Archive:

2019

IMPROVING WHERE WE LIVE: Town of Gibsons on BC’s Sunshine Coast is a “living lab” for the whole-system, water balance approach


“Among many people who study these things, it’s a given that adopting a ‘whole-system, water balance’ approach to rainwater management and creekshed restoration is our best chance at both reestablishing healthy, ecologically sound waterways and mitigating the many impacts of climate change,” wrote Elizabeth Quayle. “One of the primary challenges local governments face is that there are often multiple organizational bodies operating across a single watershed, each with their own, misaligned, policies.”

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PARKSVILLE 2019 SYMPOSIUM SUPPORTER: Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRORD) – “The Ministry is pleased to support the work of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in co-organizing Parksville 2019,” stated Neil Goeller


“Sustainable water management is a central concern and focus of the work of FLNRORD, as we see the increasing effects of seasonal floods and drought that are predicted to increase as a result of a climate change,” stated Neil Goeller. “The 2019 water symposium will showcase approaches to land use planning, and maintenance and restoration of watershed function that can mitigate negative impacts, while drawing on the shared efforts of government and community to successfully face these challenges.”

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IMPROVING WHERE WE LIVE: Building Nanaimo Region’s “Actionable Vision” for Water & Watersheds / Learn More at Parksville 2019 / April 2-3-4 (Announcement #5, February 2019)


“At Parksville 2019, the story of how a strong foundation of public outreach and science was built over the first decade will lead into a lively discussion on opportunities and emphasis for the next 10 years of water sustainability initiatives. It is the successful cultivation of awareness and data that will inform policy and planning in order to make better land and water decisions and tackle regional water issues in the next decade. The RDN is positioned to tackle regional water issues and help to create a vision to chart a new course to a sustainable water future,” states Julie Pisani.

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PARKSVILLE 2019 SYMPOSIUM SUPPORTER: Department of Fisheries & Oceans (DFO) – “Opportunities to support continued dialogue, engagement and advancements in innovation across professional disciplines and jurisdictions engaged in water management, conservation and sustainability is of vital importance and genuine benefit,” stated Nick Leone


“The issues around effective water management, and certainly as it pertains watershed planning and restoration efforts, aligns well with fisheries conservation and management considerations, including long-term water security and allocation, habitat productivity and ecosystem resiliency, and implications for Government and community-supported stock enhancement efforts,” stated Nick Leone. “Fostering improved partnerships, collaboration and data/information exchange, in addition to sharing of technical and management innovations is of particular importance .”

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BUILDING NANAIMO REGION’S ACTIONABLE VISION FOR WATER & WATERSHEDS: “It all started with a conversation,” recalls John Finnie, General Manager for Regional and Community Utilities, Regional District of Nanaimo


“Once upon a time, a conversation between an RDN Electoral Area Director and RDN staff resulted in a proposal to create a drinking water and watershed protection function and service area in the RDN Electoral Areas,” recalls John Finnie. “Subsequently, over 10 years ago, the Regional District of Nanaimo Board and Electoral Area residents supported a referendum to create this function.   Barely.  It was a challenging process and a very close decision, and could have been defeated. But the right decision was made.”

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OUTREACH & AWARENESS RAISING FOR PARKSVILLE 2019 SYMPOSIUM: UBCM newsletter spreads the word to all local governments in British Columbia – “restorative land development results in sustainable stream restoration”


The way communities have historically developed and drained land has disconnected hydrology from ecology. The consequences of this disconnect are more erosion and flooding, loss of baseflow and aquatic habitat, and an unfunded infrastructure liability for stream stabilization. “Delegates at the Parksville 2019 Symposium will learn how local government partnerships with stewardship groups can be transformational and respond better to a changing climate,” stated Glen Brown, General Manager, UBCM Victoria Operations.

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PARKSVILLE 2019 SYMPOSIUM FUNDER: Pacific Salmon Foundation – transforming the public’s outlook to realize the connection wild Pacific salmon have with everything that is British Columbia


“With ongoing education, partnership and collaboration, we will positively transform people’s outlook to realize the connection wild Pacific salmon have with everything that is British Columbia,” stated Jim Shinkewski. “The Pacific Salmon Foundation is pleased to support this symposium as it is well connected to our mission of salmon conservation and watershed health. It is a good opportunity to empower the stewardship community to address current and future challenges related to a changing climate and to celebrate past accomplishments in this area.”

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PARKSVILLE 2019 SYMPOSIUM SPONSOR: Tectonica – “Develop and redevelop in ways that reduce the burden on the environment,” says Bil Derby


“Through innovative storm water management approaches in urban areas that mitigate the impacts of development on natural hydrology, the development community can play a strong role, but only with broader support of the community. Dialogue is the key to any strategy and this symposium creates the opportunity for discussions that create the energy, and understanding, in the community to provide direction to current and future policy makers,” stated Bill Derby.

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PARKSVILLE 2019 SYMPOSIUM SPONSOR: MacDonald-Gray Consultants – “designing with nature” means work with a site rather than against it!


“We are pleased to lend our support to the education and advancement of watershed stewardship on Vancouver Island through the efforts of local and provincial partners for the symposium in Parksville,” stated Nigel Gray, Principal Planner. “Environmental stewardship and natural systems based land development are key components to our approach to our land use planning and landscape architecture service areas. It is our hope that the Parksville 2019 Symposium will affect the further evolution of local policy development and regulatory frameworks in the mid-island region.”

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RAINWATER MANAGEMENT IN THE COMOX VALLEY: “Our local governments have commonly relied on hard engineering solutions that employ expensive infrastructure. That approach has left us with a long-term financial burden we cannot afford,” wrote George Le Masurier in an article explaining why there is now a shift toward green infrastructure on Vancouver Island


“Stormwater management plans in the Comox Valley have historically treated rainwater as waste, something to be collected and disposed of quickly, usually into previously clean streams or directly into the ocean. Clearly a new approach is needed,” wrote George Le Masurier. “Forward-thinking municipalities have shifted toward source control, managing rain where it falls through infiltration, evapotranspiration and rainwater harvesting, techniques known as green infrastructure.”

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