New Westminster Record December 1 2022

The NewWestminster Police Department has come to the city with a big ask for 2023: an 11 9 per cent increase to its budget

NewWestminster city council and police board met lastWednesday (Nov 23) in a joint open meet ing in council chambers to hold their first discussions on the department’s 2023 budget Chief Const Dave

Jansen and Deputy Chief Const. Paul Hyland laid out the NWPD’s budget ask, which totals $29 26 million up $3.1 million from last year’s $26 1 mil lion

Jansen acknowledged

the size of the request

“I understand that frus tration; I understand that feeling of council feel ing like an ATM machine where we come, we put in the card, and we just ex pect [money],” Jansen

said But he said much of the increase would simply al low the department to continue to do what it’s al ready doing

The requested in crease includes $1 25 mil

lion more for base bud get costs, stemming largely from an anticipated three per cent salary increase for both police officers and ci vilian staff

Another $900,000

JulieMacLellan jmaclellan@newwestrecord ca

AFTERMATH: City crews were out early Wednesday morning clearing snow after the major storm that swept through the B C south coast on Tuesday Snow began to fall in New Westminster on Tuesday afternoon and quickly built, with wind gusts adding to hazardous driving conditions Roads and bridges were backed up for hours, with traffic on the Pattullo, Queensborough and Alex Fraser bridges grinding to a halt The city had a warming centre open at Queen’s Park Arena until after 2a m to give stranded travellers a place to get warm, charge their phones and take a break More snow is expected tomorrow, but, as of press time, the forecast was only calling for scattered flurries Warming and refreezing, however, may make roads slippery Go to www newwestrecord ca for the latest

PHOTO JULIE MACLELLAN

in the community

‘Let them stay’: Deportation deadline looms

Card-writing campaign part of efforts to help keep an RCH housekeeper and her family in Canada

JulieMacLellan jmaclellan@newwestrecord ca

While people around the world are count ing down the days until Christmas, one local fam ily is facing a much grim mer countdown of their own: the number of days they have left in Canada

Claudia Zamorano and her family her hus band Andres Liberato Ba zan and their nine year old daughter Evangeline, plus Andres’ brother Isaias Lib erato Bazan and mother Leticia Bazan Porto are facing deportation to Mexico Dec 19

On Nov. 26, family, friends and community members turned out at St James’ Anglican Church onVancouver’s Downtown Eastside for a special event to support the family.The Saturday morning gather ing saw more than 1,250 holiday cards collected to send to federal Immigra tion Minister Sean Fraser

The message on the cards was simple: “Let them stay”

The family has applied to stay in Canada as per manent residents on hu manitarian and compas sionate grounds, citing threats from organized crime should they return to Mexico.

But an effort to defer their deportation failed earlier this month

Sanctuary Health, a grassroots migrant justice organization that’s been working on behalf of the family, said the fami ly’s lawyer submitted a 945 page request to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) asking that their deportation be deferred until a decision is made on their application for permanent residency an application that’s been in the works for more than a year

The CBSA refused the request in less than 24 hours

That leaves the plea to Fraser as the family’s re maining hope to avoid be ing deported six days be fore Christmas.

The Hospital Employ ees’ Union is speaking out on behalf of the fam ily, noting Zamorano, as a housekeeper at Royal Columbian Hospital, has been on the front lines of care throughout the COVID 19 pandemic.

“At a time when our health care system is in critical need of experi enced health care work ers, we should not be turn ing away those who have contributed their skills and valuable experience

to help protect Canadi ans,” said BettyValenzu ela, financial secretary of the Hospital Employees’ Union, in a press release. “Let Claudia and her fam ily stay”

The family fled Mex ico in 2017; nine year

old Evangeline now a Grade 4 student in New Westminster has only ever gone to school in Canada

Ingrid Mendez, exec utive director ofWatari Counselling and Support Services Society, where

Leticia Bazan Porto volun teers, called for compas sion from the federal gov ernment

“Canada should uphold their reputation of be ing welcoming to refugees and migrants and keep Lety and her family here,”

Mendez said Sanctuary Health is also spearheading a letter writ ing campaign in support of the family, with more than 1,800 letters sent as of press time You can find it at www tinyurl com/ LetThemStay2022

Resident pleads for action on crime and safety

tmcmanus@newwestrecord ca

Daily cleanups of drug paraphernalia and the cre ation of a “feces hotline” are two of the ways city hall can address safety is sues in NewWest neigh bourhoods, a NewWest woman says.

Carmen Dunn appeared before council on Monday night to say she no longer

feels safe raising her fam ily in the city where she was born and raised. She bought her first home in NewWest in the summer of 2021.

