Convening for Action in British Columbia

DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Keep it simple, practical and implementable” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in February 2024

February 6, 2024 - Posted in ...2024, PUBLICATIONS & DOWNLOADS

Note to Reader:

Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published published on February 6, 2024 features the story behind the story of Melony Burton, Manager of Infrastructure Planning with the City of Port Coquitlam in the Metro Vancouver region. Melony Burton’s actions in driving positive change are guided by her no-nonsense approach to keeping it simple, practical and implementable.

Keep it simple, practical and implementable

Melony Burton is results-based and has a history of accomplishment, starting with the City of Victoria, growing with the City of Coquitlam, and now with the neighbouring City of Port Coquitlam.

After joining Coquitlam in 2007, she led the city’s watershed planning program under the direction of Dana Soong. Over a decade, Melony Burton developed nine Integrated Watershed Management Plans (IWMPs). This is a remarkable total. In 2017, she joined Port Coquitlam.

Drive positive change

Melony Burton’s responsibilities at Port Coquitlam encompass the entire infrastructure portfolio, but drainage planning remains close to her heart. Viewed in a regional context, Melony Burton is a natural successor to Surrey’s Carrie Baron as an urban drainage thought leader and agent of change.

Melony Burton’s actions in driving positive change are guided by her no-nonsense approach to keeping it simple, practical and implementable.

“I have leveraged my career into a position that allows me to have more influence and positive change. This came, in part, from channeling the frustration at being limited in the role I was in. When you are comfortable, you are not motivated to make a change,” explains Melony Burton.

Flashback:

Last November, Waterbucket eNews profiled Carrie Baron with a feature story titled Shifting the ecological baseline requires boldness. There were few women in engineering when Carrie Baron graduated in the mid-1980s. Leadership and innovation defined her professional career as Drainage Manager at the City of Surrey from 1997 through 2021.

TO LEARN MORE:

To read the complete story, download a copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Keep it simple, practical and implementable. The downloadable version includes a Bonus Feature – the complete conversation with Melony Burton.