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Ted van der Gulik is a visionary and an innovator. While others talk, Ted does. His accomplishments are many and his innovative leadership encompasses provincial tools such as the Water Balance Model and the Irrigation Scheduling Calculator. Ted brings energy to everything that he does, and he inspires those around him. He is the epitome of the old adage: If you want something done, ask a busy person. Ted will look into the future, identify the desired outcome, and then issue this challenge: Okay, what steps will we take now so that we can get there?

“Can we realistically expect sustainable outcomes if we are using conventional governance models to put sustainable values into practice?,” asked Eva Kras. She overviewed traditional management concepts from the perspective of their effectiveness in meeting the desired goal of sustainability and critiqued whether the values that underpin the current approach to sustainability are indeed adequate for the task.

In his Summer 2009 report to the membership of the BC Water & Waste Association, Eric Bonham reviewed the successes of CAVI and the Vancouver Island Chapter of the BCWWA. Addressing the question “What do we want Vancouver Island to look like in 50 years” calls for partnerships and multidisciplinary involvement that draws a wide range of players to work towards a collective vision. Given this challenge, Vancouver Island’s approach is proactive, directly engaging, informing and educating those who influence or impact how land is developed and water is used. “

“Climate change commentary consistently dominates our newspapers, radio and television and it can be said with some confidence that the majority of scientists now agree global warming is a reality. But, what does all this mean on a day-to-day level for the practitioner?,” asks Eric Bonham.

Comox Strathcona Regional District, the City of Courtenay and Town of Comox are making progress on the ground because they communicate and collaborate. “We are collaborating to make things happen at the operational level. Local government collaboration is one of the keys to Connecting to Sustainability,” stated Kevin Lagan. “The three C’s is a cornerstone of making it happen: these are communication, cooperation and cost-sharing. Whether it is between governments, developers or NGO’s we can all achieve more and be winners if we work together.”

“The Water Sustainability Committee provides a forum for the Ministry of Environment to engage with a variety of partners. This leads to leveraging of efforts through programs such as the Showcasing Innovation Series,” stated Zita Bothelo. “Shared stewardship means shared responsibility and accountability for water at the most appropriate scale and capacity.   It takes different forms depending on the players involved and the nature and complexity of water issues and decisions.

Convening for Action on Vancouver Island (CAVI) and the Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities (AVICC) are co-hosting the Forum. “As an outcome of the highly successful Creating Our Future Consultation Workshop that CAVI held in June, the CAVI leadership asked me if I would be their AVICC Liaison. The Green Infrastructure Leadership Forum is a concept that resonated. The rest is history, as they say,” stated Councillor Barry Avis.

“The Water Sustainability Committee and Green Infrastructure Partnership collaborated to organize the Action Plan session because desired outcomes for water sustainability and green infrastructure are common to both, and can be achieved through infrastructure standards that reflect a full and proper understanding of the relationship between land and water”, stated Kim Stephens

At the 2007 Annual BCWWA Conference, Lynn Kriwoken emphasized that the Ministry of Environment views its partnership with the Water Sustainability Committee as an essential element in implementing the Ministry's Water Stewardship Outreach Strategy. “Water is the piece that integrates everything that we care about. You will note that we are using the phrase water stewardship, not water management. Stewardship is about replacing self interest, dependency and control with service, responsibility and partnership.”

“Infrastructure design is changing. Cumulative benefits are achievable, one property at a time, through changes in the policies, programs, practices and standards that determine how land is developed and water is used. By implementing design with nature infrastructure practices and regulation, the ‘convening for action’ vision is that British Columbia will be well on the way to achieving water sustainability by 2010,” stated Kim Stephens.