“Within a month of get ting our house, we had our first break and enter onto our property I don’t know if you’ve ever had your home broken into before, but it’s a trauma you never get over,” she said “Every

creak I hear in the middle of the night sends me into a panic attack that some one’s coming back to do it again ”

Dunn said her car has been broken into twice, with the first time being the most concerning as the suspect left drug parapher nalia behind

“When the cop came to do the investigation, based on what he saw, he was

concerned that it may have been contaminated with fentanyl. And then he pro ceeded to tell me that it’s transdermal, and if there was contamination and I touched it I could have died,” she said “Well, it was found on my kid’s car seat ”

(Note:Health Canada says it’s“extremely unlikely” that people would be harmed if their skin comes in contact

with fentanyl or other syn thetic opioids )

Dunn said she’s received text messages from various neighbours telling her that there are individuals on her property staring into her windows.

“I find human feces in my backyard, and in the summer I found a man’s jeans and underwear with feces all inside of it,” she said. “I watch drug deals

happen on a regular basis in my alley There are indi viduals who are smoking hard drugs right in front of my kid’s face when we’re getting into the car.”

Dunn said her neigh bours have also dealt with the “enormous stress” of having a homeless camp next to their homes She said it started out inno cently enough, but it

COUNTDOWN: Claudia Zamorano is joined by her family mother in law Leticia Bazan Porto, brother in law Isaias Liberato Bazan, husband Andres Liberato Bazan and nine year old daughter Evangeline as she speaks to media and supporters at a community event held Saturday, Nov 26 at St James’ Anglican Church in Vancouver The event was held to promote a card writing campaign on behalf of the family, who are facing deportation to Mexico on Dec 19 despite having a currentapplication for permanent residency on compassionate and humanitarian grounds PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER

TheresaMcManus

New West Youth Centre (Century House) | Saturday, Dec 3, 7:00 9:30 pm

This dance event for youth 11 13 years features youth DJs, party lights, games, prizes, concession, and a coat check Book tickets in advance, online or at the Youth Centre; limited tickets available at the door Attendees must present ID newwestcity.ca/register

The City is supporting the Don’t Go Hungry Food Program, which is a food hamper program serving 1,300 people in New Westminster and south Burnaby who can’t access weekday food programs Donation bins have been set up at Anvil Centre, City Hall, Century House, and Queensborough Community Centre These will be available until Dec 23 to collect personal care items (e g toothpaste, shampoo, diapers), dish and laundry soap, canned proteins (e g nut butters, canned tuna, beans), and children’s snacks. For more information, visit newwestcity.ca/dgh-donation

Share your feedback on the 2022 outdoor pool season. We’ve posted a series of questions about our reservation system, lane swimming capacity, aquafit registration, and swimming lesson formats. Complete the full survey online before Dec 19, or complete a shorter version in-person on Dec 3, 7, or 8 Visit the website for details: beheardnewwest.ca/pool-feedback

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

December 1 January 31 Shine Bright events and activities Various locations newwestcity.ca/shinebright

Monday, December 5 No Council Meeting

Two design themes, Grow and Habitat, have been developed from previous conversations with the community Register for a short online presentation and community discussion on Dec 6, 6:00 7:00 pm, and tell us what elements you prefer in our online survey by Dec. 6. beheardnewwest.ca/qp-farmfuture

1011 Ewen Ave | Saturday, Dec. 3, 6:00 8:00 pm

Join us for this annual holiday tradition! Meet Santa and Sparky the Fire Dog, dance to festive music, and enjoy hot cocoa and baked treats while we turn on the Fire Hall’s holiday lights. Please bring a non-perishable food item or cash donation for Food Banks Canada.

Are your teens looking for something to do over the winter break? Try these!

• Winter Adventure Camp (11 16 years): December 19 23, 9:00 am 3:30 pm

• Winter Break Drop-In: Daily activities, plus special events such as the Holiday Dinner and Pancake Breakfast Visit newwestyouth.ca for more info and to register

Become certified with valuable life skills in food safety and first aid These skills reduce risk in everyday life, prevent injuries, and decrease the likelihood of injury for certified individuals Registration is open: newwestcity.ca/rec

SAFETY COURSES ADOPT A-CATCH BASIN PROGRAM

Help reduce the risk of localized flooding by adopting a catch basin in your neighbourhood. Your job is easy; throughout the year, you’ll clear the catch basin and surrounding area of any leaves, debris, litter, and snow that might prevent it from properly draining rainwater As a catch basin caretaker, you’ll also get to name the basin, which will show up on the catch basin map Learn more and get started at newwestcity ca/adopt-a-catch-basin

