AGENDA

GREATER VANCOUVER REGIONAL DISTRICT

Regular Meeting

Friday, April 18, 2008 9:00 a.m.

2nd Floor Boardroom

4330 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC

Please advise Kelly Weilbacher at (604) 432-6250 if you are unable to attend.

Chair Lois Jackson, Delta Vice Chair Peter Ladner, Vancouver Director Kurt Alberts, Langley Township Director Suzanne Anton, Vancouver Director Elizabeth Ball, Vancouver Director Malcolm Brodie, Richmond Director Kim Capri, Vancouver Director Derek Corrigan, Burnaby Director Sav Dhaliwal, Burnaby Director Ralph Drew, Belcarra Director Judy Dueck, Maple Ridge Director George Ferguson, Abbotsford Director Judy Forster, White Rock Director Gary Gibson, Electoral Area A Director Moe Gill, Abbotsford Director Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, West VancouverDirector Linda Hepner, Surrey Director David Hocking, Bowen Island

Director Marvin Hunt, Surrey Director Colleen Jordan, Burnaby Director Don MacLean, Pitt Meadows Director Gayle Martin, Langley City Director Darrell Mussatto, North Vancouver City Director Mae Reid, Coquitlam Director Barbara Steele, Surrey Director Tim Stevenson, Vancouver Director Harold Steves, Richmond Director Sam Sullivan, Vancouver Director Joe Trasolini, Port Moody Director Richard Walton, North Vancouver District Director Dianne Watts, Surrey Director Hal Weinberg, Anmore Director Maxine Wilson, Coquitlam Director Michael Wright, Port Coquitlam Director Wayne Wright, New Westminster Director Max Wyman, Lions Bay

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April 9, 2008

NOTICE TO THE GREATER VANCOUVER REGIONAL DISTRICT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS You are requested to attend a Regular Meeting of the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) Board of Directors on Friday, April 18, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. in the 2nd Floor Boardroom, 4330 Kingsway, Burnaby, British Columbia.

A G E N D A A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA

1. April 18, 2008 Regular Meeting Agenda

Staff Recommendation: That the Board adopt the agenda for its regular meeting scheduled for April 18, 2008 as circulated.

B. ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES No items presented.

C. DELEGATIONS

No items presented.

D. INVITED PRESENTATIONS 1. Laura Swift, Executive Director, Pacific Parkland Foundation

Subject: Pacific Parkland Foundation Update. E. CONSENT AGENDA

Note: Directors may adopt in one motion all recommendations appearing on the Consent Agenda or, prior to the vote, request an item be removed from the Consent Agenda for debate or discussion, voting in opposition to a recommendation, or declaring a conflict of interest with an item. 1. ENVIRONMENT REPORTS

1.1 Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices

Environment Committee Recommendation: That the Board: a) Direct staff to post the compendium of Innovative Environmental

Policies and Practices on the Metro Vancouver website as a living document;

b) Refer the report dated March 17, 2008, titled “Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices” to the Regional Administrative Advisory Committee (RAAC) for consideration; and,

c) Request staff to report further on how best to disseminate the information in conjunction with communication of the Sustainable Region Initiative.

Section A 1

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1.2 Provincial Consultation on Proposed Power Projects Environment Committee Recommendation: That the Board recommend to Minister of Environment Barry Penner that consultations on energy projects be broadened to include both those directly impacted and adjacent regions to ensure that meeting regional energy needs and addressing environmental impacts are widely discussed.

2. PORT CITIES REPORTS 2.1 Canada Marine Act Amendments

Port Cities Committee Recommendation: That the Board authorize the Chair to communicate strongly and immediately with Lawrence Cannon, federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities; Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada; and all B.C. Members of Parliament on the importance of additional representation of municipal members from Metro Vancouver on the Board of Vancouver Fraser Port Authority as an amendment to the Canada Marine Act; and further that a meeting be set up with Minister Lawrence Cannon, or his representatives, regarding this issue as soon as possible.

3. STAFF REPORTS 3.1 Vancouver International Airport Authority - April 2008 Update

Staff Recommendation: That the Board receive the report titled “Vancouver International Airport Authority - April 2008 Update” dated April 9, 2008 for information.

4. DELEGATIONS’ EXECUTIVE SUMMARIES PRESENTED AT COMMITTEE 4.1 Delegations’ Executive Summaries Presented at Committee – April 2008

Recommendation: That the Board receive for information the report dated April 9, 2008, titled “Delegations’ Executive Summaries Presented at Committee – April 2008”.

F. ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA

G. REPORTS FROM COMMITTEE OR STAFF NOT INCLUDED IN CONSENT

AGENDA No items presented.

H. MOTIONS FOR WHICH NOTICE HAS BEEN GIVEN No items presented.

I. OTHER BUSINESS

No items presented.

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J. RESOLUTION TO CLOSE MEETING Note: The Board must state by resolution the basis under section 90 of the Community Charter on which the meeting is being closed. If a member wishes to add an item the basis must be included below.

Staff Recommendation: That the regular meeting of the GVRD Board scheduled for April 18, 2008 be closed pursuant to the Community Charter provisions, Sections 90 (1) (a) and (i) as follows: “90 (1) A part of a board meeting may be closed to the public if the subject matter

being considered relates to or is one or more of the following: (a) personal information about an identifiable individual who holds or is

being considered for a position as an officer, employee or agent of the regional district or another position appointed by the regional district; and

(i) the receipt of advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose.”

K. ADJOURNMENT

Staff Recommendation: That the Board conclude its regular meeting of April 18, 2008.

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INVITED PRESENTATIONS

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D. INVITED PRESENTATIONS

1. Laura Swift, Executive Director, Pacific Parkland Foundation Subject: Pacific Parkland Foundation Update. Pacific Parklands Foundation Annual Report 2007* is provided under separate cover. *To obtain a hard copy please contact the Metro Vancouver Corporate Secretary’s Department at 604-432-6250.

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CONSENT AGENDA

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Board of Directors Meeting Date April 18, 2008

To: Board of Directors From: Environment Committee Date: April 8, 2008 Subject: Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices Recommendation:

That the Board:

a) Direct staff to post the compendium of Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices on the Metro Vancouver website as a living document;

b) Refer the report dated March 17, 2008, titled “Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices” to the Regional Administrative Advisory Committee (RAAC) for consideration; and,

c) Request staff to report further on how best to disseminate the information in conjunction with communication of the Sustainable Region Initiative.

At its April 8th, 2007 meeting, the Environment Committee discussed the report titled “Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices”, dated, March 17, 2008. The Committee discussed the importance of disseminating the information as examples of how municipalities are addressing environmental sustainability. Interest was expressed in having the report become a ‘living document’ posted on the Metro Vancouver website where member municipalities would be able to submit, search for, and learn about innovative environmental initiatives occurring throughout the region. Committee members also saw value in exploring other means of communicating this information to a broader audience and in having the results complement work being undertaken by the Board to communicate the Sustainable Region Initiative. #4611170

Section E 1.1

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Environment Committee Meeting Date April 8, 2008

To: Environment Committee From: Heather Wornell, Senior Planner, Policy and Planning Department Date: March 17, 2008 Subject: Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices Recommendation: That the Board:

a) Direct staff to post the compendium of Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices on the Metro Vancouver website; and

b) Refer the report dated March 17, 2008, titled “Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices” to the Regional Administrative Advisory Committee (RAAC) for consideration.

1. PURPOSE To provide the results of the Board’s invitation to member municipalities to forward descriptions of recent achievements demonstrating environmental excellence. 2. CONTEXT At its October 26, 2007 meeting, the Board resolved to “invite member municipalities to forward descriptions of up to four recent achievements demonstrating environmental excellence, with the intent of sharing information about innovative environmental policies and practices across Metro Vancouver”. Thirteen municipalities responded to this request, and submitted descriptions of 50 initiatives underway throughout the region. The submissions ranged in topic across the environmental spectrum in the following categories:

• sustainability planning; • climate change response; • land use planning; • development process and regulatory bylaws; • development projects; • green buildings; • green infrastructure / stormwater management; • habitat protection and enhancement; • energy planning and alternative energy projects; • urban agriculture; • transportation innovation; and • waste management.

Attached is a compendium of the submissions received from member municipalities. The responses received indicate a growing number of initiatives addressing the challenges of climate change either directly through greenhouse gas emission inventories and plans or by

ATTACHMENT

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Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices Page 2 of 2 Environment Committee Meeting Date: April 8, 2008

004611167

utilizing climate change as a driver for other environmental initiatives such as alternative energy, green building, or green infrastructure projects. At a broader policy level, several municipalities are engaged in sustainability planning by providing an overarching framework to guide environmental policies, programs and activities. The submissions from municipalities also indicate that more initiatives are successfully spanning and integrating multiple environmental objectives and achieving multiple benefits. Examples are green infrastructure projects with stormwater management, habitat, climate adaptation and education objectives, or development projects with energy and water conservation gains as well as greenhouse gas emission mitigation benefits and the creation of urban habitat connectivity. The Environment Committee originally requested this compendium with an aim to share information across the region, and staff recommends that this work be posted on the Metro Vancouver website to facilitate this request. As a separate initiative, at the February 15, 2008 meeting, the Sustainable Region Initiative (SRI) Committee requested staff to assemble sustainability actions undertaken by municipalities and develop a resource publication on sustainability principles and initiatives. The Committee suggested that the Regional Administrative Advisory Committee (RAAC) spearhead this initiative. Since many of the municipal submissions for the Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices request overlap with this new request, staff also recommends that the Board forward this report and the compendium to RAAC to inform the process they are undertaking. 3. ALTERNATIVES 1. Direct staff to post the compendium of Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices

on the Metro Vancouver website, and refer the report to the Regional Administrative Advisory Committee (RAAC) for review.

2. Receive for information the report dated February 20, 2008, titled “Innovative

Environmental Policies and Practices”. 4. CONCLUSION Local governments are actively engaged in a wide variety of innovative environmental initiatives and have expressed interest in sharing information about these policies and practices throughout the region. The attached compendium provides a valuable compilation of municipal practices that may be disseminated through the Regional Administrative Advisory Committee and the Metro Vancouver website. Attachment Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices – Compendium of Municipal Submissions

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Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices

March 2008

Compendium of Municipal Submissions

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Table of Contents Burnaby Edmonds Library Demonstration of Environmental Excellence 4 Still Creek Watershed Integrated Stormwater Management Plan

(ISMP) 5

Eco-Sculpture Urban Agriculture Awareness Project 6 Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park, Habitat & Stormwater Initiatives 7Delta Burns Bog Ditch-Blocking Program 14 Climate Change Initiative & the Climate Change Working Group 14 Green Infrastructure - Stormwater management 14 Turn it Off Challenge 15Township of Langley Corporate Greenhouse Gas Plan 18 LEED®-CI Silver Rated Civic Facility 18 Wildlife Habitat Strategy 19 Responsible Program 19Lion's Bay Use of Downed Trees for municipal projects 21Maple Ridge Smart Growth on the Ground 24 Watercourse Protection or Stream Protection Bylaw 24 Watershed Level Environmental Information System 25 Reforestation and Biodiversity Conservation Initiative 25New Westminster Corporate Energy Use Study 26 Corporate Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction Plan 26 Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Tank 26City of North Vancouver Mahon Park Stewards 28 Edible Garden Project 28 Partners for Climate Protection – Local Action Plan 29 Lonsdale Energy Corporation 30District of North Vancouver Natural Step Framework / Sustainability Action Plan 31 Seylynn Village Development 31 Influence of Tree Canopy in an Urban Setting 31

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Port Coquitlam Green Roof Regulation 34 Sustainability Checklist 34 Automated Waste Collection System 35 Winter Road Anti-Icing Program (salt brine) 37Port Moody Pesticide Bylaw 39 Climate Change Initiatives (PCP - Milestone 3), including new

Public Safety Building 40

Suter Brook Development and Stewardship Model 41 Environmentally Sensitive Areas Management Strategy 41Richmond Climate Change Response Agenda 45 Richmond Olympic Oval 45 Dike Management 46 Corporate Energy Management Program 46Surrey Nature Matters 51 Salmon Habitat Restoration Program (SHaRP) 57 146th St. Detention Pond / Porous Pavement Parking Lot 58 Surrey Centre Transit Village Plan 60 Chentrell Creek Drainage Improvement Project 61 Robson Creek Enhancement Project 62 Elgin Creek Flow Augmentation Project 63Vancouver Climate Protection Targets and Programs 66 Southeast False Creek Neighbourhood Energy Utility 68 Vancouver’s Green Building Strategy 69 Transportation Design and Construction 70

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City of Burnaby Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices 1.0 Edmonds Library Demonstration of Environmental Excellence The new Edmonds Town Centre Library, located on Kingsway in South Burnaby, will play a key role in the revitalization of the existing Edmonds-Kingsway area. With the major redevelopment of several residential and commercial projects already underway, the new civic presence will serve as a community hub for the new and existing residents of this growing and dynamic neighbourhood. An integrated management approach was adopted by the project's development team since the project’s inception. With input from the structural, mechanical and electrical disciplines along with the City's own economic, ecological and social policies, the current design has incorporated a number of passive and active strategies that will enable the new amenity to acquire LEED accreditation. The new library is targeting for minimum LEED Silver Certification upon its completion. Below is a list of the incorporated design features, which have either met or exceeded LEED design guidelines, in the relevant environmental subject areas: Addressing Climate Change

• The building is designed to be long lasting and durable. A brick masonry rainscreen wall with cast-in-place concrete walls will provide long term durability, and resistance to water and other climate extremes.

• The geothermal source heat and cooling system will provide year-round control of indoor conditions. This alternative energy source reduces the reliance of fossil fuels while limiting the use of grid-source power.

• To offset the effects of solar gain resulting from global warming, glazed portions of the building envelope are extensively shaded.

