Events

Now in its 20th edition, our annual civic governance forum continues to inspire, inform, and connect progressive electeds (mayors, councilors, regional directors, and school trustees) from B.C. and across Canada around inspiring policies and practices, informed research, and transformative actions. Better known as “High Ground,” the theme of this year’s event, “Tipping Points: Navigating Turbulent Times,” explores the question of whether things are really falling apart or if it just feels that way.

The 2025 forum will take place from 1:00 PM on Friday, March 7th to 5:00 PM on Saturday, March 8th.

Do you know a local elected who would be interested in participating in the forum? Please share this invitation with them or send us their name and contact information and we’ll reach out. By bringing a new local elected to the event, you’re encouraging all of us to continue the critical work we do, especially at this crucial moment in time. 

For any questions regarding the venue, hotel booking, childcare, and bursaries, please email Amor Verdeflor-Alvarado at averdeflor@columbiainstitute.eco.

Date: Friday March 7 to Saturday, March 8, 2025
Location: Coast Coal Harbour Vancouver Hotel,
1180 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4R5

Revisit our past civic governance forums here.

Join us on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 from 12pm to 1pm via Zoom for the first webinar – Leaving a Legacy – of our annual conversation series for local electeds.

Solutions to improve the experience of women and gender minorities serving in local government are vast and, in this session, the Feminist Campaign School will focus on the policies and processes we can leverage now. 

This webinar will explore institutional barriers to working in local government, including childcare, fair compensation, and improving accessibility for current and future members of councils and school boards. 

This is one part of the Leaving a Legacy workshop series, available for delivery to individual communities or regions by The Feminist Campaign School as part of their ongoing commitment to breaking down the barriers for women and gender minorities in local government. 

Presenters

• Mary Trentadue is a successful entrepreneur, former three-term city councilor, recipient of the BC Achievement Community award, and solutions focused.  She loves her family, all the books, a great cup of tea, and making an impact.
• Nadine Nakagawa is a community organizer and activist, two-term city councilor, and sought out for her strategic approach to complex projects.She loves her cats, mushrooms, dancing, and bringing people together.

Date and Location
Webinar: November 20 from 12pm to 1pm
Via Zoom
Register Now

If you have any questions or are having trouble registering, please email Isabella Johnson at ijohnson@columbiainstitute.eco.

We look forward to seeing you there!

A free, engaging webinar on school board budgeting for School Board trustees across the province. This interactive workshop will provide an overview on how to read budgets as political documents and include guidance on the challenges and opportunities that arise during budget time. 

Please join us for this free event on Thursday, February 22 from 6:30PM to 7:30PM by zoom! 

Brought to you by The Trustee Project, a joint initiative of the Institute for Public Education and the Columbia Institute to support school trustees in their advocacy.

Thursday, February 22, 2024 6:30PM – 7:30PM PDT
Via Zoom
Register Now

If you have any questions or are having trouble registering, please email Isabella Johnson at ijohnson@columbiainstitute.eco.

We look forward to seeing you there!

We have two great events in partnership with The Feminist Campaign School. First, on October 26th from 4:00pm to 5:00pm PST via Zoom, for a look into the research project Retention of Progressive Women in Municipal Elected Offices, with insights into the barriers that women face in office, and the reasons why they don’t run again.

Following the webinar, on November 9th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm PST via Zoom, we invite women and non-binary folks to join us for a dialogue for Progressive Women in Municipal Elected Offices and a discussion on how better to support these individuals and what can be done to change the trend of women leaving elected office.

Date and Location
Webinar: October 26, 2023 from 4:00pm to 5:00pm PST
Via Zoom
Register Now

Dialogue: November 9, 2023 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm PST
Via Zoom
Register Now

If you have any questions or are having trouble registering, please email Isabella Johnson at ijohnson@columbiainstitute.eco.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Join us for a deep dive into the Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET) initiative with Curran Crawford, Executive Director of ACET, and Tamara Krawchenko, University of Victoria via zoom on Thursday, October 12 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm PST.

The Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET) Initiative, led by the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems (IESVic) at the University of Victoria (UVic) together with four partner institutions, is being formed to help communities rapidly move from planning to action.

This talk with give an overview of ACET’s mission and vision, and examples of how academic research can provide tangible benefits to communities in implementing low carbon solutions from technology to policy. We’ll then present the opportunities and mechanisms for interested communities to partner with ACET. This will be followed by a Q&A session to hear from communities themselves their needs for support capacity in actually implementing their action plans.

Date and Location
October 12, 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Via Zoom
Register Now

If you have any questions or are having trouble registering, please email Isabella Johnson at ijohnson@columbiainstitute.eco.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Join us for a post-UBCM debrief conversation via zoom on Friday, September 29 from 10:00am to 12:00pm PST.

