LEGAL AND POLICY STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE: – theme for Seminar 2 of inaugural Comox Valley Learning Lunch Seminar Series (October 2008)
Note to Reader:
Hosted by the City of Courtenay under the umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan, Seminar #2 in the 2008 Comox Valley Learning Lunch Series explored extensive and very specific tools available under the Local Government Act so that municipalities can proactively manage the complete spectrum of rainfall events: from light showers to heavy rain to extreme storms.
The theme was Legal and Policy Strategies to Support Green Infrastructure. The focus was on the Green Infrastructure Guide so that participants would know how to use it effectively as a resource.
A desired outcome was that participants would understand what bylaw and policy tools enable incorporation and retrofitting of engineered green infrastructure into development plans.
Alignment of Efforts Across Boundaries
“In early 2008, the provincial government’s Speech from the Throne provided a timely impetus for branding Beyond the Guidebook as The New Business As Usual and rolling it out through the Learning Lunch Series,” stated Kim Stephens, Program Coordinator for the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia.
“An announcement by Dale Wall, Deputy Minister (Community Development) at the Gaining Ground Summit in May 2008 then underscored the Province’s commitment. But it was the release of Living Water Smart, BC’s Water Plan, in June 2008 that provided clear provincial policy direction for doing business differently.”
Inter-Departmental & Inter-Governmental Alignment
“When we came up with the Learning Lunch idea, our objectives and expectations were quite modest,” stated John Finnie, CAVI Chair (2006-2011). At the time, he was General Manager of Water & Wastewater Services, Regional District of Nanaimo.
“We wanted to explore a collaborative approach that we believed would help local governments make informed land development decisions that meet multiple objectives. The idea was an outcome of the Green Infrastructure Leadership Forum that CAVI and the Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities co-hosted in December 2007.”
“We wanted to bring together engineers, planners, building inspectors and bylaw enforcement officers; and we wanted the focus to be on aligning efforts to implement effective green infrastructure. The idea resonated, so much so that the original inter-departmental concept quickly mushroomed into an inter-governmental concept.”
TO LEARN MORE:
Download a copy of the Lesson Plan for Seminar #2, held in October 2008.
Download a copy of the Agenda for Seminar #2, hosted by the City of Courtenay. Or, refer to the image below to save a step.
Download a copy of Beyond the Guidebook: Create Liveable Communities & Protect Stream Health, the opening presentation by Kim Stephens in the morning.
