Bulletin
The Integrated Partnership for Regional Emergency Management in Metro Vancouver
April 2016
Issue 10
Message from the Co-Chairs
Since the last IPREM Bulletin in June 2015, our focus has been on the strategic planning
process to develop the 2016-2020 Strategic Plan. This new strategic direction will provide a
road map for IPREM and stakeholders to continue our collective collaboration towards
achieving our new vision, “A disaster resilient region”. A five-year operational plan and
annual business plans will guide the implementation of our goals and priorities. These
plans will be presented to the IPREM Policy Group for their ratification next month.
We would also like to welcome new members and IPREM Staff. The Honourable Naomi
Yamamoto will join Greg Moore, Board Chair of Metro Vancouver to form the IPREM Policy
Group. Minister Yamamoto brings a wealth of knowledge and experience and is the first
Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness. Rebecca (Becky) Denlinger is the new
Provincial Co-Chair. Becky is the Deputy Minister of Emergency Management, with the
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and will join John Leeburn, Chief
Administrative Officer, City of Port Coquitlam, the current Local Co-Chair. Vince Lalonde,
Chief Administrative Officer, City of Surrey and Cameron Lewis, Executive Director, Ministry
of Environment are also new members to the IPREM Steering Committee. Pat Quealey,
Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM), has moved on from Emergency Management BC (EMBC).
Ian Lightbody is currently Acting ADM for EMBC.
Heather Lyle, Director of Integrated Public Safety and Partnership Oversight, EMBC has
taken a seven-month Temporary Assignment as Executive Director for Plans and Mitigation
Inside This Issue:
with Emergency Management BC. Leslie MacDonald from the Ministry of Agriculture is
Acting Director of Integrated Public Safety, EMBC, providing partnership oversight until
2016—2020
2
mid-summer. Two new Regional Emergency Planners, Miranda Myles and Shannon IPREM Strategic Plan
Peterson have joined the IPREM Staff complement (full organization chart page #4).
With a full complement of members, IPREM is well positioned to make progress on key All Hazard Integrated
activities with our partners and stakeholders, collaboratively building towards our vision of Regional Concept of
Operations
a disaster resilient region.
3
IPREM Organizational
Chart
4
Rebecca Denlinger
John Leeburn, MBA
IPREM Co-Chair
IPREM Co-Chair
Deputy Minister, Emergency
Management
Chief Administrative Officer
Ministry of Transportation and
Infrastructure, Province of BC
City of Port Coquitlam
Page 1
April 2016
IPREM 2016-2020 Strategic Plan
On November 5, 2015, the IPREM Steering Committee held a strategic planning workshop
Strategic Planning
Next Steps


Present 2016-2020
Strategic Plan to
IPREM Policy Group
for ratification (May
13, 2016)
Present 2016-2020
Strategic Plan to
Metro Vancouver
Local Authorities and
stakeholders (To be
determined)
to develop the IPREM 2016-2020 Strategic Plan for the Metro Vancouver region. The
IPREM Steering Committee utilized the feedback received from stakeholder consultations,
surveys and an internal SWOT analysis to frame the strategic direction, which will guide
our work over the next five years. The Strategic Plan was approved by the Steering
Committee on March 10th and is pending ratification by the Policy Group in May. Key
elements of the plan are shown in the table below:
Vision
A Disaster Resilient Region
Regional emergency
plans, programs and
processes are coordinated and integrated
to address priority
planning needs
Stakeholders are
engaged in effective
regional emergency
management
IPREM is sustainable
competent,
responsive and
accountable
2016-2020 Strategic Plan Goals
All Hazard Integrated Regional Concept of Operations
All Hazard Integrated
Regional Concept of
Operations
Upcoming Activities


