Connect | Communicate | Create
Restorative Vancouver
diverse voices & wisdom working together
With gratitude we are living and working on the unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
We acknowledge the inherent sovereignty and rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Vancouver is becoming a Restorative City – the first in Canada!
A Restorative City is safe, clean and vibrant, where we live in ways that promote the wellbeing of all.
Being restorative is fundamentally about recognizing our interconnectedness, appreciating the gifts that come from our diversity, and fostering respectful, healthy relations.
The concept of a “Restorative City” emerged from the global field of restorative justice.
A restorative approach means proactively building relations and preventing harm. When crime or harm occurs, those impacted are invited to participate in a facilitated process, where there is meaningful accountability and root causes are addressed. Crime hurts, so justice should heal.
Restorative justice has long been recognized and recommended. As the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch states: “the value of restorative justice programs has been well demonstrated.”
A Restorative City addresses all forms of conflict, crime and harm, and offers healing. A restorative system is a first response, with the legal system as an option for those who choose or require it.
Restorative justice is effective and an essential service. It is a vital component needed to achieve public safety and community wellbeing.
This journey is creating a better future by bringing out the best of our shared humanity.
A Restorative City also expands beyond justice and legal systems to implement restorative values, principles and practices across multiple places and spaces – neighbourhoods, schools, parks, housing, policing, governance, and more.
This journey leads us to an interconnected, safe city that is invested in uplifting the humanity of all people and creating respectful relations with each other as well as with the animals, land and water.
Restorative ways have deep roots in humanity. Gathering in a circle to communicate is a universal experience of all our ancestors for hundreds of thousands of years, going back to sitting around the first fire.
Everyone has been impacted by global colonization and its creation of seperation and hierarchies.
Thankfully, Indigenous cultures have kept restorative knowledge alive and, despite colonization and genocide, have passed this down through generations.
This is an invitation to live the profound Indigenous teaching of All My Relations. To recognize oneness and the interconnectedness of all living things. All relationships and the web of life are meant to be in balance and harmony.
We invite you on this journey that brings forth the best of our shared humanity. We aim to create healthy people, strong communities in safe, vibrant, socially just environments.
Vancouver is the first in Canada to commit to becoming a restorative city! As the first city and one of only a few embarking on such an innovative journey in the world, we are trailblazing.
Peace of the Circle is proud to launch the first Restorative City Framework in the world! Being publicly released in Vancouver June 2026. It offers a comprehensive vision and roadmap of implementation.
“Everyone’s working on separate issues, challenges and injustices in the city, and this is an opportunity to take a restorative approach to all of them that would build on the strengths of the people, organizations and city, to address them together, in circle. All of that shows up in the Framework.” – Norm Leech
In becoming a Restorative City, we collectively move from:
Alone
Belonging
Separation
Connection
Mistrust
Trust
Fear
Love
Harm
Healing
Surviving
Thriving
Environmental Destruction
Healthy Ecosystems
Partnerships and Key Moments with Vancouver City Council
We are grateful for everyone from over 40 organizations on the Restorative Collective and the many partnerships advancing this initiative.
Some key moments with Vancouver City Council include:
In 2022, we put forward a motion which City Council passed to:
- endorse the aspiration of Vancouver becoming a Restorative City
- create training opportunities
- commit to having a Council representative participate in the Restorative Collective Vancouver
- allocate funding
The subseqent elected Council included Restorative City initiatives in their strategic priorities 2023-2026.
in November 2025, we presented our inaugural Restorative City Framework to Council and senior staff. A meeting in circle was a first for Council and very well received!
Moving forward in 2026, we hope to receive funding from the City of Vancouver.
We are extremely grateful for the support of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, BC.
We are grateful for the support and funding from the City of Vancouver and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
News of our Journey thus far…
We have launched the world’s first Restorative City Framework!
July 14, 2026
Dear friends, We have launched the world’s first Restorative City Framework! Be inspired by: Highlights of our in-person event Virtual […]
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Launching the World’s First Restorative City Framework!
July 10, 2026
Be inspired by highlights in this video of our special Restorative Vancouver event and be part of launching the world’s first Restorative City Framework!
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Virtual launch of the Restorative City Framework
June 29, 2026
Watch the video of the Virtual launch of the World’s First Restorative City Framework.
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