Living Water Smart

“In 2005, Premier Gordon Campbell gave my team a mandate to be bold and imaginative. Inspire British Columbians about water, he instructed us. Explain why water is important and what we must do to protect it. While legislative reform is a foundation piece, collaboration takes place outside the legislative framework. We constantly emphasized that Living Water Smart is about motivating and inspiring everyone to embrace shared responsibility. Influencing behaviour and attitudes is at the heart of moving from awareness to action,” stated Lynn Kriwoken.

“Living Water Smart is a blueprint for cultural, environmental, industrial, community and agricultural change that will help safeguard the province’s water resources into the future. Drawing on a variety of policy measures, including planning, regulatory change, education, and incentives like economic instruments and rewards, the plan commits to new actions and builds on existing efforts to protect and keep B.C.’s water healthy and secure. More than 40 actions and targets will keep the province’s water healthy and secure,” stated Minister Penner.

“Setting a course transcends a set of action statements. The Partnership has its roots in government but is not government. Conceived as a solution to loss of continuity in government, the Partnership preserves institutional memory. This allows us to shed light on the WHAT, WHY and HOW of water-centric policies and their implementation history. Overcoming inertia and building momentum requires an appreciation for the factors that are critical to success,whether they are in alignment, and what it would it take to coax them into alignment if they are not,” stated Kim Stephens.

“Until and unless we share what we know with successive generations, they do not know what they do not know! Reliance on AI might be expedient and provide copious amounts of information, but not necessarily knowledge. We cannot develop reliable solutions if we do not fully understand the underlying issues and history. Our first instinct should be to look for history, what has or has not worked, and why. Oral history sharing, a proven powerful indigenous tool, is a much-overlooked asset that can often lead to efficiency, cost-savings, and richer outcomes,” stated Derek Richmond.

“Our vision is intergenerational. Achieving settlement, economy and ecology in balance is a marathon, not a sprint. And all of us need to understand and care about the goal which is development in harmony with nature. Once there is consensus on what we want watersheds and neighbourhoods to look like in future, we can use the tools that will get us there. That is where the Partnership has a role to play. We are outcome-oriented. There is no need to re-invent the wheel. Instead, turn it,” stated Ted van der Gulik.

October 17…. British Columbia local elections are just a month away! What is at stake in upcoming province-wide municipal and regional district elections? Do many people ever think about how decisions made today ripple through time, for better or worse? Currently, a climate of disrespect and lack of trust is pervasive. Could the 2026 election be the catalyst for turning the tide? Across British Columbia, a wave of new leaders took charge after the 2005 election. These elected representatives had open minds, were passionate about and committed to a long-term view of community.”

“Never has storytelling been more important than it is today. And that is because deep knowledge is being lost at an alarming rate. This is the Partnership for Water Sustainability’s ‘mission context’ for showcasing the stories of those who are leading change that enhances community livability,” stated Kim Stephens. “We learn through stories. This is how we pass on our oral history. Storytelling is the way we share intergenerational knowledge, experience and wisdom. This is why each and every edition of Waterbucket eNews is built around a conversational interview.”

Publication of Lead with Civility in a local government election year in BC is timely. “Lead with Civility reframes civility as a core leadership discipline, one that enables leaders to hold the line, make tough decisions and navigate disagreement without tipping into dysfunction or harm. If we want our institutions, our communities, and our democracy to endure, leaders must once again see themselves as what they have also been at their best – gardeners of civic culture, responsible for what grows under their watch, because we live and flourish together,” stated Diane Kalen-Sukra.

“Most folks in local government understand the nature of the asset management problem. But councils have a short-term focus on what can be built during their term. Underground infrastructure or asset management is boring to them. Yet it is so core to the functioning of any government. We are building more new things as demanded by a growing community. The register of municipal assets is becoming more and more valuable. But the revenue from development cost charges and user rates is not enough to cover asset renewal. And so, the infrastructure gap grows,” stated Bill Sims.

“By 2012, we had good reasons for optimism when we looked ahead. A network of champions in local government was in play. The design with nature message was sinking in. The Province had our back. We had political support in five regions. Overcoming inertia seemed just around the corner,” stated Richard Boase. Then what happened? In the moment, the period 2012 through 2017 was defined by “hope and optimism.” After 2017, a series of events changed the trajectory for overcoming inertia such that it is more appropriately characterized as “unfulfilled promise.”

“Twenty years after inception, BCIT suspended green roof courses until further notice. BCIT green roof programming was an early victim of an ebbing tide. Part of the vision for GRIN is the N for network. We have the tools. We just need political will, and critical mass,” stated Dr. Christine Thuring. Her claim to fame is that she is the first person in North America to obtain a green roof-focused master’s degree! The “story behind the story” of GRIN as told by Christine Thuring is a great story. It links past to present and future and to where GRIN wants to take a re-energized green roof movement.