DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: ‘Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Georgia Basin Initiative legacy ripples thru time” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in April 2024
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 on April 30, 2024 features Joan Sawicki and her “story behind the story” of the genesis and early years of the Georgia Basin Initiative in the 1990s. The edition is dedicated to Darlene Marzari, former BC Ministry of Municipal Affairs, and champion of community and regional planning. Darlene Marzari was the single most important reason for the success of the Georgia Basin Initiative, says Joan Sawicki.
Joan Sawicki and Darlene Marzari at the announcement for the Urban Salmon Habitat Program at Deer Lake in Burnaby, 1995
Georgia Basin Initiative legacy ripples thru time
The Georgia Basin links two nations and includes the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Strait of Georgia, Puget Sound, the adjacent lowlands of Vancouver Island, the lower mainland and the slopes of the mountain ranges surrounding and draining into this area.
The three bodies of water are collectively known as the Salish Sea. This bioregion is one of the most ecologically diverse areas of North America, containing a wide range of vegetation and fish and wildlife habitats of international significance. It is also one of the most threatened.
Creating a Sustainable Future
The idea for the Georgia Basin Initiative was spawned in a report by BC Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, chaired by Mayor Joy Leach. Published in late 1993, the Round Table report was titled Georgia Basin Initiative: Creating a Sustainable Future.
Launched in 1994, the Georgia Basin Initiative was a call to action by the provincial government led by Premier Mike Harcourt. The influence of the Georgia Basin Initiative has rippled through time in profound and lasting ways. In 2024, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of a watershed moment in BC history.
The living legacy of the Georgia Basin Initiative is embedded in and embodied by the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Educational Initiative. Led by the Partnership for Water Sustainability and supported by five regional districts, the IREI is now in Year 13 and provides peer-based education among local governments.
When the stars align, anything is possible
“The 1990s was a very heady time in government in terms of land use planning and natural resource management. Some initiatives were not implemented all that well, but the Georgia Basin Initiative was the exception,” recalls Joan Sawicki. She was the Parliamentary Secretary for the Georgia Basin Initiative during the period 1994-1996.
“It did exactly what it was intended to do, Moreover, even though it only existed as an entity for a couple of years, it spawned a whole number of other initiatives and programs, some of which blossomed and still exist today.”
A legacy of “convening for action” in the Georgia Basin
Within a few years, the Georgia Basin Initiative led to a federal-provincial agreement to collaborate under the umbrella of the Georgia Basin Ecosystem Initiative. The first 5-year plan covered the years 1998 through 2003.
The Georgia Basin Action Plan, an evolution of the GBEI, then covered the second 5-year period from 2003 through 2008. The current IREI follows in the footsteps of the GBEI and GBAP. Three decades and counting is an amazing legacy.
TO LEARN MORE:
To read the complete story, download a copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Georgia Basin Initiative legacy ripples thru time.
DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/04/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Joan-Sawicki-and-Georgia-Basin-Initiative_2024.pdf