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“Water is a form maker. It defines communities. Also, the consequences of our water-centric decisions ripple through time. Recognizing these factors, our workshop is designed to spark a conversation and ultimately inform a shared vision for Vancouver Island. The workshop will demonstrate tools that can help communities achieve a vision for settlement, economy and ecology in balance.”

“The Irrigation Industry Association and the Partnership for Water Sustainability are again partnering to co-host and jointly organize a workshop. This second annual event is built around the Annual General Meeting of the partnering organizations. At the conclusion of the morning session, we will take a 90-minute lunch break to hold separate annual meetings. Then it will be back to the workshop,” states Karen van der Gulik.

“Knotweed is a bully in the plant world. It’s an invasive and aggressive plant that spreads easily and can impact property values, the environment and cause safety issues on roadways,” stated Rachelle McElroy. Considered one of the world’s worst invaders, this hollow stem shrub (which resembles bamboo), can destroy fish and wildlife habitat, penetrate pavement causing damage to infrastructure.

“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,” states John Finnie.

Mayor Rob Hutchins moved the motion that “the Water Balance Web Tool and supporting documents be shared with the CVRD and partner municipal planning staff; and further, that planning staff consider integrating the tool into the planning framework to support watershed management objectives at the Official Community Plan level and Development Permit level.”

“The ‘ah-ah’ moment for all parties lay in recognizing the importance of getting things done right at the front-end; and that by aligning collective efforts on a watershed scale, a regional response to (minimizing) infrastructure liability could be achieved. The opportunity for converting potential infrastructure liability to asset management had been realized!,” stated Derek Richmond.

“The City of Courtenay State of the Environment annual report series is our way of sharing information on the ways that the City works with the environment on a daily basis. Healthy natural heritage systems are the foundation for a sustainable community. This year we have taken a look at the ecological systems that connect our neighbourhoods and communities – our backyard streams,” states Nancy Hofer.

“One of the things that I have observed over the last couple of years is that we do a lot of planning, and we do a certain amount of monitoring, but then it becomes an issue of implementation. And really, the question is how do you ensure that your plans, intentions and goals shape and guide your decision-making on a day-to-day basis?”, stated Vic Derman.

“The Water Balance Methodology examines the flow paths of water in the watershed, and the flow in streams. The key is recognition of the integrated significance of these three flow paths, the period of time required for rainwater to reach the stream via each flow path, and the need to protect and maintain the natural distribution of rainwater via each flow path,” explains Jim Dumont.