🎧 This Week on For the Record with Daniel Fontaine & Paul Minhas

There’s no shortage of hot topics on this week’s For the Record — from public safety and civic engagement to bike lanes, bus shelters, and a rare public apology.

🏞️ Pier Park Patrols: $400K Security Boost Proposed

We kick off with the future of New Westminster’s waterfront. A new city staff report recommends nearly $400,000 in added foot patrols and security upgrades at Westminster Pier Park — a response to over $460,000 in damages reported in just 18 months. We share coverage from Global BC and a recent AM 730 Jill Bennett Show interview to dive deeper into what this means for park users and taxpayers.

🚨 Crisis Response Pilot Extended (Until After the Election)

Originally slated to wrap by August 2026, the city’s Crisis Response Pilot Project — aimed at reducing public disorder downtown — has now been extended to December 31, 2026, leaving the next city council to decide its future. We explore what’s at stake and why the timeline shift matters.

🔇 Quiet Zones: Do You Live in One?

Many New West residents don’t realize they already live in a designated quiet zone. Now, council is directing staff to map them out and explore more aggressive steps to tackle vehicular noise pollution city-wide.

🗣️ 10 Delegations, 1 Packed Council Meeting

Monday’s council meeting saw a full lineup of speakers, including:

• Newly elected MP Jake Sawatzky, promising better intergovernmental collaboration and announcing a move to Uptown
• Three residents speaking out against the London Street bike lane, citing a lack of consultation and flawed engagement
• A May Day celebration advocate, backing a motion by Coun. Paul Minhas to better support legacy organizations in the community grants process

🏳️‍🌈 Pride Week 2025 Announced

The Mayor has proclaimed August 7–17 as Pride Week in New Westminster. The NWP elector organization will host a booth — and all four caucus members plan to be there to meet residents.

🚌 Holy Micromanagement, Batman!

That’s the phrase that kicked off a spicy debate over a motion from Coun. Nadine Nakagawa to secure funding for three new bus shelters. The number was arbitrary, the priorities named — prompting a flashback to her own earlier critique of “micromanagement” on council.

🙏 An On-Air Apology

Daniel Fontaine closes out the show by addressing his recent public apology to New West residents after an outburst in council where he referred to a comment from the Mayor as a “cheap shot.” He reflects on why the remark violated council’s procedures — and how he plans to do better.

🎙️ If you're enjoying the podcast, don't forget to follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon — and help spread the word by sharing with friends and family. Your support helps keep the conversation going in New Westminster!

🎙️ Episode 87: Mayor Pay, Mega Meetings & Civic Spending Scrutiny

In Episode 87 of For the Record with Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas, the hosts dive into a range of timely and thought-provoking civic issues.

The episode kicks off with a look at how much Metro Vancouver mayors are earning 💰—including base salaries, per diems, and expense claims. With all the 2024 Statements of Financial Information (SOFI) now released, the numbers are in: Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie tops the list at a whopping $397,000 🥇. Close behind are Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley and Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West, each bringing in over $350,000 🥈🥉. Could these paycheques finally lead to provincial salary caps by 2026? 🧐

Next, the hosts preview the July 7th regular council meeting in New Westminster—already being dubbed the “Mother of All Meetings” 🗂️ due to its packed agenda. One highlight: a new report revealing consolidated pay figures for all elected officials. Finally, residents can see what their local politicians earn in one place 👀.

Also on the docket:

• The Crisis Response Team pilot project is seeking an extension through 2025 🚨. Council will consider requesting additional funding from senior levels of government. If that fails, local taxpayers may be left footing the bill 💸.
• Has funding for Hyack and May Day really gone up over the past 10 years, as one Community First councillor claimed? 🤔 The staff report is in—and the numbers may surprise you 📊.

Several councillor motions are also up for debate, including:

• Creating quiet zones 🛑
• Adding more bus shelters 🚏 and speed bumps 🛞
• Funding support for legacy non-profits 🤝
• Connecting the downtown and Sapperton riverfronts 🌊🏙️

We also share with you an interview with AM 730 host Jas Johal. Simi Sara and Vancouver Sun columnist call Daniel Fontaine 'a renegade' - find out why. Listen to a Global TV story on the Metro Mayor pay scales for 2024. Lastly, we'll play you a clip of a flip flop by Metro Vancouver Chair Hurley who did a 180 on the need for a salary cap.

If you enjoy For the Record, don’t forget to share it with friends, family, and colleagues! 💬

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🎙️ Canada Day Edition: For the Record – Hot Topics in New West

In this special Canada Day edition of For the Record, Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas dive into the biggest issues stirring conversation in New Westminster right now—affecting residents, local businesses, and city hall.

