Eradicating poverty is not a task of charity, it's an act of justice and the key to unlocking an enormous human potential. Still, nearly half of the world’s population lives in poverty, and lack of food and clean water is killing thousands every single day of the year. Together, we can feed the hungry, wipe out disease and give everyone in the world a chance to prosper and live a productive and rich life. Source: Global Goals.org

Canada’s Response:

For Canada, the 2030 Agenda goal 1 is: End poverty in all its forms everywhere. Source: Towards Canada’s 2030 Agenda. There are a number of Actions, measures and many indicators measure that include the proportion of economic families with children receiving a child benefit (Total federal & provincial child benefits plus Universal Child Care Benefit), and the unemployment rate. Data for many of the indicators are still being explored.

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

We are fortunate to live in a society where the standards of living are high, however, affordability of housing over the course of this past decade combined with the pandemic have put financial pressures on people trying to retain their way of life in the region.

Vital Signs

Vital Signs reports produced by the various community foundations in the region use local knowledge to measure the vitality of a community and support action towards improving collective quality of life. Local data gathered through the program is used to support evidence-based, locally-relevant solutions to improve the quality of life at the community level. In 2020 a Sea to Sky Howe Sound Vital Explorations report was produced by five community foundations – Whistler, Squamish, Bowen Island, the Sunshine Coast, and West Vancouver. “Many residents throughout the region struggle with incomes that have not kept pace with living expenses. While the region is home to many high income earners, more than one in ten people in our communities is considered low-income. When there is significant income inequality in a society, there tend to be negative impacts on many of the key features of liveability, including public health, safety, social cohesion, education, and political equality”

According to Living Wage for Families BC “The reality is that a number of families across BC earn less than a living wage and struggle to make ends meet with the rising cost of living, especially the cost of housing,” says Anastasia French, Living Wage for Families BC Organizer.

Community Foundations are committed to working together to address the issues associated with poverty such as breaking down barriers to ensure that vulnerable and marginalized populations are understood, involved in decision-making, and have equal access to solutions. And, support those addressing housing needs through improved choices, partnerships, and diversity within our communities. The Squamish Nation is guaranteeing its employees a living wage, as the BC First Nation was recently certified as a Living Wage Employer.

Below are the most relevant actions for SDG 1 goal. Click here to learn more about the global targets for UN SDG 1.

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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