Partnerships

Traditional top-down and bottom-up approaches to watershed management have not stopped the loss of aquatic habitat in Pacific Region.  If it is to be successful, the future of watershed management must be a combination of partnerships and power sharing.  Fisheries and Oceans Canada has identified the need to build partnerships with other levels of government, agencies, industry and the public as a key objective.

The term partnership has multiple definitions and can be used to encompass a wide range of very different situations and contexts. Partnerships involve:

• enduring relationships 

• two or more autonomous participants who have agreed to work cooperatively

• shared and/or compatible objectives

• joint investment of resources

• shared responsibility and authority for undertakings

• shared liability or risk taking

• mutually beneficial.

This definition of partnership implies dual effort, dual benefits, and self-sustainability on the part of all participants. Inherent, is the need for a system of accountability, and equality among participants in both contributions and decision-making; this shared responsibility for watersheds differs from simple consultation because it involves more than a simple exchange of information.

Over the years, the Department has partnered with many governments, agencies, First Nations, and community groups to deliver the Department's mandate. The Habitat Conservation and Stewardship Program was the most recent demonstration of Fisheries and Oceans Canada's partnership efforts.

The Department currently supports the following positions of Habitat Partnership Coordinators for the Pacific Region:

Bob Harding
985 McGill Place, Kamloops, BC, V2C 6X6
Tel: 250-851-4853  Fax: 250-851-4951
Email: Bob.Harding@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Tom Cadieux
100 Annacis Parkway, Unit 3, Delta, BC  V3M 6A2
Tel: 604-220-3455
Email: Tom.Cadieux@dfo-mpo.gc.ca