“Our emphasis is on the ‘what would it look like’ details of implementation and integration. Inter-regional collaboration will result in alignment and a consistent approach to rainwater management in a watershed sustainability context. This will help everyone to go farther, more efficiently and effectively,” states Tim Pringle.
“Collaboration among Vancouver Island local governments, Metro Vancouver, and member municipalities has grown steadily. The initiative provides a framework for consistent application of tools and understanding on both sides of the Georgia Basin. Everyone benefits from sharing information and experiences,” states Kim Stephens.
“I was the Ministry of Environment guy who was actually trying to enforce environmental regulations here on Vancouver Island. It became obvious to me that to go after land development violations, one guilty plea at a time, just was not going to make a difference. We needed another approach,” stated Peter Law.
“Asset management usually commences after something is built. The challenge is to think about what asset management entails BEFORE the asset is built. Cost-avoidance is a driver for this ‘new business as usual’. This paradigm-shift starts with land use and watershed-based planning, to determine what services can be provided affordably,” states Glen Brown.
“The Ministry looks forward to aligning efforts with the Partnership to further advance implementation of the “Beyond the Guidebook” initiative. Inter-regional collaboration is the pathway to a consistent approach to water sustainability and green infrastructure policies and practices up and down the east coast of Vancouver Island,” stated Cairine MacDonald.
“Metro Vancouver’s plan for managing rainwater resources seeks improvement through innovation, using local research and development and adapting successes from elsewhere. We are asking Metro Vancouver to formalize its support for inter-regional collaboration. Then the IREI truly will be the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Educational Initiative,” states Kim Stephens.
“There is no formal mechanism to enable inter-regional collaboration. We also learned that the Partnership is trying to fill this gap by bringing together local governments around the Georgia Basin to advance a consistent approach to rainwater management and green infrastructure practices. Alignment should help everyone,” stated City of North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto.
“Local governments will benefit from the information sharing between four Vancouver Island regional districts, learn from the experiences of the other regional districts, and be able to participate in workshops delivered locally and elsewhere on Vancouver Island,” stated Glenn Harris.
“Participation would support the Corporate Strategic Plan Goals to develop an environmental education plan with a focus on water, biodiversity and climate change; and ti develop water planning policies to guide community planning and development practices,” noted Mayor Jon Lefebure, Chair of the Regional Services Committee.
“The initiative will focus on education, collaboration and sharing of ideas and experiences on water sustainability and rainwater management best practices. It provides another opportunity to assist local governments to better understand the relationships between watershed and stream and site development,” stated the staff report brought forward by CAO Carol Mason.
