by Cherie Payne, Director of Government Relations and Sector Development at Vantage Point

It was extremely windy and surprisingly cold along the water in Victoria on Tuesday February 22, as stakeholders walked over to the Crystal Garden near the BC Legislature to hear from Finance Minister Selina Robinson about the details of BC Budget 2022. 

Vantage Point had two asks of the government with this budget. The first was for support for not-for-profit organizations recovering from the pandemic. The second was support for increased access to high-speed internet. The news was very positive. 

Budget 2022 invests more than $289 million in new funding as part of a five-year plan to connect First Nations, rural, and remote communities to high-speed internet.   

It provides $25 million to the tourism sector for pandemic recovery, including arts and culture organizations –- key tourism draws in every region of the province. Arts Impacts and Amplify BC will flow funding through to communities to support the safe restarts of fairs, festivals, and events around BC.  

The budget gives stable funding to 50 community-based sexual assault response organizations to support survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.  

190 community organizations working to address racism in BC will benefit from new data legislation that will collect demographic data to help identify gaps in services to Indigenous and racialized communities.  

Notably, Parliamentary Secretary Niki Sharma announced the creation of a $30 million Non-Profit Recovery & Resiliency Fund:  

“Budget 2022 makes an historic $30 million investment in a new Non-Profit Recovery & Resiliency Fund. BC’s non-profits have been there for communities through difficult times. We will be there for them as we recover.”  

The Non-Profit Recovery & Resiliency Fund will be administered by the Vancouver Foundation and United Way BC. This is a significant benefit for charities across the province.   

We’re looking forward to hearing from members and stakeholders about the work still to be done, and questions you may have for government. As we come together to share learnings, observations, and feedback as a sector, we will lift each other up. 

Read more:  

Budget materials: https://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/default.htm  

Non-profit fund is mentioned on page 3 of the budget speech: https://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2022/pdf/2022_Budget_Speech.pdf  

And on page 7 of the highlights document: https://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2022/pdf/2022_Highlights.pdf 

Page 141 of the Fiscal and Economic Plan gives key details: https://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2022/pdf/2022_Budget_and_Fiscal_Plan.pdf  

By Jennifer Wolowic

Jennifer Wolowic, PhD, leads the Strengthening Canadian Democracy Initiative at the Simon Fraser University Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. Its work focuses on how to change local, everyday experiences of democracy. 

Having led the SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue’s Strengthening Canadian Democracy Initiative for the last few years, I’ve talked with hundreds of different groups and individuals about democracy. Among most, I hear a similar hesitation to engage with the word and its ideals. As a word, democracy is intimidating and as an idea, democracy is difficult to connect to our everyday experiences directly.  

One thing I do know: democracy is much more than politics.  

Its values and practices are core to our civic communities and the work of non-profits. The skills and values that uphold democratic systems and engagement are a part of every program, every organization and service.  

Another thing I know: everything we do can either weaken or strengthen our democracy.  

As leaders, service providers, and advocates, it is crucial for non-profit leaders to check in every once in a while and think about how they contribute to strengthening a culture of democratic leadership and participation. How are you helping your team and your communities learn and grow as members of our democracy?  

Democracy is still a big word, so let me break it down into five principles for your reflection:  

Principle 1: Remember to build people's capacity to participate 

Under your leadership, are people learning and practicing skills that help them be a part of decision-making processes? Are you helping create the time to reflect on those opportunities? 

Principle 2: Try to foster a commitment to democratic values 

What democratic values are important to you as a leader? How do you embody in your leadership and collaborations? How do you create space to name and talk about them? 

Principle 3: Create opportunities to build relationships and social connections 

How often do you participate or lead activities that prioritize building social connections? How do they create joy and feelings of influence? 

Principle 4: Show up and be equitable and caring 

How do you ensure all people are comfortable in your organization and in your spaces? What do people learn that they can take into other spaces? 

Principle 5: Don’t be afraid to be held accountable 

How often do you create space for feedback? How do you demonstrate to others that you are using that feedback to improve?   

Take a few minutes and answer each of these questions honestly. Then, assess your role in empowering people and participating as an active member of our civil society.  

The other thing I know: democracy takes a lot of hard work.  

 At this time, society is coming to grips with just how much work we have to do to live up to our stated ideals. This is the hard work of reconciliation, anti-racism, and community-based solutions. It is about setting up our services and organizations in ways that help people feel empowered rather than nameless clients. It is also the work of improving our democracy.  

 Each of us has a role to play. And these principles guide us in some concrete directions that each of us can lead. So I hope you will reflect on your role in our democracy and use these principles to talk with your staff and communities.  

 Any improvement begins by identifying our weaknesses and asking for input from others. It is the first step in growing as individuals and organizations. It is how we are accountable to ourselves, our organization, and our communities.  

Democracy is up to you.  

I hope you will use these principles to create opportunities to actively talk about how you are already helping to strengthen our democratic culture within our non-profit work and identify how you can do more within your organization. Then activate your ideas and create opportunities for others to better engage and participate in our democracy. 

For more on these principles and steps you can take to evaluate how well you are strengthening democracy, check out our two episodes with Jennifer Wolowic: The Five Principles of Democratic Engagement and Bringing the 5 Principles of Democratic Engagement to Life.

Dr. Jennifer Wolowic leads the Simon Fraser University Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue’s Strengthening Canadian Democracy Initiative. The initiative pilots democratic interventions, explores reforms, and develops education to spark dialogue on how we can make our culture of democracy stronger. Jennifer has led several of these programs including a collaboration with the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia that used game design to help improve how we can talk through difficult issues. She joined us back in 2020 to talk about 5 principles of democratic engagement, so now she’s back to talk about how we can use those principles to evaluate whether or not our organizations are helping to strengthen our democratic culture.