Episode 86: Drug Debate, Capping Costs, Overheating Portables, London Calling, Massey Lamps, Secure Funding + Canada Day
🎙️ Canada Day Edition: For the Record – Hot Topics in New WestIn this special Canada Day edition of For the Record, Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas dive into the biggest issues stirring conversation in New Westminster right now—affecting residents, local businesses, and city hall.🚨 Supervised Drug Site Sparks Heated DebateThe proposed extension of a temporary permit for the downtown supervised drug consumption site has ignited a much livelier debate than when it was first approved back in March 2021. Why the shift in tone—and what does it signal for future decisions?💸 Mayors Making Nearly $400K?Some Metro Vancouver mayors are pulling in eye-popping salaries. Burnaby's Mike Hurley and Richmond’s Malcolm Brodie top the list—earning almost $400,000 a year. Should mayoral salaries be capped at the same level as a B.C. Cabinet minister? We weigh the options, including recommendations from a recent Deloitte governance review.🌡️ Too Hot to Learn? AC in Portables Under ReviewCity council is now asking its legal department to explore whether a new bylaw could require local schools to install air conditioning in portables. With students and teachers sweating through heat waves, is this a step toward cooler classrooms—or government overreach?💡 Heritage Lamp Standards: Saved, Then Scrapped?Just when it looked like the historic Massey Victory Heights lamp posts may have been saved, a motion from the Mayor sent the plan in a surprising new direction. Why the reversal—and what happens next?🚲 Bike Lane Battle in the West EndDozens of residents filled city hall in white t-shirts to oppose a proposed bike lane on London Street. Their concern? Lack of consultation and limited design options. A motion from Coun. Minhas could pause the project—will it succeed?🇨🇦 Thank You, Coun. Minhas? A Cooler Canada Day AheadWith temperatures expected to reach 28°C, New West residents are thanking Paul Minhas for helping move this year’s Canada Day festivities from sun-scorched Pier Park to the shady canopy of Queen’s Park. Will this become the new tradition?🎧 All this—and more—on this week’s Canada Day episode of For the Record.Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon. If you enjoy the show, share it with your friends and family—and help spread the word!
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Episode 85: London Calling, Quiet Please, BIA Fees, Heritage Lamps, Good Neighbour Agreements and much, much more!
In episode 85 of For the Record with Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas, a number of topical issues are discussed again this week. The focus right off the top is London Street and a significant number of local residents who are choked with what city hall has planned for their neighbourhood. They've been given a couple of options to consider regarding future bike lane improvements on their street and neither seem to be catching on. It's led some residents to ask "why was there not a 'none of the above' option?" Next up is a focus on 'quiet zones'. They are quite common in the USA, but may be coming to New West if a motion is adopted next week at council. The motion speaks to how and where a 'quiet zone' could be officially designated by the city and how it may help to speed up whistle cessation efforts in the Royal City. Do you own a business in Uptown or Downtown? Do you know how much you are paying in annual fees to your local business improvement area association? The self-imposed fees are collected by the city and passed along to the BIA to pay for their annual operations. A number of business owners have asked if there can be more transparency regarding exactly how much each business owner is paying and what they are getting in return. A motion is calling for more transparency when it comes to letting business owners know exactly what they are obliged to pay each year. When is a lamp standard considered as heritage? That's what the residents of Massey Victory Heights were asking when they demanded the city put a halt to removing all their lamp standards without consulting with them first. The 50+ year old lamp standards have helped to provide the unique look of Massey Victory Heights which is filled with mid-century modern homes. A report to council next week was music to the ears of local residents when they learned the project may be temporarily shelved and the construction contract cancelled.The drug injection site near the SkyTrain station has applied for another temporary 18 month extension to their existing 3-year temporary permit. But this time, thanks to a NWP motion, the permit will only be issued if there is a Good Neighbour Agreement in place. The entire draft agreement was made public this week and it talks about something called peer-driven security and a renewed focus on keeping the area adjacent to the injection site clean and free of public disorder. But will it all work?All this and more on the podcast. If you enjoyed it, be sure to tell your friends and family to follow it on Apple Podcasts, Amazon or Spotify.
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Episode 84: Exclusive interview with Kathleen Carlsen, Off with the Crown!, Learning in a Sauna, Sikh Heritage Month and more!
