2024 Metro Vancouver Water Quality and Climate Change

Yesterday, I posted about stage 1 water restrictions starting on May 1st. Metro Vancouver has some of the cleanest water in the world from the Capilano, Seymour, and Coquitlam mountains. The water is better than anything you could get from a bottle. The Metro Vancouver Regional District recently released their annual "Greater Vancouver Water District 2024 Water Quality Annual Report."

A water quality sampling station in Langley City

The Regional District treats all water delivered to municipalities using ozone, ultraviolet, and chlorination systems to filter and disinfect, though our source water supplies are high quality.

One measure of water quality is turbidity or cloudiness of the water caused by suspended solids. High turbidity water can increase the need for filtration and disinfection as it can increase the likelihood of containments like viruses and bacteria in the water. Climate change is having an impact on source water quality. The atmospheric river event on October 20th, 2024, caused turbidity to spike. The Regional District performed extra water testing to confirm no containments and notified people that though their water may have looked cloudier, it was safe to drink. More extreme weather due to climate change increases the likelihood of turbid water due to increased runoff and the risk of mudslides and other debris entering our water sources.

In 2024, the water coming to each municipality met all standards for biological and chemical containments. Munpicailites distribute water to end users from the Metro Vancouver system and are also responsible for testing and treating water.

We use a significant amount of resources, including financial, to ensure that water coming out of the tap is safe to drink, which is why conserving it is so vital.

Metro Vancouver: Water Conservation in Action

On May 1st, Stage 1 water restrictions start within Metro Vancouver. These restrictions mean that if you have a residential property, you can water your lawn if you have an:

• Even address on Saturdays
• Odd address on Sunday

If you have an automatic water system, you can run it from 5:00 am to 7:00 am or if you do it manually, from 6:00 am to 9:00 am.

For commercial properties, you can water your lawn if you have an:

• Even address on Monday
• Odd address on Tuesday

If you have an automatic water system, you can run it from 4:00 am to 6:00 am or if you do it manually, from 6:00 am to 9:00 am.

You can water trees, flowers, gardens, and shrubs anytime, but if you use a sprinkler, you must water between 5:00 am and 9:00 am.

People in Metro Vancouver have been doing their part to reduce water usage. Even though our population has increased by about 1 million between 1999 and 2024, overall water usage has remained relatively constant, as shown in the following chart. This trend means that everyone is using less water.

Regional Population and Water Use from 1999 to 2024. Select the chart to enlarge. Source: GVWD Water Supply System 2024 Annual Update

Sourcing, storing, and treating water is expensive and difficult. These conservation efforts are saving billions of public dollars.

You can apply for a water exemption permit if you have a new lawn or are treating European Chafer Beetle. For more information, please visit Langley City's water restrictions webpage.

Can You Design a Below-Market Rental Building in Langley City? Inclusionary Zoning Calculator

Inclusionary zoning is a tool local governments can use to help create below-market-priced housing. The short version is that municipalities can require that a certain number or percentage of units be priced below market in certain types of housing projects. Typically, a municipality would require that these units go for 10% to 20% below market. Inclusionary zoning works well in places where you can build taller buildings, market prices are higher, and as a result, developers have a higher profit margin. It would be hard to achieve inclusionary housing in wood-framed, 6-stories buildings today in Langley City without the support of provincial and federal funding programs.

Screenshot from Metro Vancouver's Housing Calculator

The Metro Vancouver Regional District recently launched its inclusionary zoning calculator. It allows you to adjust the number of units in a building, site area, market prices, the bedroom mix, the percentage of below-market units and discount level, adjust parking requirements, and even commercial units to create a mixed-use building. For someone who is not a housing expert, the tool is educational, showing how things like density, parking, and market price can impact the number of below-market units that can be built.

I tried to see how many units at 20% below market rents would be possible in Langley City's low-rise land use (up to six-stories apartments.) It was zero. I had to adjust it to Langley City's mid-rise and higher land uses, areas within 800 metres of the new SkyTrain stations, for projects to become feasible in the calculator.

Inclusionary zoning is one tool municipalities can use to support creating below-market housing. Langley City is working on inclusionary zoning policies for our community, which I believe will support creating below-market housing near our two SkyTrain stations.

Check out the calculator and see what sort of building with below-market pricing units you can create.

