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“The purpose of the forum was to secure financial commitments from willing federal, provincial and local governments. Ted van der Gulik and Laura Maclean represented the Province and Environment Canada, respectively, and agreed to serve as Co-Chairs,” recalls Kim Stephens. “With the Province and Metro Vancouver contributing one-third of the budget, the Water Balance Model project was well and truly launched.”

“Kim Stephens was able to communicate concepts in a way that made sense to the class. They understood him perfectly,” observed Todd Pugh, sessional instructor for Capilano’s Local Government Administration Certificate program. “It is such a mix of people – there were some who would have liked to hear more about the science behind what he presented, and for others it was more science than they’ve experienced since elementary school. So on the whole, I think he hit the right mix.”

Property redevelopment and construction of McMansions were radically altering the residential landscape. This also impacts how, and how much, rainwater runoff reaches creeks. “The District of West Vancouver has undertaken to implement a requirement for site landscaping as part of both new development and the redevelopment of properties throughout the community,” states Jim Bailey.

North Vancouver City is a case study for a UBC design course on integration of landscape architecture into urban rainwater management strategies. “The lecture by Kim Stephens was excellent and well-paced,” stated Daniel Roehr, Associate Professor. “He provided clarity regarding a course objective, which is to design at different scales, using the reverse design strategy, site and details first before urban and regional scale.”

A Blue-Green City aims to recreate a naturally oriented water cycle “When I started, I believed the articles would focus on the technical and environmental aspects of green infrastructure as it relates to water quantity and quality,” wrote Julie Schooling, co-editor, October 2016 issue. “And yet every author has emphasized how intertwined the social and economic dimensions of our ‘watershed assets’ are with their ecological benefits.”

“My objective in meeting with SILG was to plant seeds. Six months from now we will see whether and/or how the seeds have taken root,” stated Kim Stephens. “Basically, the Partnership’s mission is to prepare local governments for Step Three on the Asset Management Continuum. Within two years, our goal is that local governments will understand WHY they need to transition to Sustainable Watershed Systems, and HOW they can accomplish this through asset management.”

“The case study applications built a common understanding of how to achieve runoff-based performance targets for rainwater management and green infrastructure,” stated Rob Conway. “What is unique about our approach is the educational context. Willing owners/developers and their planning/design consultants volunteered to develop and share the case studies. It truly is a collaborative effort.”

The Municipal Engineering Division invited Kim Stephens to make a presentation on Sustainable Watershed Systems at the 2016 APEGBC Annual Conference. “We then invited Kim Stephens to write an article for Innovation magazine that would help spread word about his presentation, as well as provide a sneak peek for conference attendees,” states Monique Kieran. “The article serves as a proceedings article for the conference presentation.”

The report highlights several innovative green infrastructure stormwater projects. “By examining projects over diverse parts of the country, readers will be able to assess trends and techniques that consider various stakeholders in their stormwater projects,” wrote Margaret Buranen. “There are a variety of ways to handle rainwater runoff with green infrastructure and many factors to consider when evaluating options.”

“Every single cent that is flowing into the stormwater utility bill is taken out of property taxes. It’s fair, it’s rational, and it’s very forward-looking,” Mayor Lisa Helps said. “We are working together to create a liveable and vibrant City, and part of that is building more resilience in our communities. Only by boosting the performance of our infrastructure, will we be able to adequately plan for future risk from a changing climate.”