Green Infrastructure

The Township of Langley's new Civic Centre is a LEED silver building. What makes this project unique is that it is a retrofit.

The Verdant building is a multi-unit stata building in British Columbia which seeking to be the first LEED Gold woodframe residential building in North America.

“I really wanted to be here today. The Showcasing Innovation Series is a major priority for me because this is where it happens. Later this morning I will be chairing a meeting of the Metro Vancouver Board, and I will tell them about where I was this morning. And I will get them excited about hosting showcasing events in their municipalities too,” stated Mayor Lois Jackson.

“A showcasing event is not a conference. Neither is it a workshop nor seminar in the conventional sense. Rather the purpose of the presentations is to whet the appetites of participants for the site tour that follows. The quality one-on-one conversations take place on the bus and when we go for a walkabout,” reports Kim Stephens.

“At the 2005 consultation workshop hosted by the City of Surrey, Metro Vancouver municipalities told us that they wanted to hear firsthand from those who are implementing green infrastructure, and they want to see what it looks like. In response to this need, 2006 was the first year of the Showcasing Innovation Series. In Year Two, our aim was to continue promoting region-wide networking and sharing of lessons learned, explained Paul Ham.

“Through the Urban Containment Boundary, we have avoided urban sprawl and we are doing our best to do what is right; and that is why the RDN Board is both supporting and partnering with CAVI. As a Board, we believe it is our job to protect the quality of life values that attract people to Vancouver Island,” stated Joe Stanhope, Chair of the Regional District of Nanaimo.

“The event attracted over 60 people, including a contingent from Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast. The audience comprised representatives from Metro Vancouver, thirteen municipalities, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, a half-dozen private sector organizations, and several non-government organizations. Included in the audience were senior managers and on-the-ground practitioners,” reports Kim Stephens.

Building on the theme of limitations and planning for the future, Cowichan Valley Chair Jon Lefebure noted there is an engine of development. “We have to think about how to operate that engine differently, We must focus on preserving what we have that provides our qualtiy of life. Moving foward from today, I would like the political leadership of Vancouver Island to be more proactive.”

“The Township of Langley is a community of 100,000 of which 80% of the land area is within the Agricultural Land Reserve. This presents a delicate balance between the preservation of agricultural land and the continued pressure for urban development. It is within this context that the staff and Council champion the theme of harmony and integration as we endeavour to focus on ‘green’ initiatives and programs,” stated Councillor Charlie Fox.

“Like most other areas on Vancouver Island, the Comox Valley is at a major cross-roads as to how we will develop and still maintain the natural beauty of our community. This is a real challenge.We are experiencing phenomenal growth. So we are really depending on the practitioners to keep us grounded and realistic so that growth will be sustainable,” stated Starr Winchester, Chair of the Comox-Strathcona Regional District.