Editors Note; These are the recommendations that flow from the presentation above.
This entire presentation was extremely well done as was the entire summit.
Island Timberlands also presented and I can tell you all, as an observor, there is not a community on Vancouver Island that is not going to be affected by this lumber coporations unprincipled operations. Be aware and please read the recommendations below.

WATER SOURCE PROTECTION RECOMMENDATIONS
To all local governments -- for individual and joint action

A. Take immediate action Protect our drinking water source areas for residents of the City of Parksville, relevant areas of the Regional District of Nanaimo, and Town of Qualicum Beach

1) Seek a Ministerial Order from the Honourable Ron Cantelon, Minister of Agriculture and Lands, responsible for the Land Act and the Private Managed Forest Land Act, to establish a moratorium on logging in the Suzuki-defined riparian strip (a ‘no touch’ border along each bank approx. 400-500 feet wide) along the Englishman River, the Little Qualicum River, and around the Arrowsmith Lake reservoir until such time as a drinking water protection plan can be developed.

2) Request our Medical Health Officer to recommend the development of a Drinking Water Protection Plan under BC’s Drinking Water Protection Act, and to apply to the Minister of Healthy Living and Sport (HL&S) to mandate the formation of such a plan. Under the Act, such a mandate from the Minister would enable our region to begin a transparent, broad-based, inclusive community planning process. The completed plan would go to cabinet and, when approved, would become regulation.
The initiation of this planning process would require broad-based community support.

3) Begin regular, systematic, scientifically-comparable sampling and testing of the source water to measure changing trends at specific points in the river.

4) Establish a joint citizens’ advisory committee on water protection to support and advise the Arrowsmith Water Service.

5) Take steps to reduce pollution and turbidity entering our civic water system, by one or both of the following:
(a) Establish a new drinking water intake sufficiently upstream to significantly reduce the amount of watershed land area feeding into the intake and thereby reduce the amount of pollution able to enter the system, and/or
(b) Install a filtration device at the intake location to remove turbidity and associated organics from entering the chlorine treatment facility.


B. Seek long term protection and
equality with other communities in BC

1) Join with other local governments to form a multi-member Water Supply Commission composed of representatives from all stakeholders within the E&N Land Grant area to:
a) share water supply concerns and problems related to ownership of watersheds, and
b) draw up a Source Protection Best Practices Plan, and
c) Acquire funds for implementing the plan by seeking a provincial government commitment to equalize water source protection capabilities across the province, regardless of watershed ownership.

2) Make a commitment to sustainable forestry and sustainable forestry jobs within healthy ecosystems capable of servicing our water source areas by helping to create an ecosystem-based forestry plan for the Englishman River and Little Qualicum River.
In partnership with the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Foundation, the Regional District of Nanaimo, Vancouver Island University, and other suitable agencies, initiate the formation of a plan for ecosystem-based industrial forestry in these watersheds with water quality as the foremost consideration. The plan should contain site-specific parameters for sustainable forestry.

3) All local governments shall take motions to the Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities and to the Union of BC Municipalities:
a) Demand no harvesting or industrial forestry in the Suzuki-defined riparian zone of fish-bearing streams in community drinking watershed anywhere in BC, and
b) Demand fair and equal protection for drinking water source areas located in private or public land.