metro vancouver watershed tours

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Watershed Tours

Coquitlam watershed tours.

This tour showcases everything from drinking water infrastructure to giant old-growth Western Red Cedar and Douglas fir. 

Catch a glimpse of the past as you visit the 1913 water intake tower. 

Enjoy panoramic views of the watershed, Coquitlam Island and Coquitlam Lake.

Metro Vancouver is responsible for registering visitors for the watershed tours . 

We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (kwee-kwuh-tlum) meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ təməxʷ  (Katzie), and other Coast Salish Peoples.

Promoting nature awareness and appreciation in    Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, BC and beyond.

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BMN – Metro Vancouver Coquitlam Watershed Tour

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Come and view the spectacular Coquitlam Watershed, the source of our drinking water!

Metro Vancouver offers free guided tours of the Coquitlam and Capilano Watersheds, areas not usually accessible to the general public. BMN has arranged for a group tour of the Coquitlam Watershed.

Registration is required. Contact Edie Kernighan [email protected] to register.  As there are only 30 seats available,  Edie will create a list of confirmed members, and a waiting list, if applicable.

Our group will meet the Metro Vancouver team at the parking lot on the corner of Westwood and Lincoln. A map to the location as well as parking info can be found here:

https://metrovancouver.org/services/water/Documents/coquitlam-watershed-meeting-location.pdf#search=Watershed%20tour

coquitlam-watershed-meeting-location

Information from Metro Vancouver:

Coquitlam Watershed Tour

Towering old growth trees, a historic water intake tower, the dam and breathtaking views of our largest reservoir are sure to inspire awe on this tour of the Coquitlam Watershed. After a visit to 4-5 locations, you’ll have a whole new appreciation for these protected lands and the source of your tap water. Through short presentations, you’ll learn about the history of the region’s water supply, water quality, treatment, how it gets to your home and the role of a healthy ecosystem in maintaining exceptional water quality. Please be aware that this tour includes a significant amount of driving on gravel roads and some short walks on uneven ground.

Aim to arrive at the parking lot on the corner of Westwood and Lincoln 10-15 minutes before 9AM as guests will need to sign a short declaration form. We’ll do a brief introduction and then get on the bus and head to the watershed. Please make sure all participants wear appropriate shoes and clothing. Dress for the weather and be prepared to walk some short distances over uneven trail surfaces and up and down a short flight of stairs. We will be travelling into a forested area that is managed for minimal access. That means the road can be a little bumpier than a paved city road at times. There are no flush toilets in the watershed, but outhouses are provided at every stop. There is also no running water so participants should bring their own water bottle. They are also welcome to bring any food they like. There is no designated lunch stop but participants are welcome to eat at their leisure on the bus. We’ll have everyone back down to the Westwood and Lincoln parking lot no later than 12:30PM.

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Snowshoe tour provides rare glimpse of where Vancouver’s water comes from

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By Drew Clarke

As we stride up the steep slope in single file, the only sounds are the creak of snowshoes and the crunch of snow. The carbon steel crampons dig into the hardpack, and our heavy breath billows out as clouds of vapour. Mountain hemlocks tower above us, their branches weighted down with thick dollops of snow. Up here on Mount Seymour, high above the city, winter is alive and well.

Each year, Metro Vancouver’s Water Services department operates watershed snowshoe tours, providing the public with a rare glimpse into where our water comes from. 

A watershed is a drainage basin where rain and snowmelt collects and can be used to supply a community with drinking water.The Metro Vancouver watershed is comprised of three separate catchments: the Capilano, Seymour and Coquitlam, which together cover an area 150 times the size of Stanley Park. These three reservoirs collect the region’s eight metres of annual precipitation and provide more than a billion litres of water each day for Metro Vancouver’s 2.5 million residents.

Today, we’re exploring the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve, south of the Seymour Falls Dam, which was constructed in 1961 and has the capacity to hold 32 billion litres of water. Our group includes two guides, several urban planning students, one adventurous senior and a couple dressed in matching snowboard outfits.

We follow the First Lake and Dog Mountain trails, clomping up and over snowdrifts and ducking under branches of Douglas fir, their needles tipped with droplets of water. At the top of a ridge, we stop to catch our breath, and it’s bracingly quiet — a silent stillness we rarely experience in the city. 

