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Drawing from both the local government and irrigation industry sectors, the workshop registration total was 105. “The turnout from the irrigation industry in providing a strong tradeshow component is a clear indicator of the value that they saw in supporting the workshop. The strength of the technical program attracted an attendance from up and down the east coast of Vancouver Island, as well as from the mainland,” stated Karen van der Gulik.

“We believe we have an exciting program. We have brought together a powerhouse team. These individuals are leading by example in their respective worlds of endeavour. A commonality is that each is passionate about what they do. We hope and anticipate that the collective enthusiasm of the presentation team will energize those who join us at the workshop in Victoria. It will be a memorable event,” states Kim Stephens.

“Through my polling research, I have learned that people are hardwired to water, at both the functional and emotional levels. It is no accident that we like to gather around water coolers and watering holes. Water brings people together. It is a natural starting point for any conversation about common interests, and by extension, our shared future. Stories unite us. Water does it,” states Angus McAllister.

“Soil depth is a primary water management tool for use by local government to adapt to a changing climate. A well-designed landscape with healthy topsoil helps communities through both wet and dry times. Soil is a sponge. It holds and slowly releases rainwater. This can limit runoff during rainy weather; and reduce irrigation water need during dry weather,” states David Hislop.

“Agricultural Land Use Inventory data facilitates local government planning for agriculture, monitoring of trends in their communities, and evaluation of proposed regulations. It has been used to determine potential conflicts along Urban/ALR edges, crop practices along riparian areas with endangered species, and consequences of proposed changes to setbacks and minimum lot sizes,” states Corrine Roesler.

“Future planners, engineers, politicians and citizens alike will be called upon to demonstrate both vision and pragmatism and be able to frame the issue of achieving water-resiliency in communities against the backdrop of an unpredictable water cycle. This in turn demands the honing of a further skill, that of working together towards consensus, commitment and collaboration,” stated Eric Bonham.

“Drought, forest fires, floods and pine beetle in 2003 created a ‘teachable year’ for change in BC. This gave BC a head-start on many other regions. The outcome? A decade later, provincial ‘game-changers’ are now in place that enable solutions in the local government setting,” stated Kim Stephens. “The three game-changers are Develop with Care 2014, the Water Sustainability Act, and Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery: A BC Framework.”

“We face a number of cumulative and compounding human effects that at present make sustainability a moving target. We need to stabilize these effects if we don’t want adaptation and resilience to constantly be beyond reach,” said Bob Sandford. “The problem is that that we have begun to undermine the planetary conditions upon which we depend for the stability of environment and economy that are the foundation of our prosperity.”

“Recurring region-wide consequences of water-related challenges have prompted regional action to develop governance structures and processes to make the connections between high-level decision making and actions on the ground,” stated Keith Lawrence. “One of the actions undertaken throughout 2015 was a more coordinated approach to communicating what is happening in our region, and what can we do about climate impacts.”

“We are using an adaptation strategy developed around the District’s Official Community Plan (known by the acronym OCP). For a local government, everything we do is driven by the OCP. By linking our climate adaptation strategy to the OCP, this results in an enabling framework for discussion and action in the spheres of influence encompassed by the OCP. It is all linked,” stated Richard Boase.