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New Westminster "blazed a trail" for the history books

The City of New Westminster has "blazed a trail" and borrowed from others to make progress in the past few years, says Mayor Wayne Wright. In his 2011 inaugural address, Wright said the city has come a long way over the past few years.

The City of New Westminster has "blazed a trail" and borrowed from others to make progress in the past few years, says Mayor Wayne Wright.

In his 2011 inaugural address, Wright said the city has come a long way over the past few years.

"Our council, working together, has accomplished much to promote livability in our community. In some of our accomplishments, we've blazed a trail for the history books. In others, we've borrowed from best practices and followed, learning from the experiences of other municipalities," he said Monday night. "I'm proud of what we've done, and excited about what is left to accomplish by working together. And we will continue to make progress over the next three years."

Wright said the city will be putting its award-winning downtown community plan into action, developing the new multiuse civic facility for the community, and continuing the transformation of Columbia Street into the shining star it once was. He said the city will soon be opening Westminster Pier Park, a new public amenity that reclaims the waterfront for the community's use, and demonstrates what can be accomplished by leveraging dollars from senior levels of government to make improvements in the city.

Wright said other projects will get underway throughout the city, including expanding the Queensborough Community Centre, completing the major infrastructure replacement that's been taking place along the Sixth Street corridor, opening a new artificial turf field in Queen's Park, completing a new master transportation plan, rolling out the new community energy and emissions plan, developing ways to market New Westminster as a great place to invest, and engaging with the city's vibrant artist community on various projects.

"Moving forward, we will also continue to utilize new technology and social media to inform while developing new ways to solicit input from the community," he said. "New Westminster is blessed with engaged and passionate people - citizens with ideas and energy to share with their neighbours. By ensuring accurate, up-to-date information is available and soliciting feedback in a constant and meaningful way, we will ensure that our decision truly reflect the will of the community we are here to serve."

The next three yeas will be busy ones on the education front, said Wright, as ground is broken and construction begins on three new schools. He said the city shares the frustration that many have expressed over the years on this project and will continue to work with the school district to bring these new schools to completion.

"One of the largest employers in New Westminster and a critical health care provider for British Columbia from Burnaby to Boston Bar, Royal Columbian Hospital is a valued partner for our city," he said. "In the near future, we will be working with Fraser Health and the provincial government as a major investment is made to expand the Royal Columbia health-care complex."

Wright he said council remains committed to ensuring New Westminster citizen receive the best value for their tax dollar.

"We will be responsible with our investments and look for every opportunity to leverage those dollars through innovative partnerships with seniors levels of government and the private sector," he said. "We'll do all of this while maintaining the excellent relationships we've established with the provincial and federal governments along with the helpful assistance of our MLA and MPs. In short, we will work together to make New Westminster the best city in Canada in an affordable way that puts us on solid financial footing for the future."

Wright said the city doesn't have all the answers so it needs the input, energy and ideas of the people who live in the city to help make the decisions that work for the community.

"Get involved, get inspired - share with your fellow citizens," he said. "By working together we'll make the City of New Westminster the very best place to live, work and play."