If a staff recommendation is passed on Monday, November 18th, the days of elected officials being able to introduce at least one motion per meeting will be gone. The new rules which could take effect in 2025 would limit opposition councillors (and other councillors too) to a maximum of 5 motions per year. Will this anti-democratic measure be approved by a majority on Council - or not?

What do you consider as temporary? Do you think 6 years qualifies? Council is being asked on Monday to approve another 'temporary' three-year permit for the homeless shelter located at the former Army and Navy site on Columbia. That means the 'temporary' shelter will be open for at least six years - and any prospect of the Army and Navy building being redeveloped will be shelved, yet again. Just when will all that supportive housing promised by Victoria arrive?

Parents with children who are attending Herbert Spencer Elementary and Glenbrook Middle School have had enough! They want improvements made at the 2nd Street and 6th Avenue intersection to help reduce the risk to pedestrians. A previous motion to review this intersection for possible capital upgrades was initially approved - then eventually defeated by the Community First majority. Will the parents be able to convince Community First to reconsider their decision?

The rain held off long enough to hold a dry and incredible Remembrance Day ceremony at New West City Hall. Not all members of Council attended and it caught the attention of a number of attendees. But the mood at the Legion was uplifting with an amazing performance by the Royal Westminster Regiment Band. We provide you with an exclusive performance!

Is the rent charged in New Westminster really the 5th highest for any midsize city in B.C.? You bet it is. So why then are developers of market rental provided with so many special breaks by City Hall? Shouldn't that be reserved for developers of below market and more affordable rental units?

Time to review some of the upcoming events! We do an event roundup covering off some planned townhall forums and Councillor Cafes being planned for early 2025.

If you like this podcast, be sure to tell your friends, family and colleagues. That's how we help to spread the word.

In this special Remembrance Day edition of FTR, we cover a number of topics that generated headlines and water cooler chat in New West and beyond.

The podcast starts off with a discussion on the New West Mayor's Code of Conduct hearing at which his breach of the Community Charter Act was discussed and debated. In the end, the Mayor has been asked by Council to take some additional training - but was that enough?

Who would have thought that e-bikes and a meat shop could collide. But they did this week when the Queen's Park Meat and Deli started a petition calling upon the Mayor and Council to remove an e-bike parking station. The owner was complaining that it resulted in two parking spots being removed from in front of his establishment. Did this story have a happy ending?

The City of New Westminster is applying to the federal government for a grant to offset almost $2M in expenditures to set up a Crisis Response Team Pilot Project. Should New West taxpayers continue to do the job of the senior orders of government when it comes to dealing with the critical issues of mental health, homelessness and poverty on our streets?

If you live in Burnaby you're eligible for up to $10,000 in grants to offset your costs to install solar panels and battery storage. If you live in New West not so much! That's because not all BC Hydro programs were created equally. Listen to how a NWP motion that came to Council may lead to more equity between BC Hydro and New West Electrical Utility customers.

What do you define as temporary? 3 years? 6 years? That was the topic of discussion when Council debated the approval of a 'temporary' use permit for another homeless shelter downtown. In the end, 'temporary' got defined and the concerns of local residents were incorporated into the final decision. So how long is 'temporary'?

Monday November 11th is Remembrance Day. Be sure to attend the special ceremony at New West City Hall at 10:30 am (rain or shine). This is a great way to pay respects to our soldiers and veterans who lost their lives over the course of so many global conflicts.

If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to tell your friends, family and colleagues to follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all other major platforms.

This is the first official For the Record podcast co-hosted by Daniel Fontaine and Paul Minhas. That means a few production changes including rebranding "The Way I See It" to "The Way We See It" and some new cover art!

First up on the podcast this week for discussion is the massive Columbia Square development project. Once fully built out, it will include up to 8 towers at 53 stories high. Over 7,000 people (including 530 students) will be moving in to this postage stamp property. Is this really the right scope and scale of development for this site, or not?

Survey says! Yes, Ipsos has surveyed New Westminster residents and business owners and asked them what they'd like to see in the 2025 City of New West budget. Surprisingly only a handful of businesses bothered to complete the survey. What is behind the low response rate? Did New West residents really say they don't want tax hikes above the rate of inflation which now sits at 1.6%?

Should the City of New West really be doing the Province's job of building affordable housing? Council recently decided to invest a minimum of 80% of a $60M pot of funds associated with the Columbia Square project to build affordable housing - even though the BC government has the primary responsibility. That means unlike other cities, we can't use these funds to build new pools, recreation and community centers, parks and more.

Will this be the year that ALL members of Council attend the Remembrance Day ceremonies at City Hall? Only time will tell.

NWP President Karima Budhwani is in the studio and she's talking branding. That's right, the NWP is refreshing its brand in time for the 2026 election. The green and blue colouring remain, but the focus will be on NWP and the tagline #ChooseProgress. Why make the change now? We ask Budhwani to provide us with some insight.

The weekly event roundup also talks about the November 7th Councillor Cafe in Sapperton as well as the NWP fundraiser on November 21st at the former home of Mayor J.Johnson in Queen's Park.

If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to tell family, friends and colleagues and ask them to follow! FTR is available on all major platforms including Apple Podcast and Spotify.

