CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION: “Consensus is about framing the problem correctly, being realistic about the options, and getting to the right answer,” stated Clint Hames, mayor of Chilliwack during the crucible period covered by the 3rd installment of the Chronicle

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. Stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective, and the Story Behind the Story (REPRODUCED BELOW).

The edition published on October 28, 2025 featured the third installment of the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver. Part C covers the period 1997 through 2005. This sweeping narrative weaves quotable quote to tell the story of what led up to publication of Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia in 2002, and the impact of what followed in the wake of publication.

STORY BEHIND THE STORY OF THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE CHRONICLE: Leaps of faith and calculated risks – convening for action in Metro Vancouver

The Green Infrastructure Chronicle covers the period between 1994 and 2024. At 700-plus pages, it is a tome. By definition, tome means it is both unusually large and unusually important. The  Chronicle is oral history and the storyline is a work-in-progress because we are moving along a continuum.

With 2026 coming soon, how the next five to ten years play out depends on whether and how effectively municipalities adapt to implement the “streams and trees component” of the Metro Vancouver region’s updated Integrated Liquid Waste and Resource Management Plan. It is an essential piece of the strategy for ensuring a livable region and thus quality of life.

HISTORY AT A GLANCE: Convening for action in the Georgia Basin between 1997 and 2005

In the late 1990s, drainage was a galvanizing issue for sustainable development. The Fish Protection Act had changed the game. The cumulative impacts of land use changes on stream health were proven. Implementation of streamside protection regulation was a work-in-progress. Content for the Stormwater Planning Guidebook was being developed through case studies.

COLOUR CODE: yellow is Georgia Basin in scope and white is specific to Metro Vancouver

GOAL: Reconcile Competing Priorities

QUOTABLE QUOTES: Peer-based sharing and learning the driver for convening for action

TABLE OF CONTENTS: for Chronicle and for Part C

Part C is structured in ten segments to tell the stories behind the story for the years between 1997 and 2005. It provides the reader with a sense of how energy released by the Georgia Basin Initiative in the mid-1990s began to play out consequentially in the Metro Vancouver region.

To Learn More:

Waterbucket eNews stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective and Context for Busy Reader, and the Story Behind the Story. To read the complete 3-part storyline, download a PDF  copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Leaps of faith and calculated risks – convening for action in Metro Vancouver.

DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/10/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Leaps-of-Faith-and-Calculated-Risks-Part-C_2025.pdf