For the past 10 years, the Fraser Basin Council (FBC) and its partners have tackled a wide range of sustainability issues that impact communities across the Basin and beyond. FBC has worked on providing information and tools to assist authorities in flood hazard management, combatting the spread of invasive plant species, managing the effects of climate change, strengthening rural communities, developing a sustainable fish and fisheries strategy, building constructive aboriginal and non-aboriginal relationships and measuring progress towards sustainability. Here are the key initiatives underway.
- Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Partnerships
- BC Climate Exchange
- BC Clean Air Research (BC CLEAR) Fund
- BC Clean Air Forum
- BC Regional Adaptation Collaborative
- CAEE: Community Action on Energy and Emissions
- CAEE: Remote Communities Implementation Program
- Fleet initiatives
- Flood Hazard Management
- Fraser Salmon and Watersheds
- Fraser River Debris Trap
- Green Fleets BC:
- Invasive Plant Strategy for British Columbia
- Smart Planning for Communities
- Sustainability Purchasing Network
- Strengthening Communities
- Transportation Demand Management
- Youth and Sustainability
- Water Governance
Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Partnerships
One of the unique features of FBC is that First Nations are original signatories to the Charter for Sustainability and have participated fully in the FBC Board and its activities since FBC was established in 1997.
FBC is working to identify ways that it can more effectively apply Principle 11 of the Charter, which states: "We recognize that aboriginal nations within the Fraser Basin assert aboriginal rights and title. These rights and title now being defined must be acknowledged and reconciled in a just and fair manner."
To this end, FBC is working with First Nations Board members and its New Relationship Committee to:
- Interpret the meaning of Principle 11 and its relevance to sustainability.
- Explore ways that FBC can better demonstrate application of Principle 11 in its current and future activities.
- Develop a reference document that constructively and objectively summarizes First Nations history in the Basin, relevant court decisions, current challenges and opportunities for applying Principle 11, and key lessons drawn from FBC's experience on improving cooperation between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people in the Fraser Basin.
For more information, contact:
Ernie Victor
Manager, Aboriginal Community Liaison
Tel: 604-997-9907
Email: evictor@fraserbasin.bc.ca
BC Climate Exchange
The FBC hosts an educational outreach and support program—the BC Climate Exchange (www.bcclimateexchange.ca) — through federal and provincial funding. In addition to user-friendly material on its website, the BC Climate Exchange has also provided customized resource kits to partnering organizations.
Climate Adaptation Workshop 2007
On November 6 the Fraser Basin Council hosted a workshop in Vancouver to discuss the need to adapt water management systems to plan for climate change impacts. For a look at the issues and a workshop summary, see Preparing for Climate Change in the Fraser Basin: How Can our Water Management Systems Adapt?
BC Clean Air Research (BC CLEAR) Fund
The BC Clean Air Research (BC CLEAR) Fund promotes excellent research by funding transformative research of strategic importance for the management of air quality in British Columbia. For details, visit our BC CLEAR page.
BC Clean Air Forum
The BC Clean Air Forum is a prime opportunity to learn about the latest research and projects underway to improve air quality. For a look at past presentations, see BC Clean Air Forum 2008 and BC Clean Air Forum 2009.
Community Action on Energy and Emissions (CAEE)
The Community Action on Energy and Emissions (CAEE) initiative provides financial and research support to BC local governments and First Nations to advance energy efficiency, energy conservation and emissions reductions measures through policy and planning tools. The program is administered by the Fraser Basin Council. Since the program was initiated in 2005, 54 communities in British Columbia have participated.
Would you like to know what energy projects are underway in communities across BC? Take a look:
- CAEE Successes 2005-2010 (NEW)
- The 2009 edition of Energy Efficiency and Buildings: A Resource Guide for BC's Local Government.
CAEE is a key element of the Province's Energy Plan 2007 and a cornerstone of the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources' strategy document Energy Efficient Buildings Strategy: More Action, Less Energy, which outlines targets for new and existing residential, commercial, institutional and industrial buildings. CAEE funding support comes from the BC Ministry of Energy and Mines, BC Ministry of Environment, BC Hydro and Terasen Gas.
