GEORGIA BASIN INTER-REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE: “I think it is great that the Partnership for Water Sustainability is the keeper of the Georgia Basin Intiative legacy and that what we started in the 1990s continues. A lot of the work that we did to put the GBI idea and the structure together is still in place,” stated Mike Harcourt, former Premier of British Columbia
When he was Premier, Mike Harcourt was the political champion for a TOP-DOWN AND BOTTOM-UP network approach to collaboration in BC. A defining moment for local governments during his time as Premier was the launch of the transformational Georgia Basin Initiative in 1994. One can draw a straight line from that time to the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Educational Initiative.
GEORGIA BASIN INTER-REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE: “Storytelling is the way we share intergenerational knowledge, experience and wisdom,” stated Kim Stephens, Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia
“We learn through stories. The Living Water Smart in British Columbia Series shares the background stories of community innovators. Published by the Partnership on the waterbucket.ca platform, the Series serves as a historical policy record. Ten storylines. Ten defining moments. From infrastructure gaps to workplace civility, this re-cap for the Winter/Spring 2026 is a master index that maps a path forward.The pitfalls of recent housing and professional reliance legislation in British Columbia is a theme that weaves its way through their stories,” stated Kim Stephens
WHEN WE ARE PART OF A NETWORK, EVERYONE GOES FURTHER: “Our world seems to be getting more wobbly, more unstable, more uncertain. We can support each other to make everyone’s work easier by creating a knowledge network,” stated Rémi Dubé, former senior manager in local government
“Over time, the Metro Vancouver region has regressed from a situation where many things were in alignment to one where few are in alignment. A post-pandemic reality is organizational amnesia compounded by more and more information but less and less knowledge and understanding. Today’s frontline staff are finding it more difficult to share their knowledge and vision, perhaps due to a political climate that is less receptive to data-based solutions. Deep knowledge is being ignored or dismissed at an alarming rate. Cooperation will help buttress this wobbly world,” stated Remi Dube.
CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION: “All regions were dealing with challenges associated with watershed monitoring. Each was at a different point along the watershed health continuum. Each region had something unique to contribute,” stated Kate Miller about the period 2012 – 2017 covered in Part E of the Chronicle
“Communities were struggling with the Watershed Health issue. Inter-regional collaboration helped five regions understand what the other regions were doing, what works and what does not. We viewed the issue through complementary lenses that together formed a complete picture. Each region had something unique to contribute to the mix. For the Cowichan Region, it was climate change adaptation,” stated Kate Miller who co-represented the Cowichan Valley Regional District on the 2014 Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative Leadership Team.
CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION: “We must all be leaders who selflessly have a vision, and we must then act to make the vision a reality,” stated Lois Jackson, Chair of the Metro Vancouver Regional Board, during the golden period (2006-2011) covered by Part D of the Chronicle
“There are many champions in local government; and it is important that we recognize and celebrate what they are doing. This is all part of creating our future. The Board approved realigning the goals, strategies and actions in the updated Liquid Waste Management Plan with policies and positions in Living Water Smart,” stated Lois Jackson. The golden period from 2006 through 2011 was a defining period for making a difference regionally through the power of collaboration, partnerships, and alignment of levels of government. Energy released by the Georgia Basin Initiative in the mid-1990s played out consequentially.
CONVENING FOR ACTION ON VANCOUVER ISLAND: Formed in 2006, CAVI morphed into the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Educational Initiative in 2012, thereby expanding the “coalition of the willing” to include the Metro Vancouver region
“The Ministry of Environmentlooks forward to aligning efforts with the Partnership to further advance implementation of the Beyond the Guidebook initiative; and provide communities with the tools and knowledge to protect and/or restore watershed health. The Ministry’s renewed emphasis on the rainwater management component of Liquid Waste Management Plans has created an opportunity to demonstrate how to integrate regulatory compliance and collaboration,” wrote Cairine MacDonald, Deputy Minister of Environment, in a letter to the Partnership (September 2012.
SETTLEMENT, ECONOMY AND ECOLOGY IN BALANCE IS MISSION POSSIBLE: “It is a top-down and bottom-up strategy. First comes the vision. Then community involvement. Support from municipal decision makers follows next. Finally, communities must apply ‘Design with Nature’ as a consistent future approach to development,” stated Eric Bonham in a series of keynote calls to action at Vancouver Island forums
“The CAVI vision is based upon a model of collaboration among the various sectors of society on Vancouver Island, including business, industry, government, academia and community. The vision has emerged from the challenging mantra ‘what do we want Vancouver Island to look like in 50 years’ as first articulated at the Water in the City conference in 2006 and is founded upon the underlying principle of long-term water sustainability. How we get there relies on a change in mind-set. The CAVI role is to facilitate that change. This is mission possible,” stated Eric Bonham.
CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION: “Consensus is about framing the problem correctly, being realistic about the options, and getting to the right answer,” stated Clint Hames, mayor of Chilliwack during the crucible period (1997-2005) covered by Part C of the Chronicle
“Getting to the right answer is the right thing to do. Otherwise, the solution will not solve the problem,” stated Chilliwack Mayor Clint Hames. The City was a partner and served as a feedback loop during development of Stormwater Planning Guidebook for British Columbia. In the 2000s, leaders ventured into uncharted territory. Great changes took place. The Chronicle is a sweeping narrative. The 3rd installment covers 1997 thru 2005. It weaves quotable quotes to tell the story of what led up to publication of the Guidebook in 2002, and the impact of what followed in the wake of publication.
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: “Ron Neufeld was an example to his peers of how to handle situations in a calm, professional and organized manner. Always a gentleman,” stated Derek Richmond, past-chair of CAVI-Convening for Action on Vancouver Island
“Living Water Smart creates the opportunity or potential for real dramatic change at a local level. Good policy is knowing where the horizon is, so that you know where you want to get to. Success depends on cooperation across jurisdictional boundaries. The more we can align local actions with provincial targets, the greater our chances of success. We must hold the provincial government accountable too. They have given us the long-term vision; and we are looking to them to be accountable for the support that we now need,” stated Ron Neufeld in 2008. He died in 2025 at age 60.
CONVENING FOR ACTION IN THE COWICHAN REGION: “What is possible for climate resiliency in the Cowichan? We are at this really unique moment in our community about what is possible, how do we drive it, who is going to drive it,” stated Cindy Lise, co-lead for the Cowichan Climate Gathering, a collaborative initiative for collective impact
“I have been doing collective impact work in the community for more than 10 years. It takes time, it really does. It is only NOW that it is really starting to have a profound impact on some of the other initiatives that we are doing. It is really hard to do really hard work unless you trust and have a relationship with the people doing the work.We know it takes a sustained effort and a sustained backbone or people at the helm to drive it. And so, for this big climate gathering piece, we are at hello! But some of the work behind it is decades in,” stated Cindy Lise.