CAVI Chair John Finnie announced launch of ‘Beyond the Guidebook 2010’ at the ‘Dialogue in Nanaimo’ on June 11, 2010
Call to Action
The ‘Dialogue in Nanaimo’ was the venue for the formal launch of Beyond the Guidebook 2010: Implementing a New Culture for Urban Watershed Protection and Restoration in British Columbia. John Finnie, Chair of Convening for Action on Vancouver Island, made the announcement on behalf of the ‘convening for action’ partnership. John Finnie is General Manager, Regional and Community Utilities, with the Regional District of Nanaimo.
“Beyond the Guidebook 2010 describes how water sustainability can and will be achieved through implementation of green infrastructure policies and practices. Getting there relies on a change in mind-set,” he stated.
“Beyond the Guidebook 2010 is outcome-oriented. When the right people with the right knowledge are involved at the right time to apply informed judgment in a collaborative process, the outcome-oriented approach saves time and money.”
To download a copy of Beyond the Guidebook 2010, click here.
Link to YouTube Video:
To view a video clip posted on YouTube that shows John Finnie making the announcement, click here.
A Guidebook for British Columbia
Release of Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia in 2002 was a catalyst for action to implement a ‘design with nature’ approach to rainwater management and green infrastructure.
Education
“If one goes back 10 years, there was a void of policy and legislation. This led us down an educational path as the logical alternative,” states Glen Brown, Executive Director in the BC Ministry of Community & Rural Development, and Chair of the Water Sustainability Committee of the BC Water & Waste Association. “We took the Guidebook, which is a document, and we have moved it to implementation.”
Patience
“It has taken patience and consistent messaging over the past decade to incrementally build consensus, facilitate a culture change, and start implementing a new way of doing business,” continues Ted van der Gulik, Senior Engineer with the Ministry of Agriculture & Lands, and Chair of the Inter-Governmental Partnership responsible for the Water Balance Model for British Columbia.
Communication
“The Water Bucket website is the key to the communications strategy for consistent messaging and telling our story. Water Bucket stories establish expectations about program curricula and event outcomes,” adds Mike Tanner, Chair of the Water Bucket Website Partnership. He was formerly a senior manager with BC Hydro Power Smart.
Action
“We have developed and implemented a ‘made in BC’ process that we call Convening for Action in BC,” states Raymond Fung, Director of Engineering & Transportation with the District of West Vancouver, and Chair of the Green Infrastructure Partnership. “When we gather, it is for a purpose. There must be an action item or an outcome. Our aim is to move from talk to action by developing tools, providing training, and building capacity.”
Results
“It is exciting to be part of a network of change, where only after a short period of time, we are seeing results on the ground. An important lesson learned is the need for collaboration and integration across regions,” concludes Jay Bradley, policy planner in the Ministry of Agriculture & Lands, and Chair of the Vancouver Island Coordinating Team. Prior to joining the Province, Jay Bradley had a lengthy career in local government as manager of planning for several municipalities.