Integration of Rainwater Management & Green Infrastructure in British Columbia: A Provincial Perspective
Released in June 2007, 'Beyond the Guidebook' refers to a runoff-based approach to drainage modeling that connects the dots between source control evaluation and stream health assessment. In a nutshell, it means this is “where science meets analysis' because runoff volume management is directly linked to stream erosion and water quality. The Green Infrastructure Partnership rolled out Beyond the Guidebook at a Vancouver seminar in November 2007. Because the Ministry of Community Services and Fisheries and Oceans Canada are on the Steering Committee for the Green Infrastructure Partnership, the Beyond the Guidebook Seminar provided a timely opportunity to inform local government and land use practitioners regarding the emerging policy framework and senior government expectations for applying a Beyond the Guidebook approach to land development and watershed management. Chris Jensen, Ministry of Community Services, explained the regulatory and legal framework in a presentation titled Integration of Rainwater Management and Green Infrastructure: The Province's Perspective. His presentation was structured in two parts: Education; Financial Incentives. After providing the audience with the highlights and examples forgrant programs, Chris Jensen then described how the Ministry is using the Green Communities Project to advance green infrastructure province-wide. “We are slowly raising the bar for local government,” stated Jensen. He then provided a number of representative examples to illustrate the expectations of the Ministry when reviewing capital grant applications. In his closing remarks, Chris Jensen made it clear to his audience that: “In terms of providing you with a road map, today”s expectations are the standards of tomorrow. At the Ministry of Community Services, we believe that change for the better will be created through the combination of education and financial incentives.”
Author Chris Jensen
Date November 2007