Convening for Action in British Columbia

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Hugh Fraser

    CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION: “We treat our watercourses like the gift that they are. We try to do the best we can with how we grow and develop the community while recognizing those watercourses and protecting an important part of our natural system,” stated Samantha Ward, Drainage Manager with the City of Surrey


    “There are so many benefits associated with watercourses that go well beyond moving water from A to B. This understanding is reflected in our Biodiversity Conservation Strategy. Without our watercourses, Surrey would feel different. It would not be the place that it is. In the uplands, it is the biodiversity piece. And going beyond just setting a corridor to ask, how can we enhance that corridor to maximize the biodiversity value it bring. We have been fortunate to have political support to allow us to try things,” stated Samantha Ward.

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Regional Team Approach to Municipal Collaboration Powers Change”– released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in May 2025


    Political commitment is a theme that weaves through and permeates the stories behind the stories of innovators who have led by example. Without leadership at the top, plus everything else being in alignment, change is unlikely. Staff champions in local government can only carry things so far. Most of all, there must be political commitment. “Elected officials saw rainwater management as something positive we could grab onto and run with. And this helped create champions and build committee support for green infrastructure,” stated former mayor Darrell Mussatto.

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    GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE JOURNEY IN THE CITY OF DELTA: “Before, emphasis was on THE WHY. Now we are getting better at THE HOW,” stated Harvy Singh Takhar, Utilities Engineer with the City of Delta in Metro Vancouver


    “We have done a lot of back and forth on road designs. The streetscape enhancement ideology is being implemented at the forefront rather than through a review of utilities to see whether there any drainage concerns. The road designers are taking the initiative to incorporate curb cuts and even linear rain gardens. Their understanding of the need has evolved through internal collaboration. By working with the roads people on curb cuts, we have actually come up with variations. Our original detail was quite generic. Now we are able to implement it in various types of curb designs,” stated Harvy Takhar.

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Delta’s rain garden program for streetscape revitalization” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in April 2024


    “Historically, drainage has been an afterthought in urban planning decisions. Neighbourhoods were developed without thinking about drainage in a broader watershed context. Circa 2000, however, the emphasis became let’s look at this on a watershed basis. For municipalities like Delta with well-developed infrastructure, this meant figuring out HOW to retrofit and redesign drainage systems. Road rights-of-way account for one-third of the land area of a typical urban watershed, Commitment to a rain garden program would make a material difference over time,” stated Hugh Fraser.

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