Author: Daniel Fontaine

It was a jam-packed workshop and council meeting in New Westminster on July 8th. There is so much to unpack, that ‘s why we’ve broken this podcast into two parts.

Special guest Coun. Minhas is in studio with us and he provides his personal perspective on what transpired and why.

A number of interesting topics came up for discussion including raising the level of authority for the city manager for sole source contracts from $150K to $500K. We also discuss the injection of up to $16M to help support the ageing Massey Theatre with a new HVAC system and landscaping.

To poll, or not to poll. That was the question that got posed regarding whether to invest some tax dollars with Ipsos to survey up to 10,000 residents regarding what they’d like to see in the 2025 budget. Why did this stir up a debate and a split vote?

What would a council workshop be without another discussion about the City’s public toilet strategy. City staff came to council to get clarity on exactly what direction they should go when it comes to installing more $650K stand alone public toilets. But yes, work to install more signage around town directing people to existing public toilets is now underway.

Should a new position at city hall automatically be filled by increasing taxes or should we be looking at efficiencies first? You can just imagine how that discussion wrapped up. Or can you? You might be in for a pleasant surprise.

Council also debated a motion to refer a major report regarding some significant (and costly) capital improvements to the city as a result of a consultant’s study on bus reliability in our city. The referral would have been to the September 9th council meeting to allow the public more than a week to provide Council with their feedback. You won’t be surprised to learn how that vote turned out. Spoiler alert, you won’t be pleasantly surprised.

In Part 2 of this podcast, we’ll continue to cover off a number of additional items that came up for debate at the ‘marathon mid-summer meeting’ on July 8th.

This podcast is available for download on all major platforms.

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Joining me on the podcast this week is Jennifer Mackie, owner of the popular Kelly O’Bryan’s pub in beautiful downtown New Westminster.

Mackie provides her personal insights regarding the significant challenges her business has faced over the past few years when it comes to managing COVID, construction on Columbia and Front Streets and crime.

Whether it’s criminals breaking into her establishment to steal $20 worth of copper or the ongoing struggle with never-ending Columbia Street construction, we talk about what more can be done to help support local businesses cope with these challenges.

We also find out what got Mackie interested in the hospitality industry and what has kept her motivated to stay. She also provides some tips and advice to anyone thinking of moving their business into the Royal City.

Kelly O’Bryan’s is located in a beautiful heritage building and the topic of heritage tourism also gets explored.

Mackie also provides a couple of book recommendations including Look Closer by David Ellis and The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.

You’ll want to listen to this podcast which also includes an interview with CKNW’s Jas Johal regarding the ongoing saga otherwise known as Metro Vancouver.

This special mid-week podcast is one that you don’t want to miss. We’ll also be posting a special July 8th Council Roundup podcast this weekend which will be worth the wait!

Be sure to share this podcast with family, friends and colleagues and spread the word! That’s how we continue to build up our audience.

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In what can only be described as the “Mother of all Council meetings”, host Daniel Fontaine and his special guest Coun. Paul Minhas review a number of key issues coming up for debate on July 8th.

The council meeting and workshop is packed with dozens of items which are no doubt going to spur debate and discussion. No wonder there is talk on this podcast about bringing pyjamas and extra snacks to council!!

Some of the topics discussed in this week’s podcast that pertain to the upcoming council meeting include; Public toilet strategies, it’s time for some clarification; Budget 2025 – have your say!; Sole sourcing, should the CAO authorization be increased to $500K?; Pay hike for politicians – again; Bus speed and reliability study; Food truck permits; East Columbia Street safety review; Royal Canadian Legion liquor license; Heat wave…what should you do to prepare?; Community Ambassador Pilot Program; New rules for international travel by elected officials; Should council be consulted before non-emergency communications are issued by Mayor Johnstone?; Why do NDP affiliated members of council need to send a motion regarding shelter aid for seniors to their NDP colleagues in Victoria?

This episode is jam packed with commentary including a segment from the Jas Johal Show on CKNW focusing on the need for a municipal auditor general. We also share a clip from the Simi Sara Show with veteran political columnist Vaughn Palmer who writes for the Vancouver Sun. He comments about the provincial government’s decision to close the office of the Auditor General for Local Government back in 2021.

Hope you enjoy listening to this podcast as much as we’ve had producing it. For the Record with Daniel Fontaine is available on all major platforms.

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