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“The ‘new normal’ in British Columbia is drought and flooding. The summer dry season has extended on both ends and communities can no longer count on a predictable snowpack and reliable rain to maintain a healthy water balance in their watersheds. This is putting water supply systems and ecosystems under extreme stress. If we seize the moment, we will change how we do business and the cumulative benefits will ripple through time,” stated Kim Stephens.

“Climate change is not the driver; rather, it is a variable. Furthermore, climate change is only one factor to consider when we talk about sustainable infrastructure. The key is to focus on what you want to do. Because many factors are in play, the objective is to build in resiliency to address risk,” stated Kim Stephens.

“There are two responses to climate change: mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation is alleviating the effects of climate change through reducing greenhouse gases. Adaptation is responding to the changes that will inevitably occur. If migation is about CARBON, then adaptation is about WATER,” stated Jim Mattison.

“While there may be general consensus on climate change predictions at the global scale, real discussion of climate change impacts in our own “backyard” – be it a city, a watershed, or a particular project site – is just getting started. In most cases, the emergence of “best practices” – or even “standard practices” – is still on the horizon,” stated Eric Bonham.

“Climate change will radically affect the ecosystems we rely on, and knows no political boundaries, requiring local governments to think collaboratively about shared watersheds and coastlines, and stretching already overloaded human and financial resources,” states Deborah Harford.

“This is the start of a long and complex process. The level of flood-protection improvements will depend on the extent to which climate-change predictions come true,” stated Steven Thompson, BC Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.

“All of the coastal cities are well aware of the new guidelines and the risk. They all have plans and programs to monitor and try to manage the risk. The best way to approach this is not to wait for individual projects, but to get out ahead of it in official community plans,” stated Dr. Stephen Sheppard.

“When the City of Vancouver builds new infrastructure, such as replacing the viaducts, we would take projected new ocean levels into account. I think the key is, this is long-term work and you need to do it strategically and practically,” stated Sadhu Johnston.

“The impacts of flooding are so widespread – it’s economic, to personal to your home. It’s just so much smarter to plan ahead than to respond afterward. It’s much less expensive and disruptive,” said Norma Miller.

“Climate change significantly raises the risk of rain-generated floods and infrastructure failure. To maintain current levels of service, drainage infrastructure will need to be modified and upgraded,” says Chris Jensen.