SOME-BUNNY TO LOVE THIS WINTER

New Westminster Animal Services has an abundance of bunnies waiting for their forever homes. During the month of December, get a 50% discount on rabbit adoption fees (which includes spaying/neutering, microchipping, and vaccinations), as well as a free adoption kit to help set up your new furry friend’s home. Not sure if a rabbit is right for your family? Drop in to Café Rabbit at the Queensborough shelter on Dec 10 between 10:00 am and 2:00pm to meet the bunnies available for adoption and ask questions. Learn more at newwestcity.ca/rabbit

SNOW AND WINTER SAFETY

Our first bout of winter weather is upon us. Remember to clear the paths around your property by 10:00 am of the day after a snowfall; shovel to the bare concrete, don’t shovel into the roads, and if you’re by a corner or bus stop, make sure you clear them too Check your nearby catch basin and ensure it’s not blocked so melting snow can drain properly Driving? The City clears roads in priority sequence, with first priority being major transportation routes, transit routes, hospital and school zones, and City facilities If you’re braving the roads, make sure you have proper tires and a winter emergency kit in your car that includes things like a windshield scraper, shovel, spare antifreeze, blanket, flashlight, and phone charger Find the snow clearing route map, a car kit checklist, and more info about snow removal on our website: newwestcity ca/snow

CityResidents will see action ‘really soon’: mayor

progressed to something much more problematic

“It’s not just the gar bage and the beer bot tles and the vodka bottles and the drug parapherna lia all along the alley and on the sidewalk There are men passed out, often with their pants around their ankles I’ve watched men overdose on this cor ner,” she said “During the night, I hear fights hap pen in our alley; I hear the screams of women ”

Given the previous council’s “inaction” in ad dressing safety, Dunn said it feels like the city is only serving the vulnerable peo ple of the community

“This city needs to im plement infrastructure to serve all people of this community so we can safely coexist together,”

she said “I am begging you: please make crime and safety your number 1 priority It is the founda tion for a thriving city”

Dunn offered some sug gestions for ways the city could help address resi dents’ safety concerns, including: hiring an

ipalities to ensure they’re doing their fair share to create the infrastructure needed to support the vul nerable people

“I’m hearing we’re tak ing in individuals from Burnaby and Surrey, and although I’m happy, they’re getting help, I don’t think it’s fair to us taxpay ers that we are bearing the brunt of the financial re sponsibilities of the other cities,” she said

organization that could go around the city daily and clean up drug parapherna lia; creating a “feces hot line” that residents and businesses could call when they find human feces and need it removed; and working with other munic

Coun.Tasha Henderson said she has little ones and agreed that finding drug paraphernalia is unsettling, to say the least She sug gested staff follow up with Dunn about some of the concerns she’s raised.

Coun Jaimie McEvoy said the community will start to see some responses to these issues in the next few months He said New

West has made progress in the past when it’s dealt with social issues and im pacts on the community

“It’s important that we really renew those efforts

I believe in a compas sionate city and I believe in compassionate responses to the issues of homeless ness and addiction I also believe that compassion needs to be extended to everybody,” he said “And I don’t see those issues as

an either/or; I don’t see them as two sides. I see them as us working to gether, council and com munity and business, try ing to figure out some solutions that are both hu mane and practical ”

Mayor Patrick John stone said the newly elected council had a long conversation about the is sues raised by Dunn at an onboarding session on Monday morning He said

actions are being consid ered, including cleanups.

“You are going to see action on this really soon,” he said “Many more de tails will be coming out about that at future coun cil meetings But we hear you.”

Coun Daniel Fontaine said he and Coun Paul Minhas are proposing the creation of a crime and safety committee

“That’s not the full solu tion, but it could be one of the things that we put forward,” he said “I def initely will approach my colleagues around your suggestions, and I think we should look at those very seriously in addition to working with our police board and the police to make sure that we address many other concerns ”

Tasha Henderson city councillor Patrick Johnstone mayor Daniel Fontaine city councillor

Topic: B.C. proposes removing rental restrictions from stratas

“This policy does not add stock to the housing market, it does make renting more affordable and will likely lead to more strata drama What a silly policy; it makes no sense ”

“Nothing here is changing for you (strata owners), other than opening up the availability to people who are unable to make up an absurd down payment to buy a property ”

MY VIEW KEITH BALDREY

Is it time for ‘Eby bucks’? How NDP may use their $5B surplus

She may be diminutive in stature, but B.C. Finance Minister Selina Robinson has developed a knack for delivering large budget surpluses in her short time on the job.

