TIER ONE CHAMPION FOR AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED APPROACH IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “Michael Geller is another outsized personality. He put his stamp on the UniverCity sustainable community atop Burnaby Mountain. This is the project that had the profile to put the Metro Vancouver region on the international map as a leader,” stated Kim Stephens
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. Stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective, and the Story Behind the Story.
The edition published on October 28, 2025 featured the third installment of the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver. Part C covers the period 1997 through 2005. It tells the story of what led up to publication of Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia in 2002, and the impact of what followed in the wake of publication.
Ninety-eight pages long, Part C is a sweeping narrative weaves quotable quote to bring to life an era. It is included as an attachment to of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Leaps of faith and calculated risks – convening for action in Metro Vancouver.
Michael Geller, SFU Community Trust
“Michael Geller is another outsized personality. He put his stamp on the UniverCity sustainable community atop Burnaby Mountain. More so than East Clayton, this is the project that had the profile to put the Metro Vancouver region on the international map as a leader in implementing an ecosystem-based approach to drainage practice,” wrote Kim Stephens, author of the Green Infrastructure Chronicle and Executive Director with the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC.
“Simon Fraser University hired Michael to be President of the SFU Community Trust. His world view was downtown Vancouver which is not greenfield. He could be abrasive! And that combo resulted in tense moments with the environmental agencies about safeguarding the hydrologic integrity of Stoney Creek. This caused delays.”
Overcoming fear and doubt atop Burnaby Mountain
“In the early stages of UniverCity, everything hinged on the drainage plan. Nothing could proceed until it was resolved. That is why Michael chose me to lead his green team. We had to overcome fear and doubt. It had to work. Failure was not an option. We had to build trust.”
“The weight of that responsibility was my motivation to re-invent urban hydrology and my source of inspiration to develop the Water Balance Methodology. Subsequently, it became the technical foundation for British Columbia’s Stormwater Guidebook.”
“It took me about six weeks to figure out the methodology, I would tell audiences, and another two years to defend it. Through it all, Michael Geller did have my back. And that is what mattered most.”
To Learn More:
Waterbucket eNews stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective and Context for Busy Reader, and the Story Behind the Story. To read the complete 3-part storyline, download a PDF copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Leaps of faith and calculated risks – convening for action in Metro Vancouver.
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