Delta council has voted to remove Mayor George Harvie from his role as Metro Vancouver board chair, while also passing a number of resolutions aimed at enabling city staff to execute 鈥渢he collective will of council.鈥�
On Monday afternoon (May 6), council unanimously voted in favour of a motion by Coun. Daniel Boisvert to rescind Harvie鈥檚 appointment to the board, as well as a seven-part motion by Coun. Jennifer Johal seemingly intended to curtail the mayor and city staff鈥檚 ability to make certain decisions or represent Delta without prior council approval.
In a joint statement released after the conclusion of Monday鈥檚 meeting, Boisvert, Johal and councillors Rod Binder and Dylan Kruger thanked Harvie for his past service to the community, but said their decision 鈥渞eflects council鈥檚 loss of confidence in the mayor鈥檚 ability to effectively represent the city鈥檚 interests at Metro Vancouver.鈥�
The statement went on to say the actions included in Johal鈥檚 motion 鈥渞eflect a concerted effort to restore the ability for the collective will of council to be appropriately executed by Delta staff.
鈥淥ver the past months, it has become increasingly apparent that these changes were needed to uphold the interests of Delta taxpayers and ensure proper governance,鈥� the councillors said in their statement.
They did not elaborate as to why they had lost confidence in Harvie to represent Delta at Metro Vancouver or what incident(s) prompted the actions in Johal鈥檚 motion.
The Reporter has reached out to Johal for comment, but has not yet heard back.
Boisvert told the Reporter via email that he would not be making any further statements at this time.
He also would not comment as to why Coun. Jessie Dosanjh, who voted in support of both motions, was not included in the released statement.
The Reporter has reached out to Dosanjh for comment but has not yet heard back.
Counc. Alicia Guichon is currently on leave from council and did not take part in Monday鈥檚 meeting.
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The motions came at the end of Monday鈥檚 regular meeting of council under 鈥渘ew business鈥� and were not on the published agenda.
Boisvert moved that, effective the day of the meeting, councillors Rod Binder and Dylan Kruger be appointed as Delta鈥檚 representatives on the Metro Vancouver board, with himself and Coun. Jennifer Johal as alternates, and that all previous appointments be rescinded.
Harvie asked 鈥渨ithout taking any exception鈥� that the effective date be pushed to July 1 so he could fulfil his obligations as board chair and 鈥渓eave the office there in good stead.鈥�
After some consideration, Boisvert agreed to amend his motion, but it took several more minutes for another member of council to second the amendment.
Harvie, looking a seconder, said it would 鈥減lace Delta in a very poor show鈥� if council did not allow at least 30 days for a proper transition.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 all I鈥檓 asking for. I鈥檓 not taking exception; council can do what they want in so far as appointments. But I鈥檇 hope you鈥檇 have the decency to at lest give the chair the opportunity to close his office down, pass files over, work with the [chief administrative officer] to ensure there鈥檚 a good transition at Metro Vancouver to the chair鈥檚 position. Because your actions are removing the chair of Metro Vancouver.鈥�
Harvie pointed to obligations that had 鈥渂een set for quite some time,鈥� prompting Kruger to ask, 鈥渨hat roles and duties and responsibilities does the chair of Metro Vancouver have outside of chairing meetings?鈥�
The mayor said he was responsible for ensuring good governance at Metro Vancouver and had a number of appointments coming up, as well as a trip to Amsterdam with other board members as part of a review of the diking system and subsequent report back to the board and to Delta council.
鈥淪o you鈥檙e asking for the opportunity to go to Amsterdam?鈥� Kruger asked.
鈥淚鈥檓 asking for the opportunity to join the board members in Amsterdam that has been set for quite some time,鈥� Harvie replied. 鈥淪ame as you鈥檝e been travelling to Phoenix, you鈥檝e been travelling on a number of situations back east with regards to TransLink. I mean, you鈥檝e been travelling too.鈥�
To which Kruger retorted, 鈥淚 have not been to Amsterdam.鈥�
In the end, council voted unanimously in support of the amended motion.
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Harvie will leave his various roles at Metro Vancouver at the end of June, including that of board chair, financial plan task force chair, and North Shore wastewater treatment plant program task force chair. As mayor, he will retain his seat on the region鈥檚 mayors committee.
Meanwhile, Binder will be elevated from his current role as alternate to director. Kruger and Boisvert鈥檚 current roles will remain unchanged.
Kruger, who is already a director at Metro Vancouver, currently sits as chair of the flood resiliency committee, vice-chair of the regional planning committee and the George Massey Crossing task force, and as a member of the finance, housing, liquid waste and regional parks committees.
With its endorsement of Johal鈥檚 motion, which passed without discussion, council has decreed that events hosted by the City of Delta must now utilize consistent branding, and that no other branding will be allowed without council approval 鈥� including branding centred around the mayor or any individual member of council.
As well, council approval will be required for any special events, 鈥渋ncluding economic breakfasts, sports summits, funding announcements or ground breakings.鈥�
Moving forward, all official correspondence sent from the mayor must be sent on City of Delta letterhead and 鈥渂e reflective of the will of council.鈥�
Also, no individual member of council is permitted to direct staff to edit or remove council reports from upcoming agendas outside of a formal resolution of council.
Further, all members of council must be provided with the same information from city staff, including information regarding upcoming community events, and should the mayor be unable to attend an upcoming event, the acting mayor must be provided with the information from staff in order that council is adequately represented.
Finally, no additional staffing support will be provided to the mayor or to council without a formal resolution of council.
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