Understanding Precarity in BC

Research and public engagement initiative investigating precarious work

The Understanding Precarity in BC (UP-BC) partnership is a research and public engagement initiative investigating precarious work and multi-dimensional precarity in British Columbia.

UP-BC is jointly led by Kendra Strauss, Director of Simon Fraser University’s Labour Studies Program and the Morgan Centre for Labour Research, and Iglika Ivanova, Senior Economist and Public Interest Researcher with the CCPA-BC. The project brings together four BC universities, 26 community-based organizations with deep connections to populations most impacted by precarity and more than 80 academic and community researchers and collaborators.

The goals of UP-BC are to generate much-needed data on the extent and nature of precarious employment in our province and to study the impacts of precarity on the lives of British Columbians so we can develop effective, evidence-based solutions to tackle it. We hope to encourage policy debate and further research with the ultimate goal of reducing systemic inequalities and enhancing the economic security of British Columbians.
The partnership is supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

In February 2025, the CCPA closed its BC Office. However, most of the people formerly associated with the BC Office are continuing their work at a new organization—BC Policy Solutions. An amicable separation agreement has been reached between the two organizations, and we encourage people to continue to support the good work of both the CCPA and BC Policy Solutions. The CCPA continues to ensure the voices and concerns of British Columbians are included in its national independent research, analysis and expertise and BC Policy Solutions continues to support the CCPA’s important research work on issues affecting all Canadians.

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