Lifetime Member – John Finnie (inducted in 2012)
Leadership in Water Sustainability
John Finnie was the first Chair of CAVI-Convening for Action on Vancouver Island, and served from 2006 through 2011. He retired as General Manager for Regional and Community Utilities at the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) in October 2012.
“When we launched CAVI in September 2006, we identified several goals. First and foremost, that by 2010 Vancouver Island would be well on the way to achieving water sustainability”, stated John Finnie in 2010 when he received the inaugural BCWWA Leadership in Water Sustainability Award. “Reflecting on what has been accomplished since 2006, the pieces of the puzzle are now in place to make a shared Vancouver Island vision tangible.”
When John Finnie was notified of his Lifetime Membership, he said: “My sincere thanks for honouring me with a lifetime membership in the Partnership. I appreciate your thoughts in this regard. And what a clever way to keep me involved!”
About John Finnie
“As a member of the RDN Leadership Team, John was responsible for bringing the RDN’s vision for a Drinking Water & Watershed Protection Action Plan to fruition. To make this a reality, the RDN adopted a new service to coordinate a Region-based drinking water and watershed protection action plan,” states Glen Brown, the Province’s Deputy Inspector of Municipalities.
“This is one example of John’s leadership and ability to champion initiatives that support integration, collaboration and sustainability. Because of John’s role, the RDN is now seen as a provincial leader with respect to development and implementation of sustainable water services.”
“Under his stellar leadership as CAVI Chair, 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 Sustainabilityi in British Columbia as a not-for-profit society in November 2010,” adds Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director.
About CAVI
CAVI is the acronym for Convening for Action on Vancouver Island. Launched in 2006 at the Water in the City Conference, CAVI began as a grass-roots initiative and is now being implemented undert the umbrella of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, a not-for-profit society.
From 2007 through 2011, the Province and Real Estate Foundation co-funded CAVI as a provincial demonstration initiative to develop local government talent. The CAVI program is sustained by the commitment of the Partnership leadership team and the hands-on involvement of Vancouver Island local government staff.
John Finnie’s Perspective
“CAVI envisions 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 in October 2011 when he stepped down as CAVI Chair.
“CAVI’s mission is to promote this goal by engaging governments, developers and the community in water-centric thinking, planning and development activities. CAVI is in effect a multi-agency support network undertaking to build and educate on practices and initiatives that are already underway.”
“We have done well and have exceeded our program expectations.”
To Learn More:
The Vancouver Island Water community-of-interest is the homepage for recording the CAVI history as it is created.
