“We are being bold in using the mantra: What do we want Vancouver Island to look like in 50 years? Rather than being guided by 3-year municipal and 4-year provincial government election cycles, we are saying….look 50 years out and backcast to determine what decisions we need to make now to create the future that we want,” stated Eric Bonham.
In April 2009, the RDN Board passed a motion to support staff participation in CAVI activities. “Through the Urban Containment Boundary, we have avoided urban sprawl and we are doing our best to do what is right; and that is why the RDN Board is both supporting and partnering with CAVI. As a Board, we believe it is our job to protect the quality of life values that attract people to Vancouver Island,” stated Chair Joe Stanhope
“By bringing together champions from the local government and stewardship sectors to collaborate under the CAVI umbrella, these champions are seeing the context differently; and they are aligning their efforts to achieve a shared vision for the Comox Valley. They call this shared vision An Integrated Watershed Approach to Settlement,” stated Tim Pringle.
“We invited developers and their consultants to a consultation session. Our objectives were to determine what green features they are comfortable with; and where they would like to go. The Green Design Guidelines will establish a baseline. The intent is that the guidelines will evolve as the development community becomes increasingly familiar with what works and what does not,” stated Gary Noble.
“The Series theme, Getting Ahead of the Wave, defined what we wished to accomplished in building on the foundation provided by the 2008 Series. We view the 2009 Series as our springboard to advance integration of current Comox Valley regional initiatives in 2010, including regional growth and regional sustainability strategies,” stated Kevin Lorette.
“The program overview spells out the theme, scope and learning outcome for each of the three seminars. The program is cumulative: understand the dynamics of settlement changes; ‘design with nature’ to achieve water sustainability; and commit to the regional team approach,” stated Kim Stephens. “The curriculum is structured in a way that leads to a progressive broadening of scope/focus and hence desired participation in this sequence: inter-departmental, inter-municipal, and consultants.”
“The phrase water for life and livelihoods was ‘borrowed’ from work done in the United Kingdom. It conveys the fundamental principles of sustainability of natural systems in their own right and in relation to the health and wellbeing of people who benefit from the use of water for basic life needs and economic activity. The settlement in balance with ecology principle is an extension of water for life and livelihoods,” states Tim Pringle. “Settlement and ecology are equal values and they must be as much in balance as possible for wellbeing of human and natural systems.”
A regional team approach is founded on partnerships and collaboration; and seeks to align actions at three scales – provincial, regional and local. The key word is alignment: this is what we want to collectively achieve, and this is how we will work together to get there. “For change to really occur, practices that until now have been viewed as the exception must become the norm moving forward. We have to build regulatory models and develop models of practice and expertise to support The New Business As Usual”, stated Dale Wall.
“The Learning Lunch Series comprised three seminars, but the three events by themselves represented the tip of the iceberg when compared to the total investment of time and effort by the four Comox Valley local governments and the other partners,” explained Kim Stephens. “The exploratory conversations began in January 2009, curriculum development was initiated in April, and the Comox Valley organizing team met on a regular basis throughout the year. One outcome was that the planners and engineers were talking to each other, listening to each other, and developing a common language.”
“The Regional Growth Strategy and Comox Valley Sustainability Strategy provide the backdrop for the 2009 Comox Valley Series. The spotlight is on how to implement the regional team approach – that is, a unified approach from all levels of government,” stated Kevin Lorette. “At the end of the day, water is the underpinning of the community, and an integrated watershed approach to settlement is essential.” The Comox Valley is the designated provincial pilot for implementation of a ‘regional team approach’.
