Convening for Action in British Columbia

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Ray Fung

    A SHORT HISTORY OF THE PARTNERSHIP FOR WATER SUSTAINABILITY: “The Partnership is the evolution of many initiatives around water sustainability in BC. The Partnership is building on and continuing the work that has gone on before under the umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan,” states Tim Pringle, founding President


    “Incorporation of the Partnership for Water Sustainability as an independent legal entity was a transformative decision in 2010. It ensured the legacy and sustainability of tools, resources and programs developed under the umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia; and delivered through inter-governmental partnerships. A decade later, the document titled ‘Celebration of Our Story’ is a short history of the Partnership. A set of nine articles weave a compelling storyline to describe defining moments over a three-decade period,” stated Tim Pringle.

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    A SHORT HISTORY OF THE PARTNERSHIP FOR WATER SUSTAINABILITY: “A top-down and bottom-up framework that leveraged partnerships defined the period from November 2002 through November 2010,” states Lynn Kriwoken, Living Water Smart champion within the provincial government


    “The 2001 provincial election resulted in a change in government, with Gordon Campbell elected as Premier. His grasp of water issues meant that BC’s top decision-maker was a ‘water champion’ whose interests encompassed the vision for the Water Sustainability Action Plan. It was a model for informing provincial policy through shared responsibility. The partnership umbrella provided by the Water Sustainability Action Plan allowed the Province to leverage partnerships to greatly enhance the profile and resulting impact of Living Water Smart, released in June 2008,” stated Lynn Kriwoken.

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    A SHORT HISTORY OF THE PARTNERSHIP FOR WATER SUSTAINABILITY: “The Partnership is moving forward with a four-prong plan in this second decade. Plan elements are building blocks in reconnecting people, land and water,” states Peter Law, a founding director


    “In the Second Decade, a mix of Living Water Smart program initiatives delivered by the Partnership are building blocks for reconnecting people, land and water. These fall under four main program areas. As we move forward, the Partnership will continue to strengthen our relationships with ‘not for profit’ organizations to achieve two objectives – assist us in our mission; and benefit from our tools and expertise.  In particular, we see the stewardship sector of BC – whose members work to monitor, protect and restore natural aquatic ecosystems – as an important partner,” stated Peter Law.

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Context for Partnership’s Mid-Year Report for 2025” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in September 2025


    In an article published in the NY Times, David Brooks reflected on new research findings. Reliance on artificial intelligence impacts the underlying cognitive architecture of human brains, he wrote. “But here’s where things get scary. The subjects who relied only on their own brains showed higher connectivity across a bunch of brain regions. Search engine users experienced less brain connectivity and A.I. users least of all. Are we really willing to become dumber? Essays written written by people relying on their brains created a wider variety of arguments and points.”

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    CONTEXT FOR GEORGIA BASIN INTER-REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL LEGACY INITIATIVE: “The mid-year report provides an excellent understanding of our ‘philosophical’ rationale, how we function, and the collaborations and resources that make the Partnership for Water Sustainability effective,” stated Tim Pringle, founding director of the Partnership and adjunct professor at Vancouver Island University


    “The Partnership for Water Sustainability’s Mid-Year Report for 2025 is a baseline or landmark document. It is not a conventional annual report in the way people typically expect one to look like. The Partnership has adopted a storytelling approach to inform and engage readers about our mission,” stated Tim Pringle. Structured in three parts, the Mid-Year Report describes the Partnership’s operational framework followed by a section on the ambassadors’ program. Then it weaves quotable quotes into a narrative about the Partnership’s array of initiatives.

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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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    A 3-YEAR STRATEGY FOR ENSURING CONTINUITY OF THE PARTNERSHIP NETWORK: “We have started to engage government with training and will continue through 2024. It is full speed ahead,” stated Ted van der Gulik in his President’s Perspective (Annual Report 2023, Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC)


    “A challenge confronting our society is widespread organizational amnesia. The baby boomers have more or less gone out the door. And with them has gone so much oral history. Knowledge and experience are not being passed on. Organizational amnesia is the consequence. It is a race against time to pass on knowledge and experience. It feels like the gap caused by loss of understanding is widening. When those coming into organizations do not know what they do not know, loss of understanding of the WHAT, WHY and HOW is a cause of concern in managing expectations,” stated Ted van der Gulik.

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Smart in British Columbia: There is no time to re-invent the wheel” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in January 2024


    Ray Fung captured the mood of the summit with this summation: “The Partnership is seen as a resource that is stable, that is there, and that people can draw upon. I liked the comment that THIS IS A MOVEMENT. I find that is really inspiring to not see ourselves just as a network. We leave the summit inspired to figure out how the FORM of the Partnership will follow the FUNCTION. We can learn things from expanding our perspective. Part of that holistic approach includes the SPIRITUAL as well as the physical connection to the land.”

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Local Governments Need Real Numbers to Deliver Green Infrastructure Outcomes” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in March 2022


    “The message about ‘getting it right’ is a good summary of the green infrastructure goal of EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process. But it goes far beyond that thought. Not only do local governments have to make the financial case for stream restoration, they also actually now have to do it! But, the Partnership team wondered, what is the look ahead for readers of Construction Business magazine? The editorial challenge was to make a bridge from the regular construction world to the Partnership’s watershed world. An invitation to the reader of the article became a desired goal,” stated Ray Fung.

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Sustainable Service Delivery for Watershed Systems” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in March 2022


    “At the Workshop, I explained that implementation of asset management along with the associated evolution of local government thinking is a continuous process, not a discrete task. Some local governments are advanced. Some are just starting out. Over time, capacity and expertise will increase for asset management. We are saying the same thing for integration of natural assets. Local governments, over time, will progress. A desired outcome is that they will eventually incorporate natural capital into their asset management processes,” stated Glen Brown.

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