Engaging the Community We Serve

Mayor Derek Corrigan
2011 State of the City Address
Delivered to the Burnaby Board of Trade Luncheon
Hilton Vancouver Metrotown Hotel
April 7, 2011

Thank you for taking the time to join me here today at the Board of Trade's State of the City luncheon. I welcome this annual opportunity to discuss our City's achievements, challenges and opportunities. My annual disappointment, though, is that I can't talk about all of our plans and accomplishments. There just isn't enough time. Anyone who would like to join me for a few hours after lunch, however, is welcome to hear what I miss saying.

Last year, I spoke at this address about Burnaby as a Creative City and my firm belief that innovation and imagination are critical to the growth, development and sustainability of great cities worldwide. Since then, Burnaby's commitment to pursuing creative opportunities has resulted in the completion of many successful initiatives and the launch of several new programs and plans.

In many areas, we have found new ways to engage - with citizens, businesses and visitors. Creative solutions require collaboration. You can't be creative if you're not having a dialogue to determine what people want their City to be - today and in the future. In a city, creativity emerges from the tensions inherent in many individual and disparate points of view. Today, as I talk to you about our year's accomplishments and plans, I'll also focus on how we get there - through collaboration, consultation and engagement.

One of our greatest achievements this year is our Social Sustainability Strategy - and when I say "our", I am speaking about the role played by many of you here today, because the strategy's development was collaborative. With significant opportunities for public involvement built into the plan, it drew on the energy, creativity and innovation of hundreds of Burnaby citizens and businesspeople, including a 25-member, blue-ribbon steering committee. Several of you are here today and I'd like to thank you for your contribution.

A draft of the strategy is now complete. If you haven't already contributed, I encourage you to go to our website and have a look at the draft on line - or get a hard copy from our Planning Department - then speak to me or one of our Social Planners to share your comments and suggestions. You can also complete our on-line survey. And there's one more open house - April 11, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., at Bonsor Recreation Centre.

The strategy is, of course, not the beginning of Burnaby's focus on Social Sustainability, it is a roadmap that builds on the City's existing goals and its positive social attributes and assets. For several years, Burnaby has been formally working toward its goal of becoming a sustainable community through the implementation of a trilogy of Economic, Social and Environmental sustainability strategies - a Sustainable City initiative to create a sound policy direction for the future and provide a foundation for the continued strengthening of Burnaby's overall well-being, enhancing our status as a liveable, vibrant and sustainable community; a place that facilitates an engaged and active citizenry, a healthy economy and a strong respect for the natural environment.

One important issue for social sustainability is affordable housing, and I'm pleased to say that the City has a longstanding reputation for supporting the development of affordable housing. Burnaby Council has never wavered in its determination to make every effort to have the provincial and federal governments live up to their responsibility to fund the creation of a safe, affordable home for every citizen.

In Burnaby, our legacy of commitment to creating affordable housing opportunities can be seen throughout the City. We have offered a number of innovative programs to increase the opportunity for the construction of affordable housing. Council recently initiated the Community Benefit Housing Fund which has provided grants totalling over $327,000 to non-profit groups, such as the South Burnaby Legion and the Marguerite Dixon Society, to assist them in building new units.

To date, the City has independently raised more than $2.3 million in funds committed under the Housing Bonus Density fund and has created 19 units of housing though our Density Bonus Program in our town centres. It is a partnership with our innovative and successful development community that provides them with the opportunity to build more floor space in their projects in exchange for providing Burnaby with needed community amenities such as affordable housing.

Burnaby will continue to press the federal and provincial governments to use the Hastings Street Urban Renewal Site in a creative and imaginative way for a major affordable housing initiative. This parcel of land, which has been vacant for decades, would provide an excellent opportunity for our senior levels of government to expand much-needed housing within the Heights neighbourhood.

What we always keep in mind is that no matter what we're planning, it's not just about today. While we're doing great things to enjoy now, we're simultaneously looking at what more we can do to build on our strengths for the future. Some of the things you do for children, for example, don't see results for 20 years.

