Author Archives: Partnership for Water Sustainability

  1. GEORGIA BASIN INTER-REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE: “Storytelling is the way we share intergenerational knowledge, experience and wisdom,” stated Kim Stephens, Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia

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    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.

    The edition published on June 2, 2026 concluded the Winter/Spring 2026 season of stories in the Living Water Smart in British Columbia Series. These stories are about leaders and influencers at milestone moments in Georgia Basin history. The pitfalls of recent housing and professional reliance legislation in British Columbia is a theme that weaves its way through their stories.

     

    ONE MINUTE TAKEAWAY & EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE / CONTEXT FOR BUSY READER – by Kim Stephens

    Never has storytelling been more important than it is today. And that is because deep knowledge is being lost at an alarming rate. This is the Partnership’s “mission context” for showcasing the stories of those who are leading change that enhances community livability.

    Living Water Smart in British Columbia Series

    Below, the Stephen Denning quote says it all. The Waterbucket eNews platform at waterbucket.ca fills a gap and meets a need by providing a window into “stories behind the stories.”

     

    Share Deep Knowledge Through Storytelling

    We learn through stories. This is how we pass on our oral history. Storytelling is the way we share intergenerational knowledge, experience and wisdom. This is why each and every edition of Waterbucket eNews is built around a conversational interview.

    The Partnership shares the “stories behind the stories” of champions in the local government and stewardship sectors with this outcome in mind: That successive generations will be inspired by can-do leaders and will grow the knowledge network.

    I like the distinction Stephen Denning makes with this quote: “Knowledge-sharing stories tend to be about problems and have a different pattern from the traditional well-told story. They are told with context, and have something traditional stories lack: an explanation.”

    It is about allowing the listener (or reader) to practically digest abstract ideas and implement them, he explains: “Telling stories that build on real knowledge sharing situations, enables individuals to gather in some of the understanding of the storyteller as well as recast the story into their own contextual work environment; hence adding their own understanding to the process”.

    Learn, Do, Adapt, Tell the Story

    The Graham Greene quote is a good way to bring this season of Waterbucket eNews and the Living Water Smart in British Columbia Series to a close. It speaks to the theme of passing on the intergenerational baton to learn from lived experience, apply lessons learned, and adapt to do better in a continuous improvement cycle.

     

    SEASON IN REVIEW: Headlines and Defining Quotable Quotes

    This edition brings to a close the current season (January through May 2026) of the Waterbucket eNews newsletter series. In 2026, we switched from weekly to a fortnightly schedule.

    This edition constitutes our “season in review”. We have kept it simple. To refresh reader memories about the topics and how much ground we have covered, we have brought forward the headline plus defining quotable quote from each of the 10 storylines.

    We resume publication in September. There are so many stories still to share.

    JANUARY 27, 2026: season preview for upcoming Waterbucket eNews stories

    To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Storytelling to share deep knowledge – preview of stories in the pipeline 

     

    FEBRUARY 4, 2026: When we are part of a network, everyone goes further!

    To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of When we are part of a network, everyone goes further!

     

    FEBRUARY 10, 2026: When provincial bolts out of the blue impact local autonomy

    To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of When provincial bolts out of the blue impact local autonomy 

     

    FEBRUARY 24, 2026: Learn by doing, and adapt to create livable communities – convening for action in Metro Vancouver (Part D of Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation for the years 2006 thru 2011)

    To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Learn by doing, and adapt to create livable communities – convening for action in Metro Vancouver 

     

    MARCH 10, 2026: Create safe spaces for storytelling in the changing world of asset management

    To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Create safe spaces for storytelling in the changing world of asset management

     

    MARCH 24, 2026: Resilient Region Design Charrette tackles housing legislation: Regional livability is on the table…again!

    To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Resilient Region Design Charrette tackles housing legislation: Regional livability is on the table…again!

     

    APRIL 7, 2026: BCIT’s green roof programming an early victim of an ebbing tide

    To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of BCIT’s green roof programming an early victim of an ebbing tide

     

    APRIL 21, 2026: Open Minds, Overcome Inertia, Implement Effective Standards of Practice for Urban Watershed Health (Part E of Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation for the years 2012 thru 2017)

    To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Open Minds, Overcome Inertia, Implement Effective Standards of Practice for Urban Watershed Health in British Columbia

     

    MAY 5, 2026: Municipal Infrastructure Gap: We are past the point where local governments can catch up

    To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Municipal Infrastructure Gap: We are past the point where local governments can catch up

     

    MAY 19, 2026: Lead with Civility to Turn the Cultural Tide Together

    To read the complete story, download a PDF copy of Lead with Civility to Turn the Cultural Tide Together

     

     

    Living Water Smart in British Columbia Series

    To download a copy of the foregoing resource as a PDF document for your records and/or sharing, click on Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Storytelling to share deep knowledge.

