Convening for Action in British Columbia

“As information and communication become more integrated (What was life like before the internet?), distributed networks are emerging as powerful components of our social system. Rather than Big Brother gathering data and taking top-down action, responsibility is shared,” states Anna Warwick Sears, Executive Director of the Okanagan Basin Water Board.

“Early support and sustaining financial support by champion local governments that are Water Balance Model Partners was a foundation block in a building process that culminated in formation of the Partnership as a legal entity in 2010,” reports Ted van der Gulik.

“Convening for Action is a framework that brings stakeholders together, supported by the province, but led by local government. Collaboration and integration is a true bottom-up approach that identifies the issue and then seeks to address it through the alignment of all stakeholders, with emphasis on local government needs,” stated Glen Brown. “The philosophy behind the Water Sustainability Action Plan for BC is quite simple: bring local and regional stakeholders together where there is a desire and energy to make some form of change.”

“In 2001, Metro Vancouver’s member municipalities recognized the benefits of this approach and made a legal commitment to the Province to have ISMPs in place by 2014 for their watersheds,” reports Robert Hicks.

”People eagerly embrace the opportunities for engagement and education. They really want to share their thoughts and experiences. Residents have a stake in restoring watershed health. There is so much experience that we can mine. We who live in the watershed are the experts,” stated Soren Henrich.

“CAVI organizes convening for action forums, challenges Vancouver Island communities to visualize what they want to look like in 50 years, and is building leadership capacity to ‘design with nature’ to manage settlement change and adapt to climate change,” states John Finnie.

“The Tsolum story underscores the value of community stewards working collaboratively with government agencies and the private sector towards a common vision. It also highlights the need for dedicated insiders within government who ‘stay the course’ and remain committed,” wrote Eric Bonham.

“Local governments bear the entire financial burden to stabilize and restore watercourses impacted by increased rainwater runoff volume after land is developed or redeveloped. The resulting unfunded ‘infrastructure liability’ is a driver for the ISMP Course Correction,” stated Ted van der Gulik.

“The vision of the Partnership is that water sustainability will be achieved through implementation of green infrastructure policies and practices. The Partnership mission is to facilitate change,” stated Tim Pringle, President. “The Partnership is a  legal entity. This opens the door to new opportunities to build on the foundation provided by the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia.”

“The Province is challenging local governments to think about what infrastructure asset management entails BEFORE an asset is built. The paradigm-shift starts with land use planning and determining what services can be provided sustainably, both fiscally and ecologically,” stated Glen Brown.