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“Water is the underpinning of the community, and this is why an integrated approach to settlement and land development is essential for the Comox Valley,” stated Kevin Lorette. “Water is a key component for all the regional strategies that we are currently developing simultaneously. All will have to be integrated into one plan. At the core is growth – we are bringing these strategies together in 2010 to manage growth. We will be looking at all aspects of water.”

“The program overview spells out the theme, scope and learning outcome for each of the three seminars. The program is cumulative: understand the dynamics of settlement changes; ‘design with nature’ to achieve water sustainability; and commit to the regional team approach,” stated Kim Stephens. “The curriculum is structured in a way that leads to a progressive broadening of scope/focus and hence desired participation in this sequence: inter-departmental, inter-municipal, and consultants.”

“The phrase water for life and livelihoods was ‘borrowed’ from work done in the United Kingdom. It conveys the fundamental principles of sustainability of natural systems in their own right and in relation to the health and wellbeing of people who benefit from the use of water for basic life needs and economic activity. The settlement in balance with ecology principle is an extension of water for life and livelihoods,” states Tim Pringle. “Settlement and ecology are equal values and they must be as much in balance as possible for wellbeing of human and natural systems.”

A regional team approach is founded on partnerships and collaboration; and seeks to align actions at three scales – provincial, regional and local. The key word is alignment: this is what we want to collectively achieve, and this is how we will work together to get there. “For change to really occur, practices that until now have been viewed as the exception must become the norm moving forward. We have to build regulatory models and develop models of practice and expertise to support The New Business As Usual”, stated Dale Wall.

“The Learning Lunch Series comprised three seminars, but the three events by themselves represented the tip of the iceberg when compared to the total investment of time and effort by the four Comox Valley local governments and the other partners,” explained Kim Stephens. “The exploratory conversations began in January 2009, curriculum development was initiated in April, and the Comox Valley organizing team met on a regular basis throughout the year. One outcome was that the planners and engineers were talking to each other, listening to each other, and developing a common language.”

“The Regional Growth Strategy and Comox Valley Sustainability Strategy provide the backdrop for the 2009 Comox Valley Series. The spotlight is on how to implement the regional team approach – that is, a unified approach from all levels of government,” stated Kevin Lorette. “At the end of the day, water is the underpinning of the community, and an integrated watershed approach to settlement is essential.” The Comox Valley is the designated provincial pilot for implementation of a ‘regional team approach’.

“As we look ahead to where we want to be in 2010, we envision that the 2009 Series will provide us with the springboard to achieve integration of current Comox Valley regional initiatives in subsequent phases of collaboration. To build momentum for what we need to accomplish in 2010, the unifying theme as we evolve the regional team approach can be succinctly expressed as: what all the plans will achieve,” stated Kevin Lagan.

“Community values that are focused on the ultimate goal of settlement in balance with ecology ought to direct decisions on development proposals. And if communities align their efforts to achieve a shared vision, this will go a long way to determining what Vancouver Island as a whole will look like in 50 years,” stated Tim Pringle. “The tag-line, ‘one market, from Cobble Hill to Campbell River’, is our synthesis of what we have been exposed to over the past three years, the many conversations that we have had and heard, and what our research tells us.”

“Development activity and population growth is putting extreme pressure on our regional water resources, both in terms of protecting water supply sources and preventing rainwater runoff impacts in streams and rivers,” stated Michael Zbarsky. “In 2009, the weather extremes and the resulting impacts on the Comox Lake water supply have highlighted concerns about the way we develop and service communities. The good news is that climate impacts on the water cycle have at least created a teachable moment for water-centric planning.”

“Nature has no borders; it does not recognize political or philosophical boundaries and it is essential for the health of human and non-human communities alike,” stated Jack Minard. “To view nature in this way represents not a ‘special interest’ approach but a modern advance in civil society. We are realizing that the current loss of ecosystems and biodiversity cannot continue, yet pressures to develop land for human use are placing huge demands on what remains.”