Tag:

Barry Janyk

    REMEMBERING BARRY JANYK, POLITICAL CHAMPION FOR SMART DEVELOPMENT: “The legacy of Barry Janyk is that his efforts elevated our profile and credibility with local government elected representatives. In the 2000s, he got us onto their radar screen and that enhanced our ability to influence them,” recalled Kim Stephens of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC


    The edition of Waterbucket eNews published on January 28, 2025 celebrated the contributions of the late Barry Janyk (1952-2024), former 4-term mayor of the Town of Gibsons. He was outspoken, funny and fearless in following his passions and advocating for the causes he believed in. One of those causes was “Smart Development”. Because he believed in doing the right thing, he played a leadership role in setting the green infrastructure movement in motion a generation ago. He was an influencer in a profound and public way. He helped change history.

    Read Article

    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Remembering Barry Janyk, political champion for Smart Development” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in January 2025


    Bruce Milne was elected mayor of Sechelt the same year Barry Janyk was first elected to council, in 1996. “He held us all to account for the next three years, to make sure we really did make some change,” said Bruce Milne. “Elected officials who weren’t as confident sometimes found a lack of space left over for less confident people to be difficult for them, but it was never a problem when he was actually advocating for Gibsons or the Sunshine Coast.” Barry Janyk’s environmentalism was a pillar not only of his life, but his time in office.

    Read Article

    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: What organization serves only rural local governments, community leaders and First Nations?” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in May 2023


    “I prepared a report that reflected what I learned from my travelling roadshow in 2021. The report lists 18 issues of concern to rural and remote communities. The board said this is great. Now, as Executive Director, what could you do to solve these 18 problems? I was gob smacked. We had a strategic planning session in June 2022 to decide what the BC Rural Centre could realistically accomplish as an advocacy organization for rural constituencies. This is the genesis for holding the Keeping It Rural Conference a year later in early June 2023,” stated Barry Janyk.

    Read Article

    RURAL CONSTITUENCIES WANT A VOICE: “Zoom towns made possible by high-speed internet in rural communities have allowed vast numbers of people to vacate their city condo for a family home in a rural setting,” stated Barry Janyk, Executive Director of the BC Rural Centre


    “For the past decade rural communities had been devising clever population attraction strategies and finding occasional success in achieving incremental growth. Coincidental with the expansion of broadband communications, the global COVID pandemic and the predicted demographic upheaval, living in urban areas became less attractive. Many folks who had been considering leaving urban centres quickly did. We characterize the three main groups moving to the really small communities as digital nomads, amenity migrants, and retirees,” stated Barry Janyk.

    Read Article