Suburban municipal performance satisfaction outpacing Vancouver: survey | Daily Hive

Suburban municipal government performance satisfaction outpacing Vancouver: survey

Skylines of downtown Vancouver (background) and Burnaby's Brentwood Town Centre (foreground). (EB Adventure Photography/Shutterstock)

The next general civic election across British Columbia is now less than a year away, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.

Eleven months before residents vote for their mayor, city councillors, and other municipal elected officials, most Metro Vancouver residents believe their municipal governments are handling core services effectively, but give significantly lower marks on public safety, public consultation and transparency, and efforts to address homelessness and poverty, according to a new Research Co. survey.

The mayors of Burnaby, New Westminster, and the Tri-Cities (Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody) received the highest support region-wide, with 69 per cent of residents approving of their performance.

These were followed closely by the mayors of Vancouver and Surrey/White Rock, where approval reached 58 per cent in each sub-area. Four easternmost municipalities — including both Langleys (City and Township), Pitt Meadows, and Maple Ridge — are not far behind at 57 per cent approval. Approval is lower on the North Shore (West Vancouver, North Vancouver City and District) at 48 per cent and is weakest in Richmond and Delta, at 46 per cent.

You might also like:

Some of the mayors with the strongest approval ratings — including Burnaby’s Mike Hurley and Port Coquitlam’s Brad West — enjoyed uncontested success in the last civic election in 2022, winning by default without any other candidates.

For the 2026 civic election, Richard Stewart in neighbouring Coquitlam has announced he will not seek re-election after 18 years in the mayoral seat, and Malcolm Brodie of Richmond will also be leaving after 25 years.

Vancouver trails behind on parks and recreation satisfaction

At least three-in-five Metro Vancouverites say their municipal government is doing a “very good” or “good” job managing parks and recreation facilities (68 per cent), providing sanitation services (66 per cent) and fostering arts and cultural activities (60 per cent).

Satisfaction with how parks and recreation facilities are managed is strong across much of Metro Vancouver, but with noticeable regional variation.

The most positive park and recreation facilities assessments come from residents in Burnaby, New Westminster, and the Tri-Cities, where 80 per cent say their municipal government is doing a good job — the highest level in the region. Similar confidence is found on the North Shore (72 per cent) and in Surrey and White Rock (70 per cent), where a majority give favourable evaluations, and relatively few residents express strong dissatisfaction.

In the easternmost suburbs — including the Langleys, Pitt Meadows, and Maple Ridge — nearly seven-in-ten residents (69 per cent) also report satisfaction. Richmond and Delta land just below the regional average, with 65 per cent praising the way parks and recreation are handled.

Vancouver stands clear with a lower performance: although a majority of Vancouverites remain positive, the city posts the lowest rating in Metro Vancouver, with only 59 per cent satisfied — 16 per cent indicating a “very good job” and 43 per cent saying a “good job” — and roughly one-quarter offering a negative view of the city’s performance.

These findings suggest a divide where outer-region municipalities are seen as providing comparatively stronger access to, and upkeep of, recreational spaces than the region’s densest urban centre.

Vancouver is also unique within the region in how it governs its parks and recreation system. Unlike all other Metro Vancouver municipalities — where these responsibilities fall under the authority of the mayor and city council — the City of Vancouver has a separately elected Park Board that oversees the department. This governance model has been a point of contention for Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, who sought to dissolve the elected Park Board but ultimately did not move forward after the BC NDP-led provincial government added the legislation amendment condition that any future transfer of Vancouver’s parkland to First Nations be exempt from a referendum.

Burnaby, New Westminster, and Tri-Cities come atop in transparency, consultation, and finances

Views on whether local governments operate transparently and without bias vary significantly across the region. Residents in Burnaby, New Westminster and the Tri-Cities are the most positive, with 54 per cent saying their municipal government does a good or very good job. Vancouver and the eastern municipalities of the Langleys, Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge follow at 50 per cent and 45 per cent respectively, while Surrey and White Rock sit just behind at 47 per cent.

