Measures of Dispersion and Variability: Range, QD, AD and SD
Metro Vancouver Governance and the Sustainable Region Initiative
1. Metro Vancouver Governance and the
Sustainable Region Initiative
Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan,
Metro Vancouver Director
November 20, 2013
• Follow: @YXERegion
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#yxesummit
2. Metro Vancouver
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Canada’s only unamalgamated major metropolitan area - 3rd largest in
Canada
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A federation comprising 22 municipalities, one electoral area, one Treaty
First Nation - vary greatly in size and character
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GVRD created in 1967 but the core utilities - water and sewer - date back to
early 20th century
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#yxesummit
3. Metro Vancouver Statistics
2.3 million residents – half
the provincial population
735 people
per sq. km
Operating: $635.6 million
Capital: $265.6 million
40% Immigrants
2,877 square
kilometers
24 LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES
• Follow: @YXERegion
#yxesummit
4. Metro Vancouver Finance
• Funding Sources
• Utility levies
• Property tax - parks, planning, air quality
• Self-supporting - social housing
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#yxesummit
6. Board of Directors
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40 Directors on 2013 Board
§ one vote per 20,000 people in municipality, electoral area, or First Nation
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Every member municipality and electoral area is represented
Committee system addresses issues by topic area
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#yxesummit
7. Metro Vancouver - Governance
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First 20 years of GVRD history: relatively little interaction between
regional district and public-at-large
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Regional District seen as a “coordinator” and “common instrument”
of separate local governments
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1996: Livable Region Strategic Plan (LRSP)
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#yxesummit
8. Three Roles for Metro Vancouver
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Service delivery
Regional scale planning, policy and regulation
Political advocacy/collaborative governance
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#yxesummit
9. Collaborative Governance
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Political Leadership – Outreach/Advocacy
Public Outreach
§ Community Breakfasts
§ Sustainability Dialogues
§ Sustainability Summit
Education
Networks
International engagement
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#yxesummit
10. Service Delivery
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Core services provided to municipalities
§ Water
§ Sewerage and drainage
§ Solid waste management
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Services provided directly to the public
§ Parks
§ Housing
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Other services
§ Labour relations
§ 9-1-1 emergency
§ Municipal borrowing
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#yxesummit
12. Plans, Policy and Regulations
• Three main areas of planning and regulatory
responsibility
• Regional growth land use (through municipalities) and
transportation (through TransLink)
• Waste management
• Air quality management
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#yxesummit
13. A Working Partnership - Principles
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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
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Resolve issues through consensus and avoid surprises and
destructive conflict
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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
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#yxesummit
15. Sustainability
Framework
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A vision for the region and
organization
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A management philosophy
Overarching organizational
framework for everything
we do
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#yxesummit
17. What is a regional growth strategy?
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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.
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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
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#yxesummit
32. Regional Context Statements
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Policy tools intended to link Official Community Plans
(of member municipalities) to the Regional Growth
Strategy
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#yxesummit
33. Some Challenges
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Consensus can be hard to find and maintain
Parochial concerns can inhibit the development of regional
solutions
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Reluctance of municipalities to delegate or share decisionmaking on new issues at regional level
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Cooperative system vulnerable to internal dissent – necessitates
constant attention to local municipal interests
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Time needed to address complex, major issues can lead to
questioning of the whole system
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Sometimes difficult to explain and communicate the regional
system
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#yxesummit
34. Strengths of Regional Partnership
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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
• Follow: @YXERegion
#yxesummit