(Photo by Brandon Griggs on Unsplash)

In 2020-2021 GVAT member groups invited their members to the virtual town halls organized by the Project bringing stories of people in the region with lived experience of being unhoused to various community associations and allied groups in Victoria.

While Saanich has had affordable housing policies for almost 15 years and participates in regional housing programs, the municipality still faces a severe deficit of affordable rental housing. The recent Saanich Housing Strategy considers current and future needs and identifies a dozen high-priority actions to diversify and expand the affordable housing stock.

Scientists and climate experts tell us we have all the scientific information we need to know we face catastrophe if business as usual continues and we also know we have technology to make the transition. What is missing is sufficient engagement from the population at large. GVAT has started hosting conversations so we can reflect together on what we can do, and are doing, to save our common home.

On March 28, Climate ART Co-Lead Jane Welton facilitated a wide-ranging Zoom conversation with members of the Social & Eco Justice Committee at Holy Cross Catholic Parish. Jane began by defining the difference between “climate change” and “climate Justice,” giving examples of how economically advantageous countries like Canada could work to achieve the latter.

My point of view is that if GVAT is to make a difference it will do so because its action research teams have developed holistic views of the problems we seek to address and have revealed the root causes of the problems we have identified. Such understanding can provide meaningful context to the concrete proposals that we make.

In October 2021 the BC government adopted a new target to reduce “distances travelled in light-duty vehicles by 25% by 2030, compared to 2020.” GVAT has requested that the City of Victoria thank the provincial government for this bold target, and commit to meeting or beating the CleanBC 25% by 2030 target.

GVAT works to take on the toughest questions of our day: the need for affordable housing, lack of access to quality mental health and addictions care, and the looming threat of climate change. These three areas of common cause each have their own Action and Research Team (ART), shared study and campaign development groups composed of interested individuals from member organizations.