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The Shifting Baselines concept explains why drivers for watershed protection differ across Canada. “Every generation will use the images that they got at the beginning of their conscious lives as a standard and will extrapolate forward. And the difference then, they perceive as a loss. But they don’t perceive what happened before as a loss. You can have a succession of changes. At the end you want to sustain miserable leftovers. And the question is, why do people accept this?,” stated Daniel Pauly.

Coquitlam is the sixth-largest city in British Columbia. “There is no question that all of Council relishes Champion Supporter recognition. We strive to make sure that our watersheds work properly. We have a number of committees that are aimed at improving the health of the watershed and the health of the river – everything from sand and gravel operations to the way in which stormwater management takes place adjacent to city streets, the kinds of initiatives we have undertaken and continue to undertake,” stated Mayor Richard Stewart

“On the North Shore, people are passionate about their creeks. Protection of salmon habitat and stream health is important to us. Yet not everyone recognizes and understands the connection between our actions on the land and the impacts on fish habitat. We all can make a difference by designing with nature. The change starts with rain gardens. A single rain garden will not make a material difference to stream health. But 1000 rain gardens would be a different story. Restoring stream health requires a long-term commitment,” states Mayor Darrell Mussatto.

A decade and a half of experience has enabled the City of Surrey to move beyond pilot projects to a broader watersheds objectives approach to implementing green infrastructure and capturing rain where it falls, to protect stream health. “The Surrey Sustainability Charter is about making the right choices and doing the right things. The Charter provides a comprehensive lens through which we will view all future initiatives, programs and plans,” stated Mayor Dianne Watts.

“Everyone is doing something different. But it all fits together into an overall picture. It is how they share and learn from each other – because the objective is to ensure that we are all moving in the right direction. And so, in terms of the outcome of this collaboration, it really is about how to align regional and local actions with the provincial policy, program and regulatory framework. Our focus is on what we call hydrologic integrity,” stated Kim Stephens.

Delta is a leader in implementing green infrastructure practices that will ultimately protect stream health. “It is evident that there are many champions in local government; and it is important that we recognize and celebrate what they are doing. This is all part of creating our future. And when we ask ‘what will this community look like in 50 years’, we can point to the green infrastructure examples and then we will know what it will look like in 50 years,” stated Mayor Lois Jackson.

“Context for the Wetland Workshop was provided by the vision for a Metro Vancouver Regional Green Infrastructure Network. Managing the lands in the Green Infrastructure Network to ensure that they continue to provide ecosystem services that we depend on is important. Wetlands are the kidneys of the earth. We are challenging local government by posing this question: Is your municipality doing enough to prevent downstream impacts from rainwater runoff while maintaining healthy aquatic habitat?,” stated Neil Fletcher.

“The Hastings Creek Blueprint provides the tools to tell a story and share information with our residents. One of the ways to foster more sustainable behavior and the protection of watersheds such as Hastings Creek is to engage residents so that they feel connected personally to their watershed. It is not a matter of only saying what the District can do for the watershed. Rather, it must be all the stakeholders. We have started the process with collaboration with the streamkeepers who are already engaged,” states Julie Pavey.

“Water sustainability literally flows from a community's land ethic. If we treat the land with respect, the water resource will be protected. That is the essence of integration. We often hear experts talk about cumulative impacts when they explain degradation of water quality. Well, the flip side of a problem is an opportunity. Through implementation of green infrastructure policies and practices, we can achieve cumulative benefits over time, one property at a time,” stated Kim Stephens.

“The Partnership for Water Sustainability has a vision for reconnecting communities with the land. Simply put, we believe if we respect the land, water sustainability will follow. Getting there requires a change in mind-set and land ethic. We describe this as MISSION POSSIBLE because those operating in the local government setting can now access tools and experience that will enable them to make a difference. Our approach is top-down and bottom-up. It is keyed to three words: ALIGNMENT, COLLABORATION, INTEGRATION,” stated Kim Stephens.