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.

It's another great episode of For the Record this week with special guest Coun. Paul Minhas. We open up the podcast with a discussion on an obscure utility set up in 2016 which is owned by New West taxpayers called BridgeNet. We discuss how it will bleed another $677,000 again this year. Have we got your attention yet?

There is a downloading dilemma going on in New West and throughout British Columbia. The City of New West is taking on responsibilities for programs and services that should be administered and/or paid for by senior orders of government. A staff report coming soon is about to provide all of the details regarding how much this is costing New West residents and businesses each year.

A NWP apology leads to a curious discovery on the Community First website. Some of the wording on their site has quietly been changed to strike out references to the BC NDP. But why so?

Conspiracy theories abound as a select few 'keyboard warriors' talking to themselves in their echo chamber make false assertions about who was planning a townhall forum at the New West SkyTrain station. What are the facts? Just who was organizing the townhall forum that suddenly got cancelled with little advance notice? Time for the facts, please!

Host Daniel Fontaine is interviewed by Mike Smyth from CKNW about skyrocketing tax increases being proposed by Metro Vancouver - our unelected, unaccountable and increasingly expensive regional government.

CKNW's Jas Johal Show also invited Fontaine on to the podcast to talk Metro Vancouver and a proposal to expand the Pattullo Bridge to six lanes. Incredibly, Fontaine does a policy flip flop and agrees to the expansion - but with a caveat! A pretty big caveat!

PS we even have a special Sesame Street appearance this week!

Be sure to listen in and tell your friends and family if you enjoy the podcast. That's how we continue to grow our audience and spread the word. This podcast is available on all major platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcast.

In another jam packed episode of For the Record with host Daniel Fontaine special guest Coun. Paul Minhas makes another appearance.

Some of the topics discussed include a viral video recorded on Columbia Street showing a public bus stop being used for private purposes - including the consumption of illicit drugs. We'll share an interview from CKNW's popular Jill Bennett Show on this topic.

Are you prepared as a New West taxpayer to give $80,000 to some high priced lawyers so we can join a "Sue Big Oil" lawsuit? A motion will be coming to council soon - so we discuss.

Would you like to see at least one 2025 operating budget scenario with a maximum tax increase of 4.5%. A previous attempt to have this happen got voted down. But if at first you don't succeed, try try again!

If you are living in New West did you know you are paying a special 3.5% climate action levy (also known as a tax) on your electricity bill each month? An attempt to temporarily remove that levy in 2025 is about to be debated soon.

Over 27,000 views of videos posted by the New West Progressives in less than a month? What the heck is going on?

Did city council just appoint Coun. Daniel Fontaine to an external body? Say it isn't so. Listen through to the end of the podcast to find out about this amazing appointment.

If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to recommend it to your family and friends. It's available on all major platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.