Convening for Action in British Columbia

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Georgia Basin Initiative

    EAP TRANSITION STRATEGY PARTNERSHIP: “There are many different parts to the Ecological Accounting Protocol. With each part comes a pathway with capacity to help local governments. The Partnership for Water Sustainability has passed EAP on to Vancouver Island University as part of the intergenerational baton,” stated Anna Lawrence, Program Coordinator for the EAP Transition Strategy Partnership


    During the 6-year period of applied research, the Partnership for Water Sustainability relied on staff at the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute and VIU students to do data analysis and GIS work. Now, with the EAP Transition Strategy Partnership, MABRRI is the program lead and the Partnership has an oversight and mentoring role. Everyone is learning together. Local government staff. The MABRRI team. VIU students. This is how you build capacity through collaboration,” stated Anna Lawrence.

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Reflections on the 3-year transition strategy for embedding EAP at Vancouver Island University – Regional District of Nanaimo experience” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in October 2024


    “The RDN completed a natural assets inventory which identifies where we think all the natural assets are within the region. But we have not identified which have a definable service. With French Creek, we are hoping that we can identify some of those peripheral areas within French Creek, generate some M&M (maintenance and management) figures, and merge the inventory and asset management approaches. A measure of convergence is when you have a real number that you can use for pragmatic planning,” stated Murray Walters in explaining selection of French Creek.

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    CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION: “Money is limited, the time politicians can spend on any one issue is short, and choices need to be made. So, whoever makes a compelling case in the moment for their issue…well all of sudden the priorities of a local government are different,” stated Pete Steblin, former City Manager in the Metro Vancouver region (3rd installment in a preview series)


    “At local government conferences these days, you hear the term CAO roadkill a lot. Chief administrative officer positions are tenuous. Look around the Metro Vancouver region. More than half are different than just 18 months ago. Is it any wonder that a prevalent attitude among senior local government staff is, do not stick your head out of the foxhole? When there is a significant level of trust in technical recommendations, Councils rarely override them. Trust is fragile and can easily be broken. When trust is lost, decades of good work can be lost,” stated Pete Steblin.

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    CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION: “When there is trust and respect between politicians and staff, good outcomes for the community are more likely to result,” stated Darrell Mussatto, former mayor North Vancouver City (2nd installment in a preview series)


    “My goal when I was elected mayor in 2005 was all about climate change. After the first month, I organized a meeting with the top 40 staff to share my vision. Part way through my presentation, some staff put their hands up and said…Darrell, we are there with you, we are there. When staff do not feel intimidated, they can be bolder. When elected leaders have a trust-based relationship with their senior staff, and everyone works together to make the community a better place, that is when you really get things moving in the right direction,” stated Darrell Mussatto.

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    EAP TRANSITION STRATEGY PARTNERSHIP: “We have seen the value of natural asset management ever since we did Buttertubs Marsh in 2016 and Millstone River in 2020. Moving forward with it is a key driver within City Plan: Nanaimo Reimagined,” stated Bill Sims, General Manager of Engineering and Public Works with the City of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island


    “Nanaimo is all-in with our commitment to EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process. This commitment derives from the Community Charter where one of the Council’s primary duties is stewardship of the community’s assets. We are getting better and better all the time at stewarding the gray infrastructure assets. Now we must do the same with natural assets. When the EAP Partnership idea came up, the most attractive element was the ability to pass on the torch from our generation and the older generation to the next generation without losing the experience and the knowledge that we have intrinsically built up,” stated Bill Sims.

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Reflections the 3-year transition strategy for embedding EAP at Vancouver Island University – City of Nanaimo experience” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in October 2024


    “I came into the EAP process with a completely different background because my master’s degree is in Sustainable Leisure Management. So, it was a journey to get my head around the jargon and the different viewpoints and ways of thinking. This applied not only to the development of the EAP methodology but also to the different stakeholders. The 3-year transition strategy for embedding EAP at VIU has multiple layers and partnerships and there are many moving parts to keep in balance,” stated Anna Lawrence.

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Money is limited, attention spans are short, and choices must be made” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in October 2024


    “Over my career, I have worked in four cities, and observed many cities across the country. This experience provides me with context. At the end of the day, good decision-making comes down to a good process. But it also relies on wisdom in terms of balanced advice. When there is a significant level of trust in technical recommendations, Councils rarely override them. Staff explains recommendations. The Council makes the decisions. Trust is fragile and can easily be broken. When trust is lost, decades of good work can be lost,” stated Pete Steblin.

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: When an elected leader is THE CHAMPION, the community benefits” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in October 2024


    “Politicians know how to get elected. But do they know all that other stuff that they need to know? To ask the tough questions, you must be informed and educated about what matters. To be a better, more effective decision maker, you have to understand how things work so that your decisions are in context with other issues. A lot of what happens depends on the leadership, both political and at the staff level. You need BOTH to work. You need the politicians to lead, and you need staff to help educate and bring the politicians along and get good policy,” stated Darrell Mussatto.

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Natural Intelligence – a new paradigm for water stewardship” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in September 2024


    “We need both a mindset change and an attitude switch to get through times of crisis. Blue Ecology points the way to water reconciliation between cultures…and with nature. Everyone seems to be focused on Artificial Intelligence, computers and the wonders of all that. But on our doorstep all along is Natural Intelligence. It is ignored because it is not understood,” stated Michael Blackstock. “Look beyond AI to solve your problems. There is this vast amount of wisdom out there that Indigenous peoples have seen forever…and that is Natural Intelligence.”

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    CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION: “The task at hand is about how to redefine things in a new political environment so you would be able to get a new vision and new political commitment,” stated Ray Fung (1st installment in a series)


    “With the housing issue dominating the conversation, how will you reframe the goal and objective for restoration of stream systems in a way that restores political commitment and rebuilds the coalition? What combination of public self-interest and political lever will it take to effect change? What would leveraging political commitment and self-interest look like for rainwater management and riparian forest integrity in today’s context? What combination will it take to effect change? Learn from past experience. There is no time to reinvent the wheel,” stated Ray Fung.

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