• The building features a section of green roof, which both absorbs and uptakes rainwater – thereby delaying discharge. This design feature will help to mitigate the adverse effects of excessive precipitation or drought within the site area (see attachment 1).

Energy Conservation and Generation

• The provision of a geothermal ground source heating and cooling will lessen the demands for fossil fuels;

• The use of natural lighting, and lighting controls to monitor and control artificial lighting levels will effectively reduce electrical demand; and

• The thermal mass of heavy concrete construction will improve efficiencies in the mechanical system design.

Green Roofing System

• Incorporation of a section of 'green' roof will effectively reduce discharge of storm water into the City's drainage system and effectively reduces the impact on downstream waterways. In addition, the provision of an on-site underground storage tank will collect rain water for site irrigation during the dry summer months.

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Water Conservation

• Rain water will be harvested and stored in an underground tank (cistern), reducing the demand on local storm water infrastructure while providing a plentiful source of water for irrigation during dry weather periods; and

• Potable water will be conserved indoors through the use of dual flush and low flow washroom fixtures.

Enhanced Biodiversity

• Landscaping for the green roof and surrounding site has been selected from native and draught tolerant plant varieties. This will allow the landscaping to provide wildlife habitat, enhance local biodiversity, and offset the urban heat island effect.

The construction of the new Edmonds Library will model the latest green building technologies within a civic landmark, and enhance the Edmonds community in terms of service provision and improved liveability. 2.0 Still Creek Watershed Integrated Stormwater Management Plan (ISMP)

Still Creek remains a major identifying feature in this part of the Lower Mainland and is a component of the broader Brunette River system. The Still Creek watershed covers an area of approximately 28 square kilometers of highly urbanized area, of which 65% is located in Burnaby and the remaining 35% in Vancouver. It is home to an abundance of wildlife including beavers, herons, fish, river otters and coyotes. Approximately 100,000 residents live in this watershed and over the next 50 years that number is expected to increase to 150,000. Although this anticipated urban growth will place more pressure on the watershed, it also provides an opportunity to enhance the built and natural environments, and improve and restore some of the former recreational amenities of the waterway. With this in mind, Metro Vancouver, City of Burnaby and City of Vancouver, in participation with various stakeholders developed, a Still Creek Watershed Integrated Stormwater Management Plan entitled “From Pipe dreams to Healthy Streams – A Vision for the Still Creek Watershed”. This Plan, adopted by the City of Burnaby, City of Vancouver and Metro Vancouver, provides a vision which embraces the value of nature as an essential part of the economy and one of the core values in the City’s community and infrastructure plans

The Plan identifies over 100 short, medium and long term action items that Metro Vancouver, City, landowners, utility companies, stream keepers, institutions and communities can collectively undertake to mitigate flooding, improve stormwater quality, create new recreational spaces, and enhance important features of Still Creek system for all to enjoy.

The City of Burnaby has recently partnered with Evergreen’s “Stewards in the City” Program to help advance many of the stewardship and public education goals of the Still Creek ISMP (see figure 1).

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Figure 1: Community Stewardship of Beecher Creek (a Tributary to Still Creek)

In consultation with key stakeholders, including streamkeepers, academic institutions and private industry, it is expected that a number of high priority sites will be identified within the Still Creek watershed for future restoration. Activities at these sites will provide an opportunity for local residents to become more familiar with Still Creek and its surrounding watershed area. 3.0 Eco-Sculpture Urban Agriculture Awareness Project The City of Burnaby, in partnership with School District 41 and Kwantlen University College have created a horticulture apprenticeship program for high school students. This project introduces agriculture production to an urban secondary school using the innovative and creative living art known as eco-sculptures. Past City of Burnaby eco-sculpture creations have included salmonids (see figure 2). In 2008, the City will focus on bees and the link to agricultural food production.

In BC, the long-term survival of agriculture will be based on our ability to maintain a healthy bee population and to engage the interest of youth. Student empowerment resulting from the project will promote interest and awareness of agriculture, and the importance of bees in the production of crops. Through the course of this project, an early blooming lavender species will be planted in the bee garden to accompany three eco-sculptures of different bee species. The students will research and develop interpretive signage to include in the gardens, have an opportunity to learn harvest techniques during the school year, and to participate in the marketing of lavender at the school store. To complement the bee project and further demonstrate opportunities for youth participation in agriculture, students will also initiate various greenhouse projects. These projects will include the use of the school greenhouse to grow herbs and edible flowers for the District Culinary Arts ACE IT program, as well as the school’s home economics program.

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It is anticipated that the horticulture apprenticeship model created within the City of Burnaby eco-sculpture program will be used by other school districts throughout BC as an innovative means to explore the linkages between agriculture and sustainable living.

Figure 2: City of Burnaby Salmon Eco-Sculpture Exhibits

4.0 Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park, Habitat & Stormwater Initiatives As part of a comprehensive approach to development within the Big Bend area of Burnaby, the City has pursued the acquisition of parkland along the Fraser River Foreshore, restoration of significant watercourses, protection and enhancement of riparian and wetland habitats and implementation of best practices for stormwater management.

Through the implementation of the adopted Big Bend Development Plan (see attachment 2), the City has acquired ownership of approximately 450 acres of parkland within the Big Bend. Of this, approximately 175 acres of land on the Fraser Foreshore has been secured in public ownership for the protection of natural riparian and wetland habitats, and for public use and enjoyment.

Some specific examples of habitat enhancement and stormwater initiatives within the Big Bend area includes the Glenlyon Business Park, in which riparian protection set-backs were established for Sussex and Gray Creeks. Previously, these watercourses were confined to narrow constructed ditches that were first used to convey logs from upland areas to the Fraser River. Through the development of Glenlyon, these watercourses were enhanced and replanted with native species to function as large bio-swales for storm drainage. Within the riparian area created for Gray Creek, a modified tidal marsh was created through the use of alternative flap gates for stormwater management and flood control. At the mouth of Sussex Creek, an intertidal marsh habitat area was created along with a public viewing platform for the interpretation of the Fraser River and associated habitats.

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Other stormwater management initiatives include development standards within the Burnaby Business Park (near central Big Bend), which requires each property to construct a landscaped bio-swale within the front set-back area to create a habitat corridor and treat stormwater from the development site. More structural stormwater best management practices can be found at the recently constructed Market-Crossing Commercial Precinct (at Byrne Road and Marine Way), which incorporates a paver system with underlying ballast, sand and geo-textile membranes to detain and treat stormwater from the associated parking area. These and other habitat enhancements are a result of the Big Bend Development Plan, and Burnaby’s commitment to balancing the benefits of economic development, the protection of the natural environment, and the preservation of agricultural lands within the Big Bend

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The Corporation of Delta ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES DIVISION

January 31, 2008

Heather Wornell, Senior Environmental Planner Policy and Planning Metro Vancouver 4330 Kingsway, Burnaby BC V5H 4G8

Dear Ms. Wornell:

Re: Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices

As requested by Metro Vancouver, please find attached a Council Report on the above mentioned subject. The recommendations in this report w endorsed by Delta Council at their Regular Meeting held on January 28, 2008. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at 604.946.3283. Yours truly,

Angela Danyluk Angela Danyluk Assistant Environmental Control Officer adanyluk@corp.delta.bc.ca

cc: cc: Verne Kucy, Manager of Environmental Services

1) Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices council report.

AD/AD

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THE CORPORATION OF DELTA

COUNCIL REPORT

REGULAR MEETING

To: Mayor and Council

From: Environmental Services Division

Date: January 18, 2008

Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices

The following report has been reviewed and endorsed by the Chief Administrative Officer. RECOMMENDATION: That staff be directed to provide the information contained in this report to Metro Vancouver, in response to their invitation to submit up to four examples of innovative environmental policies and practices developed by The Corporation of Delta. PURPOSE: To describe four recent, innovative, environmental policies and practices developed by Delta and recommend this information be provided to Metro Vancouver in response to their request. BACKGROUND: In October 2007, the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors agreed to invite member municipalities to provide descriptions of up to four recent achievements demonstrating environmental excellence, with the intent of compiling and sharing information about these innovative practices across the region. At the January 7, 2008 Regular Meeting, Council received a letter of request from the Chair of the Metro Vancouver Board, dated November 30, 2007, which is included as Attachment A. The letter from Metro Vancouver requests a response by January 31, 2008. DISCUSSION: Today, municipal leaders and citizens alike are very conscious of the impacts that development, transportation and individual choices exert on the natural systems within their communities. Local governments are responding to this awareness by incorporating a range of environmental policies and practices into daily activities and long term planning. The following recent achievements are described below for Council’s consideration in relation to the Metro Vancouver request and encompass environmental stewardship, climate change, stormwater management and drainage and energy conservation.

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1. Burns Bog Ditch-Blocking Program Delta is one of the four government agencies responsible for the acquisition and establishment of the Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area, an area of over 2,000 hectares of peatlands in Delta. The ecological integrity of this area is dependent on maintaining high water levels, which promote peat-forming plant communities and the restoration of the Bog’s natural hydrologic balance. The Engineering Department has been involved in blocking the perimeter ditches of Burns Bog for several years in an attempt to maintain high water levels in the Bog while ensuring that adjacent properties do not flood. During the summer of 2007, Engineering implemented the first season of an ongoing program to block the Bog’s interior ditches, thereby retaining water within the water mound before it drains out to the perimeter ditches. This action has the dual benefits of promoting the growth of natural bog vegetation and keeping water well away from adjacent properties that might otherwise flood. In addition, this work is helping to better prepare the Bog to adapt to climate change as the Bog may not be able to withstand prolonged summer drought if the network of interior drainage ditches are not blocked. The ditch blockages have been built entirely by hand using low-impact methods, using natural materials such as fallen trees, wood, and peat, thereby mimicking the many beaver dams already in place throughout the Bog. This method of ditch blocking is innovative and likely has not been utilized elsewhere within North America or Europe. The Engineering Department plans to continue the ditch-blocking program for the next several years, until there is clear evidence that the hydrology of the Bog has stabilized. As an indication of the level of innovation of this on-going restoration project, staff has been invited to present our ditch-blocking efforts to the International Peat Congress which will be meeting in Ireland later this year. 2. Delta’s Climate Change Initiative & the Climate Change Working Group

Delta has developed a progressive Climate Change Initiative (Initiative) aimed at reducing the municipality’s vulnerability and contribution to climate change. The Initiative is comprised of nine action plans that target building efficiency, green fleet management, infrastructure improvement, education and training, flood management, sustainable development planning, community outreach and education, urban forestry and natural areas management. The plans are dynamic, flexible, include financial implications and designate departmental responsibility.

To ensure the success of the Initiative, staff has formed an interdepartmental Climate Change Working Group (CCWG) that will ensure that each action plan is developed, implemented, and monitored. Results are reported back to Council on a regular basis. In addition, the CCWG will build upon the Initiative by adding new action plans if required. This process of development, implementation and feedback will ensure that action plans are regularly updated to reflect leading edge technologies and strategies currently being developed for municipalities in Canada and around the world.

The action plans focus on reducing the energy consumed and solid waste generated during the delivery of municipal services and the operation of civic facilities. Tackling climate change with individual, focused action plans is unique amongst municipalities. It will allow Delta to focus efforts where they belong and bring about the best opportunities for successful GHG emission reductions. Council has already adopted one component of the Initiative, the Green Fleet Management Action Plan, which includes an energy efficiency vehicle purchasing strategy, E3 Green Fleet accreditation and an employee car pooling program. Currently, seven corporate vehicles are in use as part of this program removing 20 cars from our roads. Staff proposes that previous reports to Council and other documentation on this Initiative be provided to Metro Vancouver to fully describe this achievement. 3. Green Infrastructure in Delta: For the past several years, the Engineering Department has been implementing a series of “stormwater best management practices” across the municipality in a concerted effort to reduce stormwater impact

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within our watersheds. These best practices mitigate pollution and sediment loading into our streams by ways of “cleaning” runoff from urban areas before the water enters watercourses. Green infrastructure also benefits the community by creating beautiful urban green spaces. For over 50 years, the engineering mandate has been to remove rainwater when it falls on developed areas by pipes and convey water to storm drains where it rushes into streams causing erosion, sediment deposition, and increased pollutant levels. The key idea of the green infrastructure program is to allow rain water to infiltrate into the ground close to where it falls, mimicking natural drainage systems. The approach is relatively simple in principle: make the ground more permeable to rain water by using a variety of landscaping, pervious paving, and porous swales instead of pipes. Notable examples of the recent implementation of this green infrastructure initiative in Delta include:

• Cougar Canyon rain garden (a major community project involving Cougar Creek Streamkeepers, Pacific Salmon Foundation, Delta Engineering, and students from Seaquam Secondary and Cougar Canyon Elementary)

• Evergreen Lane parking lot rain gardens (across from McKee Seniors Centre) • 86th Avenue swale (at the north end of North Delta Community Park) • Kittson Parkway pervious parking lot (north edge of Watershed Park) • Delview Park drainage and habitat swales • 108 Street parking lot rain gardens • Fairlight Crescent ditch daylighting • 92 Ave, 120 Street (south of Hwy 10), and Knight Drive at-grade sidewalks with roadside

infiltration 4. Turn it Off Challenge It was announced in late September 2007, at the annual Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention, that Delta and the City of Victoria had tied for first place in the BC Hydro local government “Turn it Off Challenge”. Delta and Victoria each received the top prize of a $20,000 Power Smart facility makeover as the reward for efforts made to reduce energy consumption. Our success was largely due to an active and mobile “Turn if Off Challenge” campaign that engaged staff through a series of lunch and learns, interdepartmental challenges and dedicated staff efforts. In addition to traditional information emails and posters, Turn it Off staff visited individual work sites with a visual presentation focusing on specific activities for each work site. Turn it Off staff asked questions and looked to site staff for suggestions as to how The Corporation of Delta, in general, and their facility or operation, in particular, could achieve the 2% electricity consumption reduction target. This active and often entertaining approach maintained staff interest in the Turn it Off Challenge program over the course of the summer and led to an electricity consumption reduction of 7.66%, surpassing the original 2% target. Council has directed that the $20,000 prize money will go towards the installation of a Low Emissivity ceiling at the Ladner Leisure Centre arena. A Low Emissivity ceiling helps to reduce facility energy costs and such an upgrade has already been installed at the South Delta Recreation Centre arena. Future plans include ceiling retrofits for other civic arenas. Financial Implications: There are no financial implications associated with this report. CONCLUSION: This report describes several innovative municipal environmental policies and practices for Council’s consideration. Staff recommends this report and information related to these initiatives be provided to Metro Vancouver staff in response to their request for four recent examples of achievements demonstrating environmental excellence.

