Surrey to withdraw from Metro Vancouver growth strategy

The City of Surrey taking a big step in addressing ongoing governance concerns within the Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD) Board.

Surrey city council unanimously approved a motion Monday to withdraw from the Metro 2050 Regional Growth Strategy.

The motion was brought forward by Coun. Pardeep Kooner who says the idea was driven by concerns around the equity of regional strategies that he finds don’t align with Surrey’s priorities.

“This motion focuses on fairness and equity, as Metro 2025 places an undue burden on our residents while failing to deliver equivalent benefits,” said Kooner in a statement by the city.

Surrey directors on the MVRD Board, the city explained, have been raising the issue of cost, equity, accountability, governance, and scope creep. The statement says the city’s vision and district are misaligned, especially on the matter of “fostering healthy human settlements that make efficient use of public resources.”

Mayor Brenda Locke says the city is standing up for the interests of its residents.

“I hope we can bring greater balance, transparency, and equitable service delivery by MVRD to all of our communities, in particular South of the Fraser River, without unfair financial strain on our residents,” said Locke.

Andy Yan, director of Simon Fraser University’s City Program, is hoping other cities don’t follow suit.

“The Regional Growth Strategy is really a means through which we can have a level of predictability. We can really have a sense of the pace of where growth is occurring in the region and ensure that there is the infrastructure to support that growth and the means to pay for that infrastructure,” said Yan.

“The withdrawal from the Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy might not necessarily achieve those goals.”

He says concerns of accountability, transparency, and effectiveness are certainly fair, but withdrawing from the regional growth strategy may not necessarily be the solution.

“Metro Van will need to deal with its governance issues. But yet, at the same time, I think that it still is a model for regional growth… for many other city regions around the world.”