Water-Centric Planning

LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “The region’s continued health and sustainability demands that we treat it as one system, not as a composite of separate and jurisdictionally distinct entities,” stated Joan Sawicki, former cabinet minister and Parliamentary Secretary for the Georgia Basin Initiative

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. Stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective, and the Story Behind the Story. Below is the Editor’s Perspective.

The edition published on April 1, 2025 is an introduction to and a high-level overview of Part A of the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure in Metro Vancouver from 1994 through 2024. The 73-page Part A is included as an attachment. It is a sweeping narrative that brings to life an era.

EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE / CONTEXT FOR BUSY READER

“The Metro Vancouver region is at both a cross-roads and a tipping point for regional growth management and livability. The region was at a similar crossroads three decades ago. Will historical precedent provide communities and decision makers with inspiration in 2025?” asked Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.

Livability at a crossroads, again

“Writing the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation is my way of giving back. It brings to life an exciting period in local government “convening for action” history. The Georgia Basin Initiative continues to define my career because the Partnership for Water Sustainability is a GBI outcome.”

“By releasing Part A as the first installment, our goal is to stimulate the reader’s curiosity to delve deeper into how we got from 1994 to 2024, and where we go next. We hope this leads to a deeper understanding of why certain themes and foundational concepts continue to ripple through time.”

The Partnership is the legacy of governments “convening for action” in the Georgia Basin

“Within a few years, the Georgia Basin Initiative led to a federal-provincial agreement to collaborate under the umbrella of the Georgia Basin Ecosystem Initiative, followed by the Georgia Basin Action Plan, an evolution of the GBEI.”

“The Partnership for Water Sustainability followed in the footsteps of the GBI, GBEI and GBAP with the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative (IREI) under the umbrella of Living Water Smart. Three decades and counting is an amazing legacy.”

“The history of the past three decades is defined by four distinct eras, with the period of time for each varying between 6 and 9 years. In the image below, a defining statement characterizes each era.”

Never has storytelling been more important

“Whistler is in a headwater sub-system of the Georgia Basin. Two weeks ago, we featured the Whistler Lakes Conservation Foundation. Their story provides relevant and timely content for the history of the basin over the past three decades. Lynn Kriwoken expressed it well when she said:

“The work that we are doing today is part of a continuum that has evolved in this place over time. It started with the stewardship of the resources and the land by the people of the First Nations and the continuation of story over generations.”

To Learn More:

Waterbucket eNews stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective, and the Story Behind the Story. To read the complete 3-part storyline, download a copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Livability of Southwest BC at a crossroads, again. The document is complete with the 69-page Part A of the Green Infrastructure Chronicle as an attachment.