In this week's edition of FTR with Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas, special guest Liberal MP-elect Jake Sawatzky has an exclusive interview. He speaks about how it felt to win on election night and some of his key priorities in the early days before he's sworn in later this month. You'll want to tune in for this one! Next is a discussion regarding mental health and a motion coming to New West Council later this month. Should Premier David Eby be declaring a mental health emergency in British Columbia? Will Victoria make more investments in mental health beds and drug treatment and recovery beds? Eby's recent announcement of only 10 new mental health beds at the Surrey Pretrial Center hasn't gone over well - with good reason. Listen to an excerpt of an interview CKNW host Jas Johal did on this topic with guest Daniel Fontaine. Just how and when did the infamous burger poll at Burger Heaven get started? FTR sits down with manager Chris Gieb to discuss how the poll got started and the state of local politics in the Royal City.BC Minister of Infrastructure Bowin Ma introduces Bill 15 in the BC legislature and it triggers a firestorm response! She talks about how for every 10,000 new people added to New West, we should be getting 50 new classrooms, 18 new hospital beds and 4000 new homes. But why has she been so silent on how many new community centers, libraries, pools, parks and playgrounds you need as well?Looking to apply to become a candidate with the NWP? The Board of Directors met this week and have announced the dates for which you need to apply for the Mayor, Council and Trustee positions. All this and much, much more! If you enjoy the podcast be sure to let your friends, family and colleagues about us and encourage them to follow. The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcast and all other major platforms.
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Episode 77: Political Prognostication, CAO Retires, Pop Up Office, Councillor Cafe, NWP Candidate Recruitment
It was a busy week in civic politics in New West - which translates into another great For the Record podcast!Starting off the top the discussion focuses on the federal election and some political prognostications. Who will pull it out of the hat on Monday in the New Westminster-Burnaby-Maillardville riding? Will the NDP's Peter Julian have the opportunity to be in Parliament for a quarter century? Or will upstart Liberal Jake Sawatsky make an upset victory? Could the Conservative's Indy Panchi surprise the pollsters? What about the final tally at the national level?A motion has finally been submitted to removed the USA flag from Queen's Park and replace it with the City of New Westminster flag. But will the motion be defeated due to the fact our local flag is simply 'too colonial'?You're hired! That's what New West City Council will be saying very soon as they undertake a process to hire a new city manager. The current city manager will be retiring early next year and the recruitment process is about to get underway.What is a Pop Up City Council office and why will one be installed on the boardwalk near the Samson V floating museum on Saturday April 26th from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm?The 'independent' governance review of Metro Vancouver is underway and a familiar face was interviewed as part of that process. Will the process yield real change? Why has there been almost no news when it comes to getting answers about the Metro Vancouver Wastewater Treatment Plan cost overruns? What's with all the silence and lack of transparency?Another successful Councillor Cafe was held in Queen's Park last week. It was a full house and there were lots of great comments and questions!What is the NWP doing when it comes to recruiting council and school board candidates for 2026? Is there an update? Who could they be talking to about running for Mayor and council? Tune in to get the inside track!All this and much more in the latest edition of FTR with Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas. If you liked the podcast, be sure to follow and encourage your friends and family to do the same. FTR is available on all major platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcast.