Robinson’s first budget came in at $1 3 billion in the black, even though that budget originally projected a deficit of nearly $10 billion

Her second budget (the one for the current fiscal year) was also projected to incur a $5 4 billion deficit, but the latest quarterly up date now projects a whop ping (and all time record high) surplus of $5 7 billion

The major reason for the big jump is the federal government’s recalculations of personal and corporate income tax filings, which are

completed well past the time the budget is put together.

It now looks like personal income tax revenue will be $4.2 billion higher than first thought, and corporate in come tax revenue will be $4.6 billion higher

While the average person is not enjoying pay raises that keep pace with the rising cost of living, it seems the upper levels of society are doing just fine, thank you

Which brings me to what to do with that out of no where $5 7 billion surplus (which could approach $10 billion if various contingency funds are not dipped into)

The BC Liberals learned a painful lesson on the eve of the 2017 election when that government opted to put a $2 9 billion surplus against

the debt rather than spend it on programs or rebates.

One must wonder whether, if they had been more politically deft and had spent that money on people instead of debt retirement, the 2017 election result would have been much more favorable to them

You can be sure the BC NDP government is mindful of its predecessor’s mis cue on this front Look for Premier David Eby and his cabinet ministers to con tinue with a spate of new announcements of funding of various goodies

I’d be surprised if they take the form of program funding, as that simply adds more spending to the base total of government spend ing Rather, one time pay

ments like rebates and such are more likely.

In any event, the govern ment is awash in cash like never before. Expect much of it to flow out the door over the next four months (will more “Eby bucks” be coming your way?)

There has been specu lation that Eby will replace Robinson as finance minister when he unveils his cabinet on Dec 7 Given her un precedented track record, such a move would be some what astonishing

However, it’s clear her new leader wants to spend his way to gain the hearts of voters We shall see whether Robinson is in step with the new boss

Keith Baldrey is chief po litical reporter for Global BC

Brian Hainsworth via Facebook

Cody Edward James via Facebook

Legislation change would be unfair to strata owners

Editor: An open letter to MLA Jennifer Whiteside,

David Eby,

Patrick

and New Westminster city council: I am very upset at the proposed change to strata legislation that will not allow for a strata board to have an “owners only” policy

We are a retired couple who bought and moved into our condo in early 2018 in the Berkley tower on Princess Street, with one of the reasons being that it was an owner only building Because of the prevalence of people buying suites and houses in the Lower Mainland for investments and rentals, we spe cifically looked for a building with a no rental bylaw It is a well maintained and looked after building because we are all “invested,” physi cally and financially, in keeping it that way Our strata council carefully maintains a good contingency fund The owners have funded, through the contingency fund, strata fees and levies the following during the five years we have lived here: the painting of the entire outside of the building; the removal of old elevators and installation of two new ones; new boilers for hot water;

re piping of all the intake water pipes in the suites and common areas

All of these renovations have been ap proved, financed and endured by the owners because we live here and we care for our building because it’s our collective home An absent landlord may not be interested in financing these kind of considerable expenses as it will cut into the money received for rent They will have no vested interest in maintain ing the building as long as they receive their rent and may well vote against these neces sary but expensive renovations

Renters, too, may not be interested in the long term maintenance of the building as their investment is in monthly rent payments, not the longtime welfare of the building

Many of the owners have lived here since the building was built 23 years ago, and we don’t just live in our own apartments; we en joy and maintain all the common areas, too, and the security of the building

Please do not change so fundamentally the lives of so many people to supposedly free up some units to renters in the entire province.

It would surely better serve the citizens of B C to stop renovictions and the subsequent removal of affordable rented apartments, build more rental units and to put a stop to rising rents in this province

Anna Bjarnason, New Westminster

THE NEW WESTMINSTER RECORD WELCOMES LETTERS TO THE EDITOR We edit for taste, legality and length Please include a contact phone number Send letters to: The Editor, #201A 3430 Brighton Ave , Burnaby, B C , V5A 3H4, email to: editorial@newwestrecord ca (no attachments please) or fax to: 604 439 2694 Letters to the editor and columns may be reproduced on the New West Record website, www.newwestrecord.ca.

Premier

Mayor

Johnstone

Platinum Awards honour top citizens, businesses

Elaine Su named Citizen of theYear for 2022 at NewWestminster Chamber of Commerce gala

JulieMacLellan jmaclellan@newwestrecord ca

It’s official: Elaine Su is NewWestminster’s top cit izen of 2022

The local librarian and children’s book advocate took the Citizen/Busi ness of theYear Award during the 2022 Plati num Awards gala, held Thursday night at the An vil Centre. NewWestmin ster Record readers will likely recognize her from past stories about some of her many endeavours, in cluding a book match ing project to help families find more representative children’s books; her ad vocacy for library funding; and a project to share the magic of Lunar NewYear in her Sapperton neigh bourhood

The NewWestminster Chamber of Commerce presents the awards each year to recognize local businesses and citizens for their contributions to the city Awards were handed out on Nov. 24 in 13 cat egories at a cocktail style dinner event

“It is impossible to do good things in NewWest without everyone know ing,” Su said in her accep tance speech “You get an idea, and the next thing you know, the Record is calling and then the whole community is on board ”

A press release from the NewWestminster Cham

ber of Commerce notes that the theme of a sup portive community was felt throughout the eve ning.

