A new progressive research institute for British Columbians
VANCOUVER, BC – We are thrilled to announce the launch of the BC Society for Policy Solutions (BCSPS), a new British Columbia-based charitable think tank focused on researching the pressing issues that face people living in this province. The BCSPS is committed to proposing progressive, ambitious, achievable policy solutions that center social, economic, environmental and racial justice.
The launch of the BCSPS comes after the national board of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) decided to close the CCPA-BC Office. The staff team of the BC Society for Policy Solutions is made up of former staff of the CCPA-BC, and the board of the new society is composed of past directors and chairs of the CCPA-BC.
We appreciate that this sudden news will come as a surprise to many. In truth, the closure of the CCPA-BC Office comes after many years of a strained administrative and governance relationship between the CCPA-BC Office and the CCPA National Office. Last September, the CCPA-BC, seeking to have authority over its own administration, sought an amicable legal separation from the CCPA. Unfortunately, those efforts were unsuccessful, and in December of 2024, the CCPA’s National Board chose instead to close the CCPA-BC Office effective February 3, 2025. We hold out hope for a cooperative new relationship with the CCPA (and continue to appreciate the excellent national research the CCPA produces). But for now, the CCPA’s national leadership has refused to negotiate an amicable legal separation, so we are striking out on our own and rebuilding a new social justice research institute.
We believe there is urgent work to be done to address the many crises and policy challenges confronting people in BC, including climate and energy policy, labour precarity and workers’ rights, decolonization, housing, living wages, poverty and welfare, tax fairness, healthcare, seniors care, education and many more. Together with our community partners and collaborators, the BC Society for Policy Solutions will do that work, providing governments, community and civil society groups, researchers, the media and the general public with clear information and ways forward that can help chart a path to a more sustainable and equitable province that works for us all.
We are establishing this institute at a time when the need for robust public services is high, the economy remains uncertain and the rise of the far-right in politics is negatively impacting public discourse about what a more sustainable and equitable society can and should look like. The BC Society for Policy Solutions remains fans of the research and policy work that is produced by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives across the country, and we look forward to working together to advance progressive policy solutions to make meaningful change.
UPDATE: July 8, 2025 – An update to supporters on our ongoing dispute with the CCPA and the path forward. Read it here.