BREAKING NEWS: The CodeBlue BC community sent over 1500 letters to municipalities in the Lower Mainland asking them to vote in favour of this resolution -- YOU made this happen!

On May 13, 2020, the Lower Mainland Local Government Association (LMLGA), consisting of local governments from Pemberton to Hope, voted at their AGM to call on the province to create a dedicated, sustainably funded BC Watershed Security Fund.

Coree Tull, the Freshwater Alliance Interim Co-Director and co-chair of the BC Watershed Security Coalition, worked alongside City Councillor Luara Dupont from Port Coquitlam to bring forward the resolution to LMLGA. 

A permanent BC Watershed Security Fund can provide sustainable funding for communities to build the capacity and resilience required to secure the health of their local watersheds, including the fish, wildlife and nature that depend on them.

Investing in our community watersheds through a Watershed Security Fund is a tremendous opportunity to get ahead of watershed threats and create a powerful and enduring legacy for communities across B.C. This legacy supports: 

1. Reconciliation in Action. A Watershed Security Fund enables Indigenous communities to build the capacity necessary to implement Indigenous policies, laws and governance structures while working with the Province and non-Indigenous communities to undertake collaborative land and water stewardship. 
2. Healthy & Resilient Communities. Through investments in watershed planning and climate adaptation, a Watershed Security Fund greatly improves the ability of rural and urban communities to secure their drinking water sources and build climate resilience. 
3. Robust Local Economies. Rural economies historically dependent on resource extraction are suffering from industry downsizing or closures. A Watershed Security Fund catalyzes local economic development: from new jobs and training programs in restoration and monitoring; to leveraging private sector investment in innovative water technologies; to supporting farmers and sustainable agriculture. 
4. Freshwater Habitat for Fish and Wildlife. Through investments in restoration, conservation, and environmental flow protection, a Watershed Security Fund ensures critical habitat is safeguarded for salmon survival and other fish and wildlife.

This is an amazing first step to towards creating a BC Watershed Security Fund, and it wouldn't have happened without your help. 

This resolution will now move forward to the Union of BC Municipalities AGM in September 2021, where local representatives from across the province of BC will also vote on it.

Together we can ensure there is a powerful and long-lasting legacy of clean drinking water, healthy salmon runs and climate-resilient communities across BC for generations to come.