Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley elected as Metro Vancouver chair
Posted June 28, 2024 10:55 am.
Last Updated June 28, 2024 8:28 pm.
Metro Vancouver Regional District chose a new chair Friday, with Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley elected to the position.
The move comes after former chair George Harvie stepped down amid a spending scandal and pressure from local councillors in Delta.
In his victory speech, Hurley addressed recent criticisms of the regional district.
“While Metro [Vancouver], at the minute, is taking a lot of criticism, it does a lot of great work out there to keep our critical infrastructure running and in place,” he shared.
He acknowledged the challenges facing the district but explained he is ready to get to work.
“It’s time to put into action all the things that’ve been talked about,” he shared. “I’ve heard everything that’s been said around the table, and I take it all very seriously.”
Hurley takes the helm as Metro Vancouver gets to the bottom of massive cost overruns for a wastewater treatment plant in North Vancouver.
Hurley defeated his lone competitor — Vancouver Coun. Lisa Dominato — in a vote by board members. He says Metro Vancouver is currently working on over 300 projects to improve infrastructure in the region.
“The watermain, the tunnel under the Second Narrows Bridge, that’s a huge project that’s moving forward very quickly, but that will ensure our water supply is safe for the next 100 years,” he said.
With files from Cecilia Hua.
