INAUGURAL BC LAND CHAMPION AWARDS GALA: Jack Hall, Chair of the Real Estate Foundation, announced the launch of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, with Tim Pringle appointed as the Partnership’s founding President (November 2010)
Note to Reader:
A decade ago, in 2010, the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia conceived the Land Awards to recognize initiatives which demonstrate leadership, innovation, and collaboration related to the sustainable use and conservation of land in BC. Three awards honour organizations in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. 2010 is the first year of the awards program.
A fourth award honours the contributions of an individual who embodies the values of the Real Estate Foundation and has demonstrated the abovenoted “key qualities” (leadership, innovation, and collaboration), over time, in his or her land use-related work.
Tim Pringle, Executive Director of the Real Estate Foundation from 1988 until 2008, was the inaugural winner of the Land Champion Award. During the period 2008-2010, he was Director of Special Programs. He retired at the end of October 2010.
Tim Pringle – the first winner of British Columbia’s ‘Land Champion Award’
The Land Champion award honours Tim as someone whom, in the many initiatives he has been involved with over the many years, has demonstrated:
Leadership:taking initiative to address issues related to the use and conservation of land in communities, regions, professions, and the province as a whole.- Innovation: Offering a new way of looking at land planning/land use/land management/conservation and employing unique solutions which can be modeled by others.
- Collaboration: Facilitating the participation of multiple stakeholders/partners to bring projects and programs together and maximize their effectiveness.
“Tim Pringle has invested countless hours, over more than 20 years, working with non-profit groups, universities, government agencies, and real estate industry members to increase understanding and improve relationships between people, and between sectors,” stated Jack Hall, Chair of the Real Estate Foundation.
“Tim has been the catalyst in helping small housing societies get their projects off the ground; in connecting conservation and sustainable development interests; and in supporting research to help communities plan well for the future.”
Quotable Quote
“It is especially fitting that the Land Champion Award go first to Tim Pringle,” added Michael Clague, President of the Community Arts Council of Vancouver. “This sets the bar pretty high for subsequent nominations. Tim leaves with a long legacy and the hopes from many of us that we are going to continue to be able to benefit and learn from what Tim has done and what he is going to continue to do.”
Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC
At the Land Awards Gala, it was announced by Jack Hall that Tim Pringle is the founding President of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia. An autonomous society, the Partnership provides a legal entity for further evolution and delivery of program elements developed under the umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia.
The Partnership’s mandate is to build on the existing Action Plan foundation, connect the dots between use of land and the consequences for water sustainability, and help implement Living Water Smart, BC’s Water Plan and the Green Communities Initiative on the ground.
“We had originally hoped that Premier Gordon Campbell would make the announcement because of the profile that it would provide for our efforts. In fact, arrangements had been completed and the Lands Award Gala was booked in the Premier’s schedule,” stated Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director. “The Premier’s 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, and especially from our Partnership launch announcement perspective, Gordon Campbell resigned as Premier a couple of weeks before the Land Awards Gala.”
Link to YouTube Video
Watch the video posted of Tim Pringle receiving the Land Champion Award:
Below, Tim Pringle meets Prince Charles in November 2009 while Karin Kirkpatrick and Steven Mullock observe the moment.
Water Sustainability Endowment Fund
The Real Estate Foundation has had a longstanding interest and involvement in water sustainability; and has provided core funding for the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia since 2005. In addition to the funding role, the Foundation has played an active part in programs implemented under the Action Plan umbrella, notably Convening for Action on Vancouver Island.
“So, a logical next step for the Foundation was to establish a Water Sustainability Endowment Fund in support of non-profit initiatives related to water stewardship. The proceeds from the 2010 Land Awards gala will go to the Water Sustainability Endowment Fund,” reports Karin Kirkpatrick, Chief Executive Officer of the Real Estate Foundation.
Keynote Speaker: Robert Kennedy, Jr.
Because the theme for the 2010 Land Awards Gala was water sustainability, the Real Estate Foundation invited Robert Kennedy, Jr. to attend as keynote speaker. He told the audience that he jumped at the opportunity to attend because he has a longstanding history of involvement in British Columbia environmental issues.
His reputation as a resolute defender of the environment stems from a litany of successful actions in the United States. He was named one of TIME magazine’s “Heroes of the Planet” for his success in helping Riverkeep lead the fight to restore the Hudson River in New York.
“It is a real treat for me to come to British Columbia,” Kennedy stated. “This is one of my favourite places on earth to visit. Each year, I spend a lot of time in Canada. And I usually do a whitewater trip in BC.”
Link to YouTube Video
Watch the first 10 minutes of Robert Kennedy Jr’s hour-long address at the Land Awards Gala:
About the Real Estate Foundation
The Real Estate Foundation of BC strives to be a pivotal connection in making land use and real estate knowledge and practice a model for the world. In all its work, the Foundation focuses on Aligning Resources and Leading Learning, both:
- Convening and encouraging collaboration amongst groups in order to leverage their work and achieve greater impact; and
- Supporting innovative research, education, and other information which contributes to the body of knowledge related to responsible land use and real estate practices in BC and globally.
“The Foundation believes that, as British Columbians, we have a responsibility to steward the land and real estate resources of the province. As stewards, we believe that responsible land planning and management, and community development which respects ecosystems, will build quality of life in British Columbia for future generations,” states Karin Kirkpatrick.
Posted November 2010
Updated April 2020