A SHORT HISTORY OF THE PARTNERSHIP FOR WATER SUSTAINABILITY: “In the beginning, the right people in the right place at the right time came together as a team to evolve into what became The Partnership,” stated Mike Tanner, former senior manager with BC Hydro Power Smart
Note to Reader:
Incorporation of the Partnership for Water Sustainability as an independent legal entity was a transformative decision in 2010. It ensured the legacy and sustainability of tools, resources and programs developed under the umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia; and delivered through inter-governmental partnerships.
The early history of the Partnership is presented in the document titled Celebration of Our Story: Genesis / First Decade / What Next, published in November 2020. The following article is the 2nd in a series of extracts from this key contextual document. The main takeaway is that the right people came together in the right place at the right time; and ‘raising the bar’ has been ongoing for over three decades.
In the beginning…
“Incorporation of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia as a not-for-profit society on November 19th 2010 was a milestone moment. Incorporation culminated a multi-year effort; and signified a bold leap forward. The Partnership has not looked back. Now, our journey stretches over three decades,” states Mike Tanner, a former senior manager with BC Hydro Power Smart and a founding director of the Partnership.
Right people in the right place at the right time
“The Partnership personifies what is envisioned by the term ‘collaborative leadership’. Expressed another way, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Is it good luck or good management when a group of individuals come together as a team? It is both,” wrote Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director, in Celebration of Our Story: Genesis / First Decade / What Next.
“Timing is everything. In 2002, revitalization of the BC water sustainability committee with me as chair was coincident with a change in provincial government. It was the combination of the two that made it possible for us to champion alignment of efforts at cascading scales (provincial, regional, local) and pioneer a ‘top-down & bottom-up’ approach to collaboration. These concepts are foundation blocks for the Water Sustainability Action Plan.”
In the First Decade of this Century
“By 2010, however, the committee was at a fork in the road. Ensuring success in delivering the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia through an expanding inter-governmental partnership network meant the time had come to morph the committee into a self-sustaining legal entity,” continues Mike Tanner.
Watch the Land Champion Award announcement on YouTube:
“Jack Hall announced recognition and honouring of Tim Pringle, the REFBC’s founding Executive Director, with the REFBC’s inaugural British Columbia Land Champion Award,” adds Mike Tanner.
Impact of Unprecedented Droughts
“Some founding members of The Partnership began the water sustainability journey in 1992. Three record droughts within a 5-year period was the trigger for looking at water differently in British Columbia. The droughts set in motion a paradigm-shift,” explains Ted van der Gulik, former Senior Engineer with the Ministry of Agriculture.
“In 1992, a group representing local government water utilities convened as a water conservation technical committee under the umbrella of BCWWA. Within five years, the momentum generated by this group spurred the provincial government to create A Water Conservation Strategy for British Columbia, released in 1998,” states Kim Stephens.
“The Strategy, in turn, spawned the Water Sustainability Action Plan, released in February 2004. The Action Plan then informed development of Living Water Smart, British Columbia’s Water Plan, released in June 2008.”
To Learn More:
To read the complete story about the early history of the Partnership, download a copy of Celebration of Our Story: Genesis / First Decade / What Next. It is structured in two part parts. Part One sketches an outline of many ideas and nuances about the work of The Partnership. Part Two is a deeper dive as shown in the storyboard below.
DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/atp/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2020/11/PWSBC_Story-of-First-Decade_Nov-2020.pdf
