Learn about Whistler’s new e-bike policy, how it was developed, what we’ve learned after the first season, and then enjoy a guided e-bike tour around the valley – all riding abilities welcome! This session will include a presentation followed by a guided e-bike tour on Whistler’s Valley Trail network. The presentation will cover the policy itself, the stakeholder and community engagement process used to develop it, linkages to the provincial e-bike policy, and findings from season one of Whistler’s e-bike monitoring program. For the e-bike tour, participants will be divided into groups of approximately eight riders based on riding ability and guided around Whistler’s Valley Trail and Lost Lake Park trails.

Presentation 1: Petite-Rivière-Saint-François: Cornered Between Charlevoix’s Landscape & Resort Community Challenges

Presentation 2: Curbside Management in Transit-Oriented Development Areas: Lessons from the City of Coquitlam

In 2020, Metro Vancouver and TransLink collaborated with Keltie Craig Consulting, Licker Geospatial Consulting, and Luna Aixin Consulting to explore regional inequity patterns through the mapping of data and stakeholder engagement. This panel discussion will present the work completed as part of this study, including findings from stakeholder engagement, best practice review, the extensive mapping of various social equity indicators, and multivariate indexes developed through advanced statistical analysis. In the absence of a generally agreed-upon model for analyzing and incorporating inequity in regional long-range planning, panellists will invite participants to consider how the findings could be used or refined in a policy-based context. In other words, how should long-range regional planning and strategies best consider and address the idea of social equity, to support more equitable regional land use and transportation planning in Metro Vancouver and beyond?

In 2017, British economist Kate Raworth published her paradigm-shifting book, Doughnut Economics. A bestseller, it influences how we look at economics as well as social and environmental policy and land use planning. The framework has been embraced by Amsterdam and a bevy of other cities – Brussels, Portland, Philadelphia – and the first city in Canada, Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. The doughnut envisions a ‘sweet spot’ where basic human rights and needs – what Raworth calls the “social foundation” – are met without people falling into a hole while at the same time respecting Earth’s carrying capacity. She contends that not only are many basic needs not being met by our current economy, but that we are in a condition of ecological overshoot as manifested by the climate crisis. So, what does this all have to do with land use planning? Planners address basic human needs, such as housing. Moreover, how cities are built has enormous implications for climate change, air pollution, retention or destruction of habitat, and overall environmental and social resilience. In this panel discussion, planners will learn to apply the “doughnut economic framework” in their day-to-day work.

Winnipeg Metropolitan Region has prepared Plan 2050 as a 30-year blueprint focusing on five key themes to ensure communities can succeed together when faced with complex and interdependent issues such as jobs and transportation, one environment, infrastructure and service needs. A first regional plan, the approach is collaborative and focuses on building strong communities, sharing data that will be central to understanding the region’s progress, and sharing solutions. This session will explore how the unique experiences in the Winnipeg Metro Region have been captured with emphasis on global priorities. Building on best practice and local leadership, this plan sets out a regional approach to planning that will benefit others interested in a strong economy, resiliency, sustainability, and Indigenous engagement in a regional plan.

Join leading experts and practitioners for an engaging and informative panel discussion on important housing and planning topics and issues. Moderated by Dr. Ren Thomas RPP, MCIP, panelists will tackle some of the most complex and urgent issues related to planning, homelessness, and affordability with a focus on innovative ideas and solutions.

Neighbours often have questions and sometimes oppose the development of new non-market housing, especially supportive housing, in communities throughout British Columbia. BC Housing has created tools to help non-profit housing providers, service providers, and local governments address community opposition and gain acceptance for their projects. These include: • Community Acceptance of Non-Market Housing Toolkit • Exploring Impacts of Non-Market Housing on Surrounding Property Values Case Studies • Evaluation of Modular Supportive Housing We will cover key findings and how these tools are being used by planners to support development of non-market housing by BC Housing, the City of Vancouver, and the BC Non-Profit Housing Association. Attendees will learn about housing-specific community engagement, working with neighbours and local non-profit partners. The session will include small group discussions, where participants tackle sample case studies that highlight common challenges of community acceptance. Participants will apply the tools discussed along with their own experiences to brainstorm potential strategies for addressing common challenges.

SPONSORED BY: Real Estate Foundation of BC This engaging session will include presentation on the Net Zero policy objectives within the City of Markham. It will explore the challenges and real implementation solutions for low carbon development, currently taking place in the City of Markham. As a leadership model, the City has engaged in a partnership with Mattamy Homes and Enwave Energy to deliver a geo-exchange community energy system that will deliver on the city’s strategic direction for a Safe, Sustainable and Complete Community. The policy framework for climate change guides this project which includes strong community objectives around transportation and complete communities. The session will profile the Berczy Glen development and the approach to the partnership to advance a low density based geo-exchange district energy system. It will discuss the key aspects bringing the project together. The presenters will share the process to feasibility, including stakeholder engagement, and issues-based meetings to establish an approvals process for a non-regulated energy project within the subdivision approvals process. The project which received TAF funding to support feasibility outcomes and share lessons learned in the context of the partnership. This session is an implementation best practice for advancing low carbon solutions at a community scale.

Economic development fails by excluding segments of the population, criminalizing survival economic activities, displacing small businesses and cultural organizations, not protecting the affordability of job space, and prioritizing profit over people and planet. But it is possible for municipal economic development to contribute to strong and vibrant communities that work for everyone. When cities use an integrated sustainability framework to plan their economies – one that not only considers economic but also social, cultural, and environmental implications of its work – amazing things can happen. This panel will present the ways in which Vancouver is using a systems lens to plan for the future of its economy. The presenters are City of Vancouver and Vancouver Economic Commission staff, who will present their projects and, more importantly, how they are working together on economic development in order to achieve more holistic and integrated outcomes in order to 'change the system.'

This session will provide an overview of initiatives by the municipally-led Natural Environment and Climate Change Collaborative. This group comprises staff from the Regional Municipality of Durham, eight lower-tier municipalities, and five conservation authorities. By enlisting the services of the Ontario Climate Consortium, with funding from Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, the Collaborative has updated climate change projections for Durham Region using the latest best practices, including capturing Great Lakes influences in regional modelling. This work supports implementation of the award-winning Durham Community Climate Adaptation Plan. Located immediately east of Toronto, Durham includes a mix of large urban centres and different scales of rural settlements, making this work broadly applicable to many communities across Canada. We will discuss how climate information is being used in watershed planning, official plans, and climate adaptation program implementation across different sectors. We will also look at new tools for translating climate model outputs into plain language and training for practitioners.