Episode 66: Biz Opportunity Lost, New Drug Inhalation Center, Metro Van Secrecy ‘by design’, Queen’s Park Organizes!

February 9, 2025

Episode 66: Biz Opportunity Lost, New Drug Inhalation Center, Metro Van Secrecy ‘by design’, Queen’s Park Organizes!

In Episode 66 of For the Record, the opening discussion focuses on a recent economic forum that took place at the Anvil Center. While organizers are applauded for their efforts, a local entrepreneur (who wants to remain anonymous) speaks out about why downtown New West lost out on becoming the regional headquarters for his international business! 45 well paying jobs will be staying in Port Moody after several board of directors paid a visit to Columbia Street. Were we really compared to Prince Albert, SK?

A report in the ‘consent agenda’ of the Feb 10th New West Council meeting outlines how a new illicit drug inhalation center is set to open up in downtown New West. The report was only made public a few days ago and is likely to get the support of a majority of Council when it comes up for a vote of Feb 10th. But with only a few days in the public realm, have local residents been provided with enough time to weigh in on whether they want this latest harm reduction service to be added into their neighbourhood?

Queen’s Park residents have spoken and many of them are none to happy about the prospect of ‘rewilding’ or ‘naturalizing’ both the 5th Street and 2nd Street boulevards. A portion of the 5th Street boulevard has already had the special biodiversity treatment and it’s not going over well with local residents who are organizing a ‘grassroots’ campaign to put a halt to all of this. Yes, pun intended!

The latest Councillor Cafe featuring retired architect Michael Geller was a huge success. Just under 100 people attended the event that focused primarily on the proposed Columbia Square redevelopment. If approved, it will jam 7,500 new residents on to a postage stamp lot on the western part of our downtown that is already facing numerous challenges with traffic and transportation.

What does a sold out Burger and Beer at Begbie’s mean for the future of civic politics in New West? Is the NWP momentum continuing to build in time for the 2026 civic election? It would appear so.

Will a motion to approve two new Remembrance Day commemorative crosswalks get the green light from Council on Feb 10th? The discussion focuses on why our veterans deserve this special tribute in 2025.

The next NWP event is at the Taverna Greka on April 15th. Click here if you want to purchase tickets.

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January 18, 2025

Episode 63: Massive Mayor’s Compensation, Exclusive Interview with Jag Sall, Michael Geller Talks Density

What a packed podcast! It includes a special exclusive interview with Jag Sall who sits on the executive of the Gurdwara Sahib Sukh Sagar in Queensborough. Listen to how the Gurdwara is connected to the broader community. I also talk about my interest in taking Punjabi lessons this year!

There is also a segment featuring Michael Geller, retired architect and developer, who talks about how density needs to be accompanied with investments in new public amenities. Geller will be the guest speaker at the Jan 30th Councillor Cafe taking place at the Holy Trinity Church at 514 Carnarvon St. from 7-9 pm. Geller reveals a couple of interesting connections to New Westminster.

The podcast also features a number of media interviews I did regarding massive pay and benefit packages for Metro Vancouver mayors. Did you know the Mayor of Burnaby collected almost $400K in pay and benefits in 2023? Listen to a series of reports and commentary featured on CKNW and Global TV.

If you enjoy the For the Record with Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas be sure to encourage your family and friends to follow the podcast! It is available on all major platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

January 14, 2025

Lack of Transparency as Growing Number of Metro Vancouver Mayors and Councillors Paid Thousands Extra For Regional Boards and Committees

A growing list of Metro Vancouver mayors and city councillors are being paid thousands of dollars over and above their annual municipal salaries from TransLink and Metro Vancouver, but a lack of transparency means local taxpayers have no idea what their total salaries, benefits, travel, and board appointments come to.

The reality is that a mayor’s or councillor’s salary gets a major boost when they are on the Metro or TransLink boards and committees, including the regional mayors council. It turns out that being elected and getting a city salary is just the start of some very lucrative appointments. But taxpayers who are footing all the bills, have no idea what the totals are for their mayor or city councillors.

A review of 2023 expense claims and compensation for a sampling of 15 elected officials in a number of Metro Vancouver cities reveals:

Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley was paid $393,075 in base pay, per diems, benefits and expenses from the City of Burnaby, TransLink and Metro Vancouver. This was prior to his new annual payment of $109,337 for becoming the Chair of Metro Vancouver in 2024.
John McEwan, Mayor of Anmore, with a population of just 2,400, collected $189,466 in base pay, per diems, benefits and expenses from the Village of Anmore, TransLink and Metro Vancouver.
Electoral Area A representative Jen McCutcheon claimed $93,878 for her board role on Metro Vancouver and TransLink, including $72,701 from Metro Vancouver alone.
Burnaby City Councillor Pietro Calendino was paid $160,551 in base pay and Metro Vancouver meeting stipends that totaled $38,955.

Click here for an excel spreadsheet with a breakdown of the payments to 15 elected officials
Click here for access to the source documents (statement of financial information)

What this regional pay and benefits analysis reveals is the need for more openness and transparency when it comes to how much civic officials are charging taxpayers and transit users. The public shouldn’t have to pour through dozens of financial statements to stitch all of this information together on a single spreadsheet.

The fact is a growing number of local municipal politicians are being paid thousands of extra dollars over and above their city salaries, and that will come as a surprise to a lot of municipal voters. In fact many Metro Vancouver mayors and councillors are earning more than the Premier, which seems absolutely ridiculous. It turns out that these lucrative municipal board appointments have made being a mayor or councillor an incredibly well-paid job, much to the surprise of their local taxpayers who are footing the bill.

I’m calling upon the Province of BC to amend provincial legislation to ensure a single financial reporting mechanism for Metro Vancouver, TransLink and the our region’s 21 municipalities. This would result in one public report detailing what every elected civic official is costing taxpayers on an annual basis.

It turns out a mayor or councillor salary is just the start these days, and the tip of a very expensive iceberg. For instance, I doubt that local taxpayers in Metro Vancouver know that their mayor collects a significant sum for sitting on the TransLink Mayors Council.

Most people I’ve spoken to assumed that if you are a mayor that it’s just part of your job to be on the Mayors Council. People were genuinely surprised that they had to pay their mayor extra. Even more astounding is the fact that mayors are paid extra to be on the TransLink Board, and more again to be on the Mayors Council.

Frankly, taxpayers look at all of this and feel like ATM machines for municipal politicians. The whole thing needs transparency and leadership, but taxpayers aren’t holding out much hope on that front.