City of Maple Ridge Looks Back on 2025: A Year in Review Highlights Infrastructure, Housing, and Community Investments

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Thank you Maple Ridge for a great 2025! We look forward to serving you in 2026. Learn about how we're delivering on Council Priorities.

Maple Ridge, B.C., Dec. 18, 2025 – As 2025 comes to a close, Mayor Dan Ruimy shared the City of Maple Ridge's 2025 Year in Review at the final Council meeting of the year highlighting a year defined by getting infrastructure built, moving major projects forward, and delivering on what matters most to residents—from smoother roads and safer crossings to more housing options, better parks and expanded recreation.

"2025 has been about delivering real progress that makes a difference in people's lives—especially in a year when rising costs, climate impacts and social pressures are affecting families and businesses," said Mayor Dan Ruimy. "Focused on what matters most to residents, we got shovels in the ground—improving roads and bridges, upgrading parks, modernizing essential water and sewer infrastructure, and moving major priorities forward."

A key focus in 2025 was delivering the City's Capital Plan. Over the course of the year, 57 capital investments were completed or advanced, including 15 water, sewer and drainage projects, nine transportation projects, six parks and tree planting projects, four technology upgrades, the ACT Arts Centre roof replacement, and 23 other facility, vehicle and infrastructure improvements across the community.

"We advanced the next phase of the Abernethy Way corridor, progressed planning for the North 256 Street Industrial Lands, streamlined development approvals so homes can be built faster, and moved forward with planning for future recreation facilities," added Mayor Ruimy. "These investments reflect Council's commitment to a city that works today and is ready for the future—and they're made possible by the dedication of City staff and the commitment of our partners and volunteers who help make Maple Ridge a great place to live."

Delivering on Council's Strategic Priorities

Livable Community

Building More Homes and Neighbourhoods

  • Exceeded the Province's Year One housing target under the Housing Supply Act, delivering 751 net new homes between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025—23% above the target of 612
  • Secured $16.6M from the Government of Canada's Housing Accelerator Fund to fast-track housing by investing in enabling infrastructure, modernizing housing policies, and streamlining development processes
  • Updated the Official Community Plan and key area plans for Town Centre, Hammond, Silver Valley, and Albion neighbourhoods, aligning land use with new provincial housing legislation and focusing on growth close to transit service, such as the Lougheed Transit Corridor and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route
  • Gave second reading to Lougheed Transit Corridor Area Plan to forward to Public Hearing

Upgrading Transportation and Critical Infrastructure

  • Completed a key phase of the Abernethy Way Corridor Improvements from 224 to 230 Street, delivering road widening, multi-use pathways, sidewalks, and intersection improvements.
  • Advanced the next phase of Abernethy Way, extending the corridor from 232 Street to 240 Street, improving east–west connectivity, managing traffic congestion, which will ultimately provide access to the North 256 Street industrial lands as part of the Maple Ridge Moves transportation strategy.
  • Delivered major transportation, utility and infrastructure improvements including:
    • 123 Avenue (Laity to 216 Street) road, sidewalk, multi-use pathway, and utility upgrades
    • 112 Avenue Bridge deck repair and repaving
    • Kanaka Way pedestrian crossing improvements (Gilker Hill Road to 236 Street)
    • 98 Avenue and Cottonwood Landfill slope stabilization
    • Major utility upgrades including the 136 Avenue sanitary lift station, 236 Street pump station and chlorine facility, and Tamarack Lane pump station
    • Over 11 km of roadway paved and 500 m2 of sidewalk replaced
    • 47 Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons installations, including school zone
    • Traffic signal upgrades at key intersections including 128 Avenue at Laity Street and 240 Street at Hill Avenue
    • 3,035 water samples, 102 km of watermains clean, 3,000 fire hydrant inspections and services completed, and 33 watermain/connection breaks resolved
    • 225 new water meters installed, 13,212 meters read, and 2,400 reservoirs, pump stations, and related facilities inspected
  • Unveiled a new commemorative crosswalk in front of Maple Ridge Royal Canadian Legion Branch 88, (Brown Avenue and 224 Street) to honour our veterans

Investing in Parks and Public Spaces

Climate Leadership & Environmental Stewardship

  • Endorsed Resilient Future 2050, the City's first Climate Action Plan, outlining five "Bold Moves" and 58 actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, build resilience and sustainable growth 
  • Adopted the Urban Forest Management Strategy
  • Received the Climate & Energy Action Award at the Union of BC Municipalities Convention in recognition of the City's leadership on Resilient Future 2050
  • Adopted new Zero Carbon Step Code requirements for residential construction, with 60 building permits issued to date
  • Installed new electric vehicle chargers at the Operations Centre; all cars in the City fleet are now either electric or hybrid
  • Secured over $580,000 from external agencies for tree planting projects, delivering three grant-funded initiatives

Engaged, Healthy Community

Growing Participation and Access to Recreation and Arts

Community Events, Arts and Tourism

  • Hosted the second annual "Our Neck of the Woods" festival, the largest community event in City history, with an estimated 20,000 attendees
  • Delivered three Rock the Block neighbourhood events including an enhanced event in Albion, giving over 8,000 residents access to free celebrations within a 15-minute walk from home
  • Launched new tourism experiences such as "Bike & Bites" and "Fields of Flavours" showcasing Maple Ridge's agricultural and culinary assets through guided cycling and tastings tours
  • Celebrated National Child's Day at a new PLAYfest event at Albion Community Centre
  • Supported community-led initiatives with 45 neighbourhood small grants projects (32 Block Parties, 13 Matching Grants) and issuing 52 Special permits for community festivals/events

