Municipal Natural Assets Initiative: District of West Vancouver, British Columbia

Published by: David Suzuki Foundation and partners
Authored by: Michelle Molnar, Jake Sahl, Michael Thompson, Joal Borggard, Rich Ketchen, John Barker
Partners: Smart Prosperity Institute, Town of Gibsons, Roy Brooke and Associates
ISBN: 978-1-988424-19-4

Cities, Climate solutions British Columbia, Municipal Natural Assets Initiative, eco-assets, economics, water systems, climate change, natural capital

While Canada focuses on efforts to reduce climate change, there’s growing recognition that we can’t meet our climate change goals without finding ways to adapt. A natural assets management approach has the advantage of addressing both mitigation and adaptation, taking us to the next level of policy solutions.

The District of West Vancouver focused on a covered creek proposed for daylighting (uncovering a buried stream). The district found the capital costs of restoring the creek are similar to the cost of upgrading the culvert to meet stormwater requirements. They are now able to identify candidate streams for daylighting.