As we enter 2020, let’s take a look back on the year that was in New West – the good, the bad and some “only in New West” moments.
JANUARY
The City of New Westminster gets to work weeding through the applications for cannabis retail shops. The city received 22 applications for shops in neighbourhoods across the city and agreed to support five stores during the initial rollout of stores.
The New Westminster Recycling Depot expands its offerings to collect “other flexible plastic packaging” such as bubble wrap, candy wrappers and zipper lock pouches.
Local school trustees start the year by giving themselves a 1.9 per cent increase to their remuneration. Although the remuneration is adjusted every January, based on Vancouver’s consumer price index, Trustee Mary Lalji opposes the increase as she’d prefer the money go directly to students’ programs. She suggests trustees decline the annual increase, but the board votes down her motion.
Downtown residents appeal to Bosa Development and city hall for a reprieve from the pile driving taking place at the Pier West site on the waterfront, where 43- and 53-storey highrises will be built. Bosa apologizes for the noise caused by pile driving and pledges to minimize the issues as much as possible.
New West police investigate the discovery of bullet casings at Queensborough Middle School, but say there is no risk to the public and students. Along with the discovery of bullet casings, the school finds damage to two exterior doors at the school.
New Westminster become the first B.C. city to apply new rental residential tenure zoning to existing rental housing stock – much to the delight of tenants’ advocates and to the disappointment of the development community. In addition to 12 city-owned properties, the bylaw applies to six existing stratified buildings that have operated as rental buildings, but the city fears could be marketed for sale as condos.
FEBRURARY
The New Westminster Public Library temporarily closes so it can finish its $5.5-milion renovation. A 10-week closure of the uptown branch begins Feb. 24.
Tenants take to the steps of city hall to praise steps taken by the city to prevent renovictions. A series of initiatives introduced by the city includes a rental replacement policy to slow the redevelopment of older purpose-built market rental buildings, a rental renovation tax exemption to incentivize the maintenance and protection of existing buildings and new business licensing requirements to prohibit renovictions.
The school district begins serving up a new food program at École Qayqayt Elementary School Queen Elizabeth Elementary and Queensborough Middle school. The program, which aims to offer healthy meals made on the same day they’re delivered, will be rolled out in all schools between now and early 2020.
Trustees approve an 11 per cent pay increases to help offset possible lost wages resulting from federal tax changes.
New Westminster takes steps to become the first B.C. school district to install coin-free pad and tampon dispensers in all of its schools.
After 37 years with the New Westminster Police Department, Chief Const. Dave Jones trades in his badge for a new one with the Transit Police. Having worked his way up the ranks to become New Westminster’s top cop, Jones accepts the job of chief officer with the Transit Police.
B.C.’s police watchdog investigates a police-involved shooting at Queensborough Landing on Feb. 24, in which a man died of his injuries.
MARCH
The New Westminster School District takes the first step toward building a new middle school in Sapperton by buying a .438-acre single-family lot on Fader Street – across from Hume Park Elementary School.
Folk and May pole dancing practices for May Day are no longer being done during school hours and will be done after school. The school district says it’s becoming increasingly difficult to coordinate dance instruction during the school day.
About 50 New Westminster Secondary School Students march out of classes as part of a global student strike demanding action on climate change. The worldwide demonstration was inspired by 16-year-old Swedish student and climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Owners of six buildings covered by new rental residential tenure zoning – without their input or support – are taking the city to court. The owners of the strata properties want the Supreme Court of British Columbia to declare the bylaw approved by council to be illegal and/or void, to impose an order quashing the bylaw and to pay costs of the legal action
APRIL
Work on a new pedestrian overpass gets underway in downtown New Westminster. The overpass, part of Bosa Development’s commitment as part of the Pier West development, will provide another way for people to access Westminster Pier Park. The overpass, which will include starts and an accessible ramp for pedestrians and cyclists, begins at the parkade and lands in the park. While the project was originally expected to take about seven months to complete, it was still incomplete as the year came to an end.
New Westminster city council directs staff to report back on items related to climate action that could be taken by the city, such as updating existing city plans with new targets contained in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. That report deemed it necessary to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, rather than two degrees as previously understood
Natasha Sing is crowned Miss New Westminster 2019. Sing and the rest of the Hyack Ambassador Leadership Team will represent the city at events across the Pacific Northwest.
