As you may have heard the City of New Westminster has launched an initiative on becoming an “Intelligent City” which will develop an open-access fibre-optic broadband network to foster connectivity and business development. Please see the attached document for more info regarding the media release for this event.

Media_Release_City_hosts_free_Intelligent_Cities_event

On Tuesday March 31, 2015 the City of New Westminster invites you to learn more about this initiative with a keynote address from Dr. Norman Jacknis of the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) and Mayor Jonathan Cote.

If you are interested in attending this FREE event please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/intelligent-city-keynote-address-tickets-15748105006

Hope to see you there.

The Mayors’ Council, representing 23 local elected governments in Metro Vancouver, has developed a common vision and action plan for improvements to the regional transportation system. This plan is the subject of the current Transportation and Transit Plebiscite.

Metro Vancouver residents who are registered to vote will be receiving ballots in the mail in the coming weeks, and can vote by mail-in between March 16 and May 29, 2015. The Plebiscite will be administered by Elections BC. Residents are encouraged to ensure they are on the voters list by and to update your contact information with Elections BC at www.elections.bc.ca or by calling 1-800-661-8683.

The Mayors’ Council transportation and transit plan will have significant benefits for New Westminster that will reduce congestion, improve transit service, and create a more livable community. Because of these benefits, New Westminster Mayor and Council have voted unanimously to endorse the Mayors’ Council plan, and encourage you to vote YES on this important referendum.

The new 0.5% Metro Vancouver Congestion Improvement Tax will be dedicated to implementing the improvements outlined in the Mayors’ Transportation and Transit Plan, and will provide a portion of the total required funding. Both the Provincial and federal governments have indicated they will provide matching portions in the event of a successful Plebiscite. A list of benefits for New Westminster is attached or you can read more on the City’s website:

http://www.newwestcity.ca/residents/residents_services/transportation/transportation-and-transit-referendum#benefits-for-new-westminster

More information can be found at the Mayor’s Council website: http://mayorscouncil.ca/burnaby-and-new-west/

For further information please contact:

Email: VoteYesNW@newwestcity.ca

Phone: 604 521-3711

Below is a growing list of New Westminster “Vote Yes” Coalition members:

• Boucher Institute
• Brow of the Hill Residents’ Association
• District Labour Council
• Douglas College
• Douglas College Students Association
• Downtown Business Improvement Association
• FHA Medical Health Officer-Lisa Mu
• Fraser River Discovery Centre
• Fraserside Community Services
• HUB Cycling
• Lookout Emergency Aid Society
• New Westminster & District Labour Council
• New Westminster Chamber of Commerce
• New Westminster Environmental Partners
• New Westminster Secondary School  Environment Club
• Queensborough Residents’ Association
• School District 40
• Tourism New West

New Westminster Transportation Referendum Information

March 26, 2015

New Westminster – The results of the Queens Park Resident’s Association (QPRA) Urban Academy expansion proposal poll are in. Nearly two-thirds of respondents voted against the expansion proposal.

Between February 15^th and March 16^th the Queens Park Residents’ Association ran a poll on their website asking residents of the neighbourhood whether or not they were in favour or opposed to the Urban Academy proposed expansion. “We are very pleased with the number of respondents to the poll; we never expected over 350 residents to respond,” said Berril Perks, the QPRA President. “At the end of the day, 65 per cent of respondents do not support the expansion, while 32 per cent do”, continued Mr. Perks.  Three (3) percent indicated a neutral position.

We would like to thank all the residents who took the time to complete the poll and those who helped spread the word.

The Queens Park Residents’ Association hosts regular meetings to discuss issues that matter to residents of the neighbourhood and New Westminster as a whole. If you live in Queens Park you are already a member. Visit our website for more information.

Released by Berril Perks, President, Queens Park Residents’ Association

Download a copy of the media release: QPRA UA Poll Results Statement.

Community Consultation

The owners of 420 St. George Street are proposing to subdivide their property, refurbish the original Burton Taylor house under an HRA, and build a new sympathetic house adjacent to it.  The Community Heritage Commission has supported the proposal and the next step in the process is to consult with the neighbourhood and hold an open house.  Since the QPRA is not planning to hold another meeting before April, we agreed with the architect, Rob Johnson, to post the plans here and solicit community feedback.  The plans are attached below:

420 St. George Lot Plan

420 St. George Design Rationale

420 St. George New House Elevations

420 St. George Street Scape and New House Layout

420 St. George Burton Taylor House elevations

If you wish to provide comments or feedback on the proposal to the QPRA, please use the CONTACT form, accessible from the menu above.

In addition, we would like to advise the community that the open house will be held at the existing house – 420 St. George St. – on March 25 between 5:30 – 7:30 pm.

Hi Everyone,

The Queen’s Park Neighbourhood Heritage Study Winter 2015 Newsletter is now available on the Study’s webpage, under Newsletters: www.newwestcity.ca/qpnhs

The Urban Academy (UA) private school is proposing a major expansion of their facility on 3rd Street, at Robson Manor (101 3rd Street and 228 Manitoba Street).  The Queens Park Residents’ Association (QPRA) has received several requests to take a position on this matter, however, before we can do that we need to hear from you, our members, on how you view this expansion.

Background Information

Both UA and the “Queens Park Neighbours” action group made presentations at the QPRA Annual General Meeting on November 23, 2014 regarding the expansion proposal.  PLEASE NOTE THAT NEITHER OF THESE GROUPS HAS ANY AFFILIATION WITH THE QPRA.

If you missed the meeting, we are providing the following information only as a service to the residents of Queen’s Park to aid you in making your views on the topic known if you choose to do so.

Information about the proposal from the school can be viewed via this link: http://www.urbanacademy.ca/our-future.  Contact information for the school can also be found on the site.

