MAY
The Ministry of Education approves the school district’s request that a new high school could house up to 1,900 students – a move that’s considered by many to be the first hurdle in getting a replacement built for the aging New Westminster Secondary School.
Transportation Minster Todd Stone says the province will only lend New Westminster a Bailey bridge if it agrees to take a second crossing, a move the city suggests is blackmail. The bridge, closed to traffic since the beginning of March, is set to be addressed by an arbitrator, who may rule in favour of New Westminster (a one-lane crossing) or side with Coquitlam (a two-lane crossing).
Bosa changes plans for its proposed project at 1000 Quayside Dr. by removing two storeys of the above-ground parking podium, putting some parking underground changing the massing of the buildings so lower buildings are close to existing residences on 10th Street. While the new plan eliminates proposed rental units, the city isn’t too concerned because more than a thousand other rental units are being proposed in the downtown.
After five years of uncertainty, Hume Park Elementary School’s fate is finally sealed. The board of education votes unanimously to close the school as of July 1.
New Westminster teachers are joined on the picked line by B.C. Teachers’ Federation president Jim Iker on the first day of Stage 2 strike action in B.C. on May 26.