For background on the program since its inceptoin, also visit the CAEE initiative page on the BC Climate Exchange website. A new initiative in 2009 supports remote communities in BC in reducing their dependence on diesel power generation in favour of cleaner and more efficient forms of energy: for details, see CAEE Remote Communities Initiative.
Idle Free BC
Idle Free BC builds awareness among fleet managers and operators and the general public about the economic, environmental and health costs of idling, and encourages idling reduction programs. For upcoming workshops, visit the Idle Free BC website.
Fleet Initiatives
Green Fleets BC
The Fraser Basin Council is host to the Green Fleets BC, a suite of initiatives to support the public and private sector in achieving greater energy efficiency and emissions reductions in their onroad fleets, such as freight trucks, municipal and utility vehicles, buses, taxis, police cars and emergency vehicles. Funded by the BC Ministry of Environment, the programs was formally launched November 27, 2007.
The Green Fleets BC program supports the development and expansion of E3 Fleet , North America's first national review and rating program for the transportation sector. See E3 Fleet below.
Here some of the other highlights of Green Fleets BC:
- Green Trucking Technologies: Newer engines, green fuels, aerodynamic enhancements, speed limiters, auxiliary power units and modern tires can help cut smog and GHG emissions. Green Fleets BC will support demonstration projects on trucking technologies to help fleet managers make good choices for best results.
- BC BioFleet: Green Fleets BC is sponsoring demonstration projects on the use of biodiesel in BC public sector and commercial vehicle fleets through branding, website resources, training workshops, outreach and incentives. Biodiesel is a clean, renewable energy suited to almost all diesel engines, usually blended with petroleum diesel. Over 50 fleets in BC are now using biodiesel and BC Biofleet is seeing that number expand, along with a distribution infrastructure. Nationally, the 2012 Renewable Fuel Standard under the Clean Air Act will mandate a B2 biodiesel blend for diesel fuel. (B2 refers to the percentage of biodiesel mixed with diesel; B2 is a mix of 2% biodiesel and 98% diesel). In BC a B5 blend standard is mandated by 2010. For more information and practical resources, such as a biodiesel user's guide, biodiesel calculator and case studies, visit the BC Biofleet website.
- Hybrid Experience Report: Online at www.hybridexperience.ca, the report documents the real-life experiences and fuel efficiency results of fleets that use hybrid vehicles. Simply put, a hybrid is a vehicle with an internal combustion engine and electric motor, powered by a large rechargeable battery. The Hybrid Experience website is unique in Canada, and has attracted national attention. It is a valuable resource for fleet managers, businesses and individuals contemplating hybrids.
- Green Fleets Network: Sharing best practices is key to success, and Green Fleets BC is sponsoring a new network of fleet managers for just that reason.
- Canada's Green Fuels Map: Interested in finding alternative fuels? Check out Canada's Green Fuels Map for an online lookup of both retail and key-lock stations, coast to coast.
Visit www.greenfleets.ca or contact Program Managers Jim Vanderwal or Terry Robert for more information.
E3 Fleet Program
Designed by fleet managers for fleet managers, E3 Fleet is a new program to provide services and resources to help Canadian private and public sector fleets increase fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, manage expenses, incorporate new technologies and use alternative fuels. For details, visit the E3 Fleet website or contact Program Manager Jim Vanderwal at jvanderwal@fraserbasin.bc.ca.
Through E3 Fleet membership, managers gain access to a new data analysis tool – Fleet Review – which generates exclusive reports and recommendations for reducing fuel, operating and capital costs as well as emissions for each fleet. The program will also offer the first green-rating system for vehicle fleets in North America. The rating system consists of four components: a Green Rating Guide, a points system for assessing each fleet, a third-party fleet audit and an ultimate rating at the Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum level.
The FBC is pleased to spearhead the program launch of E3 Fleet, thanks to funding from Western Economic Diversification Canada and BC Ministry of Environment.
