COME TOGETHER!
It's the decade of climate action and it's time to Bring It Home - for your community, for the planet, for the future.
The BC Municipal Climate Leadership Council (BCMCLC) and Community Energy Association (CEA) invite you to the 2022 Climate Leaders Institute (CLI). This year's theme is Bring It Home in The Decade of Climate Action. Our goal is to provide participants with the opportunity to learn, share and contextualize proven climate action solutions to meet their community's unique needs.
June 8-10, 2022
in person at the
UBC Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability
In partnership with the Sustainability Hub

We are still accepting registrants on an ongoing basis until we reach capacity. See below for more details and logistics.

Clockwise from top left: A “fishbowl” session during the 2019 CLI; participants discuss key topics in small groups; The third CLI, taking place in 2022, will be at the UBC Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability, a showpiece of sustainability and urban development.
What is the Climate Leaders Institute?
CLI is a unique opportunity for BC local elected officials and local government senior staff to come together for peer mentorship, support, tools, and inspiration on accelerating climate action in your community. We use a combination of small break out groups and presentations to ensure participants are able to learn new skills and strategies and apply them. All content at CLI is designed and delivered by colleagues, leading professionals and inspirational speakers. The last CLI in 2019 was sold out.
The 2022 Program
CLI sessions will be structured into three themes, starting with defining success in the long-term, then exploring the policy pathways in this critical decade of climate action, and ending with a strong focus on gaining support and momentum in the short-term.
ONE
Communities are stepping up and setting ambitious and science-aligned emissions reduction targets, including net-zero emissions by 2050 or even sooner. Beyond the numbers, we’ll explore the role of envisioning the communities we’re aspiring to build, and share tools that elected officials can use to help community members see themselves, their children and grand children thriving in a zero-carbon future.
TWO
The 2020s is the decade of climate action, with calls from climate scientists to cut emissions nearly in half by 2030. What does this mean for local governments as they accelerate climate action, test and deploy new solutions, and scale up impactful collaborative initiatives? We’ll delve into this question through deep dives of case studies from across BC and explore emerging areas of focus for local government.
THREE
We know what we need to do, but how do you gain community and council support for accelerated climate action among many other priorities, especially with limited local government resources? We’ll dive into climate communications, collaboration, and organizational readiness that will help your community get to implementation and build momentum past this election term.
What makes CLI unique?
Small working groups to workshop ideas and actions
Opportunity to work with peers and deep dive into how strategies could work in your community
Peer-to-peer mentorship and learning
Build relationships to support your climate leadership journey
Details & Logistics
Pandemic-related safety is a serious concern for all of us. CLI will follow all provincial restrictions and guidelines. Mask mandates remain in place for all public indoor spaces at UBC. They will be required in areas around the event rooms, such as lobbies, hallways, etc.
The CIRS building at UBC is a state-of-the-art green building. The building is designed to facilitate the flow of outside air through the building. For more information on the building and ventilation systems, you can read more here.
Given the focus on group discussions, CLI 2022 will not be live-streamed nor presented as a hybrid event. Nevertheless, keynotes and presentations will be recorded and provided, free of charge, for viewing on the BCMCLC and CEA websites shortly after the event.
UBC Accommodation Options
Please note that accommodation is not included in the registration fee. Participants have three on-campus accommodation options. The West Coast Suites and New Studios are at the same location, which is a13-minute walk from the CIRS Building. The Pacific Spirit Hostel is an 8-minute walk from CIRS. These can be booked at http://www.suitesatubc.com.
There is limited availability for rooms, so participants should book as soon as possible. UBC has a 72-hour cancellation policy.
Pacific Spirit Hostel Single Room - $60 + tax per night
Private single room that sleeps one person. Guests share a washroom with showers (no bathtub) and TV lounge located on each floor. Rooms do not have air conditioning and there is no elevator at the hostel.
Signature Studio at Gage Suites - $195 + tax per night
Premium private studio room with queen bed, fully equipped kitchen with appliances, and washroom with shower (no bathtub).
West Coast Suites – $275.00 + tax per night
Contemporary private one bedroom suite with king bed in bedroom and queen sofa bed in living room. Sleeps up to four people. Kitchen equipped with stove top, dishwasher, microwave and bar fridge.
Off Campus Accommodation Options
It is also possible to stay closer to downtown Vancouver. Staying at a hotel near Broadway-City Hall Station allows for good transit access to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and to UBC.
Food and Dining
Nearby the CIRS building (4-minute walk) is the Open Kitchen dining room located in Orchard Commons and provides a range of food options and menus that can be viewed on UBC’s website. Hours are 7 AM to 2 PM and 3 PM to 9 PM.
Also located at Orchard Commons is the Hero Coffee + Market. All of their coffee and tea is Organic and Fair Trade. Hours are 8 AM to 11 PM.
Numerous other food and beverage options are available nearby. See the UBC website for details.
UBC’s Centre of Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) is one of UBC’s most sustainable buildings and serves as a “living lab” for sustainability on a variety of topics that are relevant to communities. Most sessions will be in the BC Hydro Theatre and adjacent Policy Labs.
CIRS is at 2260 West Mall
Registration costs for the 2022 CLI:
$175 for participants from CEA member-communities
$225 for participants from communities that are not members of CEA
See the CEA website for a listing of members: https://www.communityenergy.ca/about-us/join-cea/
As per the guidance from the Province of British Columbia, we are encouraging delegates who are not feeling well to refrain from attending CLI. In these cases, we will provide a refund of CLI registration fees. This does not include accommodation or travel expenses.
Reduced registration fees may be available for those participants who need financial assistance. Please contact Maya Chorobik to discuss: mchorobik@communityenergy.bc.ca
Support for CLI
"Excellent event. The future is coming fast and this conference is on top of what elected officials need to know to meet it."
"The small intimate environment allows the opportunity to really go in-depth to find the right climate solutions for our communities."
"This was an incredibly useful event. I have taken home many valuable lessons and much knowledge about successful projects in other communities across BC."
Thank you to our sponsors



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