THE AGREEMENT
Note: The Vancouver Agreement (VA) expired in March 2010. This website chronicled the life of the VA and still provides information about the Agreement and the projects it funded. For a retrospective overview see Vancouver Agreement 2000-2010 Highlights.
The Vancouver Agreement (VA) is an agreement among three levels of government to support local community solutions to economic, social, health and safety issues. This urban development initiative focuses on Vancouver’s inner city and in particular the Downtown Eastside (DTES).
The VA promotes partnerships between governments, community organizations and businesses. The goal is to work together to create healthy, safe neighbourhoods that are economically and socially prosperous, making them desirable places to live and work for all residents.
In March 2000, the governments of Canada, British Columbia, and the City of Vancouver signed an agreement for a five-year term which was renewed to March 2010. Government partners formed the VA because they recognized that by working more closely together, and with community and business groups, they could successfully address problems in a way that would achieve long-term, sustainable solutions.
The VA strengthened relationships, found collective solutions and built a strong foundation for ongoing efforts and future collaborative initiatives. The VA received the Institute for Public Administration of Canada’s highest annual prize for innovative management; a United Nations Public Service Award for improving transparency, accountability and responsiveness in the public service; and a Partnership Award from the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada.
The VA is guided by the principles of coordination, innovation, policy change, investment, and monitoring & evaluation.
The VA has four strategic initiatives that frame its actions:
- Economic Revitalization
- Safety & Security
- Housing
- Health & Quality of Life
