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“At conferences, it is great to hear about the amazing work that everybody has done. A couple of years ago, Mike and I concluded we also need a bit of space to talk about how we have screwed up. Once we became co-chairs of the Asset Management BC community of practice, we could make our safe space forum idea happen. We did not want it to be a bitch session. We wanted it to be a learning session. We wanted everyone to think through how we contribute and how we add to the solution to help the conversation be productive for everyone involved,” stated Gracelyn Day.

“Asset Management concepts have been around long enough for staff and elected officials to have an awareness of the issues. We need to truly begin addressing the struggle to implement. One of the big priorities for me this year is to just start bringing Asset Management back to reality. The theme that I am now promoting is this, just tell us your story because people can learn from stories. It does not have to be perfect. We know it is not perfect. But do not be afraid to tell the story. Passing on knowledge really is about the stories,” stated Arnold Schwabe.

“In conversation after conversation when I am doing interviews, the need for organizations to rediscover the power of storytelling keeps coming up. Within the local government sector, the good news is that Asset Management BC is taking the initiative to walk the talk and create a forum for storytelling. Their initiative is newsworthy and notable. They are onto something. They are providing a safe space for local government people to share their stories of struggle in a changing world. When people acknowledge that there is a problem, then they can solve it,” stated Kim Stephens.

“Arnold Schwabe and Michael Wall held the first regional Community of Practice in 2016, and I was lucky enough to attend. I was 22 years old, an Asset Management Coordinator, and new to local governments. Arnold and Michael created a space where we could all speak frankly about asset management practice in our respective communities. It was such a positive experience that I excitedly offered to host the next meeting. Over time, regional Communities of Practice grew in BC. Southern Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland hosted meetings,” stated Gracelyn.

“Inability to effectively communicate the purposes of local government as defined in legislation… Community Charter for municipalities and Local Government Act for regional districts…has had an unintended consequence – and that is, distrust of staff on the part of elected officials and taxpayers. So, what do we do? We reset. It is clearly a time of change. I think it is an appropriate time for local governments to reflect and self-evaluate the services they provide and how they provide them. This isn’t about blame. It is about putting pieces together,” stated Arnold Schwabe.

“For over two years, I have been writing a sweeping narrative titled the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver from 1994 through 2024. What did you learn along the way, current local government staff would ask me; and where did that lead each time. Their questions prompted me to dig deeper and deeper. So, I expanded my ‘story behind the story’ interviews to delve into motivating factors. My hope is that a new generation of decision makers would build on deep knowledge that comes from lived experience,” stated Kim Stephens.

Melony Burton’s actions in driving positive change are guided by her no-nonsense approach to keeping it simple, practical and implementable. She is results-based and has a history of accomplishment with three local governments. Her responsibilities encompass the entire infrastructure portfolio. “I have leveraged my career into a position that allows me to have more influence and positive change. This came, in part, from channeling the frustration at being limited in the role I was in. When you are comfortable, you are not motivated to make a change,” explains Melony Burton.

“So, what do we do? Really, it is about focusing on those areas of restarting and refreshing. And everybody, especially elected officials, having the courage to start making the change that is coming. I want to believe all the things are in place for change to occur, for a reset to take place,” stated Arnold Schwabe. “We have no more excuses. The concept of Asset Management has been around long enough for staff and elected officials to have an awareness of the issues. We need to move past our anxiety and confront the problems.”

“With respect to landscape-based rainwater management, an Integrated Rainwater Management Plan is a vehicle for local government to strategically connect the dots between land use planning, development and infrastructure standards, and asset management. And by ‘designing with nature’, a local government could make a very strong case for having a higher level of service – with ‘assets’ that appreciate, not depreciate, at a lower life-cycle cost,” stated Carrie Baron of the City of Surrey.

“There is untapped intelligence out there in nature. It is on our doorstep but we are tapping it even less because we are so focused on Artificial Intelligence,” says Michael Blackstock. “There is this vast amount of wisdom out there that Indigenous peoples have seen forever…and that is Natural Intelligence. Avoid getting caught up in only looking to AI to solve your problems. The balance principle is central to Natural Intelligence and Blue Ecology. It calls for a narrative shift towards healing and giving back to the environment.”