What North Vancouver City Council will decide at its first working meeting November 16
The new Council's first regular meeting covers the official election results certificate, a new auditor, a Budget Outlook presentation and Mayor Buchanan's motion to set public service standards for building permits and business licences.
Long read. The subject the most local outlets covered that day, with the public record behind it. Every outlet and record is linked under the story. Read the original report on cnv.org.
North Vancouver City Council holds its first regular working meeting on Monday, November 16, 2026, at 6:00 PM at City Hall. The agenda includes receiving the official election results certificate, appointing a new auditor, hearing a Canada Soccer House wrap-up, receiving a Budget Outlook presentation and considering Mayor Linda Buchanan's notice of motion on service standards for building permits and business licences.
The official election results certificate
The first item of substance on the agenda is the receipt of the Chief Election Officer's certificate confirming the October 17, 2026 results. Chief Election Officer Amelia Cifarelli signed and published the official declaration on October 21, 2026.
The certificate shows Mayor Linda Buchanan received 6,056 votes. The six councillors elected were Don Bell with 5,935 votes, Tony Valente with 5,881, Angela Girard with 5,382, Andrew Robertson with 5,192, Shervin Shahriari with 5,172 and Holly Back with 4,452. Back won the sixth council seat 33 votes ahead of Guy Heywood, who received 4,419 votes. For school trustees, Antje Wilson received 7,274 votes, Trish Neufeld 6,416 and Peggy Hung 5,704.
A total of 13,243 ballots were cast, representing a 30 percent voter turnout among 44,064 registered voters. The City recorded 224 spoiled ballots and 567 new voter registrations.
A new auditor for the next five fiscal years
Council will also vote to appoint MNP LLP as the City's auditor for fiscal years 2026 to 2030. The City's Chief Financial Officer, Larry Sawrenko, recommended the appointment in an information report dated October 28, 2026, after the City ran a formal request for proposals process. The previous auditor was BDO Canada LLP.
Under section 169 of the Community Charter, every municipality in BC must appoint an auditor. MNP LLP is a national accounting and business advisory firm with offices in BC.
Canada Soccer House at The Shipyards: 315,000 visits in 39 days
City staff will present the full wrap-up of Canada Soccer House at The Shipyards. The venue ran 39 event days from June 11 to July 19, 2026, during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. City staff reported 315,000 total visits.
The site reached its capacity of 6,000 people on 12 days. The highest-attended single day was July 4, when Canada played Morocco: staff counted 10,032 people at the Soccer House venue and 900 more at the Carrie Cates viewing area nearby, based on City staff's estimates. Canada Day brought 38,000 visitors to The Shipyards as a whole.
City staff put the external partners' share at 70 percent of total event costs in their report to Council. The Province of BC provided a $90,000 event grant, according to City staff. SeaBus ridership rose 35 percent during the event period, the staff report says. The City ran a bike valet program that parked 4,758 bicycles over the course of the event. Staff reported no major public safety incidents throughout the 39 days.
The wrap-up report was written by Magda Kwaterska, Manager of Shipyards and Waterfront, and dated October 28, 2026.
Mayor Buchanan's motion on building permits and business licences
Mayor Buchanan has filed a Notice of Motion asking Council to direct staff to set published service standards for building permit applications and business licence renewals, and to report publicly on actual processing times.
The motion asks Council to direct staff to deliver six things by the end of Q2 2027:
- Publish service level targets for building permit application processing.
- Report publicly on actual processing times against those targets.
- Create a tracking dashboard residents can use.
- Establish a business licence renewal process with a published service timeline.
- Identify improvements to the inspection booking system.
- Produce a written service improvement plan.
The motion asks staff to bring back a report with implementation options and timelines. A notice of motion does not itself change City policy; it asks Council to consider a direction and instructs staff to prepare work on it. The vote on November 16 will decide whether Council accepts the direction.
2027-2031 Budget Outlook
The agenda also includes a staff presentation on the 2027-2031 Budget Outlook. This is an informational report setting out the financial picture for the coming five-year budget cycle. The November 16 agenda lists it as a presentation, not a vote. Formal budget decisions for 2027 follow in a separate process later in the year.
