Beyond the Guidebook 2015 showcases “The Story of Convening for Action in the Cowichan Region”

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Demonstration Applications for ‘Mimic the Water Balance’

The Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) was an early champion of the CAVI -Convening for Action on Vancouver Island initiative, and this has resulted in a continuing commitment for almost a decade. In July 2007, for example, the Regional Board endorsed region-wide participation in the CAVI program, mainly because CAVI program elements aligned with theCowichan Basin Water Management Plan, a provincially significant and precedent-setting plan completed in March 2007.

The commitment by elected representatives has been reaffirmed a number of times over the years.

Looking At Rainfall Differently

Mimic-Water Balance_Feb-2014From 2007 to the present day, the Cowichan Region has served as a provincial demonstration region for looking at rainfall differently and applying the Water Balance Methodology. Approaches tested in the Cowichan Region have been replicated elsewhere.

Along with the Comox Valley, the Cowichan Region is a demonstration application for the ‘regional team approach’. An understanding of Cowichan and Comox Valley experience yields helpful insights into trust-building and the benefits that accrue over time.

2007 Creating Our Future Workshop

After the launch of the CAVI initiative in 2006, the first CAVI ‘sharing & learning’ event was the Creating Our Future Workshop. This flagship event was by invitation, with the audience drawn from 19 communities up and down the east coast of Vancouver Island. The event was an adjunct to the 2007 Gaining Ground Summit held in Victoria.

The workshop celebrated Vancouver Island success stories. The program centrepiece was the Cowichan Basin Water Management Plan, with its‘Water IN = Water OUT’ guiding philosophy. The workshop provided a platform for announcing the plan for the 2007 Vancouver Island Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation Series in parallel with the Metro Vancouver Showcasing Series.

Cowichan Basin Water Management Plan

In 2007, when the former General Manager, Planning Division (Tom Anderson) recommended that CVRD partner with CAVI, he informed Board members that:

5_Tom Anderson_120p“The Basin Management Plan was developed through a uniquely inclusive consultative process; and provides an umbrella for aligning community development practices policies with emerging practices. The CAVI program can help the Cowichan Valley Regional District and member municipalities add depth to three areas of the Water Management Plan: demand management; protect aquatic ecosystems; and research, education, public outreach.”

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To Learn More:

The Comox Valley chapter in Beyond the Guidebook 2015 is 14 pages and is organized in six sections as shown below. To download a PDF copy and read the complete story, click on Convening for Action in Cowichan Region.

To download a copy of the entire 158-page Beyond the Guidebook 2015, click on this link: https://waterbucket.ca/viw/files/2015/11/Beyond-Guidebook-2015_final_Nov.pdf

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