Editor:
Regarding the asinine folly that Mr. Cote created - and without public input - of kicking our "Royal City" moniker to the curb.
No! No, we won't let you do this! We won't let you have yet one more 'pet project' as a going away present.
It's only too bad that residents won't have the pleasure of kicking Cote to the curb at the next election.
B. Kendall
Editor:
Mayor Cote's last-minute parting shot at New Westminster to remove the historic moniker and beloved title of The Royal City was a cowardly and insulting act to generations of people who have proudly called The Royal City home since 1858.
This should have been voted on in the upcoming election by the citizens of New Westminster. It was done quietly behind closed doors because the Mayor knows that the majority of the people living in New Westminster would not support his motion.
I am proud to say I live in The Royal City.
Cole Barry
Editor:
I am not in favour of this change. I feel as though my entire history is being wiped out. My father joined the Royal Westminster Regiment in September 1939, just days after his 15th birthday. He fought for Canada and the Commonwealth, and for better or worse that included First Nations. That is what my father and tens of thousands of other soldiers sacrificed for.
I was brought up in a family that does not want to forget the horrific tragedies brought upon the First Nations in North America. Rather, I was raised with the desire to move forward using the knowledge gained through the mistakes made in the past. I want to acknowledge and repent these mistakes, and look at the future of Canada from an inclusive perspective. To me inclusive means open and welcoming to everyone, no matter where (and when) they came from. If I am to live the rest of my life feeling guilty about and suppressing my heritage and values, I lose my own identity. Isn’t that just exactly what we did to our First Nations? Removing statues of Judge Begbie, Sir John A MacDonald and others, participating in Reconciliation, being informed of our histories and honouring and respecting our First Nations - all this and more will have a huge impact on all of us and our future generations of Canadians.
Wiping out the history of Canada’s “Second Nations” is just repeating the past by targeting another demographic of Canadians. Please don’t create another mistake in the identities and fabric of Canada. We are all Canadians and we all should be respected and celebrated as such. Keep some of our history in tact. Thank you!
Tammy Trimble
Editor:
Regarding the “need,” or so it seems, to erase our history and replace it with a new one. It seems to me that we’re only doing the wrong thing again but this time to ourselves. Wouldn’t it be better to merge the history rather than to whitewash one out. The irony of fixing the poor treatment of one by ignoring or eliminating ours from the streets can’t be lost, will we need to talk behind closed doors and away from those who would call it shameful. It seems equally wrong to take away our cities past because no one knows it or wants to know it.
The “Royal City” should be proud of its history and recognize the wrongs of the past rather than pretend it never happened by “Rebranding”. A better solution would be to insert the missing pieces to be a full and truthful story we can all be a part of.
Ken Wright
Editor:
Description: I am extremely upset with the suggestion to drop the 'Royal City' name. We were the capital of BC at one time and it is heartwarming to remember that.
There has been a lot done already within the city regarding reconciliation - renaming schools, renaming the Canada Games/Centennial facility and more. The country is making an effort to reconcile. What happened in the past can never be changed no matter what we do.
Leave our city name the way it is. The entire country doesn't need to have Indigenous titles.
Anne Smith
Editor:
Why are so many people against history?
History is almost always a mix of good and bad but it's still HISTORY!!
Let's keep the "Royal" in Royal City and get rid of all the council except Chuck. At least one person agrees!
I hope all the businesses with Royal City in their name will keep it that way.
Margaret Sanford
Editor:
Queensborough, Queens Park, New Westminster - these all have links to England. People who support Canada being a republic make sure that they whittle away the history of this country and this is just another step.
Removing references to our past ensures our future generations forget. If this is a step for reconciliation we would be better served giving land back to Chief Rhonda Larrabee and the Qayqayt First Nation than removing references to The Royal City. Their only official space is not even City-owned but part of New Westminster School District’s new high school. As the mayor leaves and doesn't stand for re-election , maybe the rest of council should go too. You've all obviously drunk the same Republic Kool-Aid.
