Comments Off on DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Policy frameworks to shape urban design” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in April 2024
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Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNewscelebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published on April 2, 2024 featured Susan Haid. She has played a leadership role in trailblazing an ecosystem-based approach to community planning in British Columbia. This approach flowed from passage of the Fish Protection Act 1997. Transformational in nature, it spawned an array of initiatives. The need for this approach to land-use planning is ever more important today.
Policy frameworks to shape urban design
Susan Haid has played a leadership role in trailblazing an ecosystem-based approach to community planning in British Columbia, first with the City of Burnaby and then with Metro Vancouver. This approach also took root in her subsequent experience in the District of North Vancouver and the City of Vancouver.
She joined Burnaby in 1993 a year after the city created the first environmental planner position in the region. At Metro Vancouver, Susan Haid worked to shift perspectives to a regional scale.
When she retired from local government in 2022, Susan Haid was Deputy Director of Planning with the City of Vancouver. Currently, she is an instructor in UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture for urban design as public policy.
Susan Haid offers valuable insights that illuminate the story behind the story of the FishProtection Act 1997. This “watershed moment” in BC history launched the ecosystem-based approach, also known as the watershed-based approach, as a provincial policy and legislative outcome. The need for this approach to land-use planning is ever more important today.
Historical context for the goal of making fish protection and streamside regulation work
“In late 1996, in came Erik Karlsen from the Province as the spokesperson for the first Fish Protection Act. He convened discussions with environmental, engineering and planning staff,” Susan Haid recalls.
“Those were such fantastic discussions and collegiality between municipalities. There was a really good alignment and call to action on making streamside regulation work.”
“It was a major advancement but a lot of stress as well. Streamside regulation was being portrayed as a huge land grab. There was a lot of back and forth to move from something that was site-specific to more of a hardline edict with the province.”
“The 1990s was a very instrumental time of policy and regulation development. And municipal dialogue too.”
Comments Off on PATH FORWARD FOR GROUNDWATER IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “Unless it is legislated, it is not a priority for government,” states Mike Wei, former Deputy Comptroller of Water Rights
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Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNewscelebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published on March 26, 2024featured Mike Wei, former Deputy Comptroller of Water Rights in British Columbia. An invitation to appear before a House of Commons Standing Committee gave Mike Wei a reason to step back, see things from afar, and describe what a path forward for groundwater management could look like in BC.
Path forward for groundwater in British Columbia
“Nominally the story is that Mike Wei went to Ottawa to talk about groundwater. But that is not the story behind the story. Mike Wei is passionate about water. He cares, he really cares about getting it right at a pivotal moment in British Columbia history,” stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.
“His meeting with the House of Commons committee created an opportunity for reflection by Mike Wei. It gave him a reason to step back, see things from afar, and describe what a path forward could look like. In the story behind the story, Mike Wei presents broad brush solutions in clear terms.”
“So, what is the path forward that Mike Wei suggests? Well, it has three elements that make sense to me.”
Unless it is legislated, it is not a priority
“In theory, few would argue against a science-forward approach to inform legislative design,” Mike Wei stated during our conversation.
“It is common knowledge that government-mandated commitments and legislation inform government budgets,” he continued. “Prior to the coming into force of the Water Sustainability Act in 2016, the BC government was less likely to prioritize and fund comprehensive groundwater studies.”
“The reason is that it had no legislated mandate to protect or manage that resource, especially as the BC government underwent budgetary constraints in response to the economic recession in the 1980s and political instability in the 1990s.”
“The lesson from BC is that the historical regulatory context cannot be ignored in regulatory design,” Mike Wei emphasized.
Protect the local interest and do it well; and do it well everywhere
“Going forward, any science that is done should involve the public. We need the mass of citizenry to understand that surface and groundwater are connected, and hydraulic connection and response are important concepts,” continued Mike Wei.
“Something that I have been thinking about a lot is that 1200-plus aquifers in BC have been mapped by the Province. If you were to pick the median size of an aquifer, it is 6.6 square kilometres. That is maybe twice the size of downtown Vancouver. This is tiny.”
Build partnerships that are top-down and bottom-up
“The importance of aquifers that are of limited extent needs to be viewed in a different way. Instead of comparing them to the immense size of BC, compare them within a more local context.”
