Andrea Reimer

Columnist

climate change, Indigenous issues, energy policy, government, politics, women in leadership

About Andrea Reimer

Andrea Reimer was elected to municipal government in Vancouver for four terms between 2002 and 2018, and currently teaches about power and policy at UBC’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs.

After leaving municipal politics, Andrea was awarded a prestigious Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design where she studied and taught about urban policy and strengthening democracy.

In addition to her public roles, Andrea has also been a prolific community volunteer serving on boards of diverse organizations ranging from a credit union to the Canadian Women Voters Congress. She ran a small business, worked in service, retail, and manufacturing, and survived as a street-involved youth.

She has been recognized with a number of awards including the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award and the World Green Building Council Chairman’s Award. She is frequently asked to speak nationally and internationally on her policy achievements to inspire other governments to bolder action.

11 Articles

A protester joins a march demanding justice for the 215 children found in unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in B.C. Photo by michael_swan / Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Reconciliation requires more than shock and outrage — it takes action

Reconciliation is a long road that starts by moving past shock and outrage to authentic engagement, writes columnist Andrea Reimer. It starts with everyone listening to survivors.

Opinion | June 17th 2021

Cities are Canada’s best shot at a green recovery

If the federal government wants to pursue bold climate plans, they can’t do it without cities, and cities can’t do it without more power and fiscal capacity, writes columnist Andrea Reimer.

Opinion, Politics | April 23rd 2021

When COVID hit, some baked bread. I started a zero-waste experiment

National Observer columnist Andrea Reimer is proud to say she's down to one bag of garbage every three months or so.

Opinion | March 18th 2021

Why cleantech is B.C.’s $100-billion opportunity

B.C. has been a cleantech leader, but so far the competition hasn't been very tough. Now that the United States has a president who cares about the climate, the provincial and civic governments must ensure B.C. keeps its advantage.

Race to a Safer World

Opinion, Business, Politics | February 18th 2021

In Canada, the dog whistle is fainter — but pay attention

Democracies are fragile and can fail when power-hungry leaders practise dog-whistle politics, writes Andrea Reimer.

Opinion, US News, Politics | January 20th 2021

Humans aren’t hardwired to respond well to crises

For the sake of meeting the challenge of the climate emergency, we need to pay heed to the lessons of COVID-19 and apply them to climate policy, writes Andrea Reimer.

Opinion, Politics | December 29th 2020

What Canada can learn from America's presidential politics

While it's great to see Donald Trump go, don't expect too much change when president-elect Joe Biden takes the reins, writes Andrea Reimer.

U.S. Election 2020

Opinion | November 11th 2020

The BC NDP's big election win is a triumph for Canadian civil society

Contrasting our election to the U.S. election campaign this past month, British Columbians live in a remarkably civil society, Andrea Reimer writes.

Opinion, Politics | October 26th 2020

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigns in New York on June 26, 2018. Handout photo by Corey Torpie

What is Canada’s New Green Deal?

American progressive circles are abuzz right now with the Green New Deal. But it’s hard to understand what that means for Canada without understanding what the old New Deal meant for America, it’s country of birth... and why Canadian progressives shouldn’t adopt a plan rooted in America’s past.

Opinion | April 23rd 2019

Andrea Reimer: Mira Oreck and I were both right about Vancouver-Granville

The challenge in Vancouver Granville was that Jody Wilson-Raybould had already declared her candidacy for the Liberal Party.

Opinion, Politics | March 5th 2019