Happy 1st Birthday FTR! That's right, For the Record with Daniel Fontaine has turned one year old this week. How quickly one year flies by when you're having fun.

That gift wrapped box you see on the table conceals a BIG birthday surprise we've left to the end of our podcast. HINT: it has to do with the future of For the Record and where we go from here!

Special guest Coun. Paul Minhas is once again in studio. We also interview Alison Silgardo, CEO for the Seniors Services Society of British Columbia. What issues are New West seniors facing when it comes to accessing housing, support programs and coordinating our new digital world? Are we doing enough to help seniors navigate a complex and challenging labyrinth of government programs and services?

We also have another edition of 'Council Roundup' where we discuss the controversial Columbia Square development project at 88th 10th Street near the New West SkyTrain Station. Could it soon become home to 8 towers up to 53 stories high and 7,500 new residents? Is this the right project for Canada's second most dense city?

The 3.5% Climate Action Levy placed on monthly electrical utility bills as well as the 2025 city budget are also up for discussion.

You'll also want to listen in to our special "2 years in 20 minutes" segment where host Daniel Fontaine and Coun. Paul Minhas look back at some of the highlights of their first two years in office.

This is a fun, informative and action packed podcast that you don't want to miss. If you enjoy it, be sure to encourage your friends and family to download it today. The podcast is available on all major platforms including Apple Podcast and Spotify.

To contact the Seniors Service Society of BC call 604-520-6621 or visit their website at seniorsservicessociety.ca.

In this special edition of For the Record, we share with our listeners a number of media interviews conducted the week of October 21st with For the Record host Daniel Fontaine.

The interviews focused on the recent atmospheric river and the retroactive pay hikes at Metro Vancouver. The interviews were broadcast on a number of mainstream media including CBC, Global TV and CKNW.

The regular weekly For the Record podcast featuring special guest Alison Silgardo from Seniors Society of BC and New Westminster City Councillor Paul Minhas will be released on Saturday, October 26th. You won't want to miss that one as we have a BIG announcement to make - and it's also our 1 year birthday party celebration!

This podcast is available on all major platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If you like what you hear, be sure to tell family and friends to follow and listen!

This is a special Election Edition of For the Record with guest Coun. Paul Minhas. The podcast looks back at some of the campaign commitments made during the election that could have an impact on the streets, homes and business of New Westminster residents.

Why did Richmond-Queensborough come out on top when it came to campaign commitments? Why was there crickets in Burnaby-New West and New West-Coquitlam ridings? We explore and analyze what could be behind this phenomenon.

The City of New West declared a climate crisis, yet did you know that local residents are not eligible for all BC Hydro programs to reduce energy consumption? For example, New West residents are not able to take advantage of a $5000 grant program to install solar panels and battery storage. Is that fair? Will a motion coming to Council soon help to resolve this inequity?

A number of parents in New West are fuming mad with City Council after it passed up on the opportunity to provide long-term stable funding to expand the popular Walking School Bus Program. We explore what led to the Parent Advisory Councils sending an extraordinary letter to Mayor and Council last week. But will it lead to a positive outcome?

Lastly, we provide a hint of some BIG changes coming to this podcast. A BIG announcement will be coming on Oct 25th regarding the future of For the Record with Daniel Fontaine. Tune in for a few hints as to what the change might be.

If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to tell family, friends and your work colleagues. That's how we keep growing the audience each week. If you want to listen to the podcast, it's available on all major platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcast.

There have been a lot of promises made in this provincial election that could impact New Westminster. Have a listen to this breaking news announcement about a special For the Record Election Edition we plan to release later this week. We also hint that a BIG announcement regarding the podcast is about to be made soon!

Did the popular political podcast Hotel Pacifico just give a BIG shoutout to Queensborough? Did the hosts really link a $5M Conservative campaign commitment to upgrade Ryall Park to hospital closures in Merritt? How so?

We explore the reasons why provincial political parties are falling all over themselves to capture the hearts and minds of Queensborough while literally ignoring the two other New West ridings.

It's official! New West taxpayers are one step closer to shelling out $90,000 to a BIG law firm to "Sue BIG Oil". But based on the reaction of numerous callers to the Jill Bennett Show it's clear how out of touch Community First politicians are with their constituents. Special guest Coun. Paul Minhas breaks down why the "Sue BIG Oil" motion is going over like a lead balloon with local residents.

New West Council voted unanimously to support a motion calling upon the next Premier to conduct a governance review of Metro Vancouver. About time! Let's see what the next Premier does with that request.

A BIG "New West" sign on Pier Park took one BIG step forward this week when a motion by Coun. Paul Minhas got approved by a vote of 5-2. Will Tourism New Westminster be able to secure the funding and city approvals to get the sign on the waterfront by next summer?

The Queensborough Bridge is jammed during rush hour often cutting off the people living in Queensborough from the rest of the mainland. The bridge backup also plays havoc on 20th Street. A motion got approved this week that might help to eventually relieve some of that carbon-inducing congestion.

You'll also want to hear an interview from the Jas Johal Show on CKNW featuring Coun. Daniel Fontaine. The topics include Sue BIG Oil and Metro Vancouver governance.

If you like this podcast, be sure to tell family, friends and colleagues all about For the Record with Daniel Fontaine.