“I really believe that the key to the success of the Ministry’s relationship with the Partnership and its evolution over the years has been our shared vision for water stewardship. Also, I have a really strong belief that senior governments can’t do it alone…can’t do it nor should senior governments do it alone…when there is such a wealth of knowledge and innovation and ideas at the local level,” stated Lynn Kriwoken.
“The Partnership will continue to implement the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia in 2015; and will look for new opportunities and activities that can help us celebrate our successes. Success can only be accomplished through the integration of efforts of practitioners, including our many partners in the provincial government, local governments and non-profit societies,” stated Ted van der Gulik.
“In view of the demographic shift that is taking place in society, and that is characterized by a loss of institutional memory, the Partnership’s leadership team is committed to a bridging and mentoring role over the next decade. We are here to guide. Over the past year, we have been encouraged by the emergence of a generation that we anticipate will be the future leadership in local government,” stated Kim Stephens.
“We continue to influence practitioners with thought provoking truths: use and conservation of land are equal values; healthy human settlement systems and ecological systems are inter-dependent; and, settlement in balance with ecology can lead to enduring prosperity. We make available tools and support services that enable practitioners to focus on water sustainability as an essential form maker of our communities,” states Tim Pringle.
“On the North Shore, people are passionate about their creeks. Protection of salmon habitat and stream health is important to us. We all can make a difference by designing with nature. The change starts with rain gardens. A single rain garden will not make a material difference to stream health. But 1000 rain gardens would be a different story. Restoring stream health requires a long-term commitment,” states Mayor Darrell Mussatto.
“This event marks the 10th year we have been recognizing and celebrating public service achievements that have made real differences in people’s lives,” said Premier Christy Clark. “I wanted to find a special way to honour individuals who have made exceptional and lasting contributions to British Columbia. Now the Hall of Excellence is the highest form of recognition public service employees can strive for.”
“There is no question that all of Council relishes Champion Supporter recognition. We strive to make sure that our watersheds work properly. We have a number of committees that are aimed at improving the health of the watershed and the health of the river – everything from sand and gravel operations to the way in which stormwater management takes place adjacent to city streets, the kinds of initiatives we have undertaken and continue to undertake,” stated Mayor Richard Stewart
4TH IN A SERIES: “The waterbucket.ca website facilitates communication and integration across initiatives, regions, sectors and disciplines and links these in order to foster development and implementation of ‘Design with Nature’ practices. We share stories about how practitioners can reduce project (and environmental) costs by applying ‘Design with Nature’ principles. We are not sitting on our laurels. Waterbucket.ca allows our ‘convening for action’ partners to record their history even as they are creating it,” stated Mike Tanner.
3RD IN A SERIES: “When CAVI began, we established a goal that Vancouver Island would be well on its way to water sustainability by 2010. CAVI has moved forward significantly and successfully promoted the message of water sustainability by engaging governments, developers and the community in water-centric thinking, planning and development activities. Water sustainability is now a common thread in discussions and decisions about land development, water use and water conservation,” stated John Finnie.
“There is growing national and international interest in the British Columbia experience and our lessons learned in moving from talk to action in implementing green infrastructure practices that lead to water sustainability,” explained Kim Stephens. “For this reason, the former Water Sustainability Committee was asked to provide a knowledge-transfer module at Resilient Cities: Urban Strategies for Transition Times in October 2009. This provided us with a platform to tell our story.”
