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Kim Stephens

    PUT THE MISSION AT THE CENTRE OF THE OPERATION: “The Partnership’s guiding philosophy is to help others be successful in achieving a shared goal. When our partners and collaborators are successful, we are successful,” stated Mike Tanner, Founding Director of the Partnership for Water Sustainability, when he explained the foundational difference between evolving a network and building an organization


    “Within British Columbia, and certainly within the local government setting, The Partnership has a unique modus operandi in terms of our partnership network reason for being. By sharing the pursuit of our mission with our network of partners, we forsake many conventional organizational benefits, such as control over program implementation, funding, and recognition. At the same time, however, we have far more impact than we could ever have on our own. There is a very high level of trust in a network when the people involved know and respect each other,” stated Mike Tanner.

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    INTER-GENERATIONAL MISSION OF THE PARTNERSHIP: “Collaborative leadership involves bringing the right people together in constructive ways with good information, such that they create authentic visions and strategies for addressing the shared concerns of their organizations and community,” explains Kim Stephens, Executive Director


    “The Partnership’s guiding philosophy is to help others be successful. When our partners and collaborators are successful, we are successful. The Partnership is led by a team of community-minded and mission-focused elders. Although many on the team are retired from their jobs, they continue their water-centric mission as volunteers. Going forward, making the right decisions depends upon benefitting from, and building on, the experience of elders with knowledge plus the wisdom that has been gained through decades of experience,” states Kim Stephens.

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    OPERATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR PARTNERSHIP LEADERSHIP TEAM: “When individuals are invited to join the Partnership Leadership Team, it is because there is ‘a job to be done’. The Province’s Living Water Smart strategy guides what we do. The Partnership’s expectation is that individuals and organizations they represent are committed to advancing the sustainability goals in the Water Sustainability Act (WSA) and its implementation,” states Mike Tanner, Founding Director


    Erik Karlsen (1945-2020) was the Partnership’s ‘eminence grise’. When he retired from government, he turned his mind to the work of The Partnership. Influential in government, and the architect of BC’s Georgia Basin Initiative, Erik crafted the think pieces that guided the process for development of the Water Sustainability Action Plan. Erik helped everyone push the boundaries of their comfort zones. The result was a philosophical foundation and framework that has guided The Partnership to this day.

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    PARTNERSHIP HUB FOR A CONVENING FOR ACTION NETWORK: “Launched in 2012, the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative facilitates peer-based education among local governments located on the east coast of Vancouver and in the Lower Mainland,” states Richard Boase, Founding Director and Partnership Vice-President


    “The IREI is nested within the Water Sustainability Action Plan which, in turn, is nested within Living Water Smart. Cascading is the reverse way to think about this nesting concept. Each successive layer in the cascade adds depth and detail to enable the move from awareness to implementation – that is, action. In the IREI program, we focus attention on the 4Cs – communication, cooperation, coordination, collaboration. The 4Cs guide what we do. We live and breathe collaboration. This plays out in everything that the Partnership does. Building trust and respect starts with a conversation,” states Richard Boase.

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    A SHORT HISTORY OF THE PARTNERSHIP FOR WATER SUSTAINABILITY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: Titled “Celebration of Our Story: Genesis / First Decade / What Next,” this legacy document was published in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of Partnership incorporation (November 19, 2020)


    “The Partnership is the evolution of many initiatives around water sustainability in BC. The Partnership does its work under the umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan. This has led to growing collaboration regarding the role of water sustainability in shaping our communities. Water sustainability is a metaphor for managing the built environment sustainably. Incorporating the Partnership as a legal entity is a natural outcome. This demonstrated record of collaboration is our strength going forward,” stated Tim Pringle.

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    PARTNERSHIP CELEBRATES 10-YR ANNIVERSARY: “We live and breathe collaboration. This plays out in everything that the Partnership does. Building trust and respect starts with a conversation. Listen, listen, listen. Conversations lead to dialogue. In turn, dialogue leads to consensus,” wrote Kim Stephens, Executive Director (November 2020)


    “Our partnerships & collaboration journey actually commenced some two decades before incorporation of the Partnership as a legal entity in November 2010. A group of like-minded and passionate individuals, including representatives of three levels of government, came together as a committee and created a ‘water roundtable’ that evolved over time into The Partnership. And what was the mission of this water roundtable? Champion a water-centric approach to use and conservation of land. Develop tools, resources and programs to support water-centric planning,” stated Kim Stephens.

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    GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: Erik Karlsen (1945-2020), inducted as a Lifetime Member of the Partnership in 2012


    Erik Karlsen had a distinguished 40-year career of public service in British Columbia. In the early 2000s, Erik Karlsen crafted a series of ‘think-pieces’ that shone the spotlight on what it means to convene for action and move from awareness to practice. He had the ability to assess the situation as it is and develop a roadmap for going forward based upon realistic assumptions. The Partnership continues to use the language that he crafted – in particular, the CREATE A LEGACY frame of reference still resonates. Erik encouraged everyone to think in terms of influencing choices by individuals and organizations.

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    INAUGURAL BC LAND CHAMPION AWARDS GALA: The launch event for the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, with Tim Pringle honoured with the first BC Land Champion Award, and appointed as the Partnership’s founding President (November 2010)


    The original plan was that Premier Gordon Campbell would launch the Partnership for Water Sustainability with an announcement at the inaugural BC Lands Award Gala. Arrangements had been completed and the gala was booked in the Premier’s schedule. His scheduled participation was a direct outcome of the Province and REFBC having made a long-term financial commitment to support our on-the-ground initiatives under the umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan. Unfortunately, Gordon Campbell resigned as Premier a couple of weeks before the event.

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    TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT: “At the 2019 UBCM Annual Convention, we participated in an interactive session where we updated elected representatives about the ‘convening for action’ leadership role that we play,” stated Richard Boase, Partnership Vice-President


    Big or small, rural or urban, our communities are experiencing change at an unprecedented rate. From climate change to economic pressures, local governments are on the front lines managing the local impact of complex issues. In an uncertain future, local leaders have a duty to learn from each other and from the past and to find new approaches to plan and thrive. “One-on-one conversations with mayors and councillors from towns around BC was an effective way to inform them about the Partnership’s work,” stated Richard Boase.

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    GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: Charles Rowney (died in 2019), inducted as a Champion Supporter of the Partnership in 2015


    Charles Rowney, PhD, was larger than life. A leader and innovator, he was a giant in the field of water resource modelling. In British Columbia, the enduring legacy of Charles Rowney resides in the web-based Water Balance Model suite of modelling tools. It is unfathomable to think he is gone. He was an unparalleled force: intelligent, creative, kind, appreciative, and master of his destiny. In the United States, creation of the Center for Infrastructure Modelling and Management (ncimm.org) in 2016 was a crowning achievement in the career of Charles Rowney.

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