Help shape the future of the region. Share your thoughts on innovative solutions to challenging regional issues. Join to hear new ideas and have your say.
Metro Vancouver’s Sustainability Dialogues introduce significant regional issues for dynamic discussion. Expert panelists and engaged participants provide fresh and stimulating perspectives on climate, land use, resilience and more.
Climate Action Dialogues – 2023 to 2025
Metro Vancouver’s
Climate 2050 is a high-impact climate action strategy aimed at ambitious, crucial targets — community resilience, a 45% reduction in greenhouse gases generated within the region by 2030, and net-zero emissions by 2050. These Climate Action Dialogues will contribute to the strategy’s implementation by engaging residents and opinion leaders across the region in the steps and pace needed to move forward. Dialogues in this series include economic opportunity and policy drivers, decarbonizing buildings, lowering emissions from transportation, and land use decisions and the impact on climate goals.
Upcoming events
Regional Climate Resilience
The Climate Action Dialogues are returning for spring 2025, featuring an in-person event on May 29 and a webinar on June 3 with a focus on regional climate resilience.
Climate change is increasingly shaping our region, bringing heat waves, floods, and wildfires. These shocks and trends are putting stress on our communities, infrastructure, and economy. Climate resilience is about so much more than how we react to climate-driven disasters; it’s about rethinking how we design and invest in our region —and in people— so we’re better prepared, both today and in the future.
In this dialogue, panelists will challenge assumptions and explore the co-benefits of climate resilience, from resilient infrastructure and smart investments to community-driven solutions and emergency response.
Speakers
Guest moderator
- Dr. Simon Donner, Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia and co-chair of Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body
Panelists
- Qudsia Ahmed, Assistant Vice President, Underwriting, Co-operators
- Harvy Takhar, Manager of Drainage & Natural Hazards, City of Delta
- Dr. Andréanne Doyon, Associate Professor, School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University (Vancouver event)
- Kelly Sims, Director, Flood Policy - Water Management Branch Water, Fisheries and Coast Division Ministry of Water, Lands and Resource Stewardship (webinar)
- David Harrison, Senior Manager Emergency Planning and Response, Squamish First Nation (Vancouver event)
- Julia Stafford, Climate Action Manager, Squamish First Nation (webinar)
Join us for an engaging discussion with expert speakers, audience Q&A, and networking. Whether you work in climate policy, emergency management, finance, or just care deeply about the future of our region, this dialogue is for you.
Vancouver session
Thursday, May 29 from 9:00 am to 10:15 am (optional networking session afterwards)
SFU Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue – ICBC Salons 10-30
580 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1L6
Register for the Vancouver session
Online webinar session
Tuesday, June 3 from Noon to 1:15 pm (Pacific Standard Time)
Register for the Webinar session
Previous events
Previous dialogue series
Clean Air Plan – virtual dialogues featuring current climate priorities (2021)
Metro Vancouver’s
Clean Air Plan (2021) is the regional plan for managing air quality and greenhouse gases. It includes key actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in this region, in pursuit of 2030 emissions targets. It also includes actions to reduce health harming air contaminants. This virtual dialogue series attracted 1000’s of viewers in early 2021.
Metro 2050 – planning for land use and population growth (2020)
Metro 2050 is the region’s shared vision of how projected population, housing, and job growth will be managed over the next 30 years. Metro Vancouver staff co-presented with Municipal and other community planners to explore new ideas. This series was presented throughout the region, with a full turnout at each location.
Climate 2050 – developing a climate strategy for the region (2019)
Metro Vancouver’s
Climate 2050 is a strategy that will guide climate change policy and action for Metro Vancouver for the next 30 years. In turn, policies set by Metro Vancouver create change for organizations, agencies and people across the region. This series attracted viewers across the region, and helped shape the Climate 2050 Strategic Framework.
Promotional resources