12 events that brought communities together and inspired hope

From July to November, we hosted the Connect the Dots tour, featuring 12 community events across B.C. that brought people together around good food, great conversations, and a shared desire for connection and change.

Connecting what dots?

Our goal with the series was to help folks literally “connect the dots” between climate and the many challenges we are facing today — healthcare, cost of living, corporate accountability and more. By bringing people together in casual and accessible spaces, we aimed to create an environment where people felt comfortable to share stories, ask questions and strengthen our power to protect what matters most — people and the planet.

Some of our conversations flowed around: 

• How extreme weather events are becoming more common with climate change and how they impact our day-to-day lives
• Health burdens of increased temperatures and wildfires
• Fracking and LNG development are destroying our climate targets, ecosystems and commitments to Indigenous Rights and Title

In one memorable conversation at one of our Vancouver events, we dove into how home insurance rates are rising due to extreme weather events and how for tenants and precariously housed folks, these events also have devastating consequences like inability to access or pay for proper heating or cooling. Across the housing spectrum, climate change is making life more expensive.

This discussion, among the many others, reminded us of the intersections between climate and other top-of-mind issues.

Solutions through conversations 

Alongside the challenges, we wanted these events to spark hope and offer a chance to imagine a world beyond fossil fuels. Instead of the Tilbury LNG facility, for example, at our event in Delta participants suggested different uses for the site that they wanted to see in their community:

• A gigantic dog park
• A renewable energy farm
• Sustainable social housing
• Seniors co-op complex and recreation, health and shopping facilities
• Nature reserve for birds
• Community gardens and gardens for elementary and secondary students
• An affordable childcare facility

These ideas were not only creative, they were grounded in the real needs and aspirations of community members.

We heard several comments as our events wrapped up about how the events had brought together groups they were not aware of or explored new topics. Many people exchanged contact information with one another, as folks expressed interest in continuing to stay connected with the people and work.
 

Our federal, provincial and some municipal governments have been backsliding and walking away from climate action and policies that protect our well-being in the present and future. In times like these, community and connection are the most powerful tools we have. Making spaces for these special tools is necessary to building the power to make the change we want to see.

Our partners in crime

This tour wouldn’t have been possible without our Frack Free BC partner organizations, Stand.earth and Dogwood BC, and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE). Together, we were able to host more events and reach more communities. We also collaborated with other local groups — Nanaimo Climate Action Hub, Common Horizon Victoria and Vancouver, Better North Shore and many more —  across the province to strengthen our network of local resilience and helped spark new connections that can continue long after the events themselves.

We’re grateful for all who joined us, shared their stories and their imaginations for a brighter world. Every conversation strengthened this movement and reminded us why this work matters.

As one of our participants in our North Shore event put it, the one takeaway they had from the event was simply “hope for the future”.