Metro Vancouver, the regional association of local government, is controlled by various boards and committees whose members are local municipal politicians appointed by the region’s 24 local governments (people in the unincorporated parts of Metro Vancouver directly vote for a regional director.) In my final post of the year, I thought I’d share the highlights of the 2013 priorities for the various committees which I received from the Sustainable Communities Initiative.
Environment and Parks
-Develop a program to reduce emissions from on-road heavy-duty diesel vehicles with partners.
-Develop a regional climate action fund to support greenhouse gas reduction projects.
Electoral Area A
-Clarify the responsibilities associated with the Barnston Island Dike transfer, a responsibility downloaded by the provincial government.
Regional Planning and Agriculture
-Coordinate and support municipalities to complete and submit the Regional context statements. (Within two years of the Board’s adoption of the Regional Growth Strategy, each member municipality must include in its Official Community Plan and have the Board approve a Regional Context Statement.)
-Identify tools for Industrial Intensification and Office Development.
-Complete a Household Vulnerability Booklet examining the cost of housing, transport, and energy on the workforce in the region and comparing across sub regions.
Utilities
-Complete negotiations with BC Hydro for the additional drinking water withdrawals from Coquitlam Lake.
-Obtain provincial approval for the Joint Water Use Plan for the Seymour and Capilano Watersheds. This Plan outlines how hydropower can be generated from existing reservoirs.
Waste
-Develop a waste flow management strategy.
-Short list proponents for new Waste-to-Energy (WTE) capacity and implementation of the WTE capacity consultation and engagement program.
-Conclude a new electricity purchase agreement with BC Hydro for waste-to-energy facility in Burnaby.
Finance
-Ensure that Metro Vancouver positions the Lion’s Gate Waste Water Treatment Plant Upgrade project to receive maximum funding support.
-Complete of the Project Definition phase by the end of 2013 for Lions Gate project.
-Consider changes to the existing Sewer Cost Allocation model.
Aboriginal Relations
-Support and monitor treaty negotiations at the two active treaty tables in the region – Katzie and Tsleil-Waututh.
- Provide forums and other related opportunities, for member local governments and First Nations, such as a Community-to-Community Forum or a workshop on municipal and regional utility services.
Housing
-Prioritize redevelopment using the Corporation’s existing land base and searching for opportunities to redevelop.
-Continue consultant teamwork with staff on rezoning application for Heather Place to be submitted to City of Vancouver by mid-2013.
2 comments:
Thanks for this post, Nathan. Under "Housing", I would point out that Metro helped to set up a Rental Housing Supply Coalition in this region in 2010. This was intended in part to build a national movement for federal tax changes that would encourage the development of rental housing. I checked on the status of this effort yesterday through the Metro website and it appears to be dormant. Should the revival of this initiative be a priority for 2013?
Thanks for the post, Nathan. Perhaps the revival of the effort to pressure Ottawa on tax changes to encourage rental housing development should also be a Metro priority for 2013.
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