Maple Ridge is a fast growing city that is located in the Fraser Valley. This quaint, gem of a city offers a wide range of outdoor opportunities to its residents and is an affordable housing alternative for families or individuals looking for single-unit housing or a more laid back, slower paced lifestyle. Although Maple Ridge is growing at a very quick pace, the city has done a great job at implementing green space and keeping to its historic roots and culture. Maple Ridge is definitely a unique city that has the perfect blend of rural and urban. Here is an overview of the role the city government plays in Maple Ridge and what you can expect if you choose to make Maple Ridge your home.
City Council
Maple Ridge’s city council is comprised of a seven member council and is headed by the mayor. The council is elected to a four year term. Maple Ridge’s city council is responsible for creating and implementing all of the city bylaws, collecting property taxes, and the approval and application of all spending for city projects. The overall vision and mission statement of Maple Ridge’s city council is to “create and maintain a safe, livable, and sustainable community for our present and future citizens”.
Utilities
The city of Maple Ridge provides a wide range of services that fall under the category of utilities. These services include water distribution, garbage collection and all recycling programs such as the blue bin as well as all sewer services. To support this wide range of services, each home in Maple Ridge is expected to contribute and are charged either a flat rate on their annual property tax statement or are billed quarterly based on their consumption of these services.
Garbage, Recycling and Composting
Maple Ridge is part of the Metro Vancouver Solid Waste Management Program. The aim of this program is to minimize waste generation, maximize material recovery, reuse, recycle and dispose of all remaining waste in a landfill. This program will be reviewed in 2018 and updated. To meet the goals of this program, the city of Maple Ridge offers an extensive recycling program as well as residential curbside pickup of garbage and recyclables. In addition to these services, Maple Ridge is part of the organics disposal ban. Composting of these organics is now expected and the city supports this program. Finally, all yard trimmings and garden waste are accepted at the Maple Ridge transfer station and will not be picked up as part of the garbage and recycling curbside pickup.
Energy/Electricity
All of the homes in Maple Ridge have full access to the province’s power grid and each individual house is charged for their electricity use based on consumption by BC Hydro, a provincially owned company. The city is part of the energy awareness campaign and does encourage residents to make power smart energy decisions. All of Maple Ridge’s city structures, including community halls, leisure centres and sports complexes are as energy efficient as possible with the aim of reducing the city’s carbon footprint and reducing overall costs.
Property Taxes
Maple Ridge’s property taxes are mailed out at the end of May each year with a due date in July. Late property tax payments are charged an additional 5% penalty. These taxes pay for services such as policing, firefighters and emergency rescue. In addition to covering these services, property taxes also pay for recreation complexes, community centres, green spaces and parks as well as the local library. Finally, they pay for and support various programs to build a stronger community and a stronger Maple Ridge.
Property tax rates are determined based on the assessed value of your home, the type of property you own as well as the amount of utilities each household uses. To help offset Maple Ridge’s property taxes, there is an annual home owners grant that every home can apply for.
Hospitals and Clinics
Maple Ridge’s local hospital, Ridge Meadows Hospital is part of the larger Fraser Health community. The hospital serves Pitt Meadows as well as Maple Ridge and provides a wide range of services. These services include palliative care, mental health and substance use support, as well as both home and public health. Ridge Meadows Hospital has over seven hundred beds and strives to offer the best overall care to all its patients and the residents of Maple Ridge.
In addition to the Ridge Meadows Hospital, Fraser Health provides a wide range of clinics. Fraser Medical Clinic is a general family medical practice that is open to all patients. It works in collaboration with the local hospital and is conveniently located and is accessible through public transit.
The Mageta Medical Centre is a walk in clinic that provides family physicians and specializes in gastronomy and cardiology. In addition to the clinic, there is an on-site pharmacy and wellness services such as physiotherapy and dental office to meet all of your medical needs.
Emergency Numbers
Some important numbers to know for the city of Maple Ridge are:
911 – Emergency
604-463-5880 – Fire Department (Non-emergency)
604-463-6251 – RCMP (Non-emergency)
The local Maple Ridge municipal government has worked hard to develop and implement an extremely enlightened approach to developing and managing a city. The city provides its residents with excellent medical options and is working in conjunction with the Metro Vancouver area to create a green city that is appealing to current and future residents. If you have any questions about the utilities of the city, its property tax procedures or any other services it provides, make sure to visit the city of Maple Ridge’s website. One visit to Maple Ridge will show you why so many people are moving to this area. I hope to see you soon!