MetroVanWatch wishes to bring this meeting and report to everyone’s attention. Below is info about the meeting, and some of our comments.
West Vancouver Regular Council meeting AGENDA, Monday April 4, 2011, 6 pm, in Municipal Hall Main Floor Conference Room
Agenda 8. Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy Acceptance Process (File: 0185-01)
RECOMMENDED: THAT the report dated March 28 from the Acting Dir/Planning be received for information. Download the file here:
http://www.westvancouver.ca/uploadedFiles/Your_Government/Agendas_and_Minutes/2011/April/11APR4-8.PDF
- From MetroVanWatch: Tonight, the District of West Vancouver Council will be one of our region’s first municipal councils to receive a fresh status report on the Regional Growth Strategy since the 22 March deadline for responses to Metro Vancouver.
- This appears to be the first detailed information being made public about the current status, and even this is only indirect, via a municipal staff report to one municipal council.
- (Note that as of today, information about the “Regional Growth Strategy” has disappeared from the homepage of the Metro website. An evangelical video remains, but the link provided goes to something completely different. Only people knowing they need to actively search down four levels will find the RGS here.)
- Below is an excerpt we have retyped from the staff report to Council (West Van posted it online only as an image, not as text).
- We urge citizens and all 170+ elected municipal officials (not just the Metro Board members) to actively follow how Metro Vancouver deals with the dispute process. Is it fair? Is it transparent? Does it adequately address the concerns raised by objections?
- We especially note in the staff report that “The City of Coquitlam refused to accept and objected to almost all of the content of the RGS.” And “All affected local governments will be given the opportunity to participate in the dispute resolution process.”
Watch the live video feed here of West Van Council April 4 (note, RGS is agenda #8 of 6 pm meeting, not archived online): http://www.westvancouver.ca/Government/Level3.aspx?id=660
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EXCERPT (RETYPED) OF West Van staff report to Council on RGS, 4-Apr-2011 (includes all appendices, very worth reading)
(Underlining is by MetroVanWatch)
District of West Vancouver
Council Report
Date: March 28, 2011
File: 0185-01 METRO
From: Geri Boyle, Acting Director of Planning, Lands and Permits
Subject: Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy / Acceptance Process
Excerpt:
The purpose of this report is to update Council on the Regional Growth Strategy Acceptance process, now that the City of Port Moody and the City of Coquitlam have not accepted the Regional Growth Strategy Bylaw No. 1136, 2010 (the ‘RGS’).
…
3.0 Analysis
The RGS has been submitted to ‘affected local governments’ for acceptance, as set out in Section 857 0f the Local Government Act. Affected local governments had 60 days to respond and this period ended on March 22, 2011. If an affected local government refuses to accept the RGS, then it must indicate the provisions to which it objects, and the reasons for its objections.
Twenty-two of 24 affected local governments have accepted the RGS. The City of Port Moody did not accept the RGS but identified conditions under which they are prepared to accept (see Appendix A). The City of Coquitlam refused to accept and objected to almost all of the content of the RGS (see Appendix B).
The Local Government Act requires the Metro Vancouver Board to notify the Minister of Community Sport and Cultural Development if any local government refuses to accept.
1. The Metro Vancouver Board will be considering this matter via a Board report scheduled for April 8, 2011. The minister then determines if the dispute resolution process should be a non-binding or binding process (Appendix C). Also, the March 16, 2011 Metro staff report to the Technical Advisory Committee states:
“All affected local governments will be given the opportunity to participate in the dispute resolution process. Costs for the process are divided among participating municipalities and the regional district. It is difficult to determine how long these processes could take but an estimate is approximately four to six months.”
The outcome of the settlement process may result in changes to the RGS and these changes may be subject to an acceptance process by all affected local governments. If there are no changes to the RGS as a result of the settlement process, the RGS can at that point be given final reading.
Metro has also advised that five local governments have requested that certain amendments to the RGS be processed as soon as possible after enactment. These include:
* District of West Vancouver － Appendix D
* City of Richmond － Appendix E
* Tsawwassen First Nation － Appendix F
* District of North Vancouver － Appendix F
* City of Coquitlam － Appendix H
4.0 Options
Council may:
1. Receive for information the staff report dated March 28, 2011 0n the Regional Growth Strategy acceptance process;
2. Receive for information the staff report dated March 28, 2011 on the Regional Growth Strategy acceptance process and request further information.
APPENDICES
Appendix A: City of Port Moody Letter dated March 18, 2011 re Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy
Appendix B: City of Coquitlam Letter dated March 22, 2011 re response to proposed Metro Vancouver regional Growth strategy Bylaw No. 1136,2010
Appendix C: Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Letter dated February 22, 201 1 re Status of the Draft Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy Notification to Minister
Appendix D: District of West Vancouver Letter dated March 8, 2011
Appendix E: City of Richmond Letter dated March 2, 2011
Appendix F: Tsawwassen First Nation Letter dated March 7, 2011 re Bylaw Acceptance of Metro Vancouver Regional Growth strategy
Appendix G: District of North Vancouver Letter dated March 22, 2011
Appendix H: City of Coquitlam Letter dated March 22, 2011 re Redesignation of the Westwood Plateau Gold Course Lands
MetroVanWatch 