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Eric’s engineering career, over 5 decades, has included involvement on a diverse range of water related projects. He is a former Director in both the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Municipal Affairs where he was responsible for floodplain management and infrastructure programs, respectively. Eric was tasked with implementing the provincial Urban Salmon Habitat Program (USHP) in 1989, involving the development of partnerships with local governments, federal fisheries and community stewards.

COVID has changed and challenged how we do outreach and peer-based education. In the age of COVID, how does one inspire an audience over a computer? Addressing this existential challenge was the starting point for re-imagining the third in the Vancouver Island Water Stewardship Symposia Series as a virtual event. David Mackenzie stepped up and opened minds as to what could be. This is the moment, he said, to leverage technology and reach far beyond those in the symposium room. Be bold, he urged.

“In November 2016, the new Societies Act came into effect in British Columbia. It provided clarity regarding types of societies. This clarity helped the Partnership define its identity. The Partnership is not, and cannot be, a member-funded society. The reason is that The Partnership is funded mostly by government and provides services to government. The Directors are empowered to create non-voting categories of membership and to date have created four categories,” stated Ted van der Gulik.

“The Lifetime Members category recognizes the contributions of key individuals who have played a pivotal role in the genesis and/or evolution of the Partnership. The Directors created the Lifetime Membership category to achieve two outcomes. First, we believe this is a material way to recognize the valued contributions of those who have been involved in developing and/or delivering program elements. Secondly, this provides those key individuals with formal standing in their retirement so that they can continue to identify with the Partnership,” stated Tim Pringle.

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).

Emanuel Machado is the Chief Resiliency Officer of the Town of Gibsons, BC and the Chair of the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative. He led the development of the Town’s Eco-Assets Strategy, a first in North America to formally recognize the role of nature as a fundamental component of the municipal infrastructure system, leading to a greater understanding of the value of ecosystems services and improved financial and operational management plans of the community’s natural assets.

The story of how David Mackenzie became involved in the Vancouver Island Symposia Series on Water Stewardship in a Changing Climate shows what is possible for a concerned citizen who wishes to make a difference. In 2018, he went to the first symposium looking for leadership. He found it. He was energized by the experience. Afterwards, he volunteered to provide videography oversight for subsequent symposia. Beginning with his video work for Parksville 2019, he became a valued member of the team.