Metro Vancouver Regional District Board Votes Against Reducing GHG Emissions in Large Buildings

The Metro Vancouver Regional District is the only regional district in BC with the delegated authority to regulate air quality. The Regional District Board has also approved various climate change reduction and mitigation policies, including Climate 2050, the regional district's overall vision for climate change adoption and reduction.

The overall goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 45% of the 2010 level by 2030, with the region becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

Buildings are responsible for about a quarter of our region's total greenhouse gas emissions. Drilling down further, buildings over 25,000 sq. ft. are responsible for about a third of those emissions. Put another way, Regional District staff found that about 9,000 buildings in our region cause 9% of the total greenhouse gas emissions. This number is significant.

Consistent with Climate 2050 policies, Metro Vancouver Regional District staff recommended applying a regulatory approach to reduce GHG emissions in these large buildings.

At a high level, the proposed policy would start with large building owners reporting their building's greenhouse gas emissions starting in 2026. The regional district would then set limits for greenhouse gas emissions that would come into force starting in 2028 and would slowly reduce to zero by 2045. Building owners would have to pay a per tonne charge for greenhouse gas emissions caused by fossil fuels over the set limit. Cooking-related emissions and buildings connected to district energy systems would be exempt.

At its January 26th meeting, the Metro Vancouver Regional District Board was asked to support this proposal approach in principle, directing Regional District staff to continue the development of the regulatory framework, including continuing engagement with large building owners.

My understanding is that after a debate, the Regional District Board, in a tight vote, decided against this policy approach.

Langley City's Director, Paul Albrecht, supported reducing emissions from large buildings. I also support the proposed regulatory approach.

I am disappointed that while the Regional District Board approved the bold Climate 2050 vision, it has elected to refrain from taking action within its jurisdiction. I hope there is a path forward, as reducing greenhouse gas emissions from large buildings will have a significant impact in helping our region meet its climate change mitigation goals.

My Review of the R6 Scott Road RapidBus

Paul and I waiting for the R6. Select the image to enlarge.

A few weekends ago, my friend Paul Hillsdon and I decided to check out the new R6 Scott Road RapidBus.

The R6 pulling into Newton Exchange. Select the image to enlarge.

The Scott Road/72nd Avenue corridor is one of Metro Vancouver's busiest and most congested transit corridors. About 1/3rd of people who travel along this corridor do so on transit, though certain sections are as high as 3/4rds.

RapidBus bus routes include bus priority measures, limited stop service, and enhanced bus stops. All this leads to a faster and more convenient rider experience.

Seeing the bus lanes' congestion-busting power on Scott Road on the new @TransLink R6 RapidBus was awesome! We were zooming past traffic on a corridor where most people take transit. pic.twitter.com/ZLFj0mL5pe

— Nathan Pachal (@npachal) January 21, 2024

I will start with the best part first. While the limited bus stops and modest bus priority measure on Scott Road, heading northbound, does speed up service, what shined for me was zooming past traffic going southbound on Scott Road in what is probably the closet we have to urban Bus Rapid Transit in our region at the moment. Southbound on Scott Road almost has nearly continuous bus lanes.

The R6 in the centre bus lanes on Scott Road near 72nd Avenue, southbound. Select the image to enlarge.

Hopefully, Surrey can work with TransLink to build more northbound bus lanes in the future.

All the bus stops had shelters, and some had enhanced lighting. I noticed this on 72nd Avenue. The extra lighting is perfect, giving people an enhanced feeling of safety.

An R6 bus stop on Scott Road near 72nd Avenue, southbound. Select the image to enlarge.

I wonder if some bus stops and shelters might be a bit too small, given the number of people using the R6. Hopefully, TransLink or Surrey can expand these shelters to accommodate more riders in time.

The frequency of the R6 was good, so I didn't worry about when the next bus would come.

Overall, this is a massive upgrade from the 319 and provides a quality service that connects Newton, KPU, Strawberry Hill, North Delta, and Scott Road SkyTrain Station.

I made it to Scott Road SkyTrain Station. Select the image to enlarge.

January 22 Council Notes: Budget, Housing, Living Wage Policies, and E-Comm 911 Board Change

Last Monday, Langley City Council gave first and second reading to the proposed 2024 budget. In previous posts, you can read about the overall budget, projects, and why property tax rates are constantly increasing. You can also visit Langley City's website for more information about the budget and how you can provide feedback to Council on the budget.

At the same meeting, Council gave third reading for a 6-storey, 136-unit apartment project at 20619 & 20629 Eastleigh Crescent and a 14-unit townhouse complex at 4503 & 4513 200 Street. Council will consider final reading and approve the issuing of the development permit once City staff and the applicant have completed all the technical requirements for the project and paid all fees and contributions.

