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“We are particularly proud of what we are facilitating via the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative. Launched in 2012, the IREI is a partnership of five regional districts representing 75% of BC’s population. The IREI is enabling ‘sharing & learning’ through inter-regional collaboration. Everyone benefits. Why reinvent the wheel when you can adapt what others are successfully doing?,” stated Kim Stephens.

“The ‘new normal’ in British Columbia is drought and flooding. The summer dry season has extended on both ends and communities can no longer count on a predictable snowpack and reliable rain to maintain a healthy water balance in their watersheds. This is putting water supply systems and ecosystems under extreme stress. 2015 will change how we do business over the next few years,” stated Kim Stephens. “Our biggest impact in terms of water supply is in the summer months when water is being used outdoors. When you think about, historically we have used almost as much water for our lawns and gardens as we drink and consume.”

“In view of the demographic shift that is taking place in society, and that is characterized by a loss of institutional memory, the Partnership’s leadership team is committed to a bridging and mentoring role over the next decade. We are here to guide. Over the past year, we have been encouraged by the emergence of a generation that we anticipate will be the future leadership in local government,” stated Kim Stephens.

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.