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“Communication, cooperation, coordination and collaboration – have you thought about the power of the 4Cs? When all four are in play, good things happen,” states Derek Richmond. “Are you also aware of the beneficial outcomes that are flowing from collaboration between local government and the stewardship sector in the Nanaimo region? A groundswell of heightened awareness is translating into involvement and empowerment to make a difference. Join us on April 11-12 to learn more.”

“Knowing the Waterbucket user-base was wanting to find information easily, we redesigned the home page with not only a more contemporary look and feel but also to facilitate it being a portal to all of the different content-rich sections of the site,” stated Susan Friesen. “”Now site users can enjoy a faster, easier and mobile-friendly experience to conduct their research and become more informed with the valuable resources the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC provides.”

“The reality today is a very different work environment then what we ‘old guys’ grew up in,” stated Wally Wells. “That leads to a required dialogue of what communicating really means and how the message is received and interpreted by different generations. Maybe, just maybe, we take too much for granted based on what we individually know in trying to communicate asset management. We need to think very hard about the way we carry the message – with, I would suggest, more thought to the perception of the listener.”

In September 2017, the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia announced the re-build of the waterbalance.ca website. It now provides easy access to an array of 11 online decision support tools and calculators. “The leadership shown by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in decisively moving in this direction well over a decade ago has led to a body of knowledge from which others can learn,” stated Dr. Rowney.

The Comox Valley faces a long list of challenges as more frequent and intense winter storms and summer droughts overwhelm engineered infrastructure and natural systems.The Symposium introduced participants to a whole-system, water balance approach for restoration of watershed health. “The symposium spotlight was on the potentially powerful and cost-effective role that ecosystem services can play in an infrastructure strategy,” stated Tim Ennis.

“In British Columbia, we have this unique model called top-down, bottom-up. It is the synthesis that results when you have an over-arching provincial policy framework and then all the players embrace shared responsibility,” stated Kim Stephens. “If we can change the ethic, so that the land ethic becomes the water ethic, then the key is establishing precedents for doing things differently. Once you establish the precedents for designing with nature, then they can be replicated in other communities.”

In September 2006, CAVI-Convening for Action was launched in conjunction with the Water in the City Conference. At the consultation workshop, and to prime breakout groups for their brainstorming, Erik Karlsen led them through a series of questions: What are the conditions that create the need for change? So what are the options and the best choice? Now what are the strategies and commitments? Then what will be done to monitor performance and respond to future changes?

“I am pleased with the continuing success of the partnership in providing program delivery for the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia,” stated Barry Penner. “This initiative is all about sharing information and promoting water stewardship at the community level. I value the important role this partnership is playing in promoting water awareness and supporting communities to integrate water management practices with local land use planning and development programs.”

“The group was asked to identify what issues, problems or concerns exist currently within the Vancouver Island region,” wrote Kerry Elfstrom. “It was agreed that Vancouver Island could be the focus since it has clearly defined geographical boundaries, every element of the industry represented (suppliers, operators, consultants, educators, interested Associations etc.) and advantageous proximity to the provincial Government.”

“The Concept Development Session in September 2011 served as an inaugural meeting of individuals with a role in water and land management. The session purpose was to determine the viability of a regional team approach to water sustainability within the region ,” explained Ron Smith. “The apparent disconnect between water and land management was noted by many participants.”