The post-UBCM webinar is a space to debrief and reflect after the convention. Facilitated by Amy Lubik, Port Moody City Councillor, this discussion will focus on ideas and possible next steps stemming from UBCM 2023 – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Date and Location
September 29, 10:00am to 12:00pm
Via Zoom
Register Now

If you have any questions or are having trouble registering, please email Isabella Johnson at ijohnson@columbiainstitute.eco.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Columbia Institute Reception is a space for local electeds to come together for lively conversation with colleagues. For more information, email averdeflor@columbiainstitute.eco,

Date and Location
September 19, 7:30pm to 9:30pm
Vancouver, BC

The Civic Governance Dialogue is a space for local electeds to come together to examine critical issues up for discussion at UBCM. For more information, email averdeflor@columbiainstitute.eco.

Date and Location
September 19
Vancouver, BC

We’re offering a great opportunity for local electeds to brush up on their media skills prior to UBCM this year. In partnership with The Feminist Campaign School, we’re hosting a Media Training session via Zoom on September 13 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm!

Please note registration for this event is now full.

Media training offers valuable skills to help you get your message across to the audiences you want to reach. Whether doing a live or recorded interview, motivating a motion at UBCM, or speaking up at a council meeting, the skills provided in this workshop will improve your ability to be clear, concise, and avoid misspeaking at a critical moment.

This online workshop includes learning about the media landscape, the role of key messages, and a practice session to hone your skills. Unlike traditional media training, Ablaze Services focuses on approaching any media or public speaking opportunities from the perspective of intentionality, personal agency, and diverse representation.

Date and Location
September 13, 6:00pm to 8:00pm

If you have any questions or are having trouble registering, please email Isabella Johnson at ijohnson@columbiainstitute.eco. Please note, spaces are limited so registration may not guarantee a spot in the session.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Building on momentum from our 2023 civic governance forum (High Ground), we are excited to present the first installment of our fourth Conversation Series – Decarbonization and the Zero Carbon Step Code – taking place on September 7th from 10:00am – 11:00am PST via Zoom.

At this virtual event, we will deep dive into the Zero Carbon Step Code (ZCSC) and existing building retrofit strategies for local governments. The webinar will educate local electeds across BC on options for local governments to incentivize and support retrofits, heat pump installations, clean energy, and other products that can support decarbonization.

Our speakers: Karen Tam Wu – Policy Advocate – will outline the ZCSC in detail, with Maggie Baynham – Senior Sustainability Planner, District of Saanich – discussing retrofits, decarbonization, and best practices for other municipalities. Finally, Robyn Webb – Program Manager, Local Government Conservation and Climate Action at BC Hydro – will address electricity supply and debated costs associated with the ZCSC.

This conversation will be facilitated by Tiffany Ottohal – Vancity – and will include an open Q&A session.

Date and Location
September 7, 10:00am to 11:00am
Via Zoom
Register Now

Important Resources:
– Building Retrofit Strategy – District of Saanich
– Zero Carbon Step Code – Help Cities Lead

If you have any questions or are having trouble registering, please email Isabella Johnson at ijohnson@columbiainstitute.eco.

We look forward to seeing you there!

SAVE THE DATE: High Ground 2024 will be held at the Coast Coal Harbour Hotel in Vancouver, B.C. from Friday, March 22 to Saturday, March 23, 2024! 

High Ground 2023

This year, our annual civic governance forum will be held from 1:00pm Friday, March 24 to 4:00pm on Saturday, March 25, 2023 in Harrison Hot Springs.

The theme for this year is Home — exploring all aspects of “Home”, such as the need for everyone to have a home that is safe, secure and affordable, the health of our planetary home, the impact of the climate crisis on local government and infrastructure, collaborations between First Nations and neighbouring local governments, how we think about the lands that we live on, and what all aspects of home actually entails, both today and tomorrow.

Held for 18 years now, our forums are a time where we bring together local electeds (Mayors, Councillors, School Trustees, and Regional Directors) to share ideas, discuss prominent issues and solutions, deepen connections, and take away inspiration.

Childcare and shuttle service from Vancouver are available.

With the deadline for our special rate passed, rooms at Harrison are subject to availability. Please email Amor at averdeflor@columbiainstitute.eco with room requests.

*NEW* We are offering a virtual option! Please select “Virtual Option” when registering. Your registration includes participation in our four plenaries and access to their recordings post-event.

Some topics that we’ll be covering under the theme of Home include:

• UNDRIP
• Collaboration between First Nations and local governments
• Watersheds
• Lessons learned from the last municipal elections
• Mental health and policing
• Tenant rights
• Barriers to green technology
• School boards and childcare
• Equity guide for cities
• Youth engagement in local government
• K-12 leaders

Stay tuned at this page as we continue to update speakers and sessions. Program remains subject to change.