CONVENING FOR ACTION ON VANCOUVER ISLAND: “We have it in our hands to create our future, because what we do on the ground sets the pattern of development for generations,” stated Eric Bonham in his keynote address at the CAVI launch event in 2006

Note to Reader:

The Georgia Basin bioregion encompasses the east coast of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland region. The Georgia Basin has long been a hot-bed of progressive ideas and provincially significant initiatives. Over the years, regional districts and municipalities have advanced watershed-based strategies and programs for “integrating rainwater management at the site level with the watershed and stream”.

CAVI morphed into the Georgia Basin IREI

Launched in 2006, CAVI -Convening for Action on Vancouver Island was a partnership to foster “water-centric planning” and “design with nature” approaches in local governments, aiming for water sustainability through green infrastructure, leadership, and collaboration.

Led by key figures like Eric Bonham (who was the heart and soul of the initiative) and John Finnie (first Chair), CAVI operated under the umbrella of the Partnership for Water Sustainability. CAVI engaged local governments, First Nations, developers, and citizens to foster support for long-term sustainability of communities. CAVI shone the spotlight on moving from talk to tangible action. 

This graphic created by Eric Bonham to illustrate the scope of CAVI

A former Director with the both BC Ministry of Municipal Affairs and the Minister of Environment, Eric Bonham was the heart and soul of the Convening for Action on Vancouver Island (CAVI) initiative. Eric Bonham used the Mission Possible platform to advocate for a  regional team approach to water sustainability.

Core Philosophy and Goals

• Design with Nature: Promoting green infrastructure and development practices that minimize impacts on the watershed.
• Regional Team Approach: Facilitating a “coalition of equals” among different levels of government, First Nations, and developers to share resources and break down jurisdictional barriers.
• Water-Centric Planning: Integrating water management into every stage of land-use planning and community design.
• Long-Term Vision: Challenging communities to visualize and plan for what they want Vancouver Island to look like 50 years into the future

In 2012, CAVI morphed into the the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative (IREI).

Timeline of the Transition

The history of CAVI and the IREI is a significant example of how long-term environmental policy can be sustained through multi-jurisdictional cooperation rather than top-down mandates. Key moments in the timeline are listed below:

• 2006: CAVI was launched at the “Water in the City” conference as a provincial demonstration program.
• 2007–2011: The program was co-funded by the Province and the Real Estate Foundation to develop local government talent through a “regional team approach”.
• 2012: The initiative officially expanded to include Metro Vancouver, transforming from a Vancouver Island-focused effort into the inter-regional IREI.
• 2016: The program reached a “10-year milestone,” at which point five regional districts passed resolutions to support the next five-year phase (2016–2021) of the IREI.

The transition to the IREI was designed to create a “coalition of the willing” across the Georgia Basin. It linked the four regions on Vancouver Island (Capital Region, Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo Region, and Comox Valley) with Metro Vancouver to facilitate peer-based learning and cross-pollinate ideas for water sustainability and green infrastructure.

Rainwater Management in a Watershed Sustainability Context

“In 2012, the Partnership for Water Sustainability brought together the four regional districts on Vancouver Island to align their efforts and implement a proof of approach for the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative. These four regions represent 90% of the Vancouver Island population. Subsequently, the Partnership invited Metro Vancouver to be an IREI partner,” explains Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director.

“The early success of the CAVI initiative had created opportunities for knowledge sharing and transfer on both sides of the Georgia Basin. Formalizing inter-regional collaboration meant that together everyone could go further, more efficiently and effectively.”

“In March 2013, the Partnership produced a Framework Document. This provides a consolidated source of reference material about the IREI in its first year after being launched. This important historical resource document is structured in four parts, with each part providing increasingly more detail.”

To Learn More:

Download a copy of the Framework Document which is titled Rainwater Management in a Watershed Sustainability Context: About the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Educational Initiative for “Integrating the Site with the Watershed and the Stream”.

Living legacy of the Georgia Basin Initiative ripples through time

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.

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.

‘The living legacy of the Georgia Basin Initiative is embedded in and embodied by the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Educational Initiative which continues to provide peer-based education among local governments,” emphasizes Kim Stephens.

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.