Governance Structure

How Metro Vancouver is governed

Metro Vancouver is a federation of 21 municipalities, one electoral area, and one treaty First Nation, all working together to deliver the essential regional services that 3 million residents rely on every day.

It is governed by four boards, which oversee services such as drinking water, wastewater treatment, solid waste, regional parks, air quality, below-market housing, and regional planning.

The four Metro Vancouver Boards

Metro Vancouver has four separate legal entities with four boards. These boards provide strategic direction and oversight for Metro Vancouver's services. Membership on each of the four boards is slightly different.

Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD)

Since: 1967
Legal Act: Local Government Act
Number of directors: 41
Number member jurisdictions: 23
Member: Per the Local Government Act, every local government in a region must be part of a regional district
Services: Air Quality, Regional Parks, Regional Planning, Invest Vancouver, Electoral Area A, Regional Emergency Management, Regional Employers Services**

Greater Vancouver Water District (GVWD)

Since: 1924
Legal Act: Greater Vancouver Water District Act
Number of directors: 38*
Number member jurisdictions: 19
Member: All members except Bowen Island, Lions Bay, and White Rock
Services: Drinking Water

Greater Vancouver Sewerage & Drainage District (GVS&DD)

Since: 1914
Legal Act: Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District Act
Number of directors: 37
Number member jurisdictions:19
Member: All members except Belcarra, Bowen Island, Lions Bay, and scəw̓aθən məsteyəxʷ (Tsawwassen First Nation)
Services: Sewerage and Drainage, Solid Waste

Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation (MVHC)

Since: 1974
Legal Act: Business Corporations Act
Number of directors: 41
Number member jurisdictions: 23
Member: All members of MVRD
Services: Non-profit Rental Housing

*Electoral Area A is not a member jurisdiction, but pursuant to the GVWD Act, the Director for Electoral Area A is a voting member of the Board **See Metro Vancouver website for complete list

Board directors are elected by the public to their local councils (or legislature, in the case of Tsawwassen First Nation) and then selected by those councils to serve on Metro Vancouver's boards. The Director for Electoral Area A is directly elected by residents who live there.

See the current Board members.

Board representation and voting

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

Population
Votes determined based on the Canadian Census. Current votes based on 2021 Census data.

Village of Anmore – population 2,356
Village of Belcarra – population 687
Bowen Island Municipality – population 4,256
City of Burnaby – population 249,125
City of Coquitlam – population 148,680
City of Delta – population 108,465
Electoral Area A – population 18,612
City of Langley – population 29,541
Township of Langley – population 132,603
Village of Lions Bay – population 1,390
City of Maple Ridge – population 90,995
City of New Westminster – population 78,916
City of North Vancouver – population 58,690
District of North Vancouver – population 90,646
City of Pitt Meadows – population 19,390
City of Port Coquitlam – population 61,498
City of Port Moody – population 33,535
City of Richmond – population 209,937
City of Surrey – population 568,393
scəẃaθən məsteyəxʷ (Tsawwassen First Nation) – population 2,256
City of Vancouver – population 663,894
District of West Vancouver – population 47,021
City of White Rock – population 21,939

Metro Vancouver Standing Committees of the Board

Metro Vancouver standing committees advise the board on policy and other matters. Reports from staff most often go first to a standing committee, which considers and discusses the content before forwarding it to the board for decision.

The Board Chair establishes the standing committees and appoints members to them. Members are most often elected officials (eg. mayors and councillors) from member jurisdictions.

Learn about current committees

Board and committee meetings and reports

Board and committee meetings are open to the public. This makes it easy for residents to see what decisions are being considered and how they are made.

Learn more about upcoming and past meetings:

View the meeting calendar to see what board and committee meetings are coming up
Read agenda and reports for upcoming meetings
Apply to speak to a committee or to the board
Watch the livestream
Read the minutes

Board Governance Review

Learn more about the Board Governance Review and implementation of its recommendations

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How Metro Vancouver is governed​​

​The four Metro Vancouver Boards