Seth Klein, Director
Seth was hired to open the CCPA’s BC Office in 1996. Under his direction it has become a prominent and widely respected source of public policy research and commentary.
Seth’s research deals primarily with welfare policy, poverty, inequality and economic security. His most recent publications are A Poverty Reduction Plan for BC (with Marjorie Griffin Cohen, T Garner, Iglika Ivanova, Marc Lee, Bruce Wallace and Margot Young) and Working for a Living Wage (with Tim Richards, Marcy Cohen and Deborah Littman).
A social activist for over 20 years and a former teacher, Seth holds a BA in international relations, a BEd from the University of Toronto and an MA in political science from Simon Fraser University.
Seth is co-chair of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, an advisory board member for the Columbia Institute’s Centre for Civic Governance, and an advisor and instructor for Next Up, a leadership program for young people committed to social and environmental justice.
Seth has been listed by Vancouver Magazine as one of the 50 most powerful people in the city, and by Homemakers Magazine among the “60 men we love.” He does not know how he ended up on either list, but he humbly accepts the latter.
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Shannon Daub, Communications Director
Shannon oversees CCPA–BC’s extensive communication activities, which range from media strategy to online and offline public engagement efforts. She co-created the 2011 documentary film The Remaining Light with Goh Iromoto, and co-directs the Remaining Light Seniors Project with Marcy Cohen.
Shannon also undertakes and coordinates communication-related research. Her research interests include social movements, framing, environmental communication, and democratic capacity.
Outside her day-to-day work life at CCPA, Shannon teaches in the School of Communication and Culture at Royal Roads University, is a trainer for Next Up (a leadership program for young people committed to social and environmental justice), volunteers on the boards of the Wilderness Committee and Canadians for Tax Fairness, and provides pro bono communication support to other social change groups.
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Janine Farrell, Seniors Care Researcher
Janine works with the Remaining Light Seniors Project, coordinating research into ways of improving seniors’ health and quality of life while reducing cost pressures in acute care in British Columbia. Janine is completing her Masters in Public Health with a concentration on social inequities and health at SFU. Her work examines the impact of socio-political, economic, historical, and environmental factors on the health of individuals and populations in Canada. She is committed to integrating grassroots and community-based action and research with macro level approaches to social change, including progressive policy reform, for the promotion of justice and equity in health care for all.
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Iglika Ivanova, Economist and Public Interest Researcher
Iglika’s work investigates issues and trends in health care, education and social programs, and examines the impact of public services on quality of
life. She also looks into issues of government finance, taxation and privatization and how they relate to the accessibility and quality of public services. Iglika’s other research interests focus on the Canadian labour market and in particular trends in income inequality, low wage work and the integration of immigrants.
Iglika holds an MA in Economics from the University of British Columbia and a BA in Economics from Simon Fraser University. When she is not in the office, she can often be found swing dancing or sailing the coastal waters of BC.
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Sarah Leavitt, Communications Officer
Sarah has been involved in feminist and social change work for 20 years as an advocate, educator and writer. She has provided communications services to social service agencies, arts organizations, publishers and educational institutions. At the CCPA, she works with staff and researchers to ensure that our publications, website and other communications materials are as accessible and user-friendly as possible, as well as planning and implementing media and distribution strategies. Sarah is also a writer and cartoonist.
Marc Lee, Senior Economist
Marc Lee researches and writes on a variety of economic and social policy issues for the CCPA’s BC and National Offices. In addition to tracking federal and provincial budgets and economic trends, Marc has published on a wide range of topics from poverty and inequality to globalization and international trade to public services and regulation. Marc is the Co-Director of the Climate Justice Project, a five-year research partnership with the University of British Columbia, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, examining the links between climate change policies and social justice.