All three of the watersheds are usually off-limits to the public, in order to maintain a pristine environment for collecting, filtering and storing our drinking water. This also provides a sanctuary for stands of old-growth forest and many species of animals, including ravens, pine martens, black bears and mountain goats — there’s even a reintroduced population of Roosevelt elk. In some ways, it’s like an ecosystem preserved and frozen in time.

Back in 1927, the Capilano and Seymour watersheds were recognized as essential for Vancouver’s water quality and were leased to the Greater Vancouver Water District (GVWD). The rent is one dollar, per catchment, per year, and the lease is for 999 years.

The first commissioner of the GVWD, Earnest Albert Cleveland — who the Cleveland Dam is named after — made a clear connection between commercial logging in the watershed and diminished water quality, and brought a halt to all logging operations in the area. He reportedly stated, “They will log that watershed over my dead body.” 

After Cleveland passed away in 1952, that’s exactly what they did.

Under the guise of “forest management,” “fire risk reduction” and “improving and protecting the water-yielding characteristics of the land,” the GVWD permitted logging companies to resume harvesting the forests. 

Over the following decades, more than 300 kilometres of logging roads were constructed within the watershed and countless trees were felled. The removal of these trees destabilized the soil, causing silt-filled runoff to empty into the watersheds and slowly decrease the quality of the water. Public outcry eventually motivated the GVWD to conduct an inquiry in 1991, and in 1999, all logging in the watershed was suspended.

Not all B.C. communities are as fortunate as us in this regard. Logging companies are moving into watersheds from the Sunshine Coast to the Kootenays, always seeking out new sources of timber. Residents in Peachland regularly face boil-water advisories, due to landslides caused by deforestation.

Vancouver faced its own boil-water advisory back in November of 2006, when heavy rainfall caused multiple landslides in our watershed. The water from our taps turned brown and murky, and the city was issued with a 12-day boil-water advisory and many supermarkets completely sold out of bottled water.

At our final stop of the snowshoe tour, a dense fog rolls in, turning everything 50 shades of white. A raven swoops through the mist as one of our guides pulls out a thermos and pours us all mugs of steaming hot chocolate. The murky, brown liquid is a stark reminder of the 2006 boil-water advisory, and a contrast to the clean, clear water we often take for granted.

Metro Vancouver operates winter watershed tours each year between February and March and summer tours between July and August. More info at metrovancouver.org/events/watershed-tours .

@DrewClarkeBC

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Metro vancouver watershed tour.

We took in a Metro Vancouver watershed tour today. We visited the Capilano Watershed, getting a behind-the-scenes look at where much of our drinking water comes from in the Vancouver/Lower Mainland area of BC.

It was fun and informative — highly recommended. We’d been to the Cleveland Dam several times before, but had not taken the tour into some of the restricted parts of the waterhed.

Also cool to see some signs of early water supply infrastructure still visible though slowly being reclaimed by the forest. . .

Streamkeeping, sustainability, community, business, photography, books, and animals, with occasional forays into social commentary. Text and Photos © Paul Cipywnyk

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Metro Vancouver manages three protected watersheds that provide its 2.7 million residents with clean and affordable drinking water. Together, the Capilano , Seymour, and Coquitlam watersheds cover an area roughly 150 times the size of 43,594-acre Stanley Park.

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Lower seymour conservation reserve, mount seymour provincial park, major cities and resorts, north vancouver.

Snowmelt and rainfall in the North Shore and Coquitlam mountains drifts downhill through creeks and streams into several manmade lakes, or reservoirs. These reservoirs are further sustained by high-quality water from three alpine lakes: Burwell Lake, Palisade Lake, and Loch Lomond.

Located in the North Shore Mountains, east of Cathedral Mountain and northwest of the Fannin Range and Mount Seymour Provincial Park , the 30,579-acre Seymour watershed is a long and narrow valley that supplies a third of Vancouver’s potable water.

In 1887, the Capilano River was selected as the first viable water source for the city of Vancouver. However, as the city continued to expand, it quickly became apparent that an additional water source was needed. In 1905, the Seymour River was identified as a valuable water resource.

