“The ultimate target audience actually goes well beyond homeowners. The tool is a vehicle to connect with builders, developers, consultants, real estate agents and students/educators.It can be a resource for developers and others to help the public understand the effect of their choices and decisions on the natural environment,” stated Carrie Baron.
“We are all now faced with a dual challenge: first, to tackle climate change by moving to low-carbon economy and second, to minimize the adverse impacts that climate change is already having on watersheds. A collaborative approach is key to success, along with a frank acknowledgement that water is precious and can’t be taken for granted,” stated David Marshall.
“The general concept is that a simplified version of the full WBM could be used through a user-friendly interface targeted at property owners and small lot developers to assist these users during land development and redevelopment,” summarized John McMahon. “This would provide a functional tool to help implement positive change one lot at a time, and would then have watershed-wide beneficial impacts.”
“The technical team brainstormed and assessed the feasibility of a range of approaches to implementing the focus group vision for the WBM Express,” recalls Ted van der Gulik. “By the end of the day, Key Principles had been identified. These would subsequently guide the initial phases of work plan development.”
“The vision for the WBM Express aligns with the goals, strategies and actions in the Metro Vancouver region’s Integrated Liquid Waste & Resource Management Plan, adopted by the Regional Board in May 2010. In fact, development of the WBM Express would allow Metro Vancouver member municipalities to better deliver on regulatory compliance,” reported Robert Hicks.
The Surface Water Management Bylaw championed by Nirmal Bhattacharya and adopted by the District of Central Saanich in 2010 was the source of inspiration for the WBM Express. The Bylaw provides the means to restore the water balance when properties redevelop.