     

    DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/05/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Season-Finale-for-Living-Water-Smart-Series_June-2026.pdf

  2. WHEN WE ARE PART OF A NETWORK, EVERYONE GOES FURTHER: “Our world seems to be getting more wobbly, more unstable, more uncertain. We can support each other to make everyone’s work easier by creating a knowledge network,” stated Rémi Dubé, former senior manager in local government

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    Note to Reader:

    Construction Business is a trade magazine which serves British Columbia and Alberta. Beginning in 2006 with a feature story on the rollout of the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia, every two or three years editor Cheryl Mah invites the Partnership for Water Sustainability to contribute a topical article that is relevant to her Construction Business readership. In May 2026, Construction Business published an article co-authored by the Partnership duo of Kim Stephens and Rémi Dubé. Twenty years and counting!

     

    Regional Livability: Implementing a New Culture for Urban Watershed Protection and Restoration

    When you think of the issues we face today…weather extremes, drying rivers, degraded streams, frequent wildfires, population growth, housing affordability…they are no different than they were in the 1990s and the 2000s. They are just more complex and more urgent.

    With hindsight and perspective, 1994 represents a watershed moment in the history of the Lower Mainland and east coast of Vancouver Island. The bioregion was at a crossroads and faced Critical Choices: “Will it be development that controls us or development that sustains us?”

     

    Convening for action in the Metro Vancouver region

    The Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver is a sweeping narrative of an exciting period in local government “convening for action” history. The Chronicle is about elected leaders and a host of others who rose to the moment and championed the “mission possible” goal… settlement, economy, and ecology in balance!

    The Chronicle started out as a chronology of “convening for action” events. And then it grew into something bigger in scope. It serves as a legacy resource for the past three decades.

     

     

    Through a conversational interview process, the stories behind the story came into focus.  Themes emerged. Four distinct eras define the past three decades of experience in the Metro Vancouver region, with the period of time for each varying between six and nine years.

     

    With a network, everyone goes further

    Frontline staff in local government need safe spaces where they can…one, tap into insights from alumni who are retired from leadership positions…and two, share experiences with their peers as a way to turn problems into solutions.  This is exactly what the Partnership did this past January. We hosted a “safe space forum” for conversations between past, current and future leaders.

     

     

    In planning the forum, our goal was to foster strong connections among the attendees. We did not want this gathering to be like many professional gatherings where interactions are polite, efficient, but surface level. We deliberately planned exercises that focused on listening, learning, and reflection.

    To Learn More:

    To read the complete article, download a copy of Green Infrastructure: Past and Future.

     

     

     

  3. CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION: “All regions were dealing with challenges associated with watershed monitoring. Each was at a different point along the watershed health continuum. Each region had something unique to contribute,” stated Kate Miller about the period 2012 – 2017 covered in Part E of the Chronicle

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    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 April 21, 2026 featured the fifth installment of the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver. Part E covers the period 2012 through 2017. This sweeping narrative weaves quotable quotes to provide the reader with a perspective on Metro Vancouver collaboration with four other regional districts bordering the Salish Sea.

    While it was a defining period for inter-regional collaboration, something happened in Metro Vancouver to change the trajectory. After 2017, the gap between understanding and implementation widened rather than being bridged.

     

    STORY BEHIND THE STORY OF THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE CHRONICLE: Open minds, overcome inertia, implement effective standards of practice for urban watershed health in BC

    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 the story is not finished.

    Since the 1990s, drainage has been a galvanizing issue for sustainable development. The cumulative impacts of land use changes on stream function are proven. Streamside protection regulation is a fact of life. We understand how to turn problems into solutions. But we keep failing to overcome inertia.

    Georgia Basin IREI builds on a long and rich history

    The Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative is the foundation for the initiatives described in Part E of the Chronicle. Launched in 2012, the IREI is a unique mechanism for inter-regional and inter-governmental collaboration. The Georgia Bason Initiative seeded the idea for it in1994.

     

    Complementary regional lenses produced a complete picture of the Urban Watershed Health issue

    Entering the 2010s, watershed and stream health and rainwater management were priorities for communities on the east coast of Vancouver Island and in the Lower Mainland region.

