About

What We Do

Institutional Relationship Building

Relationships are the bedrock of our power. We focus on building relationships within and between our members to create understanding, expand our sense of belonging and find common ground. When we develop relationships with people across lines of difference, the barriers that often prevent us from working together start to break down.

Listening-Research-Action Campaigns

Member organizations set the agenda together. We listen, discern the problems that are arising for people across institutions and then facilitate broad-based action to be taken on those issues. This is done through “listening sessions” within your institution, followed by the development of “research-action teams” composed of members from all of the different MVA-affiliated organizations, who collaboratively develop campaign platforms around specific issues.

Community Organizing Trainings

We offer in-depth community organizing training to members of our member institutions to empower them to create the changes in their communities that they want to see. We identify and develop untapped potential in your organization. We create organizational leaders out of everyday people through experiential learning and mentoring.

Past Campaigns

Living Wages

In 2016, we won a commitment from the City of Vancouver to be a Living Wage employer. North Vancouver followed suit in March 2021. The minimum wage for all City employees and contractors is now $24.08 compared to the provincial minimum wage of $15.65.

Poverty Reduction

We successfully advocated for provincial legislation around poverty reduction. In April 2017, John Horgan (leader of the BCNDP and then-Premier) and Andrew Weaver (leader of the BC Green Party) stood before 800 MVA leaders at an Accountability Assembly held at the Italian Cultural Centre in East Vancouver and committed to legislate a poverty reduction strategy. In 2018, the province passed its first poverty reduction plan, the Poverty Reduction Strategy Act.

Affordable Housing

In 2016, we won commitments from the North Shore mayors and MLA to address the affordable housing crisis on the North Shore.

Affordable and Accessible Transit

In 2019, we won commitments for improved transit services, such as free transit for kids 12 and under from TransLink/BC Transit and handyDART funding which increased the accessibility of transit by providing door-to-door service for those with greater assistance needs. These changes were implemented in 2021.

Community Healthcare

In 2015 we organized with the Hospital Employees Union and local church congregations to successfully pressure the employer at Inglewood Care Home in West Vancouver to bargain an improved contract and job security, increasing the quality of care for residents.

In 2017 we won a commitment from the BC NDP to allocate resources for community healthcare centers.

Team

Staff
Krisztina Fulop, Organizer

Board of Directors
Audrey Guay (Citygate), Doug Kinna (BCGEU), The Rev. Michael Batten (St. Thomas Anglican), Maria Fe Infante (Migrante BC), Sarah Bjorknas (CUPE Metro), Jennifer Horsley (PSAC), Steven Seegerts (Urban Aboriginal Ministry), Lina Vargas (Diversity and Inclusion Support Group of BC), Francis Hart D'Emilio (Peace and Justice Unit of the Anglican Diocese), Sepia Sharma, George Pinto

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