Government Relations Update #343
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Mark Sakai, Director of Government Relations &
Jay Chadha, Government Relations Research Associate
Twitter: @Mark_HAVAN
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METRO WEST
For Your Information
- On the agenda for Burnaby’s City Council meeting of 10 February is a report regarding the ‘New Burnaby Transportation Plan – Phase 2’. Also, there is a report with information on ‘Five and Six-Storey Wood Frame Buildings and Mass Timber Construction’.
- Here’s Vancouver Chief Planner Gil Kelley on the Vancouver Real Estate Podcast talking about the City-Wide Plan.
- From Policynote, here’s a piece by Alex Hemingway on the lessons to be learnt from the recently approved Senakw development.
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NORTHEAST SECTOR
For Your Information
- On the agenda for Port Coquitlam’s Council meeting of 11 February is a report regarding the ‘Westwood/Woodland Frequent Transit Development Area’.
- At Port Moody’s Regular Council meeting of 11 February, a memo providing ‘Clarification on Council Direction for Moody Centre Transit Oriented Development Area Workshop’ is on the agenda. Also, there are reports regarding ‘Secondary Suite Amendments’ and ‘Updating [Port Moody’s] Tree Protection Bylaw’.
- On the agenda for Maple Ridge’s Regular Council meeting of 11 February is a Climate Action Motion regarding the city's declaration of climate emergency (pg. 3).
- At Pitt Meadows’ Regular Council meeting of 11 February, a report on a ‘Pitt Meadows Official Community Plan Residential Policy Review’ is on the agenda.
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SOUTH OF FRASER
For Your Information
- The following corporate reports are on the agenda for Surrey’s Regular Council (Public Hearing) meeting of 10 February: Surrey-Langley SkyTrain Update (R015); Surrey-Langley SkyTrain Project – Supportive Policies Agreement (R016); 10-Year (2020-2029) Servicing Plan and 2020 Development Cost Charge Bylaw (R017); Update on Current Land Use Plans Priorities and Development Capacity (R021); Fleetwood Plan Update (R023). Also on the agenda is Cllr. Annis’ motion regarding ‘Innovative Approaches for Rental Supply’ and the ‘2020 Development Cost Charge Bylaw’ will be up for consideration should council approve corporate report No. R017.
- On the agenda for Langley Township’s Regular Council (Afternoon) meeting of 10 February is a notice of motion from Cllr. Woodward regarding Council’s support towards the Ministry of Agriculture’s Residential Flexibility in the ALR report (pg. 3). Also, at the Township’s Regular Council (Evening) meeting, Cllr. Woodward put forward a motion to reconsider the Willoughby Arterial Road Completion Amenity Policy and a notice of motion regarding a Brookswood-Fernridge Arterial Road Completion Amenity Policy (pg. 8).
- Last week’s GRU mentioned a tiff between Delta Councillors Lois Jackson and Dylan Kruger on the issue of high-rises in the “Townline Special Development Area Concept Plan” – you can now view the council video here -- click on Item F04 to jump to the topic. I must say that I am in disagreement with virtually everything Cllr. Jackson is saying about high-rises. On the other hand, a big thumbs-up to Cllr. Kruger’s comments. Here’s a link to the article that Cllr. Jackson quotes (Some of the silliest arguments I’ve ever read against high-rise residential development). On the same video, you may want to check out Item F06, for discussion on Delta’s Regional Context Statement, including falling short on population and housing projections.
- Delta Mayor George Harvie is not terribly impressed with Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Claire Trevena’s comment regarding the absence of future rapid transit allowance for the Massey Crossing Project.
- Here’s a piece in the Delta Optimist regarding the city’s efforts to streamline their development application process.
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NORTH SHORE
For Your Information
- The market plus a slow approvals process in North Vancouver District places another project on hold.
