Metro Vancouver Governance and the Sustainable Region Initiative

Metro Vancouver Governance and the
Sustainable Region Initiative

Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan,
Metro Vancouver Director

November 20, 2013

• Follow: @YXERegion

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Metro Vancouver
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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


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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

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Metro Vancouver Finance
•  Funding Sources
•  Utility levies
•  Property tax - parks, planning, air quality
•  Self-supporting - social housing


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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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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

• 

1996: Livable Region Strategic Plan (LRSP)


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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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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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Service Delivery
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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


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Planning, Policy and Regulation


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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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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

• 

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


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MUNICIPALITIES
Council

Regional
BOARD

MUNICIPAL
STAFF

Advisory
COMMITTEES

Regional
COMMITTEES

Regional
STAFF


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Sustainability
Framework

• 

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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• Metro
Vancouver’s
new
Regional

Growth
Strategy

• 


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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.

• 

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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Sustainability Goals
•  Conservation
•  Development of
environmental, economic
and social assets


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Environmental Capital
•  Environmental areas
•  Urban containment
•  Travel and air quality


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Economic Capital
•  Urban centres
•  Industrial areas
•  Agriculture
•  Efficient, affordable
transportation


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Social Assets
•  Affordable housing
•  Urban centres
•  Mobility


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RGS Land Use Designations


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Metro Vancouver’s Drinking Water System


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Metro Vancouver’s Water Supply
and Facilities
• Coquitlam Watershed

• Capilano Watershed

• Seymour-Capilano Water Filtration Plant
• Seymour Falls Dam & Reservoir


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Metro Vancouver’s Liquid Waste Facilities


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Metro Vancouver’s Solid Waste Disposal
Facilities


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Parks

Burnaby Lake Regional Park


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Transportation


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Labour Relations


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

• 

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

• 

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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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


#yxesummit

Thank You


#yxesummit

Metro Vancouver Governance and the Sustainable Region Initiative

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