On June 25, the United Nations – Habitat, Sustainable Development Goals Cities released its SDG Cities Canada Report tracking the progress of Canadian cities in implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The UN SDGs includes 17 goals set forth by the United Nations as a universal call to protect the planet, end poverty, and improve the lives and prospects of all humans. The SDG Cities Canada Report, led by Dr. Jennie Moore, BCIT Director of Instiute Sustainability, describes the priority challenges facing Canadian cities, communities, and many around the world. In particular, the report offers a unique perspective, analyzing national statistics through the lens of city-specific indicators from UN-Habitat’s Global Urban Monitoring Framework (UMF). The report features regional summaries of progress and, most notably, presents 14 compelling case studies that highlight the diverse and dynamic efforts of cities across Canada in advancing a wide range of sustainable development goals. The cities highlighted in the report are: Calgary, Oakville, Halifax, Saanich, Guelph, Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Kelowna, Thunder Bay, Kitchener, Burlington, Gibsons, and Winnipeg.
Canada is empowering municipal governments to drive the nation towards the UN SDGs by 2030. In 2018, Canada committed to providing up to $59.8 million in SDG funding over 13 years to support cities and communities on initiatives that advance SDGs, such as those related to land use, housing, and transportation, and water/waste management.
“The Sustainable Development Goals aim to transform the world by calling on our actions to end poverty, inequality, and to improve the health, justice, and prosperity of all people,” says Dr. Jennie Moore, Director of Institute Sustainability at BCIT. “As the lead author of the SDG Cities Canada Report, I hope it brings attention to the crucial role that our cities, communities, and supporting networks, including those provided by BCIT, play in advancing sustainability.”
Addressing SDGs through education, operation, and community engagement, BCIT and the BCIT Student Association are proud signatories of the SDG Accord. This commitment involves actively communicating and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals through education, operations, and community engagement activities at BCIT.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals comprise 17 objectives that guide human development to meet the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. These goals include:
- No poverty
- Zero hunger
- Good health and well-being
- Quality education
- Gender equality
- Clean water and sanitation
- Affordable and clean energy
- Decent work and economic growth
- Industry, innovation, and Infrastructure
- Reduced inequalities
- Sustainable cities and communities
- Responsible consumption and production
- Climate action
- Life below water
- Life on land
- Peace, justice, and strong institutions
- Partnerships for the goals
Many of these goals align with the education and initiatives at BCIT, such as providing quality education that enables access to decent work, contributing to industry innovation, designing infrastructure, providing clean water and energy, building sustainable communities, supporting good health, reducing inequalities, and taking climate action. Notable programs at BCIT that directly contribute towards SDGs include Architectural Science, Ecological Restoration, Electric Vehicle Technology and Service, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Public Health, Renewable Energy Electrical Systems Installation and Maintenance, Sustainable Business Leadership, and Smart Grid Systems and Technologies.
“BCIT is essential in providing workforce solutions in British Columbia and also innovations to a sustainable world,” explains Dr. Moore. “What we do everyday matters, and it’s inspiring to see our impact.”
Why focus on cities?
BCIT campuses, along with over half of the world’s population, are located in cities. Cities offer efficient ways for people to work and live, but they are also consumption hubs, accounting for most of the world’s end-point energy and materials use, including refined fuels, food, and consumer goods. This consumption leads to various forms of waste, such as emissions, sewage, wastewater, garbage, and food scraps. Cities function as nodes in a global network of energy and materials flows. Whether educating for workforce development in natural resources, construction, mining, engineering, computer sciences, transportation, health, business, or media, the work at BCIT ultimately impacts the lives of people in cities.
With over 80% of Canada’s population living in cities, it is crucial to consider how collective actions affect and are affected by this global, circular flow of resources, products, services, and wastes. Cities are integral to the sustainability solution, and BCIT is a vital part of that solution.