Broadbent Institute hosts sold-out Progress Summit BC today
Vancouver, BC—Progressives are coming together today at the Broadbent Institute’s first-ever Progress Summit in BC — a sold-out event showcasing key decision and policy makers, leading campaigners, business executives, Indigenous leaders and top academics.
“With a provincial election in the spring, what better time to showcase the best ideas and chart a path forward for a progressive British Columbia,” Rick Smith, Executive Director of the Broadbent Institute said of today’s proceedings at SFU’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue in downtown Vancouver.
Progress Summit BC kicked off last night with welcoming remarks from Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson. Today’s proceedings begin with opening remarks by Ed Broadbent, chair of the Institute.
“This BC Progress Summit is the first time we’ve attempted such an ambitious convening outside of the national capital. We wanted to do so because the lead-up to the next BC election is a key moment for British Columbians and for all Canadians,” said Broadbent.
“The topic at hand today, and over the next seven months, is how to build a better, more progressive, future for this province — that means broadly shared and greener prosperity within a renewed democracy powered by people, not corroded by big money.”
Today’s panelists, speakers and moderators — covering topics ranging from the BC economy in 2030, the housing crisis, Indigenous rights, and campaign mapping in advance of the 2017 election — include:
Tamara Vrooman, President & CEO, Vancity; Wab Kinew, MLA-Fort Rouge, MB; Pramila Jayapal, Washington State Legislator and candidate for U.S. Congress; Ross Beaty, Executive Chairman, Alterra Power Corp; Janet Austin, CEO, YWCA Metro Vancouver, and former Chair, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade; Irene Lanzinger, President, BC Federation of Labour; Michael Tippett, CEO and founder, Wantoo; Tzeporah Berman, Adjunct Professor, York University Faculty of Environmental Studies; Prem Gill, CEO, Creative BC; Josha McNabb, Regional Director BC, Pembina Institute; Val Napoleon, Professor of Aboriginal Justice and Governance, UVic; and Heather Tremain, CEO, Options for Homes, among others.
For the full schedule, please visit www.broadbentinstitute.ca/bcsummit, where the proceedings are also being live streamed. On site, there is designated seating for media, feed boxes and a media-filing room.
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About the Progress Summit
The Broadbent Institute's national Progress Summit, held annually in Ottawa, is the largest annual progressive politics conference in Canada and dubbed as "one of the most important events on the Ottawa calendar" by the media. This is the first-ever Progress Summit BC, held in advance of the 2017 provincial election.
About Broadbent Institute
The Broadbent Institute is an independent, non-partisan organization, with offices in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. It is championing progressive change through the promotion of democracy, equality, and sustainability and the training of a new generation of leaders.
Media contact: Allison Murray, 604-442- 1846 or [email protected].