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Episode 76: Special Federal Election Edition, Burger Heaven Poll Predicts, Infrastructure Investments
Have you voted yet? If you live in New Westminster, the federal advance polls have now opened and the lineups were huge on Day 1. What does a very high voter turnout mean for the incumbent? What about the challengers?It's time to delve into the federal election with a focused discussion on some responses provided at an all-candidates debate in Queensborough this week. All of the candidates were on stage and they were asked to comment about what local issues they're hearing at the doorsteps. There were a few common themes and some rather unique responses too!Is New Westminster getting it's fair share of federal and provincial infrastructure dollars? At least one candidate thinks so. The discussion regarding New West's infrastructure deficit was front and center with our federal politicians.The NWP held one of the largest (and most successful) political fundraisers in New Westminster in a long time. Over 150 people were in attendance for the 3rd Annual Spring Fundraiser at the Taverna Greka. It was a fun and boisterous event with some attendees asking for more!! Find out what this fundraiser might mean for the upcoming civic election in 2026.The infamous Burger Heaven 'bunofficial' poll is definitely producing some very interesting results. In the almost 30 years they have been doing the burger poll, the NDP has always been on top - but not this election.Find out who is leading in that poll - and by a large margin! Is this yet another sign of things to come on April 28th? After 21 years, will New West be getting a new Member of Parliament - and if so, who will that be? CBC Radio aired a story on the Burger Heaven poll and it's featured in the podcast.If you enjoy listening to FTR, be sure to tell your family and friends to follow. It's available on all major platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
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Episode 75: No Tax Joy, Armstrong Advocates, Ballooning Budgets, Flag Flap, Queensborough Bus
In this week's FTR podcast, it starts off with a discussion regarding Jay Joy's presentation to New West Council. He asks if the 3.5% Climate Action Levy can be removed from the utility bills of New West residents and business owners. Coun. Nakagawa says no way. While Mayor Johnstone tells Joy he was 'misinformed'. So who was right?A familiar face showed up to the special Queensborough Council meeting to advocate for a new turf and track field at Ryall Park South. Former NWP mayoral candidate Ken Armstrong made a presentation to Council asking them to support this important investment in his Queensborough neighourhood. Find out what the staff response was and why Armstrong left the meeting a very happy man!Metro Vancouver presented their new trimmed down budget this week and it included double digit budget increases for as far as the eye can see. Yet Metro Vancouver wanted taxpayers to applaud their efforts at spending less. Should they?Tis the season of resident association meetings. A few of them have taken place the last few weeks including in Brow of the Hill, West End, Massey Victory Heights and Downtown. They were packed with federal politicians, wonder why? As one federal election candidate said "this election is considered as a job interview". Does that also mean it's also time for a performance review for our former Member of Parliament?Queensborough MLA Steve Kooner asks the BC NDP Minister of Education some tough questions about funding for a bus transporting high school students to NWSS. The Minister's response in the Legislature might come as a surprise!Popular CKNW host Mike Smyth talks Metro Vancouver budget and whether it's appropriate to fly the USA flag at Queen's Park Arena. Listen in to the interview and summary of responses from his callers.The FTR podcast is available on all major platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. If you enjoy it, be sure to tell your family and friends to follow!
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Episode 74: Rallying for Ryall, Pier Park Connection, Taxes Skyrocketing, Walkers' Caucus, Consultation Protocols
It was another hectic week of civic politics in New Westminster. There were no shortage of issues to discuss on this week's podcast! You'll want to hear our big announcement about the May 22nd event.The podcast starts off with a discussion regarding what constitutes effective consultation in New Westminster. Should a number of hot button issues including the public toilet at the InterUrban building, rewilding and naturalizing, West End rain gardens and the homeless shelter at Army and Navy be subject to new 'enhanced' communication and community consultation protocols? Should they have been designated as 'signature' or 'materially significant' civic projects/programs?Are some of the most effective lobbyists at New West city hall a group of Queensborough Middle School students? They recently wrote to the Mayor and Council asking that Ryall Park get new investments which would include a new turf and track field. There were some very compelling submissions which will be hard to ignore!Pier Park East and Pier Park West finally get reconnected - at some point soon. This will become a wonderful new public amenity for local cyclists, pedestrians and residents living downtown and beyond. While the date has yet to be determined, it's only a matter weeks before you can walk contiguously along our waterfront. But what about that connection to Sapperton?CKNW host Mike Smyth asks Coun. Daniel Fontaine to join him to discuss a column written by the Vancouver Sun's Doug Todd. It focuses on the skyrocketing taxes in New Westminster and whether unfettered growth and densification has impacted the increases.Will the American flag in Queen's Park Arena finally be taken down? Four city councillors indicate they might be interested - but are they?Let's talk about some upcoming events including the 3rd Annual Spring Fundraiser for the NWP which just announced it was SOLD OUT. How about the April 22nd Councillor Cafe - Queen's Park Edition which is expected to get a healthy crowd of local residents in attendance.May 22nd...who will be announced as the special guest for the next Councillor Cafe in Queensborough? Have a listen to find out. You hear it first right here!If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to encourage your friends and family to follow us! It's available on Apple Podcast, Spotify and all major platforms.
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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