GVAT Newsletter: EDI, May 5th Civic Academy, UVic Bus Lanes, Wheelchair Win & More
Table of Contents
What does EDI mean for GVAT?
Civic Academy on Vacancy Control
Annual General Meeting on April 18th
Win! Victoria & CRD Vote for Wheelchairs & Mobility Scooters on Bike and Roll Routes
Climate Justice Victoria Campaigns for Bus Lanes
Win! North Saanich Supports Biodiversity Resolution
What is a Land Sharing Network?
Mental Health & Addictions: Community-Led Crisis Response Team
What does EDI mean for GVAT?
COEDI is GVAT’s Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. COEDI and its subgroups, the Mediation Team and the Indigenous Relationships Learning Circle, aim to integrate the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion into all aspects of GVAT. While GVAT has always had these values, we are now being very intentional about bringing them to life.
People sometimes mix up EQUITY and EQUALITY. With EQUITY, resources are distributed on the basis of need in order that all can reach the same outcome. With EQUALITY, everyone is given the same resources (which does not guarantee they can all reach the same outcomes). To achieve EQUITY, barriers have to be removed to access the same opportunities.
For instance, the 5-day advanced training in Seattle is offered to all who have had basic training but barriers exist for some people to access this opportunity–work or family responsibilities, extra costs for childcare, disabilities… Each person may have different needs to be met in order to access the same opportunity and fully participate in it. GVAT is increasingly aware of equity and striving to achieve it.
Inclusion means welcoming and supporting full participation by all and creating a safe space in which everyone feels able to fully be themselves and belong. COEDI will encourage self-education and provide training to create and maintain an inclusive environment so that we avoid actions contrary to it (lack of awareness of privilege, micro-aggressions, unconscious bias…).
GVAT wants to have greater diversity of volunteers and member organizations. We would like to be as diverse as the population of Greater Victoria but currently many are under-represented in our volunteer base (eg. young adults, people who are racialized, people who are economically marginalized, renters…). Working on equity and inclusivity are prerequisites to successfully achieving and maintaining greater diversity.
This EDI journey will always be an ongoing process. We are asking:
How are we currently doing on EDI?
What are the top priority changes we need to make?
How can we achieve them?
A baseline EDI survey will be sent this spring to all current GVAT volunteers and staff and to recently resigned volunteers. It will be repeated annually to measure progress. Additionally, EDI consultant, Dr. LIsa Gunderson, will host a confidential round table with current GVAT volunteers and staff who are members of equity-deserving or under-represented groups.
----- CIVIC ACADEMY-----
Save the Date: Vacancy Control Civic Academy May 5
Location: Fernwood Community Centre, 1240 Gladstone Avenue, Victoria BC V8T 1G6
Join us for an afternoon of learning and planning about Vacancy Control. Vacancy Control is a social policy that ties rent increases to a rental unit not to a tenancy agreement (BC’s current form of rent control. This is a policy that has demonstrated success in preserving affordable rental units and preventing people from being evicted from their homes. At this civic academy we will go over what vacancy control is, where it is currently in place, and how it could work in BC. We’ll also have an opportunity to plan how we can build our collective power to win Vacancy Control in BC.
You are invited to attend GVAT's 2024 AGM on April 18th! New Board members will be elected. We will be holding the AGM over Zoom.
Please email admin@gvat.ca if you would like to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!
Meeting registration begins at 6:30pm.
Proceedings begin at 7pm.
Note: There will be one vote per member organization, (no matter how many people are present from one organization). Please clearly designate the voting delegate from your organization.
Win! Victoria & CRD Vote for Wheelchairs & Mobility
Scooters on Bike and Roll Routes
GVAT’s efforts to have wheelchair and mobility scooter users welcomed on bike and roll routes are gaining momentum. Not only did we get the Capital Regional District (CRD) Board and Victoria City Council to vote to write advocacy letters to the provincial government in favor of this, we also brought a considerable amount of media attention to the issue. Read more in our blog post!
Climate Justice Victoria Campaigns for Bus Lanes on
McKenzie to UVic Now!
GVAT’s work to get bus lanes for BC Transit’s proposed RapidBus network built has gotten a boost from GVAT member group Climate Justice Victoria’s campaign for bus lanes on McKenzie to UVic. You can find out more, and endorse their open letter, on the CJV website. This Capital Daily article Climate Justice Victoria calls on UVic to join campaign for bus lanes provides more context.
Win! North Saanich Supports Biodiversity Resolution
North Saanich is the most recent municipality to act on GVAT’s recommendation. They voted to lobby the province for a Local Natural Areas Protection Fund and a Provincial Biodiversity Law. The Climate ART has worked diligently on this campaign, which is being led provincially by GVAT member group Sierra Club of BC. The matter goes before Esquimalt council next.
What is a Land Sharing Network?
Land sharing is a method of reconciliation available to land holding individuals and organizations. Volunteers in Saskatchewan pioneered a land sharing network and GVAT hosted an online event featuring 2 members of their coordinating committee. Check out the video and read more in GVAT’s blog.
Video available here.
Land Sharing Network Blog Here.
Mental Health & Addictions
Value of Community-Led Crisis Response Team demonstrated at Food Bank at St John the Divine
Sue Ward wrote about calling on the services of Victoria’s new Community-Led Crisis Response Team (CLCR Team - pronounced ‘clicker team’), an initiative that came about in part through the research by GVAT’s Mental Health & Addictions Action Research Team, and an organizing and advocacy effort that involved many GVAT members. Read more in GVAT’s blog.
