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Convening for Action in British Columbia

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CONVENING FOR ACTION IN METRO VANCOUVER: “Without deep knowledge and an understanding of history, proposed courses of action may be ineffective or unimplementable,” stated Robert Hicks, a career engineer-planner in local government in the Metro Vancouver region


“Superficial understandings do not get you to the solutions for complex problems. To get to that complexity, you have to know the background, you have to know the history, you must have DEEP KNOWLEDGE. We are a stage where we have stretched systems to the point where we no longer have those big margins or safety factors that we had in the past. We are bumping up against an infrastructure shortage. Systems are maxed out to the breaking point,” stated Robert Hicks.

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ARTICLE: “Sustainable Service Delivery: Solutions to Complex Problems Require Deep Knowledge” (Asset Management BC Newsletter, Winter 2024)


“In a system, everything is connected. That is a key message. The systems perspective is not a new idea. John Muir, known as the father of the American national parks system, was an exponent of systems thinking in the late 1800s. Housing supply, affordability, and home ownership. Health care. Crime. Sustainable and affordable funding for municipal infrastructure over generations. Water supply and food security. Agricultural land and food security. Weather extremes, creek system integrity, and risk management in the urban landscape. All are connected,” stated Kim Stephens.

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DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Keep it simple, practical and implementable” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in February 2024


Melony Burton’s actions in driving positive change are guided by her no-nonsense approach to keeping it simple, practical and implementable. She is results-based and has a history of accomplishment with three local governments. Her responsibilities encompass the entire infrastructure portfolio. “I have leveraged my career into a position that allows me to have more influence and positive change. This came, in part, from channeling the frustration at being limited in the role I was in. When you are comfortable, you are not motivated to make a change,” explains Melony Burton.

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DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Caring for the land means going beyond just doing enough” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in January 2024


“Streams need a place to be. If we cannot get our heads around that, we are not going to keep our streams. EAP provides a value picture of a stream system as a land use. Because nature is a system, you cannot slice and dice it. EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process, recognizes this and is a financial tool to give streams the support they need to survive in the local government setting. Think of Blue Ecology as a compass in terms of how it relates to a water-first approach. We are on a journey. The compass points the way forward. EAP is an expression of Blue Ecology.” stated Tim Pringle.

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A 3-YEAR STRATEGY FOR ENSURING CONTINUITY OF THE PARTNERSHIP NETWORK: “We have started to engage government with training and will continue through 2024. It is full speed ahead,” stated Ted van der Gulik in his President’s Perspective (Annual Report 2023, Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC)


“A challenge confronting our society is widespread organizational amnesia. The baby boomers have more or less gone out the door. And with them has gone so much oral history. Knowledge and experience are not being passed on. Organizational amnesia is the consequence. It is a race against time to pass on knowledge and experience. It feels like the gap caused by loss of understanding is widening. When those coming into organizations do not know what they do not know, loss of understanding of the WHAT, WHY and HOW is a cause of concern in managing expectations,” stated Ted van der Gulik.

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DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Smart in British Columbia: There is no time to re-invent the wheel” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in January 2024


Ray Fung captured the mood of the summit with this summation: “The Partnership is seen as a resource that is stable, that is there, and that people can draw upon. I liked the comment that THIS IS A MOVEMENT. I find that is really inspiring to not see ourselves just as a network. We leave the summit inspired to figure out how the FORM of the Partnership will follow the FUNCTION. We can learn things from expanding our perspective. Part of that holistic approach includes the SPIRITUAL as well as the physical connection to the land.”

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DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Solutions to complex problems require deep knowledge” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in January 2024


“The notion of a superficial understanding explains the challenge that I am seeing. There are post-2000 graduate engineers coming out of university who are familiar with green infrastructure ideas and concepts, but they do not know the details behind them: details that they did not have to know at university or in their previous jobs. But without the background and history, can they really appreciate the complexity of interactions in a whole-systems approach and why certain targets and approaches were selected while others were not? This is why it is so important to find a way to pass on information and deep knowledge,” stated Robert Hicks.

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WHAT AFFORDABLE AND CLIMATE-READY HOUSING WOULD LOOK LIKE: “The challenge facing local governments is the breakdown in the transfer of knowledge. And so there is a lack of understanding of why we do the things we do, whether those things be plans, policies or regulations,” stated Robert Hicks, a career engineer-planner in local government in the Metro Vancouver region


“Without deep knowledge and an understanding of history, proposed courses of action may be unimplementable. The loss of big picture thinking is reflected in the way larger organizations are siloed. Their focus is on immediate mandates and on managing budgets and staffing. When you talk to the right people, they do see the big picture and how everything connects. And yet, when it comes into the actual realm of application, it is so much easier for them to apply something when it is chopped up and put into silos. And in the process, they lose sight of the big picture,” stated Robert Hicks.

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A VISION WITH A TASK IS THE HOPE OF THE WORLD: “Jody Watson is a great example of how one individual with a long term vision and determination can make a difference,” stated Eric Bonham at the Partnership for Water Sustainability Forum held in Nanaimo (October 2023)


The Partnership for Water Sustainability’s Watershed Moments Award honours the memory of the late Rob Lawrance, former Environmental Planner with the City of Nanaimo. Just like Rob did throughout his career, Jody Watson champions the embedding of ecosystem values within Capital Regional District municipal planning, processes and projects, “The award draws attention to the vision for connecting people and place by recognizing the passion and commitment of those who excel in contributing to the success of the Watershed Moments idea and vision,” stated Eric Bonham.

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DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia:  A vision with a task is the hope of the world” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in November 2023


Jody Watson provided inspirational leadership as chair of the Bowker Creek Initiative (BCI) for 13 years from 2005 through 2018. Without determined champions, nothing gets started and nothing happens. Champions motivate others. “The BCI is more than the people sitting around the BCI table. The BCI represents an extensive network that includes three Councils, every department, 11 community associations, and the CRD too. This network is a true community-driven collaboration made up of people with a lot of heart, grit, commitment, and dedication,” stated Jody Watson

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