Convening for Action in British Columbia

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. At the recent 2011 Sustainable Communities Conference, organized by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), innovators from across Canada shared their breakthrough examples of municipal sustainability in an interactive session titled Steal This Idea! “The session introduced delegates to the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia,” stated Emanuel Machado, session moderator. He credits a workshop in December 2006 as a defining moment in facilitating a paradigm-shift in Dawson Creek because “it was a catalyst and source of inspiration for changing the way water is viewed and used in the City of Dawson Creek.”

“The City of Surrey, Bowker Creek Initiative and District of North Vancouver stand out because of their sustained commitment to outcome-oriented approaches: Establish the vision, set the target, and then implement,” observes Corino Salomi.”

“An ISMP is a potentially powerful tool. It can generate the blueprint for truly integrated and coordinated action at a watershed scale. The experience of pioneer leaders serves as a guide for an approach that is affordable, connects with the community, and gets the watershed vision right,” states Kim Stephens.

In the Plenary, a panel of local officials from Canada and the United States will discuss the role of local governments in protecting and restoring the Salish Sea ecosystem. “In West Vancouver our citizens, particularly through the Shoreline Preservation Society and West Van Streamkeepers, have been the critical link between science and local government action, in the protection of our creeks, intertidal zone and coastal waters,” stated Mayor Pamela Goldsmith-Jones.

“The Forum program was designed for local government, and was built around the ‘infrastructure liability’ theme. Fiscal constraints provide a driver for a change in the way local governments plan, finance, implement, and over time replace infrastructure,” reports John Finnie.

“We wished to replicate our ‘convening for action’ approach on Vancouver Island in another region of the province. We decided that the southern interior would be a good choice. BC Hydro Power Smart provided financial support and hosted an exploratory session in Kamloops. ” explains Tim Pringle.

“The Concept Development Session in September 2011 served as an inaugural meeting of individuals with a role in water and land management. The session purpose was to determine the viability of a regional team approach to water sustainability within the region ,” explains Ron Smith.

“We describe our approach to sharing and learning as ‘structured flexibility’. This means we are organized and have an end in mind, yet we go with the flow to achieve an outcome. The conversational approach helps energize the room and produce Ah-Ha Moments,” explains Kim Stephens.

“A decade ago, the Province made a conscious decision to follow an educational rather than prescriptive path to change practices for the use and conservation of land and water. Practical research and new tools are now enabling engineers, planners and other disciplines to do business differently. It is about turning the whole game around to collaborate as regional teams and design with nature,” stated Tim Pringle.

“We spent the last half a century trying to control runoff with dikes, storm sewers, curbs and gutters. Now, increased development and increased storm intensity from climate change are increasing peak flows and altering the rules of the game. We can’t engineer away our problems fast enough, and have to look at other, lower impact solutions. This workshop was held to highlight the importance of rainwater management to climate change adaptation and to showcase examples from other areas that could be applied to the Okanagan,” states Anna Warwick Sears.