“This event reminded us that NewWestmin ster has the most remark able community, full of exceptional people,” said the chamber’s execu

tive director, AngieWhit field. “Having everyone together again celebrating successes was exactly what we needed after some very challenging years.”

The 2022 Platinum Awards showcased nomi nees who excelled in their field and subsequently “positively impacted the

The winners are …

Service Excellence Rain City Games

Community Spirit Award Good Omen

Bernie Legge Cultural Award Richard Chapman, Northern Electric Sound Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Champion Award

Stephanie Vu, Old Crow Coffee

New Business of the Year Take THE Cake

Tourism Based Business of the Year Inn at the Quay

Not for Profit of the Year Odihi Foundation

Environmental Leadership Award The Refill Stop Artist of the Year S^yowah

Female Identifying Business Leader of the Year

Jennifer Mackie, Kelly O’Bryan’s Restaurant

Industry Based Business of the Year

Kruger Products

Citizen/Business of the Year Elaine Su

Top Entrepreneur under 40 Sergey and Irina, Kozak’s Ukrainian Eatery

community,” the cham ber’s press release noted Guests were welcomed with a wall of champagne and an interactive photo opportunity, followed by dinner and then dancing with DJ SWRL

Among the night’s top prize winners were TakeTHE Cake, which

won the New Business of theYear Award; Jen nifer Mackie from Kelly O’Bryan’s Restaurant, who was recognized as Fe male Identifying Business Leader of theYear; and the Odihi Foundation, which took home Not For Profit of theYear.

JessBalzer jfedigan@burnabynow com

B C philanthropist and business mogul Jim Patti son has made a $30 mil lion donation to the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation the larg est ever donation in Fraser Health history The historic donation,

which was announced Wednesday morning, will be directed towards the second phase of the hos pital’s redevelopment pro ject

Along with the demo lition of some old build ings, including the re cently demolished Sherbrooke tower, Phase 2 of the Royal Colum

bian Hospital redevelop ment includes construc tion of a new acute care tower with more beds for intensive care, cardiac in tensive care medicine, and surgical patients.

It also includes a new, larger emergency depart ment with a satellite med ical imaging unit; more maternity beds and a ma

ternity operating room; and a “super floor” in the existing health care centre that includes three more operating rooms, three ad ditional intervention suites for cardiology, two more intervention suites for di agnostic radiology and one more MRI.

In honour of Pattison’s historic donation, the new

tower will be named the Jim Pattison Acute Care Tower.

“We are honoured to join the thousands of other donors who have already stepped up to show their support to ensure that its legacy of exceptional care in our province is sustain able for future genera tions,” Pattison said in a

news release

The three phase rede velopment carries a price tag of $1 49 billion

“We want to express our sincere gratitude to Jim Pattison for this historic donation,” Royal Colum bian Hospital Foundation CEO Jeff Norris said.

See more at www newwestrecord ca

TOPCITIZEN: Elaine Su accepts the Citizen of the Year award during the Platinum Awards gala held on Thursday, Nov. 24 at the Anvil Centre. PHOTO ANDRES MARKWART, COURTESY NEW WESTMINSTER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

CityNWPD wants new missing persons investigator

comes from what the de partment classifies as downloaded costs: tak ing over handling of some non emergency calls from E Comm, increased costs for recruit training at the Justice Institute of B C , and a reduction in what the NWPD expects to get from provincial traffic fine revenue sharing.

It also includes $960,000 in new spend ing, with the largest chunk being $655,000 dedicated to backfilling five positions

The department offi cially has 114 sworn offi cers but, in practice, has only 95 officers who are what the NWPD calls “operationally deployable.”

The others are recruits who are still within their training period or officers currently on leave (paren tal, medical or otherwise)

With the five backfilled

positions, Jansen said the department wouldn’t in crease its numbers but would use the five officers to “float” wherever needed to cover those leaves

The department does want to add one new offi cer, at a budgeted amount of $150,000, to bring its sworn strength to 115.

