The Fraser Basin Council directors and staff wish to thank all who helped make the 2006 State of the Fraser Basin Conference such a success, including our valued speakers and participants. Our special appreciation to our sponsors:
Set 1 of Concurrent Sessions |
Moderator:
Parm Bains
Agriculture Producer
Westberry
Speakers:
Kim Sutherland
Regional Agrologist, Fraser Valley East
BC Ministry of Agriculture
Mark Robbins
Regional Agrologist, Coastal Region
BC Ministry of Agriculture
Ione Smith
Outreach Coordinator
Smart Growth BC |
Land and Food Production: resolving turf wars to ensure a fruitful future
Food is a necessity of life. The land it grows on is a non-renewable resource. How we make land use decisions affects BC’s ability to produce food.
In BC, we grow an amazing variety of food products for local consumption as well as for export. Remarkably, half of what we eat is produced right here on only 3% of the land base, much of it on the best good growing land in Canada. With such a small portion of the provincial land base suitable for a range of agricultural activities – and with just over 1% of that classified as prime agricultural land – the necessity of protecting this resource is paramount. Yet some of these prime agricultural lands are under intense pressure to be rezoned for housing and industrial use. How do we encourage small and large communities to plan for growth efficiently while protecting and enhancing the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR)?
This session looked at municipal policy tools, alternative development standards and improved decision-making to benefit the long-term social, economic and environmental well-being of all British Columbians.
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Moderator:
Rob Wickson
Chair, BC Chamber of Commerce
Speakers:
Dave Dyer
Chief Engineer, Development Services
City of Prince George
Helen Goodland
Executive Director, Lighthouse Sustainable Building Centre
Richard Hebda
Curator, Botany and Earth Science, BC Royal Museum |
Energy & Climate Change: an ounce of prevention can inspire a pound of cure
Climate change has both global and local significance. While BC produces a small fraction of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, we have a significant leadership role in addressing climate change and increasing energy efficiency. Climate change may affect water availability, wildlife populations, forests, and many other natural systems in the Fraser Basin that communities and businesses depend on. Understanding the cause and potential impacts of climate change can help communities and businesses better prepare for the future.
This session provided an interactive forum, allowing participants to network with outstanding experts, business and community leaders. It included the latest information on current and potential impacts of climate change in BC and offered presentations on how communities and businesses are preparing for these impacts through actions such as reducing their vulnerability to the Mountain Pine Beetle outbreak, as well as developing green energy and energy efficiency opportunities.
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Moderator:
Johnny Carline
Chief Administrative Officer, GVRD
Speakers:
Jeanette Townsend
Mayor, Valemount
Dave Whiting
Consulting Agrologist / Planner, Kamloops
Lurline Langbell
Vice President, East Richmond Community Association |
Community Sustainability: homegrown solutions take root
Although many sustainability issues seem global or national in scope, we still relate most directly to what is happening where we live. The community – whether it is a small town in the north of the province or a large metropolitan area in the south – has an important role to play in advancing sustainability.
The integration of social, economic and environmental considerations prompts new kinds of questions, at times leading to unique and innovative initiatives providing multiple benefits. Communities in the Basin are choosing distinct approaches to making progress on local priorities – from downtown revitalization, improved service delivery and agricultural initiatives to economic diversification and hazard planning. Sometimes local government takes the lead, sometimes other interests do. Often they work collaboratively. This session offered insights on how sustainability is inspired locally and how collaborative partnerships are developed.
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Moderator:
Mike Harcourt
Chair, International Centre for Sustainable Cities
Speakers:
Grand Chief Ed John
Tl'azt'en Nation
Janet Webster
Chief, Lytton First Nation
John Watson
Former Regional Director General, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
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A New Relationship: an agreeable environment for Aboriginal & Non-Aboriginal relations
In 2005 three main Aboriginal organizations in the province – the First Nations Summit, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs and the BC Region of the Assembly of First Nations – signed a Leadership Accord and formed the First Nations Leadership Council, expressing their joint commitment to work together on matters of mutual interest. The Accord was a catalyst for the completion of the New Relationship Agreement, followed by the Transformative Change Accord among First Nations, British Columbia and the federal government.
Today there is opportunity to address Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal relationships in BC in a new way. The challenge is to translate the words and commitment to action. This interactive session explored these opportunities and challenges and strengthened the platform for inspirational action.