“Because these aquifers of limited size are a priority for local communities and local governments, there is an opportunity for the Province to leverage this local interest and work with local governments and communities. It is about having an attitude that encourages forming local partnerships to deal with resources which are of limited size but equally as important as big ones,” concluded Mike Wei.
Comments Off on DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Look beyond water flowing downhill” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in March 2024
Note to Reader:
Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNewscelebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published on March 26, 2024featured Mike Wei, former Deputy Comptroller of Water Rights in British Columbia. An invitation to appear before a House of Commons Standing Committee gave Mike Wei a reason to step back, see things from afar, and describe what a path forward for groundwater management could look like in BC.
The Canada Water Agency, created in 2023, provided context for interaction with the committee. Members asked Mike Wei for his thoughts and insights. His reflections form the basis for the story behind the story that follows. His observation is that we view water differently in BC and in profound ways.
So, why would the House of Commons committee seek out Mike Wei? Is it because he is knowledgeable and credible in three insightful ways?
One, he was the Province’s technical expert in developing and implementing groundwater legislation.
Two, Mike Wei was in the room and helped write the legislation for the Water Sustainability Act.
Three, he is a member of a small band of former civil servants who represent the Province’s institutional memory for water and remain committed to the “water-centric mission”.
Competing priorities and the wait for a provincial “water champion” to emerge
In his exchange with the committee, Mike Wei observed: “Given all that I have seen in BC over my 40-year career – recession in the 1980s, political instability in the 1990s, current crises in housing and food affordability, drug overdoses, health care system for an aging population, gang violence, etc., it will be difficult for water to receive sufficient and sustained attention from the BC government alone.”
“Canada’s investment and collaboration, done in a spirit of enabling provincial and territorial capacity to manage water would allow us to keep moving forward. Doing it by ourselves will only mean stalled efforts as other issues take priority time and again.”
Comments Off on DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Hope and optimism do make a difference” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in March 2024
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Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNewscelebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published on March 19, 2024 featured Zoe Norcross-Nu’u, watershed protection coordinator with the Comox Lake Regional District. She reflects on her experience as a college instructor in Hawaii in the 2000s and how it has influenced her thinking on motivating changes in behaviour through hope and optimism rather than doom-and-gloom.
Hope and optimism do make a difference
Zoe Norcross-Nu’u, a marine scientist who previously taught at the University of Hawaii Maui College, is in her second decade with Comox Valley Regional District after joining in 2012. Her responsibilities revolve around the Comox Lake Watershed Protection Plan which was completed in 2016.
Zoe is the watershed protection coordinator and has been involved since the plan’s inception. Watershed protection is her passion. “My work and my recreation take place in the same place. I feel so fortunate to be able to work in these places that mean so much to me,” emphasizes Zoe Norcross-Nu’u. She also oversees the Connected by Water program.
Comox Lake Watershed Protection Plan
“Comox Lake provides drinking water for 45,000 people in the Comox Valley. The essence of the story is that the Watershed Advisory Group delivered a plan that is fully implementable.”
“The watershed plan is truly a collaborative outcome. And most importantly, it is currently fully funded, although without a dedicated watershed service, this funding depends on the support of our elected officials. Because the advisory group represented a broad variety of interests, the plan has a very high level of community support.”
“The watershed plan is a living document. We made that clear upfront. We also committed to revisiting the content as necessary to keep the plan relevant and to address changing conditions. In 2022, we updated the plan.”
“The risk ratings are a big part of the plan because they dictate priorities and how they are addressed. For this reason, the document has become really important in the decision process.”
Comments Off on KEEP IT SIMPLE, PRACTICAL AND IMPLEMENTABLE: “When an organization is not functioning very well, you fix it one piece at a time. After that, you can finetune the pieces,” stated Pete Steblin, former City Engineer and City Manager
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Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNewscelebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published on March 12, 2024 features a conversational interview with Pete Steblin, former City Manager with the City of Coquitlam in the Metro Vancouver region. In the interview, he reflected on his experience in building trust through collaborating to create a culture and cycle of appreciation in the city.
