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Erik Karlsen

    TIER ONE CHAMPION FOR AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED APPROACH IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: Barry Janyk, former 4-term mayor of Gibsons, was an early political champion whose efforts as an influencer elevated the profile of the green infrastructure movement in the urban regions of BC


    In 1999, Barry Janyk had a vision which morphed into the SmartStorm Forum Series. He chaired the inter-governmental committee which initiated the series. He added political profile in his moderator role for the series. His tone-setting presentation to kickoff each event was titled: The Political Consequences of Doing the Wrong Thing: Why Elected Officials Must Consider Smart Development. “Technical people have to demonstrate cost-effectiveness in order to transform political acceptability into political will to implement change and spend money,” stated Barry Janyk.

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    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


    The Pacific Northwest is a part of North America acutely sensitive to environmental issues. And with the ‘salmon crisis’ being such a dominant issue, people wanted action rather than more talk. There was a commitment by all those involved in the Burnaby Mountain project to leave a legacy for the next generation. “One of the real advantages we had at UniverCity is that I had the budget to try out new ideas. So, as far as I was concerned, Kim Stephens could do whatever he wanted to protect Stoney Creek,” stated Michael Geller.

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    TIER ONE CHAMPION FOR AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED APPROACH IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: The Ministry of Agriculture’s Ted van der Gulik initiated and led the inter-governmental Water Balance Model Partnership because the water balance consequences of urbanization in the uplands are felt in the agricultural lowlands!


    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.

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    HISTORY OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “Many individuals have played important roles in the green infrastructure movement in British Columbia. The late Erik Karlsen was the common thread and a source of inspiration for implementing an ecosystem-based approach in the built environment,” stated Kim Stephens of the Partnership for Water Sustainability


    “Erik Karlsen bridged the worlds of municipal affairs and environmental stewardship. For a generation of elected representatives, his was a familiar face in the local government setting. He was influential and his influence was far reaching while he was alive. His rippling through time through the work of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in leading the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Educational Initiative. He was a thought leader and change agent. Erik Karlsen has a special place in the history of the Partnership. His memory lives on,” stated Kim Stephens.

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    CHAMPION FOR AN ECOSYSTEM-BASED APPROACH: “Sustainable and resilient are complementary terms that draw attention to the future and help focus thought and action. However, use of resilient more clearly shines the spotlight on Context, Intent and Results,” stated the late Erik Karlsen, former Director of Growth Strategies in the BC Ministry of Municipal Affairs (3rd in a series)


    Erik Karlsen had a remarkable impact on the shape of BC communities. This came through his influence on BC planning law and policy, his even greater influence on adoption of new planning practices, and his role in building professional networks that shaped community planning. He was tireless at building networks and at mentoring professionals. He was always where the action was – where creative and innovative energies were flowing. His ability to gravitate to that action – and to ‘morph’ into whatever current political form it was taking – was a real feature of Erik’s career.

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    CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION IN METRO VANCOUVER – PART A: “Each time we face an environmental challenge, we are once again looking at how we do business. A changing context causes us to ask important questions about how we might do things better,” stated Dale Wall, retired Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs


    “In the 1990s, very careful work by the likes of Parliamentary Secretary Joan Sawicki and Erik Karlsen created the foundation by which we could move forward with development of regional growth strategies and then implementation. It required huge amounts of work by people like Darlene Marzari when she was Minister of Municipal Affairs to build a consensus among local elected officials in terms of what a regional growth strategy might look like. That work changed, in many ways, the context. We had people in local government who were keen on doing this,” stated Dale Wall.

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    LIVING LEGACY OF THE GEORGIA BASIN INITIATIVE: “We share our world view through our stories and storytelling. It is not the technical stuff that carries the day. It is the stories about the technical stuff that carry the day,” stated Kim Stephens, Executive Director, Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC


    “Launched in 1994, the Georgia Basin Initiative was a call to action by the provincial government. Its influence has rippled through time in profound and lasting ways. In 2024, the Partnership honours and celebrates the 30th anniversary of a watershed moment in BC history with a sweeping narrative of the GBI mission, the key players, and what followed in its wake over three decades and counting. The living legacy of the Georgia Basin Initiative is embedded in and embodied by the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Educational Initiative which the Partnership leads today,” stated Kim Stephens.

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    LIVING LEGACY OF THE GEORGIA BASIN INITIATIVE: “If we have lost anything in the last 30 years, it is a strong provincial commitment to supporting community and regional planning. We need another Darlene Marzari,” stated Joan Sawicki, former Parliamentary Secretary to Municipal Affairs Minister Marzari


    Part A of the Green Infrastructure Chronicle is dedicated to the shared legacy of three inspirational leaders who ran with the vision for the Georgia Basin Initiative: Creating a Sustainable Future and gave it life three decades ago. Without the passion and commitment of Darlene Marzari, Joan Sawicki and Erik Karlsen, the report may not have gone anywhere. They made a difference and they changed history in the Georgia Basin. Darlene Marzari had come out of local government. She was a strong Minister of Municipal Affairs. Land use planning was front and centre.

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    LIVING LEGACY OF THE GEORGIA BASIN INITIATIVE: “Erik Karlsen was the source of inspiration and ideas. He bridged the worlds of municipal affairs and environmental stewardship,” stated Joan Sawicki, the Parliamentary Secretary who led the Georgia Basin Initiative


    “Erik Karlsen served the public interest – the public hopes and dreams for a better tomorrow, for the environment, for human communities, and for future generations – almost without equal. And he did it with a style likely not to be seen again for a very long time. An amazing individual, he was one of a kind,” stated Joan Sawicki in a tribute statement when Erik Karlsen died in 2020. “He not only was way ahead of his time, but he also had an unparalleled network of connection with Georgia Basin communities – and, most importantly, a high degree of trust with those communities.”

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    CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION IN METRO VANCOUVER: “There is no question that we have come a long way in overcoming memory loss in regional growth management and the future looks promising,” stated Ken Cameron, co-architect of Metro Vancouver’s Livable Region Strategic Plan in the 1990s (4th installment in a preview series)


    “In Spring 2023, a group of us had meetings with Metro Vancouver planning staff to pass on our knowledge and experience. Our message was, use the strengths of the unique regional planning system you have. We did this in the interest of providing current and future Metro planning staff with some personal background on the people and, in some cases, organizations, that influenced the preparation and adoption of the Livable Region Strategic Plan in 1996 and the subsequent evolution of the planning function,” stated Ken Cameron.

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