Daniel Fontaine, B.A., ICD.D

This is the first official For the Record podcast co-hosted by Paul Minhas and myself. That means a few production changes including rebranding “The Way I See It” to “The Way We See It” and some new cover art!

First up on the podcast this week for discussion is the massive Columbia Square development project. Once fully built out, it will include up to 8 towers at 53 stories high. Over 7,000 people (including 530 students) will be moving in to this postage stamp property. Is this really the right scope and scale of development for this site, or not?

Survey says! Yes, Ipsos has surveyed New Westminster residents and business owners and asked them what they’d like to see in the 2025 City of New West budget. Surprisingly only a handful of businesses bothered to complete the survey. What is behind the low response rate? Did New West residents really say they don’t want tax hikes above the rate of inflation which now sits at 1.6%?

Should the City of New West really be doing the Province’s job of building affordable housing? Council recently decided to invest a minimum of 80% of a $60M pot of funds associated with the Columbia Square project to build affordable housing – even though the BC government has the primary responsibility. That means unlike other cities, we can’t use these funds to build new pools, recreation and community centers, parks and more.

Will this be the year that ALL members of Council attend the Remembrance Day ceremonies at City Hall? Only time will tell.

NWP President Karima Budhwani is in the studio and she’s talking branding. That’s right, the NWP is refreshing its brand in time for the 2026 election. The green and blue colouring remain, but the focus will be on NWP and the tagline #ChooseProgress. Why make the change now? We ask Budhwani to provide us with some insight.

The weekly event roundup also talks about the November 7th Councillor Cafe in Sapperton as well as the NWP fundraiser on November 21st at the former home of Mayor J .Johnson in Queen’s Park.

If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to tell family, friends and colleagues and ask them to follow! FTR is available on all major platforms including Apple Podcast and Spotify.

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Happy 1st Birthday FTR! That’s right, For the Record with Daniel Fontaine has turned one year old this week. How quickly one year flies by when you’re having fun.

That gift wrapped box you see on the table conceals a BIG birthday surprise I’ve left to the end of our podcast. HINT: it has to do with the future of For the Record and where we go from here!

Special guest Coun. Paul Minhas is once again in studio. We also interview Alison Silgardo, CEO for the Seniors Services Society of British Columbia. What issues are New West seniors facing when it comes to accessing housing, support programs and coordinating our new digital world? Are we doing enough to help seniors navigate a complex and challenging labyrinth of government programs and services?

I also have another edition of ‘Council Roundup’ where we discuss the controversial Columbia Square development project at 88th 10th Street near the New West SkyTrain Station. Could it soon become home to 8 towers up to 53 stories high and 7,500 new residents? Is this the right project for Canada’s second most dense city?

The 3.5% Climate Action Levy placed on monthly electrical utility bills as well as the 2025 city budget are also up for discussion.

You’ll also want to listen in to our special “2 years in 20 minutes” segment where both Coun. Paul Minhas and I look back at some of the highlights of our first two years in office.

This is a fun, informative and action packed podcast that you don’t want to miss. If you enjoy it, be sure to encourage your friends and family to download it today. The podcast is available on all major platforms including Apple Podcast and Spotify.

To contact the Seniors Service Society of BC call 604-520-6621 or visit their website at seniorsservicessociety.ca.

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In this special edition of For the Record, I share with our listeners a number of media interviews I conducted this week.

The interviews focused on the recent atmospheric river and the retroactive pay hikes at Metro Vancouver. They were broadcast on a number of mainstream media outlets including CBC, Global TV and CKNW.

The regular weekly For the Record podcast featuring special guest Alison Silgardo from Seniors Society of BC and New Westminster City Councillor Paul Minhas will be released on Saturday, October 26th. You won’t want to miss that one as I have a BIG announcement to make – and it’s also our 1 year birthday party celebration!

This podcast is available on all major platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to tell family and friends to follow and listen!

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