- North Vancouver District Councillor Betty Forbes contends that she did ‘nothing wrong’ when pushed for a bylaw to ban pigeons from residences. (Eye roll)
- On the agenda for West Vancouver’s Regular Council meeting of 10 February is a report titled ‘Climate Emergency – Bylaw and Policy Amendments’.
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REGIONAL, PROVINCIAL, NATIONAL
For Your Information
- Here are the January statistics reports from REBGV and FVREB.
- A strong start to 2020 for concrete projects in Metro Vancouver as per MLA’s January 2020 Pre-Sale Real Estate Insights report.
- TransLink's Mayors' Council has renewed their call for permanent federal funding for transit as representatives from the Council head to Ottawa to meet on this topic.
- Abbotsford’s Mayor Braun has let it be known that a rail transit line connecting Metro Vancouver to the eastern end of the Lower Mainland is also needed.
- Here’s a piece by Dan Fumano in The Sun on Translink’s Kootenay Loop rental project that could’ve been (and still might be).
- Dominion Lending Centres’ Chief Economist Sherry Cooper calls the Federal First Time Home Buyer Incentive ‘a flop’ as only 29 buyers in Metro Vancouver used the program since its launch in September 2019.
- A stark contrast in the office markets of Western Canada’s two largest cities as Vancouver has amongst the lowest vacancy rates in all of North America whilst Calgary currently has Canada’s highest office vacancy rate at nearly 25%.
- Here’s C.D. Howe Institute’s report on ‘Monetary Policy and the Impact of Non-bank Financial Intermediaries’ (in Canada).
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RENOVATIONS
For Your Information
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HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
For Your Information
- Are you a housing policy geek that needs to learn about the theory behind the concept of ‘filtering’? Well, here’s the paper for you.
- Scotiabank’s CEO says that we should concentrate on increasing housing supply.
- Here’s a great column from the Abbotsford News on the interconnectedness of our regional housing market, and how ‘slow-growth’ policies enacted by some municipal councils impact housing markets all over the Lower Mainland.
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EVERYTHING ELSE
For Your Information
- From Price Tags, here’s video of a talk by Jeff Tumlin (CEO of San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency) on the future of personal mobility, including congestion, induced demand, autonomous vehicles. A good presentation.
- Here’s an interesting read from Sightline titled ‘The Climate Clock is Running Out - What would affordable, post-carbon cities look like?’. A fascinating quote from the article is that “If [Vancouver’s] population were as concentrated as Barcelona’s, all of greater Vancouver would fit within five miles of Science World”.
- Here’s a good piece from bchydro.com, featuring HAVAN Technical Committee members David Hill and Gary Hamer, on tips to reduce condensation in your home.
- You could almost call this BBC article “Low Emission Heating For Dummies”. Waste Water Heat Capture? HRVs? Not really what you’d call “revolutionary”.
- Here’s the new design for Cadillac Fairview’s proposed Waterfront Station tower. This piece in the Vancouver Courier also includes a Q and A with Tom Knoepfel, a Senior VP with the company.
- OK, this idea from the Mumbai Police is either brilliant, or the most insidious traffic noise management ever.
- Budweiser creates a short video honouring the Sedins, as we approach their jersey retirement date.
- And finally, I noted that Chad Skelton, whom I follow on Twitter, is helping his kid (in Grade 4) complete a science project about dogs (are they left-pawed or right-pawed?) If you want to help them out, check out this web page, and conduct a short experiment on your own pooch!
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HAVAN, through its Director of Government Relations, works with Metro Vancouver local governments on important public policy issues, including pending and existing regulations which impact the home building industry. Non-partisan policy analysis and strategic consultation is provided in a collaborative approach in order to efficiently deliver to market the required supply of homes to support Metro Vancouver's 21 municipalities. Working with HAVAN members and industry stakeholders, to build and maintain positive relations with municipal, regional and provincial governments, HAVAN is the respected voice of Metro Vancouver's residential construction industry.
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