A core area of our work at POLIS has always been convening, advising, and community-building — and then working within these networks to better understand and drive progress on water and watershed security priorities across B.C. (and beyond).
This aspect of our work goes back over two decades — from early initiatives to elevate the importance of water as an emerging public policy priority, to providing a shared voice on modernizing the old B.C. Water Act, to all the subsequent work to convene water leaders and funders to drive the new Water Sustainability Act forward.
More recently, our collective efforts have focused on advancing key priorities, like the B.C. Watershed Security Fund and related opportunities to drive innovative watershed governance — in place and in policy. Our team at POLIS is honoured to be part of these growing, cross-cutting efforts and to celebrate the collective wins of the freshwater community.
This spring, our team was involved in two events designed to continue to drive progress on shared policy and reform priorities in B.C. and to strengthen the ever-evolving (and growing!) water community. We were reminded, yet again, of the value and importance of working in the collective, setting shared direction, and working alongside both new faces and colleagues of many decades to sustain momentum and impact.
Day at the Legislature
Delegates, including POLIS’ Oliver M. Brandes, with government representatives at the B.C. provincial legislature, April 2026.
In April, POLIS’ Oliver M. Brandes and Rosie Simms were invited in their capacity as advisors to the BC Watershed Security Coalition to support a full day of meetings with provincial ministers and MLAs from all parties. They discussed watershed security priorities in B.C., with a focus on industrial water rentals and opportunities for reform. These meetings built on over a decade of work that dates to the previous provincial water rentals increase in 2016.
As delegates, they met with 10 ministers and parliamentary secretaries, nine MLAs, and government staff. They wrapped up the day with a meeting with Premier David Eby and Minister Randene Neill from the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship.
The POLIS team thanks Coree Tull, Tim Morris, and Kyle Visvanathan from BC Water Legacy for organizing this important effort to continue to put the spotlight on water and watersheds with provincial leaders and decision-makers.
A Confluence of Water Champions
Participants at the two-day Confluence retreat gathered in Sidney, B.C., May 2026.
In May, Rosie Simms and Oliver M. Brandes helped convene and deliver a two-day retreat of the “Confluence” — a strategic group of water funders and partner organizations in B.C. During the retreat, Oliver and Rosie delivered two sessions. One focused on reforming laws and institutions and the other previewed POLIS’ forthcoming major report on drought in B.C. and innovative pathways forward for provincial reform.
The Confluence group meets regularly and will next convene in the fall. The POLIS team thanks the BC Water Funders Collaborative (MakeWay) and Karen Peachey (Access Planning) for their support with organizing and facilitating.
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As water and watershed security issues grow more pressing, our team at POLIS is committed to continuing to support the emergence of young leaders, be active in these networks to advance key policy reforms, encourage the growth and evolution of the water field, and work closely with colleagues to hold our elected leaders accountable to drive progress and change.
