Episode 59: 61% increase in fees, Pedestrians Paramount, Tears and Fears, Metro Madness

As we countdown to the Christmas holidays, there is no shortage of civic topics to discuss in New Westminster.This week the podcast starts off with a conversation between CKNW's Jas Johal and Daniel Fontaine. The topic is Metro Vancouver and an opinion piece co-authored by Fontaine and city councillors Paul Minhas, Kash Heed and Brent Asmundson. It's a pointed discussion focusing on Metro Vancouver waste, misspending and mismanagement.Next up is a focus on the New West 2025 budget. Of particular concern was an approved 61% increase in the sewer fees for local ratepayers. There was also another attempt to lower the Climate Action Levy (aka tax) on electricity bills - but it was turned down, yet again, by the Community First majority on council,Why did a Community First councillor try to put forward a motion, only to struggle to find anyone on Council willing to support her? Then moments later her motion went down to a resounding defeat. Exactly what is behind that political move?Did you know the petition calling upon Council to improve the safety at 2nd St and 6th Ave has almost 1000 signatures! If you haven't signed in yet, please do so. Here is a link to it. There were tears and fear expressed regarding what would happen to the residents living adjacent to the massive Columbia Square redevelopment project at 88 10th Street. Almost 50 owners attended a special strata meeting to hear from Fontaine and Minhas regarding 'what next' for this 8 tower (up to 53 stories) project.Do you live in downtown New West and wish you had better amenities like a community center, a library or a new park? Well a motion that was approved at Council by a 4-2 vote means a new downtown is one big step closer to reality. Should increased density be the key to unlocking the funds to build these new amenities?All this and more in a jam packed podcast which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all other major platforms. If you like the podcast, be sure to let your family, friends and colleagues know and encourage them to follow!