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water sustainability

    VIDEO 3 / RESTORATION & RESILIENCE / WATERSHED MOMENTS VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM / AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE: Titled “International Year of the Salmon”, two versions are available for viewing / one is the stand-alone documentary; the other is the livestream broadcast which includes the Q & A session / Video 3 was livestreamed on December 3, 2020


    “A common theme that emerged throughout the Watershed Moments series is the need for better integration of the science, knowledge base and governance processes that are currently applied in a somewhat fragmented fashion to the management of natural assets across various levels of government and societal groups. The other general theme is the development and implementation of new analytical or assessment tools and standards that will move the general desire for greater interdisciplinary integration forward,” stated Dr. Kim Hyatt, Fisheries & Oceans Canada.

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    VIDEO 2 / VALUING ECOLOGICAL ASSETS / WATERSHED MOMENTS VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM / AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE: Titled “Ecological Assets as Systems and Services”, two versions are available for viewing / one is the stand-alone documentary; the other is the livestream broadcast which includes the Q & A session / Video 2 was livestreamed on November 26, 2020


    Emanuel Machado and Tim Pringle agree that the key message to take away from the video of their session is that: “We are looking at a whole system. The natural and built environments are interconnected. Without an ecological system, there are no ecological services.”

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    VIDEO 1 / STEWARDSHIP COLLABORATION / WATERSHED MOMENTS VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM / AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE: Titled “BC’s Climate Reality, Inter-Regional Collaboration & Actionable Visions”, two versions are available for viewing / one is the stand-alone documentary; the other is the livestream broadcast which includes the Q & A session / Video 1 was livestreamed on November 19, 2020


    The first module in Watershed Moments features a dynamic team comprised of five women. They are leading programs that strive to ‘reconnect land and water in altered landscapes’ in four regional districts on the east coast of Vancouver Island. “The panel delivered a sincere and honest discussion that held viewers’ interest and raised awareness on what is happening with respect to water and watershed protection on Vancouver Island. Job well done. Viewers are certain to tune in to the next symposium,” stated John Finnie via email at the conclusion of the broadcast.

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    VIEW JOHN FINNIE ON YOUTUBE: “Maintaining a balance between ‘Water Out’ and ‘Water In’ is essential because both sides of the equation are variable and the safety margin is decreasing with population growth and water consumption,” stated John Finnie, CAVI Chair, when he opened the Worth Every Penny Workshop which dealt with conservation-oriented water pricing (September 2010)


    “Conservation-oriented water pricing is more than just charging more for water to conserve water. It is a balance between charging enough for water so that it imparts a conservation ethic. It is about balancing user rate revenues with taxation revenues in order to ensure that water systems can be adequately maintained. It is also about having a pricing strategy that provides affordable water for basic household use. That said, water pricing is likely one of the most effective water conservation tools that we have when combined with metering,” stated John Finnie.

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    VIEW OLIVER BRANDES & KIRK STINCHCOMBE ON YOUTUBE: “Water pricing is a hot issue in communities across the country. Yet it remains an almost totally untapped option for helping ensure our water service infrastructure — the pipes, pumps and reservoirs — is well maintained and up to date,” stated Kirk Stinchcombe during the Worth Every Penny Workshop which dealt with conservation-oriented water pricing (September 2010)


    “If the price signal is correct, and therefore correct, the majority of people and organizations will change they way they value water and change their behaviour – when using water and when buying water-using technologies – because they recognize that efficiency and conservation will save them money, ” stated Kirk Stinchcombe. “When you are thinking about all the considerations that go into water pricing, keep in mind that setting the rate is the key factor. Does the price accurately inform consumers about the costs of their water use and provide a signal that is sufficient to affect their decision making?”

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    VIEW MIKE DONNELLY ON YOUTUBE: “The RDN’s Action for Action illustrates the connection between conservation, providing for future growth and the ecological impacts of water consumption,” stated Mike Donnelly at the Worth Every Penny Workshop when he made the connection between water utility pricing and watershed protection (September 2010)


    “We have established a provincial precedent by creating a drinking water and watershed protection service area with taxation authority in an electoral area. The Drinking Water & Watershed Protection program is being implemented over time to help improve our approach to land use. Program implementation includes water pricing. It is one tool. For this reason, we describe pricing as a ‘dropdown’ within the overall water management strategy. We put considerable effort into designing a ‘user pays’ rate structure that is fair and equitable,” stated Mike Donnelly.

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    VIEW WALLY WELLS ON YOUTUBE: “Infrastructure assets only exist to provide a service to the public. Once you have decided to offer the service – define its quality and manage community expectations for the level-of-service,” stated Wally Wells when he explained ‘sustainable service delivery’ at the Worth Every Penny Workshop on conservation-oriented water pricing (September 2010)


    “We have had a lot of discussion in integrated asset management around level-of-service. There are some five ways to define level-of-service in the local government setting. One in particular is a policy issue for elected Councils – that is, what level-of-service is a Council prepared to have constituents pay for. Beware of service creep. My experience is that where politicians don’t understand level-of-service, and constituents complain about the level-of-service, the next thing you know politicians are pushing for an increase in level-of-service. It is very difficult to decrease service once a level is established,” stated Wally Wells.

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    FLASHBACK TO 2010: Water Sustainability -“Everything we have heard today fits in like a glove with what we are going to do with this next effort at the Vancouver Island Summit,” stated Eric Bonham in his closing remarks at the Nanaimo Region Water Pricing Workshop held in the City of Parksville, the venue for roll-out of the Worth Every Penny Primer on Conversation-Oriented Water Pricing, and the launch of a national dialogue


    “It was Gandhi who said you must be the change that you wish to see in the world. That is the part that we must all play. We all bring our little bit of talent to the table, to look at Vancouver Island as a test case to show the world how we can collaborate and pull things together. Looking ahead to the Vancouver Island Summit, it is about inspiring action and leadership for water sustainability on the island. As we have heard time and time again, if we do not get the water part right, we are in trouble,” stated Eric Bonham.

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