Sustainable Communities – 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

BC Rent Bank Impact Report 2025

Since its launch, the B.C. Rent Bank has played a critical role in helping individuals and families avoid eviction during financial crises by providing short-term, interest-free loans to cover rent. The 2025 Impact Report offers a compelling snapshot of how this program has performed in the past year. Through a combination of quantitative data and human stories, the report examines who is accessing support, how swiftly funds are disbursed, and the degree to which these interventions are preventing homelessness.

Key findings include detailed trends in applications, approval and repayment rates, regional usage patterns, and demographic insights. It explores what the data means for future policy, offering recommendations to strengthen the program’s equity, efficiency, and sustainability.

Dive into the report for more information.

Report

The Drivers of Eviction – Understanding What is Contributing to Housing Loss for Renters in B.C

The cost of rental housing has become unaffordable for a growing number of renters in British Columbia. Rent Banks have existed in BC since around 2010. In 2019, the province established B.C. Rent Bank to help prevent eviction for renter households with low-moderate incomes at imminent risk of losing their housing due to a temporary financial hardship through the provision of financial support.

The Greater Victoria Rent Bank (GVRB) was established by the Community Social Planning Council (CSPC) in 2021 and supports communities across Greater Victoria with grants, rent supplements, and microloans. Since its inception, GVRB has distributed $852,409 in loan capital, preventing housing loss for over 500 Greater Victoria households.

In April 2024, the GVRB began collecting data to learn more about the factors contributing to or 'driving' displacement from rental housing and the resulting need for rent bank services. This data complements the information already collected by BC Rent Bank through their Client Management System (CMS). This report summarizes the key findings from this data tracked across fiscal year 2024/2025 and puts forward four recommendations to mitigate the negative effects on renter households.

Dive into the report for more information.

Report

Greater Victoria Living Wage Report 2024

The Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria (CSPC), in partnership with United Way Southern Vancouver Island, BC Living Wage, and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, has released the 2024 Living Wage for Greater Victoria. This figure represents the hourly wage required for two working parents with two young children to meet their basic expenses, including housing, food, transportation, and healthcare. It is calculated after accounting for government taxes, credits, deductions, and subsidies, based on a 35-hour work week.

In 2024, the Living Wage for Greater Victoria has risen to $26.78 per hour, marking a 5.4% increase from 2023, or an additional $1.38 per hour. Since 2022, the wage has increased by 10.3% ($2.49), driven largely by the rising costs of housing, food, and other essential living expenses.

Dive into the report for more information.

Report

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

Local Government Levers for Housing Affordability

As we navigate in an era marked by a nation-wide housing crisis, all levels of government are under pressure to address the challenge, although local governments are on the front lines. Municipalities also hold a pivotal role in orchestrating the changes needed to address the affordability challenges facing Canadian cities. This toolkit outlines the many levers within municipal control that can significantly influence housing supply and affordability.

This toolkit is intended to help local governments across Canada, big and small, to understand and utilize all of the tools available to improve housing affordability by:

• providing an overview of tools and their municipal context;
• identifying success factors and key considerations for each of the tools; and
• sharing case studies and best practices that highlight successes in implementing the tools in a range of municipal contexts and for a diversity of housing types.

The optimal use of these municipal tools can change the trajectory of our current housing situation, creating a better future for housing availability and affordability.

Read The Toolkit