Vancouver Island Water

TODAY’S EXPECTATIONS ARE TOMORROW’S STANDARDS – theme for Seminar 1 of inaugural Comox Valley Learning Lunch Seminar Series (September 2008)

September 18, 2020 - Posted in 2008 Comox Valley Learning Lunch Seminar Series, Convening for Action in 2008, Seminar 1 - from Expectations to Standards

NOTE TO READER:

Hosted by the City of Courtenay under the umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan, Seminar #1 in the 2008 Comox Valley Learning Lunch Series set the scene by tracing the evolution of rainwater and stormwater management policies and practices over the previous two decades. This provided a frame-of-reference and a common understanding for subsequent sessions.

The theme was Today’s Expectations are Tomorrow’s Expectations. The focus was on Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia. The curriculum was built around the Guidebook so that participants would know how to use it effectively as a planning resource and/or tool.

A desired outcome was that participants would understand why a Design with Nature approach to rainwater management (i.e. using infiltration and trees) would influence the greening of the built environment and protect stream health.

Today’s Expectations are Tomorrow’s Standards

The first Comox Valley seminar on September 19th 2008 was introductory in scope, with the objective of stimulating the interest of participants in doing self-exploration by digging into a list of web resources at their leisure. The seminar theme was: “Today’s Expectations are Tomorrow’s Standards”.

“At Seminar #1, my series opening presentation was designed to provide a frame-of-reference and a common understanding for subsequent sessions,” stated Kim Stephens, Program Coordinator for the Water Sustainability Action. He designed the series curriculum and moderated the seminars.

“Because I was project manager and principal author of Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia, I explained the approach and structure so that participants would know how to use it effectively as a planning resource and/or tool. We introduced the the phrase ‘design with nature’.

“A set of four presentations provided context for the day and set the scene for a walkabout through the Glacier View Pond area in East Courtenay. After the walkabout, and with the assistance of Kate Miller of the Cowichan Valley Regional District, I delved into the details of the Guidebook and how the Water Balance Model had been developed as an extension of the Guidebook.”