Events

Events

An Evening of Celebration: Fundraising Dinner

On Tuesday, October 29, we held our third fundraising dinner – a celebration of the invaluable contribution of Charley Beresford, our former Executive Director for twelve years – for her commitment to nurturing leadership of sustainable, equitable, and inclusive communities across Canada.

Held at Heritage Hall in Vancouver, the event included a delicious buffet dinner, cash bar, silent auction, raffle, and mingling with friends who care about the communities we live in. Photos from the event can be found here.

Special thanks to our sponsors — Health Sciences Association of BC (Supporting), Vancity, United Steelworkers, BC Federation of Labour, and Hands-on Publications — who helped make this event possible.

Mark your calendar for High Ground 2020

The Columbia Institute will hold its annual Centre for Civic Governance Forum at the Pinnacle Harbourfront Hotel in Vancouver, BC from Friday, March 27 to Saturday, March 28. Stay tuned for more information. In the meantime, take a look at last year’s program here 

2018 Columbia Cafe: A screening of Women Bending the Curve on Climate Change

On the occasion of High Ground 2018, we presented the first public screening of the documentary Women Bending the Curve on Climate Change in Vancouver on Thursday, March 22. Set in the context of the Paris climate change agreements, the new film tells the stories of climate change leaders from Canada’s West Coast working in renewable energy, city government, energy conservation, community engagement, sustainable food, finance and indigenous land stewardship. Their inspiring stories explore how climate science, meaningful action and women’s collaborative leadership intersect to bend the curve on climate change.

The sold out screening was followed by a discussion with the filmmaker Dr. Joanna Ashworth, Tzeporah Bergman and Tessica Truong, as well as Irene Lanzinger. Charley Beresford facilitated the discussion.

2017 Columbia Institute Reception at FCM-Ottawa

We held our annual Columbia Institute Reception during FCM on Thursday, June 1 in Ottawa. The event featured a Report Card on Top Asks for Climate Action: Ramping-Up Low Carbon Communities.

2017 Home for Good: Building the Secure, Affordable Rental Stock We Need

Out of control housing costs for both ownership and rental aren’t just a Greater Vancouver phenomenon. Many B.C. and Canadian communities are experiencing a worsening, wickedly complex housing crisis that has been decades in the making. Shelter insecurity has seeped into the middle and even upper-middle class, and across all age and cultural demographics.

The wealth and social gap between renters and owners is also widening. High rents, reno-victions and low vacancies make many tenants insecure. Government policies often favour homeowners, offering less support for renters who can account for half of urban residents, or more.

On Feb. 22, we joined the The Tyee for an engaging series of conversations with renters and experts in the field, as we identified bold solutions for building the desirable, affordable and secure rental and co-op housing that BC and the rest of Canada need. This event was part of The Tyee and Tyee Solutions Society's Housing Fix project.