Later in the meeting, staff proposed an update to Langley City's Living Wage Policy for City Employees and Contractors. A living wage is the income requirement for a family to afford to live. In Metro Vancouver, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives calculates the annual living wage. In 2023, the living wage was $25.68/hour. City staff proposed changing the policy from being set annually to a rolling five-year average. After a brief debate, the majority of Council decided to keep the existing policy with no changes.

Langley City shares a seat on the E-Comm Board with Surrey, White Rock, and the Township of Langley. E-Comm provides the 911 call answer service in BC, maintains the first responders' communication network in parts of BC, and provides fire and police dispatch services in some communities. Langley City uses the communication network. The board seat rotates among the four municipalities. All four municipalities must agree to the person who sits on the board, though it is more a matter of formality. The seat is currently with the Township of Langley between 2023 and 2027. Last year, Township Council recommended Councillor Barb Martens. Langley City Council received notice that Township Council now recommends Councillor Tim Baillie for the E-Comm board. Langley City Council approved this change.

Why does the property tax rate go up every year in Langley City?

Every year, the property tax rate goes up. Some might wonder why this is the case and why the income and sales tax rates stay constant.

With income tax, as people's overall incomes increase or decrease, so does the amount of money the provincial and federal governments collect. The same thing happens for sales tax. This change is due to the formula "income/cost of good" * "tax rate".

For property tax, it is different. Local governments, such as Langley City, set their annual budget, and then they collect the property tax required to balance the budget. Local governments cannot run a deficit budget

The formula is more complex. 'total property tax required to balance budget' / 'total value of all properties'. This formula gets you the mill rate. The property tax you pay uses the formula 'your property value' * 'mill rate'. I've simplified these formulas and written more details about calculating property tax in a different post.

Local government's significant costs are workers' salaries and purchasing goods and services. Salaries increase, as does the cost of goods and services, making local governments such as Langley City subject to inflation.

Over the years, the cost of providing some services has increased faster than the inflation rate. Policing is our number one cost, consuming about 45% of property tax revenue collected. The cost of policing continues to increase. For example, RCMP officers were paid significantly less than municipal police officers. A few years ago, they signed their first collective agreement, resulting in a significant salary bump. Policing has also become more sophisticated, meaning that more technology and time are required to do their job, leading to increased costs beyond inflation.

The City has also stepped up the services we provide. For example, we have increased the maintenance of our streets and parks, invested more in events, increased firefighting resources to step up preventative inspections, and invested in people to help us shore up our social infrastructure, such as addressing poverty.

I asked City staff to calculate how much the property tax would increase to keep up with inflation, otherwise known as the consumer price index.

The following tables show how much property tax would need to increase just to cover inflation and how much property tax has actually increased for the average detached and attached home in Langley City from 2004 to 2023.

Average Detached Home
Year	City Taxes (Actual)	City Taxes (Inflation Only)
2004	$ 1,339	$ 1,339
2005	$ 1,409	$ 1,366
2006	$ 1,434	$ 1,390
2007	$ 1,459	$ 1,414
2008	$ 1,492	$ 1,444
2009	$ 1,571	$ 1,444
2010	$ 1,639	$ 1,463
2011	$ 1,685	$ 1,498
2012	$ 1,709	$ 1,514
2013	$ 1,747	$ 1,513
2014	$ 1,797	$ 1,528
2015	$ 1,889	$ 1,545
2016	$ 1,959	$ 1,573
2017	$ 2,065	$ 1,607
2018	$ 2,057	$ 1,651
2019	$ 2,059	$ 1,689
2020	$ 2,117	$ 1,702
2021	$ 2,220	$ 1,750
2022	$ 2,499	$ 1,870
2023	$ 2,793	$ 1,964

Average Attached Home
Year	City Taxes (Actual)	City Taxes (Inflation Only)
2004	$ 641	$ 641
2005	$ 645	$ 654
2006	$ 684	$ 665
2007	$ 727	$ 676
2008	$ 760	$ 691
2009	$ 792	$ 691
2010	$ 800	$ 700
2011	$ 816	$ 716
2012	$ 807	$ 724
2013	$ 800	$ 724
2014	$ 801	$ 731
2015	$ 778	$ 739
2016	$ 739	$ 753
2017	$ 708	$ 769
2018	$ 809	$ 790
2019	$ 946	$ 808
2020	$ 986	$ 814
2021	$ 1,042	$ 837
2022	$ 1,009	$ 895
2023	$ 1,145	$ 940

For the average attached home, the difference between the inflation only and actual increases is $205 over the last 20 years. The difference is $829 for detaching housing over the last 20 years.