Victoria Forum

Last month, the UVic Impact Investing Hub in collaboration with Propel Impact, hosted an Impact Investing Summer School, providing a cohort of multilevel, multidisciplinary students with the unique opportunity to delve into the world of sustainable finance and impact investing: https://ow.ly/sAKL50TuAOS The program, focusing on investing in the clean energy transition and other climate solutions, took place over six days and combined hands-on experience, expert lectures, panel discussions through the Victoria Forum and site visits to organizations at the forefront of climate action like Ocean Networks Canada. 💬 Quinn Todd, an undergraduate student, noted, “The integration of speakers from The Summer School and Victoria Forum led to an incredibly insightful experience. There was such a diverse set of speakers that left me feeling both curious and inspired.” Students not only learned about the foundations of impact investing and climate solutions, but also participated in an investment challenge where they applied their new knowledge and skills to real-world investment decisions, balancing financial returns with social and environmental impact. 💬 Hailey Findlay, a student in the UVic MBA in sustainable innovation, shared, " As a graduate student, it was a fantastic opportunity to work alongside undergraduate and PhD students from a variety of backgrounds and to hear the diverse perspectives on the content we were learning. As someone who has worked in sustainability in the past (but not in finance), it was exciting to have conversations with the other students as we were exposed to new language and ideas for how we can work in finance to improve outcomes for people and planet.” Professor Basma Majerbi from the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business, who led the initiative, said “it was so rewarding to see students from across disciplines show interest in learning about impact investing. Their engagement and dedication, working long hours every day on a non-credit course on hot summer days, was very inspiring. There is genuine interest from both students and practitioners to build essential skills in sustainable finance which is currently lacking in regular programs. The summer school was an attempt to fill this gap, and it was great to collaborate with Propel Impact to deliver this experience to UVic students.” As we reflect on the success of this year’s cohort, we’re excited about the potential these future leaders bring to the field of sustainable finance. Sincere thanks to the Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET) initiative, the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) and Vancity for financial support to offer the training at no expense to the students. 🔗 To learn more about the Impact Investing Hub and their initiatives, visit: https://ow.ly/g2Bu50TuAOT #sustainablefinance #impactinvesting #climatesolutions #energytransition #ESGtraining

Andrew Parkin (CEO of The Environics Institute for Survey Research) and I attended the Victoria Forum recently at the University of Victoria, Victoria British Columbia. Sponsored jointly by U. of V. and the Senate of Canada, the conference seeks to develop multi-sectoral, evidence-based perspectives, ideas and solutions on topics of intra- and inter-societal interest. This year’s theme was Building Trust for a Shared Future.     Andrew gave a plenary address hosted by Donna Dasko, Senator from Ontario, setting context around the long-term changes in the public’s confidence and trust in Canadian institutions. These trend data show that while in general decline recently, trust in parliament, elections, the judiciary, the media, etc. shows surprising variability over time, and that we are not now at a place of lowest ebb in the 30-year perspective on trust in our institutions (except for business leaders). https://lnkd.in/g6VkM2xF   Andrew and I attended sessions by corporations, NGOs, educators, Indigenous leaders and former political leaders such as Joe Clark, Lloyd Axworthy, John Manley, among others. An added bonus? The weather was absolutely beautiful! ☀

Thanks to all those doing great summaries from the Victoria Forum and amplifying the work! My takeaway from the three days is that we need to get more capital to the people and places where it will do the most good for working people and community wealth. Lots of great ideas, projects and initiatives are being delivered in communities right now. My other takeaway is that we need a more enabling policy environment and more scale. Employee ownership is one solution, and there are many others that can tilt the economic arc away from further consolidation and concentration. The status quo will produce more inequality and social unrest unless we do a better job shaping the market. Adam Spence Ilse Treurnicht The Honourable Ratna Omidvar, C.M., O.Ont Arti Freeman Jeffrey Cyr Andrew Chunilall, CPA, CA, ICD.D Stephen Huddart Cordell Jacks Richard M. Kristi Fairholm Mader Senator Tony Loffreda Tiara Letourneau Allan Northcott Sarah Kim Shauna Sylvester Andrew Parkin Donna Dasko Thomas Marois Andrea Nemtin (M.S.M.) Graham Singh Njoki Mbũrũ 💫Dara Parker Mike Rowlands Jim Hayhurst

