Convening for Action in British Columbia

DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: A perspective on what provincial downloading means for local government in the Cowichan Valley” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in October 2022

October 25, 2022 - Posted in ...2022, PUBLICATIONS & DOWNLOADS

NOTE TO READER:

Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart in British Columbia: The Series vision. The edition published on October 25, 2022 featured an interview with L

ori Iannidinardo, outgoing Chair of the Cowichan Valley Regional Board on Vancouver Island. Her key takeaway is that collaboration among all levels of government is necessary and essential to advance drinking water and watershed protection.

What provincial downloading means for local governments

Reflections by Lori Iannidinardo provide insight into the Cowichan Water Journey. She is the outgoing Board Chair, Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD). Her key takeaway is that collaboration among all levels of government is necessary and essential.

Lori Iannidinardo elaborates on the consequences for local government when provincial downloading is coupled with hollowing out of the civil service. She points out how the situation can be turned around once the nature of the issue is recognized.Her context for reflection is the notion of shared responsibility in tandem with the regional team approach. Shared responsibility means that everyone has a role to play in accomplishing community, watershed and regional goals.

The “regional team approach” seeks to align local actions with over-arching provincial and regional goals. Everyone needs to agree on expectations and how all the players will work together. After that, each community can reach its goals in its own way.

Regional Team Approach is fundamentally different than a Regional Approach

Know your history. Understand the context. Build on experience. Collaboration at all levels would help everyone better deliver on policy goals and regulatory requirements. Inter-regional collaboration helps the champions in each region understand what other regions are doing, what works, and what does not.

The perspective Lori Iannidinardo provides on provincial downloading is a preview extract from Drinking Water & Watershed Protection in the Cowichan Valley Regional District on Vancouver Island. The publication is the first in a series of comprehensive “stories behind the regional stories”. The Partnership for Water Sustainability will publish the series in 2023.

The Inter-Regional Collaboration Series traces the history of inter-regional collaboration under the umbrella of the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative (IREI). The spotlight is on how learning from each other has influenced, as well as been influenced by, initiatives and outcomes within the five partner regions involved in the IREI.

TO LEARN MORE:

To read the complete story published on October 25th, 2022, download a PDF copy of a PDF copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: A perspective on what provincial downloading means for local government in the Cowichan Valley.