Daniel Fontaine, B.A., ICD.D

It’s another great episode of For the Record this week with special guest Coun. Paul Minhas. We open up the podcast with a discussion on an obscure utility set up in 2016 which is owned by New West taxpayers called BridgeNet. We discuss how it will bleed another $677,000 again this year. Have we got your attention yet?

There is a downloading dilemma going on in New West and throughout British Columbia. The City of New West is taking on responsibilities for programs and services that should be administered and/or paid for by senior orders of government. A staff report coming soon is about to provide all of the details regarding how much this is costing New West residents and businesses each year.

A NWP apology leads to a curious discovery on the Community First website. Some of the wording on their site has quietly been changed to strike out references to the BC NDP. But why so?

Conspiracy theories abound as a select few ‘keyboard warriors’ talking to themselves in their echo chamber make false assertions about who was planning a townhall forum at the New West SkyTrain station. What are the facts? Just who was organizing the townhall forum that suddenly got cancelled with little advance notice? Time for the facts, please!

Host Daniel Fontaine is interviewed by Mike Smyth from CKNW about skyrocketing tax increases being proposed by Metro Vancouver – our unelected, unaccountable and increasingly expensive regional government.

CKNW’s Jas Johal Show also invited Fontaine on to the podcast to talk Metro Vancouver and a proposal to expand the Pattullo Bridge to six lanes. Incredibly, Fontaine does a policy flip flop and agrees to the expansion – but with a caveat! A pretty big caveat!

PS we even have a special Sesame Street appearance this week!

Be sure to listen in and tell your friends and family if you enjoy the podcast. That’s how we continue to grow our audience and spread the word. This podcast is available on all major platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcast.

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It’s another jam packed episode of For the Record with host Daniel Fontaine. My special guest is once again Coun. Paul Minhas.

Some of the topics discussed include a viral video recorded on Columbia Street showing a public bus stop being used for private purposes – including the consumption of illicit drugs. We’ll share an interview from CKNW’s popular Jill Bennett Show on this topic.

Are you prepared as a New West taxpayer to give $80,000 to some high priced lawyers so we can join a “Sue Big Oil” lawsuit? A motion will be coming to council soon – so we discuss.

Would you like to see at least one 2025 operating budget scenario with a maximum tax increase of 4.5%. A previous attempt to have this happen got voted down. But if at first you don’t succeed, try try again!

If you are living in New West did you know you are paying a special 3.5% climate action levy (also known as a tax) on your electricity bill each month? An attempt to temporarily remove that levy in 2025 is about to be debated soon.

Over 27,000 views of videos posted by the New West Progressives in less than a month? What the heck is going on?

Did city council just appoint me to an external body? Say it isn’t so. Listen through to the end of the podcast to find out about this amazing appointment.

If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to recommend it to your family and friends. It’s available on all major platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West makes an appearance on For the Record. In a special interview recorded in Vancouver at the Union of BC Municipalities, West talks about a number of key items of concern to him and other mayors in the Metro Vancouver region.

Some of the topics both Mayor West and I touch upon include involuntary care, homelessness, transit funding and property taxes.

Also making another appearance this week is New West Councillor Paul Minhas. In this week’s Council Roundup, the topics of a ‘mini’ carbon tax, Cycling Sundays, Metro Vancouver wasted tax dollars, community block party fees and much, much more are on the table for discussion.

The topic of “The Way I See It” editorial this week is Premier David Eby’s turnabout on the issue of involuntary care. Why was a NWP motion calling for mental health supports in December 2022 shot down by Community First? Why are CF politicians not speaking out against NDP Premier David Eby’s campaign promise to force some people with mental illness into involuntary care in modernized Riverview-like institutions throughout BC?

This is a podcast you will want to listen through to the end! It’s available on all major platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcast.

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