At Metro Vancouver we make decisions that impact the 2.7 million residents that live in our region. Metro Vancouver engages municipalities, businesses and the general public whenever we are working on a new program, policy, or project across our service areas.

Upcoming Engagement Opportunities

About Community Engagement

Community engagement can take many forms, from online surveys to open houses to working groups. By participating in our engagement opportunities, you can help us make better decisions on projects or plans that affect you and your neighbours. Your input can maximize the benefits of a project, minimize the impacts, and provide new ideas or initiatives for your community.

Community Engagement During COVID19

Metro Vancouver continues to closely monitor developments regarding COVID-19 and our paramount commitment is to maintain essential services to the region while protecting the health and safety of our employees and partners.

Guiding Principles

• Accountability – Metro Vancouver upholds the commitments it makes to the public and demonstrates that the results and outcomes of the engagement processes are consistent with the approved plans for engagement.
• Inclusiveness – Metro Vancouver makes its best efforts to reach, involve and hear from those who are impacted. Plain language will be used in all engagement materials.
  
• Transparency – Metro Vancouver provides clear and timely information, and endeavours to ensure decision processes, procedures, and constraints are understood.
• Commitment – Metro Vancouver, within its ability and work plans, allocates sufficient resources for effective engagement.
• Responsiveness – Metro Vancouver seeks to understand and be receptive to the public's input.
  

Methods of Engagement

The format of our engagement depends on the nature of the project and the level of impact on residents and businesses. For example, a small project with minimal public impact (say, a temporary traffic detour) may only need a letter or notice to your home, or an advertisement in the local newspaper. While a larger project with significant impacts and longer duration in a community may call for ongoing public meetings and working groups (like designing and building a new wastewater treatment plant). Below, a spectrum of public participation* demonstrates how Metro Vancouver communicates and engages based on the needs and goals of a project.

Our Spectrum of Public Participation

*This spectrum is adapted from the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2), which seeks "to promote and improve the practice of public participation in relation to individuals, governments, institutions, and other entities that affect the public interest in nations throughout the world".

Community Engagement Outcomes

Community engagement can help to minimize impacts and develop better projects.

Additional benefits of community engagement include strengthening relationships, informed dialogue, sharing information on the interconnectivity of our systems, the resiliency of our major utilities, educating on water conservation and source control to protect the environment, and providing education to K-12 students and teachers and beyond through our many public events, tours and programs.

Indigenous Peoples Engagement