Two of the most progressive municipal politicians in the Lower Mainland will lead the COVID-19 task force of Metro Vancouver.

Burnaby councillor Sav Dhaliwal and City of North Vancouver mayor Linda Buchanan will serve as chair and vice chair, respectively, of the regional district’s COVID-19 Response Task Force.

The task force was formed on March 31, 2020 to advise the Metro Vancouver board, of which Dhaliwal is also the chair, and Buchanan, vice chair.

The task force meets on Wednesday (April 8), and Dhaliwal has prepared a report containing the terms of reference for the group.

In his report, Dhaliwal wrote that the task force will provide recommendations regarding the immediate impacts of the pandemic on the delivery of regional services.

Metro Vancouver provides water, and liquid and solid waste service; housing; regional parks; and air quality management.

The terms of reference also provide that the task force will act as a “forum to speak as a united voice for direct funding for local governments to respond to, and recover from, the pandemic”.

The group will also lay down “direction on the creation of a long‐term economic recovery plan for the organization”.

This includes “advocating for senior government support for priority capital projects that support economic recovery”.