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4 | Citizens Report 2017
It is my pleasure to provide the
introduction to the 2017 Citizens
Report. This represents the third of
the four year term for our Council and
as you will see in the upcoming pages
of this publication, it was a year filled
with important milestones for our
community.
This publication is one of my
favourites because it serves as our
community ‘yearbook’ with stories and
images that allow us to celebrate the
major milestones and significant day-to-
day work that occurs, often unnoticed.
The overall theme of this publication
is one that is very dear to my heart. At
the beginning of our term Councillor
Shymkiw, Councillor Bell and I had the
honour of serving on Council’s Open
Government Task Force. We had a vision
around improving access to information,
government processes and accountability
around the work of our City. In the fall
of 2017 the City’s Open Government
Portal was launched, leapfrogging our
community into a leadership position in
providing citizens with information.
The feature story on page 8 talks about
the leadership of community volunteers
in developing recommendations and
how a team of professionals across our
organization met the challenge and
vision set out in the beginning of the
mandate. Throughout this publication
you will find references to data that is
available on the finances and business
activity for the City of Maple Ridge.
In 2017 our nation celebrated Canada’s
150 birthday. On page 36 you will learn
about the yearlong celebration that was
held. I was particularly proud of the
way our community embraced our First
Nations, the Katzie and Kwantlen people,
as part of this celebration. The process of
reconciliation and the strengthening of
cultural and economic ties is a shared
goal of our three governments.
On page 40 you will discover more
about an incredible public servant and
community
leader,
Superintendent
Jennifer Hyland, who was appointed
as the Officer in Charge for the Ridge
Meadows RCMP Detachment in May
of 2017. Jennifer’s family grew up in this
community and she brings her passion
and professionalism to this important
role in our community.
Pages 17 to 28 are filled with important
information on the City’s finances,
population and demographics. Our staff
work hard to present the information
in a reader friendly way. My favourite
section starts on page 29 with the photos
that allow us to look back on 2017 and
celebrate the people, places and events
that reflect the passion and spirit of
volunteerism that is at the heart of our
community.
Join me as we read through the pages
of the 2017 Citizens Report and celebrate
our amazing community.
Nicole Read,
Mayor
A Look Back at 2017