The Mayor’s annual address to the Chamber of Commerce and business community is an opportunity for us to share our accomplishments and future plans and address the questions and concerns of local entrepreneurs.
Last year’s event was held on Dec. 5, 2024, at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Centre. Following the Mayor’s remarks, Chamber acting CEO Craig Toews moderated a questions-and-answers segment with the Mayor. Guests posed many thoughtful and important questions to the Mayor via the Slido app, however there was not enough time to get to all of them.
Below are the questions the Mayor addressed at the event, as well as those that went unasked and their accompanying answers:
1. When is the train coming? Are there plans for regional passenger rail development south of the Fraser River?
The City of Abbotsford is working directly with the BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit, and BC Transit, as they are the providers of transit services throughout Abbotsford. At this time, Ministry and BC Transit plans to do not include the extension of TransLink’s SkyTrain or other rail services into the Fraser Valley. To align with this and the City’s Official Community Plan (OCP) and Transportation and Transit Masterplan, the City remains focused on improving public transit connections with that of TransLink. In addition, the Ministry’s Fraser Valley Highway 1 Program will provide bus on shoulder lanes through the valley, and the Fraser Valley Regional District is intent on improving the Fraser Valley Express service to cater to a growing demand for inter-regional bus service in the valley.
2. With the goal of Abbotsford to be the cultural hub, what are we doing to support growth in arts in terms of facilities, programming and amenities?
The City is exploring a number of initiatives relating to cultural spaces and amenities through its Cultural Services Assessment and Governance Review project. These include seeking potential partnerships with existing non-City facilities to increase the amount of available cultural space, exploring modifying/reimagining existing City facilities to increase functionality, designating preferred outdoor cultural sites from existing options, and exploring new financing options. Other possibilities include creating purpose-built indoor facilities, building permanent outdoor event infrastructure with secondary uses, and exploring the long-term development of a major combined indoor/outdoor cultural facility and site.
Regarding programming, the City of Abbotsford partnered with Tourism Abbotsford to create the new Go! Abbotsford events calendar and resource hub for event organizers. We also established an Arts and Culture Roundtable to support collaboration and coordination between various activity, program and event planners, and launched the new Culture City: Program Series to celebrate the many rich and diverse cultures and communities in Abbotsford.
3. Knowing that leadership can be challenging, how can we as business, non-profits and individuals support you and Council?
Municipal governments are the most accessible level of government, and businesses and non-profits should take advantage of the opportunity to reach out to Mayor and Council to share their ideas and challenges. The City hosts a number of community engagement activities including open houses, public meetings and the City’s Let’s Talk web page, where we are actively seeking public input.
You can also reach out to the City through Economic Development, inviting Mayor and Council to visit your business’s grand opening or participate in the Agriculture and Manufacturing tours. You can get involved with business support agencies such as the Chamber, Council of Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs (CYPE), Abbotsford Downtown Business Association, Community Futures, Stó:lō Community Futures, University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), WeBC and Futurpreneur.
Finally, businesses can help by becoming ambassadors for the community. Advocate for Abbotsford to senior levels of government on issues like funding for the Abbotsford School District, UFV, Abbotsford Regional Hospital, transit and flood mitigation. Help us amplify our message.
4. Where are the areas of opportunity for businesses and non-profits to work more closely together to build community and support each other’s goals?
There are a wide variety of opportunities for businesses and non-profits to work together to achieve mutual benefits and support the community at large. Business and non-profits in Abbotsford have a strong legacy of working together and have helped Abbotsford earn its reputation as Canada’s most generous community. They came together with the local government to help assist the community during and after both the pandemic and the 2021 flood.
Some specific opportunities for businesses to work with and support non-profits include:
- Volunteer programs: Businesses can encourage employees to volunteer with non-profits through corporate volunteer programs, offering paid time off or organizing team-building volunteer activities for their employees.
- Community events and fundraisers: Collaborations on local events, fundraising campaigns and charity auctions can boost visibility for both businesses and non-profits. For example, a business could sponsor a charity run, donate products for a silent auction or host an event that benefits a local non-profit. Businesses can also offer to match employee donations to non-profits.
- Training and mentorship: Businesses can offer their expertise in areas like marketing, financial management, technology or human resources to help non-profits by offering pro-bono consulting, workshops or mentorship programs.
- Technology and infrastructure support: Businesses can donate software, hardware or technical services to help non-profits improve their operations and outreach.
5. How long does it take for a building permit to be issued for single family, multi-family and commercial developments? How long does take for a rezoning development permit to be issued?
Rezoning Permit approvals and Development Permit approvals are two different processes. The exact time it takes for these processes does change depending on the demand, and is always available up-to-date on a display screen in the City Hall lobby as well as online. Typically, a rezoning application takes between 12 to 16 months from application date to consideration by Council, and a standalone Development Permit should be expected to be processed from application submission to approval-in-principle by eight to 12 months. Approvals are processed more quickly for developments that align with our OCP and Neighbourhood Plans. Our processes are also undergoing a review with a third-party contractor in an effort to continually improve the services we provide.
6. How is the City progressing in the provincial targets for housing? What is the City doing to move the needle forward in housing starts and affordability?
The City’s first annual Housing Target Progress Report found that from Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024, 602 net new units were completed in Abbotsford. This is 59 per cent of the Year 1 target of 1,022 new units.
During this timeframe, the City approved 2,079 new housing units, with 817 of them having been issued building permits. A further 2,687 units have been approved in principle and there are 1,152 in-stream applications. All residential development applications have been supported by Council. If we continue to process applications at this rate, we will achieve the Year 5 targets. It is worth noting that while the Province is using unit occupancy as a measurement tool, this is something that is affected by the market and interest rates and is beyond the City’s control.
