Every two years, the Land Awards honour land and water leaders, such as 2022 Food Lands winner Tea Creek. Photo: Pardeep Singh
21 Finalists Announced for 2024 Land Awards
BC leaders in sustainable, equitable, and socially just land use to be honoured June 13
Vancouver, BC / xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ territories (May 6, 2024)
Twenty-one projects leading the way in sustainable, equitable, and socially just land use and real estate are finalists for the 2024 Land Awards.
The Real Estate Foundation of BC (REFBC) will reveal the winners in five project categories, as well as the recipients of the Land Champion and Emerging Leader awards, at the 2024 Land Awards Gala on June 13 in Vancouver.
Established in 2010, the biennial awards program recognizes outstanding projects and leaders that protect the lands and waters we love and create sustainable, inclusive, and resilient communities.
“We’re excited to celebrate remarkable leaders and organizations forging better relationships between lands, waters, and people,” said Mark Gifford, CEO of REFBC. “By sharing success stories from across BC, we hope to build bridges and inspire lasting change.”
The 2024 Land Awards finalists are listed below, by project category.
Land Use and Conservation
- Líl̓wat Forestry Ventures
Q̓welq̓welústen/Mount Meager Landslide Restoration - Nadleh Whut’en First Nation, Stellat’en First Nation & Society for Ecosystem Restoration in Northern BC
Yun Ghunli (Defenders of the Land) - Nature-Based Solutions Foundation
IPCA Conservation Financing for Endangered Ecosystems - W̱SÁNEĆ School Board
ṮEṮÁĆES Revitalization Project
Fresh Water
- Comox Valley Project Watershed Society
Kus-kus-sum: Unpave Paradise - Kingfisher Interpretive Centre Society
Conservation Through Education - Living Lakes Canada
Columbia Basin Water Monitoring Framework - Nature Trust of BC
Enhancing Estuary Resilience: An Innovative Approach to Sustaining Fish and Fish Habitat in a Changing Climate - Watershed Watch Salmon Society
Connected Waters: Working Together for a Resilient Floodplain
Built Environment
- BC Transit
Victoria handyDART Centre - Climate Caucus
Managing Natural Assets: Handbook for Local Governments - Kambo Energy Group
Empower Me - NUQO Modular & Squamish Nation
Esḵéḵxwi7ch tl’a Sp’áḵw’us Place - Pembina Institute, BC Non-Profit Housing Association, City of Vancouver & Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation
Reframed Initiative and Lab
Food Sovereignty
- Nawalakw
Nawalakw Community Farm - Rivershed Society of BC
sc̓e:ɬxʷəy̓əm/Salmon River – Foodlands Corridor Restoration Program - Salish Sea Regenerative Farm Society
Salish Sea Regenerative Farm
Real Estate
- BC Northern Real Estate Board
Water and Land Sustainability Issues Webinar Series - Greater Vancouver Realtors
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Campaign - Musqueam Indian Band & Musqueam Capital Corporation
lelǝḿ - Real Estate Institute of BC
Advancing Excellence Initiative
Nominations for project awards are judged by committees composed of community leaders and subject-matter experts. To evaluate projects, judges considered innovation, impact, collaboration, and engagement; sustainability, equity, and social justice; Indigenous self-determination and reconciliation; and climate mitigation and adaptation.
The winners of the individual awards are selected by a panel of past chairs of REFBC’s Board of Governors. The Land Champion award recognizes a person who has made exemplary and lasting contributions to land use, conservation, freshwater or food systems, community planning, or real estate practices in BC. The Emerging Leader award goes to a person or small group (age 35 or younger) who inspires and empowers others and has demonstrated early successes and the capacity to make wider change.
The 2024 Land Awards Gala will take place at Arras Banquet & Event Space. Featured guests include emcee Angela Sterritt Lu Algaxit Ts’im Xsblist, author of Unbroken; poet ’Cúagilákv Jess Housty, author of Crushed Wild Mint; and artist K.C. Hall.
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