LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “We have created a high level of service that we cannot possibly sustain. We must temper expectations and shift the public’s understanding of the services they receive,” stated Bill Sims, freshly retired General Manager of Engineering and Public Works (City of Nanaimo)
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 (REPRODUCED BELOW), and the Story Behind the Story.
The edition published on May 5, 2026 two municipal asset management thought leaders: featured Bill Sims and Wally Wells. They have looked at the growing Municipal Infrastructure Gap with fresh eyes. And what they see is a slow-moving financial crisis. They point the way forward with a call for a course correction that tempers expectations for demands on municipal services.
EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE / CONTEXT FOR BUSY READER – by Kim Stephens
“In the story behind the story, Bill Sims and Wally Wells remind us of an important context. The 1960s and 1970s were the heydays of nation building projects. Federal investment to replace sub-standard sewer, water and road systems and to raise levels of service was massive and game changing,” stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.
Context for the growing Municipal Infrastructure Gap
“Two generations ago, 75% grants made the front-end costs of infrastructure programs deceptively affordable for local governments. A half-century later, the back-end costs for replacement of deteriorating infrastructure have come due.”
“The legacy from the past is playing out as unintended consequences for affordability in the contemporaneous context. The Municipal Infrastructure Gap is growing year-after-year and is a slow-moving crisis.”
“Those in the world of asset management know there is a problem. What Bill Sims and Wally Wells are saying, however, is that we are beyond the point of no return. The numbers tell a story. Local governments cannot catch up. This is a difficult and challenging situation to be in,” concludes Kim Stephens.
The situation calls for a course correction
“We have created a high level of service that we cannot possibly sustain,” states Bill Sims. “We need to get civics back on the menu. And we must give elected officials and senior staff the language and tools to temper expectations and shift the public’s understanding of the services they receive.”
To Learn More:
Waterbucket eNews stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective and Context for Busy Reader, and the Story Behind the Story. To read the complete 3-part storyline, download a PDF copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Municipal Infrastructure Gap – We are past the point where local governments can catch up.
DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/04/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Bill-Sims-and-Wally-Wells_Municipal-Infrastructure-Gap_2026.pdf