A Guide to Green Choices
To help local governments continue the extensive work they have already done in fostering green communities, the Ministry of Community Development has developed “A Guide to Green Choices” to provide practical advice and ideas in making land use decisions.
The purpose of this document is to provide the reader with a broad-brush picture of “Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia”, published in 2002. The emphasis is on core concepts. The desired outcome is that readers will be interested to learn more by delving into the Guidebook.
'Runoff' is the newletter for the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Water Resources Association. The April 2008 issue included an article about the launch of the “new Water Balance Model”. The article highlighted several key messages regarding the significance and relevance of integrating the Water Balance Model with QUALHYMO to achieve provincial policy objectives.
The District of Lantzville partnered with the Town of Qualicum Beach, the Town of Gibsons, the Village of Cumberland, the Ministry of Community Services and leaders in the field of low impact development to ensure that the Model Bylaw and standards reflected the most up-to-date, progressive thinking.
We get energy from water, and we use energy to supply, treat and use water. Water use involves significant energy inputs which must be considered. The solutions to water and energy management issues require that decision-makers, policy leaders, and the public better understand the relationship between water and energy and take the necessary steps to ensure the sustainable supply and use of these resources.
Three provincial Ministries and the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans have formed a Vancouver Island Coordinating Team to facilitate a consistent, science-based approach to rainwater management on Vancouver Island. Implementation is keyed to use of the Water Balance Model for British Columbia.The objective in aligning efforts is to advance the state-of-the-practice in rainwater management on Vancouver Island.
Partnerships between those who plan and those who invest have the potential to result in better decisions for local governments and also benefit provincial areas of interest. Facilitating these partnerships is an integral part of the Ministry of Comnmunity Servcices' work to support local governments in their efforts to plan and make land-use decisions to benefit their communities.
Integrated Community Sustainability Planning is a process for envisioning and planning for the long-term well-being of communities. Approximately five million dollars over the next five years will be available for local governments outside the Greater Vancouver Regional District to engage in ICSP.
The Ministry of Community Services' mandate is to promote sustainable, livable communities that provide healthy and safe places for British Columbians. The Ministry implements this mandate by providing the legislative, policy and governance framework for local governments; and providing advice and resources to local governments to plan for sustainable development and address issues related to communities' social, economic and environmental well-being.
The purpose of the Urban Forest Research Project is to provide planners, developers and municipal engineers with the tools and research they need to approach rainwater management in a more integrated and sustainable manner. Th University of British Columbia has established a website to showcase the project results and link to web stories on the Rainwater Management Community-of-Interest.