District Energy Systems in Metro Vancouver: Low Carbon Heating and Cooling

Most buildings in our region have independent heating and cooling systems. However, some areas have district energy systems where heating and cooling are centralized, with buildings connected through a network of water or steam pipes. Even with conventional energy sources, district energy systems are more efficient than having each building with an independent system. Downtown Vancouver has one of the oldest district energy systems in the region.

The following map shows all the district energy systems in Metro Vancouver.

Map of Current District Energy Systems in Metro Vancouver. Select the map to enlarge.

These district energy systems can and do use heat from wastewater. The Metro Vancouver Regional District is developing a district energy system to use heat from its Burnaby Waste-to-Engery facility. These systems can also use geothermal energy for heating and cooling. These additional energy sources further improve the energy efficiency of these systems, lowering GHG emissions as a result.

The regional district will study the potential for new district energy systems throughout Metro Vancouver. These systems are now called thermal energy networks.

As shown on the following map, Langley City is where all the wastewater from both the Township of Langley and the City flows. Langley City would be a perfect location for a new district energy system, especially when factoring in SkyTrain and the resultant transit-oriented development.

Map of Current District Energy Systems with Wastewater Enegery Recovery and Regional Sewer Mains. Select the map to enlarge.

The regional district plans to have the study completed in 2026.

April 14 Council Meeting Notes: Supporting More Depot Recycling Options

Langley City has two recycling depots: Langley Bottle Depot and Willowbrook Recycling. On Monday, Langley City Council held a short public meeting where we heard a presentation from the owner of Willowbrook Recycling.

They were previously a Recycle BC depot before the pandemic, which meant they accepted paper, containers, foam packaging, glass, and flexible plastic. They now want to become a Recycle BC depot again and asked that City Council provide a letter of support. While Langley Bottle Depot is already a Recycle BC depot, we must make it as easy and convenient as possible for people to recycle. Langley City Council approved sending a letter of support to Recycle BC for Willowbrook Recycling and forwarding our support letter to the City of Surrey and Township of Langley Councils, as we know the depot service people in those communities as well.

An Overview of the Proposed TransLink Investment Plan

Over the past several months, the Mayors' Council and provincial government have been negotiating a funding proposal to prevent cuts to TransLink, moving towards some modest transit system expansion and maintaining regional road network funding.

The funding proposal includes the following high-level transit services investments:

• Introducing new routes or enhancing existing routes that serve the Gloucester, Tilbury, and Campbell Heights industrial areas
• Introducing a new bus route along 68th Avenue in Surrey
• Upgrading the 335 route, which serves Guildford, Fleetwood, and Newton, to frequent transit network status (a bus every 15 minutes or better, all day, every day)
• Providing better transit access to regionally significant parks and beaches during the summer
• Addressing overcrowding on bus routes throughout the region
• Increasing frequency of bus routes throughout the region in areas underserved by transit
• Increasing HandyDART service
• Continuing with planning and design for bus rapid transit

The following map shows the proposed transit improvements as part of this proposal.

Map of proposed transit service improvements. Select map to enlarge.

TransLink also funds the regional road network and provides funding for municipalities to improve walking and cycling access. The proposal includes increasing funding by 70% to keep the regional road network in a state of good repair. For example, 200th Street is TransLink-funded.

The proposal includes $103 million in municipal funding programs until the end of 2026 to support improving walking, cycling, bus priority, and the overall regional road network.

The proposed funding for this plan is coming from a:

• 5% overall fare increase in 2026, then about 2% per year after
• $1.50 increase to the YVR AddFare, then about 2% per year after
• 8% transit property tax increase in 2025 and a further 22% increase in 2027
• Increase in the parking tax from 24% to 29%
• $312 million operating grant from the provincial government

As you may know, last year, we discussed cutting transit service by about 50% due to funding challenges. This proposal solves about half of TransLink's funding challenge and modestly increases transit service. In 2027, we will need another investment plan to solve the other half of the funding challenge and provide enough revenue to operate bus rapid transit and increase transit services significantly so more people can access fast, frequent, and reliable transit services.

The TransLink Mayors' Council must adopt this proposed Investment Plan at its April 30th meeting. Please visit the TransLink website for more information on the 2025 Investment Plan.

