Convening for Action in British Columbia

“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. She concluded her presentation by presenting the Province’s vision for water. She stated that: “We can only attain the vision through shared stewardship.

“Everything is connected, and how we develop land determines how water is used and how water runs off the land. Because water has been identified as the #1 concern of the public, the South Okanagan Regional Growth Strategy is a provincial pilot for advancing the water balance way-of-thinking and acting”, stated Ted van der Gulik.

Environment Minister Barry Penner singled out the accomplishments of the BCWWA Water Sustainability Committee in delivering the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia through partnerships with his Ministry and others. The Minister’s recognition of the WSC set the stage for a half-day Action Plan session within the main conference program, organized by the WSC in collaboration with the Green Infrastructure Partnership.

The pre-conference session addressed the question: how does a community weigh the benefits and liabilities of changes driven by demand for land use?

Commencing in 2003, the Ministry of Environment has provided core funding so that the BCWWA Water Sustainability Committee can develop and deliver the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia. “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 Environment Minister Barry Penner.

Collaboration between researchers at the University of British Columbia and the Greater Vancouver region's three North Shore municipalities — North Vancouver District, North Vancouver City, and the District of West Vancouver — has opened the door to a long-term partnership to bring science into the community. Clovelly-Caulfeild in West Vancouver is the first North Shore neighbourhood to step forward and participate in the 'UBC Tree Canopy Interception Research Project'.

“This workshop is the first one organized by the Ministry of Environment for the purpose of bringing together water resource specialists and planners at all levels of government. We hope that it will be the first in a series of annual events,” stated John Denesiger, Workshop Chair.

Convening for Action is a “made in BC” framework for building consensus and capacity by creating a picture of what the future can look like, and then showing how to create that future through implementation of design with nature infrastructure regulations and practices. Convening for Action is grounded in the world of local government, recognizes that local government is the level of government that controls land use, and aligns federal/provincial infrastructure programs with local needs.

”In my view, British Columbians truly are innovative. There is a lot happening throughout this province, but the word has not been getting out. People have not been telling their stories. One of the Action Plan outcomes is to celebrate the successes that are happening on the ground,” stated Kim Stephens.

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.