The “story behind the story” that follows weaves quotable quotes by Pete Steblin into a succinct storyline. This preview about his experience in leading and managing change is extracted from an interview included in a legacy resource that the Partnership will release later in 2024.
When Pete Steblin joined Coquitlam in January 2008, controversy surrounded the way the city had mandated use of green infrastructure in new development. One of his first priorities was to stickhandle a path forward to a balanced solution.
Coquitlam is the model for keeping things simple, practical, and implementable
‘In Coquitlam, 2003 was a defining year. The Council amended the city’s Official Community Plan. The new policies required that Watershed Plans be developed first and Neighbourhood Planssecond; and that land use plans account for watershed conditions and needs,” states Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director and Waterbucket eNews Editor.
“In 2003, the City was clearly visionary when it first embraced and then formalized a watershed-based approach as a foundation piece in the Official Community Plan. By the latter part of the decade, however, Coquitlam was viewed by others in the region as the example of what not do. This is the backdrop for the story behind the story that follows.”
“When the smoke cleared at the end of the trust-building process guided by Pete Steblin, the City of Coquitlam emerged as the model for keeping things simple, practical, and implementable,” concludes Kim Stephens
Collaboration – steppingstone to a culture of appreciation
“Coquitlam has arrived at a good place, but the journey was not easy. In fact, we had to work our way through some pretty contentious periods, notably from mid-2007 through early 2009. We persevered, we adapted, and we progressed,” reflects Peter Steblin.
“In 2004, Coquitlam had adopted a prescriptive manual for low impact development. The manual was too theoretical and unbuildable. This resulted in significant complaints from the development community which, in turn, culminated in Council-Staff conflict.”
“With the advantage of hindsight and time, we now have an appreciation of the extent to which this conflict defined the (green infrastructure) journey. There was a dark period yet that is what makes the Coquitlam story authentic and helped us to develop approaches which balance idealism with pragmatism.”
“We want other local governments to know about the good, the bad and the ugly of the Coquitlam story so that they may learn from our experience and know that it is okay to stumble.”
Balance idealism with pragmatism to achieve beneficial outcomes for the community
“When I became City Manager, the City’s approach to watershed-based community planning, rainwater management and green infrastructure was quite idealistic. As a result, the city could not implement what was proposed. That is why we had to do a re-think. That is when we came up with the monicker net environmental benefit.”
“So, what we did in 2008 and 2009 was to re-think things and say something is better than nothing. So much depends on what your political support is, where society is at, and what are the trade-offs. When we made those changes to on-site rainwater management requirements, they were good changes, and they were well received.”
Net environmental benefit is a concept that works:
“In 2009, the Council endorsed a ‘systems approach’ philosophy which aims to offset impacts in one area of a watershed with gains in another area for a ‘net environmental benefit’. Figure out what is the best thing for society to do and where you would get the most bang for the buck.”
“On-site rainwater management was not an issue after we made those changes in 2009. The process was working. The solution was there. When things are working, and you are the City Manager and it does not come across your desk, then it is not an issue.”
Reflections on creating a culture of appreciation in the City of Coquitlam
“Over my career, I have worked in four cities, and observed many cities across the country. There are angry communities and there are appreciative communities, and I have worked in both.”
“This experience provides me with context for concluding that something really good is going on in Coquitlam. It is an appreciative community and generally elects collaborative individuals to Council because the community is looking for positive things to do.”
“Balance. Alignment. Appreciation. Three words that capture so much. They are foundation pieces for creating a culture of collaboration which is a steppingstone to a culture of appreciation.”
“This applies to the relationship between the political and administrative wings. It also applies to the organization as a whole.”
“An airplane analogy is one way to describe the relationship. Think of one wing as political and the other as administration. If either wing is not functioning properly, the plane will crash.”
“Balance. Alignment. Appreciation. Three words that capture so much. They are foundation pieces for creating a culture of collaboration which is a steppingstone to a culture of appreciation.”
“This applies to the relationship between the political and administrative wings. It also applies to the organization as a whole.”
“An airplane analogy is one way to describe the relationship. Think of one wing as political and the other as administration. If either wing is not functioning properly, the plane will crash.”
