THE Metro Vancouver Board on Friday received recommendations from the independent Board Governance Review led by Deloitte Canada and took immediate steps to begin implementing the recommendations put forward.
“When I came on as Chair of the Board, I committed to ensuring the public is confident that this Board is working effectively and in their best interest. To that end, I initiated a Governance Review — today, we as a Board were able to make research-informed decisions on governance to ensure we are continuing to govern well,” said Mike Hurley, Chair of the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors. “With the findings from this thorough and thoughtful independent Governance Review, we can now take meaningful action to strengthen how we govern and serve our region.”
The report concluded that Metro Vancouver’s governance structure has worked for decades but can benefit from improvements. The report provided 49 recommendations aimed at improving Metro Vancouver Board governance, which include reviewing the Board size and structure, instituting a Governance Committee, streamlining standing committees, and strengthening Metro Vancouver’s internal audit function.
Following Friday’s Board meeting, immediate action to be taken at Metro Vancouver coming out of the Board Governance Review include:
- Create a Governance Committee with broad regional representation to lead the Board’s efforts in implementing the recommendations in the Governance Review Report
- Strengthen the organization’s internal audit function
- Draft revisions to the remuneration bylaw to:
- Eliminate double meeting fees
- Eliminate meeting fees while travelling on Metro Vancouver business
The Governance Committee’s first meeting is targeted for July, and the Province will be invited to participate in the implementation of relevant Governance Review recommendations through this committee.
“Once the Governance Committee is in place, our next step will be to carefully assess and prioritize the Governance Review recommendations and begin implementing the changes that will have the greatest impact,” said Metro Vancouver Board Vice Chair John McEwen. “This review provides a clear path forward to modernize how we govern — ensuring our Board and committee structures, decision-making processes, and compensation frameworks are aligned with best practices and meet the needs of our growing region.”
The Board Governance Review was officially launched in February 2025 to review Board and committee structure, compensation for Board and committee members, and Board decision-making processes. The provincial government is partnering with Metro Vancouver on this review, and Deloitte Canada is the independent third party selected for the review. The full report can be viewed here.
