"Business-ready" communities help create jobs and attract investment, leading to more homes, amenities, and lower taxes. Local governments support this process by using land wisely, providing efficient services, and investing in infrastructure. With careful planning and collaboration, we are preparing the City of Maple Ridge for expected growth and the opportunities it will bring.
We are committed to improving customer service, driving process innovation, and delivering exceptional results to our residents and businesses. We are challenging old ways of doing business, investing in technology, and modernizing our services to best meet the needs of our diverse and dynamic community. Business readiness is a core focus as our community evolves.
Real Actions For Real Results
We are excited to showcase the efforts already underway to drive future economic growth and development that will help diversify our tax base and bring more affordable housing and amenities to Maple Ridge. The chart below represents just a few top projects and milestones across three key areas that will help us achieve an optimized state of business readiness over the next two years.
We're Making Big Moves In 2025
To honour our city's remarkable potential for growth and a spirit that is bold by nature, we're collaborating on a wide range of initiatives that will help create the conditions for economic growth. Learn more about our top line projects or supporting efforts.
Our Finger on the Pulse of Opportunity
A comprehensive analysis is underway to ensure we understand the needs and opportunities for business investment and attraction. The more we understand the business needs of our community and region, the more we can tailor our policies, information and incentives to support established and prospective businesses and developers.
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The City of Maple Ridge is developing a comprehensive Investment Attraction Strategy and an Implementation Plan to enhance the non-residential tax base and increase employment opportunities for current and future City residents. This multi-year strategy is intended to attract investment in industries that would find Maple Ridge attractive and would further the City's goals regarding economic sustainability and quality of life.
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Maple Ridge's location within the Metro Vancouver region, along with previous decisions made by the City, has created significant opportunities for further growth. The City wants to gain a better understanding of its existing business community to identify activities that will support and promote business growth, as well as to find effective ways to retain and expand existing businesses.
In addition to analyzing trends and best practices, the City intends to create a Business Retention & Expansion (BRE) Strategy and Implementation Plan. This toolkit will include strategies, policies, templates, program structures, and standardized procedures to support and improve conditions for the existing business community.
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In 2025, the City will collaborate with Work BC to scope out an analysis study and leverage grants to develop a local labour profile. This profile will help identify gaps in employment. The data collected will be shared with partners, businesses, and post-secondary institutions to understand the local labour pool and market better. Having up-to-date information on the local labour market is essential for guiding future initiatives related to attracting investment, retaining and expanding businesses, and fostering partnerships with post-secondary institutions.
City On the Move
Strategically planned transportation investments have a multiplier effect, unlocking economic opportunities while fostering sustainable growth and development. Ongoing investments in public transit and road infrastructure improve connectivity, supporting business logistics and commuter accessibility. Our focus in 2025 is on capital investments in the Lougheed Transit Corridor and Abernethy Way.
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BRT is part of the City’s long-term plan to build transit-oriented development along the Lougheed Corridor to meet the needs of our rapidly growing community, provincial housing targets, and densification. Translink recently led lead public engagement on the 4-station BRT proposal.
The Lougheed Transit Corridor extends from the city’s western boundary to the Town Centre along Lougheed Highway and Dewdney Trunk Road. This area acts as a gateway to Maple Ridge and other regional cities, with critical transportation linkages to Pitt Meadows, Langley, and beyond. Consultation on the Lougheed Transit Corridor Area Plan will occur in the spring of 2025.
Abernethy Way is a significant transportation and economic link to the City’s primary industrial lands at 256 Street and a direct route to Golden Ears Park. This corridor, and especially the construction of the four-lanes of Abernethy Way, is a pressing need for both local and inter-municipal traffic, as well as providing secondary access to the rapidly developing growth area of Silver Valley that will ultimately house 11,000 residents. Phase 3 of the Abernethy Expansion from 232 Street to 240 Street is currently budgeted for an investment totalling $50 million, while the 240 Street bridge is budgeted for an additional investment of $60 million. Detailed design for Abernethy between 232 and 240 Streets and a bridge at 240 Street is underway in 2025.
"Transit-oriented areas" are defined by the Province of BC as areas within 400 metres of a bus exchange and West Coast Express (i.e., walking distance for someone to live and walk to transit). These areas typically incorporate a variety of land uses, including housing, services and community amenities. They must meet or exceed provincial-required housing densities and have reduced parking requirements. Maple Ridge has three designated TOAs: Haney Station West Coast Express Station, Maple Meadows West Coast Express Station, and Haney Place Transit Exchange.
