New West city council has endorsed Coun. Ruby Campbell for election at the Federation of Municipalities.
At the Jan. 30 meeting, council released a motion from a closed session, in which it endorsed Campbell to stand for election on the FCM’s board of directors. If elected, Campbell would serve on the FCM board from January to June 2023.
The motion approved by council also stated that city council would assume all costs associated with Campbell attending the FCM’s board of directors.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is an advocacy group representing more than 2,000 municipalities of all sizes across Canada.
Noise OK’ed
Nighttime and weekend noise is coming as part of the ongoing work at Royal Columbian Hospital.
At its Jan. 30 meeting, city council approved a construction noise bylaw exemption request related to the Royal Columbian Hospital redevelopment project. EllisDon Design Build requested the exemption so it can pour and surface concrete slabs at the site at 330 East Columbia St.
Council approved an exemption to the bylaw from 8 to 11 p.m., an average of three times per month, Monday to Friday, from Feb. 2 to Oct. 31, 2023, as well as from 7 to 9 a.m. on Saturdays from May 6, 2023 to May 4, 2024, excluding Sundays and statutory holidays.
Bring on the fun
A Queensborough eatery is hoping to add a little entertainment to its menu.
Rozzini’s Restaurant on Ewen Avenue in Queensborough has received council’s support for its application to amend its food primary liquor licence by including patron participation.
The restaurant wants to provide entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 to 9 p.m., which is a change from the 6 to 11 p.m. hours it had previously proposed. After receiving feedback about the proposal – including some concerns about potential noise impacts on neighbours – the applicant proposed the new reduced hours for the entertainment.
Expansion planned
A longtime residential substance treatment and recovery centre in New West is looking to expand on its Brow of the Hill site.
The Westminster House Society is seeing a zoning amendment bylaw for 228 Seventh St., so it can build a two-storey detached accessory building at the rear of the property. The first floor would contain lobby and office space, food storage and laundry and washroom facilities, while the second floor would contain additional office and administrative space and a non-commercial staff kitchen.
Council unanimously supported moving forward with consideration of the request, which won’t require a public hearing. Mayor Patrick Johnstone and Coun. Nadine Nakagawa recused themselves from the vote because they live in the neighbourhood.
Homelessness planning underway
New Westminster has mapped out 24 actions it hopes to pursue in 2023 as part of its Homelessness Action Plan.
The plan, adopted in July 2022, included 46 actions the city could take on a number of fronts, such as meeting the diverse needs of the unsheltered and precariously housed, ensuring that facilities, programs, services and supports are responsive to those needs, and eliminating or significantly reducing barriers to access.
The staff report outlined a number of items that are proposed as part of this year’s action plan, including: $32,800 for Homelessness Coalition coordination services; $20,000 to advance “social benefit” zoning; $10,000 for an anti-stigma campaign; $3,000 for tenant education and information sessions; $35,000 to cover administrative costs of the New Westminster rent bank program; and $27,000 for enhanced outreach services.
“Additionally, $650,000 has been allocated for a 24/7 free-standing, prefabricated toilet; and this expense is contained in the 2023 capital budget,” said the report. “All funding is to be approved by council as part of the 2023 budget approvals process, and any actions requiring funding that are not approved by council will not proceed.”
Public engagement on track
New Westminster is making headway with the public engagement strategy it adopted in late 2016 – but its work is never done.
A status report on the public engagement strategy said all but three of the 35 actions included in the public engagement strategy have been complete or are underway or ongoing.
“The work of authentic, equitable public engagement is never finished, and many of the actions outlined in the strategy require sustained effort,” said the report. “In addition to the actions outlined in the strategy, there are opportunities for continual growth and improvement of the city’s engagement activities, such as working to include more community voices, and trying new/different engagement techniques.”
Motions abound
Six down, more to come.
At the Jan. 30 meeting, council considered six motions from councillors Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas about a variety of issues, including halting the city’s rebranding exercise and clarifying the city’s council procedure bylaw. Several related to issues in Queensborough, including: mitigating traffic and transportation issues and improving pedestrian safety on Ewen Avenue; undertaking a planning and community consultation process to determine the feasibility of prioritizing an all-weather field in Ryall Park; requesting an update from local MLAs regarding a 2020 election commitment to provide a free bus service to Queensborough students; and launching a pilot project to help residents cover up ditches with sidewalks. (More to come on decisions on these matters).
Monday’s agenda also included three “notices of motions” that will be considered at the next council meeting.
* Coun. Ruby Campbell is putting forward a motion concern partnership opportunities with the Gurdwara Sahib Sagar, noting it has been proven to be willing to assist in times when emergency issues arise. The motion is that New Westminster Fire and Rescue Services explore emergency management partnership opportunities with the Gurdwara Sahib Sagar to support the emergent needs in Queensborough.
* Councillors Fontaine and Minhas have presented a motion about increasing safe access to the Fraser River for residents and tourists. The motion includes several components, including: asking staff to report back to council on opportunities to provide increased direct access and connectivity to the Fraser River; identifying opportunities and possible funding sources to plan and develop additional user-pay pleasure craft moorage on the waterfront; having staff identify the costs, challenges and opportunities of establishing a walkable link along the waterfront between Sapperton and Westminster Pier Park; and having staff report to council on the budget and possible sources of funding and resources that would be required to undertake this work.
* Councillors Fontaine and Minhas are proposing a motion related to improving the local economy by better connecting Douglas College students, faculty and staff with New Westminster’s business districts. The motion is that council refer a “Study and Stay” campaign to the economic development advisory committee for discussion and action as appropriate.
DCCs to be used
The City of New Westminster is putting some of the funds in its development cost charge reserves to work on a number of initiatives in Queensborough and on the mainland.
A development cost charge (DCC) expenditure bylaw approved by council Jan. 30 authorizes the expenditure of $1,138,654 from the city’s DCC reserves for Queensborough drainage, sanitary sewer and parkland development, as well as mainland transportation and parkland development. A staff report states “the city incurred expenditure on a number of DCC projects provided for the five-year financial plan” in 2022, and in accordance with legislation, a bylaw is required to expend funds from DCC reserves.
“Although the total balance of DCCs is a net positive, it should be noted that the Queensborough (QB) drainage DCC will now be at $0 and the QB transportation DCC is at an overdrawn position of $2 million,” said the report. With the adoption of the new DCC rates bylaw last August, the city anticipate more DCC charges will be collected, which helps bringing the balance back to a positive position. In the interim, payment from the QB transportation DCC and QB drainage DCC is paused and will resume when the balance returns to a surplus position.”
