Metro Vancouver | |
|---|---|
| Metro Vancouver Regional District | |
 Satellite image of Metro Vancouver | |
 Flag  Logo | |
Major communities | |
 Location in British Columbia | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Incorporated[1] | 29 June 1967 |
| Name change[1] | 13 June 1968 |
| Name change[2] | 30 January 2017 |
| Administrative office | Burnaby |
| Electoral Areas | A |
| Government | |
| • Type | Regional district |
| • Body | Board of Directors |
| • Chair | Mike Hurley (Burnaby) |
| • Vice chair | John McEwen (Anmore) |
| Area (2021)[4] | |
| • Land | 2,878.93 km2 (1,111.56 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,990 m (6,530 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2021)[4] | |
• Total | 2,642,825 |
• Estimate (2024)[5] | 3,108,926 |
| • Rank | 2 (Canadian CD) |
| • Density | 918/km2 (2,380/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 2 (Canadian CD) |
| Demonym | Metro Vancouverite |
| GDP | |
| • Total | CA$163.772 billion (2020) |
| Time zone | UTC−08:00 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−07:00 (PDT) |
| Area codes | 604 /778 / 236 / 672 |
| Website | metrovancouver |
TheMetro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), or simplyMetro Vancouver, is a Canadianpolitical subdivision andcorporate entity representing themetropolitan area ofGreater Vancouver, designated by provincial legislation as one of the 28regional districts inBritish Columbia.[7][8] The organization was known as theRegional District of Fraser–Burrard for nearly one year upon incorporating in 1967, and as theGreater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) from 1968 to 2017.
Metro Vancouver bordersWhatcom County, Washington, to the south, theFraser Valley Regional District to the east, theSquamish-Lillooet Regional District to the north, and theNanaimo Regional District andCowichan Valley Regional District across theStrait of Georgia to the west.
The MVRD is under the direction of 23 local authorities and delivers regional services, sets policy and acts as a political forum. The regional district's most populous city isVancouver, and Metro Vancouver's administrative offices are located in the city ofBurnaby. The MVRD's boundaries match those of the Vancouvercensus metropolitan area (CMA) as identified byStatistics Canada.
The Greater Vancouver Water District and the Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District were established in 1924 and 1956 respectively.[9] The Government of British Columbia incorporated a regional district for this western portion of theLower Mainland named the Regional District of Fraser-Burrard on 29 June 1967.[1] Just under a year later, the regional district was renamed as the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) on 13 June 1968.[1]
In 2007, the GVRD applied to change its official legal name a second time to simply "Metro Vancouver", which was deemed more recognizable at the time.[10] British Columbia's Minister of Community Services denied the application due to the absence of the term "regional district" within the proposed new name, though it was suggested that the GVRD could brand itself under the unofficial name of Metro Vancouver.[10] After nine years, with growing public recognition of Metro Vancouver, the overall success of the brand, and confusion between the brand and the official legal name of the regional district, the GVRD moved in 2016 to change its name to the Metro Vancouver Regional District.[10][11] The regional district was therefore formally renamed a second time by the Government of British Columbia on 30 January 2017 to the Metro Vancouver Regional District.[2]
The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD) is located east of theStrait of Georgia and north of theState of Washington and is bisected by theFraser River.[12] The boundaries of the MVRD match those of the Vancouver CMA.[12][13]
