An outdoor forum on homelessness, the drug crisis and public safety planned for downtown New West on Sunday afternoon has been cancelled.
In response to residents’ concerns about safety in the area, the Azure 1’s strata had organized an outdoor forum on homelessness, the drug crisis and public safety. The forum, which was going to be held in the plaza space behind the Old Spaghetti Factory, has been cancelled.
A notice to residents said the meeting was cancelled after further discussions with First Capital this week, following a productive meeting held on Sept. 23.
“It’s clear that we have a mutual interest to collectively address the health and safety concerns we are seeing on the property, and we need to work together to engage the mayor, councillors, police and fire chiefs to hear our frustrations and understand what they are doing to address vagrancy and homelessness in the neighbourhood that is spilling into the Shops at New West,” said the notice. “There is strength in a united approach.”
According to the notice, the strata is working with First Capital and City of New Westminster officials to “create an opportunity to express our concerns and understand what is being done to remedy this situation” and will be informing residents once a meeting date with the city has been confirmed.
On Wednesday night, city officials attended the New Westminster Downtown Residents’ Association meeting to provide an update on pilot project that is just getting underway and is aimed at addressing the overlapping crises of homelessness, mental health and substance use. At that meeting, attended by about 50 people, city staff provided an overview of the initiative and answered questions from downtown residents.
Organizers of the Sunday’s now-cancelled outdoor forum had invited some city councillors, media outlets, and provincial candidates to attend the forum. The original noticed stated the strata council was “encouraging all residents to attend, as there is a need for a strong turnout from residents of all towers to ensure their voices are heard.”
The Record contacted First Capital and the City of New Westminster for comment about next steps.
“FCR acknowledges the complexity of the issues at hand and is actively working with residents, city officials, and relevant stakeholders to create a forum that effectively addresses all concerns and feedback,” said Glenn Worner, general manager of First Capital. “Consequently, I can confirm that the forum scheduled for Oct. 6 has been postponed to a future date.”
John Stark, the city’s manager of social planning, said he isn’t aware of a meeting between the city, First Capital and the strata corporation but noted that an invitation could have been forwarded to a more senior city staff member or an elected official.
“As noted at the Downtown Residents’ Association meeting, the Crises Response Pilot Project staff team are available to meet with business and resident associations, and other groups and organizations, to speak to the pilot project, to receive feedback, and to learn about concerns or issues,” he said in an email to the Record.
