Metro Vancouver Governance and the Sustainable Region Initiative

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Metro Vancouver Governance and the Sustainable Region Initiative

Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan, Metro Vancouver Director November 20, 2013

• Follow: @YXERegion #yxesummit

Metro Vancouver •  Canada’s only unamalgamated major metropolitan area - 3rd largest in

Canada •  A federation comprising 22 municipalities, one electoral area, one Treaty

First Nation - vary greatly in size and character •  GVRD created in 1967 but the core utilities - water and sewer - date back to

early 20th century


2.3 million residents – half the provincial population

40% Immigrants 2,877 square kilometers

24 LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES

735 people per sq. km

Operating: $635.6 million Capital: $265.6 million

Metro Vancouver Statistics


•  Funding Sources •  Utility levies

•  Property tax - parks, planning, air quality

•  Self-supporting - social housing

Metro Vancouver Finance


Board of Directors •  40 Directors on 2013 Board

§  one vote per 20,000 people in municipality, electoral area, or First Nation •  Every member municipality and electoral area is represented •  Committee system addresses issues by topic area


Metro Vancouver - Governance

•  First 20 years of GVRD history: relatively little interaction between regional district and public-at-large

•  Regional District seen as a “coordinator” and “common instrument” of separate local governments

•  1996: Livable Region Strategic Plan (LRSP)


•  Service delivery •  Regional scale planning, policy and regulation •  Political advocacy/collaborative governance

Three Roles for Metro Vancouver


Collaborative Governance •  Political Leadership – Outreach/Advocacy •  Public Outreach

§  Community Breakfasts §  Sustainability Dialogues §  Sustainability Summit

•  Education •  Networks •  International engagement


Service Delivery •  Core services provided to municipalities

§  Water §  Sewerage and drainage §  Solid waste management

•  Services provided directly to the public §  Parks §  Housing

•  Other services §  Labour relations §  9-1-1 emergency §  Municipal borrowing


Planning, Policy and Regulation


•  Three main areas of planning and regulatory responsibility

•  Regional growth land use (through municipalities) and transportation (through TransLink)

•  Waste management

•  Air quality management

Plans, Policy and Regulations


A Working Partnership - Principles

•  One non-hierarchical system of local government •  Region must add value or leave at local level •  The interests of individual partners will prevail over everything

except the collective interest of the partners •  Resolve issues through consensus and avoid surprises and

destructive conflict •  Result should be coherent regional action which:

§  respects and reinforces the diversity, character and integrity of local municipalities

§  protects the natural environment §  maintains cost effective service delivery to tax payers


Advisory COMMITTEES

Regional STAFF

Regional COMMITTEES

Regional BOARD

MUNICIPALITIES Council

MUNICIPAL STAFF


Sustainability Framework

•  A vision for the region and organization

•  A management philosophy •  Overarching organizational

framework for everything we do


• 

• Metro Vancouver’s new Regional Growth Strategy


•  A land use plan that guides the region’s growth and development – how and where the region will accommodate the 1.2 million additional people and 600,000 jobs anticipated by 2040.

•  Provides the land use framework to support the delivery of an efficient transportation network, utilities (e.g. water, solid waste and sewage), and community services

What is a regional growth strategy?


•  Conservation •  Development of

environmental, economic and social assets

Sustainability Goals


•  Environmental areas

•  Urban containment

•  Travel and air quality

Environmental Capital


•  Urban centres •  Industrial areas

•  Agriculture

•  Efficient, affordable transportation

Economic Capital


•  Affordable housing •  Urban centres

•  Mobility

Social Assets


RGS Land Use Designations


Metro Vancouver’s Drinking Water System


Metro Vancouver’s Water Supply and Facilities

• Seymour Falls Dam & Reservoir

• Capilano Watershed

• Seymour-Capilano Water Filtration Plant

• Coquitlam Watershed


Metro Vancouver’s Liquid Waste Facilities


Metro Vancouver’s Solid Waste Disposal Facilities


Parks Burnaby Lake Regional Park


Transportation


Labour Relations


Regional Context Statements

•  Policy tools intended to link Official Community Plans (of member municipalities) to the Regional Growth Strategy


Some Challenges •  Consensus can be hard to find and maintain •  Parochial concerns can inhibit the development of regional

solutions •  Reluctance of municipalities to delegate or share decision-

making on new issues at regional level •  Cooperative system vulnerable to internal dissent – necessitates

constant attention to local municipal interests •  Time needed to address complex, major issues can lead to

questioning of the whole system •  Sometimes difficult to explain and communicate the regional

system


Strengths of Regional Partnership •  Cost effective model •  Thorough, inclusive approach to decision-making •  Broad constituency of support – local governments and

municipal staff, senior governments, NGOs/ENGOs, First Nations, the general public

•  United front in dealing with senior governments •  Vehicle to address regional sustainability issues •  Political leadership – significant contribution towards

development of a sustainability-inspired governance model for the region

•  Co-ordination between municipalities •  Opportunity to learn about best practices


Thank You

Metro Vancouver Governance and the Sustainable Region Initiative

Education

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