Specifically, the NWPD wants to create a position for a dedicated missing persons investigator, to be part of its Special Investi gations Unit

Insp. Aman Gosal, who heads the depart ment’s prevention ser vices division, said the request stems from the 2019 findings of the Na tional Inquiry into Miss ing and Murdered Indig enousWomen She said the NWPD has a dispro portionate number of very high risk, complex inves tigations involving vulner

able people; having one dedicated staff member to deal with those cases would help the depart ment to deal with them more effectively

Other new asks include spending for recruitment, firearms and clothing, in formation technology and legal fees, among others.

‘STICKER SHOCK’

HarjiVarn, the city’s fi nance director, said the proposed NWPD bud get increase would amount to about a three per cent property tax increase an idea that didn’t sit well with councillors

“It was a bit of sticker shock for me looking at 12 per cent,” said new coun cillor Daniel Fontaine.

He pointed out coun cil must consider the NW PD’s budget in the context of what taxpayers are al ready facing on the infla

tionary front, plus all the other expenses facing the city Fontaine asked Jansen whether, in fact, the re quested budget was really the “best and most effi cient” it could be Jansen’s reply: yes “Based upon what we want to serve and how we want to serve our commu nity this is what I need to do,” Jansen said, add ing he understands the in flationary pressures facing the city and realizes that cuts may be needed “But then we’re going to have to have a really tough discus sion of the board, and ulti mately the council and the community, about what it is that we’re going to have to look at cutting ”

Mayor Patrick John stone said council would need to have further con versations about how to deal with the police bud get and how to demon

strate “value for the dollar” for members of the com munity But he reminded everyone at the table there was no need to come to an agreement right then and there

If city council and police board are unable to come to an agreement on the NWPD budget, it would go to a provincially man dated dispute process

But chief administrative officer Lisa Spitale said the city can use the period be tween Dec 1 and March 1, 2023 when the final budget must be adopted to figure out how best to approach the police budget in the context of how council wants to serve the community’s needs

She pointed out that, com ing out of the COVID 19 pandemic, the city’s re serves are down.

“We’ve had a tough three years in the con

text of a lot of other chal lenges Right now, we are besieged by complexi ties around homelessness, housing affordability, ad dictions, and none of us want to be in the position of continuing that We all want to be in a position of improving that,” she said

She said the city’s dis cussions will need to look at what that means for both policing and for ad vocacy for additional se nior government support

“Then I think it’s eas ier to get onto the same side of what can we afford, and what are we going to be OK saying no to right now?” she said

WATCH FOR MORE

The NewWestminster po lice board was scheduled to discuss the budget on Nov 29,after the Record’s print deadlines Watch www newwestrecord ca for updates

JulieMacLellan jmaclellan@newwestrecord ca

Eighty six employ ees of the NewWestmin ster school district earned more than $100,000 last school year a signifi cant jump over the year before

School District 40 has released its annual state ment of financial informa tion (SOFI), which lists all employees of the dis trict earning more than $75,000 per year for the year ending June 30, 2022. School districts are required to publish the list annually

On that list this year is the largest number yet of employees earn ing more than $100,000: 45 teachers, 30 adminis trative officers (principals and vice principals, both school based and dis trict wide) and 11 senior

district staff (managers and directors)

That’s up from a to tal of 56 people last year, when 18 teachers, 29 ad ministrative officers and nine senior staff earned more than $100,000

The number of employ ees earning more than $150,000 also increased this year, from four to six

The top paid staffer in the district remains superintendent Karim Hachlaf, at $212,242 (up slightly from the pre vious year’s $211,020)

Also passing the $150,000 mark are associate su perintendent Maryam Naser ($176,509), sec retary treasurer Bettina Ketcham ($169,526), ex ecutive director of human resources RobertWeston ($164,653), and the dis trict’s two directors of in struction, Maureen Mc Rae Stanger ($156,275)

and Bruce Cunnings ($156,381)

TOTAL STAFF PAY: $61.3 MILLION

In total, the school dis trict paid out $61.3 mil lion in remuneration and $147,208 98 in expenses for the year

That includes $34.2 million in remuneration and $59,695 in expenses for employees earning more than $75,000 a year That’s up from $31 6 mil lion in remuneration, but down from $78,841 in ex penses, the year before It also includes $26 9 million in remuneration and $79,277 in expenses for employees earning $75,000 or less That’s a slight increase in remu neration, from $26 7 mil lion the previous year, and slightly down on the expenses front, from $75,938

on Massey

JulieMacLellan jmaclellan@newwestrecord ca

Watch Michael Kae shammer play piano, and you’ll have the sense he’s not playing so much as embodying joy

Every part of him seems to come alive with the sheer delight of making music a delight that hasn’t, by all appearances, worn off one iota more than 25 years after he re leased his first studio al bum

But is that joy real, or is it just for show?