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The Maple Ridge Moves maps out a long-term plan to improve transportation infrastructure and transit and to open new areas for housing development and industrial lands. The transportation plan establishes the City’s priorities and a 30-year vision for Maple Ridge's transportation network, focusing on easier commutes and decongestion on major routes that will significantly contribute to residents’ quality of life. The Maple Ridge Moves plan will:
Enable the introduction of two new Bus Rapid Transit Lines: new traffic-separated dedicated bus routes linking the City centre to regional commuter rail in Coquitlam and Langley City
Enhance Golden Ears Way: unlocking a bottleneck on a critical route for the movement of goods and people in and out of the Lower Mainland region
Expand Abernethy Way: opening a significant route to the City's industrial lands and a direct link to Golden Ears Park, the most heavily used provincial park in British Columbia
Build Silver Valley Bridge: connecting to a growing community of 11,000 residents and improving the route to Golden Ears Park
The Maple Ridge Moves plan demonstrates the City's commitment to managing population growth and supporting a robust economy while preserving the quality of life that residents value. Maple Ridge is poised to be one of the first cities in the region to introduce Bus Rapid Transit, providing residents with access to faster and more frequent buses and improving connections between Maple Ridge and the rest of the Lower Mainland.
Untapped Potential for Commercial and Industrial Development
The City has designated industrial and commercial development areas, providing spaces for new businesses to establish and expand. Industrial-zoned land creates jobs and is favourable for the tax base because industrial businesses pay a much higher tax rate than residential and commercial taxpayers.
Setting aside land to accommodate future employment is one way to support creating more local job opportunities. Several sites are being investigated to assess their suitability for future employment-generating land uses. As a land use designation characterizes what land uses could be supported in the future, the redesignation of land would not change the currently permitted uses or existing zoning.
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The City is currently exploring the potential for industrial and commercial lands, including additional growth opportunities in Maple Meadows Business Park, Yennadon Employment Lands, Albion Industrial and foreshore lands to the south and east in Maple Ridge, as well as the lands in and around 256 Street industrial and Kanaka Business Park areas. An area plan for the North 256 Street Industrial Lands is being developed to facilitate industrial uses, while recognizing long-standing institutional users, potential new associated or supportive uses and amenities, and existing environmental features and recreational activities in the area. Consultations will commence from April 2025.
In 2024, 60 acres in Yennadon were designated for a new employment park, allowing for a range of light industrial uses (e.g., brewery) when developed in future. Maple Ridge offers a diversity of zoning to facilitate various business interests while ensuring they occur in appropriate areas and consider environmental and neighbouring properties.
E-One Moli Energy announced a $1 billion investment to build a manufacturing plant, R&D centre and office in Maple Ridge for small-cell lithium-ion batteries. The company recently announced that the project is on hold due to market uncertainty. The City continues to work with the company on this significant investment and to ensure actionable information about the development process is clear and streamlined as they make their decision on investment.
Expediting Housing Development
The City of Maple Ridge is committed to achieving ambitious annual housing targets over the next five years (3,954 units in five years) to address the critical shortage of affordable housing in BC. The province's Homes for People Housing Action Plan is intended to bring more homes to market faster by prioritizing an increase in the number and diversity of homes that can be built in single-detached neighbourhoods and near transit corridors. Progress towards achieving housing targets was reported in February and will again be shared in July 2025.
28,000 new housing units will be required by 2044, including 6,100 new rental units. Maple Ridge must be seen as a community where it is easy to do business with the City and land can be developed for all uses with predictability and timeliness.
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The City of Maple Ridge has secured $16.6 million from the Government of Canada’s Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) to help fast-track housing development and address growing housing needs. The funding will support infrastructure improvements and the modernization of housing policies and development processes, including streamlining permits, digitizing applications, and promoting affordable and diverse housing options. Key initiatives include introducing BC's first housing concierge service, providing pre-approved building plans, optimizing city land for affordable housing, and encouraging transit-oriented development. With this investment, Maple Ridge aims to accelerate the construction of 480 new homes within three years and 1,525 homes over the next decade, supporting both regional growth and local infrastructure needs.