Flood Hazard Management
The Fraser Basin Council has worked for many years with government authorities advancing flood hazard management for the communities along the Fraser. For details, please see Flood Hazard Management.
Fraser Salmon and Watersheds
A new program is underway in the Fraser Basin to build a better future for fish and fisheries in the Fraser Basin through inclusive, collaborative partnerships.
The Fraser Salmon and Watersheds Program (FSWP) is a multi-year initiative to conserve and restore the diversity and abundance of salmon within the Fraser Basin. The FSWP began in 2007, with a contribution of $10 million over four years from the provincial Living Rivers Trust Fund and a further commitment of $10 million ($5M cash and $5M in-kind, over five years) from Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The Fraser Salmon and Watersheds Program is jointly managed by the Fraser Basin Council (FBC) and the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF). A Steering Committee, with representatives from federal, provincial, and Aboriginal governments, as well as the two co-managing organizations and others, provides oversight to the program. Funding is administered through the Pacific Salmon Foundation.
The Fraser Salmon and Watershed Program is built on a vision: To inspire changes in human behaviour to the benefit of salmonids and the watersheds they depend on.
The program has as its goals to foster effective communications and governance approaches, to protect and restore habitat and water and to support effective and responsive fisheries management. The program business plan is available as background.
For more information on fish and fisheries, contact:
Saul Milne, Program Manager, at (604) 488-5353 or by email at smilne@fraserbasin.bc.ca
Deana Machin, Associate Manager, at (604) 488-5361 or by email at dmachin@fraserbasin.bc.ca
For more information on the program, visit www.fswp.ca and for a look at our project database, visit www.thinksalmon.com.
Fraser River Debris Trap
Located between Hope and Agassiz, the Fraser River debris trap is a special waterborne facility that corrals uprooted trees and wood debris into a side channel where the wood can be collected and removed. Without the trap, an average of 45-55,000 cubic metres of debris (up to 100,000 cubic metres in years of high peak flows) would make its way into the lower reaches of the Fraser and the Strait of Georgia each year, threatening people and property. To imagine 100,000 cubic metres, picture thirteen football stadiums full of wood, stacked three metres deep.
Without the trap, there would be much greater risk that debris would endanger boats, block beaches, litter shorelines, threaten public safety, interfere with commercial and recreational navigation, damage infrastructure such as docks, dikes, bridges, foreshore structures and submarine cables and damage sensitive habitat.
For a number of years, the Fraser Basin Council has provided secretariat, research and communications support to the Fraser River Debris Trap Operating Committee, the multi-party committee that oversees the debris trap.
In late 2006 the Operating Committee released the results of a third-party cost-benefit study showing that the debris trap pays for itself 12 times over, avoiding at least $8 million in costs of clean-up and repair of damage to vessels, foreshore infrastructure and habitat. For details, see: Fraser River Debris Trap: A Cost-Benefit Analysis.
On behalf of the Operating Committee, the FBC has called for a long-term funding arrangement.
Invasive Plant Strategy for British Columbia
Invasive plant species – also known as noxious weeds – are taking over large tracks of land throughout the province. Annual economic losses from invasive plants in BC are in the tens of millions of dollars each year. Without natural enemies to control their populations, these weeds have a competitive advantage over local native plants that makes them very difficult to control. Invasive plants adversely affect crop yields, reduce range productivity (as many weeds are non-palatable or injurious to domestic livestock), reduce wildlife forage and the land's recreational values, impact conifer regeneration efforts and even impact personal health.
The Fraser Basin Council led the development of an Invasive Plant Strategy for BC. The strategy is a groundbreaking document, reflecting input from a wide range of interests including government, First Nations, non-government, industry, user groups, and utilities. It outlines an action plan to address the exponential increase in invasive plant population throughout the province. The strategy has led to creation of the Invasive Plant Council of BC. For more information, visit the IPCBC website
As background, see Invasive Plant Strategy for British Columbia [PDF: 6MB] and Invasive Plant Strategy for British Columbia - June 2005 [PPT: 17.6MB] .
