest one, will be fueled by natural gas. The government has said it hopes to stores emissions underground, but carbon sequestering is still in the developmental stages. Read more at the CBC.