REAG Tabletop
Exercise #5: Exercise
Coastal Response
(June 8, 2016)
REAG Tabletop
Exercise #6:
ShakeOut BC (Oct 20,
2016)
Page 2
On September 10, 2015 the fourth Tabletop Exercise in a series was held to test the
activation of the Regional Emergency Advisory Group (REAG) with chief administrative
officers from local authorities across Metro Vancouver and senior management from
Emergency Management BC. As a result of the exercise, the members of REAG
acknowledged that that the model is ready to be utilized in real time activations for
regional emergencies.
While the All Hazard Integrated Regional Concept of Operations process is ready for use,
the model continues to be refined with ongoing work to incorporate recommendations
from the exercise After Action Report. Many of the recommendations have been
completed while others are ongoing.
Key Recommendations
Action
Establish an ongoing training and exercise
calendar for the REAG.
Developed Training and Exercise Schedule for
2016-2017 for Regional Emergency Advisory
Group. (Approved)
Determine a regional spokesperson role for
elected officials.
Investigate roles of elected officials as regional
spokesperson for multi-jurisdictional emergency
events. (In progress)
Finalize the Guidebook and develop a Train
the Trainer package for local authority
Emergency Operations Centre staff.
Finalize the Guidebook and training materials.
(In progress)
New Partnership in Emergency Management
April 2016
The Capital Regional District (CRD) and Emergency Management BC (EMBC) established a
new Regional Emergency Management Partnership (REMP) on March 15, 2016, that will
enhance emergency management activity across the Capital Region. Through the
partnership, the CRD and EMBC will each provide resources in a 50/50 partnership to
work with the CRD municipalities and electoral areas to prepare for emergencies or
disasters that are multi-jurisdictional or impact the entire region.
The CRD and EMBC worked collaboratively with the chief administrative officers from
across the region to determine the scope and parameters of the provincial-regional
partnership, which was approved by both the CRD Board of Directors and the Province.
Motivated by the regional approach and governance structure of IPREM, as well as its
success (e.g. the development of the regional concept of operations to make decisions,
share information and coordinate resources), this new partnership provides the
opportunity for IPREM and REMP to work together and leverage their strengths.
This provincial-regional emergency management partnership will confirm roles and
responsibilities of all levels of government and key stakeholder agencies. It will promote
and lead increased co-ordination, co-operation, collaboration, capacity and integration
between the levels of government during all phases of emergency management:
mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. The agreement will also address
emergency events that cross jurisdictional boundaries or have impacts and demands that
are beyond a single local authority’s ability to handle, and will provide oversight and
accountability on regional emergency-management issues, plans and strategies, as well as
address operational redundancies.
More information:

BC Government News
Release with Audio:
 https://news.gov.bc.ca/

Click Search and type
regional emergency
management

Capital Regional
District Media Room:

https://www.crd.bc.ca
/about/news

Click March 15, 2016
The regional partnership will enhance emergency preparedness, public education and
common public messaging for each of the key hazards the region may face, and will
strengthen regional information sharing, communications, and joint planning, training
and exercises. The agreement will engage senior decision makers such as CAOs in regional
emergency management activities and regional decision making, and will align with the
provincial level planning initiatives for improved preparedness and response.
Left to Right: Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness and Barbara
Desjardins, Capital Regional District Board Chair (Source: BC Government, March 15, 2016)
Page 3
April 2016
Thank you to past
members from
2015/16
IPREM Organizational Chart
As there have been several changes to the IPREM membership over the last few months,
an updated organization chart is provided below. Provincial representatives on the IPREM
Steering Committee are being renewed through the Inter-Agency Emergency
Preparedness Council and will be confirmed in the coming months. IPREM is a 50/50 partnership between the Province of British Columbia and Metro Vancouver (On behalf of 21
municipalities, one Treaty First Nation and one Electoral Area).
Policy Group
Policy Group
 Honourable Suzanne
Anton
Steering Committee
Naomi Yamamoto
Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness
(Province of British Columbia)
 Lori Wanamaker,
 Shawn Carby, IEPC
 Jim Rule, CAO, Maple
Ridge
(Mayor, City of Port Coquitlam)
Steering Committee
Co-Chair
 Jim Hofweber, IEPC
Greg Moore
Board Chair, Metro Vancouver
Rebecca Denlinger, Provincial Co-Chair
John Leeburn, Local Co-Chair
(Deputy Minister, Emergency Management,
MoTI)
(CAO, City of Port Coquitlam)
Cameron Lewis
Vince Lalonde
(Executive Director, MoE)
(CAO, City of Surrey)
Operational Committee
 Pat Quealey, EMBC
Dirk Nyland
Carol Mason
(Chief Engineer, MoTI)
(Commissioner/CAO, Metro Vancouver)
Inter-Agency Emergency Preparedness
Council to Identify
(Director, North Shore Emergency
Management)
Ex– Officio
 Fred Cummings,
TransLink
Ex-Officio
Ian Cunnings
IPREM Staff
 Chad Pacholik
 Sandy Miller (Acting
Dorit Mason
Sany Zein
Senior Regional Manager,
EMBC South West Regional
Office
Interim Vice President,
TransLink
for seven months)
John Lavery
Executive Director, Health
Emergency Management BC
Operational Committee
Ian Lightbody
Greg Smith
A/Assistant Deputy Minister, Emergency
Management BC, MoTI
Senior Director, Corporate Services,
Metro Vancouver
Leslie MacDonald
Support
Team
A/Director Integrated Public Safety,
EMBC providing partnership oversight
Clarence Lai
IPREM Senior
Project Manager
Page 4
Miranda Myles
IPREM Regional
Emergency Planner
Shannon Peterson
IPREM Regional
Emergency Planner
Questions or Comments? Please contact us at [email protected]