A new report Integrated Community Sustainability Planning – Implications for Rural British Columbia, released by Fraser Basin Council’s Smart Planning for Communities, probes rural priorities when considering sustainable futures. The research involved over one hundred elected officials and staff, and used surveys and focus groups. Eighty per cent of participants noted that protecting drinking water supplies was a priority for rural sustainability. Sixty per cent identified economic diversification as a key priority. Distinct priorities between regional and municipal governments highlight interesting divisions in decision and jurisdictional priorities. Rural regional government staff are interested in protecting drinking water supplies, agricultural lands and preventing rural sprawl. Rural municipalities prioritize the pursuit of economic development and higher density development as well as drinking water. Both agree that implementing measures to protect agricultural land is unlikely and not realistic, having considerable implications for BC's overall sustainability.
This report begins to define differentiated understandings of sustainability and needs among rural municipalities and regional governments; this is key to closing the implementation gap in the province in regard to sustainability and climate change planning. The report highlights the overall need of bridging communication and exchange between municipal, regional and provincial scales in order to develop a coherent picture of sustainability planning and action in rural BC.