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“Formation of the society is a pivotal milestone in the history of the WBM. Over the years, various people have asked us who owns the WBM. Now when we answer ‘the Partnership owns it’, it will be crystal clear to everyone that the Partnership is in fact a legal entity. This evolution is important to our funders becauses it increases our ability to obtain grants for ongoing enhancement of WBM capabilities,” stated Ted van der Gulik.

The ‘Convening for Action’ initiative addresses water sustainability in BC and it engages practitioners whose careers, professions, employment and volunteer roles impact the land. Land and water are inextricably linked and strategies to achieve water sustainability require collaboration and a shared approach among practitioners. “It has been one conversation at a time. It is not ‘talking at’ people. It is about facilitating the conversation. Somebody has to provide an excuse to bring people together. Local government people started talking to each other and sharing,” recalls Kim Stephens.

Tom Field is the first individual to be recognized as a Champion Supporter of the Partnership for Water Sustainability. Within weeks of incorporation, he foresaw the potential and acted promptly. “I have consulted with those of the group who are still actively engaged in environmental engineering in the Lower Mainland and we have unanimously agreed that the newly incorporated Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia is an appropriate recipient of this money. Over the last year we have looked at various causes and destinations to which the money could be directed. We are therefore happy to provide the funds to the Partnership,” wrote Tom Field.

While with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ted managed and provided direction to a team of professional Engineers and Agrologists. Team members were specialists in farm structures, waste management, mechanization, environmental management, irrigation and drainage. The team was instrumental in development and delivery of agricultural programs, including: the environmental farm planning program, water supply expansion program and the current Growing Forward program.

For 30 years Richard Boase has practiced environmental and urban geoscience. His project work and passion during this time has involved watershed restoration, community and stakeholder engagement, environmental impacts assessment and land use planning. His focus is on environmental impact assessment and watershed restoration.

During Mike’s time with BC Hydro’s Power Smart, he managed and provided direction to a team of Managers and professional staff engaged in various key marketing functions and, in delivering complex and multi-technology products and services through various programs and initiatives. Mike was an early adopter of the benefits of both energy and water conservation and, the possibilities of “Watergy”.

With a career of over four decades as a professional engineer and Chartered Water & Environmental Manager, Derek Richmond was an early pioneer in urban modelling and planning in the UK and in Canada. He has worked across a broad spectrum of water resource and infrastructure projects, issues and applications, and has applied those skills by working in both the private and public sector.

In 1988 Tim became the first Executive Director of the Real Estate Foundation of BC and established the foundation’s investment program and grants program. When he retired in 2010, he was honoured with the first BC Land Champion Award. He then became the founding President of the Partnership. An original thinker, his mantra is “use and conservation of land are equal values”. As Chair of the Ecological Accounting Process, Tim led the 6-year program of applied research that resulted in the methodology and metrics that enables local governments to operationalize “natural asset management” within local government budgets.

“My principle interest is the promotion of Water Sustainability as it pertains to the restoration of our small streams and how this is linked to maintaining a watershed’s health. As a Provincial Biologist with the Ministry of Environment for 30+ years, I became acutely aware of how our existing land development practices are causing natural systems to degrade. I have supported the need for ‘change’ through educational approaches promoted by the Partnership to mainstream a Design with Nature mind-set and practitioner culture,,” states Peter Law.

Ray Fung had a longstanding role in local government. Prior to retirement, he was the Director of Engineering & Transportation with the District of West Vancouver, a position he held for 12 years. Ray is a founding member of The Partnership. He previously chaired two of the Partnership’s original incarnations, namely: the Water Sustainability Committee of the BCWWA (2003-2008) and the BC Green Infrastructure Partnership (2008-2011).