~2-

It was generally felt by the managers that the Transportation Planning
increases were necessary and unavoidable. The increase in staff to
facilitate their movement from Vancouver was not supported by the
managers. It was not Known how much work they actually co for the
region, mor was it believed necessary to simoly hire them without
apparent need on the part of the region. The managers were uncertain
about the Tourism Vancouver contract but noted that there will be a great
deal of dissension among some municipalities if they are forced to
perticipate througn a regional levy.

The greater part of the discussion revolved around the Livable Region
Program. Proponents of the $300,000 program (which the planners would
Tike to see increased to $400,000) point out that it is necessary in
their opinion, to gain public support through a very extensive public
participation program. By gaining this public support and by having a
better educated public, the hard development decisions that Councils will
have to make will be made easier.

I would recommend against the program for a number of reasons:

1. Council has had a presentation of the plan and are aware of
what it includes and its main thrust. The entire plan is a
series of "motherhood" statements. It is written in such
general terms that there is nothing controversial or publicly
unsupportable in the document. By the same token there is
nothing specific that can be discussed in any meaningful
fashion. The plan has no legal status - no municipality or
person, or organization is bound to any of its statements. It
is my opinion that it would be appropriate and important for
City Councils to be informed about the plan and to be committed
to it, but the plan is of little or no immediate relevance to
the average citizen and because of that there will be no sense
of involvement nor of commitment by the public at large. The
information should certainly be made available to the public
should anyone be interested in it, but it is not believed a
worthwhile expenditure of funds to attempt an elaborate and
expensive public information process about something which has
no official status. One would be hard pressed, for example, to
imagine that knowledge of the Livable Region Plan would have
made any difference whatsoever on the controversial land use
debate or decisions such as Spetifore, Terra Nova, or even the
Surrey Remand Centre.

Bringing the Livable Region Plan out to the public ‘through the
media, public meetings, etc. is coming uncomfortably close to
reinstituting regional planning. As Council will recall, this
function was discontinued as a regional function several years
ago through provincial legislation.

OPTIONS
N/A
RECOMMENDATIONS

It is recommended that Council consider the proposed budget and the
foregoing comments and provide a resolution for the City's Board member
to take to the GVRD Board meeting. The process is similar to that of the

Fraser Valley Regional Library.

i~ is recommenced further that the proposed Development Services budget
not be approved and that the member levies not be increased except as
required to meet the transportation planning demand.

"OMS Gki
H.W. Baldwin

Chief Administrative
Officer

WHB/do
(0265C)