Loss of Sensitive Ecosystems Slows in Metro Vancouver. 207 Hectares Were Lost From 2014 to 2020

The Metro Vancouver Regional District keeps track of our region's sensitive and modified ecosystems. Sensitive ecosystems include mostly unmodified natural areas such as mountain fields, intertidal areas, mature forests, wetlands, and riparian areas along waterways. These are critical places that support biological diversity. Modified ecosystems can also support various animal and plant species, and areas include unused farm fields and young forests.

About every six years, Metro Vancouver updates their ecosystem mapping. As I posted about in the past, between 2009 and 2014, 426 hectares of sensitive ecosystem were lost in the Metro Vancouver core. Between 2014 and 2020, 207 hectares were lost in the core. This is a slowdown of ecosystem loss, though more can be done.

Map of ecosystem loss in Metro Vancouver between 2014 and 2022. Select the map to enlarge—source: Metro Vancouver.

The leading types of natural areas lost in the core area were mature forests, riparian areas, and wetlands.

The top causes of ecosystem loss are logging, increased agriculture activities, and urban growth.

The Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy has specific measures to help reduce ecosystem loss, which is likely why the loss was less pronounced in this most recent period. As the next steps, Regional District staff are working on mapping what sensitive ecosystems are protected and which are not. They will also assess the quality of these ecosystem areas. This mapping and assessment will likely inform what land the Regional District could acquire for conservation purposes. They will also map the change in land becoming protected over the years.

Please read the "Sensitive Ecosystem Inventory 2020 Update" in the September 7th Regional Planning Agenda for more information.

Sneak Peek on What Langley City Council Will Be Working on This Fall

The beginning of September always feels like the actual start of the year instead of January. For local government, it is the start of the next season of Council meetings after the August break. Council will be busy working on new policies and bylaws for our community, and I wanted to give you a sneak peek at some of the things we will be working on.

Tenant Relocation Policy

Langley City currently has a Tenant Relocation Policy. The policy is applied when a building is up for redevelopment. It provides additional compensation and notice above the Residential Tenancy Act requirements, assistance with moving (with additional support for people who are senior or vulnerable), and right-to-return provisions. With increased redevelopment in our community, Council determined that we need to beef up our current policy.

Below Market Rental Policy

While provincial and federal government policies and funding have the most impact on reducing the cost of housing, Langley City Council also wants to do our part. One way to increase below-market rental units is to require a certain percentage of these units to be built as part of redevelopment. We will be working on creating this policy because with SkyTrain coming, we will see increased redevelopment and higher densities in our community.

Healthy and Resilient Community Dialogue Series

This summer, Langley City started working with people who have different life experiences to identify gaps in services that prevent people from getting help and ensure that the help creates positive outcomes for people and our community. This mapping of gaps will help us align objectives between the City, our non-profit sector, Fraser Health, and the provincial government to ensure that we take an outcomes-based approach that focuses on people. We will also be working across these groups to sign a document which outlines our joint comments to and measure progress in improving the outcomes of people in our community.

Right now, a lot of good work is happening in our community. However, we need better alignment among the multiple agencies and organizations because people are still slipping through the cracks in our social safety net. Council wants to reduce the number of people slipping through the cracks.

Citizen Assembly on Community Safety

We know that increasing community safety is top-of-mind for people in our community, but our current piecemeal approaches aren't working. We need a comprehensive approach to addressing community safety, encompassing policing, fire-rescue, the education system, the bylaw department, and health care. It also includes how we design and build our community, parks, roads, recreation programs, library, lighting, and overall engineering services. This plan needs to be informed by the real-world knowledge of people who call our community home. This is why we will roll out a Citizen Assembly starting this fall. You can read more about the Assembly in a previous blog post.

Improving Community Input

Our neighbourhood meetings will be back, allowing people to connect with the Council and senior City Staff to get their questions answered and provide direct feedback to us. I will also work with the Council and City Staff to see how we can improve the public information and input process regarding redevelopment. I've seen over the last year that we need to update this process to better inform people about proposed changes in their neighbourhood and allow people to provide input earlier about these proposed changes.

Create a New Capital Plan Vision

We have many significant projects that we must completed in Langley City over the coming decade, including an indoor pool and performing arts centre. We need a robust capital plan, which includes how we will fund some of these significant projects.

Adopt our New Zoning Bylaw

Langley City has a new Official Community Plan. The Official Community Plan outlines the vision for our community, and the zoning bylaw helps implement that vision. Our current zoning bylaw was adopted when I was in Grade 7, and I'm now 40 years old. Langley City Council is working toward adopting a new zoning bylaw this winter.

Create a New Rolling Strategic Plan

Langley City Council adopted our short-term 2023 Council Priorities. We will be working this fall to adopt a new five-year, rolling strategic plan that Council will update annually, similar to our budget. This plan will be a living document that outlines what Council wants City staff to focus on.

Join Langley City's New Accessibility Committee

The provincial government's Accessible B.C. Act received royal assent in the summer of 2021. This act requires provincial entities, including local governments, to implement:

• An Accessibility Plan which outlines how they will identify, remove and prevent barriers
• An Accessibility Committee to provide advice on the Accessibility Plan and removing and preventing barrier
• A way for people to provide feedback directly to a local government on accessibility, which a local government must provide to its Accessibility Committee and consider in creating and updating its Accessibility Plan

Areas to consider in improving accessibility and universal access include people's attitudes, physical barriers, communication, systemic barriers, technology, and sensory barriers.

Langley City is forming its Accessibility Committee and seeking volunteers.

The City is looking for:

• One voting member representing the Indigenous community
• Up to five voting members who represent persons with disabilities or individuals who support persons with disabilities
• One voting member representing Inclusion Langley
• One voting member representing seniors
• Up to three voting members from the community who are passionate about accessibility and universal access

If you want to join the committee, please visit Langley City's website, complete the Committee Expression of Interest Form, email info@langleycity.ca, phone 604-514-2800, or drop by the Administration Department at City Hall. The deadline is Friday, September 29, 2023.

Interactive Map of Major Langley City Projects

One of the focus areas of the 2023 Langley City Budget was to work on the basics. While there are certainly some flashy projects, such as the new Downtown bike lanes and the upcoming $18 million Fraser Highway One Way renewal, most of the projects focus on the basics, like ensuring our water and sewer lines are in a state of good repair and that our traffic lights are modernized.

202 Street Area, South of 48 Ave, Utility Replacements

Langley City staff has put together an interactive map that shows some of the other significant projects, including:

56 Avenue Water, Storm and Sanitary Sewer Replacement: $4 million
202 Street Area, South of 48 Ave, Utility Replacements: $3 million
49 Avenue Utilities Replacement: $1.1 million
Traffic Signal Renewal: $750,000
McBurney Plaza Wood Deck Replacement: $350,000

Check out the map to see what projects are happening in your neighbourhood.