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Verne Kucy Manager Environmental Services Division Department submission prepared by: Angela Danyluk - Assistant Environmental Control Officer, Sarah Howie – Urban Environmental Designer ATTACHMENTS:

A. Letter from the Chair of the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors, dated November 30, 2007, regarding “Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices”.

F:ES/Terry/Council Reports-Innovative Policies Report.Jan15

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Township of Langley - Innovative Environmental Initiatives

Corporate Greenhouse Gas Plan In June 2006, the Township of Langley adopted its Corporate Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan. The plan recommends an emission reduction target of 10 per cent below year 2000 levels by the year 2010. If achieved, the Township, as a corporation, will release 605 fewer tonnes of CO2 emissions in the year 2010 than it did in the year 2000. The following are some highlights of the plan, which, if followed, will help the Township achieve its reduction target:

• Construct all new buildings greater than 5,000ft2 to LEED® standards (minimum silver); • Build all new aquatic facilities using alternative heating systems such as solar panels or ground

source heat pumps; • Right-size vehicle fleet so that all new vehicles are an appropriate size and the most fuel efficient

for the employee/role; and, • Endeavour to include energy efficient specifications in RFP and tendering documents whenever

possible. Since adoption of the plan, several of the recommended actions have been implemented with measurable positive results:

• Completed infrastructure upgrades at the WC Blair Recreation Centre and the RCMP Main Detachment in Murrayville saving over 1,500 Gj of natural gas annually;

• Registered as one of sixteen charter members of Fraser Basin Councils E3 Fleet accreditation program;

• Progressed to the maximum twenty per cent blend of Biodiesel (B20) and expanded its use to the Township’s entire fleet harnessing sixty tonnes of GHG emissions annually; and,

• Registered with the Jack Bell Foundation to encourage staff carpooling. In a December 2007 report to Council, it was revealed that in 2006, corporate greenhouse gas emissions were 162 tonnes lower than the business-as-usual projection for that year as a result of the actions taken to date. Plans for this year include comprehensive energy audits of the two facilities that combine to consume nearly sixty per cent of the natural gas used by the Township annually, the WC Blair Recreation Centre and the Walnut Grove Recreation center, LED streetlight pilots in our works yard and parking lots, investigation of green roof opportunities at our civic facilities, installation of GPS units in all municipal vehicles to monitor trip routes and idling times and the launch of a formalized staff idling reduction campaign in support of a new “one minute” policy recently adopted by Council.

LEED®-CI Silver Rated Civic Facility In May 2007, the Township’s Civic Facility received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver rating for Commercial Interiors- the first municipal hall in Canada to receive such recognition. This project reflects the commitment to sustainability, and commitment to the environment in its planning, design, construction and use. The existing core and shell of the facility were renovated to house the Municipal Hall, Recreation Centre, Library, Community Police Office and leased space. The energy efficient and environmentally friendly features have resulted in significant water, electrical and natural gas savings and a superior indoor working environment. Some of these features include; high efficiency lights, use of daylight sensors that turn lights off on sunny days, computer controlled heating and air conditioning, waterless urinals and low flow plumbing fixtures, highly insulted windows, water

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efficient landscaping, parking for carpool vehicles and bicycles, Energy Star appliances, interior materials that do not emit harmful chemicals and gasses, high efficiency air filters, and a geo-exchange system for heating and cooling. The geo-exchange system is of particular interest as it handles the majority of the heating and cooling load for the entire facility. Forty-five wells, each 250 feet deep, are drilled under the parkade to circulate water in and out of the heating/cooling system. The building received an honourable mention at the 2006 Community Energy Association’s Energy Aware Awards.

Wildlife Habitat Strategy The Township of Langley recognizes that conserving habitat space for wildlife also benefits humans. As urbanization increases, the presence of natural green space becomes more and more valuable to the community providing numerous benefits including improved air quality, noise reduction, cleaner streams and groundwater, temperature moderation, increased property values and aesthetics, improved physical and mental health of residents and more opportunities for outdoor experiences and ecotourism. In addition, increased natural areas result in local tax savings for managing stormwater, reducing flooding and maintenance costs. Building on initial habitat protection work undertaken by the Langley Environmental Partners Society, including detailed mapping of local habitat types and public stewardship programs, the Township of Langley initiated a strategy in 2004 to protect wildlife habitat. The primary objectives include:

• Identifying targets for wildlife habitat protection; • Identifying tools to protect land (acquisition, dedication, covenant, etc.); • Incorporating wildlife habitat considerations into existing Township planning processes,

bylaws and programs; • Considering habitat protection in the rural area; • Assessing financial impacts of protecting and not protecting wildlife habitat; and, • Educating and engaging the public in wildlife habitat protection.

Staff has completed a draft Wildlife Habitat Conservation Strategy and will be presenting it to Council in early 2008.

Responsible Program RESPONSIBLE is a corporate program to reduce our waste, reuse what we can, and recycle to the max! The Township of Langley involves its staff in reducing overall corporate waste through maximizing recycling opportunities, reusing corporate resources where possible, and reducing waste through less wasteful business practices. Beginning with a basic recycling and composting program, the RESPONSIBLE program will progress to include recycling of other items where recycling facilities already exist, promote further strategies to reduce waste as an organization, act as a resource for staff and keep abreast of current waste reduction strategies to introduce into the corporate environment. The RESPONSIBLE program also incorporates social marketing activities which consider its target group and their needs, looking at the ultimate goal of the program, and finding programming solutions where both are met. Thus far, this has included a kick-off event introducing the program, educating and answering questions, commitment making, and a waste reduction challenge rewarding positive behaviour.

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January 28, 2008 The Sustainable Region Initiative Metro Vancouver 4330 Kingsway Burnaby BC V5H 4G8 Dear Sirs: RE:Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices The Village of Lions Bay is proud to offer the following innovative project and recycling concept for consideration under the Innovative Environmental Practices program. In 2006 the Village faced severe weather conditions and numerous large trees, principally cedars and hemlock, were brought down by the high winds; however, thanks to creative “green” thinking on the part of The Lions Bay Works Department the disaster was turned into a literal windfall for the community. Rather than simply abandon all this lumber for firewood, Works staff harvested the trees and recycled them into a wide range of community furniture - picnic tables, new fencing, safer stairs and new gates to our parks facilities. All of this work was completed by milling the fallen trees into usable lumber (at a per-foot cost of approximately one-tenth of lumber yard prices), then designing the structures and building them using our own forces. Salvaged branches were chipped and used as ground cover in various parts of the village. A number of projects that were already on the table were thus completed at substantial cost savings over original estimates; other projects were – and continue to be - initiated to take advantage of this gift of nature to the Village. This project clearly demonstrates than given an innovative Public Works staff and creative support from Council, the Village can turn a challenge into beautiful assets for broad community use … and at the same time reinforce public awareness of sustainable environmental stewardship. Pictures of the creative uses are included. Yours sincerely Max Wyman, Mayor

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Lion’s Bay - Innovative Environmental Initiatives

Picnic table at Beach

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Trail Fence. Mulch is under the snow

Public Bulletin Board

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Stairs from Upper level parking lot

Fence along a Municipal Road

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District of Maple Ridge Environmental Initiatives 2008 The District of Maple Ridge appreciates the opportunity to share some of its recent environmental initiatives with neighbouring municipalities. We are also interested in learning more about what kind of major environmental projects are being undertaken by others. I have provided a brief outline below with contact information for some of our current major environmental initiatives that are being carried out by Maple Ridge: 1. Smart Growth on the Ground Maple Ridge is currently working on a Regional Town Centre Area Plan that incorporates the principles of Smart Growth on the Ground. The Area Plan is intended to build on The Maple Ridge Town Centre Concept Plan, endorsed by Council in 2005. The Concept Plan is the result of the extensive Smart Growth on the Ground public process that took place in Maple Ridge Town Centre throughout 2004 and explored the community’s vision in relation to Smart Growth’s 8 Guiding Principles for sustainability. A draft of the Area Plan is expected in Spring 2008. (For more information, please contact: Lisa Zosiak, Planner at 604 467 7341)

Several environmental related initiatives that were associated with the Smart Growth on the Ground process included:

• Green Infrastructure: as part of the Town Centre Area Plan, a green infrastructure

strategy is being explored that includes examining opportunities for incorporating components such as green streets and greenway networks, rainwater and stormwater site source control management strategies, an urban ecology and biodiversity strategy, and review of potential development permit guidelines for water and energy conservation into the Town Centre Area Plan. (Contact: Lisa Zosiak Planner at 604 467 7341 or Rod Stott, Environmental Planner at 604 467 7390)

• Green Building Technologies: as a way of ensuring that each new development application incorporates some ‘green’ building components, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System checklist is being used to provide developers with options to consider for their developments. Some LEED aspects must be included in each development application. To ensure that the LEED based components are incorporated into the Development Permit and Building Permit plans, registration of a covenant under Section 219 of the Land Title Act is being required for certain areas in the town centre. (Contact: Lisa Zosiak, Planner at 604 467 734)

• Tax Exemption Bylaw: this bylaw, adopted in 2006 encourages the development of residential buildings over four stories within the Town Centre and permits increased tax exemptions if the buildings are LEED certified. (Contact: Laura Benson, Policy Analyst at 604 466 4338)

2. Watercourse Protection Bylaw 6410 – 2006 This bylaw includes new federal, provincial, and GVRD standards for site source controls for erosion and sediment control, grading, as well as innovative rainwater and stormwater management practices. The bylaw focuses on a pro-active approach for dealing with site source solutions, with the responsibilities largely being delegated to developers, builders, and their professionals of record to comply with performance requirements. The District implemented the bylaw in July of 2006. The bylaw includes a number of mandatory site source control requirements and information checklists for developers, builders, and their qualified environmental professionals. (Contact: Rod Stott, Environmental Planner at 604 467 7390)

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3. Watershed Level Environmental Information System Building on its previous watercourse mapping and information system, the District of Maple Ridge continues to expand its environmental information system to include information layers that help it to make decisions at a Watershed Planning Level. This includes information on regionally and municipally significant trail networks, protected areas and features, unique habitat areas, major wildlife movement corridors, potential hazard and vulnerable areas, natural infrastructure areas, potential enhancement and restoration areas, and significant natural features. In addition to the improvements to the municipal mapping and information system, the District of Maple Ridge has updated its Watercourse Protection and its Hillside Natural Features development permit area guidelines to include new site specific information requirements, site design and building form standards, as well as enhancement and restoration requirements. Ongoing work includes review of environmental information layers and management tools to help move towards a comprehensive watershed level planning approach. (Contact: Rod Stott, Environmental Planner at 604 467 7390) 4. Reforestation and Biodiversity Conservation Initiative The District of Maple Ridge continues to work in partnership with EcoNeutral ERA to implement a re-forestation and biodiversity conservation initiative in the municipality. The project involves various objectives and steps including:

• Identification of suitable restoration sites using municipal mapping and inventory of disturbed areas, sparsely vegetated areas, dead and dying deciduous stands, as well as riparian areas that have a high incidence of invasive flora species;

• Developing landscape prescriptions for hazard tree removal, thinning, invasive plant removal, and replanting for municipal public and private lands;

• Securing tree stocks using native species • Implementing planting of nearly 300,000 tree specimens around the District of Maple

Ridge. • Carrying out follow up treatments – monitoring and maintenance • Municipal wide education outreach program with general public and school programs (Contact: Rod Stott, Environmental Planner at 604 467 7390 or Bruce McLeod, Manager of Parks and Open Space at 604 467 7338)

Thanks for taking the time to coordinate this task. I look forward to hearing from you if you have any questions or suggestions on my list of initiatives. I also look forward to sharing more information and working with you and any other environmental stakeholders from our region in the future.

Rod Stott, Environmental Planner District of Maple Ridge

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City of New Westminster Environmental Initiatives (2007/08) Environmental

Initiative

Details City of New Westminster Contact

Energy Use Study

A comprehensive energy use study was conducted in 2007 by a team of four consulting firms to assess the energy performance of 32 civic buildings for the City of New Westminster. The study provided opportunities to improve overall building efficiency – resulting in a reduction of utility costs – as well as information regarding environmental impacts and the costs of implementing energy conservation measures.

Wayne Werbovetski (604) 527-4597 or Rod Carle (604) 527-4569

Corporate Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction Plan

The City of New Westminster is a member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) program, “Partners for Climate Protection” (PCP). The PCP program is based on a five milestone framework that is used to guide municipalities in their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The City of New Westminster is currently undertaking milestones 1, 2 and 3 for its corporate operations. The actions, as part of these milestones, include, 1) developing a detailed greenhouse gas emissions inventory, 2) establishing a GHG target and then 3) developing a local action plan.