Recently, our CEO, Todd Khozein, participated in an insightful discussion at the Victoria Forum Blue Economy Roundtable. Joined by distinguished panelists, including Jason Goldsworthy, Kate Moran and moderated by Andrew Weaver, Todd shared recommendations on how we can accelerate the sector, underlining the role of innovative financing and community-building. Learn more about our past work supporting innovative marine ecosystems and coastal communities here: https://lnkd.in/gvwVvm7m

Last week I returned from the mighty Canadian Senate and University of Victoria run #VictoriaForum in Vancouver - and the impressions of this stays with me. A few of these settle in my mind and help me reflect on where we are with Purpose-Driven Organisations globally. I always think hard before accepting an offer to speak at a conference. I have the luxury of choice about using shared resources that underpin all our wellbeing and which are under threat. It is pointless, and wrong, for me to attend if the impact I can create is likely to be less than the negative impacts. The other side I sense going was the right call. 💥 It felt like every other attendee was a Senator or politician and they were stuck right into the heart of the conversations - so this was for real. I was excited to learn about many politicians driving Purpose from the inside - Senator Julie Miville-Dechene spearheading legal change similar to the Better Business Act in the UK and Ryan Turnbull a true systems leader. 💥 After the audience were subjected to 1.5 hours of key note from me (yes you read right) and a practical panel discussion that Julie ran - including the inspiring Mike Rowlands, Maureen Young from Coast Capital and Jill Schnarr from Tellus. The response to the 3 Logics and the role of Purpose was more concrete and practical than normal - and from incredible actors who are already spearheading change (I will stick my neck out and name some: Graham Singh Kirsten Wright Raj Kalia) 💥 Particularly, a larger percentage than normal properly 'got' how they could lean on the standardisation work of #ISO37000 and #PAS808 - and that an ISO in Purpose-Driven Organisations was something they could use to galvanise their field and the broader systems their decisions depend on. 💥 I was lucky to present first and this meant the framing could reverberate into parallel sessions...and these were wonderfully crafted. I often say 'I will feel better when we at least start asking the right questions'- the conference made me feel better: https://lnkd.in/eBKPjbaU Sessions included 'Innovative Finance for Regenerative Reconstruction after Conflict' and 'Implementing the lək̓ʷəŋən Commonwealth Sport Declaration on Reconciliation and Partnership with Indigenous Peoples' 💥 Finally, what sticks for me is the indigenous insights and challenge, that the organisers Stephen Huddart Saul Klein and Adel Guitouni ensured were front and centre. We need more of this. As a Brit I was struck by the dichotomy between institutional Canada moving forward to acknowledge and address past wrong and clear - and vocal protest by indigenous leaders that really not much has changed, with other countries like New Zealand being far forward. This puts Canada in an interesting position when driving forward a #WellbeingEconomy via #Purpose-Driven Organisation and #MeaningfulWorkandLives - it straddles so many worlds. Thank you Victoria Forum! #BeyondProfit #Purpose

The 2024 Victoria Forum Student Video Contest finalists and winner are now live on our YouTube channel! 🎉 Congratulations to Johary Azizi Perez Duran's "Boats of Hope" from University of the Andes for their incredible storytelling and impactful message. Check out the powerful ideas and creativity from all our finalists here: https://lnkd.in/gU4Mnb_k A huge thank you to the students for sharing their amazing stories with the world, and to our partners GBSN, Qatar University, and Woxsen University for making this contest possible.

Building Trust for a Shared Future.” Co-hosted by the University of Victoria and the Senate of Canada, the Victoria Forum 2024 was held on the traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples and set against the beautiful backdrop of Victoria, BC, Canada. As Canada continues to grow we must take into account the voices of young people a each table form making decisions about policy to economics to climate change and truth and reconciliation. I had privilege of sitting on panel, moderated by Senator Marilou McPhedran who has championed youth rights in her own journey. As I sat beside Sage Lacerte, the founder of the Moose Hide Campaign, Donneton Brown, a fellow of the 1834 Foundation Fellowship and Rowan Gentleman-Sylvester, the Executive Director of CityHive Vancouver the panel was a clear reflection of the critical perspectives youth bring to the table. During this panel, a member of the audience was the 16th Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honorable Joe Clark. One of the questions that he later asked was, "Given that bullying has recently become a phenomenon, especially in the cyberspace, how can we stop bullying, when young people share their opinion?" To which my answer was - "I respectfully disagree and want to acknowledge that, colonialism, and by extension residential schools where children weren't allowed to learn their own culture and simply live was a form of bullying. It's critical we recognize that. But more importantly provide avenues for young people to have a seat at the table where they feel empowered.

