Nearly a year into the Covid-19 pandemic, and a lot of uncertainty remains. While a vaccine is on the horizon, sky-rocketing case numbers and renewed restrictions mean the time between now and a post-pandemic world feels anything but clear. What is clear, however, is that what comes next has to be better than what we had before.
When the onset of the global pandemic forced us to pause, deep inequalities in Canada and around the world were exposed. In the face of Covid-19, it is impossible to ignore longstanding systemic injustices. As these inequalities crystallize in full view, Canadians have realized that they want something better than merely a return to normal. 73% of Canadians expect a “broad transformation” of society as we emerge from the pandemic.
If we are intentional right now, we can come out of the pandemic having reinvented our economy in a way that serves everyone who calls Canada home, from urban dwellings to remote communities. As we are all in a bit of a limbo, we have an opportunity — and a responsibility — to think about what we want to do differently and explore new paths.
So, what does better actually look like? The Council of Canadians advocates for people, the planet, and democracy through collective action. They developed a series of principles to guide Canadian organizations and communities toward building a more sustainable, equitable future together.
The Council of Canadians’ principles of a Just Recovery are:
- Put people’s health and well-being first
- Strengthen the social safety net and provide relief directly to people
- Prioritize the needs of workers and communities
- Build resilience to prevent future crises
- Build solidarity and equity across communities, generations and borders
- Uphold Indigenous rights and work in partnership with Indigenous Peoples
At MakeWay, we’ve been supporting these aims across our projects and programs since our inception in 2000. In particular, forward-thinking projects on the MakeWay shared platform aren inherently working to enact the principles of a Just Recovery, by re-imagining all that makes up an “economy” to make it more responsive to communities from coast to coast to coast.
On the west coast, the Nawalakw Culture Project is working to create an economy that is rooted in traditional Indigenous culture and traditions. On a secluded estuary in the heart of Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis Territory, in what is more commonly known as the Great Bear Rainforest on the Southern Central Coast of British Columbia, Chief K’odi Nelson is spearheading the construction of a healing centre focused on immersing youth in their native Kwak’wala language and the culture and traditions of their ancestors. With few job opportunities for Indigenous youth in the area, many seek to leave as soon as they are old enough, disconnecting them from their cultural and community ties. Nawalakw is developing locally-based economic development opportunities to incentivize youth to stay in their communities.
By building a multi-use healing lodge, and micro-economy, that intertwines project and community good, Nelson and his team aim to support healing and learning within their community. In order to achieve this vision, Nawalakw is designing trainings and employment programs, with the goal of helping youth develop skills and expertise that will allow them to not only remain in their ancestral community, but thrive there.
In Vancouver, the Share Reuse Report Initiative (SRRI) is striving to change how we think about consumption norms. The tremendous environmental and social impacts of a planned obsolescence consumption economy are increasingly apparent as the socio-economic divide grows in Canada.
By working with community, businesses, and local governments, SRRI is working to promote a shift to a circular economy as part of a Just Recovery. With a focus on being more intentional about how individuals consume goods (such as smartphones, laptops, and other personal technology), their work takes research and applies its prototypes to extend the life of consumer products. SRRI is dedicated to supporting individuals to understand how to repair and upgrade their personal tech, to move toward a future in which our first solution to broken or outdated items is to repair and reuse, rather than to toss out and purchase anew.
Extending the life of things not only meaningfully addresses climate change through reduction, but also helps create sustainable, hyperlocal, and inclusive jobs. These jobs will in turn increase opportunities for those who face systemic barriers, and help build more resilient local economies.
2020 has been a stark reminder that the status quo can be disrupted – for the better. The inspiring and innovative work of many projects on the MakeWay shared platform are examples of how making way for a more just and equitable future is possible when we work together.