Jennifer Lukianchuk (604) 515-3780

Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Tank

The City of New Westminster (partnered with Metro Vancouver) constructed a 20,000 cubic meter volume storage facility to protect the Fraser River from combined sewer overflows. By providing detention of the overflows, the volume and frequency of overflows to the Fraser River are minimized, and the quality of the overflows is enhanced. This will result in a 30% reduction in CSOs into the river, significantly reducing biochemical oxygen demand of the receiving water. In the process of developing the facility, an industrial site was cleaned up and transformed into a public park with environmental education displays. The design team optimized the design of the tank to maximize tank capacity while minimizing environmental impacts such as impervious area, material use and site disturbance during construction. The project

Roger Emanuels (604) 527-4540)

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incorporated many additional sustainable design features including:

• Reclaiming building materials from a decommissioned sawmill for the operations building

• Incorporating a vacuum flushing system with no potable water and minimal power requirements

• Providing a green roof on the operations building

• Eliminating power requirements when the facility is off-line

• Using fly-ash concrete which, in addition to several environmental benefits, is resistant to corrosion by sewage

• Minimizing wastage of materials, and recycling excess

• Providing compensatory fisheries mitigation • Providing large windows to provide natural

interior lighting

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City of North Vancouver- Innovative Environmental Initiatives Mahon Park Stewards (enhancing biodiversity, protecting habitat, environmental stewardship) The Mahon Park Rehabilitation project was initiated in 2001 by the City of North Vancouver. Mahon Park includes 16 hectares of natural forested ravine area, supporting Wagg and Mission Creeks, two of the few remaining salmon bearing streams in Metro Vancouver. This park had been affected beyond the threshold of natural recovery due to the proliferation of invasive plants, unsanctioned trail use, and impacts from stormwater from surrounding urban areas. The rehabilitation project included in-stream habitat enhancement and bank stabilization, trail improvements, invasive plant removal, and the planting of native trees and shrubs. It became clear from the beginning of the rehabilitation project that the long-term success would depend on the engagement of park neighbours and the community. The project thus took a holistic approach of integrating rehabilitation works with community stewardship and education. In 2003, the City partnered with Evergreen, a national non-profit, and with the support of an Environment Canada Eco-Action grant, founded the Mahon Stewards. The Stewards include park neighbours, local businesses, school and community groups, and meet regularly to pull invasive plants and to plant native trees and shrubs. Since 2003, the award-winning Mahon Stewards have logged 5,000 volunteer hours and have cleared 45,000 m2 of parkland of invasive plants. The rehabilitation project in Mahon Park demonstrates what can be achieved when local government, non-profit groups, and the community work together to support a common goal. For more information, please visit the City of North Vancouver website: http://www.cnv.org//server.aspx?c=3&i=452 Contact: Joanna Clark Dave Hutch Caroline Jackson Stewardship Coordinator Landscape Architect Environmental Coordinator Evergreen City of North Vancouver City of North Vancouver 604-689-0766 x23 604.983.7394 604.990.4224 joanna@evergreen.ca dhutch@cnv.org cjackson@cnv.org Edible Garden Project (sustainable agriculture, addressing climate change, solid waste management, land use and transportation planning) The Edible Garden Project (EGP) is a non-profit organization operating on the North Shore which is breaking new ground towards achieving local food security through small-scale food production and innovative education programs. The EGP is the result of an extensive community consultation process by Coastal Health, through the Community Food Action Initiative, where food security was identified as a key priority area. The City of North Vancouver is one of the partners in this project, contributing funding and assisting in the securement of land for food production.

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The EGP has three main activities on the North Shore; Growing Gardens, Sharing Backyard Bounty, and building Strong Roots. Through the Growing Gardens component, the EGP actively seeks-out unused garden space, both on private and public property, to increase land-use for food production on the North Shore. The second component, Sharing Backyard Bounty, encourages people who grow gardens to plant an extra row for donation: the fresh local produce that is produced is distributed to organizations, like the Harvest Project, who serve community members who require it the most. Through the final program, Strong Roots, the EGP strives to create a community network around the environmental and nutritional importance of growing, harvesting, and sharing fresh local food. While increasing access to fresh produce for those who cannot afford to purchase it and increasing awareness around the health benefits of consuming locally grown foods the EGP contributes to minimizing the community’s carbon footprint by reducing reliance on transporting imported food from afar. For more information, please visit the Edible Garden Project website: www.ediblegardenproject.com Contact: Heather Johnstone Heather Sadler Coordinator Planner Edible Garden Project City of North Vancouver 604.987.8138 604.988.3289 edible@vcn.bc.ca hsadler@cnv.org Partners for Climate Protection – Local Action Plan (addressing climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, community energy planning, land use and transportation planning) In 1997 the City of North Vancouver became a member of the PCP program; a network of over 137 Canadian municipal governments (including all members of the GVRD) who have committed to reducing greenhouse gases and acting on climate change. The LAP focuses on cost-effective actions to reduce energy consumption and resulting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that provide significant environmental, economic and social benefits. By 2010, implementation is predicted to result in corporate greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 810 tonnes per year (T/yr) and community wide GHG emission reductions of 13,880 T/yr. This corresponds to a corporate reduction of 20% below the 1995 baseline, and a community reduction of 20% per capita below the predicted 2010 forecast. Since endorsing the LAP in March 2005, the City has made steady progress with program implementation, currently at milestone 4 in the program. As a member of BC Hydro's Green Power Certificate Program, the City purchases over 10% of its building electrical power from green energy sources. Through BC Hydro's Power Smart Partner Program, the City works with BC Hydro to integrate energy efficient business management practices, enabling the City to reduce costs and improve municipal operations. In addition, the City has adopted an anti-idling bylaw, a civic policy for green (LEED) buildings and is currently working on updates to the

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Sustainable Development Guidelines for more rigorous requirements for private development. Staff are currently coordinating a GHG inventory update to measure progress to date. For more information, please visit the website:

http://www.cnv.org//server.aspx?c=3&i=440 Contact: Caroline Jackson Environmental Coordinator City of North Vancouver 604.990.4224 cjackson@cnv.org Lonsdale Energy Corporation (community energy planning, land use planning) Lonsdale Energy Corporation (LEC), created in 2004, is a district energy heating utility wholly owned by the City of North Vancouver. LEC provides space and domestic hot water heating services to over 1 million square feet of mid to high-density residential and commercial development. Employing a series of boiler mini-plants LEC circulates hot water and heat to the buildings that are connected to the LEC system. First established in the rapidly redeveloping mixed use neighbourhood of Lower Lonsdale, LEC has now expanded to the northern half of the Regional Town Centre in Central Lonsdale. There, the new civic library will soon be powered by LEC, in part supplied by renewable energy through solar panels located on the library roof. Plans are in the works for continued expansion of the system in both neighbourhoods as they continue to redevelop. For more information, please visit the website:

http://www.cnv.org/LEC Contact:

Glenn Stainton Lonsdale Energy Corporation Manager City of North Vancouver Phone: 604-983-7305 Fax: 604-985-1573 Email: gstainton@cnv.org

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District of North Vancouver Innovative Policies and Practices 1.0 District Vision and the Natural Step Framework In its Strategic Framework of 2004, the District of North Vancouver Council adopted a bold vision that articulates its strong commitment to, and directs the District on a path towards sustainability. This District Vision is that ‘by 2020, we will be recognized among the most sustainable communities in the world as demonstrated through our environmental stewardship, strong network of neighbourhoods, a vibrant economy and community-driven growth and change.” In support of this vision, Council also adopted The Natural Step (TNS) and its four system conditions and principles for sustainability that are:

1. to eliminate our community’s contributions to fossil fuel dependence and use of scarce metals from the earth’s crust;

2. dependence upon persistent chemicals and wasteful use of synthetic substances; 3. encroachment upon natural systems; 4. to meet human needs fairly and efficiently

Using The Natural Step framework a team of staff across all District divisions, specially trained in TNS, are working to integrate measures towards sustainability in their work and to share this knowledge and sustainability best management practices throughout the organization.

2.0 Seylynn Village Development On February 4, 2008 District Council approved an amendment to the District Official Community Plan which allows for the development of Seylynn Village. The proposed Seylynn Village is to be located on the north and south side of Fern Street. This is an area close to Highway 1 which has experienced a decline in liveablility, increased noise and traffic associated with the closure of the Keith Road on-ramp to Highway 1. The resulting Planning Department Report entitled “Fern Street Area Re-development Options”, dated May 2004, presented four options for restoring the liveability of the area. On of these options involved comprehensive re-development including high-rise development. In September 2006, Hynes Developments submitted a community plan amendment application consistent with this option and proposing to re-designate the areas north and south of Fern street to accommodate a high-density , mixed-use development.

Seylynn Village is intended to be a comprehensive re-development incorporating mixed residential, commercial and community uses. It is a development that provides an opportunity to create an innovative, mixed-use neighbourhood which incorporates sustainable development principles. The project is organized around a ‘Village Centre’ which is intended to include a mix of uses and pedestrian activities.

3.0 Influence of Tree Canopy in an Urban Setting The objective of this research will be to explore the variables influencing the interception process and hence quantify rainfall interception by trees within an urban environment. The purpose of this project is to provide planners, developers and municipal engineers with the tools and research they need to approach rainwater management in a more integrated and sustainable manner by taking advantage of benefits provided by urban trees. The data will be

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used to augment the ‘Water Balance Model” that will add canopy cover as a consideration in the model in calculating run-off using various development scenarios. Trees play an important role in retaining water on site, either permanently or temporarily to slow the flow of run off into waterways. Rainfall is, intercepted by a combination of plant components, leaves, branches, and trunks. It could also fall directly through the canopy to the forest floor. Intercepted water is stored in the short term on leaf and bark surfaces, and eventually flows down the stem and trunk to the ground, or evaporates. Tree canopy interception accounts for storing precipitation temporary in the canopy and releasing it slowly to the ground and back to the atmosphere. This interception may account for up to 35% of gross annual precipitation, and plays an important role in the urban water balance cycle. The data will be integrated in the “Water Balance Model” – a computer modeling tool that can show the effects of storm water management in development using a number of techniques in various scenarios using real-life data.

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February 18, 2008 File: Heather Wornell Senior Environmental Planner Policy and Planning Division Metro Vancouver 4330 Kingsway Burnaby, BC V5H 4G8 Dear Ms. Wornell: Re: City of Port Moody Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices In response to your letter dated November 30, 2007 inviting the City of Port Moody to submit up to four achievements demonstrating its environmental excellence, I am pleased to present to you an overview of our initiatives in the attached document. You will note that the City is active in promoting environmental excellence in arrange of areas, as demonstrated by the examples provided for your information:

1. Pesticide Bylaw and the Port Moody Naturally Program 2. Climate Change Initiatives, including new Public Safety Building 3. Suter Brook Development and Stewardship Model 4. Environmentally Sensitive Areas Management Strategy

Should you require any more information on these or any other Port Moody environmental initiatives, please do not hesitate to contact Parks and Environmental Services at 604-469-4570. Sincerely, Julie Pavey, R.P. Bio. Manager of Parks and Environmental Services cc: Mayor Joe Trasolini

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City of Port Moody Innovative Environmental Policies and Initiatives 1. Pesticide Control Use Bylaw and the Port Moody Naturally Program The City of Port Moody was the first city in western Canada to go with a bylaw regulating the use of cosmetic pesticides when its Pesticide Control Use Bylaw No.2575 was adopted by Council in 2003. The bylaw went into effect on January 1, 2006 following a three-year long education process. The bylaw prohibits the use of pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals for non-essential purposes "cosmetic use" and was strongly supported by council. The bylaw was the result of significant scientific research and community consultation by the City’s Environmental Protection Committee members. The education program is called "Port Moody Naturally" and is based on the premise that in natural ecosystems natural predators such as spiders, parasites and beneficial insects control the populations of most pest species. When we impact natural ecosystem with pesticides we can upset these natural checks and balances and the public education program is aimed at organic lawn and yard care principles with keynote speakers brought in annually to give free presentations at the start of the gardening season. The bylaw enables staffs to ticket residents and businesses that do not comply with the regulation. However, ticketing is the last resort and staff efforts focus on continuing with positive education of alternatives to pesticides. Port Moody hopes that the bylaw will show residents that their lawns and gardens can be attractive without the use of pesticides and show leadership through a demonstration lawn at the Port Moody Arts centre where staff have been tending the lawn using similar tools and techniques that are available to any homeowner. Port Moody has not used pesticides in its lawns, gardens, fields and parks since 1988. In 1997, Port Moody became the first municipality in BC to formally adopt the Naturescape program. This program is aimed at restoring, preserving, and enhancing wildlife habitat in urban and rural landscapes by creating biodiverse ecosystems, and environmental areas while at the same time providing visually attractive, low maintenance landscapes. Some of Port Moody’s Naturescape initiatives include:

• Staff trained by a naturalist in the best method to minimize disturbance while maintaining safe trails.

• No use of herbicides or pesticides. • Only dangerous trees are removed. Vegetation is left at the site for natural decay. • Naturescape Awards recognize local achievement in applying Naturescape principles. • A number of parks serve as Naturescape demonstration sites. Port Moody has the

highest ratio of parkland per capita in B.C.’s Lower Mainland – 325 hectares of municipal parkland and 1,116 hectares of regional park. That represents over 120 acres per 1000 population.

2. Climate Change Initiatives The City of Port Moody has committed to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Partners in Climate Protection (PCP) program and has undertaken a number of initiatives and actions to identify energy use and emissions, conduct planning to manage energy and the environment in a sustainable way and to implement a number of initiatives. The City completed Milestone 1 and 2 in 2001.

