In April, the ‘Comox Valley Regional Team’ on Vancouver Island received the second annual Leadership in Water Sustainability Award. An initiative of the British Columbia Water & Waste Association (BCWWA), the award recognizes those who are leading the way and demonstrating overall commitment to water sustainability in their governance, administration, operations, education, culture and outreach.
Since 2007, four local governments and the Comox Valley Land Trust have been collaborating under the umbrella of CAVI-Convening for Action on Vancouver Island. A program goal is to showcase what can be achieved through a ‘regional team approach’. Annual seminar series focus on issues of regional concern, and are outcome-oriented.
"The learning opportunity for all of us is extraordinary at these CAVI seminars. Municipal and Regional District departments learning from each other, the various jurisdictions learning from each other, and the incredible opportunity for the Stewardship community to learn better how local government works; and for all practitioners to learn what the environmental constraints really are and what they mean,” explains Jack Minard, Executive Director of the Comox Valley Land Trust.
“The experience gains substance as we add the development and builder community. This type of collaboration can only benefit all interests, improve processes and deliver better outcomes,"
To learn more, click on Comox Valley Local Governments Showcase A Regional Response to Infrastructure Liability to read a supporting story posted on the Water Bucket website.
SUSTAINABLE DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE: As infrastructure ages and fails, local governments cannot keep up with renewal and/or replacement. Thus, fiscal constraints provide a powerful impetus for doing business differently. Green infrastructure is part of a holistic approach to ‘achieve more with less’.
The paradigm-shift starts with land use planning. Connecting the dots between watershed health and infrastructure type is emerging as an important piece in ‘sustainable drainage infrastructure’, both fiscally and ecologically.
News Release #2011-22
May 10, 2011
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