Metro Vancouver committee members each earn $557 for 4-minute meeting

A file photo from a meeting of the Metro Vancouver Regional District board in 2025. (CTV News)

A meeting of Metro Vancouver’s Regional Planning Committee on Thursday that lasted less than four minutes saw each member make a whopping $557.

The regional government body has confirmed to CTV News that each of the 13 members who attended the scheduled 9 a.m. meeting—some of them virtually—will receive the standard compensation as laid out in its Remuneration Bylaw: a $7,241 hit to taxpayers.

Metro Vancouver has come under increasing scrutiny due to the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant boondoggle, plus it’s massive 41-member board, each of who is paid per meeting up to a daily cap of $1,114.

Some of those meetings can run hours and delve into reports hundreds of pages long, but the reverse can also be true, as it was in this case.

“The meeting proceeded because the agenda contained two time-sensitive items: regional context statements for Surrey and Coquitlam that require committee and then board approval so that the cities can pass their official community plans and meet provincial requirements,” wrote a spokesperson.

New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Cote provided members with an update on development cost charges and progress on drafting a “land resource uses toolkit” for flooding, which is intended for municipal staff. There were no questions in response to the information he presented.

The meeting was adjourned shortly after, with a total duration of just 3 minutes and 43 seconds. Early in the meeting, committee chair and Langley Township mayor, Eric Woodward, quipped, “I’m almost going to break my own record today.”

Unlike municipal governments, which only oversee certain matters within their physical boundaries, Metro Vancouver handles regionwide matters like drinking water, air quality, garbage and sewage infrastructure.

• Metro Vancouver approves ‘re-scope’ of Iona wastewater treatment

Last year, an independent audit of the organization by Deloitte made 49 recommendations, which are in the process of being adopted and acted upon.

Metro Vancouver has even published a public progress tracker to demonstrate which items are ongoing, underway, or pending.