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Convening for Action in British Columbia

CONFRONT THE PROBLEMS, OPERATIONALIZE SUSTAINABLE SERVICE DELIVERY: “Arnold Schwabe has written an outstanding article. He sets the scene, defines the problem, and closes with a call to action. The way he weaves his storyline makes it a ‘must read’ article,” stated Kim Stephens of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia


“The collaborative nature of the working relationship between Asset Management BC and the Partnership for Water Sustainability, combined with our shared commitment to Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery, transcends our memorandum of understanding. We share a mission and represent complementary audiences and perspectives within local government. Wally Wells, founding Executive Director of AMBC, has successfully passed the baton to Arnold to carry on the mission to operationalize sustainable service delivery,” stated Kim Stephens.

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REMEMBERING BARRY JANYK, POLITICAL CHAMPION FOR SMART DEVELOPMENT: “The legacy of Barry Janyk is that his efforts elevated our profile and credibility with local government elected representatives. In the 2000s, he got us onto their radar screen and that enhanced our ability to influence them,” recalled Kim Stephens of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC


The edition of Waterbucket eNews published on January 28, 2025 celebrated the contributions of the late Barry Janyk (1952-2024), former 4-term mayor of the Town of Gibsons. He was outspoken, funny and fearless in following his passions and advocating for the causes he believed in. One of those causes was “Smart Development”. Because he believed in doing the right thing, he played a leadership role in setting the green infrastructure movement in motion a generation ago. He was an influencer in a profound and public way. He helped change history.

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WILL 2025 BE THE YEAR OF THE RE-SET AS DECISION-MAKERS BUILD ON LESSONS FROM THE PAST? – “Deep knowledge is rapidly being lost. Organizational amnesia is the consequence, and this creates risks and liabilities for communities,” stated Kim Stephens of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in the season opener for Waterbucket eNews


“Re-set means implement a course correction so that governments would maintain and manage engineered and natural assets as interconnected components within a system that includes the people who live there. What would success look like? At a high level, the community writ large would buy-in to the need and financial case for funding SOLUTIONS THAT ARE AFFORDABLE, EFFECTIVE AND PRAGMATIC. That is the point of departure for setting in motion changes that are for the common good,” stated Kim Stephens.

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CONVENING FOR ACTION AT THE 2024 BC LAND SUMMIT: “The Partnership hopes that the summit will prove to be a seminal moment in sparking an attitude change about land and water. Time will tell,” stated Kim Stephens, Executive Director, Partnership for Water Sustainability (May 2024)


“Held every five years as a 3-day event, the BC Land Summit is a watershed moment for showcasing new ideas. The target audiences are those involved in some form of land-related profession. In 2024, the Partnership for Water Sustainability delivered two 90-minute interactive sessions under the banner Caring for the Land Means Going Beyond Just Doing Enough. These sessions were cascading and integrated. A desired outcome is that they would spark innovation and collaboration, by providing valuable insights about the use and conservation of land and water,” stated Kim Stephens.

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GEORGIA BASIN INITIATIVE LEGACY RIPPLES THROUGH TIME: “If we have lost anything in the last 30 years, it is a strong provincial commitment to supporting community and regional planning,” stated Joan Sawicki, land and resource management champion, and former provincial cabinet minister


“When you think of the issues we face today….weather extremes, drying rivers, degraded streams, frequent wildfires, population growth, housing affordability…they are no different than they were 30 years ago. They are just more complex and more urgent. We need a renewed provincial provincial emphasis – and yes, that means budget – on supporting community and regional planning and we need another Darlene Marzari. She was the single most important reason for the success of the Georgia Basin Initiative. Darlene Marzari had the knowledge, experience and quiet resolve to make things happen,” stated Joan Sawicki.

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CONVENING FOR ACTION AT THE 2024 BC LAND SUMMIT: “There are many different parts to EAP. With each part comes a pathway with capacity to help local governments,” stated Anna Lawrence, Project Coordinator, Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute at Vancouver Island University


Local government Asset Management Plans need real financial values in order to include budgets for streams. “Led by Tim Pringle, the Partnership for Water Sustainability created the methodology for EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process. EAP has been passed on to VIU as part of the intergenerational baton. Now we are in a 3-year transition strategy to embed it. As we become more familiar with EAP and its applications, it is becoming increasingly apparent that it requires tailored communication to a variety of audiences,” stated Anna Lawrence.

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CONVENING FOR ACTION AT THE 2024 BC LAND SUMMIT: “The phrase attitude change goes to the heart of what the Partnership session will showcase at the Land Summit. With an attitude change, anything is possible,” stated Kim Stephens, Executive Director of the Partnership for Sustainability


“At the BC Land Summit, the Partnership will deliver two 90-minute interactive sessions under the banner Going Beyond Just Doing Enough. In the first session, Richard Boase and Paul Chapman explain what the Blue Ecology vision for an attitude change looks like through the local government and stewardship sector lenses. In the second session, a team led by Tim Pringle presents the methodology and metrics for tackling the Riparian Deficit. Because local government Asset Management Plans need real financial values, EAP fills a gap,” stated Kim Stephens.

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CONVENING FOR ACTION AT THE 2024 BC LAND SUMMIT: “Streams need a place to be. If we cannot get our heads around that, we are not going to keep our streams,” stated Tim Pringle, a founding director and Past-President of the Partnership for Water Sustainability


“Because nature is a system, you cannot slice and dice it. EAP recognizes this and is a financial tool to give streams the support they need to survive. EAP provides a value picture of a stream system as a land use. How are Blue Ecology and EAP interconnected? Blue Ecology emphasizes the social perspective for protecting watersheds and streams. EAP shows how to achieve that outcome. EAP builds on the ‘big idea’ that use and conservation of land are equal values. Where Blue Ecology and EAP come together is in recognizing the importance of water and ecological assets in those two contexts,” stated Tim Pringle.

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CONVENING FOR ACTION AT THE 2024 BC LAND SUMMIT: “EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process, is an expression of Blue Ecology. Both are all about a restorative framework and mindset,” stated Richard Boase, career environmental champion within local government


“We must do a better job of protecting streams. I am in a position now to reflect on this because I believe I have earned that right over the course of a 30-year career. Given how much I have seen, done and been exposed to in my local government career, it is fair for me to reflect on what has happened and comment on why local governments have not been as successful as we would have wanted. But we must focus on the path forward so that we protect or enhance stream systems in the built environment,” stated Richard Boase.

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CONVENING FOR ACTION IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “The ecosystem-based approach is needed more than ever to adapt to weather extremes,” stated Susan Haid, career environmental and urban planner in BC local government, and adjunct assistant professor at the University of BC


“In many ways, what I am teaching comes back to the same kind of framework around ecosystem-based planning which Erik Karlsen and others were advancing in the 1990s, and which is synonymous with watershed-based planning,” stated Susan Haid. “Titled Policy for a Sustainable Region, it is big picture and is about policy frameworks to influence urban design. A lot of it is case studies and reflection. But I also bring in resiliency and ecological frameworks, with lectures on what are the best practices going forward. I call these sessions SHARPENING THE EDGE.”

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