Climate Change Adaptation: UBCM study session on sustainability planning and practice has water-centric emphasis
Water Sustainability Planning & Practice
The 2010 Annual Convention of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) includes a half-day study session that has a water-centric emphasis. The session is titled Sustainability Planning & Practice and covers three provincial initiatives, namely: BC’s Water Act Modernization Process, Provincial Drought Response Plan, and the Water Sustainability Action Plan. A unifying theme is climate change adaptation.
John Slater, MLA and Parliamentary Secretary for Water Supply and Allocation, will deliver the keynote presentation. He will provide a provincial 
overview of key environmental initiatives and will acknowledge local government leadership on key files.
“With local governments increasingly adopting integrated sustainability planning approaches, there is a greater need to develop and strengthen collaborative partnerships amongst all orders of government in environmental management,” states John Slater.
Forging Gold Medal Standards
The convention focus is on nurturing new relationships and capitalizing on forward momentum in BC communities. In keeping with the Olympic spirit pf the Whistler venue, the convention theme is Forging Gold Medal Standards.
“We will use this coming together of BC’s local leaders to share and learn from each other’s experiences, and gain ideas to move our own communities forward,” states Harry Nyce, outgoing UBCM President.
Study Session Overview
Through presentations by federal, provincial and local government representatives, the session on Sustainability Planning & Practice aims to foster critical discussion around best managment practices and innovative community programs, as well as explore the development of effective partnerships amongst all orders of government.
The session will provide regulatory and policy updates, identify existing gaps in the management of environmental issues, and outline tools that local governments can use in decision-making processes.
The Water Sustainability Action Plan segment of the session will showcase Beyond the Guidebook 2010: Implementing a New Culture for Urban Watershed Protection and Restoration in British Columbia.
To Learn More:
To download a copy of the convention brochure and read about all the study sessions, click on 2010 UBCM Annual Convention – “Forging Gold Medal Standards”.
“Without action, we cannot move our communities forward. This year’s UBCM Convention will offer an opportunity to take our goals, and forge them into tangible outcomes and continue to build gold medal standard communities,” states Harry Nyce.
To read the complete story, click on Forging Gold Medal Standards will be the theme when BC’s local governments gather in Whistler in September
Climate Change Adaptation
By choosing to live water smart and build greener neighbourhoods, communities will be more prepared for climate change.
“If we can show how to get the water part right, then other parts are more likely to follow,” states Lynn Kriwoken, Director of Innovation and Planning 
in the Ministry of Environment and the Province’s lead person for development and delivery of Living Water Smart, BC’s Water Plan.
Mitigation and adaptation are both necessary and complementary strategies to cope with climate change challenge. If mitigation is about CARBON, then adaptation is about WATER.
Mitigation is alleviating the effects of climate change through reducing greenhouse gases. Adaptation is responding to the changes that will inevitably occur.
Living Water Smart
Living Water Smart and the Green Communities Initiative are both about adaptation. They encourage ‘shared responsibility’ in the local government setting so that ‘green choices’ by all players will achieve ‘design with nature’ outcomes.
“Living Water Smart is an idea that people are embracing. The solutions and commitments go beyond what government does. Living Water Smart is a plan that is as much about land as water….because only with healthy water can we enjoy all the values that we take for granted. Times are changing and the way we do business is also changing,” notes Lynn Kriwken.
Beyond the Guidebook 2010
In October 1997, a focus group workshop convened by UBCM set in motion a chain of outcomes that culminated in Stormwater Planning: A Guidebook for British Columbia, released in June 2002. This was a catalyst for change that has resulted in British Columbia achieving international recognition as a leader in implementing green infrastructure.
‘Beyond the Guidebook 2010’ is the story of what has been accomplished on the ground over the past decade, through partnerships and collaboration, under the umbrella of the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia.
“In urban settings, measures that ‘green’ (and improve) the built environment can also protect or help restore the natural environment. How communities choose to develop or redevelop individual sites has ripple effects at the watershed scale. By designing with nature, this means actions on the ground can add up and result in cumulative benefits over time,” concludes Lynn Kriwoken.
To learn more, click on Rollout of ‘Beyond the Guidebook 2010’ will commence at UBCM Annual Convention on September 27
Posted September 2010