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SDG Research

As a Community Foundation of Canada and UNESCO Biosphere Region, the CBT uses the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to guide local action and advance Agenda 2030: a global action plan to reduce poverty, increase prosperity and shift our trajectory towards a sustainable future for our people and planet. All 17 SDG goals are interlinked, and when taken together, have the potential to empower all countries and stakeholders to engage in collaborative partnerships to implement the plan.

The CBT helps local governments, organizations, networks, and businesses align their planning with the SDGs and has established five pathways for change (outlined below), each of which aligns with the UN SDGs and Agenda 2030 Action Plan. 

Pathway 1

Vital Signs Report

In 2018, the CBT Vital Signs report used localized data to align with 14 of the 17 UN SDGs and highlighted several concerning economic trends. For example, the growing economic sectors such as tourism and declining sectors such as fisheries are contributing to rising unemployment rates and declining median wages resulting in a widening income-gap between communities. The Vital Signs Report is a highly effective method for tracking and reporting on indicators and targets for the UN SDGs. 

Pathway 2

Living Wage Calculation

The living wage is a valuable tool for understanding the multiple factors contributing to poverty and the high cost of living in our region. Since 2015, the CBT has calculated a regional Living Wage for the Clayoquot Sound BR, the hourly pay needed to support each parent in a family of four with two young children. Working to achieve SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities, the Living Wage considers a bare-bones budget to provide housing, food, transportation, childcare, and healthcare based on local costs. The calculation of a Living Wage for the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Region helps to understand the costs that drive health, security, and quality of life up or down.

Pathway 3

Vital Conversations

The CBT hosts Vital Conversations on topics such as sustainable tourism and youth. Local participants use an SDG lens to interpret Vital Signs data paired with lived experiences. The conversations explore the pressures and stressors in our remote and rural social-economic systems that are not easily resolved by looking at any one issue on its own. Through conversation, we explore complex and interconnected issues and pathways to change. 

Read more about our Vital Conversations. 

Pathway 4

Education Tourism

Our education tourism initiative, the West Coast N.E.S.T. (Nature. Education. Sustainability. Transformation.) is leading the delivery of a range of SDG learning opportunities and raising awareness of the Global Goals with support from the Government of Canada's SDG Unit.

We're working to engage local governments, organizations, and businesses to align their research and planning with the SDGs and develop education tourism opportunities so that locals and visitors alike are aware of how the Clayoquot Biosphere Region is contributing to the SDGs.

Pathway 5

Values-based Investment

As a community foundation, the CBT leverages its financial power to advance the SDGs in two ways:

  • Through our investment strategy, we make investments in areas that are aligned with the SDGs and ensure no investment income is generated through activities that counter the SDGs; 
  • Through our grant-making strategy, we disburse investment income to local organizations whose work is aligned with the SDGs; our grant application and reporting forms incorporate an SDG lens.