    Metro Vancouver, Capital Region, Cowichan Region, Nanaimo Region and Comox Valley regional districts are IREI founding members. Each region had a vision and goals for water and watershed sustainability. This commonality was the point of departure for sharing and learning from each other.

     

    Annual milestones in a collaborative process

    Communities were struggling with the question of how best to move forward on the Watershed Health issue, particularly in light of a changing climate and financial drivers to provide higher levels-of-service at reduced levels-of-cost. Inter-regional collaboration helped each region understand what the other regions are doing, what works and what does not. ‘

     

    “Beyond the Guidebook 2015” is the centrepiece of the story about the period 2012 through 2017

    Outcomes resulting from collaboration across boundaries are documented in Beyond the Guidebook 2015: Moving Towards “Sustainable Watershed Systems, through Asset Management”. But Beyond the Guidebook 2015 is much, much more.

    At one level, it is a progress report on “convening for action” in the five Georgia Basin regions bordering the Salish Sea. Overarching, however, is that it includes a road map for integrating watershed thinking into municipal asset management.

     

    Sustainable Urban Watershed Systems can be achieved through Municipal Asset Management

    Cascading Objectives inform a whole-system approach to land use

    HISTORY AT A GLANCE: Convening for action in the Georgia Basin between 2012 and 2017

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

     

    TABLE OF CONTENTS: for Chronicle and for Part E

    Structured in ten segments, Part E provides the reader with perspective on Metro Vancouver collaboration with other regional districts bordering the Salish Sea.

    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: Open Minds, Overcome Inertia, Implement Effective Standards of Practice for Urban Watershed Health in British Columbia.

     

    DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/gi/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/04/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Kim-Stephens-on-Overcoming-Inertia_2026_with-Part-E.pdf

     

  4. CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION: “We must all be leaders who selflessly have a vision, and we must then act to make the vision a reality,” stated Lois Jackson, Chair of the Metro Vancouver Regional Board, during the golden period (2006-2011) covered by Part D of the Chronicle

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    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 February 24, 2026 featured the fourth installment of the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver. Part D covers the period 2006 through 2011. This sweeping narrative weaves quotable quote to provide the reader with a sense of the level of activity and how this activity generated green infrastructure momentum in the Metro Vancouver region.

     

    STORY BEHIND THE STORY OF THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE CHRONICLE: learn by doing, and adapt to create livable communities – 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 2006 and 2011

    In the 2000s, drainage was a galvanizing issue for sustainable development. The cumulative impacts of land use changes on stream function were proven. Implementation of streamside protection regulation was a fact of life. We understood how to turn problems into solutions.

     

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

     

    Two unifying threads weave through Part D. Thread One was that the provincial government provided green infrastructure leadership during this period, with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs mantra being: Today’s expectations are tomorrow’s standards.

    Thread Two was the regulatory requirement that Metro Vancouver municipalities develop integrated plans pursuant to the rainwater (i.e. streams and trees) component of the region’s Integrated Liquid Waste and Resource Management Plan. This provided a reason for convening for action!

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

    UNTOLD STORY: Incorporation of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in November 2010

    The inaugural REFBC Land Awards Gala on November 18, 2010 is the event of record for the formal announcement about incorporation of the Partnership as a legal entity. What few know is that Premier Gordon Campbell was originally scheduled to make the announcement. But it was not to be because he resigned as premier on November 3, 2010.

     

    Boldness has genius, power and magic in it

    “Collaboration is essential. We also have to bring people together. If we find a common purpose that we are pursuing together, there really is nothing that we cannot accomplish,” exhorted Premier Campbell.

    “Look long term. Think about what is best for the future. Not for you, but for those who will follow you. Think about how we can create a better environment that others can live in and benefit from.”

    “We get to make our own choices. We get to make our own future. We just have to have the vision to imagine, and the tenacity to pursue it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”

    TABLE OF CONTENTS: for Chronicle and for Part D

     

    Part D is structured in twelve segments to tell the stories behind the story for the years between 2006 and 2011. It provides the reader with a sense of the level of activity and how this activity generated green infrastructure momentum 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: Learn by doing, and adapt to create livable communities – convening for action in Metro Vancouver.

     

    DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/01/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Kim-Stephens-on-Learning-by-Doing-Part-D_2025.pdf

  5. GEORGIA BASIN INTER-REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE: “I think it is great that the Partnership for Water Sustainability is the keeper of the Georgia Basin Intiative legacy and that what we started in the 1990s continues. A lot of the work that we did to put the GBI idea and the structure together is still in place,” stated Mike Harcourt, former Premier of British Columbia

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    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 (REPRODUCED BELOW), and the Story Behind the Story.