Marc was "classically trained," with an MA in Economics from Simon Fraser University and a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario. But most of the time he argues against the conventional wisdom in economics and policy debates. Marc chairs the Progressive Economics Forum, a national network of heterodox economists, and contributes regularly to Relentlessly Progressive Economics, a blog of the PEF (progressive-economics.ca/relentless). He is a past Vice Chair of the Vancouver City Planning Commission. Prior to joining the CCPA, Marc was engaged in popular economics education through RAIN, a partnership with his spouse. Marc also worked for the federal government in the mid-1990s as an economist in the Information and Communications Technology branch of Industry Canada.
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Dianne Novlan, Member Services & Administration
Dianne Novlan provides invaluable support to staff, CCPA members, and people who contact the office looking for information, publications, speakers or other resources.
Ben Parfitt, Resource Policy Analyst
Ben joined the staff team in 2005 after years working as an investigative journalist with numerous magazines, and previous to that as a reporter with The Vancouver Sun. He is author and co-author of two books on forestry issues and currently devotes much of his policy research to natural resources, with special attention paid to energy, water, and forest resources and climate change. He values being part of a great team at the CCPA as well as the opportunities provided to meet regularly with First Nations, community leaders, environmental advocates and the many people who work in the province’s resource industries and who are committed to progressive change. Ben lives in Victoria with his wife, Alicia. They share their home with two cats and a dog rescued from the streets of Guanajuato, Mexico. They are blessed with a wonderful daughter, Charlotte, who lives nearby and who keeps them on their toes. When not enjoying good food and a glass of wine with friends, Ben enjoys competitive running and listening to music – the good old fashioned way – on vinyl.
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Pai Ping Chew, Bookkeeper
Pai tracks and manages CCPA-BC’s finances, working regularly with staff at our national office, and helps keep the office running smoothly.
Pai brings many years of experience in the non-profit sector, having worked for over 13 years with the Social Planning and Research Council of BC. She holds a degree in Administrative Studies from York University.
Terra Poirier, Communications Officer
Terra coordinates print and web production of CCPA-BC research publications, and works with authors and partners to implement media strategies and ensure studies reach as wide an audience as possible. She is also responsible for in-house multimedia design, including projects such as Transportation Transformation and Imagine… A Working Carbon Tax for BC.
To both her CCPA and freelance graphic design work, Terra brings her combined preoccupation with creating engaging, accessible media, working for social justice and catching typos. She is a long-time organizer on anti-poverty and prisoner justice issues, a photographer and an independent filmmaker. Terra has mentored youth and adults through the Vancouver Queer Film Festival, the Gulf Islands Film and Television School and the Access to Media Education Society. Proud mom of two grown kids, she lives with her partner in East Vancouver.
Andrea Smith, Project Manager
Andrea originally came to the CCPA as a student research assistant and we are glad to have her back, this time as a Project Manager. Andrea has extensive experience with project coordination and applied research in a variety of contexts, from nonprofits to government to social enterprise, always thematically related to social justice and environmental sustainability. In her current role, she supports research teams in developing projects and, once they are launched, looks after logistics and money matters. Her duties include project design, liaising between team members, financial management and fundraising. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Victoria and a Master’s in Environmental Studies and Urban Planning from York University.
Thi Vu, Project Manager and Academic Liaison
Thi manages research projects at the CCPA-BC, including the Climate Justice Project — a partnership with the University of BC that brings together over 20 researchers and 40 community organizations. She coordinates project teams, hires and places student interns, manages project finances, organizes conferences and large meetings, writes grant proposals and reports to funders. Thi has a BA in political science and economics from McGill University. Over the years, she’s been involved in a number of social justice activism groups, particularly around women’s and immigrants’ rights. She currently lives in East Vancouver with her partner and daughter. When she’s not chasing after her toddler, she enjoys playing her acoustic guitar and riding her bike around the city.
Leo Yu, Development Officer
Leo is responsible for planning and implementing fundraising programs for CCPA-BC. He enjoys connecting with and learning from people who are passionate about social and environmental justice. He holds a BA in Psychology from Queen’s University and a diploma in Marketing Management from BCIT, and previously worked in conference services at SFU Wosk Centre for Dialogue. Leo spends his free time biking, playing tennis, learning French, and volunteering.
Photography: Joshua Berson and Terra Poirier
