Archives: All the Metro Matters newsletters in one place

Who is watching your city hall?

In Metro Vancouver, there are 21 separate municipalities which means it can be hard to keep track of everything that's happening on a local level in this region.

Which is why CBC Vancouver has a political newsletter, Metro Matters, dedicated to providing a basic primer on what's happening at a municipal level.

First launched prior to the 2018 elections, municipal affairs reporterJustin McElroylooks at what mayors and councils are doing each week, and summarizes it with brevity and levity in a newsletter delivered to your inbox every Monday.

While the newsletter focuses on what's happening in Metro Vancouver, it will occasionallyhighlight happenings in other municipalities in B.C.

To subscribe, click here. And for an archive of past issues, scroll down.

2024

• March 8:A small town, a chart, and a goodbye
• Feb. 9: Personal, political, provincial: The 3 parts of the Vancouver Police Board controversy
• Feb. 7:On Surrey and Vancouver, policing and park board, and referendums vs. lawyers
• Feb. 2:New Westminster's school board byelection a litmus test for governing party
• Jan. 26:TransLink says it's in a fiscal crisis. The truth is more complicated.
• Jan. 19:How the privatization debate will soon come to Vancouver's city hall
• Jan. 12:Surrey vs. B.C. government, Vol. 83: why aren't police officers getting paid?
• Jan. 5:The one big B.C. city that hasn't publicly started its budget process

2023

• Dec. 14:Why there's no real debate over which B.C. municipality was most dysfunctional in 2023
• Dec. 13:North Van social housing debate highlights the difficulties of diversifying Metro Vancouver's supportive housing stock
• Dec. 7:9 points on the ABC Vancouver split over the future of the park board
• Dec. 1:Ken Sim and Brenda Locke do not have a great relationship. Here's why that matters
• Nov. 24: The pros and cons of how B.C. municipalities figure out their finances
• Nov. 17: What's so divisive about the debate to change Shaughnessy?
• Nov. 10:Why this month's housing announcements could lead to future transit announcements
• Nov. 7:Gondola to SFU gets new renderings and new headlines but no new dollars
• Nov. 3:OCP: The three most important letters in B.C.'s new zoning rules
• Oct. 27:Bowen Island's $40M taxpayer-funded campground seems increasingly in jeopardy
• Oct. 20:Most big Metro Van cities like TransLink's expansion plan. Except for this one
• Oct. 17:Why municipalities are happy with B.C.'s short-term rental changes
• Oct. 14:Ken Sim wants Vancouver to be the three words we've heard again and again
• July 22:Could the biggest hot-button issue in local politics change back to housing?
• July 15:(Another) moment of truth coming for Surrey's policing situation
• July8:Why pickleball explains a lot about the workings of local government
• July 1:Are local politicians changing their tactics in dealing with social media hate?
• June 24:B.C. municipalities spending millions to get rid of their top bureaucrats
• June 10:Naughty or nice, B.C.'s housing list is already having an effect
• June 3:Metro Vancouver municipality will debate whether to officially adopt 15-minute city model
• May 27:Why after a decade the controversial tower proposed for 105 Keefer in Vancouver seems likely to move forward
• May 20:A McDonald's, a rezoning and B.C.'s best small town collide
• May 6:How the land between UBC and Vancouver might become Metro Vancouver's 22nd municipality
• April 28:Non-profits and Ken Sim's former chief of staff say vow was broken over Hastings Street encampment
• April 22:B.C. government takes a risk interceding in local issues
• April 1:Local conversations over crime and safety increasingly a provincial issue
• March 25:Vancouver council to hold key votes on the future of the Broadway corridor
• March 17:Vancouver councillor in the middle of foreign interference allegations speaks out
• March 11:When city halls go bad, how much should the province get involved?
• March 4:Why can one Metro Vancouver municipality keep property taxes much lower than the others?
• Feb. 25:Why Vancouver tax increases are set to go higher than ever despite Ken Sim's campaign rhetoric
• Feb. 17:In New Westminster, heightened emotions about many more motions
• Feb. 10:What the political controversy in Lions Bay is really about
• Feb. 4:Why property taxes in your municipality are likely to go up more than normal this year
• Jan. 27:Vancouver mayor talks up real (and metaphorical) bridge building with other municipalities
• Jan. 20:Why a welcome sign was the biggest political issue in Greater Victoria for 24 hours
• Jan. 14:How Vancouver could make its public spaces as fun as the Shipyards

