About the Partnership

Mayor Larry Jangula congratulated staff, in particular Derek Richmond for his work as Chair of CAVI, and also Kevin Lagan. “You have both produced excellent work on water sustainability within the City and for the province in general,” stated the Mayor.

“The current process has the Community Partnership working together with the CAVI-Convening for Action on Vancouver Island intitiative, Regional and Municipal planners, engineers and politicians to develop a new way of doing business,” says Jack Minard.

“The IIABC is collaborating to build a foundation for future change in order to help us align our industry education and certification offerings that include efficient irrigation systems. We all need to be accountable for our water resource. With shared tools and programs; we can collaborate to make a difference,” states Keesha Rosario.

“The learning captured in the ‘Primer on Integrated Rainwater and Groundwater Management for Lands on Vancouver Island and Beyond’ is being shared with other local governments on Vancouver Island. Knowledge-sharing is being facilitated through the Inter-Regional Education Initiative,” states Craig Wightman.

“The essence of the VIEA-CAVI partnership is contained in the phrase ‘economy and ecology in balance’. VIEA promotes regional initiatives that strengthen economic capacity; and CAVI represents the ecological perspective through its championing of green infrastructure and water sustainability,” states George Hanson.

Dale Wall embraced the long term benefits of a new idea. In essence he was supportive of innovation with potential, as he saw it, both within and outside of government. In particular, his staunch support and timely participation in the Green Infrastructure Partnership provided the ‘convening for action’ initiative with credibility. “We are using the slogan The New Business As Usual to convey the message that, for change to really occur, practices that until now have been viewed as the exception must become the norm moving forward.,” stated Dale Wall in 2008.

Under the stellar leadership of John Finnie as Chair of CAVI-Convening for Action on Vancouver Island, the success of the CAVI initiative built a practitioner network and the credibility with local government that in large part made it possible to incorporate the Partnership for Water Sustainability as a not-for-profit society in November 2010. “We envision development carried out in a manner that harmonizes the footprint within the watershed to achieve water sustainability as an integral component of land development,” stated John Finnie.

Under Paul Ham’s leadership, the Green Infrastructure Partnership achieved a great deal – for example, the Showcasing Innovation Series helped local government practitioners immeasurably by creating forums for them to share their experiences and lessons learned. This created a ripple effect that spurred even more innovation. “Because people are so busy in their own world, it takes a third party to connect them. That was the role the Green Infrastructure Partnership played in organizing the Showcasing Innovation Series. The goal was a simple one: build regional capacity,” stated Paul Ham.

Erik Karlsen has had a distinguished 40-year career of public service in British Columbia. In the early 2000s, Erik Karlsen crafted a series of ‘think-pieces’ that shone the spotlight on what it means to convene for action and move from awareness to practice. He had the ability to assess the situation as it is and develop a roadmap for going forward based upon realistic assumptions. The Partnership continues to use the language that he crafted – in particular, the CREATE A LEGACY frame of reference still resonates. Erik encouraged everyone to think in terms of influencing choices by individuals and organizations.

John’s experience covers the full range of engineering practice, from developing master plans and municipal design criteria to implementing both piped and natural drainage systems. He walks the talk. He re-landscaped his own property to restore the absorptive capacity of the ground. His hands-on experience provided invaluable insights when the Green Infrastructure Partnership was developing the Topsoil Primer Set, and John made a material contribution. Thanks to the leadership provided by the Okanagan Basin Water Board, the Primer Set then morphed into a provincial guidance document titled the Topsoil Bylaws Toolkit.