As our City grows and changes, we continue to sharpen our focus on customer service, process innovation, and delivering results for the community. We're challenging old ways of doing business and modernizing our services best to meet the needs of our residents and businesses.
Streamlining permitting processes to make developing land easier and faster will help grow the residential, commercial and industrial tax base, reducing the tax burden for all property owners.
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As we position Maple Ridge for business investment and to attract more housing, we are transforming our permitting processes to be easier and faster while ensuring development is done thoughtfully, safely and to a high construction standard. We are revamping all our building permit processes, to reduce steps and provide greater certainty and transparency. Our first priority permits for single-detached homes (up to 6 units), and then we will shift to renovation permits, followed by complex/multi-unit permit applications. This year we are introducing:
Target turnaround times for all permits
Faster permitting times
A citizen portal to enable applicants to track permits
Digital plan submission, shifting from paper and in-person submission to full digital access
A new online app to make it simple to confirm what can be built on every property in the City
User friendly, intuitive "how to" guides for building permits
Maple Ridge participation in the provincial permitting hub, streamlining and standardizing the permitting approach across BC jurisdictions
Maple Ridge will become the first municipality in BC to introduce a concierge service to attract investments for those developments that meet a specific set of criteria. The Development Approvals Concierge is a new position dedicated to facilitating the development experience, making it as efficient as possible. This role will serve as the initial point of contact for investors, property owners, and developers, helping them navigate the development process smoothly. Roll out is scheduled to occur in Q2 of 2025.
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The Certified Professional Program offers an alternative process for applicants to expedite the permitting process while ensuring construction in Maple Ridge is held to a consistently professional standard. A Certified Professional (e.g., architect or engineer) undertakes the building review and construction monitoring role on behalf of the City. The City will rely upon the certified professional’s assurances when issuing Building Permits and Occupancy Permits and offers options for staged review of applications, enabling the building permit process to start sooner. The program launched in February 2025.
A customer-centric workforce is essential to streamlining the process and ensuring we are equipped to support our City's rapid growth. The City of Maple Ridge is one of BC's Top 100 Employers, and we take pride in attracting, developing, and retaining a workforce that meets the needs of our developers, businesses and citizens. We are building a high-performing, diverse, and inclusive culture. Improved technology, increased training and quarterly One City leadership sessions are underway to maximize staff capacity and streamline internal communications.
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Designing a customer-centric service model is at the heart of work underway to transform the customer experience across all service areas. We are focused on expediting permitting processes, building team capacity and maximizing technology to save time and steps. With improved technology and training, new customer service standards and training are being introduced to foster customer consistency and predictability.
First Nations Business Opportunities
Maple Ridge is located on the traditional territories of the Katzie (q̓ic̓əy̓) and Kwantlen (qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən) First Nations, and together, we are exploring topics of shared interests, including economic development opportunities. As we continue to strengthen our government-to-government relationship, we also strive to be a dynamic partner with First Nations and explore mutual opportunities that have measurable impacts on economic growth and diversification. The City is developing its first-ever Indigenous Relations Strategy, which will include a framework and protocols for engagement with our First Nations government partners to support how the City and Nations work together.
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Expanding Post-Secondary Opportunities
The province and post-secondary institutions are studying the feasibility of developing and sustaining training programs that meet workforce needs. We are actively engaged to help explore all possibilities—new campus development, better access to existing programming in the region, and online access to training. The feasibility analysis results are anticipated in the 2nd half of 2025. This initiative will facilitate community training, promote post-secondary growth, attract talent, support workforce development, enhance investment attraction, and aid in business retention and expansion (BRE).
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Growing Tourism
Tourism significantly contributes to our municipality’s economic growth and community development by highlighting our strengths and promoting meaningful connections with people and places. Maple Ridge is home to Golden Ears Provincial Park, the most attended provincial park in BC with over 600,000 visitors annually.
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The tourism videos were primarily aimed at hardcore and general recreational seekers, effectively reaching a wide audience with a total of 173,296 individuals and 1,106,497 views, demonstrating strong visibility and brand awareness. The Google August campaign targeted individuals outside of Maple Ridge using PRIZM profiles, postal codes, and detailed data such as keywords, content, interests, and demographics. In contrast, the July campaign focused on a more localized approach, targeting Maple Ridge and the surrounding 50 km radius. Despite targeting younger age groups (18–30), the campaigns saw higher engagement from an older audience (45–64+), revealing valuable insights into the preferences and online activity of different age demographics.