For the Record continues to get record downloads as the popular podcast probes into interesting New West issues that are making national headlines this week!That's right, the National Post, City News, CKNW and a range of high profile social media platforms were covering the controversy regarding the removal of New West's crown logo. Out with the crown, in with the tugboat. So far, the public reaction has been decidedly negative, but Community First doesn't appear willing to back down. In fact, they're doubling down! Listen to a province-wide interview Mike Smyth featured which focused on the logo controversy. Callers to the show had a few pointed comments to make about the Royal City's mayor and his commitment to dump the crown. You're out of order!! Next up is an exclusive interview with School District #40 Trustee Kathleen Carlsen. She speaks about her recent advocacy to raise the plight of New Westminster students and teachers forced to learn in overheating portables. Carlsen was featured on CTV, Global and City News this week. Her opinion piece co-authored with Trustee Danielle Connelly was prominently featured in the Vancouver Sun. We also share an excerpt of an interview Trustee Connelly did with AM 730 host Jill Bennett. She too is speaking about concerns regarding a lack of school capacity and the impacts it's having on students, teachers and their parents. It's official! Now that Council has passed a motion introduced by Coun. Paul Minhas, the month of April will forevermore be designated as Sikh Heritage Month. Minhas speaks about what motivated him to initiate the motion and what it means to the local Sikh community in New West. The podcast wraps up with a tribute to King Charles who recently delivered the Speech from the Throne at the invitation of Prime Minister Carney. If you enjoy the podcast be sure to encourage your friends and family to listen every week and to follow us!FTR is available on all major platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon.
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Episode 83: Exclusive interview with Alex Fischer, Metro Cash, Lego my Logo, Sikh Heritage Month, Mental Health, Harmonizing Hydro and more!
How did all those topics of discussion get squeezed into a 57 minute podcast? This week, For the Record starts off with an exclusive interview with Alex Fischer who founded Delta Voices for Responsible Development. Are there lessons to be learned in Delta regarding how New Westminster became Canada's 2nd most densely populated urban center? Alex thinks so!Listen to the media roundup where a couple of media stories focusing on a controversial Metro Vancouver pay raise and a high profile law suit are featured.Out with the crown, and in with the ?? What will New Westminster's new logo look like now that Community First politicians have decided to can the crown? You won't have to wait much longer as the big reveal takes place on Monday, June 9th in the council chamber. Will the new logo shed it's colonial past, once and for all?A motion in Vancouver to regularly proclaim Sikh Heritage Month has inspired a similar initiative in New Westminster. Coun. Paul Minhas is trying to get a majority of council to vote yes in support of adding Sikh Heritage Month to the annual list of recognized cultural events.Ever wondered why some BC Hydro programs never make their way to New Westminster? It's because we have a separate electrical utility that doesn't harmonize all of our programs with them. But that may be changing thanks to a NWP motion that got passed a while ago. A staff report coming to council is recommending some excellent changes which may open up the door to new energy saving and climate protecting programs!The podcast closes off with a great song by Ranj Singh! If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to tell your family and friends to follow! It's available on all major platforms including Apple Podcast and Spotify.
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Episode 82: We're in Ottawa. What is temporary? Sapperton Noise. Flag Removed. Public Disorder. Is BIA MIA?
In this latest episode of For the Record with Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas a number of local topics come up for discussion and analysis. This special episode was recorded from Ottawa at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities annual conference.To start off the podcast, the topic of 'just exactly what is temporary' comes up. When it comes to drug injection sites and homeless shelters, why does temporary mean up to six years? In the case of the downtown drug injection center, they just got a green light to proceed with getting an 18 month extension on their 3 year 'temporary' permit.Was it a heritage revitalization agreement, or simply a rezoning to allow for more density in historic Queen's Park? That was the crux of the debate as a homeowner at 318 6th Ave wanted Council to provide approval to 3rd reading of a Heritage Revitalization By-Law. Not everyone on New West Council thought there was enough revitalization in that revitalization agreement!Beep. Beep. Beep. Bang. Bang. Bang. That's the sound of construction at the new Royal Columbian Hospital. Thanks to a vote of the Community First representatives on Council that may well be the sound local Sapperton residents start hearing at 7 am every Saturday morning. International construction company Ellis Don applied for the exemption to do work early on Saturday mornings - and it was granted.The US flag will be quietly removed from the Queen's Park Arena for the first time in decades. Thanks to a unanimous vote of Council the American flag will be swapped out and replaced with a City of New Westminster flag. Feedback from the public has been overwhelmingly supportive - we explore why. Have a listen to an interview with CBC's On the Coast host Gloria Macarenko and Daniel Fontaine.All this and more in the latest edition of For the Record. If you enjoyed the podcast be sure to encourage your friends and family to follow. It's available on all major platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcast.
About For the Record with Daniel Fontaine & Paul Minhas
Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas are City Councillors in New Westminster. They regularly explore a range of topics of interest to urbanistas! They bring guests in studio from all sides of the political spectrum and aren't afraid to take on some of the most challenging issues facing our cities. Crumbling infrastructure, taxes, homelessness, traffic, urban sprawl - you name it - you'll hear about it on For the Record with Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas.
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