2022

• Dec. 17:Why there's a new relationship between Vancouver and the B.C. government
• Dec. 10:What's going on between the City of Kamloops and its new mayor?
• Dec. 3:What does the tempest over Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim's library comments tell us about the next 4 years?
• Nov. 26:After leadership change, Metro Vancouver will focus on lowering proposed tax increases
• Oct. 29:As Vancouver's council turns over, speculation grows over what the new dynamic will be
• Oct. 22:A chart-based look at how city halls across B.C. changed this election
• Oct. 14:Why B.C.'s political culture could move rightward on election night
• Oct. 8:On election endorsements, implied endorsements, and how other mayors view Kennedy Stewart
• Oct. 1:A look at some of the big election debates happening beyond Hope
• Sept. 24:Vancouver's issues are serious. So far, Vancouver's election campaign is not
• Sept.10:The 11 most interesting mayoral races in British Columbia
• Sept. 3:'The NPA has not imploded,' says leader of party that continues to lose candidates
• Aug. 27:Seeking re-election, Maple Ridge mayor believes voters care more about what he's done than who's been alienated
• Aug. 20:Port Moody's election this year looks much like its council the last four years: full of conflict
• Aug. 12:There are 21 municipalities in Metro Vancouver. On some issues, one has all the responsibility.
• Aug.6:Why the Pacific Prosperity Network has progressives concerned
• July 30:Populism, development, and the drama of White Rock politics
• July 23:David Eby says housing focus won't change if he jumps from minister to premier
• July 16:Should overseeing a city be a part-time job paying minimum wage? In most B.C. towns, it effectively is
• July 9:Why claims that Kennedy Stewart will put in mobility pricing if re-elected aren't entirely accurate
• June 25:Why New Westminster's mayoral race could look a little like other left-wing cities this October
• June 18:Why the departure of Abbotsford's mayor could be part of a trend
• June 11:Who is in the right in the dispute between Vancouver's mayor and one of its longest-serving councillors?
• June 4:Continued heated debates around Doug McCallum aren't actually changing much
• May 28:Why the conversation over vote-splitting in Vancouver's election is only growing louder
• May 14:Burnaby's mayor is running again. Is anyone going to challenge him?
• May 7:'You hate me!': Council meeting in Trail descends into confusion over non-confidence motion
• March 5:The two small towns that could become B.C.'s 162nd municipality
• Feb. 26:Regarding Surrey developments, Coquitlam byelections, Facebook advocacy pages and B.C. cabinet shuffles
• Feb. 19:Can a locally elected official be legally removed by the rest of the board? We could soon find out
• Feb. 12:The megaprojects of TransLink's current 10-year plan have been approved. What comes next?
• Feb. 4:David Eby hoping to address 'Hunger-style Games' affordable housing struggle in fall session of legislature
• Jan. 28:B.C.'s decision to review how local governments are financed is worth watching
• Jan. 22: Vancouver's viaducts not falling soon, even with court decision
• Jan. 15:Still unclear whether there will be any major challengers to the left of Kennedy Stewart for re-election
• Jan. 8:Jonathan Cote's departure from Metro Van politics could have plenty of spillover effects