Langley City Council Awards $168,000 in Community Grants

Every year, Langley City Council awards community grants to organizations and groups that contribute to the betterment of Langley City. This year, Council awarded $168,000 in grants to the following organizations:

Organization	Grant Amount
BARD in the Valley	$22,585
Langley Senior Resources Society	$15,000
DLBA Arts Live	$13,404
HS Stafford Middle School (PAC)	$12,876
Waceya Metis Society	$10,000
Zajac Ranch Society	$7,000
Douglas Park Charity Pickleball Tournament	$6,126
Langley Animal Protection Society	$5,000
RibFest - Langley Rotary Clubs	$5,000
Langley Community Services Society	$5,000
Langley School District Foundation (Scholarships)	$4,950
stɑl̓əw̓ Arts & Cultural Society	$4,750
Agri-Kids Society	$4,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters Langley	$4,000
KidSport Langley	$4,000
VAYA Youth Arts Society	$3,000
Encompass Support Services Society	$3,000
Langley Community Farmers Market	$2,700
Langley Fastball Association	$2,500
Lower Fraser Aboriginal Society	$2,500
Langley Literacy Association	$2,500
Langley Arts Council - Kids Zone	$2,500
Douglas Park Community School Society	$2,305
Boys & Girls Club of South Coast BC	$2,260
Ron Cares Society	$2,170
Langley Field Naturalist Society	$2,000
Rotary Club of Langley	$2,000
Run for Sobriety Association	$1,920
Terry Fox Run Langley	$1,670
Langley Lawn Bowling Club	$1,400
Fibromyalgia Well Spring Foundation	$1,050
British Columbia Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation	$1,050
Volunteer Cancer Drivers Society	$1,000
PLEA Community Services Society	$1,000
2nd Langley Mavericks Scout Group	$1,000
Fraser Region Community Justice Initiatives Association	$1,000
Youth Parliament	$1,000
Langley Amateur Radio Association	$583
Kat Moon Band	$551
Langley Fine Arts School Dry Grad	$500
Langley Seniors Secondary Dry Grad	$500
R. E. Mountain Senior Secondary Dry Grad	$500
Langley 4-H District Council	$150
Total:	$168,000

The City funds these grants from the revenue we receive from the casino. For more information about Langley City's community grants, including how to apply, please visit Langley City's website.

April 7th Council Notes: Metro Vancouver, Cannabis, and BC Builds Public Hearing

On Monday, Langley City Council held an afternoon Council meeting followed by a public hearing.

At the Council meeting, Councillor Albrecht was reappointed as the Langley City Director for the Metro Vancouver Regional District Board.

We also received a presentation from the BC Chapter of the Canadian Medical Cannabis Partners. This group is looking to set up a medically supervised pilot program to switch people from fentanyl and other opioids to cannabis to reduce health risks. They asked Langley City to consider supporting a pilot program. Council will consider this request as part of our upcoming strategic planning, potentially asking staff to explore the feasibility of a pilot program in our community.

The public hearing was for a proposed 6-storey BC Builds rental mixed-use project at 49th and 200th. You can read more about this provincially-supported project in a previous post. A significant part of the project is that it will have 60 units priced at 20% below Langley City market rents. These 60 units include 15 studios, 30 one-bedroom, 12 two-bedroom, and three three-bedroom units.

Around 150~160 people attend the public hearing, with about 30 people providing verbal or written feedback at the public hearing.

The top concern expressed at the public hearing was the impact on traffic, especially along 50th Avenue. This proposed project would have primary access from the Grade Crescent/200th Street intersection and secondary access from 50th Avenue. Another common concern was the height of the building.

Other concerns expressed included environmental protection considerations, impact on neighbouring property value, impacts on the character of the neighbourhood, and schools and hospital capacity.

I also noted a lot of concern and confusion around the role of the church, the province, and the City in this proposed project. The province will provide financing, the church will provide land, and the City will sell land below market value for the project if approved. The church's non-profit housing society would own the building with a mortgage. All rent money (commercial and residential) would have to be used to pay down the building's mortgage and maintain the building. The church would get a new auditorium/meeting space (shown as Congregation/Sanctuary on the building drawings) in the proposed project.

I didn't cover all the feedback but wanted to highlight some top themes.

Council considers all feedback received at the public hearing and written responses received before the close of the public hearing as part of its overall determination of whether to give third reading to amend the Official Community Plan and rezoning bylaws to enable the construction of this proposed project. After the public hearing, Council cannot receive or consider further feedback on the proposed project. This process is standard for all local governments in BC.

Council plans to consider the third reading of the bylaws for this proposed project on April 28th.

Single Use Items: Progress Being Made. Cups Still a Challenge.

