 How the land between UBC and Vancouver might become Metro Vancouver’s 22nd municipality | | |  | | | It is, objectively, the most confusing governance situation for an urban area in all of Canada.
On the western edge of the Lower Mainland, between Vancouver’s Blanca Street and the Georgia Strait, exist not one, but two legally distinct communities with no local government.
One of them is well known: the University of British Columbia. Originally just a post-secondary institution, UBC is now also a place where 15,000 people — including Premier David Eby — live full-time in a variety of neighbourhoods, where people purchase leasehold properties owned by the university.
Residents pay fees and can elect directors to what is essentially a glorified strata, but ultimate control over all major decisions lies with the university. But the other community has an even more convoluted structure: the University Endowment Lands.
That area — roughly between UBC and the City of Vancouver — has about 3,000 people, and most responsibilities lie with the province.
However, it’s up to Metro Vancouver to regulate a few random items, including cannabis, which last year led to a bizarre situation where politicians from Bowen Island and Langley decided whether a pot shop could open next to campus.
In the midst of all this, a UEL governance review overseen by the province has been going on for two years, with the report made public this week. It effectively recommends the UEL either become its own municipality, or part of the City of Vancouver.
“The status quo doesn't work and we need to look at some ... form of incorporation,” said Jen McCutcheon, the Metro Vancouver director elected by residents of both UBC and the UEL (we warned you this was confusing).
“Residents don't have [accountability] right now. They can't vote someone in or out after four years.”
It will take years for a decision to be made, and McCutcheon says if incorporation goes ahead, there are pros and cons with the two options: being its own municipality would give direct representation but likely come with greater costs, while being taken over by Vancouver would subsume the UEL in a massive city — but create more cost efficiencies.
Notably absent from the governance review was UBC, which has long criticized any attempts for municipal regulation of its lands and neighbourhoods.
But McCutcheon said it would bear watching how UBC residents feel about their comparative lack of representation as they watch the UEL process unfold.
“I think they have to be dealt with separately, [but] … UBC residents are going to be watching what happens there,” she said.
“I can't really imagine UBC lands having [the number of people] predicted and no local government structure.” | | |  | | | 1. Conventions | | | McCutcheon spoke to Metro Matters at the Lower Mainland Local Government Association, an annual conference for Southwest B.C. politicians to discuss best practices and past resolutions — or reject them, in the case of a proposal to get rid of fossil fuel sponsorships at said annual conference. Other items included a discussion about codes of conduct, and whether the province should create an independent ethics commissioner.
Read more | | |  | | | 2. Conflicts, Part 1 | | There was a fair bit of talk at the conference about dysfunctional city councils, but things could be turning around for two of them. Lions Bay will have a byelection today that will end the 2-2 gridlock on a number of council items and serve as a bit of a referendum on Mayor Ken Berry’s tenure thus far — which has included additional resignations since our original coverage. | | | |  | | | 3. Conflicts, Part 2 | | And remember the scene in the Vancouver Island community where a councillor took the gavel away from the acting mayor during a meeting? That councillor, Doug Elliott, announced on Monday he would resign from council, and apologized for his conduct over the previous few months, which included multiple allegations of impropriety against members of staff and council. | | | | | |  | | | 5. Camps | Prince George. Smithers. Williams Lake. They’re three of the biggest communities in the province north of Kamloops, and three places where council seems quite stymied at the moment about what to do with homeless encampments. About the only common denominator is an acknowledgement of the complexity of things, and a request for more support from higher governments. Read more in the Prince George Citizen | | | | | |  | | | 7. Concluding (the bit) | Remember how we thought the B.C. government would make a decision that would give clarity to Surrey's policing situation? A week after announcing that Surrey could do what it wanted — but wouldn’t get financial support if they stuck with the RCMP — things are even more chaotic, with no certainty on what comes next, and other municipalities starting to grumble. Read more in the New West Record | | | | | | Share this newsletter | | or subscribe if this was
forwarded to you. | | | | That's it for this this week! In the meantime, check out the latest headlines at cbc.ca/bc and follow our municipal affairs reporter Justin McElroy on Twitter. And if you have any questions you might want answered in a future mailbag, drop Justin a line at metromatters@cbc.ca. | | | |