How to attend and ask questions
The meeting starts at 6:00 PM. It is a hybrid session, so residents can join online as well as in person. Those who want to speak during the Public Input Period can sign up in person at City Hall between 5:30 and 5:50 PM on the night, or pre-register online by noon at cnv.org/PublicInputPeriod or by calling 604-990-4234.
You can follow the pledges Mayor Buchanan and the councillors made during the 2026 election on the promise tracker.
Questions this story answers
When and where is the November 16 Council meeting?
The meeting starts at 6:00 PM on Monday, November 16, 2026 at City Hall, 141 West 14th Street, North Vancouver. It is a hybrid meeting, so residents can also attend online. Those who want to speak during the Public Input Period can sign up in person between 5:30 and 5:50 PM, or pre-register online by noon at cnv.org/PublicInputPeriod, or by calling 604-990-4234.
What is on the agenda?
Council will receive the Chief Election Officer's certificate confirming the October 17, 2026 election results. It will also appoint MNP LLP as auditors for fiscal years 2026 to 2030. The evening includes a presentation on the Canada Soccer House at The Shipyards and a 2027-2031 Budget Outlook presentation. Mayor Buchanan has filed a Notice of Motion asking staff to set and publish service standards for building permits and business licences.
What is Mayor Buchanan's Notice of Motion about?
The notice of motion asks Council to direct staff to deliver six things by the end of Q2 2027: publish service level targets for building permit applications; report publicly on actual processing times; create a tracking dashboard; establish a business licence renewal process with a service timeline; identify improvements to the inspection booking system; and produce a written service improvement plan. The motion asks for a staff report with implementation options and timelines.
Who did the Chief Election Officer certify as elected?
Chief Election Officer Amelia Cifarelli certified the results on October 21, 2026. Mayor Linda Buchanan received 6,056 votes. The six councillors elected were Don Bell (5,935), Tony Valente (5,881), Angela Girard (5,382), Andrew Robertson (5,192), Shervin Shahriari (5,172) and Holly Back (4,452). Back won the sixth seat 33 votes ahead of Guy Heywood, who received 4,419 votes. For school trustees, Antje Wilson received 7,274 votes, Trish Neufeld 6,416 and Peggy Hung 5,704. A total of 13,243 ballots were cast, representing a 30 percent voter turnout among 44,064 registered voters.
Why is the City changing auditors?
The City ran a formal request for proposals process and selected MNP LLP, which will serve as auditor for fiscal years 2026 to 2030. The City's Chief Financial Officer, Larry Sawrenko, recommended the appointment in an information report dated October 28, 2026. The previous auditor was BDO Canada LLP. The Community Charter, section 169, requires every municipality in BC to appoint an auditor.
What was the Canada Soccer House at The Shipyards?
Canada Soccer House was a free public venue the City operated at The Shipyards during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, running 39 event days from June 11 to July 19, 2026. City staff reported 315,000 total visits and 12 days when the site reached its capacity of 6,000 people. City staff put the external partners' share at 70 percent of total event costs. The Province of BC provided a $90,000 event grant. SeaBus ridership rose 35 percent during the event period. City staff will present the full wrap-up report to Council at the November 16 meeting.
What is the 2027-2031 Budget Outlook?
The Budget Outlook is a staff presentation that sets out the financial picture for the coming five-year budget cycle. It is an informational report for Council. The City's budget decisions for 2027 will follow in a formal process later. The November 16 agenda lists this as a presentation, not a vote.
Where can I follow the promises these elected officials made?
The voche.me promise tracker follows the pledges Mayor Linda Buchanan and the six councillors made during the 2026 election. Buchanan's tracker page is at /bc/north-vancouver-city-2026/candidates/linda-buchanan. The full tracker is at /bc/north-vancouver-city-2026/tracker.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- City of North Vancouver · Council Agendas, Minutes and Videos (November 16, 2026 agenda package)cnv.org
- City of North Vancouver · Official Election Results, October 17, 2026www2.cnv.org
- City of North Vancouver · Public Input Period registrationcnv.org
- Community Charter, SBC 2003, c. 26, section 169 (auditor appointment)bclaws.gov.bc.ca
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