New West council had plenty of items on the agenda of its first meeting since July 8, but only a fraction were discussed.
In what’s somewhat of a rarity in New West council chambers, council members did not “pull” any items from its consent agenda for discussion purposes – meaning those reports were voted on without any questions or comments from council. (All council members supported the recommendations in those reports, which covered issues such as noise variances.) Similarly, the long list of bylaws needing to be adopted, having previously been considered by council, was approved unanimously and without comment.
During delegation period, council members had questions for delegates who spoke on a variety of topics, including bike storage, rapid rail, greenspaces and child care.
The meeting also included lively discussions about motions put forward from individual councillors.
ICYMI, here’s a rundown of agenda items dealt with at Monday’s meeting.
Liquor hours
Hyack Sushi wants to extend its hours of liquor service.
The restaurant, located at #200-55 Eighth St., is applying to the province’s Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch to change its food primary licence to allow for extended liquor service hours past midnight. It’s proposing to operate from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday to Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
At its Aug. 26 meeting, council recommended approval of Hyack Sushi’s application to the LCRB to change its food primary licence to allow extended liquor service hours.
Grant funding
The City of New Westminster is hoping to get $25,000 in grant funding for its asset management efforts.
Council has approved the submission of a grant application to the Union of B.C. Municipalities’ 2024 asset management planning program. The funding would be used for the Implementation and Resources Strategy for further CMMS Integration study, which is estimated to cost $60,000.
A report to council states that CMMS – computerized maintenance management systems – are “essential” to the success of any asset management program. Asset management and infrastructure are one of city council’s five strategic priorities.
The report noted that CMMS is currently only used by the city’s water and sewer engineering operations teams and is hosted on sites using an outdated version of the software.
“The city’s transportation, parks, solid waste, civic buildings and properties, and natural asset operation group works are still tracked using paper documentation,” said the report. “The ultimate goal of the organization is to conduct a complete technological transportation and completely transition to the use of the CMMS for all infrastructure activities. Previous attempts to undertake this technological transition have not been successful due to resource constraints within the city, resulting in delays and frustration in the implementation process.”
Noise variances
Noise variances have been approved in the Downtown, Queensborough and Sapperton neighbourhoods.
At its Aug. 26 meeting, council considered and approved three requests for exemptions to the city’s construction noise bylaw.
- 32 Eighth St. – the New Westminster SkyTrain station. TransLink requires a noise exemption to enable the demolition, modification, and installation of maintenance walkways at the New Westminster SkyTrain station in preparation for the activation of longer trains to accommodate more ridership. The exemption allows work to be done outside of regular construction hours and is in effect from Tuesday, Aug. 27 to Saturday, Nov. 30 from midnight to 7 a.m. on weekdays and some Sundays; no work will be done on statutory holidays.
- 304 Wood St. – the Metro Vancouver Queensborough pump station. Metro Vancouver requires a noise exemption as part of its work on the Queensborough pump station, which moves wastewater and sewage collected in New West and Burnaby to the Annacis Island wastewater treatment plant in Delta. The exemption would enable bypass pumps to run from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. for two consecutive nights, on dates between Monday, Sept. 16 and Monday, Oct. 7. (The report said the pump station is not fully functioning, but pumps will operate to ensure the “continued and uninterrupted flow of wastewater and sewage” from Burnaby and New West while this work is being done.
- 330 East Columbia St. – Royal Columbia Hospital. EllisDon Design Build and subcontractor Houle Electric require a noise variance to complete the electrical wiring work as part of the $1.49-billion Royal Columbian Hospital redevelopment project. The noise exemption will take place from Wednesday, Sept. 4 to Tuesday, Sept. 17, but the work will take place for one night (from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m.), excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and statutory holidays. A staff report said the work involves laying the conduit of wiring around the perimeter of the hospital site in two shifts occurring in one continuous 24-hour period, with one of those shifts (8 p.m. to 7 a.m.) occurring outside of bylaw’s permitted hours. “The work, if interrupted, has the potential to be a safety hazard,” explained the report.
A return to industry?
A former industrial site may once again have industrial zoning.
Council has received a preliminary report regarding an official community plan amendment and rezoning application for 1084 Tanaka Crt. in Queensborough. The applicant is proposing to rezone the property from comprehensive development district (1084 Tanaka Court) to light industrial districts.
You can read about what’s being proposed in this Record story.
Housing targets
Meeting the province's housing target order may be out of the City of New Westminster's control.
That was one of the comments in a staff report regarding the province’s housing target order for New Westminster. The order states the city is required to build 4,432 net new units over five years and provides guidelines regarding units by size, tenure and affordability.
According to the staff report, “the city may be unable to meet the housing targets because development is mostly driven by market conditions (e.g. construction costs, lending rates), which are outside of the city’s control.”
You can read the Record’s full story on this issue here.
Literacy Month
New Westminster has once again proclaimed September as Literacy Month.