Andy Hull
Editor:
1. Wiping out the British is not very “inclusive.”
2. We are quite diverse. 10% Chinese, Around 7% Filipino, as well as E. Asian. 3% indigenous. And the Western Europeans.
3. What buildings are you going to name after those groups?
Barbara Hilstad
Editor:
I am all for inclusion, but not at the cost of exclusion. My ancestors came here about 300 years ago and helped build this country. Our Families have lived in New Westminster since before WW2. My uncle is in the picture that inspired our beautiful “Wait for me, Daddy” sculpture. Are we to be excluded? Will that sculpture be torn down one day? What was done in the past cannot be undone. We should be moving foward together. I love the multi-culture that is the fabric of our city, The Royal City, New Westminster.
Gail Beau
Editor:
How does the mayor and his council have the authority to remove our city name!!!
This is disgusting!! This should not be on the table for discussion! Public vote if it has to be.
Not decided with their private council!!
Very alarming when there making decisions without the city residents by vote!!
Barbara DallaValle
Editor:
Why do people want to change history? We learn from our mistakes. Hiding or changing the name in Royal City does not change history. Our grandparents who arrived from other countries assimilated and built their family in Canada They didn't try and change what they saw except build a new country, fought in wars, get vote rights for women etc.
Don Poaps
Editor:
New Westminster is a historically important city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and is a member municipality of the Greater Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capital of the newborn Colony of British Columbia in 1858, and continued in that role until the Mainland and Island Colonies were merged in 1866, and was the Mainland's largest city from that year until it was passed in population by Vancouver during the first decade of the 20th Century. His Excellency, Major-General Richard Clement Moody FICE FRGS RIBA (Feb. 13, 1813 –March 31, 1887) was a British Imperial Governor and Royal Engineer.
It was suggested by Moody and the Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment that the site be proclaimed "Queensborough." Governor James Douglas proclaimed the new capital with this name on Feb.14, 1859. The name "Queensborough", however, did not appeal to London and it was Queen Victoria who named the city after Westminster, that part of the British capital of London where the Parliament Buildings were, and are to this day, situated. From this naming by the Queen, the City gained its official nickname, "The Royal City."
If you have a killer in the family, you don’t hang the whole family for their crime. Because there was one or more incidences during colonization, you cannot blame the entire nation of Great Britain or the immigrants that came from Great Britain. There would be no New Westminster without the Queen of England and the English immigrants.
Check your history, the first homes and many businesses that made New Westminster was built by British immigrants.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_historic_places_in_New_Westminster
You don’t wipe out history by removing a historical name. I quote:
https://www.newwestcity.ca/heritage/heritage-protection-and-development
“New Westminster values the retention and restoration of its many historic buildings and structures. There are many opportunities available to ensure growth and change in the community is respectful of its heritage assets.”
Regards
Steve McVittie, The British Isles Heritage Society
Editor:
Well, well, well, Mr. Mayor. Everything in life is subject to the “tilt sign” and you and council just pushed that magic button. While YOU are not running again this October, I suggest to every New Westminster resident that the present council also now has to be removed as they passed the motion.
It is way too obvious that once again we have an example of the “inmates running the asylum.” Why on earth would you and council think for even a second that WE, the MAJORITY, want to do away with everything Royal about our lovely city? It is an historic honour to have that connection that no other city has.
In case you are wondering, this will not happen on your watch or any other council’s without a huge fight by, again that invisible number called the “majority.”
I would strongly recommend that as you are exiting running our great city that you admit that you made a grave error here and you call council back to rescind the motion immediately. And if any council member is worth their salt, they will each join the apology to all of us if they desire us to even consider them for another term.
Bill Davis
Editor:
Open Letter to New Westminster Council: I listened with puzzlement to an interview today with New Westminster’s outgoing Mayor about City Council’s decision to drop “Royal City” from the city’s branding.
I have lived in New Westminster for the past 10 years and consider myself reasonably well-informed on current affairs; this is the first time I have ever heard about the “community discussion” on this topic to which the Mayor referred. To the best of my knowledge, there has been no public consultation on this matter, nor has it been something that anyone I know in the city has been concerned about.
I feel fortunate to live in a community such as New Westminster, and I have no real emotional attachment to the notion of royalty. But much of New Westminster’s considerable history (including its very name) involves its connection to royalty. Council’s motion, it seems to me, is the beginning of a slippery slope towards denial of that history.
