CLIMATE CHANGE CAN BE ADDRESSED AT THE LOCAL LEVEL THROUGH GREEN SPACE, COMMUNITY GARDENS, SMART CITY PLANNING, AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
New Westminster (September 13, 2022): The New West Progressives (NWP), under the leadership of mayoral candidate, Ken Armstrong, will create actionable solutions to protect our environment by nurturing a greener and more livable city. Armstrong says, “We all know that cities play a vital role when it comes to supporting our global environment. Our city could and should be doing more to the climate emergency, and to ensure that New Westminster remains a livable community.”
Forest fires, heat domes, and atmospheric rivers are all symptoms of climate change; singular and ad-hoc actions are not enough to make a measurable difference. “The Climate Emergency is real, and we need real actions that are part of a strategy that makes thoughtful investments in both infrastructures and programs,” said council candidate Rick Folka. “Our city and its citizens must do our part to be the solution.”
Green space is essential for the city to provide residents with healthy and sustainable living environments. A recent report indicated New Westminster has the lowest ratio of green space for any city in Metro Vancouver. NWP will establish a minimum standard of green/park space required in the city that will support the needs of a growing population living in more dense communities. “As our city grows, establishing new ‘pocket parks’ in areas that are accepting a higher proportion of density will be top of mind if we are elected,” says council candidate Karima Budhwani. “We will also support more community gardens on city land while encouraging neighbours and landowners to consider utilizing their spaces for food production.”
A livable city must not only be sustainable and healthy but should be free of pollutions as well. “Many of our residents’ quality of life has been plagued by the countless train whistles at railway crossings,” said Folka. “We are committed to re-establish the whistle cessation committee and ensure all levels of government, along with the railways, are at the table to coordination a solution by 2026.”
NWP also commits to supporting Metro Vancouver 2040, the regional growth strategy that focuses on accelerating the development of more compact and walkable neighbourhoods which make people less dependent on fossil fuels. “From pressing TransLink to expand bus service in our city to recommitting the plans to phase out fossil-fuel vehicles in the City fleets, where financially feasible, we should always choose the more sustainable option,” adds Budhwani.
NWP mayoral and council candidates continues to share many of their policy ideas aimed to address the concerns and ideas they have heard from New Westminster residents and businesses, leading up to the unveiling of the NWP’s 2022 campaign platform next month. Follow all campaign announcements at
NEW WEST PROGRESSIVES WILL PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT BY NURTURING A GREENER AND MORE LIVABLE CITY
CLIMATE CHANGE CAN BE ADDRESSED AT THE LOCAL LEVEL THROUGH GREEN SPACE, COMMUNITY GARDENS, SMART CITY PLANNING, AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
New Westminster (September 13, 2022): The New West Progressives (NWP), under the leadership of mayoral candidate, Ken Armstrong, will create actionable solutions to protect our environment by nurturing a greener and more livable city. Armstrong says, “We all know that cities play a vital role when it comes to supporting our global environment. Our city could and should be doing more to the climate emergency, and to ensure that New Westminster remains a livable community.”
Forest fires, heat domes, and atmospheric rivers are all symptoms of climate change; singular and ad-hoc actions are not enough to make a measurable difference. “The Climate Emergency is real, and we need real actions that are part of a strategy that makes thoughtful investments in both infrastructures and programs,” said council candidate Rick Folka. “Our city and its citizens must do our part to be the solution.”
Green space is essential for the city to provide residents with healthy and sustainable living environments. A recent report indicated New Westminster has the lowest ratio of green space for any city in Metro Vancouver. NWP will establish a minimum standard of green/park space required in the city that will support the needs of a growing population living in more dense communities. “As our city grows, establishing new ‘pocket parks’ in areas that are accepting a higher proportion of density will be top of mind if we are elected,” says council candidate Karima Budhwani. “We will also support more community gardens on city land while encouraging neighbours and landowners to consider utilizing their spaces for food production.”
A livable city must not only be sustainable and healthy but should be free of pollutions as well. “Many of our residents’ quality of life has been plagued by the countless train whistles at railway crossings,” said Folka. “We are committed to re-establish the whistle cessation committee and ensure all levels of government, along with the railways, are at the table to coordination a solution by 2026.”
NWP also commits to supporting Metro Vancouver 2040, the regional growth strategy that focuses on accelerating the development of more compact and walkable neighbourhoods which make people less dependent on fossil fuels. “From pressing TransLink to expand bus service in our city to recommitting the plans to phase out fossil-fuel vehicles in the City fleets, where financially feasible, we should always choose the more sustainable option,” adds Budhwani.
NWP mayoral and council candidates continues to share many of their policy ideas aimed to address the concerns and ideas they have heard from New Westminster residents and businesses, leading up to the unveiling of the NWP’s 2022 campaign platform next month. Follow all campaign announcements at nwprogressives.ca/platform.