2008 Comox Valley Learning Lunch Seminar Series: stories posted on other waterbucket.ca communities-of-interest (COI)
NOTE TO READER:
In 2008, the Vancouver Island community-of-interest had not yet been created. Thus, online resources related to the ground-breaking 2008 Comox Valley Learning Lunch Seminar Series were dispersed across the waterbucket.ca website. A long-term task has been to replicate and update those resources on this community-of-interest.
Nature Knows No Boundaries: Make Green Choices to Create Liveable Communities & Protect Stream Health
The Vancouver Island Learning Lunch Seminar Series promoted a consistent provincial approach to rainwater management and green infrastructure. The Cowichan Valley Regional District and City of Courtenay were the host local governments for the Vancouver Island pilot program. In total, the participating Vancouver Island local governments that represented some 250,000 people.
- The Cowichan Valley series comprised a set of three sessions held during the June – July 2008 period. For links to each seminar in the series, click here.
- The Comox Valley series comprised a set of three sessions held during the September – November 2008 period.
The Learning Lunch Seminar Series was the first step in building a regional team approach so that there will be a common understanding and consistent messaging regarding on-the-ground expectations for rainwater management and green infrastructure. The Seminar Series was part of the implementation program for Beyond the Guidebook: The New Business As Usual, and was precedent-setting in its scope.
Doing Business Differently
At the final seminar in the Comox Valley series, the theme was Nature Knows No Boundaries. Ron Neufeld (General Manager of Operations, City of Campbell River) explained why Living Water Smart is of strategic importance to local governments that wish to do business differently in the 21st century.
“The more we can align local actions with provincial targets, the greater our chances of success,” said Ron Neufeld. He also talked about accountability.”We must hold the provincial government accountable too,” he continued. “They have given us the long-term vision; and we are looking to them to be accountable for the support that we now need.”
List of waterbucket.ca Stories
These stories provide insight into the philosophy and educational objectives behind the seminar series; at the time of posting, they also established expectations for series participants. Each story is complete with links to other related resources:
- CONVENING FOR ACTION COI: “Learning Lunch Seminar Series” promotes consistent provincial approach to rainwater management and green infrastructure— Desired outcome is liveable communities in balance with ecology
- RAINWATER MANAGEMENT COI: “Learning Lunch Seminar Series” promotes consistent provinical approach to rainwater management and green infrastructure — Goal of Vancouver Island pilot educational program is to build inter-departmental and inter-municipal capacity
- WATER-CENTRIC PLANNING COI: Living Water Smart in the Comox Valley to implement a consistent regional approach to green solutions — City of Courtenay champions a bottom-up approach to create liveable communities and protect stream health
- CONVENING FOR ACTION COI: Summary Report on 2008 Comox Valley Learning Lunch Seminar Series — Summary document consolidates web stories describing the learning outcomes for each seminar in the series
- CONVENING FOR ACTION COI: “The Story of the 2008 Vancouver Island Learning Lunch Seminar Series” – pilot for aligning local actions and provincial goals — Program exceeds expectations for doing business differently to create liveable communities & protect stream health
Seminar #1 on September 19, 2008
- GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE COI: The Story of East Courtenay over the past two decades: from fields and forest to urban community — Case study illustrates the evolution of drainage practices in Courtenay, British Columbia – from Stormwater Management to RAINwater Management
- GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE COI: Role of the building inspector in green infrastructure: “To get to the big picture, it starts with the smallest pieces” — City of Courtenay champions a bottom-up approach to create liveable communities and protect stream health
- RAINWATER MANAGEMENT COI: Stormwater Guidebook, Performance Targets and the Water Balance Model: Connecting the Dots — “The New Business As Usual”: Integration of RAINwater management with land development practices
- GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE COI: Creating Liveable Communities and Protecting Stream Health: Helping goals become practice in BC — Ministry of Community Development vision for leveraging change through infrastructure grant programs presented by Catriona Weidman at Comox Valley Seminar #1
Seminar #2 on October 24 2008
- GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE COI: Getting Your Green Infrastructure Plans Built: Opportunities for Law and Policy to Effect Changes on the Ground — Comox Valley Learning Lunch Seminar #2 featured Susan Rutherford, author of the Green Infrastructure Guide
- WATER-CENTRIC PLANNING COI: British Columbia’s “Living Water Smart” is a provincial strategy and shared responsibility — By 2012, all land and water managers and users will be doing business differently
- GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE COI: Turning the Tide in Nanaimo: The story of the Inland Kenworth development as told by Dean Mousseau and Gary Noble — Design with Nature approach to site development results in Green Value and reduces the Hydrologic Footprint
- RAINWATER MANAGEMENT COI: “The New Business As Usual ” – the new social norm on Vancouver Island for managing rainwater runoff — Margaret Henigman provides Ministry of Environment perspective at Comox Valley Learning Lunch Seminar #2
Seminar #3 on November 21 2008
- WATER-CENTRIC PLANNING COI: Nature Knows No Boundaries: Living Water Smart explained from local government perspective — Successful implementation requires bottom-up approach: senior management to elected Councils to the Province
- RAINWATER MANAGEMENT COI: Brooklyn Creek established a precedent for inter-municipal collaboration to resolve drainage issues in the Comox Valley — Town of Comox and City of Courtenay developed a joint approach to implementation of a suite of solutions that were keyed to rainwater runoff volume reduction at the source
- WATER-CENTRIC PLANNING COI: Living Water Smart – where and how land is developed determines sustainability of water supply & aquatic habitat — Achieving “water sustainability” in British Columbia depends on integrated solutions for managing how water is used and how water runs off the land
- GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE COI: Nature Without Borders: Vision for Comox Valley Conservation Strategy contributes to Living Water Smart — Community-driven initiative connecte the dots between regional hydrological footprint and stream health
- GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE COI: Nature Knows No Boundaries – A Guide to Green Choices in British Columbia — Green Communities initiative provides provincial context for Vancouver Island Learning Lunch Seminar Series
- RAINWATER MANAGEMENT COI: Convening for action at Comox Valley seminar series: “create a picture of the future that we want” — By 2012, all land and water managers and users will be doing business differently to protect stream health
- RAINWATER MANAGEMENT COI: Local government leaders endorse a “regional team approach” in the Comox Valley — Millard/Piercy watershed is the pilot for a watershed-based land use planning framework
To download a summary document that consolidates under one cover a selection of seven definitive Water Bucket web stories describing the key learning outcomes for each seminar, click on Summary Report on 2008 Comox Valley Learning Lunch Seminar Series.