Happy 2026. We are back at it after a bit of a break, and we go through our first agenda of the new year fairly quickly. It started with a Presentation from BC Housing:
Letter of Commitment, Operations Management Plan and Neighbourhood Inclusion Table for the Purpose Shelter at 502 Columbia Street
This presentation from BC Housing outlined the work the province and the City have been doing together to update the operational model for the temporary shelter at 502 Columbia (“Army & Navy site”). The long-awaited expansion to 24/7 service from the better-than-nothing-but-not-great model of 12- or 16-hour operation is happening. This is better for the residents who rely on shelter for housing and support, because things as basic as hygiene, meals and safe storage of possessions allow more safety and dignity to residents. It is also better for addressing some of the community concerns related to the shelter.
Along with this model shift, BC Housing is working with the City on a new model of engagement called Neighbourhood Inclusion Planning, assuring that challenges impacting the shelter and the community can be addressed before they become critical. At the center of this is a Neighbourhood Inclusion Table where operators, stakeholders, and neighbours can work together to address any concerns or issues that arise related to shelter operation. This is secured through a Letter of Commitment between BC Housing, the operator, and the City. This is a great new model that gives operators the flexibility they need to roll with the unexpected, but also creates a clear accountability path for all stakeholders. This is a great new partnership, and example of what collaboration looks like to serve folks in need, and we are also looking at expanding this model of NIT to other resources in the community operated with support from BC Housing and Fraser Health.
The shelter is not a permanent solution – everyone involved knows this. It is not a purpose-built shelter, which creates some operational challenges, and it’s permitting, lease, and funding are all temporary with clear end dates. It is, however, providing and important life-saving service as part of the continuum of housing in the community. As part of the Crises Response Pilot Project Ten-Year Supportive Housing and Wrap-Around Services Plan, we are working to build 58 purpose-built 24/7 shelter beds with support services in another location to replace this temporary service.
We then approved the following items On Consent:
Rescission of Third Reading of Development Cost Charges Police Reserve Fund Establishment
This is the most semantic change ever- the Bylaw Number in our past three readings of this bylaw was incorrect. So we are rescinding those readings and re-reading with the proper number.
Response to Council Motion: Preserving and Enhancing Vibrant Streetscapes with Local Businesses
There has been some talk this term collected here under the title “vibrant streetscapes” having to do with the impacts of a society-level shift in retail and its impact on our commercial streets. One symptoms of this socioeconomic shift to on-line shopping, Amazon and major chains consuming most of the retail pie, and skyrocketing property values related to property speculation and an ongoing housing shortage is that people see too many dentist offices opening on commercial streets. I can’t believe I wrote that sentence, but I want to connect the symptom – the thing we see that makes us perceive something is wrong – and the complex causes. Because the City just saying “no more dentists” deals with the symptom, but we don’t know what other impacts that will have without recognizing the bigger causes (and in New west there are more than 2 Million teeth – who AM I to say how many dentists that takes?). But let’s stop talking about dentists and talk about supporting community small businesses.
Council sent some instruction to Staff back in June, and there has been some discussion since then with the Economic Development committee, along with a substantial amount of consultation with the local business community and province wide (even nation-wide) municipalities and small business support groups – and credit where due, Councillors Campbell and Henderson have been doing a tonne of work here.
The idea of restricting use of ground-level retail space by health services providers was workshopped with the business community and the ACEDAC, and staff have a proposed approach to modifying the Zoning Bylaw to balance that concern that will come to Council in an upcoming meeting.
The Retail Strategy also includes exploring tenant relocation protections for commercial tenants, this has been workshopped with the ACEDC and a draft policy will be coming to Council in the spring. The ACEDC has also been reviewing WorkBC policy and supports that can better aid small local business, and had some recommendations to improve on what WorkBc offers, so we as a Council are going to send those recommendations to the Province.
The following item was Removed from Consent for discussion:
Ryall Park Artificial Turf Field – Feasibility Study Update
As expected, the option of Ryall Park for the next all-0weather field (which was the preferred community option through public consultation) is not the technically easiest option, and will require some geotechnical work to make viable. This report asks that Council support the moving ahead with geotechnical work (pre-loading so that soil settlement will be less of an issue after construction) can proceed in parallel with further design and development work.
There was a bit of discussion about the very-preliminary design offered by staff. It was mostly a design exercise to see what fits, but council did raise concerns regarding the design of the surrounding track (there isn’t room for a full Olympic athletics track, but we can squeeze a decent running/walking track of a few lanes in), and about options for the “phase two” area, where we haven’t really determined the best use, but notionally the idea of a basketball court or lacrosse box were raised.
The short story: we are starting pre-load, more detailed design yet to come, and there is money in the capital budget to make it all happen, it’s just a matter of execution now.
We then had a Motion from Committee:
Increasing the Canada Summer Jobs Wage Subsidy
Recommendation: THAT New Westminster City Council be requested to consider:
THAT the Arts, Culture, and Economic Development Advisory Committee recommend a letter be sent to Jake Sawatzky, MP, requesting that funding for the Canada Summer Jobs Wage Subsidy be increased in order to support local organizations in hiring students for summer employment that contributes to independent businesses, the arts and culture sector, and overall economic growth in New Westminster.