“Com pletely real,” Kaesham mer says, in a tone that car ries a smile through the phone line from Moncton, New Brunswick, where he’s just checked in to his hotel “I love it so much It’s my favourite thing to do”

If it weren’t, he says, he wouldn’t take on the task of touring which he says he loves, while con fessing it can still be ex hausting.The internation ally acclaimed Canadian pianist is part way through his 24 date Canadian tour, which started Nov 9 in Pictou, Nova Scotia and

winds up onVancouver Is land, with concerts in his hometown Sidney on Dec 5 and 6

He’ll also make a stop at NewWestminster’s Mas seyTheatre on Saturday, Dec. 3.

“It’s definitely nice to be back on the road That whole connection with an audience, playing in front of people, for people it’s what I do,” Kaeshammer says. “It’s so beautiful out there, and the people are so nice Ev eryone is so excited to be at shows again We hope we’re going to move the positiv ity with us right across the coun try.”

Kaeshammer says there seems to be a special ex citement in audiences right now, as the world emerges from the dark days when the COVID 19 pandemic shut down live performances around the globe Though he says the pandemic was time well spent for him “there’s a lot of projects I worked on that I probably wouldn’t have had time to do oth erwise” he’s enjoying the feeling of playing to live audiences again, just

as much as those audi ences are

“There’s a bit of a feel ing that everything is back to where it was The au dience, the fans who have seen me before, they’re back, but there’s this extra, underlying feeling every one has of ‘Wow, we can’t believe this is happening,’” he says, adding that feeling extends to him, too

“Not that I’ve ever been any kind of prima donna or anything, but know ing it could just disappear like that, as it did for two years? Anything I could have complained about before sound check or bad pianos I just don’t.”

FROM TEENAGE PRODIGY TO INTERNATIONAL STAR

Kaeshammer has been at the keys his whole life, since his childhood in Germany when his dad in troduced him to the piano at age four or five He fol lowed the classical, con servatory path from age seven to 13, when he de cided that wasn’t the way he wanted to learn.

After that, he just started teaching himself, playing for hours every day.

It wasn’t until Kae shammer’s family moved toVancouver Island when he was a teenager that he started to believe piano was something he could do for a living when he

saw musicians playing in pubs and bars four or five nights a week, making a living doing it.

As it turned out, Kae shammer would go much further than the pub and bar scene

His first album, 1996’s Blue Keys, introduced the world to a teenager with talent to burn Over the decades since, he’s grown up and evolved in the spotlight, making the shift from child prodigy to full fledged international phe nom and singer song writer

Kaeshammer says he’s grateful for those loyal fans who’ve followed him throughout that journey In Chester, Nova Scotia, he encountered one fan

who said he’d first seen Kaeshammer play at the age of 19 and who’d been a fan ever since.

“I must have done something right,” the pia nist says with a laugh.

Kaeshammer promises he’ll treat tour audiences to old favourites from his extensive repertoire of genre defying music that wraps classical, jazz, blues, boogie woogie and pop. Plus, he’ll offer up a pre view of some of the new, pandemic inspired work from his forthcoming al bum Turn It Up, which will be out in March 2023

There’s an added treat in store for NewWestmin ster audiences, in the form of hometown saxophonist Steve Hilliam, who’s part

of Kaeshammer’s band

“We’re a really tight combo We’re having fun playing music For me, the music is just a vehi cle to get everyone in the room to have a good time and get away for a cou ple of hours, to be joyful and positive,” Kaesham mer says

“In the end, I just play the piano the way I want to hear it.

“As an artist, if you please yourself, an au dience will gravitate to wards you If you are true to yourself, that is the best art you can make I don’t really care what anyone thinks I do what I think serves me, and in turn it serves the audience.That’s a very liberating feeling

SHARETHEJOY: Canadian piano superstar Michael Kaeshammer brings his tour to the Massey Theatre stage in New Westminster this Saturday night PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

FRIDAY, DEC. 2 TO SUNDAY, DEC. 4

SHINE BRIGHT FRONT STREET ART WALK

NewWest’s Front Street is turning into an open art gallery next month Artists from across the Lower Mainland will feature their works on the walls of busi nesses that line up the street including the Old Crow Café,TheWine Factory, Wonderpup Academy and Arrieta Art Studio as part of the Shine Bright Front Street ArtWalk between Dec 1 and 31 It’s just one of a host of events and pro grams that are part of this year’s festive celebrations, which run from Dec. 1 to Jan. 31 in neighbourhoods all over the city.

WHEN: Art walk runs Dec. 1 to 31; Shine Bright runs Dec. 1 to Jan. 31.