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In 2002, Port Moody initiated several important energy saving projects. The City converted its traffic signals to LED technology to reduce energy and maintenance costs. Not only do LED traffic signals consume approximately 85 per cent less electricity, they typically last 7 – 10 times longer than incandescent lamps. The City also completed a comprehensive audit of its many facilities. As a result, over $400,000 was invested in energy savings that have a payback period of 3 to 10 years. The City completed and adopted its Corporate Action Plan (Milestone 3) in June 2006. The first part of Milestone 3 was the development of a local action plan outlining a number of ways that the city can reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from municipal operations. The corporate action plan determined that the City of Port Moody corporate operations consume approximately 43,000 GJ of energy per year at a cost of over $650,000 and the release of nearly 9,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. Some of the measures recommended in the plan include the inclusion of hybrids in the city's light vehicle fleet, the use of geoexchange systems to heat civic buildings and a feasibility study to install micro-hydroelectricity systems on pressure reducing valves within the water distribution system to recover some of the energy used to move drinking water to people's homes and businesses. All of Port Moody’s civic buildings and facilities went through detailed energy audits to develop a prioritized list of actions based on actual greenhouse gas reductions and cost savings. The corporate plan identifies a potential savings of 11,708 GJ and $145,000 in energy savings annually with the majority of reductions coming through building improvements, retrofits and renewable energy projects. The completion of Milestone 3 will be accomplished through the completion of the Community Action Plan that is currently underway and looks at community actions to help reduce the contribution of greenhouse gas emissions. The City of Port Moody is a member of the Community Action for Energy Efficiency (CAEE) program and adopted the CAEE building energy targets in March 2007 and signed onto the Climate Change Charter with a goal of carbon neutrality for corporate operations by 2012. The Community Action Plan includes the modeling of energy use in several build out scenarios for the city and is intended to assist policy development for the update of the Official Community Plan 2008. The new Port Moody Public Safety Building is a 4,450 square metre three storey reinforced concrete building designed for Post-Disaster use for the Port Moody Police. It was completed in 2006 and is located within the centre of Port Moody. It was designed as a highly efficient building which employs a ground source heat pump loop for heating and air-conditioning and full electric stand-by generation. A number of sustainable measures were put in place for the project including:

• The refrigeration equipment is all non-CFC, and high efficiency, to minimize any ozone depletion or GHG emissions.

• This project reduces electrical energy in the lighting and high efficiency AC systems. The use of Ground source heatpumps reduces fuel consumption, and CO2 emissions.

• The use of heat recovery reduced both electric and gas use. • The use of water efficient fixtures reduced both water and sewage requirements. • Lighting is all T8 high efficiency. • Exterior lighting was reduced to address light pollution concerns. • The building meets the requirements for the Canadian Building Improvement

Program as is more than 37% more efficient than the Model National Energy Code. The Public Safety Building is located next to Slaughterhouse Creek which is salmonid-bearing. The building design provides for a 15 meter "Stream Protection and Enhancement

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Area" setback as required under Port Moody's Zoning Bylaw and the landscape plan includes the use of native plants following the City's Naturescape Policy. The use of bio-swales and site drainage reduced the stormwater impact on local systems. 3. Suter Brook Development and Stewardship Model. The Onni Suter Brook is being developed on a 22-acre (8.7 hectare) brownfield site. The City and the developer, the Onni group, had a vision of the site as a neighbourhood that will retain and enhance Suter Brook, which flows into Burrard Inlet. Suter Brook is an urban stream that remains a viable habitat for salmon. A number of sustainability principles were incorporated in the development including:

• A Sustainability Plan and Commitments that cover a range of sustainability principles and require sign-off by appropriate professionals. This includes considerations for Fatal Light Awareness, light pollution, owner education through the development of a Homeower Environmental Awareness manual.

• An integrated stormwater management plan that set a limit on impervious surfaces within the development and requires a number of green roofs and stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs).

• A large greenway that makes up 26% of the total site area and is preserved as parkland through the middle of the site with a loop interpretative walking trail.

• The setbacks from the stream average 21 m from the top of bank and there has been significant tree retention within this area. The Suter Brook Greenway consists of second and third growth riparian forest of hemlock, alder and black cottonwood. It provides habitat for wildlife including small mammals, reptiles and amphibians as well as songbirds, waterfowl and green heron.

• The development of partnership with stewardship groups and stewardship model. The protection and enhancement of the Suter Brook Greenway has truly been a community based collaborative effort with involvement of the Port Moody Ecological Society, Burke Mountain Naturalists and the Mossom Creek Hatchery/Burrard Inlet Marine Enhancement Society.

• The stewardship model includes a $275,000 contribution from Onni towards a funding source for future maintenance and environmental initiatives within the greenway.

• A project that salvaged amphibians and wetland vegetation for relocation to a site in the Shoreline Park system.

• Measures in place to protect the Suter Brook Greenway include the development of a spawning/rearing channel, in-stream enhancements such as the placement of spawning gravel and habitat complexing to provide additional cover for fish, and riparian revegetation.

• Suter Brook Greenway Master Plan (280kb, prepared for Omni by Environmental Consultants Ltd.)

4. Port Moody's Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) Strategy. Port Moody initiated its ESA Management Strategy in 1997 with the purpose of helping to balance the pressures of population growth with the protection of its natural environment. One of the first deliverables was the Phase 1: An Inventory of Natural Areas which provides a comprehensive natural areas inventory in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) base and identifies 33 candidate polygons with data collected through community consultation. As a follow up, in the Phase 2 study, management recommendations were developed as well as a classification of ESAs into high, medium and low ratings. The ESA Strategy is an

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ongoing project that continues the process of collecting further inventory information on natural areas. In its approach to the Phase 2 work, the natural area components were divided into seven ecosystem type or features: 1) landscape level refuges and wildlife corridors, 2) watersheds and catchments, 3) forests, 4) lakes and freshwater wetlands, 5) watercourses and riparian areas, 6) intertidal and subtidal marine areas, 7) surficial geology including rock bluffs. In developing a system to rate the sensitivity of the areas, the following criteria were selected: High Sensitivity

• areas or sites which support red and blue listed plant or animal species, or nests designated under the Wildlife Act.

• watercourses, wetlands, forested riparian areas, and intertidal zones important to fish and wildlife~

• wildlife corridors • undeveloped or less intensively developed portions of watersheds with less than 7%

effective impervious area that drain into fish-bearing streams • areas with high species richness or unusual species assemblage • hazard lands including steep slopes, ravines, fans and floodplains

Medium Sensitivity

• patches of forest (> 45 ha) that represent the forested ecosystems indigenous to Port Moody

• unforested, sparsely forested or developed areas with a riparian corridor adjacent to an open stream

Low Sensitivity

• isolated or fragmented forest patch less than 45 hectares

Special Features were also identified. These are areas or sites recognized for their unique or environmental significance, and represent good examples of habitats not well represented in Port Moody. These include Sasamat Lake, Mossom, Noons and North School House creeks, Shoreline Park, intertidal mudflats and marsh, North Shore wetlands, and Woodhaven swamp.

Not all of the City of Port Moody is included in the ESAs; most commercial, industrial and residential areas are excluded, and so too are the marine waters. In doing this, it is recognized that there are considerable environmental attributes in these areas, and they are referenced in the text.

The Phase 2 study provides certain new information. All streams were mapped by the City and that information is included. The Port Moody forests were classified following established standards to identify relatively uniform ecosystem units. Lastly, wildlife observations with a focus on identifying wildlife corridors were made in a majority of the ESAs. Additional wildlife and related information was provided by a large number of local residents, who are identified in the Acknowledgements.

The report proposes policies and guidelines for managing several environmental attributes within Port Moody, including:

• Maintaining large natural forested areas and connections between them, wherever feasible, as opposed to many small and isolated natural areas.

• Maintaining, in relatively undeveloped watersheds, the natural hydrologic regime through careful development planning and stormwater management.

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• Protecting biodiversity values, wildlife habitat and natural watershed functioning by maintaining a network of forested areas.

• Protecting natural and modified watercourses and riparian areas. • Preserving and protecting the natural ecosystem functions of lakes and wetlands. • Working with federal and provincial agencies to maintain natural ecosystem

functioning of intertidal and subtidal areas of Port Moody Arm. • Protecting unique rock bluffs and their associated plant communities. • Protecting areas and sites where known red and / or blue listed animal or plant

species may be vulnerable to disturbance. • Controlling development in areas that are considered hazardous due to geology or

soil conditions.

The report recommends that ESAs rated High or Medium be designated as Development Permit Areas within the Official Community Plan. The report provides a checklist of information requirements for consideration during review of development applications within High or Medium ESAs. Appendix 1 contains recommendation and information for managing each of the ESAs.

The final section of the report makes a number of recommendations for ongoing management of ESAs within the City, such as working with community organizations and educational institutions to build upon stewardship initiatives and improve the information base for decision-making. It will also be important for the City to work with senior environmental agencies and neighbouring municipalities to ensure its environmental goals and objectives are met.

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SUSTAINABILITY GROUP

February 5, 2008 Ms. Heather Wornell Senior Environmental Planner Metro Vancouver 4330 Kingsway Burnaby, BC V5H 4G8 Dear Ms. Wornell: RE: Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices - Vancouver Submission The City of Vancouver is pleased to contribute to Metro Vancouver’s efforts to encourage the sharing of environmental innovations and best practices experiences within the region. Vancouver has a long history of incorporating environmental considerations in our work and we are continually seeking ways to advance our environmental performance and sustainability objectives. The four examples of recent achievements we are putting forward focus on:

1. Climate Protection Targets and Programs 2. The South East False Creek Neighbourhood Energy Utility 3. Green Building Strategy 4. Transportation Design and Construction Practices

Information about these initiatives is attached. We are looking forward to receiving your compilation and to learning from our peers in the region. If you have any questions about the attached materials, please do not hesitate to contact me at 604-871-6619 or melina.scholefield@vancouver.ca. Yours truly, Melina Scholefield, P. Eng. Manager melina.scholefield@vancouver.ca Phone: 604.871.6619 Fax: 604.871.65 ms/ms Encl.

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cc: Judy Rogers, City Manager Jody Andrews, Deputy City Manager James Ridge, Deputy City Manager Estelle Lo, General Manager, Corporate Services Dave McLellan, Deputy General Manager, Community Services Dave Rudberg, General Manager, Olympic and Paralympic Operations Tom Timm, General Manager, Engineering Peter Judd, Deputy City Engineer

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Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices: Climate Protection Targets and Programs

In 2003, Vancouver formed the Cool Vancouver Task Force to help the City develop Corporate and Community Climate Change Action Plans. When the recommendations of this multi-stakeholder task force were adopted in 2003 (Corporate Plan) and 2005 (Community Plan), it established Vancouver’s greenhouse gas reduction targets as policy and launched the City on a path towards systematic action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Corporate Plan has a GHG emissions target of 20% below 1990 levels by 2010 and the Community Plan has a GHG emissions target of 6% below 1990 levels by 2012. Although the programs and initiatives described below generally relate to these two targets, it should be noted that the City also has several longer-term greenhouse gas targets:

• In July 2007, Council adopted targets to reduce community GHG emissions to 33% below current levels by 2020. In addition, Council adopted the target of having all new construction in Vancouver be GHG neutral by 2030

• In January 2008, Council adopted the World Mayors and Local Governments Climate

Protection Agreement which targets a reduction in GHG emissions of 80% below 1990 levels by 2050

The key to Vancouver’s early successes in implementing the 2003 Corporate Plan and the 2005 Community Plan have been the dedication of resources (staff and budget), the assignment of responsibility for specific actions to departments across the organization, and the requirement to regularly monitor emissions and report back on progress. The 2007 Climate Protection Progress Report revealed that:

• By 2006, total GHG emissions from City operations have decreased to 5% below 1990 levels and the City is on track towards meeting its Corporate reduction target of 20% below 1990 levels by 2010

• The key to our success in reducing Corporate emissions have been the replacement of

old facilities with more efficient new ones, undertaking comprehensive energy retrofits of existing buildings using energy performance contracts, the right-sizing of vehicles and the use of bio-diesel blends in the City fleet

• Despite continued population (+24%) and job growth (+14%) in the city since 1990,

community GHG emissions peaked around 2001 and stabilized from 2001 to 2006 at about 5% above 1990 levels. Emissions are projected to remain at around 5% above 1990 levels to 2012. While reductions in Vancouver’s per capita community GHG emissions are amongst the best in North America, significant new actions from all levels of government will be needed for the city to meet its target of 6% below 1990 levels by 2012

• The Community Climate Change Action Plan is relatively recent and as such many of

our current emission reduction strategies are just beginning to take effect. Other

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planning efforts that have been underway over the past decade or more have made a significant contribution to the stabilization of GHG emissions since 1990, while population and jobs have continued to grow. These include creating compact, mixed-use communities that put people close to jobs, shops and services, integrated land use and transportation planning that prioritizes non-auto modes, a high standard of building energy efficiency provisions in the Vancouver Building Bylaw (the highest standards among Canadian cities), and the implementation of the Vancouver landfill gas recovery and co-generation system in 2001

The City has also learned that while shorter term targets such as 2010 and 2012 are important in developing staff expertise and making some initial changes, the most significant opportunities for local governments to reduce GHG emissions involve changes that require immediate action but take a longer time to take effect. Moving forward, the City is planning to focus on:

• developing the EcoDensity initiative, which uses density as a tool to enhance the environmental sustainability, liveability and affordability of our city

• implementing our Green Building Strategy and moving towards the goal of having all

new buildings be carbon neutral by 2030

• exploring further options for expanding the development of district energy systems, like the Southeast False Creek Neighbourhood Energy Utility, which rely primarily on renewable or clean energy sources

• working to increase infrastructure and land use patterns that support walking, cycling

and transit

• updating parking policies to encourage and support sustainable and low-carbon transportation through the management of parking supply, access, and pricing

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Visit the Sustainability Group webpage at www.vancouver.ca/sustainability, or contact Sean Pander, Manager of Climate Protection Programs, Sustainability Group at sean.pander@vancouver.ca or 604-871-6542.