    The edition published on February 4, 2026 featured reflections by Rémi Dubé on what was achieved when the Partnership hosted an intergenerational gathering of local government staff, past and current, in January 2026. The forum was the springboard for a 3-year transition strategy that addresses the question: Who will lead the Partnership after the Year 2028?Mike Harcourt, former Premier of British Columbia, was an honoured guest.

    His visionary leadership in the 1990s laid the foundation for the Partnership and the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative in the 2000s. At the Forum, Mike Harcourt said: “I would like to put a call to action on the record to do with land use planning and ecological and economic sustainability. We need to integrate all the disparate changes now taking place.”

     

    EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE / Why there is a Partnership for Water Sustainability

    “The Partnership is honoured that former Premier Mike Harcourt chose to show his support by attending the Ambassadors of the Partnership Forum. One can draw a straight line from his time as Premier in the 1990s to the Forum,” stated Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director and Waterbucket eNews Editor, in his overview remarks to ambassadors and friends of  the Partnership. His overview was titled Why there is a Partnership for Water Sustainability.

    “Mike Harcourt was the political champion for a TOP-DOWN AND BOTTOM-UP network approach to collaboration. A defining moment for local governments during his time as Premier was the launch of the transformational Georgia Basin Initiative in 1994.”

     

    Gordon Campbell is the second Premier who is part of our Partnership history and story

    “Gordon Campbell and Mike Harcourt were colleagues in local government and Gordon Campbell succeeded Mike Harcourt as mayor of Vancouver. “

    “In the 2000s, Gordon Campbell had our back. He gave us the opportunity to show how on-the-ground partnerships could inform provincial policy. And we ran with it. The Water Sustainability Action Plan was the proof of the pudding.”

    “The Action Plan was my responsibility to develop and deliver. It was the springboard to Living Water Smart, BC’s Water Plan. The Living Water Smart VISION transcends government and guides the work of the Partnership.”

     

    In 2010, five grass-roots government partnerships morphed into the legal entity that is the Partnership

     

    The fourth partnership was the Water Balance Model Partnership. We built an online tool and this established credibility.

    The fifth partnership was the Waterbucket Website Partnership. This allows us to record our history as we create it.

     

    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: When we are part of a network, everyone goes further.

     

    DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/02/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Remi-Dube_go-further-in-a-network_2026.pdf

     

  6. CONVENING FOR ACTION ON VANCOUVER ISLAND: Formed in 2006, CAVI morphed into the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Educational Initiative in 2012, thereby expanding the “coalition of the willing” to include the Metro Vancouver region

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    Note to Reader:

    The Georgia Basin bioregion encompasses the east coast of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland region. The Georgia Basin has long been a hot-bed of progressive ideas and provincially significant initiatives. Over the years, regional districts and municipalities have advanced watershed-based strategies and programs for “integrating rainwater management at the site level with the watershed and stream”.

     

    CAVI morphed into the Georgia Basin IREI

    Launched in 2006, CAVI -Convening for Action on Vancouver Island was a partnership to foster “water-centric planning” and “design with nature” approaches in local governments, aiming for water sustainability through green infrastructure, leadership, and collaboration.

    Led by key figures like Eric Bonham (who was the heart and soul of the initiative) and John Finnie (first Chair), CAVI operated under the umbrella of the Partnership for Water Sustainability. CAVI engaged local governments, First Nations, developers, and citizens to foster support for long-term sustainability of communities. CAVI shone the spotlight on moving from talk to tangible action. 

     

    This graphic created by Eric Bonham to illustrate the scope of CAVI

     

    Core Philosophy and Goals

    The CAVI mission centered on shifting the practitioner culture in local government from simple awareness to concrete action: 
    • Design with Nature: Promoting green infrastructure and development practices that minimize impacts on the watershed.
    • Regional Team Approach: Facilitating a “coalition of equals” among different levels of government, First Nations, and developers to share resources and break down jurisdictional barriers.
    • Water-Centric Planning: Integrating water management into every stage of land-use planning and community design.
    • Long-Term Vision: Challenging communities to visualize and plan for what they want Vancouver Island to look like 50 years into the future

    In 2012, CAVI morphed into the the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative (IREI).

