2018 Citizen's Report

ADMINISTRATION

This division encompasses Economic Development & Civic Properties, Human Resources, Communications, the Emergency Program and Sustainability & Corporate Planning. Here are some of the 2018 Highlights.

The Economic Development Department held the City’s First

In the early summer of 2018 the Emergency Program was activated due to the rapid rise of the Fraser River as part of the spring freshet. We were very close to evacuations when the water levels started to recede and the emergency was averted. In the fall a series of severe weather events required the Emergency Planning team to step up to assist the community in dealing with flooding and long power outages. Sustainability and Corporate Planning continued work to move green initiatives into the mainstream of the City’s business planning process. Retrofits of community facilities to reduce the City’s carbon footprint continued while all new construction and facility upgrades incorporate green technology to reduce power consumption, use less water and save taxpayers money on overhead.

Innovation in Emerging Cities Forum in April 2018 to bring together the regional experts and community leaders in industry and education to discuss how our community can position itself for success in the changing global economy. Mayor, Council and key staff members also participated in a number of Business Walks to hear what some of our innovative entrepreneurs are doing locally. The Human Resources Department continued to work with WorkSafe BC to ensure that the City of Maple Ridge has a strong safety culture across the organization. The City once again achieved a Certificate of Recognition

(COR) fromWorkSafe BC as part of a rigorous audit program. This resulted in a partial rebate of the WorkSafe premiums which were invested in safety program training. Also in 2018 the Communication team worked with Parks, Recreation & Culture to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey Association. The event included renaming a section of road leading to the City’s arena complex as ‘Jim Robson Way’ to recognize the BC and NHL Hall of Fame Canucks play-by- play broadcaster who grew up in Maple Ridge. The Communications team also worked with the Clerks Department to inform citizens about the 2018 local elections.

8 Citizen’s Report 2018