A few years later, the first intake, a wooden fir stave pipe, was constructed in the Seymour River to carry water beneath the Second Narrows Bridge to residents of Vancouver, Burnaby, and Richmond. In 1928, the Seymour Falls Dam was constructed to form the Seymour reservoir.

Initially, Seymour Lake was a fairly small reservoir. However, it was expanded in the 1960s. Today, Seymour Lake stretches for 12 miles in a north-south direction and 4.6 miles in a west-east direction. The reservoir is fed by several tributaries, including the Seymour River, Fannin Creek and Gibbens Creek, and can hold upwards of 32 billion liters of potable water.

To keep the city’s water free of contaminants, the B.C. government obtained a 999-year lease to designate both the Capilano and Seymour as watershed reserves. Despite these protections, however, the region continued to see extensive logging activity. In fact, deforestation would continue in the Seymour and Capilano watersheds until 1999, when all three Greater Vancouver watersheds were officially closed to logging.

Like the Capilano watershed, the Seymour watershed remains closed to the public. However, the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve , just south of the reservoir, is open to the public and offers a variety of scenic hiking trails.

The Seymour watershed contains thirteen named summits. The tallest, Cathedral Mountain , is one of the tallest and most prominent of the North Shore Mountains but remains off-limits due to its location. Another notable peak in the watershed, Ben Lomond , is considered to be one of the most striking summits outside of Squamish, despite its modest elevation.

The 14,000-acre Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve is home to spectacular landscapes, including alpine peaks, forested slopes, and pristine waters. Popular among locals, the park contains an impressive network of mountain bike and hiking trails, as well as excellent fishing and paddling opportunities.

The two most popular attractions in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve are Rice Lake and the Seymour Valley Trailway, a 6+ mile paved pathway that winds through the park’s lush forest.

Mount Seymour Provincial Park is an 8,600-acre wilderness park tucked in British Columbia’s Coastal Mountain Range. Just 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver, the park boasts an impressive network of trails that lead to scenic overlooks and panoramic views of Vancouver, Mount Baker, and east over Indian Arm Provincial Park.

Popular trails in Mount Seymour Provincial Park include Dog Mountain , Mount Seymour , Mystery Peak , Mount Elsay , and Brockton Point .

Located just north of Vancouver, Squamish sits at the northern tip of the Howe Sound and is surrounded by incredible outdoor recreation potential. In addition to offering premiere accommodations, restaurants, and amenities, Squamish is less than an hour from several iconic summits in the Squamish-Cheakamus Divide and Britannia Range, as well as Brandywine Falls Provincial Park and Shannon Falls. Squamish is infamous for its epic hiking trails, biking trails, and the scenic sea-to-sky gondola.

Situated at the foot of the North Shore Mountains, North Vancouver is a beautiful mountain destination packed with tranquil hiking trails, incredible natural attractions, stunning summits, and a variety of delicious dining options. The city sits just 30 minutes from Mount Seymour and is known as a community at the edge of wilderness. In fact, North Vancouver is considered by many to be home to world-class outdoor recreational venues. Visitors can easily travel to the park and spend the day on the slopes before returning to the comforts of their quality accommodations.

Explore Seymour Watershed with the PeakVisor 3D Map and identify its summits .

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Discover exclusive snowshoe trails just 30 minutes from Vancouver!

Wander through old-growth forests and past scenic lakes at your own pace or join one of our popular guided tours.

**Season Pass holders must pre-book, click here for more information.  PASS HOLDER perks 

PUBLIC TOURS

We offer guided tours for individuals, groups, and schools, providing snowshoe programs suitable for everyone!

Chocolate Fondue Tour

Join us for a magical Friday or Saturday evening snowshoe tour under the night sky. Follow our experienced guide through forested trails to a hand-carved snow lounge where you'll enjoy delicious chocolate fondue with fresh fruit and other dipping treats.

Twilight Tour | 2hrs | Age 13+

Twilight Tour

The Twilight Snowshoe Tour offers an unforgettable Friday or Saturday evening experience! Experience Mt Seymour's beautiful trails at night with a knowledgeable guide.

Intro to Snowshoeing | 2hrs | All ages

Intro to Snowshoeing

This tour introduces the basics of snowshoeing, reveals some of the mountain's best snowshoeing spots, and teaches the basic knowledge needed to stay safe in a winter environment. 