     

    Timeline of the Transition

    The history of CAVI and the IREI is a significant example of how long-term environmental policy can be sustained through multi-jurisdictional cooperation rather than top-down mandates. Key moments in the timeline are listed below:

    • 2006: CAVI was launched at the “Water in the City” conference as a provincial demonstration program.
    • 2007–2011: The program was co-funded by the Province and the Real Estate Foundation to develop local government talent through a “regional team approach”.
    • 2012: The initiative officially expanded to include Metro Vancouver, transforming from a Vancouver Island-focused effort into the inter-regional IREI.
    • 2016: The program reached a “10-year milestone,” at which point five regional districts passed resolutions to support the next five-year phase (2016–2021) of the IREI.

    The transition to the IREI was designed to create a “coalition of the willing” across the Georgia Basin. It linked the four regions on Vancouver Island (Capital Region, Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo Region, and Comox Valley) with Metro Vancouver to facilitate peer-based learning and cross-pollinate ideas for water sustainability and green infrastructure.

     

    Rainwater Management in a Watershed Sustainability Context

    “In 2012, the Partnership for Water Sustainability brought together the four regional districts on Vancouver Island to align their efforts and implement a proof of approach for the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative. These four regions represent 90% of the Vancouver Island population. Subsequently, the Partnership invited Metro Vancouver to be an IREI partner,” explains Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director.

    “The early success of the CAVI initiative had created opportunities for knowledge sharing and transfer on both sides of the Georgia Basin. Formalizing inter-regional collaboration meant that together everyone could go further, more efficiently and effectively.”

    “In March 2013, the Partnership produced a Framework Document. This provides a consolidated source of reference material about the IREI in its first year after being launched. This important historical resource document is structured in four parts, with each part providing increasingly more detail.”

     

    To Learn More:

    Download a copy of the Framework Document which is titled Rainwater Management in a Watershed Sustainability Context: About the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Educational Initiative for “Integrating the Site with the Watershed and the Stream”.

     

    Living legacy of the Georgia Basin Initiative ripples through time

    Launched in 1994, the Georgia Basin Initiative was a call to action by the provincial government led by Premier Mike Harcourt. The influence of the Georgia Basin Initiative has rippled through time in profound and lasting ways.

    The idea for the Georgia Basin Initiative was spawned in a report by BC Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, chaired by Mayor Joy Leach. Published in late 1993, the Round Table report was titled Georgia Basin Initiative: Creating a Sustainable Future.

     

     

    ‘The living legacy of the Georgia Basin Initiative is embedded in and embodied by the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Educational Initiative which continues to provide peer-based education among local governments,” emphasizes Kim Stephens.

    TO LEARN MORE:

    To read the complete story, download a copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Georgia Basin Initiative legacy ripples thru time.

     

     

  7. SETTLEMENT, ECONOMY AND ECOLOGY IN BALANCE IS MISSION POSSIBLE: “It is a top-down and bottom-up strategy. First comes the vision. Then community involvement. Support from municipal decision makers follows next. Finally, communities must apply ‘Design with Nature’ as a consistent future approach to development,” stated Eric Bonham in a series of keynote calls to action at Vancouver Island forums

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    Note to Reader:

    The statement “settlement, economy and ecology in balance is mission possible” was coined by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, specifically within the context of the Water Sustainability Action Plan. In the 2000s, the phrase served as a core vision for regional Convening for Action initiatives such as CAVI on Vancouver Island, which aimed to influence how communities in British Columbia develop and re-develop.

     

    Key Context and Influence

    Source: The vision is central to the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia, which provides a framework for sustainable water and land use management.

    Philosophy: The phrase reflects a goal to harmonize human settlement and economic growth with ecological health.

    Inspiration: The Partnership credits the “Design with Nature” philosophy of Ian McHarg as a foundational influence for this balanced approach.

     

     

    While the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia had adopted “settlement, economy and ecology in balance” as its over-arching vision as of the mid-2000s, Eric Bonham is the individual credited with framing it as the Mission Possible call to action.

    Bonham, a founding member of the Partnership, introduced this specific phrasing during key leadership forums to emphasize that achieving a balance between human development and environmental health is an attainable goal rather than an impossible ideal. He was inspired by the story and legacy of John Muir whose advocacy resulted in the United States National Parks Service.

     

    Origin and Key Milestones

    Vision Framing: The core idea of settlement and ecology in balance was initially introduced to the Partnership’s network by Tim Pringle in 2007.

    Mission Possible Tagline: Eric Bonham expanded this into the Mission Possible call to action, notably using it to lead sessions such as the Mission Possible: Settlement, Economy and Ecology in Balance forums at the 2012 and 2013 Vancouver Island Economic Summits.

