(September 27, 2024): Surrey Councillor Linda Annis and New Westminster Councillor Daniel Fontaine say new “sky high” development cost charges from Metro Vancouver fly in the face of housing affordability, something every provincial and municipal politician claims to support.

 

Delegations of developers at today’s Metro board meeting are asking for delayed implementation of the fee increases which jeopardize the viability of housing projects moving ahead. In addition, they are asking for a thorough financial analysis of the costs to better understand the impact of the charges on land economics, and want proper engagement and consultation with developers and builders.

 

“Metro’s new increased water and sewer development charges are bad enough, and are even worse when you add them to DCC increases from municipalities,” said Annis. “For instance, the average single-family house in Surrey pays about $68,000 in city and Metro development cost charges today. But that will climb to $109,000 by 2027, a 60 per cent increase over three years.”

 

Fontaine said Metro uses the development cost charges to fund their capital projects, which are over budget and behind schedule, with absolutely no accountability to taxpayers.

 

“Once again, Metro Vancouver has shown it is completely divorced from the reality of taxpayers and people buying homes,” said Fontaine. “When Metro doubles and triples its charges in a three-year period, you know it is taxpayers and home buyers who end up paying every dime of those costs. At a time when we are all trying to build more affordable housing, and dealing with high interest rates, Metro’s increases do nothing but make life more costly at the worst possible time.”

 

Annis said residents across the region have lost faith in Metro Vancouver’s ability to deliver value for money, and that makes the new development cost charge increases even harder to swallow.

 

“Metro has shown no interest in being straight with regional taxpayers, so these new over-the-top increases only reinforce just how far removed they are from the day-to-day reality of local taxpayers,” added Annis. “As an example, Metro Vancouver is phasing in sewer DCC increases over three years that range between 200 and 378 per cent, depending on where you live. Surrey, Delta, Langley and New Westminster will see 220 per cent increases, with Vancouver and Burnaby facing a 378 per cent increase.”

 

Fontaine said he is not surprised that the development industry is coming forward to ask for a two-year delay and a financial analysis of the impact on housing costs.

 

“Right now, every community in the region is being told to build, build, build,” said Fontaine. “Meanwhile, Metro’s triple digit increases translate to increased housing costs, as well as the potential delay of new, much-needed housing. The people who brought us the North Shore Water Treatment fiasco continue to ignore the residents and taxpayers of the region, and continue to avoid any transparency around that costly debacle.”