I’ve been posting about proposed changes to governance at the Metro Vancouver Regional District. About a year ago, Deloitte Canada made 47 recommendations to improve governance at the Regional District, which provides services to over half of BC's population. The Regional District has a Board Governance Review Tracker where you can learn more about the implementation of these recommendations.
One of the larger recommendations is to review the size and structure of the Regional District Board to improve decision-making. The Regional District is actually four separate legal entities: the Metro Vancouver Regional District, the Greater Vancouver Water District, the Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District, and the Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation. Today, these entities operate effectively under a single board.
Today, there are 41 directors appointed by their respective municipalities, treaty First Nation, or directly elected in the case of Electoral Area A. There is a formula that determines how many directors each member jurisdiction has and how much weight each director carries based on population. This system is meant to balance having a voice at the table for each jurisdiction, no matter the population, while also ensuring population-based representation.
The Regional District is reviewing potential changes through the lens of governance effectiveness, size/scalability, member jurisdiction representation, public accountability, and ease of implementation.
Proposals include keeping the status quo, reducing the size, or including appointed non-political members on one or more of the four legal entities' boards.
One of the more interesting proposals for me is the inclusion of a smaller Major Projects Committee, which could have delegated authority on the most complex projects, such as wastewater treatment plants, and could comprise a blend of elected and externally appointed directors with technical expertise. The main board would still have ultimate control over the budget, but a committee such as this would be best practice.
Over the next month, the Regional District is seeking feedback on proposed changes to the governance structure. You can learn more, including how you can participate, by visiting the Metro Vancouver Regional District's Governance Review webpage.
Langley City Council received a presentation by Heather McNell, the Deputy CAO of the Regional District, on Monday about these proposed changes.
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