Burnaby councillors are calling on staff to ensure the risk of extreme weather events is accounted for in the city’s forthcoming 25-year growth plan.
At a meeting Jan. 14, Burnaby Citizens Association councillors put forward a motion to direct staff to “plan for and mitigate the risk of extreme weather events, such as flooding and wildfire, in the Official Community Plan.”
The councillors said the risk of extreme weather events has “increased significantly” and will continue to increase due to climate change.
They asked staff to identify areas of Burnaby that are at high risk of flooding, possibly including the Central Valley and Big Bend, and wildfire, such as the UniverCity development on Burnaby Mountain, in the next 25 years and to designate appropriate land uses in the OCP to prevent “to the largest extent possible” the risk to people and property.
Coun. Alison Gu, who drafted the motion, said she hopes staff can identify how to plan for the hazards by limiting certain land uses or promoting others.
“It’s important for us to take a proactive approach and be prepared for what the next 25 years of weather and climate will bring forward for us,” she said at the meeting.
Coun. Sav Dhaliwal added that by including this planning in the OCP, the work becomes part of the city’s “everyday business.”
“The OCP is the blueprint, it’s the road map for the cities now,” he said. “It’s no longer just a land-use description … It’s ‘Burnaby 2050’ – (describing) what the life and our livability will be.”
The motion passed unanimously.
Burnaby’s OCP is in the last stage of development after two years of public consultation and drafting.
The final draft is expected to be released for a public engagement period in March, then officially adopted in September.
