Local governments in British Columbia are facing an escalating crisis of racism and online harassment targeting elected officials. This issue has long been underreported, in part because of the absence of disaggregated data and targeted policy interventions.
The INSPIRE Pilot Project was launched to respond to this gap. Racialized local elected officials in smaller communities report high levels of harassment and identity-based attacks, often without the institutional support afforded to their urban or provincial counterparts.
We are excited to launch this report, with a supporting online harms toolkit and mental health and legal resources document for those experiencing racism and harassment, as part of our iterate three-year INSPIRE project, funded by the Law Foundation of British Columbia. For more information on this project, please visit: https://ccg.eco/project-initiative/inspire/
