TransLinks Mayors Council Welcomes New Member

September 19, 2012

New Mayors' Council member takes her seat

Maria Harris gives voice to UBC-area residents

People who live, work and study at the University of British Columbia and its environs now have a political voice on the TransLink Mayors' Council.

Maria Harris, who was elected in 2008 as the representative for Metro Vancouver Electoral Area "A", attended her first meeting today as an official member of the Mayors' Council on Regional Transportation. This means that, for the first time, the rapidly-growing community on the University Endowment Lands and the adjacent neighbourhood is formally represented in TransLink issues.

The Mayor's Council was created in 2008 with the change in governance at TransLink, but the unincorporated Electoral Area "A" was not included in its structure, although Ms Harris did attend meetings as an observer and came to many TransLink public events.

At the request of the Mayors' Council, the provincial government introduced Bill 51, which took effect earlier this month and, among other things, gave the Electoral Area "A" representative a seat on the Council.

On being officially welcomed to the Mayors' Council by Chair Richard Walton, mayor of the District of North Vancouver, Ms Harris said, "I very much look forward to the opportunity to work with everyone here as we seek to make decisions in the best interests of the region."

A former economist at BC Hydro with degrees from UBC and abroad, Ms Harris has lived on the University Endowment Lands (UEL) since 1999. She has taken part in numerous processes related to land-use and community planning, including serving on Metro Vancouver committees, consultation on the Coquitlam watershed and developing the UEL's Official Community Plan.