It has been a week now since I attended the 2024 iteration of the Victoria Forum which took place at the University of Victoria, with our opening plenary at the beautiful Songhees Wellness Center. This year's theme was "Building Trust for a Shared Future". One of the experiences that stands out to me is listening to Dr. Niigan Sinclair speaking on ingredients of trust. He shared, "Trust is made up of three intersections; Integrity, Accountability, and Justice." Dr. Sinclair, whose recent book is now available, also boldly and powerfully challenged us to reflect on "Who eats last?" as a way to consider the character of leadership (and leaders) in our organizations, communities and countries presently. Here is Niigan's book: https://lnkd.in/gbbvyqaN On the last day of the Forum, I had the incredible opportunity to moderate a panel session on the topic of 'Community Engagement in Systems Transformation'. In collaboration with some of our members at the Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement, we explored themes such as: equitable compensation when engaging community members with lived/living experience, the complexities and importance of decolonization, institutional accountability, and the undeniable power of grassroots advocacy. Thank you Margaret Wanyoike, Marcie DeWitt, Anur Mehdic and Danya Pastuszek for activating the room with your stories from a place of humility, awareness, and courageous curiosity. s/o to Zoey Wells and Stephen Huddart for your generous invitation, coordination and facilitation of this year's Victoria Forum! Stay tuned for the next one: https://victoriaforum.ca/ #victoriaforum #facilitation #moderation #panelsession #trust

We all know that trust is essential in building and maintaining any relationship. But how can we actually build it? Today, I was struck by Dr. Niigaan Sinclair’s speech at the Victoria Forum 2024. He highlighted three key elements that work together to build trust: 💡integrity, 💡accountability, and 💡justice. While his focus was on #Indigenous perspectives, I believe these principles are applicable in any human interaction, especially when combined with non-indifference and empathy. When you genuinely care about others and their feelings, you naturally begin to value the connection more deeply, don’t you?

💡 #impact #insights: I had the privilege of attending the Victoria Forum this past week. It was a unique gathering of citizens engaging in conversations about our most pressing challenges and exploring solutions together. I wanted to share a few reflections from the full Forum and for the community of citizens advancing positive impact. ➡ Check out seven key takeaways with more detail in the full post: 1️⃣ There is a wide constituency for good across sectors, generations, and political beliefs. 2️⃣ We can have healthy debates and difficult discussions where we disagree without retreat. 3️⃣ There are those that still hold to indefensible positions. 4️⃣ We’re in the sh*t. But there is hope. (In nurse logs and compost) 5️⃣ We need to think like a system and imagine systems-level solutions. 6️⃣ We need to share more stories, examples, and solutions. 7️⃣ We need to listen to more Indigenous voices alongside voices from the Global South. And, it was really great to spend a bit of time with folks in four dimensions including Richard M., Ajmal Sataar, Matthew Mendelsohn, Allan Northcott, Sarah Kim, Arti Freeman, Basma Majerbi, Kristi Fairholm Mader, Ilse Treurnicht, Stephen Huddart, Kathryn Babcock, Teresa Dukes, Graham Singh, Keshiv Kaushal, Cheralyn Chok, Tristan Smyth, The Honourable Ratna Omidvar, C.M., O.Ont, Thi Dao, Andrew Chunilall, CPA, CA, ICD.D, Ryan Turnbull, Alan Lo, MBA, Mike Rowlands, Graham Day, Hamish Khamisa, Cordell Jacks, Andrea Nemtin (M.S.M.), Jeffrey Cyr, Sage Lacerte, Janis Dubno, MBA, Danya Pastuszek, and many others. Congrats and incredible appreciation to the organizers and partners for putting together an outstanding gathering of people and conversations, particularly Stephen Huddart for his leadership. And thank you to the fellow delegates and speakers for sharing your experience and time.