We are deploying several initiatives to promote tourism, including Dine Out Vancouver, Major Event Development and Attractions Plan surveys, and agri-tourism-focused promotions such as the Long Table Dinner, Pumpkin Patch seasonal push, and Taste of Maple Ridge. Additionally, we are running Urban Hotspot promotions in collaboration with Communications, working on the ‘Be With’ project, and preparing for the Net Promoter Score 2025. We're also focusing on building itineraries with a major emphasis on core tourism products and collaborating with tour companies to enhance the overall tourism experience.
New online centralized events and activity calendars are being introduced, offering tourism and general businesses centralized opportunities to promote events and activities, making it easy for residents to access events, programs and opportunities in the community.
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In 2024, we conducted a Net Promoter Score and Customer Satisfaction survey to assess consumer perceptions of tourism offerings and customer service in Maple Ridge. This survey gathered feedback from various residents, visitors, and investors that will guide training, partnerships, and innovations to enhance tourist experiences, attract visitors, and ensure sustainable growth in our strategic areas: Adventure Hub, Urban Hotspots, and Farm Fresh. A baseline understanding of perceptions about tourism experiences is now established, and work to improve the Net Promoter Score in the coming tourism season will occur by working directly with tourism experience providers and partners.
Having an event attraction strategy that reinforces the new brand is essential to solidify the values of Maple Ridge and the vibrancy of our community for the region and its residents. Attracting events creates positive economic impacts, provides opportunities for community events and celebrations, and can be a marketing tool to reinforce values stated in the community brand. Community and targeted event industry consultation is underway.
With over 5,000 businesses in Maple Ridge, one of the City’s key economic development strategies is to grow and attract small business and help them thrive. Since 2021, the number of businesses in Maple Ridge has increased by an impressive 9.4%. The 2024 citizen satisfaction survey revealed a growing desire to attract more retail options, restaurants, and shopping opportunities to Maple Ridge.
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In 2024 "Be Downtown" was a collaborative, multi-agency initiative to improve the downtown experience and increase support for local businesses through initiatives that enhance safety, community outreach, and beautification. In partnership with the RCMP, the City provides a highly visible street presence downtown, supports community services referrals for vulnerable clients, fosters youth engagement, and advocates for health authorities to work with enforcement teams. Pop-up engagement spaces outdoors and central to business owners are also provided on a seasonal basis. This is an ongoing effort to support a vibrant and safe downtown.
Incentives are available to businesses in the Maple Ridge Downtown Business Improvement Association catchment area. Incentives include the Facade Improvement Program, Mural Program and Locked Out Crime through Environmental Design (LOCTED) grants.
We work closely with the Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce, hosting workshops and networking sessions, celebrating women in business, creating new business packages, and offering discounts for Maple Ridge businesses that are new members of the chamber. A strong chamber helps to represent a strong business community. Fees for service agreements will be updated in 2025. Continued partnership and engagement with the Downtown Maple Ridge Business Improvement Association continue with safety and security, facade improvement, and events and marketing engagement regularly.
Heritage grants are available for projects related to the conservation of heritage buildings, such as restoring exterior heritage attributes or increasing energy efficiency. Financial support towards the maintenance of heritage buildings is intended to encourage private property owners to protect and celebrate these vital heritage resources that contribute to the character and charm of small businesses.
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October is Small Business Month, an annual awareness initiative designed to celebrate the heart of our communities—small local businesses. Small businesses are built on passion and hard work and contribute significantly to the vitality of Maple Ridge. Most businesses employ fewer than 50 people. Supporting these businesses and attracting new stores and services is a strategic priority. Awareness campaigns, networking events, educational workshops, and a ‘Make it Here’ showcase in City Hall celebrate small businesses.
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The City of Maple Ridge is a member of BC Buy Local, a province-wide initiative working to build awareness about the importance and impact of local businesses to our community and encourage consumers to shift their spending to local businesses to strengthen the City’s economy and community connections. Businesses can sign up on the City’s website (MapleRidge.ca/BuyLocal) to receive a Maple Ridge Buy Local resource kit and access additional marketing materials and support from BC Buy Local.
