Metro Vancouver cities receive $400 million from BC government for improved community facilities and infrastructure

Mar 4 2023, 4:32 am

Municipal governments in the Metro Vancouver region will receive a combined total of $400 million from the provincial government towards improving their community facilities and amenities, and infrastructure.

The one-time grant to municipal and regional governments across British Columbia was first announced last month, and the provincial government followed up today by announcing the specific grant funding amount to each municipal and regional government.

Metro Vancouver Regional District and its two dozen local and municipal governments will receive 40% of the $1 billion province-wide fund. Metro Vancouver’s 2.64 million residents account for 53% of the province’s entire population.

The regional district for Metro Vancouver, the single largest regional district in the province, received $50.78 million, which is nearly five times the amount received by the Capital Regional District overseeing the Victoria area — the next highest regional district recipient — with a population of 450,000 residents.

But surprisingly, the City of Vancouver — the most populated city in BC — did not receive the most amongst municipal governments. The City of Vancouver received $49.1 million, while the City of Surrey received substantially more, $89.9 million.

The provincial government explains its formula for fund allocation adjusts for population size and per-capita population growth between 2016 and 2021. As well, each regional district and municipal government starts with a baseline of $500,000, before the formula kicks in to account for population and growth.

It goes without saying that the City of Surrey’s population growth has been considerably higher than the City of Vancouver.

“This method considers the impacts of service and amenity demands on smaller and rural communities and the additional pressures experienced by faster-growing communities,” explains the province.

For this reason, even other cities with smaller populations like Burnaby, Coquitlam, New Westminster, and New Westminster were able to receive more funding per resident because of their faster pace of population growth.

The Township of Langley will be receiving $24.3 million for its population of about 150,000 residents — nearly half the funding allocation for the City of Vancouver, which has more than four times the population.

The City of North Vancouver City and the District of North Vancouver will each receive similar amounts of over $10 million, despite the District being home to 50% more residents than the City.

“Our communities are growing and this puts more pressure on community centres, parks and swimming pools that families rely on. To help, we’re providing the single largest provincial investment in communities in BC’s history,” said Premier David Eby in a statement.

Municipal and regional governments will be given a guideline on what the funds can be used for. The grant program was not project specific due to the tight timeline to dispose of the the provincial government’s multi-billion dollar budget surplus for the 2022/2023 fiscal year, which must be spent by the end of March 2023. The grant funding will be distributed to all 188 municipalities and regional districts this month.

The grant can go towards projects such as building new affordable housing and childcare, and improving or building new community and recreational facilities, and roads. Each recipient is required to report on how they used the funds.

“As the fastest-growing city in Metro Vancouver, the nearly $90 million in funding announced today shows the Province’s recognition and commitment in investing in Surrey,” said Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke.

“Creating livable and affordable communities is not only achievable, but we can reach that goal faster when we all work together. This funding will go a long way to supporting and maintaining the high quality of life we have in Surrey. From recreation facilities to parks to roads, this investment will have an immediate positive impact for the residents of Surrey both now and well into the future.”

Ranking of grant recipients amongst Metro Vancouver’s major local governments

  1. Surrey: $89.928 million
  2. Vancouver: $49.1 million
  3. Burnaby: $28.784 million
  4. Langley (Township): $24.3 million
  5. Richmond: $20.354 million
  6. Coquitlam: $18.635 million
  7. Maple Ridge: $16.586 million
  8. Delta: $16.06 million
  9. New Westminster: $15.85 million
  10. North Vancouver (City): $10.986 million
  11. North Vancouver (District): $10.254
  12. Port Coquitlam: $9.462 million
  13. West Vancouver: $8.0 million
  14. Langley (City): 7.186
  15. Port Moody: $6.734 million
  16. White Rock: $5.7111 million
  17. Pitt Meadows: $5.37 million
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