John McEwen has been enlisted with more political responsibility for the next year.
On Friday (Nov. 25), the Anmore mayor was elected as the vice-chair of the Metro Vancouver board of directors, alongside Delta Mayor George Harvie as chair.
As well, both McEwen's and Harvie's new positions are set to oversee three other boards associated with the regional district:
- Greater Vancouver Sewage and Drainage District
- Greater Vancouver Water District
- Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation boards
McEwen has previously served as chair of Metro Vancouver Regional Parks Committee.
His new role comes more than a month after winning a third term as mayor for the Village of Anmore, winning 67.8 per cent of the vote on Oct. 15.
The 41-person Metro Vancouver board of directors is set to meet once a month, with the inaugural meeting scheduled for Jan. 27, 2023.
They manage core utility services to 21 municipalities that serve more than 2.8 million residents, such as drinking water, solid waste management, air quality regulation and affordable housing.
Issues presently facing the regional district include ideological differences on how broad its mandate should be on subjecting local councils to its decisions on inter-municipal matters.
This year brought much debate on what’s called the "urban containment boundary," as Surrey's old council sought to shrink the boundary for the purpose of expanding its industrial tax base. The debate pitted regional environmental and flood protection strategies versus economic development.
Directors will also be tasked to raise regional taxes on homeowners, to pay for increasingly costly infrastructure projects in the coming years.
As well, continued discussion on expansion of parks and affordable housing to meet a growing population may also occur over the next four years.
Other Tri-Cities officials named to the Metro Vancouver board of directors are as follows:
- Belcarra
- Mayor Jamie Ross
- Coquitlam
- Coun. Craig Hodge
- Coun. Teri Towner
- Port Coquitlam
- Mayor Brad West
- Port Moody
- Mayor Meghan Lahti
- with files from Graeme Wood, Glacier Media