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Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices: Southeast False Creek Neighbourhood Energy Utility

Development activities are underway for the Southeast False Creek (SEFC) Neighbourhood Energy Utility (NEU), an environmentally progressive community energy system that will provide space heating and domestic hot water to all buildings in the SEFC redevelopment area. The NEU will:

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to space heating and hot water by up to 60% • Provide Vancouver with a reasonable return on investment while providing customers

with energy that is cost competitive with conventional sources

• Provide infrastructure that will enable the easy adoption of even greener energy technologies as they become technically and financially viable

• Improve the SEFC community’s resilience to conventional energy scarcity and price

increases

• Be capable of collecting and re-distributing green energy produced by connected buildings, which will enable proliferation of “Net Zero” type buildings that produce as much energy as they consume.

The NEU’s SEFC Community Energy Centre will utilize waste heat recovered from the municipal sewer system as the primary “base load” heat source. This will be the first use of such technology in North America. Natural gas boilers will be used for back-up and peak load requirements. In addition, the system will be supplemented with solar energy from the roof tops of three SEFC buildings. From the Energy Centre, a network of underground pipes will distribute heated water to individual buildings, and energy transfer stations will distribute space heat and domestic hot water to users. Important lessons and outcomes from Vancouver’s experience with the SEFC NEU include:

• Using more expensive green technology to meet only base load requirements was key to the financial viability of the NEU

• Staff experience from working on this project has enabled them to start identifying

additional opportunities for district energy systems in Vancouver FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Chris Baber, Project Manager, Neighbourhood Energy Utility at chris.baber@vancouver.ca or 604-871-6127.

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Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices: Vancouver’s Green Building Strategy

The City of Vancouver is currently implementing a Green Building Strategy (GBS). The GBS is one of many green building initiatives currently underway to reduce the environmental impacts of buildings and related infrastructure. The GBS proposes 29 action items and 15 specific changes to by-law and zoning guidelines that set an environmental performance baseline to ensure relevant buildings achieve the equivalent of a LEEDTM Certified level of performance. The GBS for Part 3 buildings (over 3 storeys or greater than 600 m2) is currently being implemented and will be completely delivered by the end of 2008.

The City of Vancouver is in a unique position to implement many of these strategies as it has its own building code. Other components are still applicable to other jurisdictions as they focus on guideline development and zoning regulations. Below is a summary of the fifteen individual components of the strategy with the specific implementation actions:

• On-Site Stormwater Management: Improve stormwater quality and reduce stormwater discharge in new developments, especially in Ecologically Sensitive Areas. Promote strategies to reduce impervious surfaces and improve infiltration. Specific actions: Require all parkade drains to connect to sanitary instead of storm sewers, and require mechanical separators on surface parking lots

• Rainwater Harvesting: Reduce water consumption and stormwater discharge from building sites. Specific actions: Amend the Vancouver Building By-law to allow for the reuse of rain water in some circumstances such as toilet flushing

• Green Roofs: Promote extensive green roofs and high albedo Energy Star™ "cool" roofs that reduce heat island effects, glare, and stormwater runoff and increase biomass and habitat. Specific actions: Develop a set of voluntary guidelines for green roofs that is acceptable to industry

• Urban Agriculture: Contribute to a sustainable food system by requiring permanent facilities for urban agriculture on rooftops, podiums and ground-level areas such as courtyards. Specific actions: Develop voluntary urban agriculture guidelines

• Native and Drought-resistant Landscape: Reduce use of potable water for irrigation by 50%, particularly during summer drought periods, through the use of native, drought-resistant plant species. Increases habitat and biodiversity and biomass through the use of native plant species as part of private developments. Specific actions: Develop Water-wise and Native planting guidelines, including a plant list

• Water Efficient Irrigation Systems: Reduce use of potable water for irrigation by 50%, particularly during summer drought periods, through the use of efficient irrigation systems. Specific actions: Amend the Vancouver Plumbing By-law to limit the maximum supply of water to irrigated areas

• In-Building Water Use Reduction: Reduce in-building water consumption by 20% through the use efficient fixtures and equipment to increase local water supply and

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wastewater treatment facilities efficiencies. Specific actions: Require efficient plumbing fixtures in the Vancouver Plumbing By-law

• Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Reduce energy consumption of new buildings by 12-15% below ASHRAE 90.1 2001. The City will adopt the 2004 ASHRAE Standard. ASHRAE 90.1 is an energy conservation standard for building codes, building design and construction. Specific actions: Adopt ASHRAE 2004 and develop energy performance targets over the long term

• Indoor Air quality: Improve the indoor air quality of building occupants through minimum performance targets for indoor air quality prior to building occupancy

• Thermal Comfort: Provide more comfortable and productive work environments. Specific actions: Adopt the ASHRAE standard for thermal comfort in buildings

• Passive Design: Promote solar design, natural ventilation, and daylighting through site and building design to enhance indoor occupant comfort and increased energy efficiency. Specific actions: Develop passive design guidelines to identify and articulate passive strategies and develop an exclusions regime to encourage take-up

• Building Durability: Improve durability of building envelope/rain screen wall system. Specific actions: Adopt the CSA Standard for Building durability

• Construction Waste Management: Reduce building and site construction and demolition waste to maximize waste diversion from landfills. Specific actions: Require that 75% of all waste by weight be diverted from the landfill

• Waste Diversion and Reduction: Facilitate the reduction of landfill waste generated by building occupants by redirecting organics and recyclables to be processed and utilized. Reduce the amount of vehicle trips required to pick up solid waste. Specific actions: Adopt minimum requirements for on-site waste storage facilities that will encourage the use of compactors and provide appropriate space for recycling

• Transportation: Reduce the environmental impacts of accommodating vehicles on-site and support non-auto modes. Specific actions: Adopt lower parking maximums, while increasing bicycle parking requirements. Allow for the lowering of parking maximums if car-sharing facilities are provided on-site. Require the electrification of parking stalls to allow for electric vehicle charging. Investigate requiring unbundling parking

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact David Ramslie, Sustainable Development Programs Manager, Sustainability Group at david.ramslie@vancouver.ca or 604-873-7946.

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Innovative Environmental Policies and Practices: Transportation Design and Construction

When designing new streets or retrofitting existing streets, the City of Vancouver integrates both direct and indirect environmental considerations into our transportation design and construction practices. Many of our practices are centred on enhancing the comfort, safety and convenience of travel by walking, cycling and transit. Walking and cycling, our top two priority modes, are the fastest growing modes in the City and have made significant contributions to reducing automobile use in the city. Examples of our efforts include: Curb Bulges for Pedestrians and Buses

• The City has ongoing programs to construct pedestrian curb bulges on arterial and residential streets. The aim of these programs is to enhance the comfort, convenience and safety of walking by making the pedestrian more visible to motorists, shortening crossing distances and preventing parking near the crosswalk. It is now also standard practice to install pedestrian bulges, landscaping and storm water infiltration features whenever we are constructing or reconstructing curbs on residential streets

• A similar program exists to add bus bulges on arterial transit routes. Bus bulges improve

transit operations by eliminating the need for buses to merge back into the travel lane and provide larger and more functional passenger boarding areas. The bulges also allow for enhance amenities such as bus shelters, benches and bike racks. A unique design involving a valley gutter in the sidewalk is used to maintain drainage for the bulges while avoiding the need to re-grade the street. This recent change in how we construct bulges has significantly reduced their cost. Over the past three years, over 20 bus bulges have been constructed

Street Design and Re-design

• To minimize cost and disruption, projects to improve transit, cycling and pedestrian movement are closely coordinated with work needed to replace or construct roads, curbs, boulevards and underground utilities

• Wherever possible, road space is allocated for non-auto modes as part of the design

process for new and modified roadways (i.e. safer and more comfortable bicycle lanes, wider sidewalks for pedestrians, and landscaping that makes for a more attractive pedestrian environment etc.). When repaving, we often look for opportunities to implement a ‘road diet’, that is narrowing very wide traffic lanes to accommodate bicycle lanes

• Additional sidewalk space is created in commercial and high density residential areas by

requiring new buildings to be set back from the property line. In some areas, such as Downtown South, the setback area on private property is wide enough to contain both a widened sidewalk and a second row of street trees

• Tight turning radii are used at street corners to limit turning speeds, thereby increasing

pedestrian safety (e.g. typically 5.5m radii are used on all residential streets). The tight

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turning radii also makes it easier to provide two perpendicular curb ramps at an intersection, which improves accessibility and provides a better alignment for visually-impaired pedestrians and other vulnerable road users

• “Country Lanes” are offered to residents as an alternative to traditional lane paving

through our Local Improvement Program. In a country lane, the centre of the lane is planted with a structural grass to reduce the amount of pavement and storm water run-off into the City sewer system. The country lane design also has a traffic calming effect as the paved surface is limited to two wheel tracks

• Crown Street was redeveloped as the City’s first “sustainable street”, with storm water

infiltration features and porous pavement to minimize ecological impacts

• Planning and design work is proceeding to re-introduce a streetcar system to service the City’s downtown

Greenways and Green Streets Programs

• Greenways are enhanced corridors (of both City-wide and neighbourhood scope) being developed throughout the City to encourage walking and recreational cycling. Often Greenways are complemented with sustainability demonstration projects, such as soft-surfaced, permeable pathways and storm water infiltration bulges, which divert runoff from the conventional sewer system

• The Green Streets program facilitates community members taking over the landscaping

and maintenance of corner bulges and traffic circles in their neighbourhoods. These partnerships increase the quality of the landscaping beyond what the City could provide on its own and encourage community involvement in public spaces. Many of the city’s ‘blooming boulevards’ become favourite walking routes for local residents

Transportation Monitoring

• Regular monitoring of pedestrian and bicycle activity is carried out to track progress towards targets and help with street design and administration.

• The City also tracks how automobile use entering and leaving the city boundaries and

the Downtown peninsula is changing. Vehicle volumes entering the City and Downtown have declined by 10% and 7% respectively over the past decade

FURTHER INFORMATION: Visit the Transportation and Streets web pages at www.vancouver.ca/engsvcs, or call Lon LaClaire, Manager of Vancouver’s Strategic Transportation Planning Branch at 604-873-7336

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Board of Directors Meeting Date: April 18, 2008

To: Board of Directors From: Environment Committee Date: April 8, 2008 Subject: Provincial Consultation on Proposed Power Projects Recommendation: That the Board recommend to Minister of Environment Barry Penner that consultations on energy projects be broadened to include both those directly impacted and adjacent regions to ensure that meeting regional energy needs and addressing environmental impacts are widely discussed.

At its April 8, 2008 meeting, the Environment Committee received a delegation and the attached submission titled “Keep Pinecone Burke Park Intact” from Dr. Elaine Golds, Burke Mountain Naturalists, regarding the impact on Pinecone Burke Provincial Park of a proposed run-of-the-river power project on the Upper Pitt River. Dr. Golds expressed concern that the recent consultation process for the power project included only one public meeting in Pitt Meadows. In considering the delegation, the Environment Committee discussed the importance of ensuring that there were adequate opportunities for public input to address matters such as meeting the region’s energy requirements and addressing environmental issues, which have both local and region-wide implications. The Committee, therefore, suggests that the Board recommend to Minister of Environment Barry Penner that, while there should be public consultation meetings in those areas directly affected by proposed power projects, there should also be meetings in the adjacent regions to ensure a broad range of input. Attachment: Burke Mountain Naturalists – “Keep Pinecone Burke Park Intact” #4611181

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Board Meeting Date: April 18, 2008

To: Board of Directors From: Port Cities Committee Date: April 8, 2008 Subject: Canada Marine Act Amendments Recommendation: That the Board authorize the Chair to communicate strongly and immediately with Lawrence Cannon, federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities; Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada; and all B.C. Members of Parliament on the importance of additional representation of municipal members from Metro Vancouver on the Board of Vancouver Fraser Port Authority as an amendment to the Canada Marine Act; and further that a meeting be set up with Minister Lawrence Cannon, or his representatives, regarding this issue as soon as possible. At the April 7, 2008 meeting of the Port Cities Committee, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) Director, Helen Sparkes, provided an overview of the port amalgamation process and current projects by the Board of VFPA. As part of the overview the Committee discussed the pending amendments to the Canada Marine Act, which the federal government is reviewing currently under Bill C-23. Several previous requests were sent to Minister Lawrence Cannon, federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities to amend the Canada Marine Act to allow for greater representation from Metro Vancouver municipalities on the Board of VFPA. VFPA confirmed at the April 7, 2008 Port Cities Committee meeting that amendments which Metro Vancouver requested are not included in the current Bill. The Committee agreed that a letter be sent immediately to Minister Lawrence Cannon to communicate Metro Vancouver’s strong opposition to Bill C-23 being passed without further amendments. Attachment: Copy of Letter to Minister Lawrence Cannon dated April 8, 2008

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00461669

Board Meeting Date: April 18, 2008 To: Board of Directors From: Johnny Carline, Chief Administrative Officer/Commissioner Date: April 9, 2008 Subject: Vancouver International Airport Authority - April 2008 Update Recommendation: That the Board receive the report titled “Vancouver International Airport Authority - April 2008 Update” dated April 9, 2008 for information. 1. PURPOSE The purpose of this report is to provide the Board with an update of the activities of the Vancouver International Airport Authority Board. 2. CONTEXT Metro Vancouver is one of several ‘nominating entities’ for the Vancouver Airport Authority’s Board of Directors. The current nominee is Ms. Beth Johnson. The communications plan between the Airport Authority and the GVRD specifies that the nominee will prepare periodic written updates for the GVRD Board. Attached is the April 2008 report from Ms. Johnson titled “Report to the Board of Directors of the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD)” for the Board’s information. A previous update report was provided to the Board in February 2008. Copies of the update report have been forwarded to the Intergovernmental Committee and the Land Use and Transportation Committee for information and will also be posted on the GVRD Directors website. Attachment: Report to the Board of Directors of the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) from the Vancouver International Airport Authority dated April 2008.

