Why Metro Vancouver is suddenly feeling the heat

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Good morning,

A big thanks to Nate for covering for me last week. Where did I disappear to, you ask? Well, I was elbows-deep in dough, pastries and icing sugar, polishing up my baking skills each morning at class. 

A big thank you to the team at Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver. This is the second time I’ve taken their courses, and both times have pushed my cooking skills in new directions. If you’ve ever wanted to get better in the kitchen, I cannot recommend them enough. (And no, this isn’t a paid recommendation, I just really love what they’re doing).

Today’s story is all about a little organization called Metro Vancouver and the challenges they’re recently facing. We’ve also got a story on whether Vancouver could deal with burst pipes like Calgary, and events to tide you over this week.

Let’s dive in!

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout editor

PS - If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free.

WEATHER

Monday: 18 🌡️ 12 | 🌤️

Tuesday: 19 🌡️ 11 | 🌤️

Wednesday: 24 🌡️ 14 | ☀️

CITY HALL

Why Metro Vancouver is suddenly feeling the heat

When there are multiple stories about an otherwise uncovered issue in the news, most of them negative, you know something is up. And that’s the case with Metro Vancouver.

What happened: Metro Vancouver, a federation made up of 21 regional municipalities, one electoral area and one treaty First Nation, is facing mounting criticism from elected officials in the region after the organization disclosed the spiralling $2.83-billion cost overruns for the North Shore wastewater treatment plant, according to the Vancouver Sun. 

• North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan was especially blunt, after the organization voted down a request to shift more of the costs from plant overruns from North Vancouver residents to the wider region.

Background: Metro Vancouver exists as a larger umbrella organization that manages regional utilities, such as water, wastewater and solid waste management. The total budget for Metro Vancouver is $2.6 billion for both operating and capital costs, with an average household cost of $698, paid for mostly with utility fees. 

• According to Metro Vancouver’s 2024 Budget at a Glance document, costs have increased at a higher rate than things like property taxes.

Challenging governance: Earlier this month, four elected officials from Surrey, New Westminster, Richmond and Maple Ridge called on Metro Vancouver’s governance structure to change. Instead of councils choosing their Metro Vancouver rep, voters should select their representative, according to CityNews. 

• They zeroed in on problems around accountability, specifically around the North Shore wastewater treatment plan. 

It’s getting personal: The media also reported on the salaries of Metro Vancouver’s bureaucrats, with the Chief Administrative Officer Jerry Dobrovolny making $711,668, including both salary, express and taxable benefits, according to Global. 

There’s also been criticism over Board Chair George Harvie, a Delta city councillor, who billed $17,336.50 for flights to Australia for an urban planning conference that were double his colleagues’ because Harvie brought along his partner, according to the Business in Vancouver.

Looking ahead: It’s only going to get more complicated. The Iona Wastewater Treatment Plant will need to be replaced in the coming years, and the expected cost is around $9.9 billion. Yet according to their budget documents, the goal is for Metro Vancouver to reduce taxes in the coming years, from an average increase of 14% last year, scaling downward to 5% in 2027. 

• How will they make up revenues? According to Metro Vancouver, it will be through increases from development cost charges, driving up the price of new housing. 

What it means: Elected officials, not an unelected body like Metro Vancouver, bear the brunt of citizen concerns over rising costs. The ongoing criticism is both a public relations strategy to deflect blame as well a challenge to the existing governance structure. For elected officials in Vancouver, the rising costs pose a challenge to how the ABC party wishes to position themselves as keeping costs low in the coming years.

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• Hard Knox Stunts will be performing Stunt Shows Friday and Saturday to keep the crowd entertained during track prep downtime.

Tickets start from $10, and the event goes from Thursday, June 27 to Sunday, June 30. Grab your tickets today.

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

🔥 14: The number of fires that firefighters had to deal with in Vancouver during a 24-hour period last week. [Vancouver Sun]

🏈 53,788: The number of fans who attended the opener of the BC Lions, a new record for the first game of the season for the team. It may have something to do with the performance of musical guest 50 Cent. [CBC]

⚖️ $192,000: The amount that the Vancouver municipal party NPA had to pay to former mayor Kennedy Stewart after a defamation lawsuit was deemed a SLAPP suit, which is used as a way to silence critics. The lawsuit was in response to Stewart’s news release denouncing hate in the NPA. [CBC]

INFRASTRUCTURE

Vancouver’s pipes situation

Calgary’s burst pipe and subsequent water shortage are raising questions about whether something similar could happen to Vancouver. 

The data: It’s been two years since a report from Metro Vancouver rated the area’s pipes that were poor or very poor at 12% and according to the Vancouver Sun, many of these have not been fixed. A senior manager told the newspaper that they are at “various stages” but did not give an exact number. 

Other problems: Beyond just leaks, the demand for water in the region will continue to be an issue, according to the Vancouver Sun. Snow replenishes the reservoirs where drinking water comes from, which can be variable based on the weather. Restrictions, like Stage 1 which the city is currently in, help reduce demand and conserve water. 

Other pipes: Another large issue the region is dealing with is the need to upgrade infrastructure to accommodate the increasing number of people moving to the region. Problems like labour shortages and inflation are driving up costs, with 58% of capital projects driven by new growth in the city, according to Business in Vancouver. 

• Increasing the size of pipes for stormwater and sewage pipes in Vancouver would come at a huge cost. 

