B.C. undermines municipal tax base and affordability (Vancouver Sun, opinion, Elizabeth Murphy) – Provincial encroachment will cost owners and renters

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B.C. Legislature

This opinion piece appeared recently in the Vancouver Sun but has been seriously unreported and little discussed.

The unintended consequences of the property-tax surcharge haven’t been thought through, says Elizabeth Murphy. In this article she looks at the consequences. 

You are encouraged to contact your MLA if concerned and be sure to include Minister of Finance Carole James and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Selina Robinson. We have bolded some sections for emphasis.

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B.C. undermines municipal tax base and affordability
By Elizabeth Murphy. Vancouver Sun, March 9, 2018.

Photo caption: Life is made less affordable for owners and renters by provincial encroachment into the municipal tax base.

The province recently introduced their budget, the first, full-year budget for the new NDP government. They claim it “puts people first, makes life more affordable for British Columbians.” Although there are many aspects to the budget that are…

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Too many looked the other way when it came to money laundering in B.C. – Commentary by Dermod Travis, IntegrityBC

CityHallWatch: Tools to engage in Vancouver city decisions

Laundromat. Photo not selected by IntegrityBC.

Commentary dated 22-March-2018 from Dermod Travis, executive director of IntegrityBC.

Could a similar question be posed of money laundering at B.C. casinos to that of the philosophical thought experiment, “if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

The question might go like this: if money laundering happens and everyone looks the other way, was it really laundered?

Citing a till-then secret 2016 report by auditor MNP LLP, the Vancouver Sun’s Sam Cooper reported last fall that B.C.’s gaming policy and enforcement branch (GPEB) had “compiled a document which identified approximately $13.5 million in $20 bills being accepted at River Rock Casino in July 2015.”

The MNP report noted that: “Law enforcement intelligence has indicated (the funds) may be the direct proceeds of crime,” adding “casino staff are accepting these wads of cash…

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Rail group sees “massive conflict of interest” behind TransLink’s business cases on Broadway subway, Surrey LRT decisions, etc.

Citizens’ group Rail for the Valley has published a post today saying there appears to be a massive conflict of interest in decision-making behind two major transportation plans.

Excerpt here:

A Massive Conflict of Interest

Friday, February 16, 2018

Oh, what tangled webs we weave……..

The big news today is not the forthcoming announcement by the Premier and Minister of Transportation replacing the aged and decrepit Pattullo Bridge, with a new $1.6 billion bridge, rather it is revelation that so-called due diligence panels of handpicked experts who were hired to review TransLink’s business cases.

Included in the due diligence panels was a former SNC Lavalin Executive, yet SNC Lavalin hold the Engineering Patents for the ART Innovia proprietary light-metro system! In fact the due diligence panel, to review the TransLink business case for both the Broadway subway and Surrey’s LRT were filled with SkyTrain and light-metro types.

Even more disturbing, no one with any expertise with modern LRT, was on the panel.

As for TransLink’s Business Cases for transit projects, they are a joke, the Evergreen Line’s business case was easily shredded by transit expert Gerald Fox and the business case for the Canada Line allowed a subway to be built with just more than half the capacity needed to justify a subway!

A massive conflict of interest now hangs over both rail transit projects, abetted by Premier Horgan and Minister of Transportation Claire Travena.

The fix is in and with the Broadway Subway and the Surrey LRT, as the recommendations from the due diligence panels were censored from the briefing notes.

See full article here:

http://www.railforthevalley.com/latest-news/zweisystem/a-massive-conflict-of-interest/

 

New documentary “Watershed Guardians of the Fraser” River, Screening Oct 19 (Thurs)

Delta-Richmond Council of Canadians is pleased to confirm the first screening of a new documentary, Watershed Guardians of the Fraser River, and hope you will extend invitations by forwarding this email to your distribution list. Producer/director, Jocelyn Demers, will be on hand for discussion along with local individuals and organizations featured in the 68-minute film. Q&A with audience will follow.

Thursday, October 19, 2017
Doors open at 6:30 pm. Event starts at 7:00 pm.
Richmond Hospital Auditorium, 7000 Westminster Hwy
Free admission – donations welcome at the door
Easily accessible on public transit. Free parking in gravel lot marked “staff only” on north side of hospital. Enter parking lot from Westminster Hwy and take immediate left.