The Innovation Challenge invites nominations for Maple Ridge businesses demonstrating innovation in their products, processes, or services to compete for $10,000 in cash prizes. The Innovation Challenge raises awareness of and celebrates the innovation already happening in the local business community and fosters a community spirit of ingenuity and creativity for companies in all sectors and sizes, encouraging the friendly competition that helps drive growth and change. Nominations are in June, and awards are in October.
The Seasonal Curbside Patio Program allows food and beverage businesses to expand their operations into the public sidewalks and streets for seating and dining areas. Businesses can apply for the curbside patio program.
A collaborative effort by the City of Maple Ridge, Downtown Maple Ridge Business Improvement Association, and the Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce to help support local and independent eateries during a seasonally slow time of year for many small businesses. This shows the City’s commitment to support and grow local businesses and help them establish firm roots in Maple Ridge.
"Celebrating Women in Business" is an annual event highlighting women leaders' remarkable achievements within the local business community. This occasion serves as a tribute to their significant contributions and fostering a community that supports and promotes the ongoing success of women in the business sector.
The 2024 citizen satisfaction survey highlighted a growing desire for investment in community safety. In 2024, 12 new RCMP officers and 16 firefighters were hired. A Community Safety Plan is under development in 2025.
A collaborative tech hub focusing on technology is being proposed to support the growth of entrepreneurs. This hub will emphasize entrepreneurship, best practices, efficiency, and overall business competitiveness in Maple Ridge. There is also potential for partnerships and engagement with post-secondary institutions in the region. Workshops will determine demand and topics of interest. There are increasing opportunities to engage in 2025.
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Putting Maple Ridge on the Map: Strategic Communications
Strategic communications play a crucial role in economic development by fostering a positive environment for growth and investment. Clear and consistent information about economic and land use policies, opportunities, and achievements builds interest and confidence among investors, businesses, and residents. Various activities will occur to communicate the City’s vision, context and progress toward goals.
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Highlights of 2024
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Our "Bold by Nature, Driven by Community, A City on the Move" brand values represent an active and authentic approach and signal for our ongoing actions and initiatives. Our vibrant new logo expressed on gateway signs, digital communications and beyond serve as a beacon to visitors and a source of pride for residents. The new brand is a tangible and visible affirmation of the transformative changes we are realizing within our organization. Timed with Maple Ridge’s 150th anniversary in 2024, the brand signals momentum from where we are today towards a brighter, bolder future.
Welcoming and accessible public buildings make accessing City services easier for all community members. New, welcoming signage at City Hall makes it easier to find. Increased seating and tables offer additional space to meet with City staff.
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The City celebrated its 150th Anniversary on September 14, 2024, at "Our Neck of the Woods," the most extensive free community festival in its history. Our Neck of the Woods transformed the downtown area into a walkable festival featuring live music, food vendors, and market stalls. 15,000 people participated. Local business owners reported a 79% increase in sales on the event day. The event boosted demand for Uber, ride-share drivers, and taxis. $175,000 was secured in in-kind and monetary sponsorships. This day proved that our beautiful city holds value and appeal to regional visitors beyond those seeking nature experiences.
In July 2024, Maple Ridge successfully hosted the 33rd BC Summer Games. Our city hosted over 3,100 athletes, coaches, and sports officials, while thousands of spectators attended. The local attractions, shops, and service providers experienced increased revenue due to the increased number of visitors. The BC Summer Games are estimated to generate between $1.5 and $2 million in economic impact.
Maple Ridge has strengthened its reputation as a welcoming, innovative community for the film industry thanks to favourable policies, strong community relations, and flexibility in working with production teams. The City offers diverse locations, ample parking, and local business support tailored to production needs. A revised Film Policy and Bylaw introduced standardized procedures and an impact-based fee structure, benefiting smaller-scale and student projects. Maple Ridge ranks 3rd in on-location filming in BC and is recognized as a top film-friendly jurisdiction. In the past year, 100 productions chose Maple Ridge to film, including feature films, TV series, commercials, and student films. A record 810 film activity days, encompassing prep, filming, and wrap days, marked a 28% increase from 2022 (the year before the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes). Overall yearly revenue is over $600,000, up 43% from 2022. The estimated economic impact is $8.54 million, a 24% increase. We recently joined Screen BC, collaborated with the BC Film Commission (Creative BC), and added an electric power kiosk to the Railway lot to eliminate XXXX tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
