CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION IN METRO VANCOUVER: “Lessons from the past inform the future. The region’s Draft Interim Liquid Waste Management Plan provides the springboard to a re-set and course correction in 2025,” stated Kim Stephens, Partnership for Water Sustainability (7th installment in a preview series)
Note to Reader:
Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published on November 26, 2024 is the announcement of record for release of the Synopsis of the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver from 1994 through 2024. The Editor’s Perspective by Kim Stephens explains his commitment as a volunteer in giving back by writing the Chronicle.
DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/gi/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/Metro-Van-Chronicle_Synopsis_DRAFT_Nov2024.pdf
Election day flooding spurs re-set and course correction
On election day in British Columbia, an atmospheric river deluged Metro Vancouver and parts of the province’s south coast. Flooding was widespread across the Lower Mainland.
“The storm caused more than $110 million in insured damaged according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada,” reported the Canadian Press on November 15, 2024. On top of this are the flood costs incurred by local governments.
Draft Interim LWMP is the springboard to a re-set and course correction in 2025 for the “streams and trees” component
Timing is everything. When Metro Vancouver’s Liquid Waste Committee met in October and again in November, the Election Day Flood was top of mind. When the members endorsed the Draft Interim Liquid Waste Management Plan (LWMP), it was a culminating moment in a 3-year process.
Once per decade, the LWMP update process is an opportunity to “look back to see ahead”. The Draft Interim LWMP focuses on reducing demands at source – which means rainwater runoff. The plan has key elements for a re-set and course correction in 2025 to get it right this time.
Lessons from the past inform the future
In November 2024, the Partnership released THE SYNOPSIS for the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver. The Chronicle itself will follow in 2025. The Chronicle is a sweeping narrative.
The Chronicle tells the story of the past three decades by weaving quotable quotes from a host of champions who led changes in thought, process and practice. The Chronicle is crafted to serve as a “legacy resource” so that lessons from the past inform the future.
The Synopsis of the Chronicle is visual and light on text Oriented to senior managers, it can easily be skimmed in 20 minutes or less! The Synopsis concludes with a framework for a re-set and course correction for the “streams and trees” component of a revitalized LWMP.
EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE / CONTEXT FOR BUSY READER
“The week after the election day flooding, I contributed to a special 3-hour workshop meeting of the Liquid Waste Committee. In my remarks, I stressed that we could learn from Indigenous peoples. They understand that water and land are inseparable just like you cannot separate blood from the body. But we have forgotten that,” states Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.
“I closed on a note of optimism: Experience in the 2000s demonstrates the benefits and impact when the Metro Vancouver Regional District has a budget plus plays a leadership role in facilitating a regional team approach, one that strives for livable communities while protecting people, property and habitat.”
Editor’s Perspective in the “Synopsis of the Chronicle” is reproduced as follows:
“Writing the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver is my way of giving back. It is the third in a series of retrospectives that bring to life an exciting period in local government convening for action history.”
“The series is a volunteer effort. It is at the heart of my commitment to tell the stories of champions in five regional districts. Thanks to their unwavering support and enthusiasm, we embarked upon the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative in 2012. Now we are in Year 13 and counting!”
“In Metro Vancouver, the regulatory requirement in the late 1990s that the region have a Liquid Waste Management Plan (LWMP) was the catalyst for rainwater management innovation. The LWMP is a unifying thread for the Chronicle.”
“Of relevance to my story is that I was the chair of the advisory panel for the region’s second LWMP in 2010. With an update underway in early 2023, Metro Vancouver staff reached out to me for historical perspective on the “streams and trees” component of the LWMP. This evolved into a knowledge-sharing process.”
“What did you learn along the way, they would ask, and where did that lead each time. Because of their questions, what started out as a chronology of events grew into something much bigger in scope. The Chronicle is a tome!”
“Their questions prompted me to dig deeper and distil, distil, distil. For the past two years, I have been doing “story behind the story” interviews for the Chronicle. With each interview, I gained more and more insight into my own lived experience. The passage of time does provide perspective. Themes emerged.”
“Next, I had to find a way to distil and communicate three decades into an easy-to-tell story of how the region got to where we are today. The companion images below help do that. Four distinct eras define the past three decades, with the period of time for each varying between 6 and 9 years.”
“Experience shows that nine cascading factors are critical to success. ALL MUST BE IN ALGIGNMENT to effect change. Over time, the region has regressed from a situation where many things were in alignment to one where few are in alignment. A post-pandemic reality is organizational amnesia!”
STORY BEHIND THE STORY: To see ahead one must learn to look back
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Previous installments in “Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation” preview series
In the first installment, the theme was: Solutions to complex problems require deep knowledge. former cabinet minister Joan Sawicki and former city engineer Ray Fung reflected on their lived experience at the provincial and local scales, respectively.
In the second installment, the theme was: When an elected leader is THE CHAMPION, the community benefits. Darrell Mussatto, a respected former mayor, reflected on what it takes to be a better, more effective decision maker.
In the third installment, the theme was: Money is limited, attention spans are short, and choices must be made. Pete Steblin, a dean of city managers, reflected on why there must be trust and respect between elected leaders and their staff.
In the fourth installment, the theme was: Understand why the Livable Region Strategic Plan matters. Ken Cameron, co-architect of the plan, reflected on the importance of the fundamental principles that underlie the plan.
In the fifth installment, the theme was: Cities are all about choices. Former premier Mike Harcourt talked about cross-border collaboration in the 1990s that was an over-arching context for the Growth Strategies Act.
In the sixth installment, the theme was: Is our food security slipping away without anyone noticing? Ted van der Gulk’s impact as an innovator extends into the urban setting. His vision for water management aligns with Indigenous views on taking responsibility for care of the land
Living Water Smart in British Columbia Series
To download a copy of the foregoing resource as a PDF document for your records and/or sharing, click on Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Election day flooding spurs re-set and course correction.
DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/11/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Kim-Stephens-on-Green-Infrastructure-Chronicle_2024.pdf