Build Local Communities is proud to support action committees in Vancouver to make our neighbourhoods better. Our function is to facilitate the action committees and help them host public forums with GWAC (Grandview Woodland Area Council) and other neighbourhood associations.

Please click on any of these links of interest. If you want to participate, contact the action committee directly. If you are the spokesperson for an additional action committee, Wally Kunz, build.local.communities@gmail.com, 604 817-4727.

Housing - Everyone in Vancouver deserves a home near where they work. Different economic levels need different solutions. We want to work with the provincial and federal governments, but we can’t wait on them. We need to act locally and act now. Sensitive rezoning can start corrective action now.

Traffic - We need to find simple, effective solutions that can be implemented now. A free hop-on, hop-off electric golf cart circuit on high streets (commercial roads) can bring more people to the shops and services, saving our business communities. It will also reduce car traffic congestion. Traffic calming should not clog our streets; let’s find novel ways to encourage rush hour traffic to keep out of our residential streets. Painting crosswalks is a simple and cheap way to remind drivers that pedestrians have the right of way at all intersections.

Recycling, Reusing, Repairing, and Refilling - Until the City collects more recycling curbside, pop-up recycling by volunteers is an effective way to keep many items out of the landfill. We need better directories for Reuse, Repair, and Refill. The City should deploy blue municipal containers for single use cups in areas with a high density of coffee shops

Democracy - Democracy only works when politicians and elected officials listen to Vancouver residents. Do we need a ward system and/or proportional representation to be sure our needs are met? How can we take back our government from paid lobbyists?

Green Spaces & Municipal Trees on Boulevards - With population pressure and smaller floor space for homes, we need to protect and increase our green spaces. Pause the logging in Stanley Park. How can we share green space with schools? We should also demand better consulting and more sensitive attention to trimming municipal trees on boulevards.

Britannia Community Centre Renewal - 50 years ago, Britannia Community Centre became a focal point of community activities, but our buildings are crumbling. Let’s light a fire and put Britannia’s Renewal into Vancouver’s capital plan.

Public Education - In the current crossfire between cuts in funding, debates over testing, and the advent of AI in an ever changing world, students and parents can feel uncertain about whether they are getting the education they want and need for the future. We need to build more opportunities to talk to Trustees, District PAC and teachers about priorities and the potential to influence positive change.

Drug Addiction - Drug addiction is a health problem, especially challenging with stress, mental health and being unhoused.  We need a path to recovery and housing security to take the willing and able off the streets. We need to measure results and proceed systematically to improve safety for all.