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Project Updates
Xwulqw’selu Water Sustainability Plan
Celebrating a Milestone Decision in B.C.
March 17th, 2022
POLIS congratulates Cowichan Tribes and the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRORD) on their recent joint decision to pursue a Water Sustainability Plan for the Xwulqw'selu Watershed. The Xwulqw'selu Water Sustainability Plan is the first of its kind in the province and will be precedent setting.
Ripples Youth Art Zine
Call for Submissions
February 1st, 2022
For World Water Day, POLIS is supporting "Ripples," a youth arts zine created by youth and kids between the ages of 5 and 25! It will feature visual and written works that celebrate a shared love of and connection to water. Deadline for submissions is March 5th, 2022.
Making a Collective Splash
B.C. Government Seeks Input on Watershed Security Strategy & Fund
January 28th, 2022
On January 25th, the B.C. Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy announced the province’s first Watershed Security Strategy and Fund. To support anyone wanting to provide feedback to government, POLIS developed the guidance document "Making a Collective Splash: Context and Guidance for Watershed Security Strategy Submissions to Government."
BC Watershed Security Fund: A Collaborative Vision
Experts and knowledge holders offer strategic directions for watershed security
December 8th, 2021
This Strategic Directions Paper on B.C.'s Watershed Security Fund brings together the insights and best thinking from the Sustainable Funding Working Group—16 experts and knowledge holders working in Indigenous governance, local government, funding and financing, forestry, and land-use practices.
Watershed Security in B.C.
Towards a resilient, just, and sustainable future
November 23rd, 2021
Since the POLIS Water Sustainability Project began in 2003, our team, along with many partners, has played a leadership role in advancing watershed governance, both in concept and in practice. Now, 18 years later, significant progress is being made by collaborative watershed governance initiatives across B.C. In light of this ongoing progress and the depth and nuance of these initiatives—and taking into account the increasingly stark realities of the climate crisis—we have started “looking beyond” ideas of watershed governance toward the broader concept and emerging research theme of watershed security.
A Warm Welcome!
Three new team members join the POLIS Water Sustainability Project
November 8th, 2021
We are thrilled to welcome Sherry Da, Deana Machin, and Montana Lewis to the POLIS family!
Poll: B.C. residents say water is top environmental issue in province
Strong majority (77%) want industry to pay more to secure and restore watersheds in B.C.
October 20th, 2021
A public opinion poll released by the Real Estate Foundation of BC and POLIS shows that water is now the top environmental issue in the province. Six in ten B.C. residents say they are concerned about pollution of lakes, rivers, and streams—topping the list of concerns about interrelated environmental issues, including climate change, declining salmon stocks, and deforestation.
The POLIS Water Sustainability Project is seeking a Water Leaders & Special Projects Coordinator for an initial full-time 1-year term position, with opportunities to extend.
With a funding boost from the B.C. provincial government, more than 60 teams are currently working to restore the streams, rivers, and lakes we all rely on. The Healthy Watersheds Initiative is creating jobs, advancing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and restoring watersheds to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The POLIS team is pleased to have welcomed Benjamin Perrier as a postdoctoral researcher over the past year, where his work is focusing on transnational law and transboundary watershed governance between Canada and the United States. “As water creates links between different countries, we must be able to think of these links in terms of cooperation, coordination, and co-governance,” says Ben.
We are pleased to welcome Ania Javorski as Coordinator for the new Collaborative Monitoring Initiative (CMI). The CMI is a partnership between the BC Freshwater Legacy Initiative and Watersheds BC, both of which are projects of MakeWay, and the POLIS Water Sustainability Project.
Listening Circle with Coast Salish Elders Florence James and Raymond Tony Charlie
200 people gather to listen & better understand what reconciliation requires of us
July 15th, 2021
A Listening Circle was held online June 30, 2021 led by Coast Salish Elders Florence James and Raymond Tony Charlie, along with Rocky James, all members of Penelakut Tribe.
