| Metro Vancouver Board Approves 2026 Budget | Metro Vancouver Board Approves 2026 Budget | | <div class="ExternalClassFB2C086C7DE44FA18855AEAB7149C388"><p>Metro Vancouver has finalized its 2026 budget. In 2026, households will contribute on average $897 for the year — about $75 a month — for all of Metro Vancouver's services. These include providing drinking water, wastewater treatment, solid waste management, regional planning, regional parks, and more to three million residents — over half of British Columbia's population. </p><p>“We understand the pressure residents are feeling from rising costs. We've taken action to protect affordability while continuing to deliver the high-quality services residents rely on every day," said Mike Hurley, Chair of the Metro Vancouver Boards. “Through a Services and Cost Efficiencies Review undertaken in the spring, we identified more than $360 million in operational savings over the next five years, substantially reducing costs for ratepayers across the region."</p><p>Collectively, average household rates will increase 2.5 per cent over the previous year, despite inflationary pressures and rising costs to build and maintain major infrastructure.</p><p>Payments made by households to Metro Vancouver are primarily toward utilities. In 2026, households will pay on average:</p><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li>$81 for regional district services (including regional planning, regional parks, air quality management, E-911, Invest Vancouver, and more)</li><li>$208 for drinking water services</li><li>$74 for solid waste services</li><li>$534 for liquid waste services</li></ul><p>Savings were achieved by lowering debt servicing costs through reducing capital infrastructure spending, adjusting project timelines, and optimizing work plans. These 2026 savings build on proactive efforts taken in 2024 to lessen impacts on ratepayers, including reprioritizing projects and programs, which resulted in approximately $650 million in deferred costs and savings for the region.</p><p>Actual rates for Metro Vancouver services will vary based on where residents live. Fees are collected through local member municipalities as part of the tax requisition and utility bills.</p><p><strong>About Metro Vancouver's Budgets and Financial Plans</strong></p><p>Metro Vancouver provides services that are the foundation of livability in the region through four legal entities: Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), Greater Vancouver Water District (GVWD), Greater Vancouver Sewerage and Drainage District (GVS&DD), and Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation (MVHC).</p><p>The majority of Metro Vancouver's operating and capital budgets are financed through utility fees for drinking water, sewerage, and solid waste management.</p><p>Property taxes account for a small portion of the Metro Vancouver budget and support the regional parks system, as well as other services including air quality management and regional planning.</p><p>Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation is a non-profit organization owned by the Metro Vancouver Regional District. Ongoing operations of Metro Vancouver's approximately 3,400 units of affordable housing is financed almost entirely through rents paid by tenants. Investment in new affordable housing over the next 10 years comes from Metro Vancouver in conjunction with various affordable housing funding bodies.</p><p>A financial report including audited consolidated financial statements of the four legal entities is posted publicly on an annual basis.</p><p><strong>2026 Budget and 2026-2030 Financial Plan Documents and Reports</strong></p><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li><a href="/about-us/Documents/gfoa-finance-annual-report-2024.pdf">Annual Financial Report 2024</a> (released July 2025)</li><li><a href="/about-us/Documents/proposed-2026-2030-financial-plan.pdf">Proposed 2026 Budget and 2026 – 2030 Financial Plan</a></li><li>April 9, 2025 – <a href="/boards/meeting/3173">Special Joint Board Meeting – Board Budget Workshop</a></li><li>April 9, 2025 – <a href="/boards/GVRD/RDSP-2025-04-09-AGE.pdf">Full report on Metro Vancouver's Potential Cost Savings by Department</a><br></li><li>July 2, 2025 – <a href="/boards/meeting/3269">Regional Parks Committee – Draft Five Year Capital Plan – Regional Parks (Item E1)</a></li><li>July 2, 2025 – <a href="/boards/meeting/3234">Housing Committee – Draft Five Year Capital Plan – Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation (E1)</a></li><li>July 3, 2025 – <a href="/boards/meeting/3299">Zero Waste Committee – Draft Five Year Capital Plan – Solid Waste Services (Item E3)</a></li><li>July 9, 2025 – <a href="/boards/meeting/3252">Liquid Waste Committee – Draft Five Year Capital Plan – Liquid Waste Services (Item E2)</a></li><li>July 9, 2025 – <a href="/boards/meeting/3289">Water Committee – Draft Five Year Capital Plan – Water Services (E1)</a></li><li>October 22, 2025 – <a href="/boards/meeting/3179">Special Joint Board Meeting – Board Budget Workshop</a></li><li>October 25, 2025 – <a href="/boards/meeting/3202">Council of Councils Meeting</a></li><li>October 31, 2025 –<a href="/boards/meeting/3180"> Board Meeting – Approval of 2026 Budget and Endorsement of Five-Year Financial Plan</a></li><li><a href="/boards/reviews-underway">About the Services and Cost Efficiencies Review</a></li></ul><p>The Metro Vancouver Board of Directors meets on the last Friday of every month.<br></p></div> | 10/31/2025 7:00:00 AM | | Metro Vancouver Media Relations | media@metrovancouver.org | | |