New Year’s Eve has arrived – and, for those of us in the newsroom, what better time to pause, reflect and remember all that’s happened in New Westminster in 2015.
When it comes to news headlines, New Westminster is never short of things to write about – from those stories that are very specifically local to those that garner national and even international headlines.
Earlier this month, the Record editorial team sat down to discuss the top stories of the year. Our collection of awards, honours and special mentions include the News Story of the Year, the Newsmaker of the Year, and several other awards.
Our choices are obviously subjective. How does one judge the relative merits of the city’s ever-changing landscape against the stories that came out of the 2015 federal lection? Where do unusual stories, such as one woman’s light fight against Stephen Harper, rank?
We don’t pretend these “awards” can possibly touch on everything important that happened this year – but they do cover many of the highlights.
A big thank you to all of our newsmakers and those who pass on news tips and ideas – we couldn’t do it without you!
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The foodie award – New West loves its food
Looking for a tasty bite to eat in New Westminster? Good luck trying to decide from the abundant selection of eateries in the Royal City.
From sushi restaurants on (almost) every corner and authentic Mexican featuring tequila bars to classic home-cooked diner food and the ever-popular Waffle House, there really is an endless amount of food options.
And New West’s love of food only continues to grow exponentially each year – especially with the creation of the Columbia StrEAT Food Truck Festival.
This year, the Downtown New Westminster BIA actually had to forgo hosting the annual Show and Shine in favour of focusing its effort on the food truck festival, in its third year.
And they were probably right to do so, the festival drew 90,000 people to New Westminster’s downtown core – that’s 40,000 more people than the year before.
“We are pretty proud that it’s the largest one-day food truck festival in the country,” said Kendra Johnston, executive director of the Downtown BIA.
The 'only time will tell' award – Jury is still out on Anvil Centre
New Westminster’s $88.3 million conference centre and office tower celebrated its first birthday in the fall, but the jury’s still out on what it means for taxpayers.
Anvil Centre celebrated an exciting first year in existence in October 2015, announcing the conference facility had hosted more than 300 events, greeted more than 20,000 delegates, welcomed approximately 16,000 museum visitors and 6,000 theatre guests and generated more than $1.3 million in revenue.
passersby, it produced some great numbers in its first year of
operation. Events like Northwest Fan Fest drew big crowds to
the city’s newest facility. - File photo
It was exciting to see the crowds who flocked to the centre for events like the Northwest Fan Fest in May, when thousands of people descended on the downtown to take in the celebration of fandom and pop culture.
Still, like many taxpayers we hear from, we’re anxiously awaiting the day when the Anvil Centre office tower is filled with tenants and the costs of operating Anvil Centre are completely covered by the conference facility.
The ‘is that cote or coté?’ award – Confusion continues over surname
Also known as the “Things That Make Us Go Hmmm Award,” this one goes to whoever dreamed up the need to change the mayor’s name by putting an accent aigu on Jonathan Cote’s surname – so folks would know it was pronounced “Co-Tay,” not “Coat.”
got a newish name.
While it’s possible some folks may mispronounce Cote’s name, we’ve only heard it mispronounced once.
For nine years, Jonathan X Cote (yes, the X is legit – his middle name is Xerxes) served on city council, but it was only after he was elected mayor in November 2014 that city reports and press releases started referring to him as Mayor Jonathan Coté.
Even the mayor’s own blog (mayorcote.ca) is accent free.
The ‘and then there was one’ award – NewsLeader closes shop
New Westminster lost a valued voice in October when the NewsLeader was shuttered after 26 years.
Changing times in the media is forcing media companies to downsize and close papers – not good news for journalists or readers. Newspapers are not just good reads – they are a vital part of democracy, and often hold city leaders to account.
The Record enters its 35th year in 2016, and if recent support is any indication, readers and advertisers believe that New West’s Hometown Newspaper is an integral part of the city and their lives.
The ‘families thank you’ award – City launches new policy
This one goes out to city council (and staff) who introduced a policy in 2015 requiring developers to include a percentage of three-bedroom units in new multi-family owned developments.
The policy requires developers to include a minimum of 30 per cent of two-and three-bedroom units – with at least 10 per cent of them being three-bedroom units.
housing, as he and wife Alix and their three daughters live in
a downtown condo. - File photo
While the dwellings won’t offer affordable housing, they will be an alternative for families who can’t afford single-family homes or can’t fit into the many smaller condos in New West.
In an effort to keep prices as low as possible, the city has suggested the units be placed on lower storeys of buildings – instead of at the penthouse and higher levels where they’d have to pay a premium for views.
Even better? The city is continuing to work on an update to New Westminster’s official community plan and examining the different types of housing (including townhouses, row houses and carriage houses) that may be introduced in the city in the coming years – providing more housing options for families and all community members.
