CONVENING FOR ACTION AT THE WATER IN THE CITY CONFERENCE: “It is important to manage expectations when embarking on this journey towards water sustainability,” stated Eric Bonham when he addressed the consultation workshop (September 2006)
“How will Vancouver Island accommodate a doubling of the population and what will the Island look like then? This question set the tone for the discussion that followed. According to Bonham, “The point I was making is that we have it in our hands to create our future, because what we do on the ground sets the pattern of development for generations. Also, change in standard practices does not happen overnight. It takes time,” stated Eric Bonham.
The “Meeting of the Minds” initiative has a Vancouver Island focus and is designed to facilitate the move from talk to water-centric action. This outcome will be achieved through an island-wide communication information exchange network. 
Drawing on his decades of experience as a municipal engineer, Rick Lloyd challenged the audience to ‘think outside the pipe’ and issued a call to action to engineers to design with nature rather than trying to conquer it. 