On September 22, 23, the Broadbent Institute hosts its first Progress Summit BC in Vancouver. In the lead up, the Institute is publishing a series of blog posts from speakers and staff.
It was three years ago after our first national Progress Summit - where dozens of British Columbians travelled across the country to convene with other progressives - that we began to dream about a BC-based gathering.
The idea was simple: bring together people with a shared vision of a more just and equal future for BC to share ideas and strategies for action. This idea has now become a reality.
The BC Progress Summit gets underway in Vancouver later this month. The sold-out event brings together an impressive group of British Columbians who are fighting and winning on a multitude of progressive causes, inspiring others towards fighting for, building and achieving a more just, green and inclusive BC.
There will be community activists, environmental leaders, workers, politicians, business leaders, academics, new Canadians, First Nations leaders, entrepreneurs, artists and more — all gathered to reclaim our province and to develop a shared vision for the future.
Progress Summit BC is a space to debate ideas, envision policy change, and to lay the foundation for organizing. We will strategize and learn, think together, and leave with a renewed sense of hope for and belief in what is possible for our province.
We will hear from leaders in different sectors about their ideas for a better province: What the BC economy must look like 10, 20, 30 years down the road; Indigenous legal traditions, and just and sustainable economic development pathways for First Nations; progressive solutions for the affordable housing crisis; strategies to create jobs across the province as we tackle the climate crisis we collectively face.
Importantly, we will also hear from organizers working on progressive campaigns across the province on Site C, fair wages, big money in politics, pay day loans and more.
We will be gathering at the Centre for a Dialogue just blocks from the heart of a public health emergency where hundreds of lives have been lost to drug overdose this last year. It will take place weeks after BC kids return to school in a public education system that has faced unprecedented government cuts. The Summit is an opportunity not only to dream of a different future but to fight for change in the here and now.
In the days ahead we will offer a preview of the speakers and topics being featured at the Summit. We encourage you to follow along, share in debate and discussion and prepare for the rare opportunity to take part in shaping the future of BC.
Progress Summit BC will be webcast; sign up to receive notifications.
