Convening for Action in British Columbia

“I’m very impressed with how actively you are pushing Water Sustainability in BC. It’s great to see this proactive approach. I really like the ‘no nonsense, lets get this problem solved attitude’. It’s very refreshing,” stated Peter MacDonagh.

“We spent the last half a century trying to control runoff with dikes, storm sewers, curbs and gutters. Now, increased development and increased storm intensity from climate change are increasing peak flows and altering the rules of the game,” stated Anna Warwick Sears. “Rainwater management keeps water on-site, improving water quality by reducing runoff pollution, allowing the rain to infiltrate and recharge aquifers, and establishing ways to harvest water for other uses. Rainwater management complements management of larger storm events, and reduces infrastructure requirements overall.”

STEAL THIS IDEA! – “Three half-hour segments gave participants the chance to check out their favourite ideas and get the scoop on how to bring them back to their own communities. This session was held for the first time during the 2010 conference and it was very popular with delegates,” explains Azzah Jeena. “There was a great deal of excitement and energy in the room and it seemed that delegates were very engaged during the various roundtable discussions. The on-the-spot evaluation in the session room indicated a high level of satisfaction with the content and format of the session.”

In 2011, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) held its Sustainable Communities Conference outside the Ottawa region for the first time. Hosted by the City of Victoria in February, the conference included a session called STEAL THIS IDEA!. The session was presented by FCM’s Green Municipal Fund; and moderated by Emanuel Machado “Eight innovators shared their breakthrough examples of municipal sustainability in a range of sectors. The interactive nature of the ‘Steal This Idea!’ session allowed the participants to move from simply receiving information to engaging and sharing lessons and knowledge,” commented Emanual Machado.

“Council adopted a ‘Water Strategy’ that includes a vision for water that closely aligns with the province’s Living Water Smart program,” stated Kevin Henderson.

“We are CONNECTING THE DOTS between land use planning, development, watershed health AND infrastructure asset management. When communities are guided by a DESIGN WITH NATURE philosophy, water sustainability can be achieved. It will be achieved by implementing GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE policies and practices,” stated Kim Stephens. “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 / BOTTOM-UP.”

“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 / BOTTOM-UP. It is keyed to three words: ALIGNMENT, COLLABORATION, INTEGRATION,” 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.

“The City of Surrey, Bowker Creek Initiative and District of North Vancouver stand out because of their sustained commitment to outcome-oriented approaches: Establish the vision, set the target, and then implement,” stated Corino Salomi.

Tim Pringle is a Founding Director and the first President. He was Executive Director of the Real Estate Foundation from its founding in 1988 until 2008. In 2010, Tim Pringle was the inaugural winner of the Land Champion Award for British Columbia.