Convening for Action in British Columbia

“Effective conservation-oriented water pricing can help reconcile growing communities with the health of local watersheds and engage individuals and businesses to change their behaviour and begin reducing their water footprints,” stated Oliver Brandes.

“We probably all knew that rainwater is a resource, but when we start zeroing in on what we can do, we are going to see how valuable it is. But what about the other Q! It is amazing how many times we look at QUANTITY, and I am from the region that wants to talk about QUALITY. So when we get into rainwater as a resource, it is really important that we recognize the quality of the water that we are dealing with when we put it into our lakes and rivers,” stated Stu Wells.

Eric Bonham has been proactive on water related issues for 40 years. He is an advocate for bringing together local government and community advocates in a new form of governance that involves decision makers in government working with visionaries in the community to create desired outcomes. He calls this ‘mission possible’.

“Tim Pringle has invested countless hours, over more than 20 years, working with non-profit groups, universities, government agencies, and real estate industry members to increase understanding and improve relationships between people, and between sectors. Tim has been the catalyst in helping small housing societies get their projects off the ground; in connecting conservation and sustainable development interests; and in supporting research to help communities plan well for the future,” stated Jack Hall.

During the period 2000-2001, the mantra in British Columbia was “overcoming fear and doubt” in order to move ahead with projects such as the East Clayton in the City of Surrey, and UniverCity on Burnaby Mountain in the City of Burnaby. it was Patrick Condon of UBC who said: ‘If we fail, it will be a generation before anyone will even have the opportunity to try again; so we must not fail’. Hard-fought successes have ultimately made it possible to change land development practices to capture rain where it falls.

“It is especially fitting that the Land Champion Award go first to Tim Pringle. This sets the bar pretty high for subsequent nominations. Tim leaves with a long legacy,” stated Michael Clague.

The East Clayton Neighbourhood Concept Plan provided the first large-scale opportunity to ‘test’ a new approach which is sometimes characterized as ‘the future is the past’. From my perspective, one aspect which really stands out about the East Clayton plan is the integration of sustainability objectives,” stated Paul Ham.

“The Integrated Plan for liquid waste and resource management provides a framework for developing and implementing outcome-oriented watershed plans that have clear linkages with municipal land use planning and development approval processes. Local watershed planning and on-site rainwater management are plan requirements. The Integrated Plan is written as a regulatory document. This limits the extent to which it is able to ‘tell a story’ that will resonate with the public,” stated Kim Stephens.

“The role of the Technical Advisors is to apply their expertise and perspective to the potential policy options for a modernized Water Act. This is about making BC's water laws simpler to understand, communicate, administer and enforce as communities respond to current and future challenges,” explained Lynn Kriwoken. “As we move into our next phase of policy development, we are seeking input from external technical experts. Individuals with First Nations and non-government organizations have been invited to participate in the process in an advisory capacity.”

“The Routley, Yorkson and Northeast Gordon neighbourhood communities illustrate how a ‘water-centric’ approach is changing the way that land is developed in Langley. Each neighbourhood features a different green innovation,” stated Ramin Seifi.