Trailer and reviews: https://www.mondefilms.com/
More information: deltarichmondcoc@gmail.com

Film review:
The Watershed Guardians of the Fraser River by filmmaker, Jocelyn Demers, presents an in-depth view of the rich interactive ecosystems of the Fraser River Watershed and the people who champion their protection. Eye-catching photography and accompanying commentaries draw attention to the global significance of the watershed which supports the most productive salmon river in the world, endangered orcas, sturgeon, and Canada’s major stopover for millions of migrating birds of the Pacific Flyway.
Commentators share concerns that the river, which once brought natural prosperity, is now under threat from human activities and industrialization. Streams providing fresh water are being filled in. Gravel extraction, dredging, contamination, dumping and barriers along the river banks are polluting and altering water flows causing degradation of ecosystems and the loss of biodiversity. Recognizing that the river provides humans with clean water, food, health, recreation, and connectivity with nature, advocates work to restore and protect the health of the watershed.
This thought-provoking documentary is a call for action as there is so much to lose.

Metro Vancouver consulting in Sept/Oct on doubling/tripling of Development Cost Charges for liquid waste infrastructure

Below is a message being circulated by Metro Vancouver (GVRD). Rates in are proposed to double or triple, depending on the sewerage area.

For detailed info on the proposed changes, click here. A consultation event is planned in each of four sewerage areas plus one webinar as follows: North Shore (Sept 19), Vancouver (Sept 20), Fraser (Surrey, Sept 21), Lulu (Richmond, Oct 3), Webinar (Oct 4). See below for details.

Any citizens who attend, we would welcome a report for posting. Any time a government seeks to increase charges is a good time to scrutinize its efficiency. Are current and proposed future charges reasonable, and how do they compare to comparable regions?

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BOTTOM LINE:

The current DCC rates (per unit for residential and per square foot for non-residential) are as follows:

Sewer Area	Single-Family	Townhouse	Apartment	Non-Residential
Vancouver	$944	$826	$590	$0.443 sq ft
​Lulu Island	​$1,077	​$942	​$673	​$0.505 sq ft
​North Shore	​$1,291	​$1,129	​$807	​$0.605 sq ft
​Fraser	​$1,731	​$1,515	​$1,082	​$0.811 sq ft

The proposed new rates are:

Sewer Area	Single-Family	Townhouse	Apartment	Non-Residential
Vancouver	$1,811	$1,618	$1,072	$0.93 sq ft
​Lulu Island	​$2,214	​$1,915	​$1,388	​$1.05 sq ft
​North Shore	​$2,300	​$2,076	​$1,416	​$1.20 sq ft
​Fraser	​$5,428	​$4,695	​$3,530	​$2.67 sq ft

According to our calculations the rates of increase are as follows. A “2.0” means a doubling.

 

Sewer Area	Single-Family	Townhouse	Apartment	Non-Residential
Vancouver	1.9	2.0	1.8	2.1
​Lulu Island	2.1	2.0	​2.1	​2.1
​North Shore	1.8	​1.8	1.8	2.0
​Fraser	3.1	​3.1	​3.3	3.3

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Metro Vancouver Development Cost Charge Review Consultation

Metro Vancouver is proposing updates to its Development Cost Charge (DCC) Program and invites you to participate in a series of consultation dialogues regarding the proposed updates.

Metro Vancouver’s DCC Program supports the expanding liquid waste infrastructure needed to support the region’s growing population. DCC rates have not been updated since their inception in 1997, despite the influx of significant development, the increasing need for the expansion of our liquid waste system and the increasing cost of infrastructure. As a result, Metro Vancouver initiated a DCC review process in 2015, with the expectation that the new DCC bylaw would be in place by the end of 2017 and implemented for April 1, 2018.

The proposed changes focus on the principle that ‘growth pays for growth’ and are based on the current financial model with growth projected over the next 30 years.

The proposed changes also recognize that the four sewerage areas — Vancouver, Lulu Island, North Shore and Fraser — each have a different cost profile as a result of population, growth rate, and prior infrastructure investments.

Consultation dialogues will be held in the four sewerage areas and will take place as follows, including a lunch from 11:30 to noon followed by a presentation and dialogue from noon to 1:30 pm. Registration is requested.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017	North Shore Sewerage Area	Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier 138 Victory Ship Way, North Vancouver
Wednesday, September 20, 2017	Vancouver Sewerage Area	Sheraton Wall Centre 1088 Burrard St, Vancouver
Thursday, September 21, 2017	Fraser Sewerage Area	Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel 15269 104 Ave, Surrey
Monday, October 2, 2017	Fraser Sewerage Area	Anvil Centre 777 Columbia St, New Westminster
Tuesday, October 3, 2017	Lulu Sewerage Area	Executive Airport Plaza Hotel Richmond 7311 Westminster Hwy, Richmond
Wednesday, October 4, 2017	Webinar	Online

For more information on the proposed changes, please click here.

Register for Consultation

We look forward to your participation.

Greg Moore, Chair,
Metro Vancouver Board

Richard Walton, Chair,
Metro Vancouver Performance and Audit Committee

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Other Resources

For the Finance and Intergovernment Committee report on the DCC Program Review that was presented in July, please go to:
http://www.metrovancouver.org/boards/IntergovernmentFinance/FIC_Jul_19_2017_Agenda.pdf

Further Information

For more information on the DCC Program Review Project, please contact Dean Rear at dean.rear@metrovancouver.org or 604-436-6838.

