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Convening for Action on Vancouver Island (CAVI) brings together different departments and disciplines involved in land use planning and development to collaborate on best practices for accommodating regional growth while protecting vital ecological systems. While the target audience is primarily local government administrators, engineers, planners, and elected officials, CAVI also supports the participation of developers, academics, First Nations, and citizen groups. By providing leadership, coordination, research, and education, CAVI facilitates collaboration and creates synergies resulting in more sustainable land and resource planning.
CAVI runs a wide variety of programming that brings participants together to share best practices and identify barriers to achieving environmentally responsible development. The Learning Lunch Seminar Series has been held in the Comox Valley for the past three years and the region will be implementing elements of ‘integrated planning.’ At the end of 2010, four local governments will present a joint report to the politicians summarizing the tangible outcomes from the Seminars. Glen Westendrop, Chair of the 2010 Learning Lunch Series and Public Works Superintendent for the Town of Comox feels that “the Comox Valley collaboration is a provincially significant initiative. The 2010 Series will serve as a springboard beyond the Comox Valley in order to contribute to water sustainability in the Georgia Basin.” The Comox Valley is a microcosm of what could to be happening throughout the province so that communities realize more benefits than liabilities from development.
Another CAVI initiative was the Green Developers Roundtable, a one-time event that brought together developers to discuss planning, designing, and executing sustainable development projects. Recognizing that developers are the key players to lead the implementation of the green value strategies, the roundtable impressed on the developers the advantages they can gain by being early adopters of green value strategies. The Real Estate Foundation hosted the roundtable following the close of the Gaining Ground III conference in Victoria in 2007.
Another resource that CAVI has developed for its participants is a collection of
[12 case studies] profiling examples of development projects which have implement green value approaches. the case studies demonstrate the benefits and liabilities that each project has had on the economy, ecology, and society. Nainaimo, Saanich, Salt Spring Island, and Ucluelet are just some of the communties that are highlighted.
CAVI is run under the umbrella of
[BC Water and Waste Association] and has been funded by the Real Estate Foundation, Ministry of Environment, and Ministry of Community Services. The Real Estate Foundation has supported CAVI since its inception with $200,000 in grants for various programs. Under our mandate of professional and public education, the Foundation recognizes CAVI’s unique potential to create a paradigm shift in how communities approach the development process.
To visit CAVI’s website [click here]
To see CAVI’s informational brochure [click here]
Below are pieces of Tim Pringle’s research on the topic of rural development. Tim is the Foundation’s Director of Special Programs. He has been involved in CAVI since it began.
Story by Elysha Ames
