NEWS

 

SURREY COASTAL FLOOD ADAPATION STRATEGY WINS AWARD OF PLANNING EXCELLENCE
July 16, 2020

Surrey Coastal Flood Adaptation Strategy wins Award of Planning Excellence (Merit) for Climate Change Planning: The Coastal Flood Adaptation Strategy (CFAS) is a multi-year undertaking that identified the current and potential impacts of climate change on Surrey’s large coastal floodplain area—a  long-term strategy to reduce climate change-driven coastal flooding risks. Launched in 2016, and one of the first programs of its kind in Canada, CFAS blended a value-based, participatory planning approach with an innovative structured decision-making component. The in-depth, robust technical analysis helped develop a range of strategic actions to make coastal communities more resilient to the challenges ahead.

SPECIAL ISSUES FOR IMPACTS TO CULTURAL SERVICES SEMINAR ON CONSULTATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

June 22, 2020

The seminar is presenting a framework applications and case studies for using multicriteria attribute theory and structured decision support to avoid impacts, mitigate for, or restore cultural services.

SEMINAR & PAPER ON THE USE OF STRUCTURED DECISION SUPPORT FOR VALUING LOST CULTURAL BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL INJURIES
JUNE 10-12, 2020

As part of the 5th International Conference on Environmental and Economic Impact on Sustainable Development, Trousdale and Hanson present a method for scaling the value of threatened or lost non-material cultural services associated with environmental injuries based on a structured decision support (SDS) approach, which draws from decision sciences (e.g., multi-criteria attribute) and negotiation theory (e.g., interest based). It has been successfully applied in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups in Canada and the US. The value of the benefit of cultural services or goods is estimated by scaling “Benefit-to-Benefit” when possible. In some contexts the use of “Benefit-to-Cost” method of scaling is sometimes warranted. Neither approach for scaling relies on direct comparisons of cultural benefits with economic values.

ECOPLAN’S ANNE-MARIE WHITAKER HELPS CUMBERLAND TO BE ‘AGE-FRIENDLY’ FOR SENIORS
January 17, 2020

Older residents still make about a sizeable portion of Village population. If Cumberland has young families moving in, there are still many seniors in the community. At the same meeting as a presentation on local child care demand and resources, council was presented with a report on how to make Cumberland more “age-friendly.”

COASTAL FLOODING ADAPTATION STRATEGY (CFAS) HONOURED WITH INAUGURAL CLIMATE ADAPTATION AWARD FROM THE COMMUNITY ENERGY ASSOCIATION
September 16, 2019

The City of Surrey was honoured with the inaugural Climate Adaption award from the Community Energy Association at this year’s Union of BC Municipalities Convention. EcoPlan is a key member of the project consulting team led by Northwest Hydraulics. With a recent $76 million grant from the Federal Government through their Disaster Mitigation Adaptation Fund, the City of Surrey is moving to implement early CFAS actions.

WILLIAM TROUSDALE PRESENTS ON INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND VALUE DRIVEN PLANNING TO A FULL HOUSE AT THE WESTERN PLANNERS CONFERENCE
September 10, 2019

In a joint session with Emigdio Ballon and Gailey Morgan of Pueblo of Tesuque, William presented on the integration of western scientific knowledge and Indigenous knowledge in the context of climate change. Further he provided a case study on how Swinomish Tribal Community integrated methods derived from decision science and behavioral research with local protocols and community participation. A paper is soon to be published (contact william@ecoplan.ca if interested in receiving a copy).

WILLIAM TROUSDALE INVITED TO JENA UNIVERSITY IN GERMANY
August 8, 2019

In June, William Trousdale was invited to Jena University in Germany to give a seminar on Structured Decision Support and Negotiation to graduate students of the Applied Ethics and Conflict Resolution program. The introductory seminar explored how ethics, which gives “big picture” support to a decision based “Value Approach” can advance “pragmatic ethics” principles.

COASTAL ADAPTATION PLAN – FRASER RIVER FORESHORE WINS AWARD OF EXCELLENCE IN PLANNING (GOLD)
May 8, , 2019

EcoPlan was honoured with an Award of Planning Excellence (Gold) in the Research & New Directions in Planning category from the Planning Institute of BC. Working with Northwest Hydraulic Consultants, Connect Landscape Architecture and the City of Vancouver, the Coastal Adaptation Plan – Fraser River Foreshore is one component of a larger, multi-year undertaking to determine the risk, consequences, vulnerability, and adaptation opportunities for Vancouver to address future sea level rise and flooding from the the Fraser River.

ECOPLAN WINS A 2019 PIBC AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PLANNING (GOLD) IN RESEARCH AND NEW DIRECTIONS IN PLANNING
May 8, 2019

The City of Vancouver’s Coastal Adaptation Plan (CAP) – Fraser River Foreshore is a path-breaking approach to values-based coastal adaption planning. With EcoPlan’s support, the project used a participatory, values-based approach to engage residents, stakeholders, and other partners, including Musqueam Indian Band. The felt that “the plan addressed the urgency for action regarding climate adaptation, with a  public education focus and a great framework for other communities to use.”

CONGRATULATIONS ABBOTSFORD!
February 15, 2019

Abbotsford has been named a Global Top7 Intelligent Community, 2019

We hope our support with your Economic Development Strategy and Innovation Forums contributed to this impressive honor:

https://www.intelligentcommunity.org/the_intelligent_community_forum_names_the_global_top7_intelligent_communities_of_2019