 

 

No credible bridge design or cost-benefit analysis for George Massey Tunnel plans: Susan Jones

On September 12, 2017, Delta resident Susan Jones wrote this letter to nearly 50 MLAs including the B.C. Cabinet, BC Greens MLAs, and Councils in Delta and Richmond. Republished here with permission.

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September 12, 2017
Executive Council of the B.C. Government
PO Box 9041 STN Prov Govt, Victoria, B.C. V8W 9E1

B.C. Green Party MLAs

Re: Cancelation of bridge construction and review of the George Massey Tunnel

Thank you for canceling construction of the bridge to replace the George Massey Tunnel. The media are erroneously reporting that the technical work has been done on the planned bridge to replace the Massey Tunnel. In fact the numerous documents posted by the B.C. Liberal Government are mainly literature compilations and descriptive information.

There is no bridge design. There is only a preliminary, conceptual plan for the bridge. The six geotechnical reports are mainly a collection of available information. The Geotechnical Data Report, posted February, 2017, contains test-hole data and laboratory investigations which do not include “project design requirements” and “cannot guarantee or warranty that the geotechnical information obtained is sufficient to fully satisfy the project objectives or requirements.”[i]

There is no evidence that a bridge can be safely constructed at this location. Without data and evidence, it is not possible to calculate the cost of the bridge. In fact, evidence collected to date confirms that the soils in location of the planned bridge are liquefiable sand and silt to great depths. Any bridge supports would need to be deep pile foundations. It they can be built at all, they would be exorbitantly expensive due to depth requirements and massive lateral structures.

The geotechnical information available to the public is accompanied by a disqualifier:

Surprising turn of events with Port of Vancouver re Fraser River dredging, Massey Tunnel

A scene along Fraser River near Steveston

On the headlined topic, we received the following compilation of materials from Susan Jones at the end of May 2017, and provide it for readers here, with permission. She quotes official documents and other materials obtained through FOI inquiry, and then provides her own insightful commentary which we indicate with blue italics.

The revelations described here undermine the provincial government’s “justification” for building the proposed new bridge over the Fraser to replace the Massey Tunnel. Implications are in the billions of dollars.

Two attachments:

• 2017-05-25 Port Van, Backgrounder, Fraser River Future Trade
• 2017-05-25 Port Van, Media Release, Fraser Port no plans river dredging

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Attached is a surprising Press Release from Port of Vancouver.

“The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority announced today that it has no plans to further deepen the Fraser River to accommodate larger vessels as it, together with existing marine terminal properties and port industrial lands, can sufficiently handle Canada’s trade for the foreseeable future.”

This is an astonishing turnabout from the Port of Vancouver as the Port worked with the BC Government for 3 years in planning the replacement of the George Massey Tunnel with a massive bridge.  Freedom of Information documents disclose communications about dredging the river and clearance requirements for larger shipping vessels up the south arm of the Fraser River.

Fraser Surrey Docks, which operates under the Port of Vancouver Authority, lobbied to get federal support for deeper dredging of the Fraser.  Jeff Scott, President and CEO of Fraser Surrey Docks, met with the federal Deputy Minister of Finance on February 28, 2013 to discuss expansion plans for Fraser Surrey Docks.  A Memorandum prepared for the Deputy Minister stated:

“Fraser Surrey Docks is currently operating below capacity.  Its location on the Fraser River limits it ability to service the larger, deep-draft vessels that are becoming the norm in container and bulk export markets…

Dredging Project

The company has developed a proposal providing for the large scale dredging of the Fraser River in order to accommodate larger vessels (dredging is limited to a depth of 13.5 metres due to the George Massey Tunnel that runs underneath the Fraser River).  The proposal was presented in late 2012 to the federal Ministers and officials including the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, the Clerk of the Privy Council, and the Deputy Minister and Assistant Deputy Minister (Policy) at Transport Canada.  Fraser Surrey Docks recommends the costs of dredging (estimated at $180 million and $250 million over 5 years) be shared equally between the federal government, Port Metro Vancouver and the company.  … the port assumes that the existing tunnel will be replaced by a bridge or a deeper tunnel that would not constrain navigation.”

The Gateway Transportation Collaboration Forum also includes deeper dredging of the Fraser in their list of future projects.

The Gateway Transportation Collaboration Forum includes: Transport Canada, B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) Translink, Greater Vancouver Gateway Council (GVGC), and Port Metro Vancouver.

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March 31, 2015          Report on:  Gateway Transportation Collaboration Forum website.            https://delta.civicweb.net/document/119735

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