{"id":536275,"date":"2026-03-14T17:04:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T17:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/536275\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T17:04:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T17:04:09","slug":"exposing-the-shadow-planners-a-special-presentation-for-metro-vancouver-region-online-event-march-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/536275\/","title":{"rendered":"Exposing the \u201cShadow Planners\u201d: A Special Presentation for Metro Vancouver region (online event March 26)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A Special Presentation for Metro Vancouver by CRD Watch<\/p>\n

Date: March 26, 2026
Time: 6:30 p.m. (Pacific Time) for two hours
Online: Zoom
Registration (required): https:\/\/us02web.zoom.us\/meeting\/register\/4CCNgJhoSE-OdMFJwUD2fQ<\/a>
Hosted by: CityHallWatch Media Foundation, MetroVanWatch Media Foundation<\/p>\n

How did B.C.\u2019s housing policy shift so rapidly from community-led planning to top-down, industry-driven mandates? Join investigative researcher Sasha Izard, founder of CRD Watch<\/a>, for an explosive first-hand account of how the development lobby captured the provincial and local governments.<\/p>\n

The \u201cSmoking Gun\u201d Investigation<\/p>\n

After analyzing thousands of pages of Freedom of Information (FOI) records, Izard has uncovered a massive, multi-year influence campaign by the Urban Development Institute (UDI) and aligned activists to rewrite BC\u2019s housing laws in favor of corporate interests.<\/p>\n

This session will reveal:<\/p>\n

The blueprint for deregulation: How the erosion of public hearings and the centralization of power in Victoria were the intended results of deep-access lobbying.<\/p>\n

Conflict of interest: Why Vancouver and other Metro municipalities remain paying members of the very organization lobbying them, while cities on the island have pulled out.<\/p>\n

The 30-year plan: As one case study, a look at Vancouver\u2019s March 11 adoption of the Official Development Plan and what it means for the public\u2019s ability to scrutinize future developments.<\/p>\n

Reclaiming Local Democracy<\/p>\n

The provincial legislation is now being enshrined at the municipal level province-wide, dramatically reducing the public\u2019s voice. Following the presentation, we will hold a moderated Q&A and discussion on how citizens can reclaim their voice and turn the tide to revive local democracy. Learn how community groups and citizens can work together for positive change. <\/p>\n

Presentation title: \u201cHow the development lobby\u2019s agenda captured local government urban planning with the recent housing bills in British Columbia\u00a0\u00a0\u2013\u2013 And why it is crucial that the public regain control over the future of their communities\u201c<\/p>\n

About the Speaker<\/p>\n

Founded by\u00a0Sasha Izard, CRD Watch, quickly gained a reputation for covering important issues that the local news media in Greater Victoria would not. Sasha believes in the crucial role of public participation in democracy and government institutions. Yet he notes that this has been eroding, particularly at the local government and provincial levels. Starting in 2022, Sasha launched a series of FOI inquiries into lobbying efforts at all levels of government affecting housing, zoning, historical conservation, and the natural environment, including urban, semi-urban, rural and extra-urban ecology, which has been collapsing at an ever more rapid pace due to environmental deregulation.<\/p>\n

Website:\u00a0https:\/\/crdwatch.ca\/<\/a>
Free newsletter subscription:\u00a0https:\/\/crdwatch.ca\/newsletter\/<\/a>
Facebook:\u00a0https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/crdwatch\/<\/a>
Contact: CRDWatch@mail.com<\/p>\n

Guest page on CityHallWatch: https:\/\/cityhallwatch.wordpress.com\/guest-writers\/sasha-izard-crd-watch\/<\/a><\/p>\n

This session is a rare opportunity to learn how it is no accident to see massive deregulation for industry, accelerated urban densification, the erosion of public hearings, and the centralization of power at the Provincial level.<\/p>\n

Here is just one example of the FOI revelations of Sasha\u2019s extensive research. Sasha will show how specific lobbying \u201crecommendations\u201d from industry ended up directly embodied in legislation that affects every municipality today. <\/p>\n

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But change is possible. Awareness is a critical first step. <\/p>\n

Here is just one fresh and real-life example.<\/p>\n

While cities like Victoria have finally begun to sever ties with the UDI industry lobby group, Vancouver and several Metro Vancouver municipalities remain paying members of the very organizations that are lobbying them. <\/p>\n

However, on March 13, CRD Watch published a stunning announcement: \u201cThe District of North Vancouver has discontinued its UDI membership. The action marks the first time that a municipality in the Lower Mainland has been observed ending its membership in the lobbying organization.\u201d (https:\/\/crdwatch.ca\/2026\/03\/13\/the-district-of-north-vancouver-has-discontinued-its-udi-membership\/<\/a>)<\/p>\n

But there a lot more to do. Below is an image of a receipt from just four months ago to the Metro Vancouver regional district (representing 21 municipalities, one First Nation, and one electoral area) from the Urban Development Institute for membership renewal in the industry lobbying organization. Just one example of the evidence uncovered by Sasha over the past five years. <\/p>\n

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Separate but related: Threats to FOI legislation<\/p>\n

All of this is still happening in real time. Public awareness is crucial. The work done by Sasha Izard and CRD Watch has been possible thanks to access to information legislation. <\/p>\n

But even this is under attack. The BC NDP has introduced legislation to severely weaken access to information. MLA Diana Gibson introduced amendments to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, or FIPPA (Bill 9) for First Reading in the B.C. Legislature on February 26. Learn about your legal right to obtain government records, and to protect your privacy, and about the bill now in the BC Legislature, as well as other FOI topics. <\/p>\n

See \u201cForum with BC Information and Privacy Commissioner Michael Harveywith Stanley Tromp interviewing\u201d (Sun March 15, 2026 at 2 pm) (link<\/a>). <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Special Presentation for Metro Vancouver by CRD Watch Date: March 26, 2026Time: 6:30 p.m. (Pacific Time) for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":536276,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194298],"tags":[49,48,55],"class_list":["post-536275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-vancouver","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-vancouver"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=536275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/536276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=536275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=536275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=536275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}