Convening for Action in British Columbia

SNEAK PREVIEWS OF STORIES COMING THIS FALL ON WATERBUCKET eNEWS: “Years ago, a request from Todd Pugh of CivicInfo BC inspired our decision to provide a platform for unsung heroes and local government champions to share their stories behind the stories,” stated Kim Stephens of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia

September 16, 2025 - Posted in Convening for Action in British Columbia

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. Stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective, and the Story Behind the Story.

The edition published on September 16, 2025 kicked off a new season. This provided a timely opportunity to reflect on the genesis of the idea for featuring “stories behind the series” and how the Partnership has evolved its approach to storytelling.

ONE MINUTE TAKEAWAY

With this edition of Waterbucket eNews, we are doing something different. Sneak previews foreshadow what is coming this fall. Headlines and supporting quotable quotes for 10 stories weave a story within a story.

Images are mostly from the Partnership’s library. Some are from the public domain and Creative Commons.

EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE / FALL SEASON PREVIEW

“Todd Pugh is the founding Executive Director of CivicInfo BC. This is a local government data and information agency, serving British Columbia’s municipal sector since 2000. Five years ago, Todd had an idea for a feature which he called Civic Voices. He inspired me to run with that idea,” recalled Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.

10 stories weave a story within a story

Calls to action to turn problems into solutions

In the weeks and months ahead, readers can look forward to a curated mix of stories. A group of thought leaders address a range of issues. Each story is about a call to action. A thread weaving its way through the 10 stories is, take the long view and do what is right not what is easy.

Another common thread is that turning problems into solutions depends on sharing lived experience through conversations that inspire and energize. This is how understanding is passed on about what works and what does not.

SEP 23: Partnership’s Mid-Year Report for 2025 – we recognize and energize those who deal with and are concerned about what happens to our water and environments that support the water cycle

SEP 30: River Magic, tales from a life on 1000 rivers – celebrating Mark Angelo, a remarkable and inspirational British Columbian whose legacy includes BC Rivers Day (since 1980); his defining message is that nature can heal itself if only we give it a chance

OCT 7: The Silent Death of Agriculture in
Metro Vancouver – featuring Christina Gemino, whose stunning research draws attention to how non-sanctioned industrial use on agricultural land changes the land base forever, with consequential impacts for food security

OCT 14: Kelowna’s Water Security Plan, a template for One Water – featuring Rod MacLean, who explains that intergenerational outcomes that address community needs and responsibilities depend on embedding a culture guided by long-term thinking

OCT 21: Increased frequency, magnitude, duration and LIABILITY of floods – featuring Mike Morris, who was Minister of Public Safety when the climate in British Columbia crossed an invisible threshold into a different hydrometeorogical regime in 2015; he warns that politicians ignore what they do not understand

OCT 28: Leaps of faith and calculated risks: convening for action in Metro Vancouver – transformation is often fraught with danger for both the change agents themselves and their organizations, and is like dancing with a tiger – the outcome is uncertain

Extract from the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver from 1994 through 2024, featuring the “crucible period” between the years 1997 and 2005

NOV 4: Advancing municipal asset management in a changing world – Asset Management concepts have been around long enough for staff and elected officials to have an awareness of the issues; communities need to move past concepts and truly begin addressing the struggle to implement

NOV 12: **British Columbia’s Water Sustainability Act, unique and innovative** – water rights went from a strictly FITFIR (first in time first in right) system to a hybridized system within which surface and groundwater are integrated; but the full potential of the legislation has yet to be realized

NOV 18: Networks are a way to get greater leverage of your scarce resources – rather than have the weight of the world on your own shoulders, you can bear that weight with other likeminded, values-aligned colleagues in the network and move forward together

NOV 25: Learn by doing, and adapt to create livable communities: convening for action in Metro Vancouver – the regional team approach delivered results across boundaries; all the ingredients necessary for success were in alignment, from top to bottom, with political will and collaboration powering “mission possible”

Extract from the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver from 1994 through 2024, featuring the “golden period” between the years 2006 and 2011

Living Water Smart in British Columbia Series

To download a copy of the foregoing resource as a PDF document for your records and/or sharing, click on Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Coming this fall on Waterbucket eNews.