    Purpose: The statement is used to inspire practitioners and local governments to align land-use decisions with water-centric planning and Design With Nature philosophies.

     

    Role of Eric Bonham as a Water Sustainability Leader in BC

    As a former Director with the both BC Ministry of Municipal Affairs and the Minister of Environment, and a leader within the Convening for Action on Vancouver Island (CAVI) initiative, Bonham used the Mission Possible platform to advocate for a  regional team approach to water sustainability.

     

     

    This approach envisions integrating economic prosperity with ecological integrity to ensure long-term community wellbeing; and transforming the way local governments view the relationship between infrastructure development and natural assets.

    Eric Bonham is widely recognized for bridging the gap between government policy and community stewardship.

     

    Professional Career in Government

    Bonham held several senior leadership roles within the British Columbia provincial government before retiring in 2004:

    Director of Engineering: Served in the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, overseeing water and sewer infrastructure programs and aligning grants with conservation measures.

    Director of Floodplain Management: At the Ministry of Environment, he managed policy development and flood control programs across the province.

    Urban Salmon Habitat Program (USHP): In 1989, he was tasked with implementing this landmark program, which focused on partnerships between local governments and community stewards to rehabilitate urban streams.

    Water Conservation Strategy for British Columbia: He was a key member of the working group that developed the 1998 strategy, early on advocating for a “One Water” approach. 

     

    Leadership and Advocacy

    Since his retirement, Bonham has remained a prolific advocate for ecological health:

    CAVI-Convening for Action on Vancouver Island: He was a founding member of this initiative in 2006, where he introduced the Mission Possible call to action to inspire local governments toward Design With Nature standards.

    BC Lake Stewardship Society: He is a Director and was instrumental in its 1997 creation to empower citizen scientists and volunteers.

    Philosophy: He is known for promoting cathedral thinking—the idea of creating an inter-generational vision that is pragmatic, inspirational, and grounded in long-term sustainability.

     

  8. 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 (1997-2005) covered by Part C of the Chronicle

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    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

    Part C chronicles 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.

     

    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

     

     

     

  9. GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: “Ron Neufeld was an example to his peers of how to handle situations in a calm, professional and organized manner. Always a gentleman,” stated Derek Richmond, past-chair of CAVI-Convening for Action on Vancouver Island

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    In Memoriam

    Ron Neufeld

    Born in 1965, Ron Neufeld spent his formative years in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where his creativity and determination began to take shape. Ron pursued his calling in engineering, beginning with a Diploma of Technology from Saskatchewan Technical Institute in 1985, followed by a Bachelor’s of Applied Science from the University of Regina in 1997. He later earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Victoria in 2019, reflecting his lifelong commitment to public service.

     

     

    His impact on the community was far-reaching. He played a pivotal role in improving local infrastructure, championed environmental stewardship, and led the negotiations of complex municipal agreements with integrity and vision.

    To Learn More:

    Visit https://www.dignitymemorial.com/en-ca/obituaries/campbell-river-bc/ronald-neufeld-12476473

     

    A tribute by Derek Richmond, a former colleague and the past-chair of CAVI-Convening for Action on Vancouver Island

    Convening for Action on Vancouver Island

    CAVI is the acronym for Convening for Action on Vancouver Island. Launched in 2006 at the Water in the City Conference. An initiative of the Partnership for Water Sustainability,  the CAVI program was delivered from 2006 until 2016 under the umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia.

    From 2007 through 2011, the Province and Real Estate Foundation co-funded CAVI as a provincial demonstration initiative to develop local government talent.  The CAVI program was sustained by the commitment of the Partnership leadership team and the hands-on involvement of Vancouver Island local government staff.

    This Vancouver Island Water community-of-interest is the homepage for recording the CAVI history as it is created.

    Ron Neufeld played an important role in getting the CAVI program off the ground in the Comox Valley. He delivered presentations in 2007 and 2008 at Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation in the Comox Valley and the inaugural Comox Valley Learning Lunch Seminar Series, respectively. Both were provincial demonstration applications.

     

     

     

  10. CONVENING FOR ACTION IN THE COWICHAN REGION: “What is possible for climate resiliency in the Cowichan? We are at this really unique moment in our community about what is possible, how do we drive it, who is going to drive it,” stated Cindy Lise, co-lead for the Cowichan Climate Gathering, a collaborative initiative for collective impact

    Comments Off on CONVENING FOR ACTION IN THE COWICHAN REGION: “What is possible for climate resiliency in the Cowichan? We are at this really unique moment in our community about what is possible, how do we drive it, who is going to drive it,” stated Cindy Lise, co-lead for the Cowichan Climate Gathering, a collaborative initiative for collective impact

    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.

