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The Housing-Climate Nexus: How Planning and Wildfire Drive Displacement in the Central Okanagan, British Columbia

Emilia Oscilowicz, Karen Chapple, James J. T. Connolly and Connor Cordingley
This article examines the intersecting dynamics of wildfire-driven displacement and housing pressures in the Central Okanagan region of British Columbia. Drawing on quantitative mobility data and semi-structured interviews with planners, housing advocates, and insurance professionals, we explore how housing affordability and climate crises exacerbate each other. Findings reveal a compounding housing-climate nexus: as climate disasters displace residents, housing unaffordability and the dynamics of land use planning in the region complicate wildfire disaster. We call for integrated planning and policy responses that address both housing affordability and climate resilience and highlight the urgent need for short- and long-term planning reforms alongside cross-sectoral collaboration.

Preserving Farmlands: A Land Use Land Cover Analysis of the Agricultural Land Reserve in Metro Vancouver

Christina Gemino, Tammara Soma and Chris Bodnar
The Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) has been identified as an important planning tool to prevent non-farm uses on agricultural land and thus sustain agricultural activities in the region. Using a land use land cover (LULC) analysis of Metro Vancouver's Agricultural Land Use Inventory data from 2016 and 2022, this study evaluates land use changes in the provincially protected ALR. In our study we found a 3.2% decline in cultivated land, coupled with a 121% increase in non-farm industrial use, with 42% of all new homes built within the protected areas being estate homes. The paper provides an update to Metro Vancouver’s 2014 comprehensive land use assessment of agricultural land, and argues that regular monitoring of land use patterns in the ALR can better support its mandate. These findings suggest the need for future research to explain the drivers behind the increase in non-farm use in the agricultural protected area of Metro Vancouver.

The State of Reconciliation in British Columbia: A review of Official Community Plans

Anwen Rees, Andréanne Doyon and Moe Nadeau
This study seeks to better understand the state of reconciliation planning in municipalities across British Columbia (B.C.). While planners are beginning to reflect on how to change their practices and mitigate colonial harm, no practical guidance is available on how planners can use strategic and statutory planning to support reconciliation action. More empirical work is needed to implement reconciliation in practice. Therefore, we examine how (or if) terms related to Indigenous Peoples or reconciliation are included in Official Community Plans (OCPs) in British Columbia. We examined 160 plans across B.C. using 33 key search terms. We found that although 127 plans mentioned Indigenous Peoples generally, reference to reconciliation, Indigenous-specific legislation or rights was less frequent. 24 plans had no mention of any of the search terms. There was a large variation in the number of unique search terms present and the date the plan was released, suggesting an uneven and adhoc approach to reconciliation across B.C. municipalities.

Policies and strategies to protect old-growth forests in Ontario: A case study of the Catchacoma Forest

Peter Quinby, Ania Marcus and Katie Krelove
Using a case study approach, we focused on the three main policy mechanisms to protect primary forests in Ontario including: (1) applying Forest Stewardship Council Standards, (2) participating as a stakeholder in forest management planning through the Crown Forest Sustainability Act, and (3) pursuing a Crown Land Use Amendment. This study (1) documents the Catchacoma Forest Stewardship Committee’s (CFSC) efforts to obtain protected status for the Catchacoma Forest from November 2019 to 2024, and (2) provides important takeaways for others pursuing forest conservation at the grassroots/field level. The unprotected Catchacoma Forest is the largest documented stand of rare old-growth eastern hemlock forest remaining in Canada, and old-growth eastern hemlock forests in Ontario could be lost by 2075 if current forest harvesting conditions remain unchanged. A partnership between the Peterborough Youth Leadership in Sustainability high school class and the citizen-based CFSC led to a logging moratorium in 2021, resulting in retaining ~90% (~662 ha; 1,655 ac.) of the Forest in pristine condition. Despite strong support to protect the Forest provided by the local Curve Lake First Nation, ratepayer’s association, cottager’s associations, and municipality, the Forest remains unprotected.

Politicians, Planners, and the Opportunities for Transportation Equity

Orly Linovski, Jennifer Dean, Samantha Leger and Isabel Cascante
Despite the central role that elected officials have in shaping policies and outcomes, limited attention has been paid to the political sphere in transportation research. This is particularly problematic for transportation equity, as understanding this as a technical issue, rather than political problem, limits the potential for change. This research uses in-depth interviews with Canadian municipal politicians to understand the barriers and opportunities for transportation equity. We find that while financial investment is seen as a major barrier, politicians lack clarity on how increased funding would address inequities. Other barriers relate to distinctly political issues, including perceptions of constituent priorities, and a lack of knowledge of the impact of transportation barriers in their communities. This limited understanding makes it difficult to advocate for policies without demonstrated constituent support. Politicians see the role of planners as making this connection more explicit, while being cognisant of the political contexts that elected officials work within.

Inside Public-Sector Innovation—How Local Governments Put Ideas into Action

Larry Kotseff

City Politics in Canada: Forty Years of Continuity and Change

Paul Boniface Akaabre

Urban and Regional Planning Law: Field Notes on the Legal and Governmental Processes

Chad Walker

Aging Playfully: Reimagining the Possibilities of Age-Friendly Community Planning, by Maxwell Hartt

Nancy Orr