1 – LESSONS FROM THE PAST INFORM THE FUTURE IN METRO VANCOUVER: Stream Systems and the Metro Vancouver region’s Liquid Waste Management Plan
Note to Reader:
In November 2024, the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia released THE SYNOPSIS for the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver. The Chronicle is a sweeping narrative of the 30-year period from 1994 through 2024. The Chronicle is a layered package comprising four documents: the Chronicle of the Journey, Stories Within the Story, Synopsis and Executive Summary. The target audience for each layer is different.
The Synopsis is the third layer in the cascade. It is oriented to senior managers who have limited time to absorb what they need to know to make informed decisions. The Synopsis is visual and so can easily be skimmed in 20 minutes or less! This extract is from page S1.
Why the LWMP matters for a re-set in 2025
“In the first decade of the 21st century, intergovernmental collaboration and partnerships inspired individuals to be change agents. Their attitude was let’s get it done. Change agents made a difference through a regional team approach to green infrastructure innovation,” wrote Kim Stephens, Synopsis author and Partnership Executive Director.
“The region gained recognition as a beacon of inspiration for championing an Ecosystem-Based Approach to community design and protection of stream systems. With hindsight, however, one can conclude that 2015 represents the high-water mark.”
Changes in land use have consequences
“The stream systems component of Metro Vancouver’s first two LWMPs drove changes in practice through the 2000s. The ecosystem-based approach emerged because of the need to remedy stream channel and corridor erosion and flooding. The unintended consequences and costs of land use practices were unfunded liabilities.”
“Once per decade, there is an opportunity to look back to see ahead. The third LWMP is a window of opportunity to reverse past failures and get it right this time.”
“Once the Minister of Environment approves an LWMP, it is legally binding. Thus, the LWMP is potentially an effective mechanism for influencing what we do on and to lands within watersheds. But preventing impacts requires that multiple factors be in alignment.”
Contextual statements frame the defining issue surrounding each one of the three LWMPs
To Learn More:
Download a copy of the Synopsis of the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver from 1994 through 2024. released in November 2024. The Synopsis is structured as six sections.
DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/gi/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/Metro-Van-Chronicle_Synopsis_DRAFT_Nov2024.pdf