This past year the City has undertaken many initiatives to help reach the Province’s housing targets, some of which include accessing the Housing Accelerator Fund, proceeding with a Secondary Suites Incentive Program, reviewing its development application process, digitizing building permits and contributing land for supportive housing.
7. The City’s Strategy calls for business retention and expansion. What about business attraction?
While the Business Retention and Expansion Strategy is focused on supporting existing businesses in the community, many of the elements of the strategy support business attraction.
Economic development research has shown that the majority of economic and employment growth in a community comes from existing businesses. Successful local businesses not only support each other, they also can act as ambassadors to attract new businesses to the community.
The strategy includes measures to help businesses navigate City processes like building and business licence applications, connect to external funding sources and access information on market opportunities such as Abbotsford Sitefinder’s consumer spending data.
8. Immigration in Abbotsford is growing at a faster rate than Greater Vancouver, what is the City’s plan to leverage the opportunities global talent brings?
Abbotsford is one of the fastest growing and most multicultural cities in Canada. More than 28 per cent of our population was born outside of Canada, bringing business experience and language skills from some of Canada’s most important export markets. Locally, the City works with organizations such as Archway Community Services, the Chamber, the Business Development Bank of Canada and the UFV to help to help support new immigrants integrate into the Canadian economy.
9. Do we have any plans to cut back on the high rate of immigration into Abbotsford to keep everything balanced (like schools and housing)?
Immigration is an area that falls under the jurisdiction of the federal Government of Canada. Mayor and Council do not have a say in this matter.
10. There are many crimes and incidents in our community scaring children. Does the City support involuntary care to keep our community safe?
As a Council and with Mayor Siemens as Chair of the Police Board, ensuring our residents have a safe community is top of mind. We have incredible first responders at the Abbotsford Police Department and Abbotsford Fire Rescue Services. They help keep our community safe and we are fortunate to have them.
We recognize that mental illness is an incredibly complex issue, and that those with mental health and addiction challenges impact our community as a whole and make up a majority of those who are homeless.
While we are not medical professionals, as we see the number of people who are homeless increase and hear from people struggling with mental health issues throughout the community, we can’t help but think that more needs to be done and that the current system may not be working as effectively as it could. We want everyone in our community to be safe, healthy and thriving. As addressing these matters falls to the BC Government through agencies like Fraser Health and BC Housing, we will continue to advocate to them to enhance services for Abbotsford residents.
11. What is the City doing to move the permitting faster?
The City of Abbotsford recently moved to a digital building permit submission and plan review. Included in the project was an update to the permit application requirements and checklists, which improved the quality of applications so they could be processed faster. This project also included an update to the building division’s file management system between building officials, ensuring standard building applications were processed faster and were not being held up by complex building submissions. Since the implementation of paperless permit submissions, the City’s permit approval wait times have significantly reduced. Current wait times are now public on the City’s website.
12. As a young and busy entrepreneur in the city, what are some ways you recommend I support the greater Abbotsford community?
There are more than 300 not-for-profit organizations in Abbotsford that support a wide variety of causes, such as Archway, the Rotary Club or Kiwanis Club. There are also a large number of sports and arts and cultural organizations that are always looking for volunteers. You can also find opportunities to volunteer for environmental, recreation, culture and special events programs with the City of Abbotsford at www.abbotsford.ca/volunteer.
Additionally, the City of Abbotsford’s Corporate Partnerships Program develops valuable partnerships between businesses/organizations and the City. Through this program, local businesses are able to heighten their visibility and develop stronger relationships with a city-wide audience, the City is able to use sponsorship dollars to fund programs and facilities and, ultimately, residents benefit from enhanced, barrier-free City events and initiatives. In an increasingly competitive business landscape, successful companies understand the value of partnerships, as it allows them to build stronger relationships with their target audience, be seen as a community leader, and enjoy a range of attractive marketing benefits. Visit www.abbotsford.ca/corporatepartners to learn more.
Finally, the Chamber’s CYPE program connects young professionals and entrepreneurs and gives them the chance to build, impact and grow together with a diverse selection of opportunities in areas of professional development, mentorship and networking.
13. How can the City and Chamber work together to drive economic growth?
The City and Chamber work together on a regular basis to help drive economic growth. The Chamber is a member of the City’s Economic Development Table, which helps support economic development initiatives in the city. A great example of this cooperative approach is the recent Manufacturing Tour, where the City and Chamber partnered to host a day-long bus tour that visited four successful local manufacturers and included a lunch event at a local aerospace company.
The Chamber also provided significant input into the recent Business Retention and Expansion Strategy, and amplified the City’s advocacy for Highway 1 widening, additional funding for the local hospital and UFV, and for additional funding for flood mitigation from both the provincial and federal governments.
14. What are your thoughts on the ongoing loss of third spaces? Does Abbotsford’s plan include adding/maintaining third spaces?
Third spaces can be both built and temporary. The current work on the City’s Public Art Policy and Program review will have a key role to play in placemaking in the community. Cultural programming is also important when it comes to temporary placemaking, as the City’s Culture Connect Strategy specifically mentions using non-traditional facilities, open spaces and parks for cultural programs, activities and events, such as the Artist in Residence program, Culture Days and Go Play Outside programming.
Staff are also working to ensure that there are OCP policies in place that support these kinds of physical spaces generally and are exploring ways the OCP can support them in specific spaces.
Abbotsford City Council