Public Safety, Fire Services and Emergency Preparedness

  • Responded to more than 6,300 fire and rescue incidents to date, including 3,810 medical emergency calls. Achieved a 94% rate with 2,393 fire inspections completed
  • Expanded fire prevention education: delivering over 60 events, Fire Hall tours, school presentations, annual Fire Open House and trained 35 firefighters on program delivery
  • Upgraded the corporate Emergency Operations Centres with technology and facility upgrades enhancing the City's ability to respond to major events
  • Grew the Emergency Support Services team by 500% and carried out 13 successful activations, supporting more than 80 evacuees. Hosted 35 public emergency preparedness events and completed a full-scale Emergency Operations Centre exercise with regional partners
  • Onboarded and trained eight new career firefighters and 35 paid-on-call firefighters
  • Collaborated with Ridge Meadows RCMP on community safety, with officers responding to over 22,000 calls for service, welcoming 12 new officers, focusing the Crime Reduction Unit on the downtown core, and expanding support through the Family and Youth Resource Support Team
  • Supported community standards and safety by managing over 6,300 bylaw files, issuing more than 2,600 tickets and over 6,400 dog licenses to support responsible pet ownership
  • Worked with community partners to operate the Community Hub with over 15,600 visits, connecting people experiencing homelessness to resources and supports
  • Returned the "Be Downtown" initiative with nine activations, engaging 588 participants and supporting collaboration between the City, RCMP, DMRBIA and local businesses to enhance downtown vibrancy and safety

Informed and Engaged Community

Diversified, Thriving Economy

Supporting Local Business and Investment

  • Generated over $730,000 in revenue and an estimated $7.08M in economic impact across 260 film productions, a 14.7% increase in revenue from 2024
  • Advanced new Investment Attraction and Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) strategies, enabling implementation to begin in early 2026
  • Launched the "Choose Maple Ridge" Support Local campaign with the Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Maple Ridge Business Improvement Association to encourage residents to shop, dine and do business locally
  • Develop Major Events Development and Attraction Plan
  • Strengthened support for business development, events and advocacy with a new Fee-for-Service Agreement with the Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce

Unlocking Employment Lands and Tourism Potential

  • Progressed and engaged with the public on the North 256 Street Industrial Lands Area Plan identifying strategies to attract new businesses and jobs, diversify our property tax base, and support economic growth
  • Completed the Bring to Market Industrial Land Study in Albion in collaboration with Metro Vancouver and Kwantlen First Nation to unlock approximately 119 hectares of underutilized land along the Fraser River for industrial investment and job creation
  • Launched the "Discover Maple Ridge" online hub, connecting residents and visitors to local events and experiences through a searchable, community-driven platform
  • Processed 5,233 business licence renewals and 956 new applications, bringing the total to 5,582 active licences, including commercial/industrial, home-based and non-resident businesses

Optimizing Development and Building Services

  • Launched a new online building permit application portal, enabling digital, paperless applications for seven permit types—delivering significantly faster approvals and cutting new home permit processing times by up to 73%. Approvals now average 12 weeks or less for online permits, tenant improvement permits under nine weeks, and demolition permits in less than three weeks (excluding applicant-related delays)
  • Launched the Certified Professional (CP) Program to streamline approvals for complex building permit approvals with 10 projects entering the program representing approximately 846 units
  • Piloted the 'Velocity' development concierge program to support key community-building development applications with four developers participating in the initial phase
  • More than 150 rezoning applications and 450 building permit applications underway

Governance & Corporate Excellence

Recognized as an Employer and Communications Leader

Strengthening Financial Management, Customer Service and Project Delivery

  • Launched a Service-Based Budgeting program, developing a Maple Ridge-specific tool to map financials to services and analyze budget performance
  • Advanced the Continuous Improvement Centre of Excellence, completing five major projects, realizing or projecting $177,000 in savings, and training over 500 staff in the methodology
  • Completed a new Customer Experience Strategy to enhance service delivery
  • Completed Phase 1 of the City's Asset Management Initiative, assessing 460 km of roads, 240 km of sidewalks, 14,000 streetlights, 16 bridges, 29 sanitary sewer pump stations and 320 km of sanitary mains, two drainage pump stations and 320 km of culverts/drainage mains, 54 water pump stations, 44 reservoirs and 420 km of watermains

Modernizing Policy and Data

  • Completed 60% of Council's Strategic Plan key results, including the launch of a new community dashboard and customer service framework, and reviewed and updated 75% of City policies
  • Launched RidgeView 3.1, an enhanced public web mapping application making it easier for public to access city property data and information
  • Expanded digital plan review for building, planning and engineering

The Year in Review videos are now available on the City's website and will be shared across the City's social media channels @YourMapleRidge over the next two weeks:

For more information on the progress on Council's Strategic Plan, visit MapleRidge.ca/CouncilStratPlan.

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Media Contact

Pardeep Purewal, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications & Public Engagement

T 604 466 4319 E PPurewal@MapleRidge.ca