“Instill a culture of continuous improvement and giving back to the community so that the community elects good, well-meaning people. It is a cycle.”
“The community elects good people to council. And councillors rely on staff to come up with ideas. The council supports those ideas and is willing to fund them. Staff carries them out. The community notices those ideas being implemented, and they are happy. It is a cycle! “
“The community becomes even more appreciative. If you keep that cycle going, there is no end to it. The cycle actually does work!” concludes Pete Steblin.
Comments Off on DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Collaboration – steppingstone to a culture of appreciation” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in March 2024
Note to Reader:
Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNewscelebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published on March 12, 2024 features a conversational interview with Pete Steblin, former City Manager with the City of Coquitlam in the Metro Vancouver region. In the interview, he reflected on his experience in building trust through collaborating to create a culture and cycle of appreciation in the city.
Collaboration – steppingstone to a culture of appreciation
Peter Steblin is an engineer who progressed to City Manager. His local government career began with the City of Vancouver and concluded at the City of Coquitlam in 2023.
When he joined Coquitlam in January 2008, controversy surrounded the way the city had mandated use of green infrastructure in new development. One of his first priorities was to stickhandle a path forward to a balanced solution.
Balance is key to good government
“At the end of the day, good decision-making comes down to a good process. But it also relies on wisdom in terms of balanced advice. The essence of my guiding philosophy as a City Manager is distilled into the three Ts which are trust, time and think,” states Pete Steblin.
Trust: “When there is a significant level of trust in technical recommendations, Councils rarely override them. Staff explains recommendations. The Council makes the decisions. Trust is fragile and can easily be broken. When trust is lost, decades of good work can be lost.”
Time:“If everything is a priority, nothing is a priority! We took the ‘reality of time’ into consideration when we set workload priorities in Coquitlam. We ranked them as A, B or C because this allowed us to manage timelines effectively. It helped Council focus on what is most important to make progress over time.”
Think: “We are not perfect. We struggle with challenges related to blindly following standards of practice. Too often, that can lead to unsuitable or unsustainable solutions. So, I encouraged staff to think about compromises and maximizing the benefit for the money spent.”
Comments Off on DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Floods and droughts – Water protests human betrayal” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in March 2024
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Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNewscelebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published published on March 5, 2024 featured Dr. Serpil Oppermann of Cappodocia University in Istanbul, Turkey. She is one of four co-editors of The Bloomsbury Handbook to the Blue Humanities which will be published in 2025. Her work explores the intersecting perspectives of natural sciences and environmental humanities.
Water protests human betrayal
How are Harry Potter and Blue Ecology connected?
The answer is Bloomsbury Publishing, the originating publisher and custodian of the Harry Potter series. Founded in 1986, much of its growth is attributable to the leap of faith it took with the Harry Potter series after the story had been rejected by all other publishers.
A current leap of faith is The Bloomsbury Handbook to the Blue Humanities which will be published in 2025. Bloomsbury Handbooks is a series of single-volume reference works which map the parameters of a discipline or sub-discipline and present the ‘state-of-the-art’ in terms of research.
It matters what stories we tell and HOW we tell those stories
“We invited Michael Blackstock to contribute a chapter on Blue Ecology because we think Michael is well-positioned to help us achieve an ambitious goal,” explains Dr. Serpil Opperman, one of four co-editors and a catalyst in the discussions behind the scenes. Her mission is to be a bridge between the humanities and science studies.
“We intend this handbook to represent the state of the art in Blue Humanities thinking across different disciplines, regions, theories, and methods. Our Handbook is divided into four sections with a total of thirty-five chapters.”
“Our hope is that these chapters will inform their readers, stimulate their critical imaginations, and leave them wanting to learn more about the discourse of the Blue Humanities.”
“We offer solutions. My solution is to recognize the distressing stories that aquatic agencies are telling us which change the way we tell our stories. It matters what stories we tell and HOW we tell those stories.”
Comments Off on DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Convening for action at BC Land Summit – Going beyond doing just enough” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in February 2024
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Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNewscelebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published published on February 27, 2024 featured Richard Boase, co-lead for the Partnership’s program component at the 2024 BC Land Summit, a once every five years event. The summit is a platform for the call for a mindset change to affect an attitude shift that results in restorative development.
