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Green Infrastructure Partnership

    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Landscapes and watersheds in BC are at a heightened risk” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in May 2024


    “The story of my forest hydrology research over the past 30 years is actually a traumatizing story. Most of the landscapes in British Columbia and most of our watersheds are sitting at a very heightened risk when it comes to hydrology and geomorphology. The risks are greater than we were led to believe by government, industry, and professionals. But scholars in the philosophy of science will tell you that scientists will never admit to erroneous precedents. An eminent scientist once said, science progresses one funeral at a time,” stated Dr. Younes Alila.

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    LANDSCAPES AND WATERSHEDS IN BC ARE AT A HEIGHTENED RISK: “Younes Alila is in the news because he is raising the alarm. His message boils down to RISK AND LIABILITY. The actual consequences of clearcut logging, he warns, are magnified in this era of weather extremes,” stated Kim Stephens


    “UBC forestry professor Dr. Younes Alila is courageous in challenging conventional wisdom about what he believes to be the misguided and scientifically indefensible practice of forest hydrology in BC. His findings are relevant to urban drainage practice. Trained as a civil engineer, Younes Alila found himself having to do science. In the process, he landed on a discovery of great import. Research by Younes Alila and his grad students over the past three decades demonstrates how clearcut logging leads to more frequent flooding, including extreme floods,” stated Younes Alila.

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    CONVENING FOR ACTION IN METRO VANCOUVER: “Chuck Gale brought instant credibility as chair because of his stature among local governments and with the Province,” recalls Ray Fung, a retired Director of Engineering in local government, and former Chair of the Green Infrastructure Partnership


    As a City Engineer for three Metro Vancouver municipalities over the course of his career, Chuck Gale was a leading voice in the municipal engineering community. He was the driving force behind formation of the Green Infrastructure Partnership. “When we formed the GIP in 2003, green infrastructure was an emerging concept. The paradigm-shift that then occurred far exceeds our original expectation that the partnership would be a catalyst for change,” stated Chuck Gale a decade later.

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Green Infrastructure Innovation in the Metro Vancouver region” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in May 2024


    “Bringing together and inspiring people, especially those in the trenches, to keep fighting the good fight,” stated Ray Fung. “That is basically what we did in the 2000s and continue to do! How do you judge that time with the advantage of hindsight? It is always a confluence of different things.” In the 2000s, the Green Infrastructure Partnership played a prominent role in leading changes in local government attitudes in the Metro Vancouver region. This influence cascaded from elected representative at Municipal Council and Regional Board tables to practitioners in the trenches.

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    FLASHBACK TO 2006: “Our program emphasis shifted from ‘informing and educating’ to ‘showcasing and sharing’. We witnessed the motivational power of celebrating successes. We also recognized the need to get the story out about the leadership being shown by local government,” stated Ray Fung, Chair, when the Green Infrastructure Partnership released a report on conversations with a mayors and chairs focus group (September 2006)


    “In 2005, the Green Infrastructure Partnership decided to consult with a number of Mayors and Chairs from the Okanagan, Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island. We formed an ad hoc focus group to help us. We had it in our minds to write a ‘Communication Guide for Elected Officials’. We saw this filling a gap. A distinguishing feature of the focus group was that everyone had thought about how to achieve environmental, economic and social objectives through a community’s infrastructure choices,” stated Ray Fung.

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