Daniel Fontaine, B.A., ICD.D

It’s a special edition of For the Record focusing on the state of schools, or should we say the lack of schools in the Royal City. Whether it’s a push to build the long-awaited Simcoe Elementary downtown, a new middle school or a high school in Queensborough, parents and students are fed up with a lack of action on the part of Victoria. The recent BC budget didn’t help matters when it appears NO funding was allocated for Simcoe Elementary – even though the school was promised years ago!

A motion introduced at New West Council on Monday, March 10th focused on providing the School District with support for their capital plan which asked the Ministry of Education to assist with land acquisition to build a new high school in Queensborough. While the motion was heavily watered down, it triggered a very testy debate. One councillor read out a letter from the school board which she interpreted as a message telling her colleagues to ‘buzz off’.

Meanwhile another councillor lectured her colleagues that if they wanted to set priorities for the school board, they should quit council and run there next time. Really? All the motion was calling for was to support a SD40 capital plan ask for a new high school – but did that ask really get made, or not?

After the Monday council meeting, the SD40 trustees then debated the letter Chair Maya Russell had sent to Council which triggered the ‘buzz off’ comment. You’ll be surprised to find out what the school trustees did with that letter and why it now has to be rewritten and sent back to Council to correct the record!

Why is New West so far behind when it comes to school construction given we are the 2nd most densely populated city in Canada? We never even made progress when our local MLA was the Minister of Education and our MP was in a partnership agreement with the federal Liberal government. Why so?

There is a discussion about a rally being organized outside MLA Jennifer Whiteside’s office by the District Parent Advisory Council in support of Simcoe Elementary – as well as a petition launched in Queensborough to advocate for a new high school – click here to sign. Needless to say, it was a busy week focused on education!

This podcast also includes an exclusive interview with NWP school trustee Kathleen Carlsen who just announced she has wrapped up her cancer treatment and is conducting her duties in-person again. It’s an interview you won’t want to miss as she also provides some background and context regarding the infamous ‘buzz off’ letter!

It’s another great podcast focusing on New West issues! If you enjoy it, be sure to tell your family, friends as that’s how we’ve been building our audience. FTR is available on all major platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcast.

 

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In another packed episode of For the Record, a number of important civic topics get discussed.

Starting off the podcast is a discussion on the topic of a new lobbyist registry in New Westminster and Metro Vancouver. A motion recently got passed asking the Lower Mainland Local Government Association to support a request to establish a lobbyist registry for Metro Vancouver and other mid to large-sized cities. New West Council has done its part, now it’s up to the LMLGA to do theirs. Have a listen to an interview on this topic conducted by Jas Johal on 730 AM CKNW.

Two notices of motion are on the docket for next week at Council. They won’t be debated until March 24th, but Council will receive them for debate. They include a motion to officially put a halt to the Queen’s Park boulevard rewilding and naturalization pilot project.

Another motion calls for the implementation of a Priority New West policy that will provide residents and local business owners with increased priority when accessing programs and services. Will the motion pass unanimously?

A motion to be debated on Monday March 10th is a call for Council to support a School District 40 request for funding to begin the process of building a new high school in Queensborough. But should the new high school also capture the student population in East Richmond? The Chair of the School Board sends a letter to Council and weighs in with her thoughts.

What ever happened to the New West Caucus or “Team New West” motion”. It was passed about two years ago and called for the Mayor to convene a non-partisan meeting of the three MLAs, MP and City Council for a discussion on how they could all work together to advance the interests of New Westies. There are signs a meeting may be convened soon, but what took so long?

Why are so many business owners and residents calling it quits? Two individuals have said they’ve had enough of the politics, waste of tax dollars and poorly set priorities of our local politicians. They’re packing up and moving out of New West – but should they?

Columnist Doug Todd from the Vancouver Sun triggers a vigorous online debate regarding whether we’re building amenities at a fast enough rate to keep up with our population growth. The headline of his column (which became the number one trending story on the Sun website for almost 36 hours) asks if becoming the 2nd most densely populated city in Canada was worth it. Have a listen to the discussion about whether we could or should have done more to invest in parks, pools and playgrounds!

Thanks to a NWP motion, patio hours are about to be extended in New West. Just in time for summer. Listen in to learn more.

If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to tell your friends an family to follow For the Record with Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas. If you have any story ideas or suggested guests, be sure to contact FTR today!

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The FTR team heads over to Victoria for a special edition in our province’s capital city.

We have exclusive interviews with New Westminster (Queensborough) MLA Steve Cooner and Tony Luck, Municipal Affairs Critic. Luck introduces Fontaine and Minhas in the BC Legislature before asking a couple of tough questions to the NDP Municipal Affairs Minister. Tune in to hear the thunderous desk thumping and heckling when a question about an inquiry at Metro Vancouver is posed!

In the Council Roundup, the focus turns to an upcoming motion regarding the naturalizing of 5th and 2nd Street boulevards. The Minhas motion asks for Council to formally put a halt to the rewilding of the boulevards until the next civic election in 2026.

Another motion titled ‘Priority New West” looks to provide local residents and businesses with priority access to city hall operated programs and services. This is something that already takes place in other municipalities, but to a lesser degree in New West.

The discussion also focuses on the possibility of a new high school in Queensborough. Will the Province of BC provide funding to School District 40 to get the project moving forward? Will that new high school be a joint project between New West and Richmond?

Will vape shops be regulated in New West and beyond? A motion introduced by the NWP several months ago has triggered another motion to be debated at a Lower Mainland Local Government Association meeting taking place later this year.

This podcast is available on all major platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to help spread the word by asking your friends, family and colleagues to follow us!

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