“The Guidebook has a strong educational approach because it recognizes that this is going to take time; it is not going to be top-down; and in fact it is going to require a bottom-up approach in order to be successful. This is a case of educating everyone in the process, from the backhoe operator right up to the smalltown politician,” stated Peter Law.
“CAVI’s initiative-based approach has helped VIEA recognize how important it is to bring participants to the table, and to develop plans and strategies that will help identify and protect sustainable resources. And VIEA fully recognizes that we cannot have effective watershed management if we do not have all parties buying into that perspective,” stated Marianne Stolz.
“One of these winning conditions is the lessons we can learn from legal changes and instituitional changes elsewhere. Senior governments still play a role. They are not going to disappear. Rather, senior government will move from being a top-down manager to being an enabler of local action and decisons,” stated Oliver Brandes.
“Forming alliances that encourage both socially and ecologically responsible practices then leads to the ‘new way of doing business as usual’. This opens the door to both creative and diverse solutions towards long-term sustainability,” states Tim Pringle.
“As a collaborative partnership spearheading regional economic development for the Vancouver Island, we’re thrilled to be part of such a worthwhile initiative. Perhaps the most important objective is bringing together settlement, ecology and economy in balance,” stated George Hanson.
“The Bowker Blueprint is helping the community understand that: we all live in a watershed, all water ends up in the same place when it runs off the land, and everyone must commit to actions that improve watershed health. I have been involved in engineering for a long, long time and will soon be retiring. In the olden days, we would just pipe water away, and we would not think twice about it. In the latter part of my career, I have been part of a great team that has looked at rainfall differently and shares a vision for what the Bowker Creek watershed can be again,” stated Steven Fifield.
“It is a visionary plan and a first of its kind. The Blueprint details watershed and reach-specific actions to rehabilitate the creek channel and to restore hydrologic function to the watershed through the process of redevelopment over the next few decades. With a clear vision and Blueprint in place, municipalities and communities are able to incorporate efforts into operational work plans, volunteer and school group efforts and to work together with the development community to restore Bowker Creek and its watershed within a vibrant and active community,” stated Colin Doyle.
“Asset management usually commences after something is built. The challenge is to think about what asset management entails BEFORE the asset is built. Cost-avoidance is a driver for this ‘new business as usual’. This paradigm-shift starts with land use and watershed-based planning, to determine what services can be provided affordably,” states Glen Brown.
“The Ministry looks forward to aligning efforts with the Partnership to further advance implementation of the “Beyond the Guidebook” initiative. Inter-regional collaboration is the pathway to a consistent approach to water sustainability and green infrastructure policies and practices up and down the east coast of Vancouver Island,” stated Cairine MacDonald.
“Metro Vancouver’s plan for managing rainwater resources seeks improvement through innovation, using local research and development and adapting successes from elsewhere. We are asking Metro Vancouver to formalize its support for inter-regional collaboration. Then the IREI truly will be the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Educational Initiative,” states Kim Stephens.
