SCARP PhD student Khadija Anjum's report about Vancouver community benefits

Advancing Viable Community Benefits in Vancouver's Development Policy: Strategic Lessons for Stakeholders and Practitioners

by Khadija Anjum, SCARP PhD student and UBC Sustainability Scholar
Partner and funder: City of Vancouver

This report synthesizes interviews and conducts an economic multiplier analysis to assess the feasibility and equity impact of Vancouver's Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) policy. 

The report looks at how Vancouver’s Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) Policy is playing out on the ground — and what can be done to make it both effective for developers and truly impactful for communities.

The findings, in Khadija's own words, are:

• Developers see value in the policy but point to ambiguity, risks, and costs.
• Social enterprises want stronger targets and earlier, fairer access to contracts.
• Procurement is uneven: services (like cleaning/catering) work well locally, but global supply chains limit construction materials.
• Independent monitors are crucial but need clearer roles and better data validation.
• Projects already generate major benefits — e.g., St. Paul’s Hospital ($73.9M) and Ashley Mar Co-op ($122.4M) in local economic impact.