New Westminster will do a “deep dive” to get at the truth so it can tackle reconciliation. Council approves a motion by Coun. Nadine Nakagawa that includes a number of the steps for the city, including making it mandatory for all city staff to attend training on the history and legacy of residential schools, providing mayor and council with training to understand the legacy of residential schools and colonialism, undertaking research to understand which Nations have a relationship to this land and to better understand the historical actions for the city regarding First Nations.
Robel Abera, 20, is remembered as a “genuine, funny and caring individual” by family and friends. Abera died after being shot in Hume Park. 19-year-odl Sam Jafroudi is charged with second degree murder in connection with the Abera’s death.
MAY
New Westminster city council votes in favour of removing the Judge Matthew Begbie statue from in front of the provincial courthouse on Carnarvon Street. The city also pledges to work with the city’s museum and archives, the community and the Tsilhqot’in Nation to find an appropriate place for the statue and to engage in a consultation process to find an appropriate place to tell the history of the Chilcotin War. For the Tsilhqot’in Nation, Begbie represents a legacy of betrayal, pain and tragedy, as he presided over the trials of five Tsilhqot’in chiefs who were sentenced to change in 1864. Chief Ahan was tried, convicted and sentence to death in New Westminster a year later – in a spot not far from where the statute stood.
New Westminster is closing its partnering with the Tri-Cities on a new one-stop-shop recycling centre that’s being built on United Boulevard in 2020. The decision, which arises from the redevelopment of the site of the existing depot as part of the new aquatic and community centre, was made at a closed meeting in February but only comes to light in a recent report to council.
The city corrects some inaccuracies in a controversial bylaw adopted by the city earlier in January but stands by the rental-only zoning that imposed residential rental tenure on six strata properties. “See you in court,” says one building owner after council approves amendments to the bylaw.
Brow of the Hill residents petition city hall to purchase a Cornwall Street property that may be coming on the market. The site at 1009 Cornwall St. has been vacant for many years and has been used by area residents as greenspace.
New Westminster celebrates its 149th May Day on May 22 at Queen’s Park Stadium. Amaris Han takes her place in the history books when the Connaught Heights Elementary School is named the city’s 2019 May Queen. Michael Ront-Gibons will serve as the school’s Royal Knight.
JUNE
New Westminster reviews its communication protocols after some residents and business are left without power for 23-and-a-half hours on May 29. During the outage, many people complained about the lack of information they were able to get form the city about the outage and about when power may be restored.
Two men receive a 10-year jail sentence in connection to an early morning attack on July 6, 2016 when robbers entered a house on Queens Avenue through an unlocked door and beat, slashed and threated a 65-year old man while looting his home of valuables.
A new design is in the works for the Belmont Street parklet, after area residents and businesses express “distress” about the activities in the parklet and see action to address concerns such as smoking and nuisance behaviours late at night.
The Q to Q ferry will set sail on the Fraser River for years to come. Council directs staff to issue a request for proposals for a permanent ferry service operator and to support a budget to cover costs of the services.
JULY
The Judge Begbie statue is removed from its longtime home in front of the New Westminster courthouse. The removal in done in advance of an annual visit to New Westminster by members of the Tsilhqot’in Nation, who commemorate the life of Chief Ahan, who was hanged in New Westminster on July 18, 1865.
A 29-storey highrise on Sixth Street gets council’s support – despite area residents’ concerns about the impact it will have on traffic on Princess Street and some concerns about having separate entrances and amenity spaces for renters and strata owners.
New Westminster vows to champion the calls to action of the Reclaiming Power and Place: the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and murdered Indigenous Woman and Girls. Council affirms the report’s finding that the actions of governments have constituted genocide.
The City of New Westminster is reviewing it policies for booking events at city-owned facilities after calling a public talk by a vocal opponent of “transgender politics” at the Queensborough Community Centre. Jenn Smith, a trans-identifying man who prefer he/him” pronoun, was set to give a talk about The Erosion of Freedom on Aug. 1. Smith’s previously scheduled talk at Douglas College in June was also cancelled.
AUGUST
Queensborough residents are concerned about proposed gravel storage and contaminated soil transfer facilities at Port of Vancouver property in their community. A standing room only crowd of more than 100 people fills a room in Queensborough Community Centre on Aug. 12.
A 44-year-old Burnaby residents is charged with impaired driving causing death and impaired driving over 80 (milligrams of alcohol) causing death in relation to the death of 19-year-old Olivia Malcom. The New West resident was killed in a motor vehicle accident in Ladner on June 2, 2018, while on her way home from a lacrosse game. Following her death, a GoFundME campaign raised more than $110,000 for the Olivia Malcom Kindness Bursary – with the two inaugural awards being dispersed in June.