There is an effort to reduce the number of single-use items we use throughout Canada. Some of these reduction are a result of government regulations and some consumer action. People in Metro Vancouver have shown leadership in reducing the amount of single-use items. So, how have we been doing?

The Metro Vancouver Regional District tracks the amount of single-use items that make it into the waste stream. The following table shows the latest data.

Single-Use Items in Metro Vancouver's Waste Stream from 2018 to 2023. Source: Metro Vancouver

What stands out is a reduction in absolute terms in using single-use shopping bags, straws, and utensils. The per capita use of single-use containers is steady, but due to population growth, absolute numbers are growing. Unfortunately, the use of single-use cups is skyrocketing.

One of the easier ways to reduce single-use cups is by having "for here" cups by default at restaurants and cafes instead of the default being "to go." For example, two international coffee chains have "for here" cups, but you must ask for them in person; otherwise, you get a "to go" cup by default.

We've made much progress in reducing single-use items, which is good, as many make their way into our natural areas. We still have work to do.

Langley City and the Updated Metro Vancouver Housing Data Book

The Metro Vancouver Regional District recently released an update to its Housing Data Book, which provides a wide range of statistics about housing in our region. I wanted to look at some of the updated data.

Langley City continued to punch above its weight regarding BC Housing's non-market (subsidized) housing. BC Housing funds 6.3% of the total housing units in Langley City. Only the City of Vancouver has a higher percentage at 7.6%.

BC Housing Non-Market Housing Units (2024) as Percentage of Total Dwellings (2021 Census), Metro Vancouver

Looking further into the data, Langley and Delta have seen the fastest growth in people on the BC Housing registry. The number of non-market housing units likely needs to double region-wide, including in Langley, to help reduce the waitlist.

Growth of the BC Housing Registry (2020 to 2024) and Total Households

There is also below-market rental housing, which isn't funded by BC Housing and isn't reflected in this data.

Another interesting statistic is that Langley City has the most urban redevelopment profile of any municipality in Metro Vancouver. 98% of housing units built between 2020 and 2024 were apartments or townhomes/rowhomes. Langley City lags behind other municipalities with the construction of new purpose-built rental housing.

Multi-Unit Housing Starts as Percentage of Total Housing Starts, 2020 to 2024 (Five-Year Average), Metro Vancouver

For more information, please look at the Metro Vancouver Housing Data Book.

DASH - A Regional Approach to Speeding Up Housing Construction

Langley City is one of 11 municipalities partnering with the Metro Vancouver Regional District on its DASH - Digitally Accelerated Standardized Housing project, which is looking at ways to speed up housing construction in Metro Vancouver.

The DASH Program transformation. Selection the image to enlarge.

The initiative has three primary areas of focus to speed up housing construction: rezoning processes, municipal regulations, and off-site (modular) construction.

The first area they prepared a report on was municipal regulations. They found that all 11 municipalities that are participating have slightly different regulations when it comes to zoning that would accommodate a simple six-storey apartment building. Standardizing these regulations would enable more straightforward off-site construction, reducing design complexity and cost while increasing speed.

The proposed zoning regulation changes are simple, for example, looking at standardized heights and setbacks.

The report also looks at standardized development permit regulations, which include pedestrian access, landscaping, exterior design, building cladding, and amenity areas.

As a region, we have worked together to streamline processes such as inter-municipal business licensing and region-wide ride-hail services licensing. I'm confident we can also standardize zoning to enable off-site, modular construction of wood-frame apartments. I look forward to seeing further recommendations from the DASH project and working toward implementing these recommendations region-wide.

Please read the April 3rd Metro Vancouver Regional Planning Committee agenda for more information.

New Policy to Prevent Parkade Construction Cave-Ins

Until December 2022, I'd never heard of a parkade under construction in Langley City having a cave-in or partial cave-in during construction. In December 2022 and August 2024, the construction shoring at two different sites failed.

As I posted in November, Langley City implemented a practice of having independent reviews of the geotechnical design for underground parkades. Last night, Langley City Council adopted a new "CO-87 - Excavation and Shoring Policy."

This policy makes the new practice of having an independent review of geotechnical design a requirement for all proposed excavations with 3 metres or greater depth. It also reserves the right for the City to request an independent review for any excavations.

While this might seem like the City is adding red tape, the safety of our community and workers is paramount. This policy will help improve underground parkades' safety and other underground construction.