Convening for Action in British Columbia

“The British Columbia landscape is being transformed by settlement and economic growth. While the province has been experiencing enhanced social and economic well-being, the need to mitigate pressures on land and water resources has provided a driver for a ‘green infrastructure’ movement that is water-centric and is founded on a natural systems approach,” stated Paul Ham. Infrastructure design is changing. Cumulative benefits are achievable, one property at a time, through changes in the policies, programs, practices and standards that determine how land is developed and water is used.

“As Minister responsible for Water Stewardship and Sustainable Communities, I place a high priority on fostering water stewardship and individual responsibility. By sharing information, promoting water awareness and supporting communities, I believe we can develop a culture of water conservation across the province. Under the umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan, Convening for Action pilot programs in the South Okanagan, Vancouver Island and Greater Vancouver are promoting water-centric approaches to community planning and land development,” stated Barry Penner, BC Minister of the Environment.

The Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia is being delivered by the Water Sustainability Committee through a partnership with the Ministry of Environment.“Water is the piece that integrates everything that we care about. You will note that we are using the phrase water stewardship, not water management. Stewardship is about replacing self interest, dependency and control with service, responsibility and partnership,” stated Lynn Kriwoken. “The Ministry of Environment views its partnership with the Water Sustainability Committee as an essential element in implementing the Ministry’s Water Stewardship Outreach Strategy.”

To capture their attention, this question was posed to local governments on Vancouver Island: how can your Regional Growth Strategy or Official Community Plan be aligned with A Positive Settlement Strategy? “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.

“The Water Sustainability Action Plan meets the aims of BCWWA’s mission statement to share knowledge and experience in the water and wastewater industries. The grant from the Ministry of Environment will enable the Water Sustainability Committee to continue to develop and deliver the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia.”Since 2003, the Ministry of Environment has provided $185,000 in funding so that the Water Sustainability Committee can manage development and implementation of the Water Sustainability Action Plan,” said BCWWA President Jim Levin.

In 2004, Convening for Action in British Columbia was one of the six elements in the ‘puzzle piece’. Over the last three years, it has evolved into a ‘made in BC’ process for moving British Columbians from awareness to action. “When we gather, it is for a purpose. There must be an action item or an outcome. Our aim is to move from talk to action by developing tools, building capacity, and providing training,” stated Ray Fung. “The Convening for Action vision is that water sustainability in British Columbia will be achieved through implementation of green infrastructure policies, practices and standards.”

To promote a new way-of-thinking related to infrastructure policies and practices, CAVI organized “Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation on Vancouver Island: The 2007 Series.” Events were held in the Nanaimo region, Cowichan Valley and Comox Valley. Rob Lawrance led development of the City of Nanaimo part of the program.

“In BC, we have come to the realization that prescriptive approaches stifle innovation. By telling people how far they must go, that’s as far as they go. They don’t go much beyond what is required for an approval. The approach that we are taking is to set the goal. As a result, we are seeing people in local governments leapfrogging each other to see how close they can get to the goal,” stated Chris Jensen.

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.

Comox Strathcona Regional District, the City of Courtenay and Town of Comox are making progress on the ground because they communicate and collaborate. “We are collaborating to make things happen at the operational level. Local government collaboration is one of the keys to Connecting to Sustainability,” stated Kevin Lagan. “The three C’s is a cornerstone of making it happen: these are communication, cooperation and cost-sharing. Whether it is between governments, developers or NGO’s we can all achieve more and be winners if we work together.”