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Two game-changing provincial water tools for use in different settings are part of Ted van der Gulik’s incredible legacy. One is the Agricultural Water Demand Model suite of tools; the other is the urban-centric Water Balance Model for BC. “What exactly is it that we want to do? With the answer to that question clear in our minds, we can work backwards and figure out the steps in a plan to make it happen,” states Ted van der Gulik. That bold way of thinking and doing is the context for Ted’s actions in bringing together an inter-governmental partnership.

The intergenerational nature of drainage experience and evolution in Surrey is unique in the Metro Vancouver region. The city had a 25-yr head start on other BC municipalities. And there has been staff continuity over a 50-yr period. By 2009, Surrey had evolved from pilot projects to setting watershed-based objectives and targets. “The Biodiversity Development Cost Charge Bylaw for acquiring and enhancing land in stream corridors has been in place since 2019. Surrey is the only municipality that has one. The work to create the DCC was initiated many years before,” stated Rémi Dubé.

“An underlying issue for local government is knowledge-transfer. The baby boomers have more or less retired and now you are left with Gen X. But many Boomers continued in senior positions late into their careers, interrupting the chain of succession and knowledge transfer. What we are really saying is that, in the work force, a huge amount of experience has just gone out the door and very quickly. Solutions to complex problems require deep knowledge. The challenge facing local governments is the breakdown in the transfer of knowledge,” stated Robert Hicks.

“Stories open our minds to considering various viewpoints. Sharing of stories leads to reconciliation and building relationships, respect and trust,” stated Ray Fung. The stories for 13 green infrastructure influencers in the Metro Vancouver region provide context and a frame of reference for understanding as well as judging green infrastructure progress by Metro Vancouver municipalities over the past quarter-century. The stories behind the stories of the influencers set the stage for successive legs of the green infrastructure journey from 1997 to 2024.

“You get elected and you start to learn. And you become inspired by what you see happening. I remember when the Fish Protection Act passed in 1997. It was a real eye opener for me because it meant a 180-degree change from what I had been thinking. This experience was my context when I served on and later chaired the Metro Vancouver Utilities Committee a decade later. When the region embarked on the first update to the LWMP in 2008, I found it extremely rewarding to be working with people that wanted to do things differently,” stated Darrell Mussatto.

“Surrey’s Development Cost Charges Bylaw (2019) for the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy did not happen overnight. The framework came out of the Fergus Creek watershed plan and the vision for green solutions many years before in 2006.Fergus was the first of the new generation of ISMPs. Our goal was to avoid a cookie-cutter approach that too often is an outcome of this type of multi-year program. Jim Dumont rose to the innovation challenge by developing a watershed plan that would actually facilitate changes in how land is developed or re-developed,” stated Rémi Dubé.

“Metro Vancouver and member municipalities are encouraged to consider how the degree, type and location of land development affects watershed health,” wrote Environment Minister Terry Lake in his letter that formally approved the regional plan. Failure to follow through and build on work done up to 2011 to deal with requirements in his ministerial approval is an unintended outcome. Failure to follow through reflected scant understanding of a stream system context. Land development pressures pushed local governments to pay lip-service to the role of the streamside protection zone.

When read together, the set of 13 stories about green infrastructure influencers in Metro Vancouver paint a picture of what it takes to innovate and lead changes in practice in the local government setting. Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why” is a concept that states that to inspire action, you must begin with why you do what you do, before explaining how you do it and what you do. This is based on the belief that purpose, cause, and belief (the “why”) are the most powerful motivators, inspiring loyalty and action in a way that focusing on products or services (the “what”) alone cannot.

“When I look back at our history, I think wow, how did we do so much applied research. We had a need and Hans Schreier had grad students who were interested in doing the research. Win-win,” stated Richard Boase. “At a critical moment, members of the Partnership team would have an idea around a research theme that supported our hypotheses. And as often happened, I was the arm that had the energy and willingness to take on the research, apply new science in North Vancouver, and get the work done.”

“There has been a recent loss of long-term knowledge and experience because people who were providing regional leadership, and trying hard to make a difference, have retired from public office. The loss of understanding is real,” stated Darrell Mussatto. He served on North Vancouver City Council for 25 years, including 13 years as mayor. His time in office coincides with the timeline for the early adopter and leading by example phases of the Metro Vancouver region’s green infrastructure journey. He views the journey through both the local and regional lenses.