At the BC Office we focus on building social movements for change, bringing together progressive organizations and individuals to work on important issues.
Current projects
- Undertanding Precarity in BC is a research and public engagement initiative investigating precarious work and multi-dimensional precarity in British Columbia. UP-BC is jointly led by Simon Fraser University’s Morgan Centre for Labour Research and the CCPA-BC. The project is supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada and brings together four BC universities, 26 community-based organizations with deep connections to populations most impacted by precarity and more than 80 academic and community researchers and collaborators. Find out more...
- Living Wage for Families Campaign focuses on convincing municipalities, health authorities, other public institutions and large private-sector employees to become living wage employers. A living wage is different from minimum wage; it's the amount that a two-earner family with young children would need to earn in order to escape poverty. The CCPA-BC is a member of the advisory committee for the campaign, which is operated by Vancity Community Foundation. Find out more...
Desks & ongoing projects
- BC Poverty Reduction Coalition includes community and non-profit groups, faith groups, health organizations, First Nations and Aboriginal organizations, businesses, labour organizations, and social policy groups. The coalition is working to encourage the BC government to implement a bold and comprehensive poverty reduction plan that would include legislated targets and timelines. The CCPA-BC is one of the founding members of the coalition. Find out more...
- Public Interest Research Project is a special research desk staffed by economist Iglika Ivanova, who investigates issues and trends in areas such as health care, education, social programs, and crown corporations. She also examines the relationship between taxation and government spending on public services, and the impact of public services on quality of life. Find out more...
- Resource Economics Project is a special research desk staffed by award-winning journalist and researcher Ben Parfitt. This environmental justice initiative looks into the causes of economic and social insecurity in BC’s resource-dependent communities. It offers policy solutions aimed at meeting the joint challenges of environmental sustainability, jobs and social justice. Find out more...
Past projects
- Corporate Mapping Project is a research and public engagement project investigating the power of the fossil fuel industry in Western Canada, led by the University of Victoria, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (BC and Saskatchewan Offices) and Parkland Institute. This research is supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Find out more...
- Climate Justice Project, a partnership between the CCPA and UBC, aims to develop policy solutions that will help BC mitigate or adapt to climate change, and that will also reduce inequality and benefit all members of society. Research partners in this project include a multi-disciplinary team of academics from three BC universities, along with researchers and advisors from BC trade unions, environmental non-government organizations, First Nations and social justice groups, and other research institutes. Find out more...
- Economic Security Project, completed in 2009, examined the dramatic shift in the delivery and governance of public services in BC since 2001. The project analyzed how this policy shift affected the economic security of vulnerable populations, and explored what policy solutions would better meet their needs. The project, led by the CCPA and Simon Fraser University, partnered with 20 academics and about 25 community groups. Find out more...
- Seniors Care Project works for policy changes to ensure that BC seniors can age and die with dignity, and to improve conditions for family members and health care workers. We believe that seniors should be at the centre of decisions about their own care, as well as the public policy decisions that affect them. Find out more...