Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC

banner

Tag:

Tim Pringle

    CONVENING FOR ACTION IN THE COMOX VALLEY: “Trust is the currency of collaborative work, which the climate and every other societal crisis requires,” stated Nancy Gothard, Manager of Community and Sustainability Planning with the City of Courtenay


    “There is a book called the speed of trust. The message really resonates with me. The reality now is we cannot keep up with the pace of work and there is a lot of tension in community planning work. Trusting the person on the other side of the call makes a world of difference to being in a productive frame of mind, to not be afraid to test new ideas, and feel comfortable enough to offer constructive criticism. We need this creativity and the safe spaces to explore it as we grapple with levels of complexity our brains have trouble processing,” stated Nancy Gothard.

    Read Article

    HEALTHY WATERS PROGRAM FOR SALMON, WHALES, AND PEOPLE: “I think what is happening now is that we have lost touch with our watersheds,” stated Dr. Peter Ross of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation


    “For Healthy Waters, we basically said, we would like to set up a community-oriented water pollution monitoring program for salmon, whales and people. Every conversation that I am having with watershed folks revolves around people wanting to know more so that they are empowered to do more. There is real value in the conversation and providing the data that helps them identify priorities and actions,” stated Peter Ross.

    Read Article

    Local governments invest in youth at Vancouver Island University as part of 3-year transition strategy to embed EAP, the Ecological Accounting Process


    “There are lots of partnerships that exist for selfish reasons. But the EAP Partnership is selfless; and from all angles. It is a leap of faith for member local governments. Partnership for Water Sustainability commitment to passing the baton is unwavering. Vancouver Island University is all-in because EAP is an idea that can change the game. And students are excited to contribute to the change. In a phrase, the framework for the EAP Partnership is foundational. It is also outcome-oriented,” stated Graham Sakaki.

    Read Article

    ROAD MAP FOR STREAM SYSTEM INTEGRITY: The enduring legacy of Richard Horner and Chris May is that they applied systems thinking, investigated whole systems in place, identified four limiting factors, and definitively established their order-of-priority


    In the 1990s, Puget Sound research correlated land use changes with impacts on stream system condition. “Timing is everything. You learn that as you go through life. It was good timing because everyone was crying out, what is wrong and what can we do. In the 1990s, we were able to come up with some pretty good data and our conclusions are standing the test of time. Looking back, everything came together at the same time. Rich Horner and my work pointed out the problems. And the early green infrastructure work pointed to potential solutions,” stated Chis May.

    Read Article

    Communities need annual budgets to tackle the Riparian Deficit along streams


    The requirement that local governments have an Asset Management Plan addresses the disconnect between land use oversight and direct responsibility for maintenance and management of stream corridor condition. “The oversight question is one that we are addressing with EAP. Local governments have real data to quantify the financial value of streams as physical assets. This metric allows them to put streams into the basket of local government asset management responsibilities,” stated Tim Pringle.

    Read Article

    Build bridges of understanding, pass the baton!


    “A Partnership strength is the real-world experience we bring because of our multiple initiatives under Living Water Smart Actions. Under that vision, various building blocks processes have evolved over the decades. The Watershed Security Strategy and Fund, an initiative of the current provincial government, is the obvious mechanism to revisit, understand, learn from, and leverage past successes in the building blocks continuum. We have tools to help do the job. We can achieve better stewardship of BC’s water resources for present and future generations,” stated Ted van der Gulik.

    Read Article

    GEORGIA BASIN INTER-REGIONAL EDUCATION INITIATIVE, A UNIQUE MECHANISM FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT COLLABORATION: “Growing a network based on shared aspirations, and delivering results across organizational boundaries differs in every way from building an organization in any conventional sense.” – Derek Richmond, Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC


    “We knew that intuitively but it helps when a ‘neutral’ party says that. For me, the biggest takeaway from our conversation concerns the ‘what, how and who’ as the current leadership of the Partnership looks ahead to pass the baton.. Using the Ambassadors Program as the example of WHAT; – this was the breakthrough to articulate our need for succession planning and sustainability of the network. The WHO now becomes obvious as the ambassadors themselves. The HOW is now clear too, by looking back at what we were successful with in the past,” stated Derek Richmond.

    Read Article

    AFFORDABLE AND SUSTAINABLE RE-INVESTMENT IN MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE IS ESSENTIAL: “Too often, thinking stops after the capital investment is made. Yet everyone needs to be thinking in terms of life-cycle costs,” stated Glen Brown, Chair of Asset Management BC


    “The core document for asset management for BC local governments is Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery: A BC Framework. The title is deliberate and important because the ‘function’ and responsibility of Municipal Councils and Regional Boards is Sustainable Service Delivery. The process to support decision making is Asset Management. While much attention and discussion focus on the Asset Management plan or plans, there is much more to the process than just the plan,” stated Glen Brown.

    Read Article

    Ecological Accounting – what’s in a NUMBER?


    “In this edition, the Partnership for Water Sustainability’s Tim Pringle shares the story behind the story of the ‘pattern of discovery’ that led him to the BC Assessment database. In developing the EAP methodology and metrics, he has demonstrated that ‘the parcel’ is the lynchpin for integrating line items for M&M of streams systems in asset management budgets. Three decades ago, the philosophy that ‘use and conservation of land are equal values’ launched Tim Pringle on a career trajectory that has culminated with his breakthrough accomplishment in leading the EAP initiative,” stated Kim Stephens.

    Read Article

    CREATING OUR FUTURE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: Reconciling the disconnect between short-term and long-term thinking


    “Longtermism is about taking seriously just how big the future could be and how high the stakes are in shaping it. What we do now will affect untold numbers of future people. We need to act wisely. We aren’t helpless in the face of challenges. Longtermism can inspire concrete actions, here and now. But society tends to neglect the future in favor of the present. Future people are utterly disenfranchised. They can’t vote or lobby or run for public office, so politicians have scant incentive to think about them. They are the true silent majority,” stated William MacAskill.

    Read Article

    Next Page >