 |
|
| |
|
| |
| |
|
|
|||||||
| Site Map Telephone Reference Guide Download Languages Sponsors Search this Site | |||||||||
|
Part Three:
Living Part Four: City |
City Government
People in Vancouver vote every three years to choose the Mayor, ten City Councillors and seven Park Board Commissioners. The Vancouver School Board, which is under provincial government jurisdiction, is also elected at the same time. Each year Council chooses various people to be on civic boards, commissions and committees, including the Vancouver Public Library Board, and the Greater Vancouver Regional District Board (GVRD). The City of Vancouver government has many functions and powers. It can:
City Hall, the heart of the City of Vancouver’s government, is located at 453 West 12th Avenue. City Hall is where the Mayor’s Office (Tel: 604-873-7621) is located, where the City Council meets and where the main offices for many city departments are located. The City Manager’s Office (Tel: 604-873-7625) in City Hall oversees the day-to-day administration of the city’s affairs. The City Manager carries out the Council’s decisions and supervises the work of City departments and programs. Staff work in city departments and programs all over the City, following the direction of the elected representatives. Mayor and Council appoint senior staff, including the City Manager. All other staff are selected through a City hiring system, based upon their education, skills and experience. City Council & the Park Board discuss and make decisions about issues regarding the governing of the City at Council & Park Board meetings. Decisions are made based on open votes in Council and Park Board meetings, and any person can go to regular Council and Park Board meetings, as well as to meetings of different city committees. You can get information about decisions to be made at Council’s
meeting from the City Clerk’s Office (Tel: 604-873-7276) or for Park
Board issues, from the Park Board Office (Tel: 604-257-8400). You can
also find more information on the City website [top] Anyone may request to speak to a report on a City Council or Standing Committee agenda. To do so, it is necessary to pre-register, either in writing or by telephone, to the City Clerk Office (Tel: 604-873-7276). The same process applies for Park Board Meetings (Tel: 604-257-8400). Other Levels of Government & Jurisdictions The City government works with other levels of government and jurisdictions in providing services to the people of the city. Contact the following governments/jurisdictions if you wish more information about their services and programs: A. Provincial and Federal Government The Provincial and Federal Government have a lot of functions that are important to Vancouver. Each has laws and regulations, provides many services, develops lands and operates departments, ministries and crown corporations. You can find out more through their websites:
B. Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) The City of Vancouver also is represented on the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), which brings together the 21 municipalities & 1 electoral area in Greater Vancouver to make decisions about common issues such as water, sewers, garbage, recycling, air quality, transportation, labour relations, and parks.
C. TransLink is the body responsible for transit services.
D. Vancouver Coastal Health Authority is responsible for health services.
E. Vancouver School Board looks after schools and education in the city.
[top] |
|
||
Comments or questions? Send us e-mail at baldwin.wong@vancouver.ca. © 2002,
City of Vancouver, Community Services, Social Planning |
||||
City
government Vancouver’s city government is made up of the Vancouver
City Council and the Vancouver Park Board. City Council is made up of
the Mayor and ten Councillors who are elected at large for a three-year
term. The Mayor is the Chair of City Council.