Vancouver Island Water

banner

Tag:

Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative

    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


    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.

    Read Article

    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


    “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.

    Read Article

    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


    “Living Water Smart creates the opportunity or potential for real dramatic change at a local level. Good policy is knowing where the horizon is, so that you know where you want to get to. Success depends on cooperation across jurisdictional boundaries. The more we can align local actions with provincial targets, the greater our chances of success. We must hold the provincial government accountable too. They have given us the long-term vision; and we are looking to them to be accountable for the support that we now need,” stated Ron Neufeld in 2008. He died in 2025 at age 60.

    Read Article

    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


    “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. It is really hard to do really hard work unless you trust and have a relationship with the people doing the work.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,” stated Cindy Lise.

    Read Article

    CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION: “You work with the politics of the day, and you have to be savvy. You must read your politicians,” advises Carrie Baron, former Drainage Manager with the City of Surrey, in Part B of the Chronicle


    “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.”

    Read Article

    GEORGIA BASIN INTER-REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE: “We have shown that this partnership model works where the community groups collect the data and we can ensure that it is of a quality that meets government standards,” stated Ally Badger, biologist with Aquatic Research & Restoration Centre of the BC Conservation Foundation, and coordinator for Vancouver Island Community Flow Monitoring Network


    “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.

    Read Article

    GEORGIA BASIN INTER-REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE: “Communities and successive generations of their elected representatives and staffs must commit and recommit to restoring functional watersheds and streams. When they do, we will be successful in achieving this inter-generational outcome,” stated the late Erik Karlsen, former Director of Growth Strategies in the BC Ministry of Municipal Affairs


    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.

    Read Article

    GEORGIA BASIN INTER-REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE: “There is hope because we are seeing renewed interest by local governments to talk about how to operationalize Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery,” stated Arnold Schwabe, Executive Director with Asset Management BC


    Arnold Schwabe’s focus is on what local governments are supposed to do. Too often, he observes, councils do not understand the purposes and function of local government. “When I receive requests to talk to elected officials,” he says, “that opens the door for me to help them understand that their job is about the service not the assets. Downloading is a real issue and local governments are frustrated with the Province. I say that from the perspective of someone whose career experience over 35 years includes working for and with all three levels of government.”

    Read Article

    CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION: “Technical people have to demonstrate cost-effectiveness in order to transform political acceptability into political will to implement change and spend money,” stated Barry Janyk (1952-2024), former 4-term mayor of Gibsons & moderator for the SmartStorm Forum Series (1999-2001)


    The context for the Partnership for Water Sustainability celebrating the life of Barry Janyk is the Smartstorm Forum Series. This transformational series fueled a movement and galvanized an ecosystem-based approach to rainwater management and green infrastructure within the Georgia Basin bioregion of southwestern British Columbia. Barry Janyk, who was then mayor of Gibsons, infused the SmartStorm Forum Series with his passion. He was the political champion who carried the green infrastructure torch to the Metro Vancouver Regional Board and then to UBCM.

    Read Article

    CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION: “Knowing what we know, it is not as simple as going from an X to a tick mark in each column of the table of cascading factors,” stated Ray Fung, past-chair of the Green Infrastructure Partnership (2008-2011)


    Nine cascading factors that must be in alignment to implement a course correction. At the top of the list of cascading factors is political leadership and commitment to the shared vision. Leadership boils down to a willingness to act and bring together other champions willing to provide the type of energy and organizational drive that overcomes inertia. “You have to build new political commitment and basically start all over again in a new crucible phase…where you coalition-build to develop a new shared vision, etc.,” stated Ray Fung.

    Read Article

    Next Page >