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Beth Johnson Telephone: 604-943-9370 E-Mail: bethjohnson@bethjohnsonconsulting.com Address: Vancouver International Airport Authority

P.O. Box 23750, Airport Postal Outlet

Richmond, BC

V7B 1Y7

Report to the Board of Directors of The Greater Vancouver Regional District

I am Metro Vancouver’s nominee to the Board of Vancouver Airport Authority. As such, it’s my job to communicate to you about the Airport Authority and to communicate to the Airport Authority the perspectives of Metro Vancouver and the GVRD Board. This periodic report provides a quick update on what is happening at the airport (“YVR”). I’ll also include links to where you can find more detailed information. I invite you to get in touch with me by any of the means listed in the box on your left if you have comments or questions about the Airport Authority. I would also be pleased to arrange Airport Authority briefings or tours of YVR.

Annual Public Meeting This year’s Annual Public Meeting will be held on May 1, 2008 at 3:30 p.m. in the International Terminal East Concourse. You are all most welcome to attend. We announce the meeting on our corporate website, yvr.ca, and in the Vancouver Sun, the Province, community newspapers and ethnic—Chinese and Punjabi—newspapers. In addition, we send out a number of invitations to people on our mailing list.

Several years ago, we made a commitment to post our Annual Report on-line at least 10 days before the annual meeting, so that interested members of the public would have a chance to review our performance in advance. This year the Annual Report will be posted on April 18, 2007. The Annual Report provides a snapshot of what the Airport Authority accomplished in 2007 in all areas of our business—Governance, Economic, Environmental and Social. We also publish an online Sustainability Report which provides more comprehensive information on our programs and initiatives in these four core areas. The Annual Report contains links to where more detailed information can be found, either in the Sustainability Report or other areas of our corporate website.

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Vancouver Airport Authority April 2008 Report to the GVRD Board Page 2 of 4

2007 Business Plan Results In the last edition of this newsletter, I reported on business plan targets for 2008. In this letter, I would like to summarize our 2007 business plan results. Last year saw the completion of a number of new facilities at the airport including the International Terminal West Wing Expansion, Gate C38, and the Link Building all of which were on or under budget. We achieved our passenger target of 17.5 passengers including a rebound in Asia Pacific traffic which had declined in 2006. New carriers Oasis Hong Kong and Air New Zealand entered the market, and we saw new services to Auckland and Sydney. Prudent fiscal management saw the Airport Authority finish the year with excess of revenues over expenditure of $89.5 million. This revenue is all re-invested in the airport; our 2008 capital program is approximately $245 million. The following table illustrates our 2007 performance against some of our targets.

Performance Targets

2007 Target 2007 Result Safety lost time accidents 0 3

Security violations 0 0

Environment extent of regulatory compliance

100% 100%

Passenger Volume 17.5 million 17.5 million

Cargo volumes (tonnes) 227,000 225,505

Bond Rating AA AA

Customer Satisfaction (average score on 5 point scale)

4.1 4.2

Training (average hours per employee) 35 40

Attendance (Percentage of Workforce) 96% 97%

Minimize pollution that results from airport activities

Zero fuel spills greater than 100L

3

Minimize airport noise impact on the community

Implement Year 4 of Noise Mgmt Plan

75% of Year 4 initiatives were

completed Decrease total amount of solid waste sent for disposal

Exceed 50% waste diversion

Diverted 56%

Integrate environmental management measures into planning, design, construction, operations of all new projects

100% of Facility Permits environ-mentally reviewed

100%

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Vancouver Airport Authority April 2008 Report to the GVRD Board Page 3 of 4

2010 Winter Games Sponsorship The Airport Authority announced its Official Supplier sponsorship of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games on March 13th. The partnership marks the first

time in Olympic Games history that an airport has been named an Official Supplier. The Airport Authority made the announcement first to employees at breakfast where employees had the opportunity to get their photos taken with the 2010 mascots and two visiting Olympians, skater Mira Leung and sledge hockey player Todd Nicholson. The employee event was followed by a public

announcement which included presentations by Airport Authority President and CEO Larry Berg and VANOC President and CEO John Furlong (pictured here.)

The Airport Authority’s sponsorship commitment includes: • dedicated airport amenities and services for VANOC and 2010 Winter Games

activities; • accreditation processing and departure screening facilities; • expedited passenger arrivals and baggage services; • specialized training for airport staff; • parking and ground transportation services; and • office space. Continued Progress on Customer Care Initiatives The Airport Authority continues to make progress on the customer care

initiatives, which I discussed in my February 2008 newsletter, both on the implementation front and in increasing public awareness of them. Training is well underway including advanced training for our customer care representatives and de-escalation training for operations and other front line staff. Advertisements like the one at left are

designed to get word of our new services to our customers. The first phase of our

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Vancouver Airport Authority April 2008 Report to the GVRD Board Page 4 of 4

communications campaign is focused on letting locals know about our Greeter Information Board. We know that friends and family can become concerned when the passengers they are meeting take time to emerge from the Canada Border Service Agency Customs Hall—particularly passengers who are coming to Canada to live or work. The Greeter information Board, the first of its kind in Canada, allows international travelers to post their names on the Board so that those waiting for them know that they have arrived. We are specifically targeting ethnic media outlets and audiences to raise awareness and use of this service. The Board displays information in the six most commonly requested languages at YVR: English, French, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Punjabi. For passengers that do not speak one of these languages, our 24-hour Customer Care Representatives can assist them with accessing our language line which offers translation services in more than 170 languages.

Reducing Emissions

The Airport Authority recently completed an inventory of all emission sources on Sea Island to ensure that actions being implemented focus on reducing our climate change impacts. The preliminary results of the inventory found that emissions from the airport as a whole account for 1% of all greenhouse gas emissions and in the Lower Fraser Valley air shed.

The Airport Authority has a number of existing programs designed to tackle emissions and reduce energy consumption, some examples include: using biodiesel fuel for groundside vehicles; our green commuter rebate program that rewards employees who commute by public transit or car pool; and an incentive program for taxi operators who drive clean emissions vehicles. With regard to the green commuter program, 16% of employees participated in 2007; 18% of the taxi fleet participated in the incentive program. We have also installed a solar powered hot water heating system that has reduced our natural gas consumption in the Domestic Terminal by about 30% since 2001. We also incorporate sustainable building practices into our new buildings and, after piloting it on Airport Authority construction this year, we plan to roll out a new sustainable building design guideline to airport construction in 2009.

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GVRD Board Meeting Date: April 18, 2008

To: Board of Directors From: Kelly Weilbacher, Assistant to the Corporate Secretary Date: April 9, 2007 Subject: Delegations’ Executive Summaries Presented at Committee – April 2008 Recommendation: That the Board receive for information the report dated April 9, 2008, titled “Delegations’ Executive Summaries Presented at Committee – April 2008”. Attachment(s): 1. Friends of Jackson Farm 2. Langley Speedway Historical Society (LSHS) 3. Richard Balfour 004611464

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Saving the Jackson Farm Presented to the Greater Vancouver Regional District Parks Committee April 2, 2008 by Friends of Jackson Farm Thank you for the opportunity to speak here today. I am Joel DeYoung, and this is Stuart Pledge and Beryl Eales. We are part of a grass roots citizens group called Friends of Jackson Farm. The ultimate goal of our group is the acquisition of the Jackson Farm so that it can be set aside for public use and preserved for future generations. BACKGROUND You may not be familiar with the facts surrounding Jackson Farm, so I will summarize briefly:

• The remaining farm is approximately 40 acres of the original 80 acre farm and is located in east Albion in the District of Maple Ridge (Jackson Rd & 102 Ave).

• Albion, a historic Maple Ridge community, has seen much growth in residential housing over the last 10 years, attracting many young families to the area.

• The farm was bought by John Jackson at the turn of the century and occupied by the Jackson family until Vin Jackson’s death in 1996.

• Jackson Farm’s natural rolling hills have effectively remained unchanged since that time. The beautiful landscape provides a tremendous sense of open space and offers excellent westward vistas.

• It was first identified as Future Park in Maple Ridge’s 1987 Urban Growth Study. • The 1991 Maple Ridge Master Parks Plan included it as Future Park and slated it for acquisition. • In 1996 it was designated in the Maple Ridge OCP as Future Park. • The 1998 Donald Luxton & Associates Heritage Inventory for the district scored Jackson’s the

maximum 20 / 20 for its superb setting and 33 / 35 for symbolic importance and prominence in the area. • It is included in the Green Zone in the 1996 LRSP. • Originally part of the ALR – the farm was removed in 2003 - despite public opposition. • The District of Maple Ridge has applied to the GVRD for removal of the Green Zone designation so the

current owner may build approximately 100 homes on the site. • The District of Maple Ridge has failed on its commitment to protect the Green Zone with respect to this

long promised park. IDEAS FOR PARK USE Preserving Jackson Farm and turning it into a park as planned. What would that look like? Some potential ideas:

• Jackson Farm is an ideal outdoor gathering place. The shape of the land forms a natural amphitheatre, making it an ideal venue for large and small-scale events.

• The open space of the farm makes it an excellent natural passive park space. Perfect for unorganized activities like walking, playing catch, flying a kite or having a picnic or the long established tradition of kids using the rolling hills for sledding whenever it snows.

• The farm could house a community garden. • It would be an excellent location for a heritage building.

The current owners of Historic Hill House, recently relocated from land just west of Jackson Farm have expressed interest in permanently locating the house on the farm. As you know, such strategies have been used successfully to preserve heritage properties elsewhere in the Lower Mainland, such as on Deas Island.

• Combined agricultural and recreational use, allowing limited agricultural activities on the farm. Such as demonstration gardens, pumpkin patch or petting zoo - similar to Maplewood Farms in North Vancouver.

• Almost half will need to be preserved as conservation due to stream setbacks /small marsh area. This would retain the abundance of wildlife seen on the farm from time to time. The old fields and surrounding trees make the farm excellent habitat for raptors and other birds. Incredible biodiversity on this site.

• There is no need for immediate development. The farm could be retained now as a passive park. This use would preserve the scenic landscape for the whole region to enjoy at relatively low cost and maintenance, and additional uses could be explored in the future.

• We believe Jackson Farm can meet all the criteria within the Regional Parks and Greenways Plan. This is an idea that can be turned into action. The farm is located between two identified urban growth areas (Albion & Thornhill Urban reserve) that will see significant population growth in the near future. It is located between Kanaka Creek Regional Park and the Fraser River. There are existing natural routes (creeks & ravines) that can be easily used as linkages to these features. The farm can be accessed by foot, bicycle, bus or car and is approx. 1 km from Lougheed Highway and a planned West Coast Express station at the current Albion ferry site. These are some of many ideas. I’m sure, together; we could come up with more. The ideas briefly outlined fit well within the terms of reference for the GVRD parks committee: “…providing outdoor recreation while also conserving important natural and cultural assets…” ADDRESSING CONCERNS I will briefly address head on some concerns already raised about the viability of acquiring the Jackson Farm.

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1. “The area already has sufficient land set aside for recreational use” It is extremely important to have open space that is ideal for spontaneous, unorganized activities. Albion Park and the sport fields on the Albion Flats are either for conservation or organized activities. Current Maple Ridge Master Parks Plan survey data indicates over 90% of people use public recreation space for unorganized activities like walking and playing, while only 26% use them for organized activities like sports. Jackson Farm’s open nature makes it ideal to address these needs. 2. “There are other heritage farms in Albion and Thornhill” Clearly Jackson Farm is the most outstanding: its natural beauty, unique landscape, iconic value to the identity of the community and significant historical importance all set it apart from other parcels of land in the area. Anyone who has lived in Albion or Thornhill for some time will agree that the Jackson Farm is a special place. Unfortunately, old farms are disappearing at an alarming rate in Maple Ridge. 3. “There are limited resources for acquiring lands for parkland.” A sense of perspective and vision is required here. Saving The Farm Would Preserve It For Generations. If purchased today, years from now in retrospect the price would seem an absolute bargain. The value of acquiring the farm land today requires a forward-looking consideration of not only dollars and cents but imagining a healthy and vibrant future for our region because of wise land use decisions. If cash purchase of the land were a concern, there are other possibilities available to acquire the land. The District of Maple Ridge owns a number of developable lands that could form the basis of a land swap with the current developer owners. If the political will exists to acquire the land, a way can be found to do it. Turning Jackson Farm into a public park would nurture a sense of community, identity, pride and culture for the residents of Albion and for all of Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, and the Greater Vancouver Region. COMMENDATIONS While our focus is on the Jackson Farm, we believe the GVRD Parks Committee has done an excellent job planning parks and recreation for the Region. Work on the Pitt River Greenway, Kanaka Creek Regional Park, Blaney Bog, collaborating with the District of Maple Ridge to acquire new parkland along the North Alouette River, and many other projects are all evidence of your great work. We recognize the challenge to balance the needs of various stakeholders, and think this has been handled very well. SUMMARY Clearly we are very passionate about the Jackson Farm. Our desire to save it is shared by a wide array of people:

• Petition with 3,300 signatures of local & regional residents has been presented to Maple Ridge District Council supporting saving the Jackson Farm.

• Recently, the Maple Ridge Community Heritage Commission unanimously reiterated their support for setting the Jackson Farm aside for public use.

• The Maple Ridge Master Parks & Leisure Services Plan is currently under review and we hope to see the Jackson Farm’s park status restored.

• Today we are asking for the support of this committee. The Jackson Farm is a regional treasure. We urge you to carefully consider its future with vision. Please meet with us. Talk with members of the Community Heritage Commission. Please take time to assess its recreation & biodiversity values and how it will compliment and enhance the Regional Parks and Greenways Plan. Please consider all options for supporting the preservation of Jackson farm, such as encouraging, supporting or partnering with other agencies and/or levels of government. Please come and see the Jackson Farm for yourself. OF IMMEDIATE CONCERN IS THE APPLICATION BEFORE THE GVRD BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR REMOVAL OF JACKSON FARM FROM THE GREEN ZONE.