We embarked on our first Sustainable City initiative with the Economic Development Strategy 2020 a few years ago. It was developed with the input of more than 100 local industry leaders, representing 23 sectors of the local economy. It was a committee that I was privileged to chair. The goal of this strategy was to make Burnaby the preferred location in the Lower Mainland for a broad range of economic investment. And we are clearly succeeding in this goal.

Burnaby is the home of world-stage corporate players in technology, two high-calibre post secondary educational institutions, two rapid transit lines, strong sector clusters in industries with high growth potential, and an outstanding array of community amenities.

With Burnaby's award-winning Economic Development Strategy in hand, the City has a clear vision of what it is trying to achieve, a sound understanding of Burnaby's economic prospects for growth, and practical strategies aimed at fostering businesses across industry sectors.

Following the release of the Social Sustainability Strategy, the City will begin developing the Environmental Sustainability Strategy. Similar to the first two, the process being proposed for this strategy will be to use an exemplary Steering Committee to engage recognized leaders from the environmental sectors and a 'Community Dialogue' approach to provide the broadest possible opportunity for community input.

As with the first two, I will chair the Steering Committee to ensure the Strategy is consistent with its predecessors.

Overall, we have embraced the sustainability framework as a way of evaluating ourselves. Our inspiration is creativity and innovation, while our goals are clear and attainable.

Burnaby's financial position remains very strong, boding well for the future of our businesses and citizens. We are the rock solid foundation for business in our community. We are debt-free, with a relatively low taxation rate. As a result of our sound fiscal management, we are positioned to lead the region's economic recovery and to continue to prosper even while other cities are searching for funding options, reducing services and delaying projects.

Our Civic Investment Fund allows us to reduce our tax draw and to ensure an ongoing high level of service to citizens and businesses. Burnaby has focused on ensuring that our investment fund maximizes, to the legislated extent possible, our returns on invested cash. Our diversified investment approach provided a 5.10% return in 2010. This correlates to $33 million generated by our investments. In 2010, the Civic Investment Fund provided $7.3 million to the operating budget and lowered the required tax levy by 3.56%. Any unspent funds are re-deposited into our reserves. This is the kind of policy that makes Burnaby an economic success story by any measure.

Burnaby's financial reserves, which are in excess of $518 million, and our prudent financial practices are the envy of cities across Canada. In fact, recent accounting changes have required all cities to follow the same kind of methodology that we use in order to assess their long-term financial health. Because we only "borrow" internally, we have the flexibility to react quickly in any situation. For instance, the recent economic downturn has given us the opportunity to advance major civic building projects, such as the projected $43 million investment for a new Edmonds Aquatic and Community Centre.

In addition, our policies for the use of gaming funds to support our capital project initiatives and reduce financial impact on residential and business taxation, further enhance our financial stability. We have never used our gaming funds to subsidize our operating budget, but we consistently undertake capital projects that reduce the need for operating increases.

This year, we have seen a steady increase in development activities, from very large, complex, mixed-use to smaller urban village projects.

Even with the major challenges of our extraordinary growth, Burnaby's Planning and Building Department sustained its high standard of service. In 2009, the Urban Development Institute released a member survey which announced that "the best planning department based on competence and ethical professionalism is the City of Burnaby".

I would also like to point to the local NAIOP Development Cost Survey, which has recognized that the City of Burnaby has set its Planning and Building permit fees lower than most other municipalities in the Lower Mainland. Burnaby has the lowest municipal development fees and one of the fastest municipal permit approval times for new project applications.

Another important way in which we're ensuring Burnaby is well-positioned to seize opportunities in a global economy is through our ongoing work with the Burnaby Board of Trade and our mutual development of relationships with our friendship cities around the world. Working closely with the Board, we continue valuable, productive relationships with: Kushiro, Japan; Mesa, Arizona; Tai-Jung, Taiwan; Zhongshan, Changshu, Dongli District, Tianjin, and Dalian, all in China....and we recently signed an agreement with Hwaseong, South Korea.

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