Pathway to Urban Water Sustainability in British Columbia: Partnerships, Collaboration, Innovation and Integration
ESE Magazine publishes article about BC’s Water Sustainability Action Plan
The January 2010 issue of Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine includes an article about the policy framework put in place by the Province of British Columbia that enables local governments to commit to doing business differently.
The article states that the program goals for Living Water Smart, BC’s Water Plan and the companion Green Communities Initiative constitute a ‘call to action’ on the part of British Columbians to manage settlement change in balance with ecology.
The article describes how implementation of Living Water Smart and the Green Communities Initiative is being advanced through partnerships, in particular the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia. One vehicle for program delivery is Convening for Action on Vancouver Island, known by the acronym CAVI.
Water issues are complex and best solved collaboratively, which include using strategies and solutions that fall outside government control. While legislative reform is a foundation piece, collaboration takes place in the world of practitioners.
“We have engaged in a conversational process to create a picture of what a shared vision for Vancouver Island could look like. We have also drawn attention to the need to balance settlement change in harmony with ecology. Although ecology can exist without habitation by humans, human habitation cannot exist without ecology,” states Eric Bonham, a founding member of the CAVI Leadership Team, and a former Director in both the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
TO LEARN MORE: The article was written by Kim Stephens, Executive Director of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia. The Partnership has responsibility for Action Plan delivery. The article draws on the perspectives of:
- Lynn Kriwoken – Director, Ministry of Environment
- Glen Brown – Executive Director, Ministry of Community & Rural Development
- Tim Pringle – former Special Programs Director, Real Estate Foundation of BC
To download a copy of the article, click on Pathway to Urban Water Sustainability in British Columbia. Co-sponsored by the Province and the Real Estate Foundation, the Action Plan serves as a partnership umbrella for aligning actions at three scales: provincial, regional and local.