From the Saskatoon Regional Growth Summit, Keynote lecture by Mayor Corrigan of Burnaby BC

1. Metro Vancouver Governance and the
Sustainable Region Initiative
Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan,
Metro Vancouver Director
November 20, 2013
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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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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
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4. Metro Vancouver Finance
• Funding Sources
• Utility levies
• Property tax - parks, planning, air quality
• Self-supporting - social housing
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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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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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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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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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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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11. Planning, Policy and Regulation
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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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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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14. MUNICIPALITIES
Council
Regional
BOARD
MUNICIPAL
STAFF
Advisory
COMMITTEES
Regional
COMMITTEES
Regional
STAFF
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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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16. • Metro
Vancouver’s
new
Regional
Growth
Strategy
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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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18. Sustainability Goals
• Conservation
• Development of
environmental, economic
and social assets
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19. Environmental Capital
• Environmental areas
• Urban containment
• Travel and air quality
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20. Economic Capital
• Urban centres
• Industrial areas
• Agriculture
• Efficient, affordable
transportation
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21. Social Assets
• Affordable housing
• Urban centres
• Mobility
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22. RGS Land Use Designations
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23. Metro Vancouver’s Drinking Water System
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24. Metro Vancouver’s Water Supply
and Facilities
• Coquitlam Watershed
• Capilano Watershed
• Seymour-Capilano Water Filtration Plant
• Seymour Falls Dam & Reservoir
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25. Metro Vancouver’s Liquid Waste Facilities
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26. Metro Vancouver’s Liquid Waste Facilities
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27. Metro Vancouver’s Solid Waste Disposal
Facilities
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28. Metro Vancouver’s Solid Waste Disposal
Facilities
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29. Parks
Burnaby Lake Regional Park
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30. Transportation
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31. Labour Relations
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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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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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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
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35. Thank You
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