Such removal would have a variety of implications, it would: • immediately raise the cost of acquiring the land for park use by raising its value; • trigger a development application that would quickly end the possibility of acquiring the farm as a park; • set a precedent for removal of other lands in the Green Zone across the region.

We ask that you consider a recommendation to the GVRD Board that they reject this application. Failing that we ask that this removal application be suspended until the Parks Committee has had sufficient time to study Jackson Farm’s park potential. With the right combination of creative ideas, political will, and positive visionary leadership, you can help to create a public space that will stand as a legacy and enhance the lives of all citizens of the Greater Vancouver Region for generations to come. Thank you, we invite your questions. Note: Presentation accompanied by brief aerial view of Jackson farm and vicinity via Google Earth and slide show of approximately 60 photos taken on the farm over the past year.

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Langley Speedway Historical Society (LSHS)

Regarding,

Langley Speedway Heritage Site proposal– Campbell Valley Regional Park

Executive Summary

LSHS is a registered, non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration, preservation and commemoration of Langley Speedway. We currently have over 30 members, including spouses.

We have been engaged in collecting photographs, news articles, memorabilia and artifacts related to this regionally famous racetrack for the past two years. We have also been invited to become Park Partners and have two representatives on the Campbell Valley Park Association (CVPA) board of directors.

We have introduced close to 400 new members to the CVPA.

We first started with a petition that received over 2000 signatures, with offers of support and resources from various other groups and companies. It was presented to the MV Parks Committee in the spring of 2006.

Our website, www.langleyspeedway.ca has had nearly 31,000 visitors since it was first launched, and our discussion forum has 96 registered members.

Last year, MV Parks Committee, the MV Board and the Township of Langley (TOL) Council, voted unanimously to support our efforts. Thanks to that support, Langley Speedway is now included on the TOL Heritage Resource Listing and we have been allowed to do a small amount of restorative work at the site, including removing the blackberry bushes from around the walls of the track and a small portion of the hillside that was used for spectator seating, as well as cleaning the track surface.

With sometimes arduous discussions at the CVPA board meetings, we pressed forward with our proposal at the local level, and seem to have earned the respect of the Park staff and several other individuals, based on the fit of our proposal to the Park Plan.

Park staff has acknowledged the merits of our proposal and have indicated that they are willing to support many aspects of it.

However, there are certain aspects that they seem less comfortable about supporting.

They include;

• Exposing and repairing split rail fences and walls There are two large sections of wooden fence at the top of the grandstand area and a concrete wall that all need to be exposed and repaired.

• Replacing missing guardrails with “period correct” rails instead of only those found on site Many of the original guardrails are severely damaged or missing. Very similar ones of the same vintage have been donated to us and we would like to use them in combination with the original ones that can be salvaged.

• Public parking near the speedway. One location has been designated, but is often in unsuitable condition due to ground water. We would like to see it properly drained and gravelled. The Equestrian parking area is an excellent spot, but some have concerns those visitors other than truck and trailers carrying horses are taking up space there. Another regular use parking area would suit everyone’s needs.

• Repairing the asphalt portion of the access road.

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The asphalt portion of the road is on the slope leading down to the track. It is in dire need of repair and resurfacing. Also the ditches along this portion of the road need to be stabilized.

• Allowing the replacement of any buildings on-site This is something we would like the option to explore in the future. Bathrooms are identified in the park plan and a concession booth/display/meeting room would be ideal to the site.

• Stewardship of the site, similar in language to the equestrian area We would like to enter into virtually the same agreement as the Campbell Valley Equestrian Society has with MV Parks. It gives them many rights and privileges, including camping and fee collections as well as several obligations. That would be beneficial to both us and MV Parks.

• Tree removal and replacement Most of the trees in the grandstand area are Alder or Cottonwood. Many of them are snapped in half or susceptible to wind damage due to their exposure on the hill. If we are allowed to remove the trees from this area, we will plant any number of new ones, of any type requested, in another area of the park.

• Garbage dump clean-up and artefact removal We want to clear away all the debris that is in the ravine near the speedway. We will recycle all applicable materials, dispose of any others, collect and catalogue any significant artifacts. Some of these can be donated to the local museum, the Park Visitor’s center, or displayed with other items we have been collecting. The cleared area can then be properly returned to nature.

• Removal of invasive Blackberry bushes We want to be able to clear away this plant species wherever it affects the Langley speedway heritage site. Great effort has been put toward removing it from other areas of the park and the community. Removing any of it that we come across will not harm the environment. If left alone, it will quickly return.

• CVPA memberships We continue to invite people to become CVPA members. Some people feel we are only doing it to promote our cause, though other groups also have the ability to reach out to these same people through the CVPA newsletter. In fact, printed on every newsletter, is a copy of the CVPA membership form. That means that every time a member receives the newsletter, they could pass that form along to a friend. The CVPA membership could potentially double every time the newsletter is printed. Therefore, we do not feel we are doing anything wrong and in fact, we are doing what we set out to do from the beginning, introducing new people to the park.

We wish to obtain from you, assurances that we can pursue all of our goals, based on our support and Metro Vancouver’s initiatives towards stewardship of Park spaces and features within the scope of the Parks and Greenways Plan, and the current Campbell Valley Regional Park Plan itself.

Sincerely,

Murray Jones

President,

Langley Speedway Historical Society

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Subject: Compatibility and Logic of Urban Reserves Planning vis a vis Green Plan. Action: to not only protect the ALR and other Green Plan areas but to actively pursue the proper execution of the Urban Reserves as live demonstrations of Real Smart Growth. The leaping over of greenbelts is a sign of mature town planning, to protect the edges of old and new communities to make sure they both are viable entities. Summary: Green belt protection is augmented with Design with Nature principles when properly applied. Some of the newly arrived proponents now suggest options for so called 'smart growth' have taken to calling Urban Reserves as 'sprawl' when it is nothing of the sort. In particular, Maple Ridge proposals of late have advocated cancelling Thorn Hill Urban Reserve, an area of very poor soils but otherwise a classic site for a stand alone sustainable town on a gentle south slope. Instead some new advocates using so called smart growth or new urbanism terminology have misrepresented the work done in the original OCP in the 1970s. The plans from that era, working with the then Dewdney Allouette Regional District, worked out primary areas for new towns to avoid sprawl, to save the ALR and critical green environments like Kanaka Creek, the Allouette floodplain and the upland farms of the Dewdney Road corridor of Maple Ridge. These best soils areas cannot be replace. It would be better to say no to growth in total than to take the easy route of environmental destruction of this sort.

In the 1970s, many map bases were used, including the Canada Land Inventory of Land Use Capability, which nowadays seems rare, and planning has reverted to a case of who knows who. This is a disaster for the environment. That generations of good land stewardship can be overturned in short order makes a mockery of the planning process, which we can only hope the region can correct by making sure the precious green fingers of sustainability are protected, not lopped off.

In a complete antithesis of smart growth, new advocates are proposing the destruction of the key green belt and ALR and do so in a mean spirited manner by attempting to declare Thorn Hill something it is not. The new attempts to call what is a perfect urban townsite a 'sensitive area' is done in such a way, that when applied to all of Maple Ridge makes all development in the whole district impossible when applied in a fair, open and logical manner. Unlike the lacework of watercourses covering lowland Maple Ridge the consistent one way slope of Thorn HIll and the rocky substrata with no real water table, means the minimal winter rainfall is diverted to man made ditches with NO fisheries capability or real impact on downstream creeks. Urban development in this case would hugely benefit the Thorn Hill present and future communities.

The edge containment of the existing Maple Ridge is something to be applied across the province; learn to live inside that boundary first, and if need be, go to the next townsite, but do NOT 'round out' townsites anymore; it is an endless excuse for urban sprawl based on the logic of engineering piping and whose friend owns the land instead of looking at land use for sustainable communities; the green fingers and edges are essential. If anything, the new green fingers are needed to penetrate the townsites to make the guts of old townsites more sustainable. In order to heal the planet, we have to radically rethink our directions and throw out the oil era planning and engineering documents and approaches we have inherited from that era.

There is no area of the latest ALR exclusions that could not have the purported demands met in other places and in other fashions. It is these other alternatives we have to learn; that is what real Strategic Sustainable Planning is all about, not the continued erosion through a never ending list of demands that cannot seem to learn to change for our common survival.

The attributes of Thorn Hill make it the most obvious candidate for urban development, even to non-professionals. Independent new towns are the key to stop undifferentiated urban sprawl now threatened with so called TAC 'support'. This committee is a travesty if allowed to operate in this fashion. This in itself is a demonstration of political vested interests operating under the cover of 'technical' input. If this is new thinking proposed at this time, it is nothing more than very old thinking disguised as planning input. It is not new, wise or balanced in approach and indicates just a long held rearguard action against the ALR protection. This really shows that the ALR needs more protection, not less, and that the claw back of lands lost from the ALR will become even more essential. Short term 'needs for industry and commerce will be short lived and cannot be sustained in the evolving post oil economy, we would be wise to plan for the new sustainable conditions, not make the transition more painful.

Persons who in good faith did not speculate on farmlands which are our common public asset for food security, now find themselves in a position of defending what was a correct moral and ethical decision to buy into the urban reserve of the 1970s, to find themselves turned on their head with 1984 'new speak' or perversion of proper town planning approaches. Thorn Hill and other 1970s innovations in Maple Ridge was smart growth and new urbanism applied long before it became fashionable to use these terms. Investments by the public have been made to assure wise use of both farmlands and future

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townsites. The Thorn HIll townsite even has a significant area of municipally owned land which at the time was ear-marked for the new jewel of a towncentre for that new town after the success of the downtown revitalization and rebuilding we accomplished in the 1970s and which course of action Surrey now hopes to emulate by stimulating Whalley with civic pride and investment.

The boundary of urban reserves in the 1970s OCP were determined after a Design with Nature exercise to remove critical lands from urban consideration. On that basis, CMHC funding for the new 14 foot diameter sewer interceptors were sized and constructed to service not only the Haney to Hammond main townsite, but also the future independent self sustaining urban townsites of Silver Valley, Thorn Hill and Blue Mountain. This huge investment is waiting to be properly utilized, the Fraser River interceptor sits at the foot of Thorn Hill ready to be used. The oldest geological rock formation of Thorn Hill or Grant Mountain has to real water table of its own and does require municipal servicing even for current land uses such as the limited farming now capable of being carried out on that rocky soil. In fact the time is ripe and appropriate for Thorn Hill as a demonstration area for true smart growth for a post oil economy we are now entering, not another typical suburban cookie cutter approach but for an area of new approaches to urban villages with sustainable green fingers of ALR to support it. The ALR is critical to the survival of the existing and new townsites and must NOT be considered for urban development which would truly be the sprawl some newly arrived hired guns have purported as 'new urbanism'. The existence of a new advocacy for urban disaster using green language may be considered smart and avant-garde but it must be exposed for what it is, nothing more than a disguised robber baron approach to the erosion of the precious public commons of the ALR. The misinformation about Thorn Hill 'not having services' must be exposed; a huge investment was made to actually make it work. If anything is to be done about farmlands loss, we are now at a time where we must talk about a claw back of farmlands lost in the last wave of ALR land releases, which were a huge strategic mistake that must be corrected. On a similar note, the loss of Blue Mountain as urban reserve must be revisited. The last decade conventional planning wisdom that the relaxation to sururban sprawl 2 acre subdivision for the parochial convenience of some well connected developers at the time, and to say that is is a poor pattern for urban infill is also flawed in light of how past suburban plans were made which are not going to be sustainable as communities in the near future. In fact like Shaughnessy in Vancouver, a similar pattern of large lots, an urban densification can be accomplished without addition of more roads, a ten fold infill density would make what will be an unsustainable post oil sprawl into a walkable sustainable community with in fact a higher tree cover and greenbelt protection that allowing conventional suburban subdivision. A new system of urban bonus tranfers will be illustrated at the time of the board presentation.

BC is mostly a mountainous place, we would be best advised to learn how to take proper urban development to the hills, and Thorn HIll is one of the key best sites in BC to demonstrate this. Past submissions in this area of ALR protection have shown how David Spearings Living on Mountain Slopes are a first step in this direction, if reference can be made to past presentations in this area. A sequel to the book, with a new subdivision and development bylaw for proper hillside planning has been in the works for some time now, obviously it is a critical time to get this material out, as the hillsides are an asset, not a liability, in many ways, and Thorn HIll is prime site in classical to modern terms. This has been reviewed by past planners working for both Maple Ridge and DARD, for BC Agriculture and academics. This submission is presented on behalf of the Metro Vancouver Planning Coalition as a public protection advocacy group, and on behalf of New City Institute and Post Carbon Institute as an extension of the proposal to Metro Vancouver to adopt the Peak Oil Motion for restructuring the community pattern for post oil sustainability. This also has the support of the Vancouver Peak Oil Executive, on whose behalf I also am speaking, April 2008.

This pattern of subterfuge of the original Best Design Principles could be documented as a case of what not to do in urban planning after a generation of following the correct course. We plead that the region recognize the land use planning intents and execution of the past as something that continues to be advocated elsewhere, and in fact Maple Ridge up to now has been cited by our own planners as well as others as an example to follow. If the mistakes proposed for Maple Ridge are allowed to become reality, it will bode extremely poorly for the rest of the Metro area as the precedents in this case are extremely ugly; Metro would soon regret any dismemberment of the ALR in such an environmentally criminal manner. Not only hold the course, turn back the clock, it can be done. Your children will thank you. Richard Balfour MAIBC

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