I fully support meaningful efforts at reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, but as a taxpayer I would prefer to see City Council dealing with matters which are clearly within the purview of local government, such as fixing our streets, dealing with homelessness and livability of our city, rather than promoting a concept upon which there has been no consultation and no expressed public concern.
Mark Leffler, New Westminster
Editor:
As a native daughter of the Royal City, born in St. Mary's Hospital, I am greatly saddened by the plan, initiated by Mayor Cote and approved by his Council, to remove the Royal City designation from New Westminster, and I am certain that there are many others of like mind.
There are several matters in New Westminster that require attention such as housing for the homeless and low-income populations, revitalization of the business districts of Sapperton, Queensborough, 12th Street and 20th Street and upgrades to Queen's Park among them so spending large dollars on a needless initiative like this name change makes little sense, in my opinion.
If Premier Horgan can walk back a poor idea like building a new museum, so can Mayor Cote and Council rescind a misguided motion to change the name of the Royal City.
Myrna McRae
Editor:
Re: New Westminster to begin phasing out Royal City in city’s branding.
I believe it is unacceptable for Mayor Cote, who will not be running for re-election in October, to create a motion to remove Royal City branding. The councillors who supported this idea along with the mayor need to rethink what the word democracy means. It means governed by the people; majority rule. The City has not yet asked the residents for their input on this motion. Further, as Coun. Puchmayr suggests, there are many other important priority items that the Council need to focus on right now. Mayor Cote should spend less time in front of news cameras and more time packing his bags.
Keith Munro
Editor:
This week, New West Mayor Jon Cote, who is not running for re election, decided that the moniker "Royal City" was no longer appropriate for the City of New Westminster.
In his statement to the press he claimed that the moniker was something that bothered him throughout his time on council and as Mayor. In case anyone has lost track, that spans 15 years. And yet, in all that time as a councilor or Mayor, not a word, not a complaint, no public announcement of his distaste for the moniker that the City has had for decades and decades.
Suddenly, in the last days of his now "lame duck" tenure, Cote looks to put his footprint on his "legacy." Where is the public consultation? I mean I'm sure amongst Jon's inner circle of unelected advisors and back-room operatives they'll agree with him. But what about the tens of thousands of other taxpayers and citizens of this city? What about their say? But what it really speaks to is what Cote and his group have been like over the past while ... arrogant, full of hubris and a disregard for what the public thinks or even caring.
While Cote pulled the ripcord and jumped out of the burning hulk that was Team Cote, they've now renamed themselves Community New West. That's funny, considering their behaviour in granting the mayor a needless and unwarranted pet project (changing not only the name but logos, and the costs associated with redoing the vehicles, buildings, merchandise websites, and city resources with the new logo) as a going-away present, without any public input into it, at a time when people are dealing with ever-increasing costs of living and financial stress and pressure.
Community FIrst candidate for mayor Patrick Johnstone, candidates for council Nadine Nakagawa, Jaimie McEvoy and Chinu Das, and Councillor Mary Trentadue, (not running) all stood behind Cote, backing a project with zero public input or consultation. A nice legacy parting gift to their leader. The only one to stand up and speak for the people who pay the bills was Chuck Puchmayr. who is not affiliated with Community First.
With an election in the offing, it's important to pay attention to what our incumbent elected people do. Community First incumbents yet again show they are not beholden to public input. Following council and the people as I do, I wasn't surprised that Johnstone, Trentadue and Nakagawa would back Jon on his legacy parting gift and the lack of public engagement on it. But I was shocked to see McEvoy and Das back him on it. I expected more from the two of them. That they didn't back Puchmayr and force Cote to show his shallowness by casting the deciding vote in favour of his own motion was highly disappointing.
I know two Community First candidates for election that just lost my vote and support. In this upcoming election, I believe the time has come to end the monopolistic running of city council. We need politically diverse views on council. Not just a bunch singing from the same song sheet. I do hope Chuck Puchmayr does decide to run for office in some capacity. His experience and his independence at times is needed. Someone needs to look out for all the citizens of New West, not just solely the interests of donors and string pullers from whatever side of the political spectrum they sit on.
Dave Lundy, New Westminster
