Metro Vancouver water usage

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— Geoff Sharpe, Lookout founder and managing editor

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WEATHER

Monday: 18 🌡️ 13 | ☀️

Tuesday: 19 🌡️ 13 | 🌤️

Wednesday: 18 🌡️ 12 | ☀️

THE LOOKOUT RECOMMENDS

Eat and be merry: Everyone knows I love food and love sharing food news, so it makes sense I’d include this useful list of upcoming Vancouver and Metro Vancouver food and drink events. Carrots and champagne, wine tasting, Chinese cocktails, guided cocktail tastings… There’s something for everyone.

History lesson: This fun little story makes the case that Vancouver is the photobooth capital of Canada (but don’t worry, we can also still be the rain capital of Canada too). 

More Olympic Villages: One story that sort of fell under the radar are the potential significant zoning changes to industrial land throughout the city, opening it up for more residential development. A good example of this is Olympic Village, which was formerly an industrial area. You can read it here.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Metro Vancouver sounds the alarm over water usage

What happened: Metro Vancouver is about to get more serious about how much water you and your family use, as a new report outlines how the region is facing a future where demand for water outstrips supply, according to the Vancouver Sun. One way the region plans to deal with this is by increasing the speed at which municipalities adopt water metering.

• Metering measures a household's water usage and charges the end user based on consumption, rather than incurring a flat fee. Not only does it help reduce water consumption, it also identifies water pipe leaks, which may impact 20% of water usage.

Context: The report says that 52 per cent of water in the region is unmetered, but this varies drastically by municipality. For example, 80 per cent of Surrey’s single-family homes and duplexes are metered, compared to 17 per cent in Vancouver. 

While that doesn’t look great, the good news for Vancouver is that 60% of households, driven by condos, use water meters. The region’s worst culprits? Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and North Vancouver are all under 30 per cent, as well as Port Moody, which does not track usage. Older single-family homes usually do not have meters installed. 

So why the push for metering now? The latest forecast from Metro Vancouver puts the region on a timeline of mid to late 2030 when demand for water will outstrip supply. Only six of the 15 Metro Vancouver jurisdictions have become fully metered, representing 47 per cent of water consumption, according to Business in Vancouver. 

• The region is the second largest water user in the country after Montreal, and its water use is among the highest per capita in the world. The region’s growing population will only make this situation worse. 

In some cases, residents may actually save money through water metering. In Surrey, an average single-family home pays $572.65 annually when meters are used, compared to a flat rate of $1,139, according to the Vancouver Sun. 

Zoom out: The Sunshine Coast offers a cautionary example. According to CBC, Metro Vancouver’s neighbouring region has hit Stage 4 water restrictions — which ban all outdoor water use — in five of its last eight summers. Back in 2022, there were concerns that there would not be enough water for firefighting and hospitals. 

• In Vancouver: The city passed a motion to install $15 million worth of meters, with a goal of 100% usage by 2040. 

What it means: Metro Vancouver has the power to force municipalities to institute metering, but has not done so, as municipalities worry about the additional costs of installing meters. Metering is a normal part of living in most cities, and in the age of climate change-induced droughts, adopting it is more critical than ever. 

• Dig deeper: You can read the entire report here.

THE VANCOUVER NUMBER

$45 million

The cost for UBC’s Beaty Biodiversity Centre expansion, which will help the University research into biodiversity loss, and will include a fossil storage room and pollinator garden. Anyone can visit the museum. 

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THE AGENDA

🏠 It’s ok to be confused by the Vancouver housing market. An economist with Zonda, a housing data provider, summed it up in the company’s Q4 Housing Market Forecast as being “structurally undersupplied”, but also experiencing decreased demand. Add in everything else going on in the broader Canadian economy, and you’ve got a “tricky” situation, according to the economist. Read more. [BIV]

🌊 Metro Vancouver representatives were recently told by the province that due to the B.C. government’s $11.6 billion operating deficit, there is no new money available for municipalities to work on flood mitigation, as part of the province’s 10-year flood strategy. Read more. [Vancouver Sun]

⛺ A new peer-reviewed study says that street sweeps, like the ones that frequently take place on the Downtown Eastside, increase the risk of non-fatal overdoses, as well as physical and sexual violence. Read more. [Vancouver is Awesome]

🗳️ Former Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart is leading a group launching a court challenge against the voting systems in B.C.’s biggest cities. The group, called “Fix City Hall” hopes to end at-large representation and instead have municipal representation by wards or single transferable vote. Read more. [CBC]

⛴️ A mechanical issue with one B.C. Ferries vessel stranded hundreds of passengers and led to the cancellation of many sailings to and from the Sunshine Coast on Sunday and Monday. Customers travelling Monday are advised to check the service notices before leaving for the terminal. Read more. [City News]

🏗️ A developer has submitted a rezoning application to build a 33-storey building on East Broadway at Victoria Drive, replacing a withdrawn rezoning application for a six-storey building on the same parcel of land. Read more. [Daily Hive]