Resource for teachers
Would the kids in your class or club like to know more about little green invaders with names as intriguing as Purple Loosestrife, Hound's Tongue and Tansy Ragwort?
Nab the Bully Plant is a new resource package developed by the Fraser Basin Council to help teachers and leaders of youth clubs (4H Clubs, Cubs, Girl Guides and others) educate young people about invasive plants in BC and their impacts on local ecosystems and economies. The program is a great way to encourage children — ages 9 to 11 — to be responsible stewards.
Contact Gail Wallin, Regional Manager, for more information on invasive plants at 250-392-1400 or gwallin@fraserbasin.bc.ca.
Smart Planning for Communities
Smart Planning for Communities is a new BC-wide collaborative initiative to assist local and First Nations governments in addressing their long-term sustainability challenges by providing resources and tools for planning socially, culturally, economically and environmentally sustainable communities. For details, visit our Smart Planning for Communities page.
Sustainability Purchasing Network
The Sustainability Purchasing Network (SPN) is a learning resource for corporate, not-for-profit, academic, government, public sector, labour, and co-operative organizations in their sustainability purchasing efforts.
If you are interested in making purchasing choices that take into account a healthier community and environment through all stages of a product's life cycle — from extraction and harvesting to manufacturing to disposal — consider joining an SPN learning event. For resources and events on sustainability purchasing, visit www.buysmartbc.com.
Strengthening Communities
Economic diversity and resilience are critical to the sustainability of communities. Yet in many rural areas of the Fraser Basin, people remain dependent on the fortunes of single natural resource sectors, such as forestry, mining, or fisheries. Through its Strengthening Communities program, the Fraser Basin Council works with communities to meet local social and economic needs over the long term.
FBC has been involved in numerous initiatives, including these:
- supporting the development of the Small Lot Agriculture sector in Agassiz-Kent
- developing a community profile and business directory in the South Cariboo, to increase awareness of the diversity of goods and services available to local residents, as well to prospective residents and investors (See South Cariboo Regional Profile (2004) [PDF: 672KB] and visit the South Cariboo Business Directory website)
- facilitating community visioning and improved networking among the small business and tourism sectors in McBride and Dunster through the establishment of a community calendar of events and a quarterly small business networking night
- facilitating strategic planning sessions for the new Barkerville Heritage Trust. The goal was to develop a plan to ensure a sustainable future for this important historic site by establishing effective governance and future direction.
Another project initiated by the Fraser Basin Council is the BC Rural Network, which is structured on the FBC’s collaborative governance model. Chaired by the FBC Regional Manager for the Cariboo-Chilcotin, the Network aims to build stronger rural and remote communities and organizations in BC by promoting better understanding of rural issues across all jurisdictions, and developing responses to rural issues.
Youth and Sustainability
The Fraser Basin Council is pleased to have youth volunteers involved in several of its sustainability projects, including planning and hosting hte 2009 Youth Congress. For more information, contact Amy Greenwood at agreenwood@fraserbasin.bc.ca.
New Tools to Help the Generations Talk
" It is not the years in your life, but the life in your years that counts."
In the eyes of the Intergenerational Centre for Action Learning (iCal) of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, it's high time to bridge the generation gap. One way of doing that is to open up a fresh dialogue between the young and not-so-young, and to challenge the assumptions we make about each other.
The Fraser Basin Council has been pleased to help ICal's work on the "The Intergenerational Project" by funding a community toolbox, released in July.
Would you like to know more about fostering better communication? Take a look inside the toolbox for inspiring success stories and practical ideas:
Community Toolbox for Intergenerational Collaboration
Part 1: Intergenerational web links
Part 2: Annotated bibliography
Part 3: Resources
Thanks to Laura Watts, Program Director of the Canadian Centre for Elder Law Studies (CCELS) and Steven Dooley, Director of Kwantlen University College’s National Institute for Research in Sustainable Community Development for their help in getting this project off the ground. And thanks to the publication team of Yongjie Yon (also an FBC Youth Task Committee representative), Elizabeth Anderson and Larry Anderson.