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Project Updates
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.
In a new study by The Delphi Group commissioned by the BC Water Funders Collaborative, the BC Freshwater Legacy Initiative, and the POLIS Water Sustainability Project, the full economic impact of B.C.'s watershed sector has been mapped for the first time, revealing that the sector currently contributes 47,900 jobs and $5 billion annually to the B.C. economy.
We write this message to share with our cherished colleagues and friends as an expression of our deep sadness and sincere condolences to families and communities of the 215 children found in an unmarked mass burial site at the former Kamloops Residential School, on Tk’emlups te Secwépemc First Nation in Kamloops.
Reconciliation Resources
Compiled in response to the mass burial site discovery at the Kamloops Residential School
June 3rd, 2021
A list of statements, organizations, and reports to help deepen our understanding of the residential school experience, what reconciliation means, and what changes reconciliation requires of us. This list is not comprehensive and will be continually updated.
Water Resilience
New Book on Management and Governance in Times of Change
March 30th, 2021
On March 24th, the POLIS Water Sustainability Project and Brock University’s Environmental Sustainability Research Center (ESRC) hosted the virtual book launch for "Water Resilience: Management and Governance in Times of Change." The book explores the importance of a “water resilience perspective” to better adapt to the environment’s inherent complexity and uncertainty.
