Delta City Council holds its first regular meeting on November 16

Delta City Council holds its first regular meeting on Monday, November 16, at 7 p.m. at the North Delta Centre for the Arts. The agenda, posted by the City on November 13, includes a formal notice of motion asking the Province to answer questions about the proposed replacement for the George Massey Tunnel, a motion directing staff to plan an Official Community Plan review, a non-profit rental housing application in Ladner, and a 2027 police budget presentation.

The Fraser River crossing motion

Councillor Alexander Fischer has submitted a notice of motion asking council to send an official letter to the Premier of British Columbia and the Minister responsible for transportation. The letter, if approved, would ask the Province for details on the proposed ten-lane bridge that the incoming Conservative government has described as an alternative to the George Massey Tunnel replacement project already under construction on Highway 99.

The motion lists nine areas where the Province would need to answer: the bridge's design and lane configuration; its construction timeline compared to the tunnel project; impacts on Delta residents, businesses and farmland during construction; effects on Delta's roads, agricultural land, drainage and natural environment; traffic performance and safety; whether the bridge would be toll-free; the status of federal funding; total project costs and what has already been spent on the tunnel; and all supporting technical documents the Province is able to release.

The motion also asks the Province to set up an ongoing consultation process with Delta and to hold a meeting between Mayor Melissa Granum and the Minister responsible for transportation.

Highway 99 runs through the middle of Delta and is the main road connection between Tsawwassen and the rest of Metro Vancouver. Construction of the new tunnel has been underway, and any change in the project's scope or design would affect Delta roads, agricultural lands along the highway corridor, and the daily trips of thousands of Delta residents and workers.

Governance review and public input

Councillor Tammy Hansen has submitted a notice of motion directing staff to report back on how the new council plans to involve the public in its decisions. The motion covers five areas: a review of the Official Community Plan, including how public engagement would work; options for residents to speak directly to council, such as question periods, town halls and council cafes; a council code of conduct; the creation of advisory committees; and changes to how council minutes are written.

If council approves the motion, staff would prepare a report setting out options, what each would cost in time and resources, and recommended next steps. Council would then vote on those recommendations at a later meeting.

Delta's Official Community Plan was adopted on July 8, 2024. Mayor Granum and several councillors have said in the period since the election that reviewing the plan is among their first priorities. The November 12 voche.me article on the OCP review describes what the plan covers and what a public review would involve.

Non-profit rental housing in Ladner

The consent agenda includes a new application to rezone two properties at 4909 and 4917 Delta Street in Ladner for a six-storey mixed-use non-profit rental building. At this stage, council is being asked to receive the report into the record, not to approve the development. Receiving a rezoning application starts the formal review process: City staff assess the proposal, the applicant may need to revise plans, public consultation is held, and council votes on a zoning bylaw amendment at a future meeting.

Delta Street runs through central Ladner. A six-storey non-profit rental building in that area would add rental homes at a size and type not common in Ladner's current building stock.

Police budget and other items

Delta Police Chief Constable Harj Sidhu and Delta Police Board Chair Ian Tait will present the 2027 provisional police budget to council. This is a regular annual step: council receives the presentation and the budget goes through further review before council votes on it. The meeting agenda does not include the budget figures; those would be in the full staff report.

Council will also vote on final adoption of Delta Zoning Bylaw Amendment No. 8512 for 5125 Whitworth Crescent South. Final adoption is the last step in a rezoning process that has already gone through public notification and council readings. The agenda does not describe the nature of the development at that address.

Under new business, council will vote on a proposal to move the December 7 regular council meeting from the North Delta Centre for the Arts to the Council Chamber at Delta City Hall, 4500 Clarence Taylor Crescent.

How to attend

The meeting is open to the public at the Theatre in the North Delta Centre for the Arts, 11425 84th Avenue, North Delta, on Monday, November 16 at 7 p.m. The full agenda is available at the City's published meetings site. Residents who want to speak to any item should contact Legislative Services in advance. Council's meeting schedule for 2027 is on the November 16 agenda; once approved, it will show when future meetings are planned.