How to get Community Benefits Agreements Right: Engage and Empower

In April, the Toronto City Council approved a CBA for the expansion of the Woodbine Casino in the Rexdale area. The Government of British Columbia announced a CBA policy in July, and the City of Vancouver adopted one in September. Federally, Infrastructure Canada announced a Community Employment Benefits initiative under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program in June 2018. Additionally, a private member’s bill to provide the Minister of Public Services and Procurement the authority to require CBAs for government-funded projects was adopted in the House of Commons in June and is currently in second reading in the Senate.CBAs provide an opportunity to leverage multibillion-dollar infrastructure investments to unlock additional economic, social and environmental benefits. Such benefits would maximize the value of public dollars on top of the benefits accruing from the infrastructure itself.

While CBAs can be useful tools, getting them right is essential to ensuring that they create meaningful and relevant benefits for communities. In a report released earlier in 2018, we drew a number of lessons about successful community benefits by looking at several case studies and speaking with a range of stakeholders. What we learned is that the success of a CBA depends on how well the community is defined, engaged and empowered throughout the planning and decision-making processes.