A functioning and resilient infrastructure is the foundation of every successful community. To meet future challenges, our industries and infrastructure must be upgraded. For this, we need to promote innovative sustainable technologies and ensure equal and universal access to information and financial markets. This will bring prosperity, create jobs and make sure that we build stable and prosperous societies across the globe. Source: Global Goals.org

Canada’s Response:

For Canada, the 2030 Agenda goal 9 is: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation. Source: Towards Canada’s 2030 Agenda. There are a number of actions, measures and many indicators.

Canadian industry has always been strengthened by Canada’s rich natural resources, as well as its diverse, creative, hard-working and well-educated population. Canadian workers, however, face a rapidly changing economy that will have a profound impact on the nature of work and jobs of the future. To help advance Canada’s efforts to build a clean economy, the Government of Canada’s long-term Investing in Canada Plan will provide more than $180 billion in infrastructure funding. Source: Canada Voluntary National Review

How are actions within our biosphere region contributing toward these goals?

Howe Sound has been slowly recovering from the environmental damages caused by industry over the past 150 years. Today, governments have many environmental controls over development projects that aim to ensure the highest standards for health, safety and environmental protections. Industrial lands in the region are very limited with most activity taking place in West Howe Sound and Squamish. Obtaining the social license for increasing industrial activity in the region is difficult, while traditional industries continue to upgrade and improve their efficiency and operations while providing steady employment.

The District of Squamish has been ranked in recent years as one of the top three cities for work by BC Business Magazine, and has a wide range of employment opportunities from the clean energy to tourism sectors.

Below are the UN SDG 9 targets that are relevant to our region. Click here to learn more about the targets for UN SDG 9.

What more can we be doing or are we on track? We want to hear from you.

In developing a management plan for the Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound UNESCO Biosphere Region, we are assessing where we are in our collective vision of Life on Land in the Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound region for 2030, and setting priority goals and objectives. Read more here about the Nchu’ú7mut/Unity Plan.

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