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The goal in holding the Leadership Forum was to start a conversation that will lead to an Island-wide dialogue around achieving settlement change in balance with ecology. The Forum was structured in two parts. In the morning, there was a celebration of on-the-ground successes. This prepared participants for a brainstorming session in the afternoon. “If we are to control our destiny, then we need to challenge Vancouver Islanders to visualize what they want this place to look like in 50 years and get on with creating our future,” stated Rod Sherrell, AVICC President and Chair of the Mount Waddington Regional District.

The Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia provides a partnership umbrella for an array of on-the-ground initiatives that promote a ‘water-centric’ approach to community planning. “I value the important role this partnership is playing in promoting awareness and supporting communities to integrate water management practices with local land use planning and development programs. The ministry continues to provide core funding to support implementation of this Action Plan,” stated BC Environment Minister Barry Penner.

When the British Columbia Water & Waste Association hosted a regional meeting of the American Waterworks Association in September 2006, Kim Stephens was invited to make a presentation on the accomplishments of the Water Sustainability Committee in delivering the Water Sustainability Action Plan. He provided an overview of how the Water Sustainability Committee is facilitating change through collaboration and partnerships with a range of organizations that have an interest in the Action Plan, and especially through a partnership  with the Province of British Columbia.

“Under the Convening for Action banner, stakeholder sessions were held in the South Okanagan to promote water stewardship and to encourage a ‘water balance’ way of thinking within Growth Strategies initiatives,” reported Ray Fung. “A workshop with representatives of the Greater Vancouver Regional Engineers Advisory Committee in May, 2005 was followed by an outreach and education program to promote and showcase local examples of green infrastructure will be conducted in 2006

Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation (CMHC) organized and the City of Dawson hosted a workshop on sustainable development in December 2006. “The audience was diverse and represented a broad cross-section of the region,” observed Lance Jakubec. “We had elected officials from the four municipalities. In addition, we had municipal staff and community representatives such as the Dawson Creek Senior Citizens Association, Dawson Creek Chamber of Commerce, Northeast Environmental Action Team, and Dawson Creek Beautification Committee.”

“The Action Plan recognizes that numerous groups and organizations implicitly share a vision for integrated water management. Hence, over time it is envisioned that other elements will be added as momentum builds and support grows province-wide for fully integrated water sustainability policies, plans and programs – resulting in conservation and stewardship practices by BC’s enterprises, institutions and in homes,” stated Kim Stephens. “The Province’s commitment to the Action Plan speaks for itself. The Ministry of Environment has provided core funding over a multi-year period to sustain Action Plan efforts.”

“The Action Plan is comprehensive in scope and provides an umbrella for grassroots initiatives that are informing Provincial policy through shared responsibility. In 2004, in the second year of implementation, work continued at breakneck speed. Significant progress was made on each of the six key elements. The Action Plan is comprehensive in scope and provides an umbrella for grassroots initiatives that are informing Provincial policy through shared responsibility,” reported Ray Fung.

“The Kelowna conference was an important first step in focusing stakeholder attention on the decisions that need to be made now if we are to move towards sustainable water management in BC. Inter-association collaboration is an essential ingredient if collectively we are to create the province-wide momentum that will result in substantive change related to water management and use,” stated Don Degen. In the spirit of inter-association collaboration, the Water Sustainability Committee of the BCWWA provided the core content for Day Three of the 3-day conference.

“Our focus is on education as the means for shifting practice in BC to address water use as an integral part of land use. We place emphasis on practitioner education. An integral part of the process is to create a picture of what the future landscape can look like. If we agree on where we wish to be in one or two generations, then we can map out the route to get there,” states Kim Stephens. “Coordination of ‘convening for action’ events generates momentum in two ways: each event builds on the last event and paves the way for the next; and coordination ensures consistent messaging.”