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Actions for Housing Now: Creating Affordable, Suitable, and Secure Housing in Canadian Cities

2015, Summit We the City, Cities, Equity + Justice

In partnership with the Tyee Solutions Society, the , , and , we hosted Actions for Housing Now. Attendees collaborated on real-world policy solutions for affordable, suitable, and secure housing for working households in Canadian cities, to be presented to Canada’s new federal government.

For this day we brought together 80 expert participants, including housing policy and financing experts, planning and development professionals, decision-makers (municipal and other), advocates, and researchers, to collaborate on real-world policy solutions for affordable, suitable and secure, housing for working households in Canadian cities to be presented to Canada’s new federal government.

Our keynote presenters and team leaders included: 

Jill Atkey, Director, Research and Education, BC Nonprofit Housing Association;

Andy Broderick, VP Community Investments, Vancity;

Brock Carlton, CEO, Federation of Canadian Municipalities;

Jonathan Cote, Mayor, New Westminster;

Ray Gerow, CEO, Aboriginal Housing Management Association;

Penny Gurstein, Professor, SCARP, UBC;

David Ley, Professor, Geography, UBC; and others.

During this full-day, facilitated workshop we built a shortlist of the most-promising policy solutions and develop implementation strategies to make change happen during the new federal government’s mandate.

This workshop targeted working urban households at or below the median income for their city. A companion event, taking place in Ottawa (Jan. 2016) will target the homeless and precariously housed.

Selected reporters from the Tyee Solutions Society and other media will attend but the event will be conducted under Chatham House Rule1.

When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed  

Tue, 03 Nov 2015

8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (PT)


515 W Hastings St, Vancouver

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About We the City

From October 30 to November 7 of 2015, ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Public Square hosted its fourth annual Community Summit. Through a series of imaginative and interactive events, we explored the theme of city-building. We reflected on the important role of creativity, arts and culture in building and sustaining our cities and our neighbourhoods. By profiling the increasing pressure facing municipalities by surging urbanization and considering what attracts and holds people to our urban centres, we reminded residents of the power they hold to shape their city. Together, we deliberated on possible futures where everyone can not only survive, but also thrive. We invigorated the public conversation on how people can connect with their cities, find their voice, and enjoy increased participation in civic life.

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 â€” Ulduz Maschaykh, Spacing Vancouver (November 10, 2015)

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