West End residents celebrate the completion of the long-awaited pedestrian overpass near Grimston Park. The West End Residents’ Association has been lobbying for construction of an overpass to improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists needing to cross Stewardson Way near the Queensborough Bridge.
SEPTEMBER
Construction of the much-anticipated replacement of the Queen’s Park Arenex is getting underway. The Queen’s Park Sportsplex is being built on a site next to the new skateboard park.
The New Westminster Police Department makes three edits to the NWPD media section from its page on Wikipedia. The edits include removing the Controversy section in its entirety – a single entry that related to a 2009 event where a local off-duty police officer was alleged to have been part of an assault on a newspaper delivery person in Vancouver. Other edits include changing “police force” to “police department” and adding a link to the NWPD’s Instagram page in “External Links.”
New Westminster-Burnaby Liberal candidate Will Davis’s campaign office is vandalize twice within one week. In the first incident, someone glued the lock of the door closed and a week later someone wrote Elect a New PM on the camping office’s window in white paint.
The New Westminster Police Department is looking to create a space spaces program for LGBTQ+ people facing violence, bullying or harassment. The program, still in its formative stage, would see each participating location marked with a sticker on or near the entrance, where those facing violence could stay safe and take shelter while staff call police.
Moms with Babies for Climate Action urge city council to “be bold” with its efforts to address the climate crisis. As the youngsters play in council chambers, moms tell council they fear for their children’s futures.
New Westminster Secondary School students hit the streets to march through the streets before hopping on SkyTrain to take part in a climate-action event in Vancouver.
OCTOBER
An affordable housing project opens its doors to several families and people with disabilities. As part of its affordable housing strategy, the city provided land for the six-unit inclusive housing project on Hastings Street.
A New West man is sentenced to 14 months in jail on child pornography charges. Shane Tucker, who was charged after New Westminster Police investigation found images of child sexual abuses, also gets three years of probation, a DNA order and a five-year prohibition form being near children or in places where children could reasonably be expected to be.
New Westminster Coun. Mary Trentadue is among the people calling on Port Moody’s mayor to step down until his ongoing legal battles are resolved. Trentadue appears at a Port Moody council meeting to ask Rob Vagramov to take a leave of absence until his charges of sexual assault are resolved. Trentadue thinks the province should establish an ethics committee to develop a policy that would require an elected official to take a paid leave if charged with a criminal offence.
Incumbent NDP New Westminster-Burnaby MP Peter Julian coasts to victory in the Oct. 21 federal election, winning his sixth federal election in a row.
New Westminster city council endorses “seven bold steps” in response to the climate emergency and supports prioritizing climate emergency initiatives over non-climate-related items in the city’s budget. At the same meeting, the city introduces a new climate action levy that will up electrical utility bills by one per cent in 2020.
The Tsilhqot’in National Government supports a proposal that would see two local landmarks renamed. Council unanimously approves a motion by Coun. Chuck Puchmayr to remove the name of Begbie Square and to begin a process to identify an appropriate new name for the civic space – and to review the name of Begbie Street.
NOVEMBER
New Westminster consults with community members and stakeholders as part of a policy on shared and separate entrances and common entrances in mixed-tenure buildings – strata developments with either market or non-market rental components.
Support grows for a petition urging city hall to save the New Westminster Recycling Depot. The online petition, which asks the city to halt its plans to close the recycling depot and to do a more thorough consultation with residents, surpasses its goal of 1,000 signees.
The New Westminster Police Department investigates a shooting at a home in the quiet Glenbrook North neighbourhood that ends with one person being taken away in ambulance on Nov. 17. Within a week, police charge a man with attempted murder.
Former city councillor and longtime volunteer Lorrie Williams is named New Westminster’s 2019 Citizen of the Year. Susan Greig is the recipient of the Bernie Legge Cultural Award honours at the 2019 Platinum Awards, which shine a spotlight on outstanding local businesses and citizens.
DECEMBER
New Westminster attempts to increase the supply of new housing units to meet the needs of low- and moderate-income residents by creating inclusionary housing policy. The new policy requires new strata residential and mixed-use residential developments application seeking rezoning to include below- or non-market rental housing units.
The New Westminster Police Department launches a search for its next top cop. Deputy Chief Dave Jansen has been serving as the acting chief since longtime chief Dave Jones departed in March.
In an effort to eliminate confusion and to improve communication, the city introduces a new 24-7 number for reporting power outages and getting updates. The new number – 604-239-6100 – eliminates the need for customers to call one number during the day and another number after hours in the event of a power outage.