🚨 Supervised Drug Site Sparks Heated Debate

The proposed extension of a temporary permit for the downtown supervised drug consumption site has ignited a much livelier debate than when it was first approved back in March 2021. Why the shift in tone—and what does it signal for future decisions?

💸 Mayors Making Nearly $400K?

Some Metro Vancouver mayors are pulling in eye-popping salaries. Burnaby's Mike Hurley and Richmond’s Malcolm Brodie top the list—earning almost $400,000 a year. Should mayoral salaries be capped at the same level as a B.C. Cabinet minister? We weigh the options, including recommendations from a recent Deloitte governance review.

🌡️ Too Hot to Learn? AC in Portables Under Review

City council is now asking its legal department to explore whether a new bylaw could require local schools to install air conditioning in portables. With students and teachers sweating through heat waves, is this a step toward cooler classrooms—or government overreach?

💡 Heritage Lamp Standards: Saved, Then Scrapped?

Just when it looked like the historic Massey Victory Heights lamp posts may have been saved, a motion from the Mayor sent the plan in a surprising new direction. Why the reversal—and what happens next?

🚲 Bike Lane Battle in the West End

Dozens of residents filled city hall in white t-shirts to oppose a proposed bike lane on London Street. Their concern? Lack of consultation and limited design options. A motion from Coun. Minhas could pause the project—will it succeed?

🇨🇦 Thank You, Coun. Minhas? A Cooler Canada Day Ahead

With temperatures expected to reach 28°C, New West residents are thanking Paul Minhas for helping move this year’s Canada Day festivities from sun-scorched Pier Park to the shady canopy of Queen’s Park. Will this become the new tradition?

🎧 All this—and more—on this week’s Canada Day episode of For the Record.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon. If you enjoy the show, share it with your friends and family—and help spread the word!

In episode 85 of For the Record with Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas, a number of topical issues are discussed again this week. The focus right off the top is London Street and a significant number of local residents who are choked with what city hall has planned for their neighbourhood. They've been given a couple of options to consider regarding future bike lane improvements on their street and neither seem to be catching on. It's led some residents to ask "why was there not a 'none of the above' option?"

Next up is a focus on 'quiet zones'. They are quite common in the USA, but may be coming to New West if a motion is adopted next week at council. The motion speaks to how and where a 'quiet zone' could be officially designated by the city and how it may help to speed up whistle cessation efforts in the Royal City.

Do you own a business in Uptown or Downtown? Do you know how much you are paying in annual fees to your local business improvement area association? The self-imposed fees are collected by the city and passed along to the BIA to pay for their annual operations. A number of business owners have asked if there can be more transparency regarding exactly how much each business owner is paying and what they are getting in return. A motion is calling for more transparency when it comes to letting business owners know exactly what they are obliged to pay each year.

When is a lamp standard considered as heritage? That's what the residents of Massey Victory Heights were asking when they demanded the city put a halt to removing all their lamp standards without consulting with them first. The 50+ year old lamp standards have helped to provide the unique look of Massey Victory Heights which is filled with mid-century modern homes. A report to council next week was music to the ears of local residents when they learned the project may be temporarily shelved and the construction contract cancelled.

The drug injection site near the SkyTrain station has applied for another temporary 18 month extension to their existing 3-year temporary permit. But this time, thanks to a NWP motion, the permit will only be issued if there is a Good Neighbour Agreement in place. The entire draft agreement was made public this week and it talks about something called peer-driven security and a renewed focus on keeping the area adjacent to the injection site clean and free of public disorder. But will it all work?

All this and more on the podcast. If you enjoyed it, be sure to tell your friends and family to follow it on Apple Podcasts, Amazon or Spotify.

For the Record continues to get record downloads as the popular podcast probes into interesting New West issues that are making national headlines this week!

That's right, the National Post, City News, CKNW and a range of high profile social media platforms were covering the controversy regarding the removal of New West's crown logo. Out with the crown, in with the tugboat. So far, the public reaction has been decidedly negative, but Community First doesn't appear willing to back down. In fact, they're doubling down!

Listen to a province-wide interview Mike Smyth featured which focused on the logo controversy. Callers to the show had a few pointed comments to make about the Royal City's mayor and his commitment to dump the crown. You're out of order!!

Next up is an exclusive interview with School District #40 Trustee Kathleen Carlsen. She speaks about her recent advocacy to raise the plight of New Westminster students and teachers forced to learn in overheating portables. Carlsen was featured on CTV, Global and City News this week. Her opinion piece co-authored with Trustee Danielle Connelly was prominently featured in the Vancouver Sun.

We also share an excerpt of an interview Trustee Connelly did with AM 730 host Jill Bennett. She too is speaking about concerns regarding a lack of school capacity and the impacts it's having on students, teachers and their parents.

