WILL 2025 BE THE YEAR OF THE RE-SET? “I think that you will all agree that we are living in most interesting times.” – from a speech by British politician Joseph Chamberlain in 1898
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. Storylines accommodate a range of reader attention spans. Read the headline and move on, or take the time to delve deeper – it is your choice! Downloadable versions are available at Living Water Smart in British Columbia: The Series.
The edition published on January 21 2025 kicked off the 2025 season of “stories behind the stories” of those who are leading changes in thinking and implementing in BC. The unifying theme for upcoming editions is this question: Will 2025 be the year when decision-makers within government build on lessons from the past to initiate a re-set that overcomes organizational amnesia?
May you live in interesting times
Memorable quotes that encapsulate wisdom are timeless. Consider what Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote in 1849: the more thing change, the more they stay the same. Despite apparent changes or advancements in society, certain fundamental aspects or patterns of behaviour remain unchanged over time.
A second quote…”may you live in interesting times”…aptly describes the array of local, provincial, national and global challenges that we face today. The phrase is ironic because “interesting” times are usually times of trouble.
The “may you live in interesting times” quote has an interesting history. In a 1936 speech, Sir Austen Chamberlain used it to great effect in his appeal for rearmament to combat the rise of Nazi Germany. Three decades later, in 1966, Robert F Kennedy popularized the quote with his “Ripple of Hope” speech.
The first documented use of the quote was in a 1898 speech by Joseph Chamberlain, British politician and social reformer. He was the father of both Austen Chamberlain, a Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 1930s, and Neville Chamberlain who was Britain’s prime minister at the beginning of WW2.
Lessons from the past inform the future
“And everyone here will ultimately be judged – will ultimately judge himself – on the effort he has contributed to building a new world society and the extent to which his ideals and goals have shaped that effort,” added Robert Kennedy in his Ripple of Hope speech.
As of 2025, organizational amnesia is “the challenge” for governments to overcome
EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE / CONTEXT FOR BUSY READER
“A recent conversation with Arnold Schwabe was my source of inspiration for featuring the “may you live in interesting times” quote. In mid-2024, Arnold succeeded Wally Wells as Executive Director of Asset Management BC. Our context for meeting was the passing of the baton from Wally to Arnold to continue the collaboration with the Partnership,” stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.
“So, what do we do? Really, it is about focusing on those areas of restarting and refreshing,” states Arnold Schwabe. “And everybody, especially elected officials, having the courage to start making the change that is coming. I want to believe all the things are in place for change to occur, for a reset to take place.”
We see 2025 as the year of the re-set for “whole-system asset management”
“Loss of continuity is happening just when continuity of understanding is needed most,” continues Kim Stephens. “Knowing what we know, the Partnership believes the moment is right to brand 2025 as THE YEAR OF THE RE-SET in an effort to create a self-fulfilling prophecy!”
“Re-set means implement a course correction so that governments would maintain and manage engineered and natural assets as interconnected components within a system that includes the people who live there.”
Avoid the solution becoming the problem

The Partnership’s four parallel tracks of effort would inform a re-set in 2025
“In the case of the Partnership, we are moving along four tracks,” explains Kim Stephens. “Waterbucket eNews featured all four theme areas last year. In 2025, we will continue to connect dots through storytelling about lived experience and deep knowledge that points the way forward for a re-set. Stay tuned!”
“Track #1 is our collaboration with Asset Management BC. Track #2 is the Partnership’s collaboration with Michael Blackstock to mainstream Blue Ecology and Indigenous knowledge as a pathway to Water Reconciliation.”

“Track #3 is our collaboration with provincial ministries. The Partnership understands how government works and is the “water memory” of the Province. At the request of the Province, the Partnership developed and maintains a suite of online calculators that the provincial water management program relies on.”
“Track #4 is the legacy of the Georgia Basin Initiative which is embedded in the Georgia Basin Inter-Regional Education Initiative. There is no formal mechanism to enable or facilitate inter-regional collaboration in BC. Launched in 2012 by the Partnership in collaboration with five regional districts, the IREI fills this gap and fosters peer-based learning among local governments.”
STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Will 2025 be the year of the re-set?
“For over two years, I have been writing a sweeping narrative that I title the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver from 1994 through 2024. It is a work-in-progress because the story is still playing out in real-time,” states Kim Stephens.
“What did you learn along the way, current local government staff would ask me, and where did that lead each time. Their questions prompted me to dig deeper. So, I expanded my “story behind the story” interviews to delve into motivating factors.”
Nine cascading factors that must be in alignment to implement a course correction
“Next, I had to find a way to distil and communicate three decades into an easy-to-tell story of how the Metro Vancouver region got to where we are today. I boiled 700 pages down to a table. Four distinct eras define the past three decades, with the period of time for each varying between 6 and 9 years.”
Table of Cascading Factors
“The table below is distilled from my lived experience over the past three decades. When one is in the heat of the moment, it can be hard to see the forest for the trees. With a multi-decade perspective of time, however, one can see a picture. And that is what the table represents.”
“The descriptors for the cascading factors are succinct for ease of recall. But the words have deep meaning and substance. My lived experience is that the nine must all be in alignment to effect change. All it takes is one factor to be out of alignment and that can be enough to derail a process and progress. Yet it may be years before that consequence becomes apparent.”
“Along the way, inter-regional collaboration allowed us to cross-pollinate Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island and Okanagan experiences.”
“The difference between Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver, for example, is that enough champions who remember are still in the frontlines on Vancouver Island to hold things together. For now, that is enough to offset memory loss region-wide. But the window is narrowing until those champions age out.”
Restore political commitment and build a new coalition
“In the 2000s, Metro Vancouver put British Columbia on the international map because the region was viewed by many as a beacon of inspiration. Could lightning strike twice? Could the region re-emerge as a beacon of inspiration?”
“Of course it could. But it will come down to whether the right people are in the room at the right time, and whether they can learn from and build on past experience. Staff can only carry things so far. When an elected leader who is respected is THE CHAMPION, momentum can quickly accelerate.”
“Released by the Partnership in November 2024, the Table of Cascading Factors is a communication tool, has value as a conversation starter, and is resonating with audiences. Because it is a conversation starter, the table allows us to pivot from the past to the future, and pose question such as:”
“At the top of the list of cascading factors is political leadership and commitment to the shared vision. Leadership boils down to a willingness to act and bring together other champions willing to provide the type of energy and organizational drive that overcomes inertia.”
Defining statement for each era

Now what will we do to overcome organizational amnesia?
“I am an eternal optimist. The glass is half-full and the water level is rising. You just have to play the long game and be patient until there is a reachable moment when minds are open and thus receptive to the message.”
“Then it is carpe diem to convert the window of opportunity into a teachable moment that changes history! Timing is everything. It always is. In my experience, the most effective city managers are the ones who anticipate an issue and are ready with a recommendation when council is primed for the moment.”
“The takeaway message from this season opening edition of Waterbucket eNews is EMBRACE THE INTERGENERATIONAL BATON AND LEARN TO LOOK BACK TO SEE AHEAD. In closing, I offer readers this cautionary note about the essential need to build a coalition:”
Living Water Smart in British Columbia Series
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About the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC
Technical knowledge alone is not enough to resolve water challenges facing BC. Making things happen in the real world requires an appreciation and understanding of human behaviour, combined with a knowledge of how decisions are made. It takes a career to figure this out.
The Partnership has a primary goal, to build bridges of understanding and pass the baton from the past to the present and future. To achieve the goal, the Partnership is growing a network in the local government setting. This network embraces collaborative leadership and inter-generational collaboration.
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