The POLIS Water Sustainability Project is turning 20 this year! We couldn’t have made it this far without the support of our colleagues, partners, advisors, funders, water leaders, and many many supporters across B.C. (and beyond!) who give their time and energy and continually champion the necessary and crucial work of water sustainability and watershed security. To celebrate some of the people who have made this milestone possible, POLIS Communications Director Laura Brandes got in touch with several “POLIS alumni” to find out what they’ve been up to since leaving POLIS, and to ask if there are lessons from their POLIS days that they still carry with them…
Brad Densmore worked as a Communications Intern at the POLIS Water Sustainability Project in from September 2010 to February 2011, while he completed his studies at the University of Victoria. Since leaving POLIS, Brad has worked in various roles in the B.C. provincial public sector and started his own business and communications consulting company that specializes in Indigenous relations and applying the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to environmental, social, and governance opportunities.
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Laura Brandes: What is your current job and how long have you been there?
Brad: I’m currently Principal at Densmore Consulting Ltd .We offer services to Indigenous communities with a focus on First Nations economic development to support meaningful Indigenous participation in all areas of Canada’s economy.
Laura: What was your biggest contribution to the work at POLIS? And what were the impacts of that work?
Brad: I offered general communications support and worked closely with Liz Hendriks on the first season of the Creating a Blue Dialogue webinar series as well as the Living Water Policy Project. I also authored a number of articles in the industry trade magazine Water Canada as part of my internship, offering a B.C. perspective on water policy issues.
Laura: Are there any skills or lessons from your POLIS days that you still carry with you today?
Brad: An organization with a clear vision can attract good people to do great things.
Laura: What adventures have you been on since leaving POLIS? Are there any major milestones—either personally or professionally—that you’d like to share?
Brad: I’ve had the honour of working with First Nations around British Columbia to support economic development and governance objectives through my consulting work. Professionally, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) has proven to be an important turning point for public policy and charting a new course for reconciliation that includes ecological, social, cultural and traditional values.
Laura: There are some big concepts that are central to our ongoing work at POLIS—like ecological governance and watershed security. What do these concepts mean to you? And, in particular, has your understanding of these ideas changed over time, based on where your career has taken you and what you’ve learned in the last 20 years?
Brad: I found POLIS’ work on the public trust doctrine to be inspirational, and could see this and other changes to lawmaking being applied in the context of First Nations stewardship as communities deal with more and more hardships such as climate change, extreme weather, and resource scarcity. Communications and stakeholder engagement is key if you need people, communities, and decision-makers to “buy in” to the big idea and challenge conventional norms and expectations.
Laura: Now that you can look at the work of POLIS from a distance, what are your thoughts? Are we achieving what we should be? Where do you think we’re having the biggest impact?
Brad: POLIS has a strong reputation for thorough, high-quality work that has helped improve policy and decision-making at various levels. POLIS does well by connecting incremental “practical” change with the systemic action that must be taken, thereby challenging the status-quo in an earnest, objective, and factually grounded way.
Laura: Do you have any favourite POLIS memories you’d like to share?
Brad: When I was with POLIS, we worked out of a heritage home in Mystic Vale behind the University of Victoria residence buildings. While it was drafty and there were rodents, most of us were relatively “outdoorsy” and the informality suited us. I clearly remember working after dark during a full moon around Halloween, wind whistling through the trees, and a student knocking on the door only to ask if the place was haunted. This I could not confirm nor deny.
