It’s an exciting time for the watershed sector, and the Real Estate Foundation of BC is thrilled to be involved through our administration of Healthy Watersheds Initiative funding. HWI projects are supported by a $27-million investment from StrongerBC, the provincial government’s $10-billion COVID-19 economic recovery plan.

This week, the Healthy Watersheds Initiative team released Our Water, Our Future, an interim report capturing early wins and insights from projects teams working to restore and protect BC’s streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Just six months into the HWI timeline, we’re seeing strong progress on job creation, climate action, UNDRIP implementation, and watershed restoration.

Early reports show that at least 467 jobs have been created or supported, with at least 230 more jobs expected to be created in the coming months. Notably, a significant share of these jobs have been filled by people who identify as Indigenous (135), adults aged 30 or younger (174), and/or women (240) – demographic groups that have been impacted the most by COVID-19.

Watershed restoration work is underway at more than 200 sites across the province. These projects support a wide range of work that includes rehabilitating former industrial sites to support salmon habitat, developing Indigenous guardian programs to care for ecosystems, and creating natural asset management databases and data hubs that support community decision-making on fresh water and land use. All 61 projects contribute to climate change adaptation or mitigation, with activities related to habitat restoration ($8M), adaptation ($7M), and flooding ($2M) reported most often by project teams.

HWI was designed to advance the implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, which is BC’s commitment to upholding the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Importantly, 19 of 61 HWI projects (31%) are being managed by a First Nation or Indigenous-led organization. By working with Indigenous partners to restore lands, waters, and habitats that have been damaged by industry, HWI projects are demonstrating reconciliation in action and a commitment to UNDRIP principles.

Download the interim report for more details on how BC’s historic investment in watersheds is creating positive change for ecosystems, communities, and economies.

Read the Our Water, Our Future Report

Projects are expected to finish by December 2021 and the HWI team is looking forward to sharing the final outcomes of these projects in a final report, coming in the spring of 2022.