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This regional district comprises 23 local authorities as members: 21 municipalities, one electoral area and one treaty First Nation.[14]
| Member | Census subdivision | Population (2021) | Population (2016) | % change (2016–2021) | 2021 provincial rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anmore | Village | 2,356 | 2,210 | +6.6% | 185th |
| Belcarra | Village | 687 | 643 | +6.8% | 301st |
| Bowen Island | Island municipality | 4,256 | 3,680 | +15.7% | 118th |
| Burnaby | City | 249,125 | 232,755 | +7.0% | 3rd |
| Coquitlam | City | 148,625 | 139,284 | +6.7% | 6th |
| Delta | City | 108,455 | 102,238 | +6.1% | 10th |
| City of Langley | City | 28,963 | 25,888 | +11.9% | 30th |
| Township of Langley | District municipality | 132,603 | 117,285 | +13.1% | 8th |
| Lions Bay | Village | 1,390 | 1,334 | +4.2% | 251st |
| Maple Ridge | City | 90,990 | 82,256 | +10.6% | 15th |
| Metro Vancouver A | Regional district electoral area | 18,612 | 16,133 | +15.4% | 39th |
| New Westminster | City | 78,916 | 70,996 | +11.2% | 17th |
| City of North Vancouver | City | 58,120 | 52,898 | +9.9% | 20th |
| District of North Vancouver | District municipality | 88,168 | 85,649 | +2.9% | 16th |
| Pitt Meadows | City | 19,146 | 18,573 | +3.1% | 37th |
| Port Coquitlam | City | 61,498 | 58,612 | +4.9% | 19th |
| Port Moody | City | 33,535 | 33,551 | ±0.0% | 28th |
| Richmond | City | 209,937 | 198,309 | +5.9% | 4th |
| Surrey | City | 568,322 | 517,887 | +9.7% | 2nd |
| Tsawwassen | First Nation | 2,256 | 816 | +176.5% | 191st |
| Vancouver | City | 662,248 | 631,486 | +4.9% | 1st |
| West Vancouver | District municipality | 44,122 | 42,473 | +3.9% | 23rd |
| White Rock | City | 21,939 | 19,952 | +10.0% | 33rd |
| Metro Vancouver | 2,642,825 | 2,463,431 | +7.3% | – | |
| Source:Statistics Canada[15];Metro Vancouver Regional District[16] | |||||
Electoral Area A comprises allunincorporated land within the regional district boundaries, which totals about 818 square kilometres. Most of the area is in the northernmost part of the district, including residential areas and isolated dwellings onHowe Sound between Lions Bay and Horseshoe Bay, on Indian Arm to the north of Deep Cove and Belcarra/Anmore and on the west side ofPitt Lake to the north of Port Coquitlam. Other areas included are Barnston Island on theFraser River, Passage Island between Bowen Island and West Vancouver, and finally the urban communities of theUniversity of British Columbia campus and theUniversity Endowment Lands, in which 98% of the population of Electoral Area A lives.[17]
There are also seventeenFirst Nations reserves within the geographical area of Metro Vancouver, with a combined population of 7,550 as of 2006. While reserves are not subject to Metro Vancouver by-laws, people living on reserve are still eligible to vote in local and Electoral Area A elections and therefore help select the Metro Vancouver board of directors.[18]
The cities ofAbbotsford andChilliwack and the district ofMission, located to the east, although often linked to Vancouver in promotions and tourism, are part of a separate regional district, theFraser Valley Regional District.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1891 | 21,887 | — |
| 1901 | 42,926 | +96.1% |
| 1911 | 164,020 | +282.1% |
| 1921 | 232,597 | +41.8% |
| 1931 | 347,709 | +49.5% |
| 1941 | 393,898 | +13.3% |
| 1951 | 562,462 | +42.8% |
| 1961 | 790,741 | +40.6% |
| 1971 | 1,028,334 | +30.0% |
| 1981 | 1,169,831 | +13.8% |
| 1991 | 1,602,590 | +37.0% |
| 1996 | 1,831,665 | +14.3% |
| 2001 | 1,986,965 | +8.5% |
| 2006 | 2,116,581 | +6.5% |
| 2011 | 2,313,328 | +9.3% |
| 2016 | 2,463,431 | +6.5% |
| 2021 | 2,642,825 | +7.3% |
