New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone will be sworn in as a member of the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation at its Nov. 17 meeting – its first since the Oct. 15 civic election.
The meeting, being held at TransLink’s head office at the Brewery District in New Westminster, includes oaths of office by new members, a land acknowledgment and cedar bough ceremony, and a swearing-in ceremony.
An election for the chair, vice-chair and TransLink board appointments will also be made at the meeting, which is scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to noon. Until the recent election, former New Westminster mayor Jonathan Cote had served as chair of the Mayors’ Council.
The agenda for this week’s meeting also includes a presentation by Indigenous representatives – Chief Rhonda Larrabee of Qayqayt First Nation and Michelle George, a cultural and technical specialist with Tsleil-Waututh Nation.
A report from TransLink management rounds out the meeting’s agenda.
The Mayors’ Council includes 21 mayors from across the region: Andrew Leonard (Bowen Island); Mike Hurley (Burnaby); Richard Stewart (Coquitlam); George Harvie (Delta); Nathan Pachal (Langley city); Dan Ruimy (Maple Ridge); Linda Buchanan (North Vancouver city); Nicole MacDonald (Pitt Meadows); Brad West (Port Coquitlam); Meghan Lahti (Port Moody); Malcolm Brodie (Richmond); Brenda Locke (Surrey): Ken Sim (Vancouver); Megan Knight (White Rock); Mike Little (North Vancouver district); Mark Sager (West Vancouver); Eric Woodward (Langley township); John McEwen (Anmore); Jamie Ross (Belcarra); and Ken Berry (Lions Bay). Other members include Chief Laura Cassidy of Tsawwassen First Nation and Jen McCutcheon, director of Electoral Area A (which includes several unincorporated areas of the region, including the UBC Endowment Lands, UBC, Barnston Island and others).
According to TransLink, the Mayors’ Council’s roles include approving long-term transportation plans prepared by TransLink, including transportation service levels, major capital projects, and regional funding and borrowing limits. It also oversees and regulates short-term fares, customer surveys and complaint processes, sale of major facilities and assets, and director and executive compensation levels.
