The Province's Gateway Program
Burnaby Council has expressed opposition to the Port Mann / Highway 1 project, which forms part of the provincial Gateway Program. The following reports and other documents explain the positions taken by Council, and present the analyses and explanations that underlie those positions. The reports are listed in chronological order, by Council meeting date.
2005 May 30
This report provided Council's formal introduction to the Gateway Program. Council expressed "strong opposition" to the twinning of the Port Mann Bridge, due to the project's variance from the underlying objectives of the Livable Region Strategic Plan. Numerous specific issues were raised, and page 13 posed a list of questions to the Province. The report is summarized on pages 14 and 15.
2006 February 20
The Gateway Program released a key document, the Program Definition Report, in 2006 January. This Council report provides a preliminary overview and critique. It includes responses to the questions that were asked in Council's previous report. Many new issues are identified and discussed.
2006 June 19
Building on the previous report, this one provides a formal response to the Program Definition Report. It presents a comprehensive package of recommendations for the Province's consideration, with "primary" recommendations on pages 1 and 2, and "supplementary" recommendations on pages 34 and 35. Based on the dialogue over the last year, Council stated its opposition to the Port Mann / Highway 1 project. The report has considerable discussion of the positions taken by regional agencies: Metro Vancouver (then the Greater Vancouver Regional District) and TransLink. There is an executive summary on the first few pages. The report was tabled until June 26, at which time Council adopted all the recommendations.
2007 January 15
Out of concern that the public consultation conducted by the Province was too narrow and constrained, Burnaby Council conducted its own public consultation about the Port Mann / Highway 1 project. This report presents the results, showing overwhelming support for the positions taken by Council. In separate documents, you can also read the public consultation materials and the verbatim public responses.
2007 August 27
This report provides an update on developments over the past year. It presents the Burnaby section of the Port Mann / Highway 1 project in considerably more detail than was available previously. Responses to Council's motions from 2006 June are presented and discussed. Issues associated with the environmental assessment of the project are explored. Significant concerns are identified with the Province's decision to procure the project via a Public Private Partnership (P3). There is an executive summary on the first few pages of the report. You can also read the Council motions, which are different from those recommended in the report. After consideration of all the new information, Council reaffirmed its opposition to the Port Mann / Highway 1 project.
2007 November 13
Burnaby made a submission to the provincial Environmental Assessment Office, expressing our concerns about the environmental impacts of the Port Mann / Highway 1 project. Key topics are identified on the first page of this letter.
2008 May 29
The City of Burnaby published a newspaper pull-out, "Gateway to Gridlock", summarizing Council's position on the Gateway Program.
2008 September 15
Burnaby Council remains opposed to the Port Mann / Highway 1 project, but agreed to enter into negotiations with the Province towards a technical Access Memorandum that would specify how the project will be integrated into Burnaby's existing infrastructure and the community.
2009 March 23
Burnaby Council received an information report, providing an update on the Port Mann / Highway 1 project and reviewing the status of the negotiations regarding an Access Memorandum.
2010 February 1
Burnaby Council received an information report, providing an update on the Port Mann / Highway 1 project and reviewing the status of the negotiations regarding the Burnaby Access Memorandum.
2010 September 13
Council received a report describing the terms of the Burnaby Access Memorandum between the City and Province. It identifies how the project will be integrated into Burnaby’s infrastructure and the community. Council had already adopted the report’s recommendations, during the Closed meeting of 2010 August 30.
