Category Archives: British Columbia’s Green Communities Initiative

“Water Balance Model Express demonstrates how inter-regional partners are sharing tools and resources,” Kim Stephens informs Cowichan Valley Regional Board

“So, why collaboration? Here are the key words – affordable and effective. This is what it is all about. Money is not unlimited,” emphasized Kim Stephens. “So what is the goal of collaboration? We are talking about standards of practice, whether those practices be engineering or planning. They have to be affordable and effective. Where we are trying to get to is a healthy watershed with healthy streams.”

Waterbucket.ca provides ‘home’ for telling the story of British Columbia’s Green Communities Initiative

Featured

"By serving as a communication vehicle to share information and experiences, we believe Water Bucket is helping to effect changes on the ground in water and land development practices in British Columbia," stated Mike Tanner.

Infrastructure Grants enable Province to influence behaviour through the Green Communities Initiative

“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.

NEW GUIDE: Development Permit Areas for Climate Action in British Columbia

In 2008, the Province amended the Local Government Act to include three DPA purposes for climate action. According to Ida Chong, the Guide was created to help local governments make strategic choices about how to effectively use DPAs to promote energy conservation, water conservation, and GHG emissions reduction.

Sustainable Service Delivery Links Land Use Planning, Watershed Health and

“The term Sustainable Service Delivery describes a life-cycle way of thinking about infrastructure needs and how to pay for those needs over time. The link between asset management and the protection of a community’s natural resources is emerging as an important piece in Sustainable Service Delivery,” emphasizes Glen Brown.

Green Communities in British Columbia: A Collaborative Effort

"The B.C. approach to achieving this vision involves all partners working together to help remove barriers, provide incentives, build capacity and ensure the right mix of regulation and legislation," stated BC Minister Stephanie Cadieux.

Integrated Rainwater Management: Move to a Levels-of-Service Approach to Sustainable Drainage Infrastructure

According to Wally Wells, ‘Level-of-Service’ is the integrator for everything that local governments do. What level of service does a community wish to provide, and what level can it afford? Establish the level-of-service that is sustainable to protect watershed health.

Comox Valley local governments initiate dialogue with development community about aligning efforts at a watershed scale

“The event was conducted as a townhall sharing session. We invited the development community to talk about how local government can make the development application process more transparent and faster. We also invited participants to share their ideas on green infrastructure innovations," stated Derek Richmond.

A Guide to Green Choices: Ideas & Practical Advice for Land Use Decisions in Britsh Columbia Communities

"The guide is meant to assist communities of all types: large, small, rural, resort-based, urban, and suburban. It is designed to help maximize both creativity and adaptability to varied scales, specific contexts, and changing on-the-ground conditions," stated Dr. Laura Tate.

Green Communities Initiative: British Columbia leverages provincial funding to influence local government actions

"There is a greater incentive for local governments to demonstrate how their innovation and integration will be effective in meeting the goals of both the Green Communities Initiative and Living Water Smart," stated Glen Brown.