Some of the province’s most respected business experts are going to lend their expertise to an independent review of Metro Vancouver Regional District’s governance, chair Mike Hurley announced Friday at a routine monthly board meeting that once again descended into disorder.
“This review may result in significant changes to this organization, much of which will require provincial government action to amend legislation,” Hurley told the board of directors comprised of the region’s municipal politicians.
Professional services firm Deloitte Canada will lead the review at a cost of $100,000 with five external volunteer experts, including:
- Glen Clark, former B.C. premier
- Colin Hansen, former B.C. finance minister
- Martin Thibodeau, regional president of RBC (TSX:RY)
- Jennifer Podmore Russell, chief development officer of Nch’ḵaỷ Development Corp.
- Diane Vuong, former chief financial officer and vice-president of finance at the Vancouver Airport Authority
Part of that review will entail looking at remuneration for the board directors, who are paid $547 for every committee and regular meeting under four hours, and double the rate if a meeting extends past four hours.
With rare unanimous support, Hurley punted a motion from Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West to significantly curtail remuneration to the April 25 board meeting, when the Deloitte review is expected to be complete.
Hurley also took steps of his own, as chair, dissolving the Fraser River crossing task force committee for the Massey Tunnel, and folding the regional culture and flood resiliency committees into the finance and air quality committees, respectively.
Directors are under pressure to find costs savings after it was revealed last year the North Shore wastewater treatment plant is $2.8 billion over budget, resulting in an average 25.3 per cent increase to Metro Vancouver’s property tax bill this year.
Hurley also announced an independent audit of the plant will proceed.
Division and tension becoming routine at board
The board continued on with its meeting, which included looking at proposed cost savings and reducing the scope of what the board does in overseeing what is fundamentally a public utility company for sewage, waste and water.
At times the meeting was filled with bickering and points of order, as well as confusion over a 1,496-page agenda.
“We are struggling a little bit here,” said Metro Vancouver chief administrative officer Jerry Dobrovolny.
There has been division within on both spending and scope. Some directors have noted the cost savings examined to date are a drop in the bucket compared to construction costs.
Directors have sparred over what the board ought to be doing, with some arguing Metro Vancouver responsibilities have extended into those of senior government — such as food security and sustainability.
After being asked earlier this year to identify “scope creep,” staff presented the board with a recommendation to discontinue spending and work in various fields, including the Regional Food System Strategy, for example.
But on Friday directors defeated that recommendation that stemmed from the regional planning committee, which is chaired by Langley Township Mayor Eric Woodward, who called for “more focus.”
“There are lots of reviews going on but nothing being cut,” said Woodward.
West noted food systems are part of the provincial Ministry of Agriculture mandate, and Metro Vancouver is conducting redundant work, however important the issue may be.
The board was also tasked to examine its “climate action” policy but ultimately decided to strengthen its work around the issue.
The division in the board falls generally along the lines of where a director is situated on the Fraser River.
Directors to the northwest of the river, in more urban centres such as Vancouver, New Westminster, Burnaby and Richmond are generally in favour of maintaining current scope and spending, whereas those home to more semi-rural areas, such as Surrey, Langley and Delta, as well as the Tri-Cities, have favoured slashing spending and scope.
The board voted 94-45, in a weighted vote, to maintain a $5-million annual fund for Metro Vancouver housing redevelopment projects.
Those who voted for maintaining the fund included Hurley, the mayor of Burnaby, numerous Vancouver directors, North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan and Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie.
Those in opposition were Woodward, West and the directors from Surrey, including Mayor Brenda Locke.
Axis strengthens along the Fraser River
It is Locke and her council who caused waves this week, calling on the City of Surrey to examine the means to exit the regional growth strategy and call for the formation of a “South Fraser Summit.”
Locke has long criticized Metro Vancouver, saying it has not provided Surrey with enough services and infrastructure, such as housing.
Locke has also taken issue with having Surrey residents having to pay a portion of the over-budget plant on the North Shore.
Locke did not respond to a BIV interview request.
Woodward told BIV he would be interested in attending Locke’s proposed summit, as he shares similar concerns. Langley Township council has not passed any new motions on its position to the regional growth strategy, which it adopted in 2022, Woodward noted.
Asked if — with all the criticism — he thinks regional planning is showing cracks, or going the way of the dodo bird, Woodward said “quite the opposite; it’s becoming a gorilla.”
The root of the concern from Locke and Woodward is how the board requires a two-thirds vote to amend the strategy, which largely governs what is called the urban containment boundary, which aims to protect greenspace for flood resiliency and other environmental considerations.
So each time a city with rural land wants to develop said space, which would be inconsistent with a transit-oriented density approach, it must legally get board approval.
“Who is Port Moody or New Westminster to decide land use” in Surrey or Langley, said Woodward, who wishes to see a 50 per cent threshold to amendments of the strategy.
“What I’ve learned is, transit is always for someone else to ride,” added Woodward.
This issue most recently came to a head at a July 2024 regional planning committee meeting when Surrey proposed to take land out of the urban containment boundary along 0 Avenue at the U.S. border, allowing for 144 single-family homes to be built.
The amendment was ultimately approved and the new community will thus be situated far from transit.
“Yes, I get that some people want to live on transit corridors, but the reality is for us in growth communities – not just Surrey but lots of us south of the Fraser – transit is really quite a luxury. The future for transit in most of Surrey doesn’t exist, anyways. To think that we are rejecting an area because of its ability to have transit, well, that’s our reality in south of Fraser,” said Locke at that meeting.
“Transit is not something we should really be contemplating for a reason to build or not [build] in our community because we just don’t have it. The future for transit in our region is very long term,” added Locke.
Meanwhile, New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone opposed the plan.
Johnstone, an advocate of transit-oriented densification, told BIV this week that Surrey’s attempt to ditch the regional growth strategy would not be legal.
BIV spoke to Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs Ravi Kahlon for his thoughts on Surrey’s council motion.
Kahlon said he has no immediate plans to intervene and is merely monitoring the situation with hope that cooler heads prevail.
