Episode 65: Rewilding & Naturalizing, $10K Honorariums, Columbia Square Development, Sim Boycotts

In another packed podcast, FTR delves into the issues making news in New Westminster and beyond this week! The podcast starts off talking about a "Rewilding" and "Naturalizing" project taking place on 5th and 2nd Street boulevards. The grass is starting to get ripped up, the holly trees are being cut down - so let the rewilding begin! The project has a number of local residents up in arms demanding further consultation and a rethink of the entire expenditure. The 23% (2023-2025) property tax hike took another big step forward this week when Council passed the budget by-law. Included in that 2025 budget was a small, but controversial item to include a new honorarium of approximately $7,000 to the Chair of the Police Board. That just happens to be Coun. Tasha Henderson who is already compensated $60,000 to be a city councillor. This has attracted media attention and it has yet to be determined if Henderson will accept the honorarium or not. The Canucks on Columbia motion received unanimous support, but it wasn't without a few 'cautionary' remarks by members of New West Council. There was the inevitable discussion regarding whether this could trigger another Canucks riot - sigh. One member of Council even said organizing a downtown gathering might result in the emptying out of local restaurants and pubs. Really? The massive Columbia Square redevelopment project moved forward another step this week with the unanimous approval of a guarantee of around 130 affordable housing units. It is estimated that approximately 7,500 people will be moving on to this site once it is fully built out. So how many new libraries, community centers and swimming pools will be accompanying this project? Tune in to find out. FTR looks ahead to the next few weeks in Council whereby two motions regarding the BC Urban Mayors' Caucus and increasing openness and transparency at city hall will be debated. Of course, what would an episode of FTR be without a discussion focusing on Metro Vancouver's ongoing PR nightmare. This week Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim announced he was boycotting Metro Vancouver until it implements some significant governance reforms. This news came as a bombshell, but will other mayors and councillors be following suit? Stay tuned. If you enjoy FTR, be sure to tell your family and friends to follow! This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.