North Vancouver Chamber CEO Patrick Stafford-Smith with District of North Vancouver Mayor Mike Little.
The room was energized for our business-focused Conversation and Q&A with District of North Vancouver Mayor Mike Little on February 28.
North Vancouver Chamber members and guests had an opportunity to chat with Mayor Little and network with each other while enjoying a delicious breakfast at the Holiday Inn & Suites.
Mayor Little was introduced to the audience by Naomi Horsford, Municipal and Stakeholder Relations Manager with Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, who also gave some stats about our vibrant waterfront industries.
Naomi Horsford, Municipal and Stakeholder Relations Manager, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, offers opening remarks.
Housing for workers, transportation, property taxes, and employment land use were among the local hot topics presented to Mayor Little by NV Chamber CEO Patrick Stafford-Smith.
The District is experiencing the most substantive change in land use since the 1970s, explained Mayor Little. And when it comes to creating affordable housing, all levels of government have a role to play.
“But we’ve got the message,” said Mayor Little. “We definitely are on board with producing new units in our community. We just want to be strategic about where they are, what they are, and what the goal is to achieve in terms of housing.”
What will North Vancouver District’s demographics look like in 20 years?
“We do have to make sure that people at different times in their life are being supported,” said Mayor Little. “As part of a healthy community, you have to have a mixture of unit sizes, but also tenure in the community.”
Regarding public transportation for workers, Mayor Little said the District has been advocating for increased bus service at the south foot of Pemberton Avenue.
“I’m optimistic that we will be able to see some improvements in that area for our friends in the waterfront industries there,” said Mayor Little.
With the new Official Community Plan moving ahead, what changes can the business community expect?
The District is developing an Economic Development Strategy aimed at building a diverse and resilient local economy.
“It’s got a tremendous amount of data and the wonderful thing about that is it’s not generic data,” explained Mayor Little. “So, it’s talking about the numbers of businesses in different sectors and fields in the District of North Vancouver.”
The North Vancouver Chamber extends its thanks to Event Presenting Sponsor: Port of Vancouver and Event Supporter: Seaspan.