Caring for the land means going beyond doing just enough
Co-led by Richard Boase and Tim Pringle, the 2-part session features Blue Ecology and EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process. It is integrated and cascading. Caring for the land is the core value that links them.
Richard Boase has a passion for applied research involving natural systems
Richard Boase’s career in local government with North Vancouver District is defined by the partnerships he continues to forge with academia, and by his stalwart support of the Partnership. The District could always be counted upon to be a proving ground for the application of innovative tools and approaches.
An environmental champion in word and deed, Richard’s career history is one of stepping up, having the courage of his convictions, and leading by example to demonstrate how to apply “science-based understanding” that would protect or enhance stream systems in the built environment.
We must do a better job of protecting streams:
“I am in a position now to reflect on this because I believe I have earned that right over the course of a 30-year career,” says Richard Boase.
“Given how much I have seen, done and been exposed to in my local government career, it is fair for me to reflect on what has happened and comment on why local governments have not been as successful as we would have wanted.”
“But we must focus on the path forward. The Partnership will be there, ready to support those who are now coming to their own realization, that there are some desperately needed re-thinks in terms of the way communities transact business, especially in the southwest portion of BC where the urban landscape is changing so rapidly.”
The 2024 BC Land Summit will happen in May in Nanaimo. This 3-day event held once every five years may spark innovation and collaboration, by providing valuable insights about the use and conservation of land and water.
Comments Off on DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: ” Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Build the network to achieve mission impact” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in February 2024
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Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNewscelebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published published on February 20, 2024 featured Dr. Jane Wei-Skillern of the Haas Business School at the University of California Berkley. Her work provides the Partnership for Water Sustainability with a framework for the networked approach to collaboration that explains what we have been doing intuitively for more than two decades in the local government sector.
Build the network to achieve mission impact
Dr. Jane Wei-Skillern is co-author of The Networked Nonprofit, groundbreaking research published in 2008. She is a Senior Fellow at the Haas Business School at the University of California Berkeley. She is based at the Center for Social Sector Leadership at the Haas School.
Dr, Jane’s work provides the Partnership for Water Sustainability with a framework that explains what we have been doing intuitively for more than two decades in the local government sector.
“In the early 2000s, when I was on the faculty at the Harvard Business School, I began my research into the concept of a networked approach that is more focused on network-building and trust-based relationships, and less about building an organization to get to your mission impact,” explains Dr. Jane.
Dr. Jane’s four counter-intuitive guiding principles for growing effective networks
“The network emerges around a common goal, rather than a particular program or organizational model. The community mobilizes the resources from throughout the network and does this based on existing relationships in the community.”
Focus on mission before organization. “Effective network leaders build strategies that advance the mission even when it does not result in direct benefits to their organization.”
Build partnerships based on trust, not control. “Leaders depend upon shared values and trust rather than top-down controls and accountability systems.”
Promote others rather than yourself.“Network leaders exhibit a strong norm of humility above all else, sharing credit and foregoing opportunities for individual advancement and institutional growth and brand building.”
Build constellations rather than lone stars. “Leaders who catalyze successful networks acknowledge their weaknesses as readily as their strengths. The goal is to build the larger system that is necessary for delivering on the mission, not to become the market leader.”
With her colleagues, Dr. Jane Wei-Skillern has created the New Network Leader website at https://newnetworkleader.org/.
Comments Off on CONVENING FOR ACTION IN METRO VANCOUVER: “More than ever, we need stronger champions and people who believe in what they are doing at heart,” stated Ramin Seifi, former General Manager of engineering and planning with Langley Township in the Metro Vancouver region
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Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNewscelebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published published on February 13, 2024 features the story behind the story of Ramin Seifi, former General Manager of engineering and planning with Langley Township. He is a visionary leadership and champion for implementing green infrastructure to achieve ‘water balance’.
Instill a culture that supports champions
“Ramin Seif is a visionary leader. He joined Langley Township in 2000 and served until 2023. He carved out a one-of-a-kind role as general manager of a portfolio that combined planning and engineering. His dual role was an essential ingredient in enabling organizational integration, horizontally and vertically,” stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.
