Daniel Fontaine, B.A., ICD.D

In this episode, special guest Councillor Paul Minhas and I explore the financial and political ramifications of a costly overrun at a waste treatment plant under construction in North Vancouver.

The original cost for this infrastructure project was pegged at $500 million, but now it’s estimated to cost upwards of $4 billion dollars. Once all the dust has settled, North Shore residents will be paying about $725 more in taxes per year for three decades to partially offset the cost overruns. Other Metro Vancouver residents could face increased annual taxes of $150 for 15 years.

Several mainstream media outlets interviewed me this week to discuss my call for a public inquiry and a forensic audit. Listen to those interviews from Global TV, City News and the Jas Johal Show on CKNW on the podcast.

I’m also calling for complete governance review of Metro Vancouver in the hope that changes could be implemented as early as 2026.

Also discussed is the issue of creating a more fun and vibrant street scene in downtown New Westminster. Why have so many street festivals and other outdoor activities simply packed up and disappeared? Can more be done to generate new life and a sense of vibrancy in our downtown core?

Coun. Minhas talks about what needs to be done to bring ‘energy’ back to the downtown. He also explains how more ‘eyes on the street’ could reduce both public disorder and crime rates while also helping to increase a sense of safety.

You’ll want to listen to this latest episode which is available on all major platforms including Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts, Amazon and Spotify.

NWP President and former council candidate Karima Budhwani is this week’s special guest on For the Record. She chats with me about what it took to win the recent New West school board by-election and speculates regarding whether another by-election might transpire soon – but this time at city council.

Karima helps to demystify the role of her elector organization as it pertains to the four elected members of the NWP caucus. She also discusses her passion to protect the environment as well as what might be in store for voters in the 2026 municipal election.

Meanwhile two new segments have been introduced in this episode. The first is “The Way I See It” where I provide my take on an issue that caught my attention this week. In the inaugural segment, I comment on the new BC Electricity Affordability Credit and explore who is really the biggest beneficiary of the program – it will likely surprise you.

Secondly, a new “In the Record” segment will highlight a few interesting articles and letters to the editor that were published in New Westminster’s Record newspaper online over the past week.

Our course, I end the podcast with my regular “Bell or Buzzer” segment where Karima was challenged with what I described as four of the most difficult questions posed to date!

If you like this podcast, be sure to tell your family and friends in New West and beyond!

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Special guest Rich Patterson appears on For the Record to speak about the state of our small businesses in New Westminster. Patterson speaks about how the local Chamber of Commerce was negatively impacted by the pandemic but is now seeing a resurgence of new members. Some of the other topics we explore include how the City’s business license application process could be reformed to raise greater awareness of the Chamber and its activities.

I also provide an opening commentary on a recent vote at New West City Hall which turned down making reforms to the Local Election and Campaign Finance Act. I argue there remain many loopholes that remain in the Act which lawfully permit corporations, unions and non-profits to influence the outcome of the municipal elections without any of their activities being recorded and reported to Elections BC.

In this podcast we also explore the growing ‘capacity crisis’ facing our local school district. Global TV news did a great segment on this topic and it helped to raise awareness of the problem facing our students, parents and teachers.

Of course, what would an episode of For the Record be without playing the ever-popular “Bell or Buzzer” which features four amazing trivia questions about New West. Tune in to see if Rich was able to get all of the answers right!

For the Record is available for download on all major platforms. If you like this episode, be sure to tell your friends and family and get them to follow.

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