‘Convening for Action on Vancouver Island’ Launched at 2006 Water in the City Conference

 Consultation Workshop Generates Early Momentum for Water-Centric Approach to Community Planning

Two Meeting of the Minds workshops were held in September 2005 and May 2006, both times in Parksville. According to Eric Bonham (of the BC Water & Waste Association), who was a driving force in organizing Meeting of the Minds, “Both times these events brought together approximately 35 participants from a range of agencies which have a water and/or wastewater focus. Both events were by invitation because we were proactively seeking the participation of individuals who are committed to action. The goal in convening was to build an effective long-term communications network.” The Meeting of the Minds initiative has since evolved into Convening for Action on Vancouver Island, and is now known by the acronym CAVI.

Under the umbrella of the over-arching Convening for Action in British Columbia program, a CAVI consultation workshop was held as an adjunct to the Water in the City Conference, held in Victoria in September 2006. Participation was by invitation. The workshop was titled Towards Water Sustainability on Vancouver Island, and was organized by the Meeting of the Minds Steering Committee in collaboration with the BCWWA Water Sustainability Committee, the Green Infrastructure Partnership of British Columbia, and the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia.

The consultation workshop  provided a timely opportunity to test and validate an approach that can bridge the gap between awareness (interest) and action (practice). Invitees were provided with a handout package in advance of the workshop so that they would be prepared to participate in a conversation.

To Learn More:

To download a copy, please click on this link to the Workshop Handout Package. For the complete story on the workshop design and outcomes, please click here.