Baby & Me | 2hrs

Baby and Me

This snowshoe series is designed by parents with babies, for parents with babies! E njoy a 90-minute guided snowshoe tour where our qualified guides create a supportive, social and fun atmosphere so you can relax and bond with your baby.

Watershed Tour

Explore how snow impacts your drinking water! Join Metro Vancouver staff and Mt Seymour guides on a tour of the peaks towering above the Seymour Valley — where water for 2.4 million residents is collected and stored. Learn about your water supply, Metro Vancouver's role, and warm up with hot cocoa after the hike. These tours are a partnership between Metro Vancouver's Watershed Education Program and Mt Seymour.

Private Guide

Minimum 20 participants, see our groups booking page for more info. 

GROUP BOOKINGS

What should I wear for snowshoeing?

Layers! Dressing in non-cotton (e.g. wool, fleece, polypropylene) light-weight layers with a waterproof jacket and snow/rain pants is the most ideal way to snowshoe comfortably. Don't forget your gloves, toque, warm non-cotton socks, and sturdy, water-resistant winter or hiking boots.

Does Mt Seymour rent boots for snowshoeing?

We have Neo over-boots for rent. They slip over your boots or shoes, reaching up to your shins and are ideal if you don't have water-repellent winter or hiking boots.

What should I bring?

Carrying the 10 essentials is always a good idea. We also recommend waterproof shoes and jacket.

• Extra food and water
• Navigational/communication devices
• Extra clothing
• First aid kit
• Emergency blanket/shelter
• Fire-making kit
• Pocket knife
• Signaling device (i.e. whistle)
• Sun protection

Where are the snowshoe trails?

The Discovery Snowshoe Trails (Goldie Lake, Flower Lake) are run by the resort. The entrance is well-marked and located at the bottom of the Goldie Magic Carpet. The BC Parks/Metro Vancouver Trails (Dog Mountain, Mt Seymour Peak, First Pump) begin from the kiosk near the bottom of the Mystery Express Chair. Please keep in mind that snowshoers are not permitted on the designated ski and snowboard runs nor are they permitted to use the lifts. Check our Interactive Trail Maps page for a map of the Discovery Snowshoe Trails.

Does Mt Seymour have night snowshoeing or lit trails?

No, we do not. For the safety of our renters, we keep closing time close to sunset time throughout the season. The last rentals are allowed out 1-hour before closing. None of the trails are lit, but if you have your own equipment and want to use the BC Parks and Metro Vancouver Trail networks (Dog Mountain, First Peak, First Lake) after dark you can, but should be well prepared and experienced in night backcountry travel.

Where can I take the snowshoe rentals?

You can snowshoe in the Mt Seymour Discovery Snowshoe Trails or you can even bring them on the BC Park and Metro Vancouver trails.

Are dogs allowed on the snowshoe trails?

Yes! Dogs are welcome on all the trails, however, you must keep them on a leash and we ask that you please clean up after them! Dog poop resurfaces in giant disgusting blobs in the spring!

Please note: Dogs are NOT permitted on public tours such as the Discovery, Baby & Me, Chocolate Fondue, etc.

Should I use poles?

We only recommend poles for people with hip or knee injuries, or for added stability if they are carrying a baby or a very heavy pack, however, it is a personal preference. If you still wish to use poles, they are available, just let us know.

If I am a downhill Season Pass Holder, do I receive any snowshoe benefits?

Yes! The benefits you receive are dependent on which Season Pass you have purchased:

Full Season Pass Holders:

• Free access to the Discovery Snowshoe Trails all season
• Free daily Snowshoe Rentals all season
• 15% Off all Snowshoe guided tours 
• 20% Off Buddy Pass

Value Season Pass Holders:

• 25% Off Discovery Snowshoe Trail Passes
• 25% Off daily Snowshoe Rentals
• 15% Off all Snowshoe guided tours

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Here's how Metro Vancouver will pay for the $4 billion North Shore sewage plant

Metro Vancouver voted on Friday to give North Shore ratepayers some relief from steep sewage rate increases stemming from the $2.83 billion cost overrun on the beleaguered North Shore wastewater treatment plant.

But the measure fell far short of what the North Shore municipalities asked for.

It took eight separate votes to settle on an option to adjust Metro Vancouver’s cost allocation formula to shift an additional $10 per household per year to sewage districts outside of the North Shore, which they will start paying next year.

That means North Shore households will wind up paying $590 per year over 30 years to cover 37 per cent of the $2.83 billion, not the $725 per year over the same period they faced under Metro Vancouver’s existing cost allocation formula.

The shift, however, falls far short of the first motion on the floor at the start of Friday’s meeting, which would have seen $40 per household per year shifted to sewage districts outside of the North Shore, which was defeated.

“I can’t express more seriously how disappointed I am with a number of our colleagues,” said West Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager following what he characterized as a “somewhat historic vote.”

“This is a cost overrun that had nothing to do with the people of the North Shore, this was a problem created by Metro, and in my view, we are all in this together,” Sager added.

Metro Vancouver mayors have been grappling with how to pay for the now $3.9 billion North Shore wastewater treatment plant since the bombshell of that $2.83 billion cost increase was revealed March 23.

The reasons behind the escalation are the subject of duelling lawsuits between the contractor Metro Vancouver fired and the regional district, but the now $3.9 billion is five times beyond the original $700 million budget Metro set a decade ago and more than double a revised $1 billion budget from 2021.

The issue’s complexity lies in the fact that Metro Vancouver’s sewage treatment services are broken up into four sewerage areas, unlike the drinking water system that is operated as a single entity.

The sewerage areas are: North Shore; Vancouver, which includes UBC and parts of Burnaby and Richmond; Lulu, which is most of Richmond and Fraser, which is most other Metro municipalities.

All municipalities pay for the capital costs of new facilities, but those within each district pay a bigger share for facilities in their own district.

City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan said North Shore municipalities, for years, had been prepared to absorb the initial budget and even the escalation to just over $1 billion for the North Shore Wastewater Treatment plant, which is due to replace its Lions Gate sewage treatment plant.

“This additional $2.8 billion is new, it’s unprecedented,” Buchanan said, “and so we were really asking for our board to look beyond what currently is a policy in place that was built 30 years ago, as a cost allocation formula.”

Buchanan, during the meeting, noted that no one at Metro Vancouver has asked the North Shore municipalities about their capability of absorbing their share of the $2.8 billion, but “we have no ability to absorb that into our budget.”

Buchanan, Sager and the other North Shore representatives at Metro Vancouver penned a letter to their colleagues imploring them to consider how adequate the existing cost allocation formula is for handling such explosive cost increases, considering the huge projects Metro Vancouver still has before it.

The North Shore’s supporters on sharing more of the cost included the City of Vancouver, New Westminster even Maple Ridge, whose board Director, Dan Ruimy said he felt he didn’t have a choice but to support it because “when I look at the region as a whole, we all benefit.”

Opponents, however, which included the large municipalities of Surrey, Richmond and Burnaby, were adamant about sticking to the existing formula because of some of the unknowns posed by upcoming projects, such as a replacement for Metro’s Iona sewage treatment plant, which is estimated now at $9.9 billion.

Burnaby Director and city Coun. Sav Dhaliwal told the meeting Metro Vancouver shouldn’t deviate from the policy on a case-by-case basis.

“The big challenge for us today is to look at that is all that fair to all regions, not just North Shore, at this point who is in fair amount of financial difficulty under this the formula,” Dhaliwal said.

Langley Township Mayor Eric Woodward said shifting $40 per household per year to regions outside the North Shore would mean they absorb 88 per cent of the North Shore plant’s costs, which he argued was inequitable.

“The region, under the current cost (allocation) is paying for 54 per cent of the project,” Woodward said. “The idea that we’re not assisting our neighbours isn’t factual.”

Woodward added that rapidly growing municipalities south of the Fraser River, such as his, have the populations to support infrastructure, “that should be a benefit to us, not a cost.”

District of North Vancouver Director and Coun. Lisa Muri said her council will have to regroup and consider ways North Shore ratepayers can win some relief from the burden.

In Muri’s view, the federal government should come back to the table to help with the enormous cost because the infrastructure is being built to absorb population increases “we have no control over.”

“We are all facing significant challenges,” Muri said. “But the smallest sewage area should not have to face the largest impact of this project, a project that is inflated exponentially.”

[email protected]

x.com/derrickpenner

• Dan Fumano: The big stink: Who will pay for cost overruns on $3.8 billion North Shore sewage plant?
• Calls growing for public inquiry into $4 billion North Shore wastewater project overrun

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Delta Mayor George Harvie drops out of Metro Vancouver directors' Amsterdam trip

Harvie was removed from his position as chair of the regional board this month by his own councillors and said he didn't want to be a 'distraction'

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Delta Mayor George Harvie, recently ousted as chair of the Metro Vancouver board by his own councillors, has decided to withdraw from an upcoming trip to Amsterdam by the region’s directors because he said he doesn’t want to be a distraction.

Harvie, who remains chair until July 1 after he asked for a transition period, said he won’t attend the International Conference on Urban Drainage and study tour on green infrastructure planned for June 7 to 16.

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The upcoming trip includes meetings with the City of Rotterdam and expert presentations about urban drainage and flooding, lessons Harvie said “align with Metro Vancouver’s work to develop and update the region’s liquid waste and drinking water management plans.

“With my term as board chair coming to an end …, I have come to the difficult decision to forgo this learning opportunity. I do not wish to be a distraction to the continuing work at Metro Vancouver.”

Harvie said he will remain on the Metro Vancouver mayors’ committee after his term as chair ends.

During a May 6 meeting, Delta councillors approved several motions aimed at limiting the powers of the mayor to make decisions independent of council, after several said they had lost confidence in Harvie’s leadership. They also voted to strip the mayor of his role as Metro’s board chair.

After Harvie asked for a delay to allow an orderly transition at Metro, there was a tense exchange between the mayor and Coun. Dylan Kruger over the Netherlands trip, which is aimed at reviewing the lowland country’s diking system.

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“So you’re asking for the opportunity to go to Amsterdam?” Kruger asked.

“I’m asking for the opportunity to join board members in Amsterdam, that has been set for quite some time, same as you’ve been travelling to Phoenix … (and) back east with regards to TransLink,” replied Harvie. “I mean, you’ve been travelling too.”

Kruger retorted: “I’ve not been to Amsterdam.”

After the ouster, four Delta councillors — Jennifer Johal, Daniel Boisvert, Rod Binder and Kruger — issued a statement saying the decision reflected “council’s loss of confidence in the mayor’s ability to effectively represent the city’s interests at Metro Vancouver.”

Harvie has characterized the move as political more than operational.

Harvie worked as Delta’s city manager from 2002 to 2018 before being elected to his first term as mayor and winning re-election in 2022. He has said he plans to run for a third term in 2026.

Longtime Delta councillor and mayor Lois Jackson earlier said she agrees the moves were political.

“Now there’s talk of (Harvie) running again” for a third term, Jackson told Postmedia News. “So Kruger has taken the rest of council and said, ‘Come with me, we are now going to replace George Harvie.’

“Dylan wants his day.”

On July 1, Binder will replace Harvie on the Metro board of directors while Kruger will also remain as one of two directors representing Delta. A replacement as Metro’s chair has not been decided.

With files from Dan Fumano

[email protected]

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Elenore Sturko leaves B.C. United party for Conservatives to ’defeat the NDP’

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Rainfall warning issued for Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley

Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, with up to 60 millimetres expected by Monday morning.

It says the warning comes as a moisture laden Pacific frontal system moves into the south coast of British Columbia, bringing heavy rain.

The weather agency says this will intensify by Sunday afternoon before easing into showers early Monday.

The warning says localized flooding is possible in low-lying areas, and that heavy downpours may also cause flash floods and water pooling on roads.

The weather office first issued a rainfall warning for Metro Vancouver on Saturday, but expanded the alert Sunday to cover the Fraser Valley, including Chilliwack and Hope.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2024.

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Stay Connected

Fallout continues, following Delta council uprising against mayor

Delta, b.c, mayor george harvie reverses course on travel as metro vancouver chair following scrutiny.

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Delta, B.C., Mayor and Metro Vancouver board chair George Harvie says he won't travel to Amsterdam, where he was to learn about urban drainage and flooding mitigation approaches meant to benefit the region, because of recent attention over his role on Delta council and travel expenses.

The trip, set for mid-June, was to come in the final weeks as his role as chair of the regional government. Metro Vancouver includes 21 municipalities and governs things like water, waste and emergency management.

"I have come to the difficult decision to forego this learning opportunity. I do not wish to be a distraction to the ongoing work at Metro Vancouver," he said in a statement Tuesday.

The controversy around Harvie and his travel as Metro Vancouver chair illustrates an ongoing fracture between the mayor and the six members of Delta city council.

In 2022, Harvey ran for a second term as mayor under a political slate called Achieving for Delta . He got 75 per cent of the vote and his entire slate was also elected.

'Ensure proper governance'

But discord among the group became public in early May, when his council passed seven motions aimed at limiting his influence.

It also removed him as a Delta director to Metro Vancouver, which ultimately means an end to his role as the Metro Vancouver board chair on July 1.

"Over the past months, it has become increasingly apparent that these changes were needed to uphold the interests of Delta taxpayers and ensure proper governance," said Couns. Rod Binder, Daniel Boisvert, Jennifer Johal, and Dylan Kruger in a statement May 6.

Kruger said he was not available to speak to CBC News Wednesday, following Harvie's announcement about cancelling the Amsterdam trip.

Delta's former multi-term mayor, Lois Jackson, told CBC News that she suspected Harvie, who she hired away from Burnaby to be the city's chief administrative officer, was not listening to his councillors and they were sick of it.

"It think it was the biggest swipe they could take at him," she said about ousting him as Metro chair, although he will remain on Metro Vancouver's mayors committee.

"Is it political? Probably. But is it real? You bet," said Jackson.

Harvie's travel costs surpass $32K

New Westminster Coun. Daniel Fontaine said the upcoming trip to the Netherlands that had been planned by Harvie was another example of unnecessary public spending.

He's critical of regional politicians taking tax-payer-funded trips when they are grappling with major cost overruns with a project like the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant .

The project could result in households within the North Shore sewerage area being on the hook for hundreds of dollars in additional fees each year for decades.

• Estimated cost for North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant balloons to almost $4B

"Our local and regional taxpayers expect better, and so they should," said Fontaine in a statement.

Documents provided by Metro Vancouver show $21,213 in airfare for Harvie to attend a February  Canada-in-Asia conference in Singapore .

The airfare for the Netherlands trip was to cost $5,307. So far this year, Harvie's expenses, including the cancelled trip, are $32,852.

In 2023, $17,337 was spent to fly him to a Brisbane conference.

Meanwhile in 2023. the expenses for Metro Vancouver chief administrative officer Jerry Dobrovolny were $37,141, with more than half for travel, training and conferences.

Just Metro business

The regional government defends the spending.

In a statement, a spokesperson said, "Attending out-of-region conferences and study tours is part of Metro Vancouver's Leadership and Engagement program, which was first endorsed by the Metro Vancouver board in 2010. 

"All travel aligns with the Board Strategic Plan, and is within the annual budget."

Remuneration bylaws allow board and committee members taking air travel longer than nine hours to travel business or executive class. Metro Vancouver does not pay for spouses to travel with board and committee members.

Harvie, who has declined interviews on the matter, said in statements that any furor about his work in Delta and at Metro Vancouver is all politics.

"It was certainly not for lack of representing Delta's interests at Metro or fulfilling my duties as the Mayor or Delta," he said in an email to CBC News on May 8, following his council's uprising.

"It is definitely apparent they have already started the 2026 civic election in Delta."

Former Delta staffer files civil suit

There are other signs of discord in Delta and on council.

In late March, Paramjit Singh Grewal, the general manager of economic development and stakeholder relations in the mayor's office was dismissed.

He has since brought a civil suit seeking damages and alleging defamation in the firing, which court documents claim was done, "without cause and without notice."

The City of Delta and Coun. Dylan Kruger are named as defendants in the suit. Both have filed responses claiming no wrongdoing. None of the claims have been proven in court.

Harvie, in his email from May 8, made reference to the suit and specifically mentioned Kruger.

"I am very disappointed that Council is involved in this legal matter," he went on to write. "I do hope more public information on this matter will be an outcome of the Court process."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chad Pawson is a CBC News reporter in Vancouver. Please contact him at [email protected].

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