    The edition published on May 27, 2025 is the second in a 2-part series about the Cowichan Climate Gathering held in December 2024. The two provide an over-arching picture of what convening for action looks like in the Cowichan. The story behind the story is structured as three topics. First, Keith Lawrence introduces the network of networks context. Cindy Lise then reflects on the process for moving towards a common vision and explains why the artist’s storyboard is a foundation piece for build to Climate Gathering 2.0 in 2025.

     

    A watershed moment for reconciliation in Cowichan region

    Tackling the climate resiliency issue is a journey. It takes time. There is no quick fix. Concerns about extreme floods and droughts in the Cowichan region, for example, first surfaced in the 1990s. Three decades later, those concerns are still top of mind and are driving an outcome-oriented process.

     

    Build something from nothing

    “So you bring together a team of partners to try and figure out a way forward. Then something else whaps you on the side of the head. And you, as a collective, must figure out how to address that too. That is my experience because I get to live in a number of different worlds,” says Cindy Lise.

    “But you do not have a preconceived history or notion of what it is you are going to do…because it is hitting you in a way you have never experienced before. The only way that you are going to solve a complex challenge is if you have trust in others and a willingness to try something new.”

     

    The process is the journey

    “It is really about a journey,” states Keith Lawrence, co-lead for the event. “It was the process of meeting on a weekly basis and connecting with each member of the team and with panel presenters. That was the relationship building.”

    “On the day of, it was just the hope that everyone there had a rich experience. For me, the rich experience was building that deep connection with the planning team. That is why the journey is so important. The endpoint is more of a byproduct for me. What does it mean for where we go from here?”

     

     

    EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE / CONTEXT FOR BUSY READER

    “Grounded in the cultural ways of the Indigenous partners, the Cowichan Region Climate Gathering originated as an outreach initiative of the regional district’s watershed protection program. It morphed into something much, much bigger,”  stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.

    “My history of collaboration with Cowichan Valley local governments provides me with a firsthand context for judging the historical significance of what this watershed moment represents.”

     

     

    “Because I co-delivered the Blue Ecology in the Cowichan breakout session as part of a Watershed Moments tag-team with Michael Blackstock and Paul Chapman, this also gives me a participant’ s perspective.”

    Convening for action in the Cowichan to align efforts and work towards outcomes

    “The Cowichan Climate Gathering was an amazing experience. The energy, the passion, the diversity of groups participating was something to behold. Success in convening for action on December 9-10, 2024 is a testament to the co-leadership of Cindy Lise and Keith Lawrence. Their enthusiasm and commitment inspired others to step forward and make a difference,” concluded Kim Stephens.

    Now what do you do to achieve desired outcomes?

    “The Climate Gathering was an opportunity for us to really build the network of networks, to recognize the complexity of the systems that we are working within, to strengthen those connections and highlight how rich a tapestry of interactions can happen at an event like that,” Keith Lawrence said in a moment of reflection.

     

    “But it is going to take us a while. When I think about when we started with the Regional Airshed Roundtable in 2014, it took us a year to build the foundation. And that is where we are right now,” continued Cindy Lise.

     

     

    “Cindy has framed that well,” concluded Keith Lawrence. “We are talking about the broad role potentially going forward of the group of folks that are interested in leading this forward, both in terms of balancing how we build the collaborative framework going forward while advancing the collective along the spectrum of collaboration.”

    “And then, also reaching out to the public or those that can have a difference with the way they do things in terms of supporting climate action. There is a need for both the strengthening of the framework internally and broadening it externally to bring in new participants. Maybe this is where it intertwines with Michael Blackstock’s work with Blue Ecology.”

     

     

    STORY BEHIND THE STORY: A watershed moment for reconciliation in Cowichan region – a conversation with Cindy Lise and Keith Lawrence 

    This story about the Cowichan Climate Gathering is the second in a 2-part series, and focuses on Cindy Lise. In the first installment, the spotlight shone brightly on Keith Lawrence. Read together, the two stories provide an over-arching picture of what convening for action looks like in the Cowichan.

    The story behind the story is structured as three topics. In Topic One, Keith Lawrence introduces the network of networks context that brought people together at the Cowichan Climate Gathering.

    Topic Two addresses the Now What question as Cindy Lise reflects on the process for building on the passion of the collective to move towards a common vision. In Topic Three, she describes the importance of the artist’s storyboard as a foundation piece for building to Climate Gathering 2.0 later in 2025.

