Reflection 3: Respect vs exploitation

This is the third in a series of posts with a springboard: a key meeting about fixing the illegal designation of the Garden City Lands and neighbouring DND Lands in the Regional Growth Strategy, the Metro Vancouver bylaw that will be basic to the region’s government until 2040. This reflection starts with a recent photo of the Garden [...]

Reflection 2: Agricultural vs Conservation

Supposedly, Richmond council decided the other day to change the illegal General Urban (residential) designation of the Garden City Lands in the new Metro bylaw to Conservation & Recreation. Would Agricultural be a better designation for the Lands in the Metro bylaw? (Since the change has not actually been made, the question remains relevant.) I am [...]

Reflection: A good/flawed fix-it meeting

The  ”General Urban bites the dust . . .” post  (below this one), is an overview of a council that semi-fixed a problem affecting the Garden City Lands, the new Metro bylaw, and the ALR. Over the next few days, I’ll reflect further and share different insights, starting with this post. The closest that Richmond citizens get [...]

“General Urban” bites the dust for Garden City Lands, DND Lands, and Terra Nova

At a Richmond Council meeting (as General Purposes Committee) on Monday, Feb. 28, responding to a problematic staff report, council decided to change the designation of the Garden City Lands, Department of National Defence Lands, and Terra Nova parks (Terra Nova Natural Area and Terra Nova Rural Park) from General Urban (residential) to Conservation & Recreation in the [...]

Retaining “existing designation” from old Metro bylaw?

This is a follow-up to the “False Metro logic re illegal General Urban designation of the Garden City Lands” post. The background is that a Metro planner posted a Metro Vancouver letter, in response to lawyer Andrew Gage’s initial legal opinion, on the Environmental Law Alerts blog. The Metro letter claims that Richmond was just maintaining an existing designation [...]

How to emerge from a Metro mess

 “Harold Steves says urban land designation for Garden City lands is ‘illegal’.” So says the title of an online Richmond Review article. Coun. Steves is in good company with Richard Bullock, chair of the Agricultural Land Commission. In a letter to Metro Vancouver, Mr. Bullock was clear that all “General Urban” designations of ALR land [...]

No vote | Big obfuscation | Small win

The title of this blog post is the executive summary of the Richmond council meeting of Feb. 21, 2011, that city staff wanted to approve the Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy bylaw. (A detail: Council met as a committee, but that’s where the main decision would be made.) No vote is good. It means that [...]

Back to the future nightmare

On the basis of previous blog posts and people’s knowledge from other sources, I’m being asked whether the City of Richmond representatives who allowed the Garden City Lands and DND Lands in Richmond to be designated General Urban in the Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy bylaw are (a) not up to the demands of their jobs [...]

Momentous council meeting, Mon, Feb 21, 4 pm

One of the most far-reaching votes ever for Richmond’s city council will take place at the General Purposes meeting on Monday, Feb. 21, 2011, in the Anderson Room, Richmond City Hall, at 4 p.m. Some details: Early in the meeting, members of the public will have the opportunity to address the topic for up to [...]

Legal analysis of Metro bylaw illegality re ALR

If you care about our future, read lawyer Andrew Gage’s legal analysis titled “Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy and ALR Lands.” Ironically, the Regional Growth Strategy bylaw is titled Metro Vancouver 2040: Shaping Our Future. When you read the Gage analysis, you’ll become more aware of how Metro might be misshaping our future by placing [...]

Metro keeps voters in dark re ALC Act violations

On February 9, 2011, lawyer Andrew Gage of West Coast Environmental Law provided the definitive legal opinion on “Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy and ALR Lands” to the Garden City Lands Coalition Society. At our request, he simultaneously provided it to Ms. Jessica Beverley, In-house Counsel to Metro Vancouver. Seven work days have passed since [...]

False Metro logic re illegal General Urban designation of the Garden City Lands

This post builds on earlier ones about the illegal designation of the Garden City Lands in the Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy, including “No excuse.” Christina DeMarco of the Metro Vancouver staff sent West Coast Environmental Law a lengthy Metro letter that appears after WCEL lawyer Andrew Gage’s legal opinion about the illegal designation of large [...]

Metro stonewalling Agricultural Land Commission

Metro Vancouver is stonewalling the Agricultural Land Commission. I’m more sure of that after studying a chart in the January 14 agenda package that was sent to Metro Vancouver directors before today’s board meeting. The chart consists of summarized comments to the Regional Growth Strategy public hearing plus a Metro response to each comment. From the [...]

Metro Vancouver pushed into fight with ALC

Update, January 14, 2010. The Metro Vancouver directors passed the Regional Growth Strategy bylaw. To deal with the parts that are inconsistent with the Agricultural Commission Act, ALC chair Richard Bullock will need to be as principled, capable, and determined as he appears to be, and he will need provincial government support. It is a huge challenge, but [...]

Johnny Carline—Metro CAO “gets” what’s happening

Johnny Carline, Metro Vancouver’s chief administrative officer, shared significant insights at the Metro Vancouver 2040 Regional Growth Strategy public meeting at Richmond Culture Centre on January 21, 2010: “If there is one issue that has taken off in the past few years it is the issue of food security.” In response, Metro has added a [...]