Creating Our Future: What will Vancouver Island Look Like in 50 Years?
As an adjunct to the Gaining Ground Summit Conference, the organizations that comprise the Convening for Action on Vancouver Island (CAVI) partnership are holding a consultation workshop for local government on June 3rd. The workshop is an action item arising from an earlier consultation workshop held in conjunction with the Water in the City Conference in September 2006.
The Water in the City Workshop was the first step in an educational and consultative process. The 2006 workshop was by invitation and had a broad cross-section of representation. A workshop specifically for local government was identified as the logical next step. For the story of that event, please click here.
According to John Finnie, Chair of the CAVI Leadership Team, “If we are to control our destiny and create our future, then we need to challenge our fellow Vancouver Islanders to visualize what they want Vancouver Island to look like in 50 years. We have identified two desired outcomes in Convening for Action. First, we wish to influence Vancouver Island local governments to adopt Design with Nature as the preferred process of approving land development applications. Secondly, we intend to facilitate the move from awareness to action in changing the way that land is developed and water is used on Vancouver Island.”
“We will be addressing the question: how does a community weigh the benefits 
and liabilities of changes driven by demand for land use?“, adds Tim Pringle, Executive Director of the Real Estate Foundation, “Our goal is to move green value from concept to practice. In terms of desired outcomes for the workshop, we have two: first, that participants will embrace the vision for being leaders in water sustainability; and secondly, that they will have absorbed the vocabulary of green value, convening for action, designing with nature, water sustainability, and green infrastructure.”
To begin the dialogue, the CAVI Partnership is inviting key political and administrative leaders from local Vancouver Island governments, representatives from local Real Estate Boards, and selected large landowners to spend a day discussing water sustainability: from the shoreline to the watershed, from the development site to the municipality. The workshop is focussed on:
- Celebrating local, practical initiatives that are happening now (case studies)
- Providing time for roundtable discussion and sharing of innovative projects
- Clarifying the plethora of ‘green' vocabulary that we now hear on a daily basis.
“The spotlight is on local government because implementing new practices will need clearly defined standards and regulatory models. Also, willing municipalities will be invited to pool resources under a partnership framework”, notes John Finnie, “Furthermore, the workshop is a prelude to a Green Infrastructure Forum for Mayors and Chairs in Fall 2007.”
For a synopsis of the Vancouver Island case studies that will be featured, please click here.
The title of ths shoulder workshop at the Gaining Ground Summit is: Creating Our Future: What will Vancouver Island look like in 50 years? Space is limited to 50 participants and will be on a first come, first serve basis. To register,please download Registration Form for Creating Our Future Workshop For more information about CAVI, contact sustainabilitycoordinator@shaw.ca
The CAVI Partnership includes the British Columbia Water & Waste Association, the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia, the provincial Ministries of Environment and Community Services, and the Green Infrastructure Partnership. Previously, the CAVI Leadership Team made a presentation at the 2007 Annual Conference of the Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities which was held in Qualicum Beach. For more on that story, please click here.
Posted May 2007