Fraser Basin Council

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4.6 Moving Forward in Water Planning, Management and Governance

FBC_Pic6SMALL.jpgAs will become evident in later sections of this guide, a wide array of planning processes have been developed to assist local governments and other organizations in navigating the challenges of water management. In some regions of the province, significant momentum is building towards collaborative decision-making regarding watershed health in the face of economic and environmental change. As policy makers analyze and adjust management strategies with the current social, political, economic and environmental context, and as managers strategize to resolve conflicts between human and ecosystem needs, communities are learning to live water smart. The outlook is encouraging. In addition to the emergence of a new Water Act for BC, an overarching provincial policy framework presently exists – comprised of Living Water Smart and the Green Communities Initiative, two complementary initiatives. Living Water Smart provides the vision of the framework, and the Green Communities Initiative complements the Local Government Act tools to enable the vision. As a package, the framework provides guidance for aligning local actions with provincial and regional goals to “design with nature”, in order to create greener communities, live water smart and prepare for climate change. As observed in Beyond the Guidebook 2010, “BC is now at a tipping point. Implementation of a new culture for urban watershed protection and restoration is within our grasp”. 12


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About Rethinking our Water Ways

This website is a guide to help BC communities learn more about planning for local watersheds and water resources, navigate current planning processes, consider relevant issues and challenges — including regional climate change impacts —  and build capacity to develop and implement plans.

Acknowledgements

The Rethinking our Water Ways guide and website are possible thanks to funding support from the BC Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Canada's Regional Adaptation Collaborative Program. The guide and website were launched and distributed through a series of regional workshops throughout BC, with funding contributions from the Fraser Salmon and Watersheds Program, Environment Canada and the Real Estate Foundation of BC. Learn more about our funders and advisors.

We want to hear from you

Share your suggestions for this website, and ideas for future water workshops, with:

Steve Litke
Senior Program Manager
T: 604 488-5358
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About the Fraser Basin Council

Rethinking our Water Ways is an initiative of the Fraser Basin Council (FBC), a charitable non-profit society that advances sustainability in the Fraser River Basin, across BC, and beyond. Established in 1997, FBC brings people together from multiple sectors to learn about sustainability and find collaborative solutions to current issues. Learn more about FBC by visiting www.fraserbasin.bc.ca.