Victoria Point-in-Time Count & Survey Results 2023

Greater Victoria participated in nationwide PiT Counts in 2016, 2018 and 2020. Point-in-Time counts add essential information to our understanding of how people experience homelessness in our region. This information will assist planners, funders, and agencies in developing appropriate responses to homelessness in our region as well as to measure progress in ending homelessness.

What is involved? The PiT count involves working in small teams to conduct a brief, anonymous survey with people who are experiencing homelessness. The indoor survey is conducted inside shelters and other homeless service facilities, while the outside survey is done outdoors, walking around a specific area or neighbourhood.

Findings from this years PiT count and survey were released on August 3, 2023.

This project is funded by the Reaching Home Program - Canada's Homelessness Strategy

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Supplies for PIT 2023 were provided by

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Learn more: https://mule.to/p3nd

Centering The Person in Personal Identification And Health: A Scoping Review

The use of personal identification (PID) to access many of life’s essential services is easy for many to take for granted. However, not having PID can significantly impact and individual's health and well-being, excluding them from the most basic needs from health and shelter to income. The Community Council conducted a scoping review of academic and gray literature to explore existing research on how PID impacts health. Three main themes are clear in the research: the clear relationship between PID and personal health; the relationship between PID and the social determinants of health; and the disproportionate barriers faced by vulnerable populations.

Trauma Informed and Resilience Oriented Research Resource

This Trauma-Informed Resilience Oriented Research Resource (TIROR) including guidelines and principles are meant to inform how to undertake research with community co-researchers who have lived expertise with trauma and vulnerability, in a manner that supports their participation, health and wellness, and minimizes the risk of re-traumatization through participation in the research itself.

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.

Saanich E-Bike Pilot Incentive Program Results

The Community Social Planning Council (CSPC) of Greater Victoria has been actively engaging with regional and international partners on just transitions. Within this initiative the CSPC has launched the Transportation Access, Climate and Economic Security (ACES) project to design a regionally focused climate equity framework for transportation decision-making. The CSPC is using this framework to maximize co-benefits in program planning decisions that lead to best climate, accessibility, and affordability outcomes.

CSPC has collaborated with the District of Saanich and UBC REACT Lab to help design and implement the Saanich E-Bike Incentive Pilot Program. This program works to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions regionally by empowering low-income community members and equity-seeking groups to shift to e-bikes for transportation. It is the first municipal e-bike incentive program in BC to embed an equity lens with stepped income-qualified rebates. Read the full report below!

Low-Income Targeted Climate Action Incentive Programs

As summer temperatures rise and the climate crisis accelerates, many are looking to build resiliency and move away from fossil fuels where possible. The heat dome in 2021 was one of many extreme weather events yet to come, claiming more than 700 lives across the province. Despite the desire to shift habits, improve personal well-being and comfort, and build a more sustainable foundation - not everyone is offered the same opportunities. Read the full report below.

Walking the Talk: Building Equity into Climate Programs

As Canadian cities roll out climate action plans to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with Canada’s objective of reaching net zero carbon by 2050, it is crucial that equity is embedded in each step in developing these plans. Embedding equity considerations in climate action plans can help disadvantaged communities that disproportionately bear the adverse effects of climate change to have the opportunities to participate in and benefit from climate action initiatives. Climate equity is a win-win for the wellbeing of the planet and for all communities, including low income, Indigenous, immigrant, LGBTQ2S+, visible minorities and people with disabilities. Read the full report below.

Women’s Day 2023 – The Gender Wage Gap in the CRD

Women in the Capital Regional District continue to earn less than men. The gap is larger for visible minority women and women with diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Women annually earn between 30 and 85 cents for each dollar a white man earns.

For those who aren't familiar, the gender pay gap refers to the difference in average earnings of people based on gender. It is a widely recognized indicator of gender inequities, and it exists across industries and professional levels.

There is still much work to be done.

When compared to previous data, the median income ratio of all other races/ethnicities increased in relation to white men, with the exception of white women, whose ratio showed a slight decrease. 

How can we close the gender pay gap?

Conduct pay audits in your organization. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business provides exercises to conduct an internal audit. While it’s specific to the Pay Equity Act in Quebec, the questions can be adapted to other jurisdictions.

Support flexible work requirements. Women are often forced to choose between work, childcare, and other family commitments. A flexible schedule that eases in-office requirements can help.

Publish wage/salary information in job postings. Providing salaries up front keeps unintentional bias from creeping into the hiring process and provides transparency for applicants. Publishing a range also allows room to negotiate based on education and experience while ensuring candidates have equal starting places.

Write your MLA and encourage them to pass provincial legislation that outlines protections, processes, and remedies that require all BC employers to provide equal pay and to make the minimum wage a living wage (See the CSPC’s annual calculation for the living wage). Universal Childcare is also seen as a key way to eliminate the gender pay gap.

In order to see long-lasting change, both pay equity and proper representation of women in higher-paying jobs must be addressed.

The Facts

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Gender wage gaps are calculated from median employment incomes. 

Sources

Statistics Canada. Table 98-10-0439-01  Employment income statistics by visible minority, highest level of education, immigrant status and income year: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts 

Statistics Canada. Table 98-10-0427-01  Employment income statistics by Indigenous identity and highest level of education: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts 

The Gender Pay Gap in Canada

As part of the Happiness and Wellbeing Lab project, the United Way Southern Vancouver Island and Community Council release annual data on International Women's Day to bring attention to the gender pay gap and empower individuals to take action.

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Family Day Factsheet: No Family Left Behind 2023

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. 

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