It's official! Now that Council has passed a motion introduced by Coun. Paul Minhas, the month of April will forevermore be designated as Sikh Heritage Month. Minhas speaks about what motivated him to initiate the motion and what it means to the local Sikh community in New West.

The podcast wraps up with a tribute to King Charles who recently delivered the Speech from the Throne at the invitation of Prime Minister Carney. If you enjoy the podcast be sure to encourage your friends and family to listen every week and to follow us!

FTR is available on all major platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon.

How did all those topics of discussion get squeezed into a 57 minute podcast? This week, For the Record starts off with an exclusive interview with Alex Fischer who founded Delta Voices for Responsible Development. Are there lessons to be learned in Delta regarding how New Westminster became Canada's 2nd most densely populated urban center? Alex thinks so!

Listen to the media roundup where a couple of media stories focusing on a controversial Metro Vancouver pay raise and a high profile law suit are featured.

Out with the crown, and in with the ?? What will New Westminster's new logo look like now that Community First politicians have decided to can the crown? You won't have to wait much longer as the big reveal takes place on Monday, June 9th in the council chamber. Will the new logo shed it's colonial past, once and for all?

A motion in Vancouver to regularly proclaim Sikh Heritage Month has inspired a similar initiative in New Westminster. Coun. Paul Minhas is trying to get a majority of council to vote yes in support of adding Sikh Heritage Month to the annual list of recognized cultural events.

Ever wondered why some BC Hydro programs never make their way to New Westminster? It's because we have a separate electrical utility that doesn't harmonize all of our programs with them. But that may be changing thanks to a NWP motion that got passed a while ago. A staff report coming to council is recommending some excellent changes which may open up the door to new energy saving and climate protecting programs!

The podcast closes off with a great song by Ranj Singh! If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to tell your family and friends to follow! It's available on all major platforms including Apple Podcast and Spotify.

In this latest episode of For the Record with Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas a number of local topics come up for discussion and analysis. This special episode was recorded from Ottawa at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities annual conference.

To start off the podcast, the topic of 'just exactly what is temporary' comes up. When it comes to drug injection sites and homeless shelters, why does temporary mean up to six years? In the case of the downtown drug injection center, they just got a green light to proceed with getting an 18 month extension on their 3 year 'temporary' permit.

Was it a heritage revitalization agreement, or simply a rezoning to allow for more density in historic Queen's Park? That was the crux of the debate as a homeowner at 318 6th Ave wanted Council to provide approval to 3rd reading of a Heritage Revitalization By-Law. Not everyone on New West Council thought there was enough revitalization in that revitalization agreement!

Beep. Beep. Beep. Bang. Bang. Bang. That's the sound of construction at the new Royal Columbian Hospital. Thanks to a vote of the Community First representatives on Council that may well be the sound local Sapperton residents start hearing at 7 am every Saturday morning. International construction company Ellis Don applied for the exemption to do work early on Saturday mornings - and it was granted.

The US flag will be quietly removed from the Queen's Park Arena for the first time in decades. Thanks to a unanimous vote of Council the American flag will be swapped out and replaced with a City of New Westminster flag. Feedback from the public has been overwhelmingly supportive - we explore why. Have a listen to an interview with CBC's On the Coast host Gloria Macarenko and Daniel Fontaine.

All this and more in the latest edition of For the Record. If you enjoyed the podcast be sure to encourage your friends and family to follow. It's available on all major platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcast.

This podcast is packed with positivity! That's right, the first segment of the podcast is the "20 Minute Positivity Challenge". It's also known as the 'Gary Self-evaluation'. Is there any way to discuss the positive things the NWP has proposed on Council within 20 minutes on a podcast? Will the buzzer sound and will our co-hosts run out of time?

A Deloitte report commissioned by Metro Vancouver includes 47 recommendations to improve the governance of the organization. That's more recommendations than there are board directors (41) which is quite astounding. The local media refer to it as a 'damning report'. Let dig a bit deeper and listen to an interview on the Jas Johal Show on AM 730 on this topic.

AM 730 host Jill Bennett discusses an open letter written by four city councillors calling upon Premier David Eby to reinstate the Office of the Municipal Auditor General. Why is Victoria so hesitant to make a move? Are they afraid to wear the political mess that is unfolding at Metro Vancouver?

Lastly, we talk about congestion pricing and whether a $200 per vehicle charge is close to becoming a reality. Do you want to pay a new 'congestion tax' that would help to fund TransLink? Or should senior orders of government redirect existing funding to this important priority to tackle climate change?

All that and more in what we guarantee is an information and analysis-filled podcast! If you liked it be sure to tell family and friends to follow For the Record with Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas. It is available on Spotify, Apple Podcast and all major platforms.