2021

• Dec. 18:With one year left in term, local councils running out of time to move on priorities
• Dec. 10:Why Vancouver's property tax debate is really about what sort of city it should be
• Dec. 3:Home prices at record highs in B.C. but don't provoke loud political response
• Nov. 27:B.C. should consider whether local autonomy is important for risk management
• Nov. 13:How much is Vancouver an outlier when it comes to council business? You may be surprised
• Nov. 6:Why a new VAG could go ahead with a slightly reduced budget
• Oct. 29:Jurisdiction over local land-use issues could become a more provincial debate
• Oct. 22:Surrey's sign regulation a curious choice given power imbalances
• Oct. 15:We asked every Metro Vancouver mayor if they were running again. Here's what they said
• Oct. 8: Vancouver council's reputation reinforced by parking permit vote
• Oct. 2:After years of deliberation, Vancouver council faces real decision on its climate plan
• Sept. 24:How the federal government could influence local housing policy after the election
• Sept. 17:Debates about the role of cities haven't changed. But the stakes have.
• June 25: Penticton elects the managing editor of the local newspaper to city hall and inevitable questions arise
• June 18: Does Vision Vancouver have a role to play in its city moving forward?
• June 11:Whether you technically live in a city, town or village in B.C. doesn't change municipal powers
• June 4:Climate emergencies, building permits and treesizes are more connected than you think
• May 28:Populist, slow growth candidates had success last election in Metro Vancouver and could again
• May 21:Today's Vancouver council controversy: small change, democracy destroyer or another quagmire?
• May 14:City of Surrey and more importantly the province show no sign of budging on police transition
• April 30:Metro Vancouver council meeting ends abruptly after 10-minute attack by one councillor on another
• April 23:Port Coquitlam legal drama a reminder that majority rules in council conflicts
• April 16:Burnaby byelection candidates mirror city's diversity
• April 9:Why the race to be Vancouver's mayor is already beginning
• April 2: How Vancouver went from warnings of bankruptcy to a $229M surplus
• March 5:If you're giving yourself a pay raise in a pandemic, get in front of the story
• Feb. 26:Indigenous inclusion in city halls still a long ways off
• Feb.19:Spending scandal at regional district shows the need for oversight
• Feb. 12: Electoral reform continues to spin its wheels in Vancouver
• Feb.5:Home prices are back up, but the outrage hasn't returned
• Jan. 29:Populists vs. moderates, Non-Partisan Association edition
• Jan. 22:Kelowna's tall condo tower avoids political setbacks
• Jan. 15:More than COVID behind Castlegar mayor's departure
• Jan.8:An exit interview with the second most powerful person at Vancouver city hall

2020

• Dec. 11:The most important local byelection of 2020 is on Saturday
• Dec. 4:Surrey's mayor fortunate to escape the same level of scrutiny as Vancouver's
• Nov. 27:Out goes Robinson, in comes Osborne
• Nov. 20:What's going on in Prince George city hall?
• Nov. 13:Lots of turnover at the top in B.C. government bureaucracies
• Nov. 6:Why the B.C. government doesn't mind if Vancouver's mayor is unhappy
• July 31:No councils for six weeks doesn't mean no anxiety
• July 24:If I had a billion dollars (I'd buy you some medium-term stability for regional transportation systems)
• July 17:Untangling Surrey's political issues will be straightforward. Vancouver's, not so much
• July 10:What two local leaders are learning from fast-tracking booze in parks
• July 3:After 19 months of studying drinking in parks, Vancouver has a solution that pleases nobody
• June 26:Accommodating demands for police reform going as slowly as everything else in municipal politics
• June 19:If local government is 'closest to the people,' what happens when virtually every leader is white?
• June 12:Here's why Kennedy Stewart isn't taking on the Vancouver Police Department
• June 5:The biggest part of Vancouver's budget will be getting more scrutiny
• May 29:When a politician says something isn't a story, it becomes the story
• May 22:Getting the green light on drinking in green spaces
• May 15:Budget fight between Kennedy Stewart and VPD shows just how relatively calm Vancouver is
• May 8:Patios or no patios, cities face long-term fiscal challenges
• May 1:Possible power grabs in the time of COVID-19
• April 24:Vancouver must decide the best way to cut back in the time of COVID-19
• March 27:Local wants matter a little bit less in a global health pandemic
• March 26:COVID-19 response exposes political fault lines on the left much the same as in normal times
• March 25:One city wants to go well beyond the province in COVID-19 crackdown
• March 24:Local government still has to vote on stuff during COVID-19 restrictions. Here's how they're doing it.
• March 20:Does it matter if playgrounds are closed in one Metro Van municipality but open in others?
• March 19:What happens when people in 90% of a far-flung province have no idea how 'close' they are to a positive test?
• March 18:After days of cancelling things, local governments want to begin starting new things up
• March 17:Government not dwelling on whether it was behind the curve in limiting events to 50 people
• March 16:The week city hall started mattering a lot less
• March9:We're not building a Massey replacement, UBC Line, North Shore Line and Langley Line at the same time
• March 2:What has and hasn't changed in the Surrey policing transition
• Feb. 24:Focus on political issues out of your jurisdiction and you just might end up disappointed
• Feb. 17:Nominations are about to open in the most interesting local byelection we'll see this year
• Feb. 10:Fond memories of Vancouver circa 2010 more than just Olympic nostalgia
• Feb. 3:Doug McCallum huffed, puffed but approved ride-hailing