Water-Centric Planning

LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “When we keep it simple, practical and implementable, we achieve a lot more than when we make things complex. Make this your north star. It will get you over the finish line to deliver a strategy, plan or program,” stated Melony Burton, Manager of Infrastructure Planning with the City of Port Coquitlam in Metro Vancouver

Note to Reader:

Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published published on February 6, 2024 features the story behind the story of Melony Burton, Manager of Infrastructure Planning with the City of Port Coquitlam in the Metro Vancouver region. Melony Burton’s actions in driving positive change are guided by her no-nonsense approach to keeping it simple, practical and implementable.

Keep it simple, practical and implementable

“Melony Burton and my paths first crossed In November 2011 when Carrie Baron and I co-organized and the City of Surrey hosted the Course on the ISMP Course Correction. Afterwards, Carrie encouraged me to profile the great work Melony was then doing with the City of Coquitlam. We published that story a decade ago, in January 2014,” stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.

“The context is that regulatory action by the Minister of Environment in 2011 prompted the course correction in the way engineering-centric watershed plans, known by the acronym ISMP for Integrated Stormwater Management Plan, were being developed in Metro Vancouver.”

Inter-regional collaboration

“Conversations during that 2-day course seeded an idea that flowered as the curriculum for the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative. Launched in 2012, the IREI continues to this day.”

“Carrie Baron and Melony Burton represented the Metro Vancouver region when the Partnership in collaboration with multiple local governments delivered the Inter-Regional Collaboration Series on a Watershed Health Legacy in 2014.”

“The series concept was that five regions view the Watershed Health Issue through complementary lens that together form a complete picture. Collaboration enables everyone to better deliver on regulatory requirements.”

Green Infrastructure Journey

“The story behind the story that follows weaves quotable quotes by Melony Burton into a succinct storyline. This preview about her experience in leading and managing change is extracted from an interview included in:

“The Partnership will release this legacy resource in 2024. There is so much oral history to be documented. It is a story that begins in 1997 with passage of the Fish Protection Act. However, the genesis is actually the 1970s. Thus, the story is truly intergenerational in nature,” concluded Kim Stephens.

TO LEARN MORE:

To read the complete story, download a copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Keep it simple, practical and implementable. The downloadable version includes a Bonus Feature – the complete conversation with Melony Burton.