🚁 Last week, search and rescue experts with North Shore Rescue used a helicopter-mounted LifeSeeker unit to rescue a mountain biker. This is believed to be the first use in Canada of the device, which can pinpoint a person’s cellphone in areas without cellular service. Read more. [Vancouver Sun]

🎻 Musicians with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra might go on strike. Read more. [CBC]

EVENT GUIDE

Splash – Free Preview Exhibition | Pendulum Gallery – 885 W. Georgia St. | Now–Oct. 2 | See 90+ donated works by Canadian and international artists in this public art preview | Free

Luxury Cocktail Showcase | 801 W Georgia St. | Sept. 22, 7–10 pm | Premium spirits tasting with guided cocktail experience and gourmet bites | Free

International South Asian Film Festival | Various locations | Sept. 24–28, various times | Festival features South Asian films, premieres, shorts and global stories

Splash – Free Preview Exhibition | Pendulum Gallery, 885 W. Georgia St.| Now–Oct. 2, multiple times | Free exhibit of 90+ works from acclaimed Canadian and international artists | Free

Cheese and Meat Festival 2025 | The Pipe Shop, 115 Victory Ship Way, North Vancouver | Sept. 27, various times | Dozens of vendors offering charcuterie tastings and gourmet bites | Tickets $83+

Harvest Days at VanDusen Botanical Garden | VanDusen Botanical Garden, 5251 Oak St., Vancouver | Sept. 27–Oct. 19 (weekends) & Oct. 13, 10 am–4 pm | Family-friendly fall displays with hay mazes, art, pumpkins and photo spots | Tickets $12+

Summer On The Rocks: Patio Party | Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown, 1128 West Hastings St. | Sept. 27-28 4:30–6:30 pm | Live music, signature drinks, and summer patio vibes from -196 and Beam Suntory | $30 adults, $15 kids

Vinícola Portugal Wine Festival | Heritage Hall, 3102 Main St. | Sept. 27, 2–6 pm | Curated tasting of 70 Portuguese wines with snacks and a pop-up wine shop | Tickets $65+

Pokémon GO City Safari Vancouver | Various locations | Sept. 27–28, 10 am–6 pm | Themed encounters, real-world activities, and Pokémon GO’s first Canadian global event | Tickets $14+

Japan Market Fall Festival | Robson Square Ice Rink | Sept. 28, 11 am–6 pm | 60+ vendors offering Japanese crafts, food, workshops and performances | Tickets $4

Harvest Haus | PNE Forum, 2901 E. Hastings St. | Oct. 3–4 | Oktoberfest-style party with beer, food, music and pretzels, 19+ event | Tickets $40+

Vision Zero Vancouver Presents: Life After Cars | SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 149 W Hastings St. | Nov. 8, 6:30 pm | A discussion with The War on Cars podcasts hosts Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear about their new book! | Tickets $35

FIFA SERIES

"A second COVID": How unclear FIFA restrictions are hurting Vancouver’s annual events

When Dominic Lai stepped out of a rideshare in front of Chinatown Plaza he was on the phone. The patio of the boutique coffee shop Annabelle’s was packed, and I’d narrowly been able to grab a table for us to meet. 

When Lai joined me, he said that was one of many media interviews he’d already done that day, with more coming up. News had broken the night before that his organization was cancelling their premier event, the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival in False Creek, for 2026. 

The reason? The FIFA World Cup. Vancouver is set to host seven matches at B.C. Place Stadium between June 13 and July 7, 2026.

Dragon Boat BC – where Lai is the operations and marketing director, among other titles – runs races and events all over the Lower Mainland and around the province. The False Creek race is the organization’s biggest event, drawing over 130,000 people for the paddling competition and free festival near Science World. It also accounts for 35-40 per cent of the Dragon Boat BC’s yearly operations and revenue budget. 

But for 2026, what would have been the 39th edition of the event, the city told Lai and Dragon Boat BC that it would not grant them permits due to restrictions imposed by FIFA. 

“This represents a second COVID for us in terms of impact,” Lai said.

Read the story

NEW VANCOUVER JOBS

Discover your new dream job in Vancouver:

• Manager, student engagement at SFU

• Media and campaign coordinator, The Now Group

• Photographer in residence at Langara College

• Director, people and culture at Powerex

• Office assistant at Metro Vancouver

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• If you have $27 million dollars and questionable taste, you can own a one-of-a-kind French home in Vancouver. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• China Eastern Airlines is resuming Vancouver-Shanghai flights. [BIV]

• Do you agree that these are the most iconic dishes in Vancouver? [Daily Hive]

• Aisle 24 on Robson Street, is B.C.’s first cashierless store. [Vancouver Sun]

• Vancouver is getting its first Krispy Kreme. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• UBC professor Billy-Ray Belcourt has released a new collection of poetry. [CBC] 

• If you wear a suit, pay attention: Vancouver tailors are sharing their favourite suit trends for this fall. 

• Explore Vancouver on foot with this new guidebook of the city’s waterways. [City News]

VANCOUVER NEWS QUIZ

PHOTO OF THE DAY

People are saying this Commercial-Broadway, pictured above, is the most beautiful station? Agree or disagree?