The “Queens Park Neighbours” group does not have a web site however they have provided this impact statement: Queens Park Neighbours Group – UA Expansion Community Impact Statement.  For additional information, please email: qp.neighbours@gmail.com.

The Poll

It is important that the QPRA executive understand how the neighbourhood feels about this proposal so that we can advise the city accordingly.  We are therefore conducting a poll of all Queen’s Park residents regarding their position on the proposal.  There are two ways to respond to the poll:

1. In person, at the QPRA meeting on Sunday, February 22, 2015 from 2 PM – 4 PM at Centennial Lodge, Queen’s Park
2. Online, at THIS LINK.

Please note that only residents of the Queen’s Park Neighborhood are eligible to respond.  This means that we’ll need to collect your name and street address for your response to be counted. We will not be disseminating this information to third parties. We will be using only it to scrutinize responses to ensure that only local residents are responding, and only responding once. If you are not currently a member of the RA and wish to join, please let us know and we will use the information you provide to update our membership list.

The poll will be active from Sunday, February 15, 2015 to Monday, March 16, 2015, in order to provide ample time for people to respond.  NOTE: You can only respond one time from a single computer, or smart phone or tablet.  If you are not able to respond, try again from a different device.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE AGENDA FOR THE MEETING HAS BEEN UPDATED.  PLEASE SEE BELOW

The QPRA will be having a general meeting on Sunday, February 22nd at Centennial Lodge in Queen’s Park from 2 PM to 4PM.

The agenda will include the following items:

1. Acceptance of Agenda
2. Confirmation of currently acting Directors
3. Inspector Phil Eastwood from the NWPD will be presenting on Community Safety Issues
4. Councilor Jaime McEvoy will be presenting on the Transit Plebiscite and taking your questions.
5. A city representative will be presenting general  information on Heritage Revitalization Agreements (HRAs) – what they are, what the process is, etc. – and taking your questions.
6. Poll of Residents’ position regarding the Urban Academy Proposal
7. Adjournment

Hi Everyone,

The QPRA will be having a general meeting on Sunday, February 22nd at Centennial Lodge in Queen’s Park from 2 PM to 4PM.

The agenda is still being finalized, but will include the following items:

1. Inspector Phil Eastwood from the NWPD will be presenting on Community Safety Issues
2. Two city councilors (yet to be named) will be presenting on the Transit Plebiscite and taking your questions.
3. A city representative will be presenting generally on Heritage Revitalization Agreements (HRAs) – what they are, what the process is, etc. – and taking your questions.
4. General RA Business

I recently attended the first RA forum meeting for 2015 in my role as QPRA president. For those who aren’t aware, the city organizes regular meetings for the RA’s to meet and discuss issues of common concern. The RA forum is distinct from other city committees that the QPRA has a presence at, such as the Community Policing Committee and the Neighbourhood Traffic Advisory Committee. This month’s meeting was valuable, and the following are the news and notes in brief that I felt were of interest to pass on:

1) The city is developing a Good Neighbour Protocol:

This protocol will essentially be a code of conduct for major projects and apply to developers, who will be required to sign it in order to get permits and other approvals for major projects. It will address issues such as noise, dust, street cleanliness, parking use and so on. The protocol will be presented to council on Feb 2nd for endorsement, following which there will be a round of consultation with developers (note that developers are not being asked to ‘approve’ the protocol, simply provide feedback). The final version will be presented to council for final approval in March. The protocol will include mechanisms to coordinate projects (or project phases) to avoid a ‘perfect storm’ effect on residents. Initially the protocol would apply to large projects only but may eventually be expanded to residential projects.

2) Kinder Morgan Trans-Mountain Pipeline Update:

The new proposed route for the pipeline would follow the brunette river ( and rail tracks) adjacent to New Westminster before turning North through Burnaby to the Westridge terminal. This route would run adjacent to Hume Park and the Braid industrial area. There will be no expropriation of land in New Westminster.

The City of New Westminster has submitted a 23 page information request to the National Energy Board, who are responsible for the fixed, 14 month review process, and the City is also applying for intervenor status in the process due to the potential impact that the pipeline could have on the city. It is unclear at this time if Kinder Morgan will delay/suspend project on basis of oil price.

The City web site has links for more information:

http://www.newwestcity.ca/2015/01/07/trans-mountain-pipeline-expansion-town-hall-meeting.php

3) Fraser Surrey Docks Update:

For those following the proposal to operate a coal terminal at the Fraser Surrey Docks across the river, there are a few updates:

There is a possible alternate route for the coal trains through NW via the CPR line. Officially the proposal indicates that this line would only be used when the Southern route is unavailable, such as during track maintenance. The trains would be treated with dust suppressant and scheduled for just-in-time delivery to waiting barges (no coal sitting on docks), with enclosed storage as well. The City has raised a range of concerns, especially regarding fire risk (smoke) and has joined an independent intergovernmental review group. A judicial review has also been launched, and the City has applied for intervenor status. It is not clear at this time whether market forces will result in cancellation of the project or not.

4) Transit Referendum/Plebiscite:

The official ballots will be sent out March 16; to be returned by May 15. The City is supporting the yes side, for a variety of reasons, not the least if which is that investment in regional transit will go a long way towards mitigating the effects of vehicle traffic on the city. In addition, the Mayors’ proposed plan includes:

-Upgrades to NW skytrain stations and increased skytrain service (more often, longer hrs)
-Increased bus services on 6th, 8th & 12th st’s
-Cycling & pedestrian infrastructure improvements for the city
-Patullo bridge replacement (not tied to the vote, but art of the overall plan)

The City will be using its resources to provide information and get the vote out. The City will also be creating a coalition of businesses, etc. (RA’s can join). RA’s can also support the process by seeking resident engagement (providing info; seeking feedback).