Legal Options
For Protecting
Urban Streams

WORKSHOP
PROCEEDINGS

West Coast Environmental Law
Research Foundation Workshop

SFU Harbour Centre, Vancouver, Friday, June 14, 1996

Proceedings compiled by

Linda Nowlan
Barrister & Solicitor
West Coast Environmental Law

Introduction

These proceedings are the summary of a workshop on urban stream protection organized by West Coast Environmental Law Research Foundation. This workshop brought together over seventy participants to discuss what legal tools are available, how they are being used, and what tools are missing to protect urban streams in British Columbia.

The workshop was made possible with generous funding from the federal government's Action 21 Program, the BC government's Urban Streams Habitat Program and the Vancouver Foundation. The workshop was organized by Linda Nowlan, staff counsel with West Coast Environmental Law. Assistance was ably provided by Bill Andrews, Kristan Boudreau, Emma Child, Jessica Clogg, Ann Hillyer, Patricia Houlihan, Catherine Ludgate, Alexandra Melnyk, and Michael Rodgers. Thanks also to Christopher Heald for turning the proceedings into this publication.

Special thanks to the Urban Streams Advisory Committee: Rod Bell-Irving of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Geoff Chislett of the Ministry of Environment, Erik Karlsen of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Martin Keeley of BC Wetnet/Fraser for Life, David Lane of the T Buck Suzuki Foundation, and David Loukidelis of Lidstone,Young, Anderson (who also serves on the Board of West Coast Environmental Law).

And thanks to the workshop speakers: Emma Child, Ann Hillyer, Erik Karlsen, Mel Kotyk, David Lane, Otto Langer, Linda Nowlan, Richard Paisley, Craig Orr, and Toby Vigod. The workshop was facilitated by Julia Gardner and Julian Griggs of Dovetail Consulting.

These proceedings are organized by the timetable for the workshop. After the list of participants, and the agenda, we present here the background paper for the workshop that was written by Linda Nowlan, and circulated to participants in advance of the workshop.

On the day of the workshop, in the morning, presentations were made by individuals on different aspects of urban stream protection. The agenda describes each of the speakers. Where available, those speaker's notes have been transcribed in these proceedings. Other materials that were presented, such as overheads and diagrams, are also included. Following the speakers' presentations, we include a summary recorded and transcribed by Jessica Clogg. The record of the wrap-up session was recorded by Kristan Boudreau.

In the afternoon session, participants broke up into small groups to discuss specific topics raised in the morning sessions. Point form summaries of those discussions are also included with these proceedings.

A brief conclusion ends the workshop proceedings.

Table of Contents