About the Partnership

2ND IN A SERIES: “For me, the watershed moment for the CAVI-Comox Valley Leadership Team occurred in 2010. The schedule for our regular learning-lunch series had been impacted by circumstances. The planned postponement of the series to early 2011 left us with the risk of losing momentum and interest; hence, we decided to host a developer-dialogue session. The ‘ah-ah’ moment for all parties lay in recognizing the importance of getting things done right at the front-end; and that by aligning collective efforts on a watershed scale, a regional response to (minimizing) infrastructure liability could be achieved,” stated Derek Richmond.

1ST IN A SERIES: “The drought, forest fires and floods that British Columbia experienced in 2003 created a teachable moment for change in the way we view water in this province. Over the past decade, we have showcased innovation, developed tools and provided training, and collaborated with local governments to develop talent and build capacity in the Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland regions. Water sustainability in the local government setting will be achieved by implementing green infrastructure policies and practices.” stated Ray Fung.

In February 2014, presentation of a Progress Report to the Capital Regional District created the opportunity for Councillor Judith Cullington to state that: “For many year, I have been following your work; and I have seen you build up this massive resource inventory of all kinds of information related to watersheds and a watershed-based approach to community planning.”

An advocate of the “top down bottom up” principle of engagement, Tim Pringle has been a consistent champion for local involvement and recognizes the value of stewardship groups and community groups in working towards a common vision based upon universal values.

Known for his initiative and creative ideas and that invaluable quality of recognizing the limitations of government policy, Ted van der Gulik has always been prepared within the system to ‘think outside the pipe’ and find solutions for the common good, and as a result, has provided an incredible public service to British Columbia.

Jim Dumont and Dr. Charles Rowney are the Engineering Applications Authority and Scientific Authority, respectively. The are responsible for constant improving the Water Balance Model to meet the needs of local government.

“We are in for the long haul. Watersheds are fundamental to our settlements. By working to balance watershed health with settlement prosperity, communities can sustain their well-being. We are helping to support communities to understand this equation and move to implementation,” stated Tim Pringle.

“We are building on the ‘collaborative model’ to implement Living Water Smart and Green Communities. We are doing this by delivering the Water Sustainability Action Plan through partnerships. Over the past decade, we have built a ‘partnership architecture’ that solidifies commitment to achieving practical outcomes under the umbrella of the Action Plan. It is the breadth of these partnerships that enables the Partnership for Water Sustainability to fulfil its integrating role and connect dots to links humans, watershed, landscape and buildings,” concludes Kim Stephens.

Through collaboration, the four Comox Valley local governments are striving for a coordinated approach to watershed-based rainwater management in the Comox Valley and across boundaries. There is region-wide commitment to develop Watershed Blueprints. Kevin Lagan’s leadership helped make this possible. Kevin played an important role in building credibility in the local government setting for the CAVI, Convening for Action on Vancouver Island, initiative. This credibility was a critical consideration in the decision to incorporate the Partnership as a not-for-profit society in November 2010. The City of Courtenay is a charter member.

“The Regional Board is committed to achieving the vision that we share for watershed sustainability in our region. We also appreciate the leadership shown by Kate Miller in guiding the CVRD to the destination. Kate truly is a champion. She is demonstrating how benefits are flowing to this region because we collaborate with other regions,” stated Mayor Rob Hutchins, Chair of the Regional Board.