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Set 2 of Concurrent Sessions |
Moderator:
Paul Kariya
Executive Director
Pacific Salmon Foundation
Speakers:
Dan Kent
Managing Director
Salmon Safe, Oregon
Lee Hesketh
Program Coordinator
BC Cattlemen's Association
Deana Machin
Program Manager, Fisheries
Okanagan Nation Alliance |
Water Stewardship & Fish: spawning new grounds for protecting our fish, and our future
The current sustainability of salmon and watersheds in the Fraser Basin can be summed up quite simply: the whole is less than the sum of its parts. If that equation does not change, we will lose not only the fish and watersheds, but also a critical part of our identify as British Columbians. To change that equation and secure their – and our – future, users of water and surrounding lands, decision makers and those with an interest in the future of Fraser River salmon and watersheds require a common understanding and priorities for addressing critical issues.
This session deepened the vision of the “Fraser Salmon and Watersheds program” to inspire and enable changes in human behaviour for the benefit of salmon and watersheds. Participants looked at filling the information gap, supporting more sustainable fisheries and reaching out to change people's behaviour.
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Moderator:
Coro Strandberg
Strandberg & Associates
Speakers:
Maureen Cureton
Energy Manager, Vancity
Dick Kouwenhoven
President & CEO,
Hemlock Printers
Victoria Wakefield
Contracting Specialist
City of Vancouver
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Purchasing for Sustainability: you are what (and how) you buy
Sustainability purchasing is about buying products that are more environmentally sound and socially and ethically beneficial.
It encompasses procurement, materials management, logistics, supply chain management and strategic sourcing activities – and calculating the total cost associated with each purchase. Sustainability purchasing means looking at whether products are really needed, whether they can be leased or pre-owned, what products are made of, where they come from, how they were made and how they will be disposed of. Although sustainability purchasing is relatively new, many organizations are already reaping the benefits: better aligned organizational values, improved product and service quality, increased resource productivity, reduced risk and enhanced financial competitiveness.
This session offered an overview to those new to sustainability purchasing policies or programs, and outlined options for extending social, environmental and ethical considerations to new areas of purchasing practice.
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Moderator:
Maureen Maloney
Director, Institute for Dispute Resolution
University of Victoria
Speakers:
Liz Elliott
Co-Director
SFU Centre for Restorative Justice
Brenda Morrison
SFU Centre for Restorative Justice |
Safer Communities: restorative action repairs holes in the social safety net
Sustainable healthy communities are safe and caring places where British Columbians live, thrive and raise their families. No community can be any stronger than the strength of its families or core groups.
As Barry Stuart, a retired judge puts it: “All sustainability stems from the sense of well-being of the people. Economies cannot thrive when there is a high level of perpetual and unresolved conflict in the community. Conflict can be an opportunity to positively address individual and community issues, providing an opening for restorative action.” How does restorative action benefit our municipalities and our communities? Who is doing this now? What are the outcomes?
As social risk factors, urban decay, rural under-resourcing, disconnected youth, illegal activities, and the quality of life in our communities are becoming more of a challenge, we need a new approach. How do we begin to fix the holes in the net? If more policing does not lower the crime rate, then what does? This session explored the role of restorative action in transforming conflicts in our communities into positive change.
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Moderator:
Jim Mattison
Strategic Planning Executive Director
Land and Water BC Inc.
Speakers:
Allan Chapman
Head, River Forecast Centre
Monica Mannerstrom
Senior Project Engineer,
Northwest Hydraulics Consultants Ltd.
David Sellars
Principal, Canada Operations Manager
Water Management Consultants |
Water & Risk: staying on top of rising flood threats
Water is a vital resource as well as a potential threat through flooding. Both natural and human factors can contribute to the severity of flooding and its impacts.
New research and information help us to better understand flood hazards and significant water-related changes within the Fraser River Basin.
Recent flood computer models can more accurately estimate water levels associated with a lower Fraser River flood. The models show that the predicted height of floodwaters during a re-occurrence of the flood of record is significantly higher in some sections of the lower Fraser River than previously thought. This session presented those results – and the implications. Participants also looked at the influence of the Mountain Pine Beetle and related harvesting on watershed hydrology, including flooding.
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The Awards Gala Dinner featured extraordinary sights and sounds of international drummers, presided over by Her Honour Iona Campagnolo, Lieutenant Governor of BC. It was also the opportunity to honour recipients of the Fraser Basin Council’s Sustainability Awards – the champions of sustainability from our own communities. In 2006 the Council honoured people in five award categories: Understanding Sustainability, Strengthening Communities, Caring for Ecosystems, Improving Decision-Making and Overall Sustainability. Read more about our 2006 Award recipients!
