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The good news, as noted in The Role of Public Groups in Protecting and Restoring Freshwater Habitats in British Columbia… is that “there has been an upsurge of public involvement in the protection and rehabilitation of B.C. rivers and streams, and an evolution toward a more collective engagement in the management of these resources.”

Co-authors of the 2001 report, Dr. Marvin Rosenau and Mark Angelo, go as far as to say that, “government institutions, frameworks, and agencies at all levels in B.C. are no longer capable of protecting and restoring freshwater environments on their own. Ultimately, the active involvement of public groups and non-government organizations, rather than relying on governments acting on their own, may be the only effective way to save or restore many of British Columbia’s remaining freshwater ecosystems….”

Many municipal councils recognize the importance and value of using independent committees to study issues with which they are dealing. Advisory committees are comprised of individuals from the public and/or private sectors, and are charged with the responsibility to closely examine issues given to them by the local governments. After careful deliberation, the committees present recommendations to the councils that can then be used to make decisions concerning the matter. This additional input can help councils be better informed about the different aspects of an issue.