Annual Report
Our annual report describes our activities and performance, and provides all of the elements of annual reporting as outlined in the Community Charter:
- an account of our progress on objectives in the Corporate Plan
- a discussion of our financial performance
- a report on our operational performance over the past five years
Our 2021 Annual Report
Below is a summary of our work and accomplishments for 2021. For more details, download the complete report.
Our progress in 2021
Our work is guided by five corporate goals. Here are some highlights of the progress we made in 2021 towards achieving those goals.
| Goal | Progress |
|---|---|
| Enhance livability and mobility | Approved a Housing Needs Report to understand current and future housing requirements, including the need for more supportive and social housing |
| Made significant progress on six affordable housing projects | |
| Completed the Burrard Inlet Rapid Transit (BIRT) Benefits Assessment and successfully advocated for inclusion of BIRT in TransLink’s Transport 2050 planning process | |
| Foster community, safety, health and resiliency | Opened the Museum of North Vancouver in December 2021 |
| Completed construction of the Lions Gate Community Recreation Centre, a new hub that offers recreation, culture, library and community services | |
| Began constructing the Maplewood Fire Rescue Centre | |
| Began development of organization-wide Indigenous relations and reconciliation strategy | |
| Successfully applied for a provincial grant to create 37 new child care spaces at Eldon Park | |
| Lead in climate emergency action and environmental management | Completed a retrofit at District Hall that reduced emissions by 50 per cent |
| Received three new wildfire response vehicles and increased our firefighting capacity in areas with limited fire hydrant access | |
| Implemented a low carbon step code bylaw amendment | |
| Upgraded and replaced Gallant Avenue stormwater culvert to handle climate change related extreme weather | |
| Achieve a balanced and fair economy | Worked with stakeholders to develop solutions for small businesses negatively impacted by current property assessment methodologies |
| Began working with external consultants to ensure development contributions are appropriate, with recommendations to be made to Council in 2022 | |
| Support a sustainable and service-oriented organization | Launched a new intranet to support digital literacy for DNV workforce and enhance service delivery |
| Implemented pandemic workforce resiliency measures, including flexible work arrangements, staff rotations and redeployment | |
| Provided cultural awareness training for staff, executive and council |
Our financial performance
In 2021, taxation, fees and user charges accounted for 90 per cent of the District’s revenue.
Council approved a three per cent increase in property taxes in 2021, and over the past decade has maintained one of the lowest average increases in municipal taxes in the Lower Mainland. Our largest expenses are for salaries and contract services, with protective services accounting for just under half of all expenses, followed by water sewer, and solid waste; and parks, recreation and cultural services.
Our strong financial framework enables us to continue to sustainably deliver the services our community relies on. The operating surplus ratio has averaged five per cent over the past five years, indicating there is reasonable financial flexibility to renew aging infrastructure.
Our operational performance
The Services and Operations section of this annual report illustrates our five-year performance on key measures. This includes data on:
- housing
- transportation
- childcare
- the pedestrian and cycling network
- crash statistics
- crime rate
- response time by fire station and incident types
- annual corporate emissions from District operations
- water consumption
- residential tax rate
- number of building permits and associated revenue
- number of business licences issued and asset condition ratings
Looking ahead
We will continue to advance the initiatives described in the Corporate Plan in support of transportation, livability and affordability, community well-being and resilience and a strong local economy.