    TOPIC ONE: Network of networks

     

    “Across the region we have collaborative networks that are each focused on a particular set of actions that support climate resilience,” stated Keith Lawrence in the earlier interview. “For example, stewardship groups for a particular watershed, airshed protection roundtable, energy reduction champions and  climate action planning leaders.”

     

     

    “I see myself as merely a narrator speaking about a shared experience that we all had in planning the Cowichan Region Climate Gathering. We just know that ultimately, the network of networks can help us to work together towards a common vision.”

    Curious to learn more?

    Download a PDF copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Network of networks in Cowichan Region is like a forest ecosystem, published on February 25, 2025.

     

    TOPIC TWO: Now what do we do? Reflections on process for moving towards a common vision

    “After the Climate Gathering, we had stacks of evaluation and I wrote a report,” states Cindy Lise. “We really listened to participants and what they wanted to see moving forward, what the event meant to them. That is captured brilliantly in the story published by the Partnership in February.”

    “What we heard was that nobody wanted it to be a one and done. So, as a community and a nitty gritty planning team, literally that event was pulled together by the collaborative process of partnerships that got us the little bits to make one big bit.”

     

    THE CLIMATE GATHERING TEAM: David Reay, Fernanda Gutierrez Matos, Katie Mosewich, Cindy Lise, Sandra Thomson, Keith Lawrence
     

    “And so, after the event we took the month of January to do the recapturing and reflecting, came back together in February as the small planning committee, and then asked ourselves three questions.”

     

     

    “We are all coming from different places. So my vision of how we move the community forward is not necessarily the same vision as the partners of the planning team. For this reason, what we have been focusing on who are we, who needs to be at the table, and what is it that we see ourselves doing?”

    “We have started with a terms of reference with this small group. Keith and I have a broader vision of building a collective in a big sense, and building that stream of collective impact that we worked so hard on.”

     

     

    “And yet there are a couple of our members who sit at the table whose focus is on all the stuff that is already going on. What we need to do is focus on engaging with the public, they say, for getting information out there and for getting people thinking and so on.”

    “We had to come to this place of almost doing both. Our terms of reference includes two things. In 2025, we would like to host some kind of an opportunity for all of those partners to come together and share with the broader community what they do.”

     

     

    “The other thing we are planning is a Climate Gathering 2.0. Obviously we will not have the same capacity and funding as for the first one. So we envision it to be a one day gathering. And it will be about saying, let’s keep ourselves connected.”

     

     

    “I have been doing collective impact work in the community for more than 10 years. It takes time, it really does. It is only NOW that it is really starting to have a profound impact on some of the other initiatives that we are doing.”

    “For context, Keith and I have been involved with the airshed strategy and roundtable since 2014. We know it takes a sustained effort and a sustained backbone or people at the helm to drive it. And so, for this big climate gathering piece, we are at hello! But some of the work behind it is decades in.”

     

    “If we really want this work to be successful, we need to have someone driving the bus all the way. And as a focus of their foundational work,” Cindy Lise underscores. “It takes time, it really does. There is no quick fix which is why you must know your history.”

    TOPIC THREE: Artist’s storyboard is a foundation piece for building to Climate Gathering 2.0

    “The story of the Climate Gathering 1.0 was encapsulated visually in a storyboard by artist Jenni Ottilie Keppler. The storyboard will be the foundation for Climate Gathering 2.0 and we will be using it along the way to tell the story of this watershed moment,” continues Cindy Lise.

     

    DOWNLOAD A PDF COPY: Cowichan Climate Gathering storyboard

     

    “When I look at the storyboard, what resonates most for me is shared knowledge. You don’t know what you don’t know until you have an opportunity to experience that moment when you exclaim, aha, now I get it!“

    “Climate Gathering 1.0 was shared knowledge in layers…cultural, elders, initiatives, learning, art. It is the complexities of so many pieces, and how do you hold that knowledge and what do you do with it. That event was about bringing to life all of those pieces.”

     

     

    “I see all that in that storyboard. And that is what gives us the direction of where the group wants us to go. Stay connected. It is all in one picture. I use that as my tool for reflecting on my work,” concludes Cindy Lise.”

     

     

    Living Water Smart in British Columbia Series

    To download a copy of the foregoing resource as a PDF document for your records and/or sharing, click on Living Water Smart in British Columbia: A watershed moment for reconciliation in Cowichan region.

    DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/05/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Watershed-Moment-in-the-Cowichan_2025.pdf