“My sense is that the impact of what Ramin Seifi and his staff accomplished in Langley over 20-plus years is underappreciated. Few in the Metro Vancouver region even know about the history and legacy of Langley’s green infrastructure innovation:
When the provincial government released Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia in 2002, Langley Township was one of the first municipalities to operationalize the Water Balance Methodology. Around that time, I met Ramin Seifi and was impressed by his commitment to doing it right.
Thanks to Ramin being a champion for the water balance approach, the Routley, Yorkson and Northeast Gordon Estates neighbourhoods were demonstration applications that informed evolution of the Water Balance Methodology in the first half of the 2000s.
“It was not a random decision. Harmony and integration capture our core values. What we are showcasing is the outcome of years of interdepartmental collaboration,” stated Ramin at the event. “When we are in harmony with nature, things will go well,” added Colin Wright who was then General Manager of Engineering.
Evolution from curb-and-gutter to blue links
“Langley’s approach to achieving water balance through green Infrastructure continued to evolve as successive neighbourhoods were built over the past two decades. In the beginning, the focus for Green Infrastructure was on what could be achieved within greenways,” continued Kim Stephens.
“Langley staff then turned their attention to rain gardens. Building on their history of successes, their next evolution was implementation of blue links, which is another name for rain gardens.”
It made sense
“The term ‘blue link’ describes the purpose of the current drainage standard in Langley. It replaced the traditional curb-and-gutter detail for all but arterial roadways. The blue link is symbolic of the transformational change which has taken root in the Township in the 21st century as designing with nature became the ‘new normal’.”
“Replacement of curb-and-gutter with a blue link rain garden is a perfect illustration of integration in action. Everyone could see that it made sense. Because I could see the need from all angles, I said to staff ‘just do it’. Integration helps everyone get it,” reports Ramin Seifi.
STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Instill a culture that supports champions – extracts from conversations with Ramin Seifi
The “story behind the story” that follows weaves quotable quotes by Ramin Seifi into a succinct storyline. This preview about his experience in leading and managing change is extracted from an interview included in a legacy resource that the Partnership will release later in 2024.
“A presentation many years ago by UBC professor Patrick Condon put me on the path to integration. Patrick’s storytelling made me realize that everything we do has an effect somewhere else. What Patrick said in his presentation was eye-opening and oh so impactful,” recalls Ramin Seifi.
“Patrick Condon was ahead of his time in connecting dots. To get audience attention, I remember that he framed it this way. Arctic warming and the melting sea ice, which the declining polar bear population relies on to survive, is directly linked with how we convey stormwater to our rivers and oceans and the use of curb and gutter in urbanization of our communities.”
Integration of engineering and planning portfolios benefits community development
“When Colin Wright retired as general manager of engineering in 2011, our Chief Administrative Officer listened when I presented the case for me doing both jobs, engineering and community development.”
“The Township needed more integration to respond to the demands on infrastructure and the risks to the environment resulting from rapid population growth. Achieving integration depended on the Township having a better structure.”
Instill confidence to learn by trying
“When I reflect on my time with Langley Township, I hope my lasting contribution is the confidence that I instilled in people to not be afraid of trying something and being a champion for it. It is only through collaboration, from buy-in at all levels, that we can all be successful.”
“Instilling a culture takes years. We developed a culture that I hope future generations now take forward. It began humbly. It began with stormwater management and thinking about how we could retain water and allow it to infiltrate as opposed to getting rid of it quickly.”
Instilling a culture takes years
“In my conversations with current and former senior level municipal staff around the Metro Vancouver region, there is a sense among them that the current generation of local government politicians appears more interested in appeasing a few people who are outspoken, as opposed to listening to the advice of their professional staff.”
“That is sad. That is why, more than ever, we need STRONGER CHAMPIONS and people who believe in what they are doing at heart.”
Living Water Smart in British Columbia Series
To download a copy of the foregoing resource as a PDF document for your records and/or sharing, click on Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Instill a culture that supports champions. The downloadable version includes a bonus feature in an appendix. The bonus is the synopsis of Langley’s green infrastructure innovation that the Partnership published in 2017. It posed the question, how does one instill a stewardship ethic in the corporate culture so that the legacy would be lasting?
