EAP TRANSITION STRATEGY PARTNERSHIP: “The City of Nanaimo is all-in for EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process. When the EAP Partnership idea came up, the most attractive element was the ability to pass on the torch,” stated Bill Sims, General Manager of Engineering and Public Works

Note to Reader:

Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published on October 15, 2024 is the first installment in a 4-part series that showcases a successful precedent to pass the intergenerational baton and build long-term capacity within local government to implement Natural Asset Management.

Anna Lawrence, project coordinator for the EAP Transition Strategy Partnership is the guest editor for a conversation with Bill Sims, general manager of engineering, about the City of Nanaimo’s experience in advancing EAP.

 

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Reflections on the 3-year transition strategy for embedding EAP at Vancouver Island University – extracts from a conversation with Bill Sims about the City of Nanaimo experience 

At the midway mark in the 3-year transition strategy for embedding EAP at Vancouver Island University, Anna Lawrence and Bill Sims had a conversation to take stock of the journey. A set of four questions provided a framework for reflections by Bill Sims.

Why is the City of Nanaimo all-in with its 3-year commitment to the EAP Partnership? Midway through, how does Bill Sims describe his view of the journey to date? What was in his mind when the City selected Departure Creek as the 1st case study? How will City staff use what they have learned?

THREAD ONE: Why the City of Nanaimo is all-in with its commitment to the EAP Partnership

“Moving forward with natural asset management is one of the key drivers for Nanaimo. This is why the City is all-in for EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process. This is one way to getting an inventory happening. Most importantly, we saw the EAP Partnership as a timely opportunity to leverage collaboration with other local governments,” explains Bill Sims.

 

 

“We hire consultants oftentimes out of necessity because we simply do not have capacity, expertise or time in-house. When the EAP Partnership idea came up, the most attractive element was the ability to pass on the torch to the next generation of local government staff without losing the experience and knowledge that we have intrinsically built up.”

 

Storytelling and oral history is a foundation piece for Natural Asset Management

“We talk a lot about the need for oral history and stories. This partnership, this collaboration, has the opportunity to enshrine it and perpetuate the acquisition and evolution of knowledge around natural assets.”

“That is what I immediately really liked about the whole idea of the EAP Partnership. And then setting it up within the research chair at MABRRI gave it that sense of permanence. You knew it was going to be safe. We could entrust it there.”

 

Pass on knowledge and evolve understanding: 

“If I retire tomorrow and my successor does not pick up the torch, then the EAP Partnership fizzles from my point of view  But it will not fizzle if this program starts to perpetuate. Doing singular projects is all well and good. When we do one and then put it down, however, time passes and memories fade. But turning it more into a program makes it habitual.”

 

 

“That is the other thing. as I see it. We are always evolving. Our knowledge and understanding is always evolving. So embedding EAP in a institution like VIU is an opportunity for the EAP Partnership to take whatever knowledge the City of Nanaimo might have and then expand it and evolve it and improve upon it.”

THREAD TWO:  Why the City of Nanaimo selected Departure Creek as its 1st EAP project

“Departure Creek has had intensive attention, not only from the stewardship group but also from the City in terms of infrastructure or environmental improvements over time.”

 

 

“And we have observed that the Departure Bay Neighbourhood Association, not just the stewardship group, has a history of  being a very engaged and active neighbourhood association. So, the people of that neighbourhood are engaged in community-building. This is really quite gratifying for me to see as a manager at the City.”

“Departure Creek is also one of the very few creeks on the east coast of Vancouver Island that does not dry up. There obviously some value, there is a salmon return frequently. There has been encroachment on the creek. There has also been riparian repair along the creek.”

 

THREAD THREE: How the City of Nanaimo will use what they have learned from Departure Creek

“Halfway through, it is quite exciting to see how the research work is unfolding. You would not have predicted this 1½ or 2 years ago when we started. What we are learning is so much bigger than just saying we are going to do this research project, come up with a number, and away we go. It is going way beyond that simple way of looking at things.”

 

 

Affordable, effective, pragmatic and entrenched

“Nanaimo is a local government trying to do more with less. If I have a number that I can apply to all the creeks in my municipality to get me started, it is really exciting. The project management by Anna and Graham has been really instrumental in helping the project move along.”

“Sustaining anything is really challenging. To keep this going is the goal and I see that happening. It is kind of exciting, quite honestly! Pulling Metro Vancouver into the EAP Partnership is going to strengthen the legs under it.”

“In the background, we are having our conversations about asset management in general. Conversations about how we keep it going for gray infrastructure and bring in natural assets. Our parks group is doing land inventories. All of this can be presented as a package.”

“The EAP program is embedded in our Integrated Action Plan. This supports City Plan: Nanaimo Reimagined which is the City’s strategic planning document. It provides direction for the coming 25 years on everything…land use, transportation, climate adaptation, etc. We made sure EAP is part of that. It is firmly rooted.”

EAP provides a starting point for action

“That in some ways short cuts the journey we would probably want to take. Departure Creek will go into our inventory. After Wexford Creek is done, we will have another inventory. And if the Natural Capital Asset financial values per lineal metre of stream length are within 10, 15, 20% of each other, we are going to say – hey, this is close enough.”

 

 

“That exercise will then form part of our Asset Management Plan and our natural asset inventory. As I have said many times…it may not be perfect but it is something. It is a starting point.”

Understand WHY we are making the financial case for investment in streams

“From there, we can start to demonstrate that the creeks in Nanaimo have a value of X millions of dollars. We really should be investing in their maintenance and management. By being pragmatic and making the financial case using real numbers, we answer the question of why we should be investing,” concludes Bill Sims.

 

To Learn More:

To read the complete story, download a copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Reflections on the 3-year transition strategy for embedding EAP at Vancouver Island University -City of Nanaimo experience.

DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Darrell-Mussatto_reflections-by-an-elected-leaders_2024.pdf