CONVENING FOR ACTION ON FRESH WATER SUSTAINABILITY: After 5 years of providing stellar leadership, the RDN’s John Finnie stepped down as CAVI Chair in October 2011

Announcement made at the “CAVI Forum within the State of the Island Summit” hosted by the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance

John Finnie, General Manager for Regional and Community Utilities at the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN), was the first Chair of CAVI-Convening for Action on Vancouver Island, and served from 2006 through 2011.

At the “Forum within the Summit” in October 2011, John Finnie announced that he was stepping down as CAVI Chair and handing the reins over to Derek Richmond, Manager of Engineering with the City of Courtenay. The Summit was hosted by the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance, and the Forum was co-organized by CAVI and the VIEA Sustainability Task Force.

“CAVI started on its path in 2005, with a gathering of people who were concerned about water and water sustainability on Vancouver Island, and who recognized the importance of water sustainability in just about everything we do, whether it be do-to-day living or economic development. By 2006 that initial gathering had evolved into Convening for Acting on Vancouver Island:  Leadership for Water Sustainability. Our goal was that Vancouver Island would be welll on our way to water sustainability by 2010,” John Finnie told the Forum audience.

“CAVI envisions development carried out in a manner that harmonizes the footprint within the watershed to achieve water sustainability as an integral component of land development.”

“CAVI’s mission is to promote this goal by engaging governments, developers and the community in water-centric thinking, planning and development activities. CAVI is in effect a multi-agency support network undertaking to build and educate on practices and initiatives that are already underway.”

“We have done well and have exceeded our program expectations.  So I’m pleased at this time to be turning the Chair over to Derek Richmond of the City of Courtenay.  With the CAVI activities taking place and planned for the near future in the Comox Valley, Derek is well positioned to continue to lead the CAVI movement forward,” concluded John Finnie.