The spring-summer transition is a busy time, rivaling only September in the calendar challenges in this job. Besides the work, which also ramps up at this time, there are a lot of community events to take part in. It is really hard to report out on it all.
The (almost) regular schedule of Newsletters has been keeping me on track, and i usually talk about events over there, but this week I decided to switch things up a bit. I send my Newsletter subscribers (you can join here – its cost-free and spam-free! and shows up in your inbox about every two weeks) an update on a couple of slightly controversial issues in the City and how they relate to our public engagement efforts, and I’m coming over to this website to do a bit of a picture essay of some of the community events I’ve taken part in since Hyack Weekend that I haven’t had a chance to talk about much out on social media. So without too much writing:
I was honoured to attend the Change of Command ceremony at the Royal Westminster Regiment. I have really enjoyed working with outgoing commander LCol Greg Chan over the last couple of years, and the relationship between the City and the Regiment has been really positive. Incoming commander LCol Clint Uttley is well known in the New West community, and takes over at a time when the Regiment building is refreshed, but the work of the regiment is feeling new pressures and urgency. It was nice to be able to reiterate the utmost support this City has for the regiment and the soldiers and officers who work so hard to be prepared for whatever call comes.I’m a proud Brow of the Hill resident, and was able to spend a bit of time at the Brow Garden Party put on by the Brow of the Hill Residents Association in the little park known as Cornwall. I even got to meet a few new neighbours, and catch up with a few I hadn’t seen in while.I’m also an irrationally big fan of Mariachi, In this case, at the New to New West Intercultural Festival and Information Fair at NWSS, hosted by WINS Local Immigration Partnership, with support form the City. At this event hundreds of people met to learn about resources available for newcomers and share supports that can make New West and Burnaby easier places to land, prosper, and raise your family.The first week of June was Seniors Week in New West, which means i attended several events, from the Sapperton Pensioners 90th Birthday party to the Resource Fair and Social Dinner at Century House (where you can join if you are 50+!). I also joined the Police and Fire Chiefs for panel discussion on Seniors Safety in the City.June 8th is Philippine Independence Day, and in New West that means the annual raising of the Philippine Flag at Friendship Gardens. This is always a fun event with the singing of national anthems (Canada and Philippines) and traditional Philippine songs, dancing, and a lot of photos!There were a few other events during the first week of June to celebrate the Pinoy community, including lunches with several groups, all cumulating with the annual Pinoy Festival at Swangard Stadium. This is the biggest Filipino festival in BC, with music, booths, food, cultural displays and celebrations of the diverse indigenous communities of the Philippine islands.June is Field Trip season as well, which means a few different school groups came to visit City Hall. This is always a fun chance to talk to elementary school kids about what City Hall is and what the job of Mayor is like. They always have interesting questions about me and about the City, and almost universally love seeing the guest book in City Hall signed by people from the Queen of England to the King of Pop. They are inexplicably less impressed by Raymond Burr.I also took my State of the City address to an audience of slightly older Youth at Century House. The questions here were equally fun, if a bit more challenging as topics from homelessness, climate action, the poisoned drug crisis, and scooters and bike lanes were top of mind for the mostly high school aged audience.The Queensborough Kids Festival at QCC was a massive success, with hundreds of kids and their families listening to music and seeing performances, doing crafts and activities, and enjoying perfect picnic weather.The Sapperton Pensioners Hall hosted an incredible spectacle last weekend, with the Vancouver Battlezone 2025 – Hip Hop Dance competition for all ages, with competitors from around North America and even Europe, DJ Oscar from New West and Shash’u from Montreal put the beats down and the crowd was into it. The street dance culture is such a breath of fresh air – youth of all sizes and shapes competing and supporting each other. So much fun to watch.Finally, the 36th New West Pecha Kucha Night was a rousing success, with 9 people presenting short talks and fast slides on the things they are passionate – from garbage to Metis history to citrus fruits. Even Tasha had fun!
