Metro Vancouver Update
services and solutions for a livable region

Issue 67

As we head into the final months of the year, we are busy planning for 2021 and beyond. On October 30, the Metro Vancouver Board endorsed Metro Vancouver’s 2021 operating budget, which will support work over the coming years.

On the utilities front, we are wrapping up the annual We Love Water campaign and assessing services at regional waste management stations.  This month, Metro Vancouver also released a map that is making real-time information on sewer overflows available to the public.

As part of continuing efforts to maintain good air quality, Metro Vancouver has approved a new residential wood burning bylaw, which will be phased in starting in 2021.

The Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy area is expanding, thanks to new lands added jointly by Metro Vancouver and the City of Delta.

Registration is still open for the annual – and always inspiring – Zero Waste Conference. This conference is a great opportunity to hear cutting edge thinking on how we can move towards a waste-free society. Residents of the region are also invited to watch a livestream of a series of forums on systemic racism being held for municipal elected officials.

Together we make our region strong.

Metro Vancouver Board Approves Budget and Five-Year Financial Plan
Issue 67

On October 30, 2020 the Metro Vancouver Board endorsed the 2021 annual operating budget necessary to provide services and to…

Read more

Chair Update In this Issue Metro Vancouver Board Approves 2021 Budget and 2021-2025 Five-Year Financial Plan Sewer Overflow Information Now Available to the Public in Real Time New Lands Added to Burns Bog Water Conservation Campaign Continues to Gain Regional Awareness Metro Vancouver Set to Review and Update Liquid Waste Management Plan New Bylaw on Residential Indoor Wood Burning Assessing Customer Satisfaction with Waste Management Facilities Reconciliation Session with Senator Murray Sinclair Council of Councils Sub-Regional Forums on Systemic Racism Zero Waste Conference National Zero Waste Council Annual General Meeting Metro Vancouver Videos ISSUE 91, October 2020 On October 30, the Board approved Metro Vancouver’s 2021 operating budget and the Five-Year Financial Plan (2021-2025), which will support our work over the coming years. A Board Budget Workshop took place October 21 and we hosted a Council of Councils October 23. My sincere thanks to all the Metro Vancouver Board Directors and Committee members for their thoughtful engagement in this process and thank you as well to all the Mayors and Councils who joined us last Saturday for the Council of Councils. The 2021 budget is $28 million dollars less than proposed in the previous planning cycle, however, it is clear that more work needs to be done to minimize the impact in the future years. On the utilities front, we are wrapping up our annual We Love Water campaign, assessing our services at waste management stations, and preparing to review our Integrated Liquid Waste and Resource Management Plan. This month we also released a sewer overflow map that will make real-time information available to the public. As part of our continuing efforts to maintain good air quality, the Board has approved a new residential wood burning bylaw, which will be phased in starting in 2021. We have three important events coming up in November: the Council of Councils Sub-Regional Forums on racism, the Zero Waste Conference and the National Zero Waste Council annual general meeting. I encourage you to take part in these events, which tackle some of the key issues that our society is wrestling with at this moment. These events are sure to be both thought provoking and inspiring. Together we make our region strong. Sav Dhaliwal Chair, Metro Vancouver Board chair@metrovancouver.org Metro Vancouver Board Approves 2021 Budget and 2021-2025 Five-Year Financial Plan Metro Vancouver Board Approves 2021 Budget and 2021-2025 Five-Year Financial Plan On October 30, 2020 the Metro Vancouver Board approved the 2021 annual operating budget necessary to build, maintain, and upgrade the infrastructure needed to provide a livable region. The approved budget of $939.5 million is $28 million dollars less than what was proposed in the previous planning cycle. In 2021, the average household will pay an additional $17 for all Metro Vancouver services, for an annual total of $577. The 3.2% increase is less than half of what was previously projected for 2021 and will be used for crucial upgrades to our water, liquid and solid waste infrastructure along with improvements to air quality, affordable housing and regional parks services that will benefit all residents of our region. While the Board also endorsed the Five-Year Financial Plan (2021-2025), which will guide future annual budgets and long-term financial plans, they were clear that more work is needed to manage fiscal impacts in a sensitive economy due to the pandemic. Projected capital investments over the five years exceed $6 billion. They focus on utility system upgrades to meet federal requirements and major capital projects that are necessary to make infrastructure more resilient to an earthquake, to accommodate future population growth, and for mandatory secondary wastewater treatment. Learn more about the 2021 budget and five-year financial plan. Sewer Overflow Information Now Available to the Public in Real Time
Issue 67

Anyone can now access real-time information on the Metro Vancouver website about sewer overflows that are active and that have…

Read more

Issue 67

Recent events in Canada and the United States as well as the COVID 19 pandemic have brought the issue of…

Read more

New Lands Added to Burns Bog
Issue 67

The City of Delta and Metro Vancouver have added 321 hectares of new land to the Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy…

Read more

Water Conservation Campaign Continues to Gain Regional Awareness
Issue 67

This year’s We Love Water campaign focused on what it takes to deliver water, then provided ways for residents to…

Read more

New Bylaw on Residential Indoor Wood Burning
Issue 67

With colder weather now upon us, residents with wood burning fireplaces are reminded to use best burning practices to reduce…

Read more

Assessing Customer Satisfaction with Waste Management Facilities
Issue 67

As part of our commitment to delivering excellent customer service, Metro Vancouver conducts annual surveys at regional transfer stations  to…

Read more

Zero Waste Conference
Issue 67

There is still time to register for this year’s Zero Waste Conference, which will take place on November 13. This…

Read more

Events & Videos

Issue 67

Find out how we’re planning for the region’s next century of water needs.

Issue 67

Located in Delta, the Annacis Research Centre provides research space to explore new wastewater technologies.

Issue 67

Learn how over 250,000 tons of our garbage are converted to electricity every year.