There are many Arts and Business organizations in town that benefit for the summer student program, and many great events that happen because summer students can be hired to help make them happen. Recent cuts to that program are a concern, and through the Arts Culture and Economic Development Committee, it was recommended we formally remind our Member of Parliament that this tiny item in the Federal Budget has a huge impact on the ground in our community.
We then adopted a raft of Bylaws::
Development Cost Charges Bylaw No. 8327, 2022, Amendment Bylaw No. 8539, 2025
This Bylaw that adds Police Stations and Firehalls to the things we can raise money for through development Cost Charges was adopted by Council.
Zoning Bylaw No. 6680, 2001, Amendment Bylaw No. 8543, 2025
This zoning Bylaw change that makes it harder to open a new Vape Store in the City was adopted by Council.
Development Cost Charges Fire Protection Reserve Fund Establishment Bylaw No. 8559, 2025
This Bylaw that establishes a reserve fund for the money we raise to build a firehall through DCCs was adopted by Council.
Development Cost Charges Parkland Acquisition and Development Reserve Fund Establishment Bylaw No. 8561, 2025
Development Cost Charges Reserve Fund Establishment Bylaw No. 7172, 2008, Amendment Bylaw No. 8562, 2025
These Bylaws that simplify our DCC program that supports new parks and park amenities was adopted by Council.
Subdivision and Development Control Bylaw No. 7142, 2007, Amendment Bylaw No. 8564, 2025
Delegation Bylaw No. 7176, 2015, Amendment Bylaw No. 8566, 2025
These Bylaws that updates and modernize how we do subdivision and hook-up of utilities for new development was adopted by Council.
Officers Establishment and Indemnity Bylaw No. 7175, 2007, Amendment Bylaw No. 8565, 2025
This Bylaw that amends how we appoint “officers” in regulated positions on city staff was adopted by Council.
Finally, we had one piece of New Business:
Modernizing Federal Small Business Policy to Support Local Economic Stability and Succession
Councillor Henderson
WHEREAS municipalities across Canada are experiencing significant commercial rent escalation, with retail rents in major urban markets increasing by over 140 per cent since 2019 and industrial rents doubling since 2020, placing intense pressure on local small businesses and main street economies;
AND WHEREAS locally-owned small businesses are foundational to municipal economic resilience, recirculating two to four times more revenue locally than chain businesses, providing stable employment, and contributing to community character and vibrancy;
AND WHEREAS many long-standing, viable businesses with consistent revenue and rent payment histories are unable to access commercial mortgages or acquisition financing due to restrictive lending practices and limitations within the Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP);
AND WHEREAS the current CSBFP property loan limit of $1 million no longer reflects commercial real estate market conditions in many Canadian communities, constraining opportunities for business property ownership and contributing to displacement, closures, and consolidation;
AND WHEREAS nearly three-quarters of Canadian business owners are expected to retire within the next decade, placing more than $2 trillion in business assets at risk, and the lack of accessible acquisition financing is resulting in business closures or sales to large chains and private equity rather than local entrepreneurs;
AND WHEREAS Canada’s federal definition of “small business” (1-99 employees) does not reflect the realities of the business ecosystem, failing to distinguish between micro-businesses and much larger enterprises, and excluding approximately two million self-employed Canadians with zero employees from most small business support programs;
AND WHEREAS women entrepreneurs, racialized entrepreneurs, Indigenous entrepreneurs, and immigrants are disproportionately represented among self-employed and micro-business owners and are therefore systematically excluded from federal supports due to current definitions;
AND WHEREAS international jurisdictions including the European Union, United Kingdom, United States, and Australia formally recognize micro-businesses as a distinct category for policy and program design, enabling more targeted and effective supports;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Federation of Canadian Municipalities call on the Government of Canada to modernize and optimize the Canada Small Business Financing
Program by:
a) increasing the maximum eligible loan amount for commercial property financing to reflect current market conditions;
b) expanding eligible uses to include business acquisition financing, including asset and share purchases, to support local business succession;
c) reducing program fees and improving affordability; and
d) adjusting program design to better de-risk lending while maintaining a guarantee-based model that minimizes fiscal impact;AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that FCM call on the Government of Canada to establish a formal federal Micro-Business Designation, defined as businesses with 0-9 paid employees and up to $1.5 million in annual revenue, explicitly including self-employed individuals without employees;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that FCM advocate for the use of this Micro-Business Designation to enable more precise, equitable, and effective federal policy tools, including targeted access to financing, regulatory simplification, and employment-support incentives appropriate to business scale;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that FCM communicate that modernizing federal small business financing and definitions will strengthen local economies, preserve community-serving businesses, support equitable entrepreneurship, and help municipalities retain jobs, services, and neighbourhood vitality.
This motion was a request to send a resolution to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference in May. The deadline to submit resolutions we very tight, and this was very last second, but it arose out of ongoing discussions Councillor Henderson has been having with local businesses, regional leaders from White Rock to Mission, and even national small business support organizations. The specific requests are to the Federal Government, and are challenges faced across the country. Council voted to endorse this going to FCM.