Transparency perceptions drop notably in Richmond and Delta, where only 27 per cent express confidence, and on the North Shore, where 40 per cent give favourable ratings to transparency at City Hall.

When it comes to civic engagement and public consultation, more than half of residents in Burnaby, New Westminster, and the Tri-Cities (56 per cent) indicate their municipal government engages effectively with the general public, the only area to reach a majority on this subject. Vancouver and Surrey/White Rock are tied at 45 per cent, indicating mixed experiences for residents seeking input into local decision-making. In Richmond and Delta, satisfaction falls to 38 per cent, and engagement sentiment is similarly low at 41 per cent in both the North Shore and the Langleys, Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge — underscoring the perception that many communities feel disconnected from City Hall.

Municipal financial stewardship is another area where satisfaction depends heavily on where residents live. A solid 60 per cent of those in Burnaby, New Westminster, and the Tri-Cities believe their local governments handle finances well — the highest approval across Metro Vancouver. Residents in the Langleys, Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge (48 per cent) and in Vancouver (46 per cent) are somewhat more measured, while approval dips in Surrey and White Rock (44 per cent) and on the North Shore (41 per cent).

Confidence plunges in Richmond and Delta, where fewer than one-third of residents (32 per cent) think their municipality is managing its budget responsibly.

North Shore residents most dissatisfied with transportation

The survey also shows a majority satisfaction among Metro Vancouver residents on environmental protection (58 per cent), tourism promotion (56 per cent), transportation (55 per cent), development and growth management (53 per cent) and overall quality of life (51 per cent).

Those most satisfied with transportation are Burnaby, New Westminster, and Tri-Cities residents (61 per cent), followed by those in Surrey and White Rock (59 per cent), Vancouver (57 per cent), the Langleys, Pitt Meadows, and Maple Ridge (53 per cent), Richmond and Delta (45 per cent), and the North Shore (38 per cent).

Conversely, by a wide margin, North Shore residents are most unsatisfied with transportation, with 55 per cent of respondents indicating their municipal government has done a “bad job” or “very bad job” in this area. The North Shore is also the only sub-area of the region where more than half of respondents are not satisfied with transportation.

Transportation has long been a sticking point for North Shore residents, with Lions Gate Bridge and Ironworkers Memorial Bridge crossings over Burrard Inlet frequently congested and unreliable, adding to the woes of limited east-west transportation options across the North Shore.

Concerns over crime, public safety, and homelessness greatest in Surrey and White Rock

Public safety is still a particular point of concern, especially in a few sub-areas of the region. Residents of Burnaby, New Westminster, and the Tri-Cities express the highest confidence, with 59 per cent saying their municipality is handling crime and safety well, followed closely by the North Shore at 55 per cent.

This confidence drops below the majority mark in Vancouver, where only 47 per cent offer a positive assessment. The outlook is even weaker in the eastern suburbs of the Langleys, Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge (39 per cent), and in Richmond and Delta (38 per cent). Surrey and White Rock sit at the bottom of the regional rankings, with just 35 per cent of residents satisfied with how public safety is being managed.

Performance ratings drop sharply when residents assess how well municipalities are dealing with homelessness and poverty — the lowest-scoring issue across the entire region.

Even the most positive area, Burnaby, New Westminster and the Tri-Cities, musters only 41 per cent approval. Vancouver edges slightly lower at 39 per cent, while Richmond and Delta register 31 per cent. Ratings fall further on the North Shore (22 per cent) and in the Langleys, Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge (23 per cent).

Surrey and White Rock also recorded the weakest assessment in Metro Vancouver, with just 24 per cent saying their municipal government is handling homelessness and poverty well. Nearly seven-in-10 residents (68 per cent) in Surrey and White Rock believe their municipal governments are doing a “bad” or “very bad” job in this area, which is the highest in Metro Vancouver.

You might also like: