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Board Governance Review - Public Engagement on Board Size and Structure

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​​Metro Vancouver is looking for input on its Board size and structure. Deloitte’s Board Governance Review report (2025) found that the existing governance model has served the region well, but there is room for improvement.

The report outlined 47 recommendations for strengthening the organization’s board governance framework. This includes considering changes to the size and structure of the four Metro Vancouver boards.

Deloitte has recommended reducing the size of the Boards to enhance decision making, strategic focus, and overall improved governance.

  • The ‘size’ of a board refers to the number of board directors it has.
  • The ‘structure’ of a board refers to who sits on the board. Currently, only elected representatives sit on Metro Vancouver’s boards. This ensures community representation. However, some of the options being considered include adding different expertise into decision making.

The engagement runs from May 6 to June 14, 2026.

All feedback will be provided to the Metro Vancouver Boards for discussion in July 2026 and help inform decisions on the proposed changes.

How Metro Vancouver’s boards work now

Each member jurisdiction of Metro Vancouver is represented on the respective b​oard if they are a member of that particular service.

Residents directly elect their mayors and councillors through local elections (in the case of Tsawwassen First Nation, this is Chief and legislators. In the case of Electoral Area A, the public directly elects their representative to the MVRD Board). Elected councils select council members to sit on Metro Vancouver Boards as directors.

Each Board Director has votes based on the population of the member jurisdiction.

  • 1 vote for every 20,000 residents in the community
  • At least 1 director for every community
  • An additional director for every 100,000 residents

Metro Vancouver’s current board structure

Though typically referred to as one organization (“Metro Vancouver”), Metro Vancouver is actually four separate legal entities, each with its own board of directors. These Boards are:

  • Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD)
  • Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation (MVHC)
  • Greater Vancouver Water District (GVWD)
  • Greater Vancouver Sewage & Drainage District (GVS&DD)

This structure allows each of Metro Vancouver’s member jurisdictions to be represented in regional decision making that affects them. It also supports efficiency in service delivery and cost-sharing between members on major infrastructure and services that serve the whole region.

In the current governance structure, every Director on Metro Vancouver’s Boards is an elected representative from a member jurisdiction. Metro Vancouver staff provide expert advice and research to Board Standing Committees which then report to their respective Boards. This structure enables decision making informed by both technical and political considerations.

The changes under consideration​

There are some consistent and some unique options for each board.

Each of the options under consideration will be assessed based on the following criteria:

  • Improvements in efficiency, decision making, oversight, and strategic alignment
  • Municipal representation / stakeholder impact
  • Size / scalability / time and ease to implement

Public engagement

There are many ways you can contribute to this public engagement around the possible changes to Metro Vancouver’s board.​

Register for a webinar

You are invited to register for two webinars to learn more about the Board Governance Review process and the options being considered related to the size and structure of Metro Vancouver’s four Boards.

Please register below to hear more about the options being considered by Metro Vancouver’s Boards, ask questions, and share your thoughts.

Webinar 1: Thursday, May 28, 2026, 2:00 - 3:00 pm (PST)
Webinar 2: Wednesday, June 10, 2026, 10:00 - 11:00 am (PST)

Register

Complete a questionnaire

Share your feedback via the survey below:

Complete the survey

Please share this survey with your friends and colleagues who live in Metro Vancouver so their feedback can be included in the final report for Metro Vancouver’s Board.

Call or email Metro Vancouver

We always welcome your questions via email or phone. Please contact Metro Vancouver directly:

  • Em​ail ​
  • 604-432-6200​​
    (Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm)

All input will be gathered and reported to the MVRD Board to support their decision making, scheduled for July.


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