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“We learn through stories. The Living Water Smart in British Columbia Series shares the background stories of community innovators. Published by the Partnership on the waterbucket.ca platform, the Series serves as a historical policy record. Ten storylines. Ten defining moments. From infrastructure gaps to workplace civility, this re-cap for the Winter/Spring 2026 is a master index that maps a path forward.The pitfalls of recent housing and professional reliance legislation in British Columbia is a theme that weaves its way through their stories,” stated Kim Stephens

“Over time, the Metro Vancouver region has regressed from a situation where many things were in alignment to one where few are in alignment. A post-pandemic reality is organizational amnesia compounded by more and more information but less and less knowledge and understanding. Today’s frontline staff are finding it more difficult to share their knowledge and vision, perhaps due to a political climate that is less receptive to data-based solutions. Deep knowledge is being ignored or dismissed at an alarming rate. Cooperation will help buttress this wobbly world,” stated Remi Dube.

“Communities were struggling with the Watershed Health issue. Inter-regional collaboration helped five regions understand what the other regions were doing, what works and what does not. We viewed the issue through complementary lenses that together formed a complete picture. Each region had something unique to contribute to the mix. For the Cowichan Region, it was climate change adaptation,” stated Kate Miller who co-represented the Cowichan Valley Regional District on the 2014 Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative Leadership Team.

“There are many champions in local government; and it is important that we recognize and celebrate what they are doing. This is all part of creating our future. The Board approved realigning the goals, strategies and actions in the updated Liquid Waste Management Plan with policies and positions in Living Water Smart,” stated Lois Jackson. The golden period from 2006 through 2011 was a defining period for making a difference regionally through the power of collaboration, partnerships, and alignment of levels of government. Energy released by the Georgia Basin Initiative in the mid-1990s played out consequentially.

When he was Premier, Mike Harcourt was the political champion for a TOP-DOWN AND BOTTOM-UP network approach to collaboration in BC. A defining moment for local governments during his time as Premier was the launch of the transformational Georgia Basin Initiative in 1994. One can draw a straight line from that time to the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Educational Initiative.

“Getting to the right answer is the right thing to do. Otherwise, the solution will not solve the problem,” stated Chilliwack Mayor Clint Hames. The City was a partner and served as a feedback loop during development of Stormwater Planning Guidebook for British Columbia. In the 2000s, leaders ventured into uncharted territory. Great changes took place. The Chronicle is a sweeping narrative. The 3rd installment covers 1997 thru 2005. It weaves quotable quotes to tell the story of what led up to publication of the Guidebook in 2002, and the impact of what followed in the wake of publication.

“What are their pressures? Try to make what you need to do fit their pressures,” stated Carrie Baron. “It is about perseverance and trying to work with the system to move good ideas forward.” Three words define Carrie Baron’s engineering career: leadership, innovation and science. She was consistently on the leading edge in advancing green infrastructure and protecting stream health. “The lucky part was that the people who set the groundwork at the lower levels all advanced to senior levels where their duties were bigger than drainage. But they all had that base knowledge.”

“Monitoring flow involves much more than throwing a datalogger in the stream. Getting reliable and useful data takes a lot of effort and hands-on work. Stewardship groups have the passion, interest and people power to actually go out there and do the hands-on work. They just need a bit of help. I coordinate groups and distribute the training and help coordinate people to actually do the monitoring.It is an adaptive approach to see what works, learn the lessons, and then figure out how to overcome challenges that we have experienced along the way,” stated Ally Badger.

Erik Karlsen was an extraordinary individual. His legacy lives on through the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Educational Initiative. The IREI is the successor to the Georgia Basin Initiative which the Province launched in 1994. Many individuals have played important roles in the green infrastructure movement in British Columbia. The late Erik Karlsen was the common thread and a source of inspiration for implementing an ecosystem-based approach in the built environment. The legacy of Erik Karlsen is rippling through time through the work of the Partnership.

“After their re-election in 2005, the Gordon Campbell government created a Water Stewardship Division in the Ministry of Environment. That had never been done before. It was a single division with headquarters staff in Victoria and regional staff throughout BC. This brought water together organizationally and operationally. The premier appointed John Slater as Parliamentary Secretary for Water Supply and Allocation. The premier said to us…we want a water plan that shows we are leading the world in water management, bar none,” stated Lynn Kriwoken.