Water-Centric Planning

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Tim Pringle

    LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “It became clear that if one did not have a way of building confidence amongst practitioners, the rate of innovation would be slow,” stated Dale Wall, former Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs


    “We were looking in a new way at infrastructure innovation. We needed quite a lot of innovation to achieve some of the things that we hoped to achieve through regional growth strategies. The convening for action process that built confidence among practitioners to introduce new approaches. We realized that we simply had to have practitioners having discussions so that they would become more comfortable with innovative approaches. A peer learning network was one of the strands to introduce infrastructure innovation and build more sustainable regions,” stated Dale Wall.

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    LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “Look at all the really important science that we were able to produce. There is a lot to be proud of in terms of all that material that we produced for the region, the network and the country,” stated Richard Boase, career environmental champion within local government in British Columbia


    “When I look back at our history, I think wow, how did we do so much applied research. We had a need and Hans Schreier had grad students who were interested in doing the research. Win-win,” stated Richard Boase. “At a critical moment, members of the Partnership team would have an idea around a research theme that supported our hypotheses. And as often happened, I was the arm that had the energy and willingness to take on the research, apply new science in North Vancouver, and get the work done.”

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    TURNING THE TIDE FOR STREAM SURVIVAL: “The Partnership for Water Sustainability created the methodology for EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process. Now we are in a 3-year transition strategy to embed EAP at Vancouver Island University,” stated Anna Lawrence, Project Coordinator, Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute at VIU


    “There are lots of layers to this partnership and projects. Not only is there a transition strategy, but there are also the partnerships with the local governments plus integrating other grad students, There are so many different parts to EAP. And with each part you can go down a distinct pathway that helps local governments. And that is what Sam Gerrand has done in such a holistic way with his master’s thesis which moves EAP from a stream-by-stream approach to a regional scale,” stated Anna Lawrence.

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    LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “A measure of the consequence of human settlement is the Riparian Deficit. It is the natural systems equivalent of the well-known Infrastructure Deficit for engineered systems,” stated Tim Pringle, Chair of the Ecological Accounting Process initiative


    “The Riparian Deficit applies to the regulated setback which is the interface between land and a stream,” stated Tim Pringle. “EAP is a land use perspective. EAP provides local governments with the real numbers they need to deliver outcomes: What is the number for the line item in a local government annual budget for community investment in maintenance and management, that is M&M, of streams? Streams need a place to be. If we cannot get our heads around that, we are not going to keep our streams. When something does not get measured, it does not get managed,” stated Tim Pringle

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    LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “In the urban environment, we cannot bring back the watersheds that were here historically. But we can do things to retain and improve natural areas and the quality of receiving waters,” states Hugh Fraser, former Deputy Director of Engineering, City of Delta


    Hugh Fraser is a green infrastructure pioneer in the Metro Vancouver region. In the early 2000s, he was a leading voice when green infrastructure was in its infancy and was a component of the region’s Liquid Waste Management Plan. Delta’s rain garden program in road rights-of-way began in 2005 as a demonstration application to show how to achieve desired watershed health outcomes. “The program is now in Decade Three. Shared responsibility and intergenerational commitment are foundation pieces for enduring success,” stated Hugh Fraser.

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    STORY BEHIND BRITISH COLUMBIA’S FISH PROTECTION ACT (1997): “Erik Karlsen was the secret sauce who convened the fantastic streamside regulation discussions that created collegiality between municipalities,” recalls Susan Haid, career environmental and urban planner in BC local government, and adjunct assistant professor at the University of BC


    “In late 1996, in came Erik Karlsen from the Province as the spokesperson for the first Fish Protection Act. He convened discussions with environmental, engineering and planning staff. Those were such fantastic discussions. There was a really good alignment and call to action on making streamside regulation work. It was a major advancement but a lot of stress as well. Streamside regulation was being portrayed as a huge land grab. There was a lot of back and forth to move from something that was site-specific to more of a hardline edict with the province,” stated Susan Haid.

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    LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “Steve Jobs described creativity as ‘connecting dots’ and argued that creative people were able to connect experiences they have had and synthesize new things,” stated Kim Stephens, Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC


    “A terrific Steve Jobs quote encapsulates why processes and outcomes go awry when there is a ‘don’t know, don’t care’ mindset about the history behind the WHY and HOW of policy frameworks that shape urban design,” stated Kim Stephens. “Steve Jobs explained that dot-connectors have had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people. Unfortunately, he added, a lot of people don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem.”

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    LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “The Marine Science Thesis Course was my favourite. A big part of that enjoyment was just because the students were so excited to learn, and I was able to help them learn,” stated Zoe Norcross-Nu’u, Comox Lake Watershed Protection Coordinator


    Zoe’s academic career had three distinct phases. Insights gained along the way serve Zoe well in her current watershed coordinator role. In her first three years, Zoe taught those who just wanted to take an easy science course. Seeking an opportunity to create a more meaningful learning opportunity, she developed a course called Topics in Sustainability, which was a speaker series. Through that experience, she learned the importance of finding the silver linings. A thesis class was the rewarding phase of her academic career when Zoe mentored passionate young professionals.

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    LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “Staff gives good advice and Council makes the decision – the operative phrase is a respect-based relationship,” stated Pete Steblin, former City Engineer and City Manager


    By the latter part of the 2000s, Coquitlam was viewed by others in the Metro Van region as the example of what not do. Through a trust-building process guided by Pete Steblin, the City of Coquitlam turned a crisis into a transformational outcome. The city emerged as a regional green infrastructure leader. “The final solution has to be doable; it has to be achievable,” emphasizes Pete Steblin. A noteworthy aspect of the Coquitlam story is how quickly municipal staff learned from experience, adapted their approach, and successfully instilled a new way of doing business.

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    LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “Blue Ecology reinforces the attitude change that is necessary to support widespread use of tools and resources that help local governments design with nature,” stated Richard Boase, career environmental champion within local government


    “Think of Blue Ecology as a compass in terms of how it relates to a water-first approach to Water Reconciliation between cultures. The compass points the way forward and to success. Because of the diversity in backgrounds, skills and experiences that we have in the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, we are positioned to take what Michael Blackstock has created with the Blue Ecology framework and make it actionable in the local government sector,” stated Richard Boase.

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