Climate Equity – Community Social Planning Council

Saanich Climate Equity by Design Report

Climate change affects everyone, but its impacts are not experienced equally. Climate Equity by Design: Saanich explores how climate change is shaping the daily lives of equity-deserving communities in Saanich, drawing on community engagement and an equity-focused analysis of the District’s Climate Plan Update Survey. The report examines people’s experiences with climate impacts, their ability to adapt and build resilience, and the barriers that can make taking climate action more difficult.

By centring perspectives that can be underrepresented in traditional planning processes, the report offers a deeper look at the relationship between climate change and issues such as affordability, housing, transportation, health, and access to information. It brings those lived experiences together with practical recommendations for more accessible and equitable climate planning, offering valuable insight into how Saanich can strengthen climate resilience while ensuring the people most affected have a meaningful voice in shaping the response.

Report

CSPC 2025 Impact Report

The 2024–2025 CSPC Impact Report highlights a year of meaningful progress toward building a more equitable and inclusive Greater Victoria. Through a blend of community-based research, hands-on services, and cross-sector collaboration, the Community Social Planning Council continued its 90-year legacy of addressing poverty, housing instability, climate vulnerability, and social inequality. This year’s work reflects CSPC’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with impactful initiatives spanning housing affordability, income equity, climate resilience, community engagement, and policy innovation.

Across the region, CSPC’s programs provided thousands of residents with critical supports, from sustaining homes through the Greater Victoria Rent Bank, to helping nearly 1,500 people secure essential identification, to distributing over 80,000 transit tickets and passes through LITA. Programs like LEAP expanded employment readiness for underserved communities, while major research projects shaped policy discussions on homelessness, childcare, tenant protections, and regional planning. CSPC continues to fulfil a vital role as both a service provider and a catalyst for systems-level change.

Report

Climate Change and Climate Equity

Climate Change and Climate Equity: What We Heard – Climate Impacts, Adaptation, and Resilience in Victoria explores how climate change affects equity-deserving communities across the city and how inclusive planning can strengthen resilience for everyone. Led by the Community Social Planning Council (CSPC) in partnership with the City of Victoria, the two-year Climate Equity by Design project gathered insights from Indigenous peoples, low-income residents, racialized communities, 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, newcomers, unhoused people, and persons with disabilities. Through surveys, public engagements, and community conversations, participants shared firsthand experiences of extreme heat, housing insecurity, food access challenges, and the systemic barriers that limit their ability to adapt.

The report highlights the moral and practical need to embed equity in climate adaptation—from designing accessible public infrastructure and culturally safe services to supporting community-led initiatives and Indigenous self-determination. Its recommendations call for governance structures that centre lived experience, targeted investments in vulnerable neighbourhoods, and measurable indicators to track progress toward a fair, resilient, and climate-ready Victoria.

Report

Equity-driven Best Practices in Climate Adaptation Guide

The purpose of this guide is to review existing climate adaptation plans to a) identify gaps in addressing the needs of vulnerable populations, and b) identify best practices for integrating equity dimensions in climate adaptation plans at the municipal level.

Equity-driven Best Practices in Climate Adaptation Guide

Driving Change: Collaborative Strategies for Climate-Equitable Transportation in the ACES Project

Take a comprehensive look at how the Community Social Planning Council, in collaboration with the Vancouver Foundation, UVic, Royal Roads, and several other regional organizations, developed the Transportation ACES (Access, Climate, and Economic Security) project. A regionally focused framework which brought together individuals and organizations with expertise in climate, transportation, and equity, to develop ideas on how to ensure that climate action in transportation addresses both equity and a just transition.

TACES Presentation

TACES Audio Presentation

Building Resilient Communities: Climate Adaptation in Victoria

Invitation to Building Resilient Communities: Climate Adaptation in Victoria

The event is FREE!

Date: June 6th, 2024

Time: 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Location: Ambrosia Banquets & Events, 638 Fisgard Street, Victoria, BC

Join the Community Social Planning Council, climate experts and community members for an evening of learning, conversation, and good food on June 6th. Speakers from the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, First Nations, and the City of Victoria will share climate projections for Victoria and how communities can be ready to adapt. We’ll share a meal, then have breakout conversations to hear your thoughts and concerns about climate change, and what would help community members build resilience.

This event is part of the Climate Equity by Design project led by the Community Social Planning Council, which will inform the City of Victoria’s forthcoming Climate Change Adaptation Plan to ensure that adaptation strategies are tailored to the unique needs of the community and based on the lived experience of those who are most at risk from the impacts of climate change. The CEbD project focuses on low-income, IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, and People of Color), 2SLGBTQ+ individuals and households, Indigenous communities and racialized minorities to ensure that adaptation planning in Victoria is reflective of their expressed needs, perceptions and capacity.

Please join us to share your thoughts and connect with others around resilience!

Here is the link to the Eventbrite for the June 6^th event.

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/building-resilient-communities-climate-adaptation-in-victoria-tickets-905002666337?aff=oddtdtcreator

Family Day Factsheet: No Family Left Behind 2024

As part of the Happiness and Wellbeing Lab project, the United Way South Vancouver Island and Community Council release an annual family day fact sheet. The fact sheet brings awareness that even though we may all be in the same storm, we are not all in the same boat. As we celebrate this BC Family Day, let's make sure that No Family Gets Left Behind.

Read The Report

Let’s Talk Urban Living With Uytae Lee

Let's Talk Urban Living With Uytae Lee

Join us for an exciting evening as we host our Annual General Meeting and then dive into the world of urban living and civic storytelling with Uytae Lee of popular urbanist YouTube channel About Here. He'll kick off with some Victoria area trivia before exploring topics ranging from housing to transit and beyond, promising an engaging dialogue on the facets that shape our urban experience.

Timing

5:00-5:30pm: AGM, all welcome — if you'd like to sign up as a member to the CSPC, click here.

5:30-6:00pm: Mingling, food and beverages available for purchase — we're pleased to have Maiiz Nixtamal on-site selling fresh tamales, street corn, and chips and salsa!

6:00-7:00pm: Uytae Lee

Venue: Victoria Event Centre, 1415 Broad St, Victoria, BC V8W 2B2

Grab your friends and come join us for a fun-filled evening of captivating stories, great food, and exciting discussions.

About Uytae Lee

Uytae Lee is a columnist and filmmaker whose work covers the complex issues surrounding our cities. He’s the creator of the CBC series ‘Stories About Here’, where he explores topics such as underground streams, zoning reform, public washrooms, street-food, and much much more. In addition to his CBC series, Uytae also produces urban planning documentaries for his own YouTube channel About Here.