Reflections on the nomination meeting from a council candidate

At precisely 7:30 pm on May 29th, 2018, my name was called by New West Progressives President David Halkett. He invited me up on stage at the Centennial Lodge to become one of six nominated candidates for the upcoming fall civic election. As they say, there was no turning back now!

The room had a great vibe with well over 100 people attending the nomination event. The crowd was boisterous, full of energy and definitely looking forward to casting their ballot for new ideas and a more balanced approach at city hall and the school board.

The entire nomination provided me with both a great sense of pride and excitement. It was a little over a year ago that a few of us gathered around a kitchen table and said it was time to offer voters a positive alternative to the District Labour Council endorsed slate of candidates running this fall.

Since then we launched the NW Progressives and have held dozens of meetings, registered as a non-profit society and have rapidly grown our fledgling organization into a legitimate political organization in our community.

In April we had a full house at our first major fundraiser which took place at the Royal City Curling Club. We’ve also generated numerous headlines and media stories. Overall, we have sparked a new political movement in our city which we know is beginning to capture the public’s attention.

As for me, once the President called my name it all became official. I was now a New West Progressives candidate for council. Looking out at the big crowd was a humbling experience. That’s because I know they want us as to work as a team to bring forward new ideas and improve our city on a number of different fronts.

We’ve attracted an amazing group of candidates so far. They include Paul McNamara who has been fighting hard to ensure the Canada Games Pool incorporates 10 lanes to help support the Hyack Swim Club into the future. Bryn Ward has also thrown her hat in the ring. She is a former Hollywood actor and currently serves as the President of the Hyack Festival Association.

Danielle Connelly, Lisa Falbo and Cyrus Sy also were announced as school board candidates. They are all passionate advocates for a strong public school system and keeping provincial and federal politics out of our municipal politics.

I only had a few minutes to address the crowd, but used my time to speak to a few of the new ideas our team would like to support if elected to council. They include:

• Enter into negotiations with the City of Vancouver to have the popular 311 program expanded to New Westminster. 311 allows much greater access to city hall services and becomes a ‘one-stop-shop’ for local citizens. It helps people with English as a second language as well as those uncomfortable using modern technology such as iPads or apps – to better connect with city hall services.
• Develop a new Sports Tourism Strategy and ensuring we develop a plan to invest in our ageing public amenities such as our arenas, pools and community centres over the coming decades.
• Support better access to more affordable housing by reducing the cost to develop new or rebuild existing housing. Unnecessary delays can often result in added costs to a project. Our commitment is to work with city staff and make sure we are in the top 5 in Metro Vancouver in terms of processing times by the end of our first term in office.
• Focus on addressing the issue of ‘missing middle’ housing which should include more fee simple row houses & townhouses.
• Actively support the expansion of more secondary suites and the development of purpose-built below or near-market rental housing.

In addition, council candidates Bryn and Paul also spoke of the NWP’s commitment to the following:

• Support improved services for those facing mental health and addiction issues.
• Create more of a ‘patio culture’ in our key commercial areas by promoting local restaurants to construct or expand their outdoor patios.
• Make better use of Pier Park and other community facilities by attracting and supporting larger concerts/festival and regional events to our city.
• Become the first city in our region to allow the moderate consumption of alcohol in certain parks and green spaces without a permit. In conjunction, we will step up enforcement and ensure that these public spaces remain safe and family-friendly.

Our team is continuing to work on developing a formal election platform which we intend to release this summer. It will include a wide range of new and exciting ideas for voters to consider as we head into the fall election.

In my closing remarks I told everyone that unlike some civic politicians, our team is not going to be seeking the endorsement or ‘blessing’ of special interest groups. Rather, the only endorsement we’ll be seeking is from the citizens of New Westminster.

Overall, a great way to kick off the campaign and now it’s time to start knocking on doors! Can’t wait to begin. To learn more about the NW Progressives and our candidates click here.

Contributed by Daniel Fontaine, NWP candidate for city council