The ‘Heartbroken Citizen’ award – No love for Harper here
One New Westminster resident wasn’t happy with then-prime minister Stephen Harper, and she set out to voice her displeasure – using some paint, lights and a little bit of creativity.
The ‘Heartbroken citizen’ award goes to Andrea Mears whose Christmas and Valentine’s Day displays caught the attention of many a motorist and one angry neighbour.
government and so, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, she hung this sign
on the fence outside her home on 10th Avenue. - file photo
Mears’ first made headlines in the new year, when she came home to discover someone had cut the power cord to her “Stop Harper” Christmas lights she had hung on her fence at the corner of 10th Avenue and Cariboo Road.
Then, in February, Mears created a new sign, this one read: #HeartbreakHarper.
The motivation? Show Harper how much he broke her heart.
Lucky for her, the nearly decade-long relationship came to an end on Oct. 19, when Justin Trudeau and his red wave swept through the country securing a Liberal majority and ousting the Conservatives.
The ‘someday my lift will come’ award – Elevator still not open
Talk of the Fourth Street overpass continued on social media for much of the year, but probably not for the reason the City of New Westminster would have liked.
by way of the Fourth Street overpass elevator will have to
wait a little longer. - File photo
People were frustrated that months after the overpass opened, providing pedestrians access to Westminster Pier Park via a large set of stairs, the elevator still wasn’t open.
In October, about eight months after the overpass opened, the city said it was still waiting for B.C. Safety Authority approval for the elevator. Mayor Jonathan Cote told the Record that once the city gets the go-ahead from the safety authority, it would still take about six to eight weeks to actually open the elevator.
“We are frustrated with the delay,” Cote said.
The ‘new west fairy tale’ award – Could this be the year?
Once upon a time, in 2003, the ministry of education told all the little boys and girls of New Westminster something very special was in store for them when they got to high school. Instead of a dilapidated pile of asbestos and rat droppings poised next to an old cemetery, they would have a shiny new high school to go to – the best in the land.
NWSS in July to prepare for the school’s first exterior
paint job in almost 20 years. - File photo
All the little children and their parents rejoiced. With shining, hopeful eyes they looked to the future, confident the ministry and local school officials would get the job done. With every new announcement and open house, their excitement grew.
But as the years passed, their joy turned to despair. One by one, they graduated, never seeing the glorious prophecy fulfilled.
To this day, the little children of New Westminster and their parents can still hear echoes of that long ago promise carried on the wind. Some smile wistful smiles. “Wouldn’t that be nice,” they say. Others frown angry frowns. “I’ll believe it when I see it,” they say.
The 'Littlest Hobo' award – Gaiptman moves on
Maybe tomorrow, he’ll want to settle down. Until tomorrow, he’ll just keep moving on.
Gaiptman. - File photo
Like the German shepherd in the 1980s CBC series the Littlest Hobo, retired Victoria superintendent John Gaiptman showed up in town one day in February 2014 and helped out some folks in need: the once fractious New Westminster school board and its run-amok school district ship.
After helping the board learn to play nice, tighten up weak spots in its policy manual, craft a plan to pay down its multi-million dollar deficit and finally pass a balanced budget with zero job cuts in March, the now twice-retired superintendent was gone as suddenly as he arrived in June.
The ‘missing in action’ award – Candidate was hard to find
The federal election in New Westminster quickly turned into a game of “Where’s Chloe?”
Soon after the writ was dropped, Conservative candidate Chloe Ellis was hard to track down and often a no-show at all-candidates meetings.
It’s not like Ellis was the only one giving the public and media the cold shoulder. Tories across the country were missing in action or only showing up for Conservative party events.
Ellis, a first-time candidate, placed third in the riding, but she vowed to make some kind of appearance again.
“This is not the last you have seen of me yet,” she said. Next time, we hope we actually get to see her.
The community icon award – It’s a tie in the city!
We call this one a tie between two New Westminster institutions that celebrated momentous anniversaries this year.
anniversary this year. - File photo
We have the Massey Theatre, marking its 65th anniversary with a year of festivities that included a Massey Theatre Kid campaign, a filmmaking competition, a Homecoming gala and a Great Pairings event that brought together emerging and established artists in a wide range of collaborations. New Westminster’s 1,200-seat theatre remains a popular venue for both local groups – such as Royal City Musical Theatre, New Westminster Secondary School and Royal City Youth Ballet – and touring national and international acts.
And, not too far away, we have the New Westminster Public Library, which turned 150 this past summer. Yes, that makes it B.C.’s oldest public library. It was founded back in 1865 by the community, with a donation of items that had been brought from England by the Columbia Detachment of Royal Engineers. Through various incarnations, it has been serving the community ever since – remaining a hub for not just books, but for a huge range of resources, programs and activities for all ages.
Happy anniversary to two of our favourite places in the city.