Reality check: The good news is, as noted by Metro Vancouver, that the region has a leak rate of less than one per 100 kilometres of pipe each year.

NEW JOBS

Discover your dream job in Vancouver: 

• Executive director, all programs at The Children’s Foundation BC

• Director data, marketing, loyalty and digital at Sobeys

• Director, data analytics at Hootsuite

• Business development manager at UBC

• Director, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants

THE AGENDA

👍 An infrastructure project, ahead of schedule? Not a myth, it has actually happened in Gastown, where the Maple Tree Square road construction to replace the broken brick road is complete. It’s a great sign as the area prepares for the summer car-free pilot. [Global]

🏗️ The Broadway Plan is now in the consultation phase, where people can share feedback on the plan. The scale of development is likely to grow even bigger as the provincial government’s housing plans mandate more density in the area, though critics say it will do nothing to solve affordability. [CBC]

🪵 Got a wood-burning fireplace or stove? You’ll need to register it with Metro Vancouver by Sept. 2025, otherwise, you could face a $500 fine. The bylaw also includes a ban from May 15 to Sept. 15 to stop burning in the summer. Only around 5% of people are aware of the need to register. [Vancouver Sun]

🪧 On Friday 150 people marched through Vancouver to raise awareness about murdered and missing Indigenous boys and men. [CBC]

🧑‍⚕️ French-speaking people in BC and Vancouver will soon have their own health centre. The current Vancouver Urban Health Centre is having trouble dealing with the high volume of patients. [Vancouver is Awesome]

📰 It’s business as usual at the Downtown Eastside street market even after five people were arrested for selling stolen goods. [Vancouver Sun]

🧑‍💻 In what is considered a big deal for Vancouver’s tech community, the massive tech conference Collision from Web Summit will be coming to the city in 2025 and beyond. It will be called Web Summit Vancouver and is expected to generate around $279 million in economic activity for BC. [Betakit]

🔥 A fire on Saturday at Cambie and Marine Drive in an abandoned building resulted in one person going to the hospital for smoke inhalation. [CBC]

IMAGE OF THE DAY

One Reddit user managed to capture this photo of a heron before it ate a fish in Stanley park. Nice photo!

GOOD NEWS MONDAY

Sometimes it’s hard to find good news. But even the smallest thing can be a sign of future progress. In what may seem like a mirage, but is, in fact, real, Vancouver rental prices for one-bedroom units dropped last year by about 2% year-over-year, according Global!

Of course, the costs are still astronomically high at $2,650 for a one-bedroom. But there are good signs on the horizon, with 6,000 more rental units coming onto the market from the Senakw development. This is obviously not much help to people right now, but sometimes it’s good to view the long term as well.

WEEKEND GUIDE

Exploring Midsummer Traditions of Ukraine | 1398 E 3rd Ave Vancouver, | June 19, 7 pm | Hands on gathering to explore Ukrainian midsummer celebrations | Tickets $38

Slim's BBQ Presents Arash Narchi | 2111 Main Street | June 19, 8 pm | Stand up comedy show featuring various comedians, including Narchi who’s appeared at Just for Laughs Vancouver | Tickets $9

Strathcona Blocks Party | 600 to 900 block of East Hastings | June 22, 12 pm-5 pm | A kid zone, beer garden, skateboard ramp, live music and food. It’s a good ol’ fashioned block party | Free

Summer Pop-Up Market | Heritage Hall | June 23, 11 am-5 pm | 45 small businesses and local artists with a currated offerings of jewellery, home decor and more | Free

Greek Day on Broadway | West Broadway between Macdonald and Blenheim | June 23, 11 am-9 pm | Food, entertainment, music and traditional dance, it’s fun for the whole family | Free

Black and White and Everything In Between \ On until early November | Vancouver Art Gallery | One of VAG’s newest exhibit showcasing the evolution of monochromatic art | GA $29 or book in advance for Free First Fridays 

Museum of Anthropology | Reopening for this weekend, 10 am - 5 pm  | UBC | After an 18-month closure for upgrades to the building and its displays, MOA is back on the museum menu | Tickets $25

Vancouver Farmers Markets | Saturdays and Sundays until October, various times | Various locations | All the summer markets are now open for the season, with the False Creek and Downtown markets (mid-week) joining all your favourite weekend locations | Locations and hours + free entry 

Bard on the Beach | Now until September, various showtimes | Sen̓áḵw / Vanier Park | Catch adaptations of Twelfth Night and Hamlet in the evening this weekend at the much-loved annual Shakespeare fest | Tickets $30

Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Art | 639 Hornby Street | Daily | See the George Clutesi exhibit, honouring the work and legacy of the celebrated Tseshaht artist, writer, and actor. | Tickets $13 

QUIZ TIME

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• There’s no bad blood between Vancouver and Taylor Swift, as it appears the city could be the final stop on her Eras tour. [CityNews]

• The Patio at BC Place promises to have the capacity for 1,000 guests and will be open on the long weekend holidays this summer. [BC Place]

• A family of a leukemia patient has teamed up with Container Brewing to launch a special-edition beer to raise awareness of donating blood and plasma, with 10% of sales going towards charity. [CTV] 

• Vancouver’s Ooh La La Donuts has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for a new location after they ran into issues with their lease. [Vancouver is Awesome]

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