Two men with deep roots in New Westminster have been named to Vancouver Magazine’s 2022 Power 50 list of powerful and influential folks in B.C.
The annual list names the people it deems to be “the change-makers and power players shaping our world” in 2022. The Musqueam Band, Squamish Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation took the top spot on the list that includes provincial politicians, business leaders, developers, media, drug crisis warriors and advocates in areas such as housing, anti-racism, child care, seniors and First Nations issues.
“Generally speaking, we like to define power as impactful and influential, but power, in 2022, seems to lie less often in the CEO office – although the global influence of Vancouver’s tech and resource industries can’t be ignored – and is found instead among those who use their platforms to uplift others,” said Vancouver Magazine.
Joining folks like Dr. Bonnie Henry and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix (who, together, ranked #12) are two men who have strong times to New Westminster – Gary Pooni and Jerry Dobrovolny.
Pooni, president of the Pooni Group, was Number 44 on this year’s list.
“His name almost never appears in mainstream media. But Pooni is the development consultant – and self-described proponent of livable and resilient cities, with his Pooni Group – who is behind some of the most complex projects in the region,” said a description of his reason for being included on the Power 50. “If Westbank’s Ian Gillespie (#17) was able to get a new tall rental apartment building approved on Vancouver’s west side after several nights of public hearing, it’s because Pooni’s company got renters and business people and homeowners from the area to come out in droves. He knows how to rally local support, and he works with most of the major developers in the region.”
Pooni was born and raised in New Westminster, where most of his family still lives. The valedictorian of New Westminster Secondary School’s Class of 1989 remains actively involved with NWSS and Douglas College, and sponsors scholarship programs with both schools, said a statement from the Pooni Group.
Pooni is currently working on Sapperton Green, a master planned community being proposed at the Braid SkyTrain station. He’s also worked as a development consultant on a number of significant developments in New Westminster in recent years, including the Brewery District, Pier West, Anvil Centre, RiverSky and Eight West.
Dobrovolny, a longtime New West resident, was also a new addition to the Power 50 list, coming in at Number 45.
“Pardon the expression, but Dobrovolny’s really been making waves when it comes to Metro Vancouver’s water,” said a Power 50 write-up. “When the contract for North Van’s new wastewater treatment plant proved too delayed and too pricey, Dobrovolny made the very rare move to cancel the deal entirely and regroup. When a father and son were killed in an unexpected torrent accidentally released from the Cleveland Dam, Dobrovolny fired three employees and announced the swift implementation of warning sirens along the Capilano River. And he’s not sugar-coating the exponential growth in utility fees expected for Vancouverites (65% by 2026) in the coming years. Love it or hate it, he’s not going with the flow.”
Dobrovolny, who was raised in New West and attended NWSS, took the helm of Metro Vancouver in November 2019, after many years of work in the City of Vancouver’s engineering department and serving as its general manager of engineering services. Closer to home, he served as a councillor in New Westminster from 1996 to 2005.
