To celebrate local government awareness week, we’re profiling winners of the 2025 Community Excellence Awards winners. These projects exemplify the best in local government governance and service delivery.
The Metro Vancouver Regional District won the 2025 Excellence in Sustainability for its Repair Cafes – events where residents bring broken electronics, jewelry, bikes and even clothing, for free repairs and advice from skilled community volunteers.
Many residents want to repair rather than discard, but lack the skills, tools, or support to do so. Repair Cafes are helping to close that gap. In 2024, Metro Vancouver supported 34 repair cafes, welcomed over 2,200 residents, and successfully repaired more than 1,400 items, extending their lifespan and keeping them out of the landfill. These events aim to reduce the impact of throw‑away culture driven by fast fashion, planned obsolescence, and the lack of experience in restoring household items.
By co‑funding events, supporting municipal partners, and scaling toward a goal of 100 repair cafes annually, Metro Vancouver is delivering climate action, affordability, and community well‑being in one inclusive, high‑impact program.
Applications for the 2026 Community Excellence Awards are open until May 29.
The Community Excellence Awards recognize local governments and UBCM member First Nations projects or programs that have gone above and beyond in meeting the purposes of local government in BC. The awards are intended to showcase outstanding initiatives and share them with other members to implement in their own communities. The sustainability category recognizes UBCM members that incorporate a long-term sustainability lens by considering the four pillars – cultural, social, economic and environmental issues – in planning, policy and practice.