As acensus division in the2021 Canadian census conducted byStatistics Canada, the Metro Vancouver Regional District had a population of2,642,825 living in1,043,319 of its1,104,532 total private dwellings, a change of7.3% from its 2016 population of2,463,431. With a land area of 2,878.93 km2 (1,111.56 sq mi), it had a population density of918.0/km2 (2,377.6/sq mi) in 2021.[19] The Metro Vancouver Regional District is the densest and most populous regional district in British Columbia, and the second-densest and second-most populous census division in Canada behindToronto.[4]
| Panethnic group | 2021[20][21] | 2016[22][23] | 2011[24][25] | 2006[26] | 2001[27] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| European[a][b] | 1,124,475 | 43.13% | 1,179,100 | 48.6% | 1,197,985 | 52.53% | 1,182,355 | 56.36% | 1,204,970 | 61.24% |
| East Asian[c] | 606,920 | 23.28% | 557,745 | 22.99% | 488,240 | 21.41% | 451,790 | 21.53% | 395,540 | 20.1% |
| South Asian | 369,295 | 14.17% | 291,005 | 11.99% | 252,405 | 11.07% | 207,165 | 9.87% | 164,365 | 8.35% |
| Southeast Asian[d] | 198,940 | 7.63% | 168,075 | 6.93% | 156,315 | 6.85% | 112,365 | 5.36% | 85,485 | 4.34% |
| Middle Eastern[e] | 87,090 | 3.34% | 62,440 | 2.57% | 48,870 | 2.14% | 35,590 | 1.7% | 27,340 | 1.39% |
| Indigenous | 63,345 | 2.43% | 61,455 | 2.53% | 52,375 | 2.3% | 40,310 | 1.92% | 36,855 | 1.87% |
| Latin American | 51,500 | 1.98% | 34,805 | 1.43% | 29,125 | 1.28% | 22,695 | 1.08% | 18,715 | 0.95% |
| African | 41,180 | 1.58% | 29,830 | 1.23% | 23,545 | 1.03% | 20,670 | 0.99% | 18,405 | 0.94% |
| Other/Multiracial[f] | 65,350 | 2.51% | 41,780 | 1.72% | 31,835 | 1.4% | 25,035 | 1.19% | 15,810 | 0.8% |
| Total responses | 2,607,015 | 98.65% | 2,426,235 | 98.49% | 2,280,695 | 98.59% | 2,097,965 | 99.12% | 1,967,480 | 99.02% |
| Total population | 2,642,825 | 100% | 2,463,431 | 100% | 2,313,328 | 100% | 2,116,581 | 100% | 1,986,965 | 100% |
| Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses | ||||||||||
Metro Vancouver technically comprises four separate corporate entities: the Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), the Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District (GVS&DD), the Greater Vancouver Water District (GVWD) and the Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation (MVHC).[7] Each of these is governed by a board of directors. The board of the MVRD has 40 directors coming from the 23 local authorities who are MVRD members.[3] The number of directors coming from each local authority is determined by population, and the number of votes allocated to each director further helps proportionally represent the population distribution of the region. Each board director is also an elected official of one of the local authorities, with the exception of the elected representative for Electoral Area A (which has no council).[citation needed]
As of 2017, the organization had about 1,500 employees.[28] The current organizational structure shows ten departments reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer:[29] Human Resources & Corporate Services; External Relations; Financial Services; Legal Services & Aboriginal Relations; Board & Information Services; Liquid Waste Services; Parks & Housing Services; Planning & Environment; Solid Waste Services; and Water Services.[citation needed]
The principal function of Metro Vancouver is to administer resources and services which are common across the metropolitan area. The Metro Vancouver Board has defined its strategic priorities for 2015 through 2018 in its Board Strategic Plan.[30]
The organization categorizes its work into action areas[7] as described in the following subsections. However, 84% of the organization's budget is spent in three of those areas – the three utilities (water, liquid waste, solid waste).[7] Metro Vancouver's commitments and its members' commitments to each action area are outlined in eight board-approved management plans[31] as referenced below.
