Inter-Regional Education Initiative for ‘Rainwater Management in a Watershed Sustainability Context’
Collaborative Initiatives Will Help Local Governments Better Deliver on Regulatory Objectives and Compliance
In British Columbia, the Ministry of Environment’s renewed emphasis on rainwater management has created an opportunity for local government to demonstrate how to integrate regulatory compliance and collaboration. Recently, Kim Stephens of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC met with Metro Vancouver regional elected representatives to update them on several collaborative initiatives that the Partnership is facilitating.
“The Inter-Regional Educational Initiative for ‘Rainwater Management in a Watershed Sustainability Context’ provides the framework for consistent messaging and consistent application of tools and understanding on both sides of the Georgia Basin. A guiding principle is that local governments will leverage more with the same resources,” Kim Stephens informed members of Metro Vancouver’s Utilities Committee.
“In 2012, the Partnership brought together four regional districts on Vancouver Island to formally align their efforts and implement a ‘proof of approach’ for the IREI, the acronym for the Inter-Regional Education Initiative. The four regions represent 90% of the Vancouver Island population.”
“Now, the Partnership is asking the Metro Vancouver region to formalize its support for inter-regional collaboration. Then the IREI truly will be the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Educational Initiative. We have met with the regional planning and engineering advisory committees about the benefits of collaborative initiatives. We are updating regional elected representatives quarterly. Next, we will meet with interested municipal Councils to elaborate on how the IREI will help them better deliver on regulatory compliance.”
TO LEARN MORE:
The IREI is being implemented under the umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan for BC. To access the IREI homepage on waterbucket.ca, click here; or to download the IREI Program Overview, click here.
