Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to page-level navigation Go to the Disability Resource Centre Website Go to the DRC Booking Accommodation Portal Go to the Inclusive Technology Lab Website
The University of British Columbia
UBC - A Place of Mind
The University of British Columbia Okanagan campus
UBC Okanagan News
  • Research
  • People
    • Student Profile
    • Faculty Profile
    • Alumni Spotlight
  • Campus Life
    • Campus News
    • Student Life
    • Teaching & Learning
  • Community Engagement
  • About the Collection
    • Stories for Media
  • UBCO Events
  • Search All Stories
Home / 2014 / August / 20 / Research looks at policy and politics of BC’s most treasured resource: H2O
Environment & Sustainability

Research looks at policy and politics of BC’s most treasured resource: H2O

August 20, 2014

Grace H. Fan

Grace H. Fan, assistant professor of strategy and entrepreneurship, in the Faculty of Management at UBC’s Okanagan campus.

UBC professor receives funding to examine the conversation on water in BC and how it may impact the Sustainable Water Act 

Grace H. Fan, assistant professor of strategy and entrepreneurship with UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Management, has received $73,800 in funding over two years from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to support research on the discourse on water in BC.

“BC is going to have a new water act – the Sustainable Water Act, which is replacing the more than 100-year-old water act, and it is going to have a significant impact on the way water is managed throughout BC,” says Fan, who uses organization theory to explain entrepreneurship and water sustainability. Organizational theory is the study of organizations and their interrelationship with the environment in which they operate.

“My research will focus on the process of how the BC Sustainable Water Act has been developed – who was consulted, how they were involved, the transparency of those consultations, and what, if any, influence or impact those dialogues have in forming policy for the Sustainable Water Act.”

Fan and her co-investigator, Dev Jennings from the University of Alberta, are interested in the process of how the policy is developed, and will also examine how the policy is received by the community and stakeholders, and what further negotiations take place. They will also look at how the Sustainable Water Act will be implemented at the ground level.

It is anticipated the Sustainable Water Act will be announced and reviewed in spring 2015.

“It will be the first time BC is going to have legislation on ground water, which is a significant change,” says Fan. “Also, for the first time, they have included wording about First Nations, which is another important issue.

“We assume there will be lots of negotiation resulting from these two specific issues. We’re interested in figuring out the legal framework in which this all takes place. What groups will be included and invited to participate in this? How will they contribute? How transparent will the negotiations be?”

Fan explains her research could be used by policy-makers, communities, and stakeholders to better understand their roles and possible alternatives in the consultation and negotiation process, potentially leading to smoother implementation of policy and better collaboration from stakeholders.

Fan’s past research, funded by the UBC Okanagan Provost’s research office, has examined policy development and stakeholder collaboration at its best.  She has applied organizational theory to study the collaborative model created and maintained by the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) and Okanagan Water Stewardship Council, who have successfully brought together diverse stakeholders throughout Okanagan communities to address water sustainability issues in the Okanagan Valley.

“The collaborative model is very fascinating,” says Fan. “What the OBWB and Stewardship Council have achieved by working together is often considered a leading example of water management in Canada, and the whole of North America.

“It is important to understand the background of this collaborative model, how it works, who it involves, how it prioritizes and makes decisions, and why it has been and continues to be successful and sustainable in water management.  Once we understand why something works, or why something doesn’t, we can make conscious decisions to achieve best possible results in policy creation, implementation and management.”

—30—

Media Contact

Patty Wellborn
Media Relations Strategist
University Relations

The University of British Columbia
Okanagan campus
Tel: 250 317 0293
E-mail: patty.wellborn@ubc.ca

Content type: Media Release
More content from: Faculty of Management

Trending Stories

  • Opening doors for international student research
  • UBCO honours this year’s most outstanding researchers
  • Arts and science fiction connect: UBCO student designs the ...
  • Why don’t we eat turkey eggs?
  • Cutting breakfast carbs can benefit people with Type 2 ...
All Stories
Contact Media Relations

About UBC Okanagan

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning founded in partnership with local Indigenous peoples, the Syilx Okanagan Nation, in whose traditional, ancestral and unceded territory the campus resides. The most established and influential global rankings all consistently place UBC in the top five per cent of universities in the world, and among the top three Canadian universities.

The Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world in British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. For more visit ok.ubc.ca.

Discover more about UBC Okanagan

Find a Program Admissions Book a Tour UBCO Facts
UBC Okanagan Campus News, University Relations

Innovation Precinct Annexation 1 (IA1)
3505 Spectrum Court
Kelowna, BC Canada V1V 2Z1

We respectfully acknowledge the Syilx Okanagan Nation and their peoples, in whose traditional, ancestral, unceded territory UBC Okanagan is situated.

 

Search all stories

Subscribe to receive news by email

Visit UBC's Vancouver news room

Global and Admin Messages

News

Okanagan Campus

TikTok icon Linkedin icon

UBC Okanagan News
Okanagan Campus
3333 University Way
Kelowna, BC Canada V1V 1V7
Find us on
  
Back to top
The University of British Columbia
  • Emergency Procedures |
  • Terms of Use |
  • Copyright |
  • Accessibility