Metro Vancouver'stap water is provided by four legal entities that operate under the name Metro Vancouver: the GVWD, the GVS&DD, the MVRD and MVHC.[citation needed] They collectively serve 2.8 million residents in the region and provide 1.5 billion litres (400,000,000 US gal) of water during peak summer days.[32] The GVWD provides tap water to a land area covering more than 2,600 km² with all of the water coming from three sources: theCapilano reservoir, the Seymour reservoir and theCoquitlam reservoir. Metro Vancouver controls theCleveland Dam on the Capilano reservoir, which supplies 40 percent of the district's water.[33] The system includes 26 storage tanks, 19 pump stations, and 520 kilometres (320 mi) ofwater mains.[32]
Metro Vancouver operates and maintains the liquid waste facility, which includes managing "the network of trunk sewers, pumping stations and wastewater treatment plants that connect with municipal sewer systems".[34] Throughout operations, the organization is committed to protecting public health and the environment, and recovering as much resources (energy, nutrients, etc.) as possible out of the waste stream.[7]
The liquid waste utility is committed to the goals and strategies in the Integrated Liquid Waste and Resource Management plan,[35] as approved by the board. The three goals are to:
Metro Vancouver's solid waste utility is committed to the goals and strategies in the Integrated Solid Waste and Resource Management plan,[36] as approved by the board. The four goals are to:
One initiative of the organization was the Ashcroft Manor Ranch Mega-Landfill Proposal inAshcroft, British Columbia, in theThompson Country of theBritish Columbia Interior, as there is no more room in the Lower Mainland for Metro Vancouver's garbage.[citation needed] A similar project nearby adjacent to the town ofCache Creek, British Columbia has almost reached capacity. Environmental concerns about the area's sensitiveshrub–steppe climate and ecology are strong, whileHighland Valley Copper, nearLogan Lake, has offered the use of its mine-pit instead. Other MVRD landfill locations serving the regional district in the past have been in theFraser Mills area, between the Trans-Canada Highway and the Fraser, and atPort Mann, beneath the south foot of thePort Mann Bridge.
Metro Vancouver owns and manages housing complexes throughout the region via theMetro Vancouver Housing Corporation (MVHC); it also forms policy onhomelessness andaffordable housing for the region. The MVHC's board-approved goals, as outlined in the Affordable Housing Strategy,[37] are to:
The MVHC's sole shareholder is the Metro Vancouver Regional District. The number of directors of the housing corporation is 13.[38]
Metro Vancouver works in collaboration with its members to achieve a shared vision of livability across the generations, as laid out in the Regional Growth Strategy (RGS),[39] which was approved by the board in 2011, replacing the Livable Region Strategic Plan (LRSP).[40] The RGS requires each member local authority to provide a Regional Context Statement to "demonstrate to the Metro Vancouver Board how its Official Community Plan Supports the RGS."[7] The five goals of the RGS are to:
Regional planning also includes planning and policy-making in agriculture and the food industry. The organization is committed to the goals and strategies in the Regional Food System Strategy,[41] as approved by the board. The goals are to:
In 2018, the organization's board also adopted the Ecological Health Framework,[42] which encapsulates Metro Vancouver’s collective efforts around ecological health and provides guiding principles, goals, and strategies to help achieve the vision of a "beautiful, healthy, and resilient environment for current and future generations." The goals are:
The organization runs programs and set policy to protect public health and the environment with respect to air quality, improve visual air quality and minimize the region's contribution toclimate change.[7] The organization is committed to the goals and strategies in the Integrated Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Management Plan,[43] as approved by the board. The three goals are to:
The parks department of Metro Vancouver oversees the development and maintenance of 23[44] regional parks, as well as various nature reserves and greenways. The organization is committed to the goals and strategies in the Regional Parks Plan,[45] as approved by the board. The four goals are to:
Regional parks are distinct from municipal parks in that they are typically more "wild" and represent unique geographical zones within the region, such asbogs and maturerainforests.
Regional economic prosperity is a service of Metro Vancouver organized to advance a shared prosperity in the region. The service is structured around three functions: fostering collaboration, conducting regional data collection and research, and attracting investment.[46]
Metro Vancouver undertakes support functions that underpin the rest of its service areas. In these areas, the organization commits to "contribute to the effective and efficient performance of our regional roles through leadership and collaboration with our members and other stakeholders." There are eight strategic directions guiding work in this area:[30]
The organization's board has also adopted the Corporate Climate Action Plan,[47] the purpose of which is to, "set out strategies and actions to achieve Metro Vancouver's commitment to corporatecarbon neutrality and to adapt [its] corporate infrastructure and activities to the anticipatedconsequences of climate change." The strategies of the plan are to:
Media related toMetro Vancouver Regional District at Wikimedia CommonsMunicipalities ofMetro Vancouver | |
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