The city’s proclamation states that literacy is the key to opportunity for Canadians to increase their life chances and to be successful in today’s modern world, as literacy is no longer simply the ability to read and write.
“Solid literacy skills are vital to our country’s social and economic development; literacy offers all Canadians an opportunity to make a substantial contribution to the education, growth and prosperity of Canada,” said the proclamation. “Many organizations across New Westminster, British Columbia, and Canada, including Literacy New Westminster, daily demonstrate – through work in their community – their commitment to creating a culture of community-based literacy and learning.”
Bylaws approved
Council has signed off on nine bylaws that had been considered by council in the months before its summer meeting break.
At its Aug. 26 meeting, council adopted nine bylaws, including several amendments to existing bylaws, including the riparian areas protection bylaw, the bylaw notice enforcement bylaw, the municipal ticket information bylaw, and the parks and recreation fees amendment bylaw (which sets out the fees for parks and rec services in 2025).
All of the bylaws were adopted unanimously by all five council members who attended the meeting (Mayor Patrick Johnstone and councillors Ruby Campbell, Daniel Fontaine, Paul Minhas and Nadine Nakagawa.)
Other bylaws adopted include:
- Council procedure bylaw, which reflects the province’s regulation prohibiting public hearings for certain residential land use bylaws.
- Heritage revitalization agreement bylaw and a heritage designation bylaw for 203 Pembina St, which enables the construction of six townhouse units, with relaxations for use, density, height, and siting.
- Zoning amendment bylaw for 1005 Ewen Ave., which allows the development of 23 townhouse and duplex units and a commercial building at 1005 Ewen Ave. in Queensborough.
- Zoning amendment bylaw for 1923 and 1927 Marine Way, which allows for the development of an affordable housing building containing about 90 residential rental units.
Childcare update
YMCA-BC’s New West-based Child Care Resource and Referral program provided council with an update on its services.
Raegan Stewart, program manager, and Tazeen Bharucha, program supervisor, appeared before council Monday night to outline the services provided by the organization. Those services include professional development opportunities, workshops, and resources.
Located on Royal Avenue, the program supports families and childcare providers. Its services include an early learning resource library and assistance with government programs.
Delegations
Four delegations signed up to speak at Monday’s council meeting – with Mayor Patrick Johnstone stepping in to help when technical difficulties derailed one of the delegations.
- Lee Haber from Mountain Valley Express presented to the city council advocating for world-class regional rail service in South Coast British Columbia. He requested that council sign an open letter supporting the study of regional rail. (Stay tuned for a story in the Record on this item.)
- Juno Avila Clark, a local resident who advocates for climate justice and local sustainability, presented to the council about the neglected “in- between” greenspaces in New Westminster and proposed transforming them into climate-resilient areas using native plants.
- Kevin Lee, strata council president of The Columbia in the Brewery District, expressed concern about the lack of bicycle storage facilities provided by the developer in the building. He told council the building does not have a communal bike storage space (something now required by city bylaws), and residents have been advised to store their bikes in their lockers. Council referred the issue to staff.
- Kathy Lynn was due to speak to council virtually about the Parkinson Super Walk but could not be heard because of technical issues. Stepping in assist, Johnstone said this year’s walk is taking place on Saturday, Sept. 7 at noon at Moody Park. It raises money and awareness for Parkinson’s Canada. (Check the Record for an upcoming story with more details about the fundraiser.)
Council ideas
Commercial areas, parks and rec fees and Walking School Bus initiatives are among the proposals being put forward by council members.
At its Aug. 26 meeting, council considered three motions from members of city council.
- Councillors Ruby Campbell and Nadine Nakagawa submitted a motion about enhancing commercial areas and corridors in New Westminster. It recommends that staff report back to council on the implementation feasibility of: identifying potential locations, operating considerations, necessary resources and local partners to activate “combination stores and micro-retailing commercial areas” using shipping containers or similar concept to create an retail ecosystem that provides small businesses, artists, artisans, crafters and other vendors with affordable storefront locations – and, at the same time, enhances commercial areas and corridors. You can read all about it in this Record story.
- Coun. Paul Minhas submitted a motion about the fee structure of New West business licences and parks and recreation programs, as compared to other Metro Vancouver cities. It recommended that: staff be directed to review business licence fees to determine how New west compares to other Metro Vancouver cities; staff be directed to conduct a review of parks and recreation fees (such as gym, swimming and exercise classes) in New West (and those in other cities in the region); and the information be incorporated and provided to the public as part of the 2025/2026 budgeting process. In a 3-2 vote, council defeated this motion. Get all the information about this discussion in this Record story.
- Coun. Daniel Fontaine submitted a motion regarding long-term funding to support the Walking School Bus program, in support of the city’s goal of tackling climate change. Council approved an amended motion regarding the Walking School Bus program. Stay tuned for a story in the Record.
City council’s next meetings are on Monday, Sept. 9. The city’s website currently shows a workshop at 3 p.m. and a regular council meeting at 6 p.m.
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