The City of Maple Ridge put forward its positions about affordable housing, a lack of infrastructure, and lacking transit funding, and got the agreement of neighbouring cities.
The Lower Mainland Local Government Association held its annual conference on May 1-3 at the Westin Resort and Spa in Whistler. Its members include 29 local governments and three regional districts.
“From housing to infrastructure, this gathering ensures our voice is heard on crucial regional issues,” said Maple Ridge Mayor Dan Ruimy.
The city had four motions among the many before the LMLGA conference.
The LMLGA is one of five sub associations of the Union of BC Municipalities. Ruimy explained the motions will now got the UBCM, “the bigger brother” of the LMLGA, where the province’s municipalities will consider taking these positions. They would then speak in a united voice to senior government.
One motion was about creating incentives for affordable, non-market housing for vulnerable residents, students, families, and seniors.
It proposed “that the province and federal government work with not-for-profits to further incentivize not-for-profit partnerships and the building of non-market housing, such as below market rentals and co-ops, through financial tools like low interest rate loans, long-term 25 year rates and expanded tax credit eligibility.”
Ruimy clarified senior governments should be doing more to support non-profit societies building housing projects, and in particular have a role to play in helping them acquire land.
Another motion was about the need for the provincial government to catch up on infrastructure demands, as more homes are being built.
That motion asks “for the province to invest in long term infrastructure programming for communities including for roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and community buildings, and that UBCM advocates to the federal government to renew Infrastructure Canada funding.”
Ruimy said the infrastructure deficit is felt in Maple Ridge. For example, while new residential developments are being built, many neighbourhood schools are already full – and the province is responsible for education funding.
He noted the last B.C. government closed schools locally due to declining student registrations, but he added “now enrolment is up everywhere.”
While the city builds the Abernethy Way corridor, largely on the backs of local taxpayers, Ruimy believes senior government should help fund the construction of a new bridge crossing the Alouette River at 240th Street. The city has applied for federal funding under a disaster risk mitigation fund.
The city is also asking that the province evaluate its suite of new housing laws, with more municipal consultation on the impacts of legislative implementation.
The city asks that the “province review the new housing legislation after 2 years from introduction; immediately allow exemption zones for single detached greenfield areas within the containment boundary that are more isolated; and increase the Official Community Plan review requirement to every 7 years.
“How do you know if it’s working?” asked Ruimy of the province’s laws aimed at the housing crisis. “How do you know if it’s achieving its goals?”
And a fourth motion called for more financial support for public transit. TransLink relies on gasoline taxes to fund services, and those revenues can be expected to decline as the provincial and federal government move towards requiring all new passenger vehicles to be electric by 2035;
The motion will ask the province to devise a new formula for funding transit services, that does not rely on gasoline taxes and supports the continued improvement of transit services across B.C., and for the federal government for earlier and increased permanent transit funding, including for infrastructure projects.