A tale of 3 bike shares and insights for small communities
It is no surprise that cities with successful bike share systems have noted a marked increase in both shared and private bicycle use after bike share systems launched. Apparently, the high visibility of the shared bikes creates new “norms” and increases the bike...
Sea Otter Musings on Responsible Travel
Having spent most of my youth and adult years living in tourism communities, I must admit that I’ve grown up a little more immune to the comings and goings of visitors of all types. Sure, there have been times when I’ve lost my S#$%^ because of the busyness of some of...
Putting Food Waste and Recovery on the UBCM Resolution Table – and hopefully into the CleanBC Roadmap
Not long after moving to Whistler 21 years ago, I had the (un?)fortunate opportunity to dive into a pile of waste and help with a waste audit in Whistler. I was surprised at the amount of waste we found generally, but especially surprised at the amount of food that...
Planting Seeds for a Sustainable Food System – Progress Update on the Squamish Lillooet Regional Food Task Force
With the days growing longer and (finally!) warmer, our thoughts turn to fresh herbs, salad greens, berries, and other locally grown garden delights. Here in the Sea to Sky region, growers of all varieties have spent the past few months planning, prepping, and...
UBCM Strategic Priorities Fund – An opportunity for transformational change to address the climate crisis and more
UBCM has launched its third intake for the Strategic Priorities Fund (SPF) for the first time in many years. The SPF Capacity Building Stream provides 100% grant funding for local government capacity building projects including integrated community sustainability...
Gentle density: A ’gentle’ way to infill
BC communities face roadblocks to adding gentle density housing to their inventory. Understanding the roadblocks is something we are working on with Small Housing BC and with funding from CMHC. The project will also help to identify the supports, tools and resources...
Low carbon resilience: two sides of the same climate action coin
To address the climate emergency and transition to a low carbon and resilient future, decision-makers and practitioners need to implement integrated strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change (mitigation) and prepare for unavoidable...
Developing a code of conduct as part of strategic planning
Like a good road trip, developing a code of conduct* is as much about the journey as it is about the destination. The journey of developing a code of conduct creates the space for important conversations about expectations related to appropriate communications and...
Elevation 2.0 Conference in Whistler, July 5-8, 2022 – Will you be here?
The Canadian Institute of Planners and the Planning Institute of Planners are jointly hosting this year’s conference in Whistler, and WCS Engagement + Planning looks forward to welcoming you in many ways! If you’ll be at the welcome reception on Wednesday, July 5,...
Silly Season Can Still Be Strategic
Silly season (aka election time) for BC municipalities is around the corner, which can sometimes mean a suspension of new planning and engagement work as the focus shifts to campaigning and the election. While for some it might not be the time to initiate new planning...
Learning How to Create Safer Spaces: A Learning Journey
With gratitude to Elaine Alec for passing along this important teaching From social inequity to climate change to COVID-19, communities face an array of multifaceted and interconnected challenges that cannot be solved by a single agency, institution, group or...
Where is your climate action plan at? Have you engaged community leaders?
As of October 2021, 433 BC municipalities (517 in Canada) have declared a climate emergency, others have declared their commitment to the 1.5oC target for emissions, and others have developed ambitious climate action plans. However, key to successful implementation of...