WHERE: Front Street businesses, including Old Crow Café, The Wine Factory, Wonderpup Academy and Arrieta Art Studio.

INFO: Find out about all the Shine Bright events at www.newwestcity.ca/ shinebright. More on the art walk at www.tinyurl.com/FrontStreetArtWalk.

sils can be borrowed from the studio, it is recommended that participants bring their own art supplies to the event.Tickets are $25 per person

MORE: See www.arrietaart.ca.

SATURDAY, DEC. 3

MICHAEL KAESHAMMER

FRIDAY, DEC. 2

WREATH WORKSHOP

Learn to make customized holiday wreaths at a workshop presented by Braid Street Studios and Pacific Breeze Urban Winery For a registration fee of $115, you will get all the materials and the neces sary guidance to make the quintessential Christmas décor that captures your family’s holiday spirit You can even add on a per sonal charcuterie box for snacking while you work, between 7 and 9 p.m.

MORE: See www.pacificbreezewinery. com

FRIDAY, DEC. 2

LIVE MODEL DRAWING

Keen on drawing human figures, but don’t have a model? Sign up for Arrieta Art Studio’s (707 Front St ) live model draw ing session and get an uninterrupted three hours to capture every intricate detail of a clothed model onto your drawing sheet While a small selection of drawing uten

Can’t pick between classical, jazz, boo gie woogie, blues and pop?What if we said you could attend a concert that’ll give you a mix of all five? Internationally acclaimed pianist Michael Kaeshammer’s 2023 re lease Turn It Up is touted to be a crossover of many genres, and you can get a preview at his live performance at MasseyTheatre (735 Eighth Ave.) at 7:30 p.m. Check out an interview on page 11 of this edition

MORE: Get tickets ($35 to $50) at www ticketsnw.ca.

SATURDAY, DEC. 3

WINTER CRAFT SALE

Looking for handmade quilts, pottery and art to gift someone this holiday sea son? Century House (620 Eighth St.) is hosting the Shine Bright:Winter Craft Sale where visitors can check out unique gift items done by the members of the seniors’ community centre The event is on between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and open to all ages. Besides the gifts galore, the fair will also feature home baked goods, courtesy of the Century House dragon boat team

MORE: www.newwestcity.ca/shinebright or call 604-519-1066.

compiled by Naveena Vijayan

CHRISTMAS EVENTS

Planning for the holiday season? Be sure to browse our special Christmas events section on pages 17 to 20 of this edition You can also check out our running list of festive events at www tinyurl com/ NewWestChristmasEvents2022 If you have a festive event to add to our listings, shoot a mes sage to jmaclellan@newwestrecord ca

Photo: Jennifer Gauthier/Record files

Register online for:

• Nature Art Hunt: Moody Park will come to live with over a dozen glowing sculptures.

• Holiday Jazz Cats Social: An evening of jazz and dancing

• Quayside Voices Holiday Concert: Enjoy a concert by this local A Cappella band.

• Winter Celebrations at Anvil Centre: A variety of stage performances.

• Science, art, cooking and more!

Support Local:

• New West Craft Holiday Night Market

River Market

Saturday, 3:00 9:00 pm December 3

• Shine Bright Downtown Shop Nights

Shopping & Entertainment

Thursday, 5:00 8:00 pm December 8, 15, 22

• Holiday Farmer’s Market

Outside City Hall

Saturday & Sunday, 10:00 am 4:00 pm December 10 & 11

• Sapperton Sing & Shop

Sapperton Plaza

Monday, 5:00 7:00 pm December 19

• Uptown Holiday Market

Royal City Centre & Westminster Centre Friday, 5:00 9:00 pm December 23

Ready or not, the Christmas season is upon us Check out some hol iday event highlights for the coming week:

ONGOING TO WEDNESDAY, DEC. 21

Winter Solstice: Enjoy a group exhibition at the Gallery at Queen’s Park (Centennial Lodge), open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a m to 2 p m Info: www acnw ca/ galleryexhibit

FRIDAY, DEC 2

Dance Into Christmas: The Richmond Academy of Dance returns to the Massey Theatre stage (735 Eighth Ave ) with a 7:30 p m performance Its 23rd annual holiday show includes excerpts from Tchai kovsky’s Nutcracker and spe cially choreographed works from the academy’s dancers and singers Featuring special guest artists from Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and so

prano Sheila Christie Tickets $35 plus service charges, buy through wwwticketsnw ca

Wreath making workshop: Learn to make customized holiday wreaths this season at a workshop presented by Pacific Breeze Urban Winery, facilitated by creators from Braid Street Studios For a registration fee of $115, you will get all the materials and guidance to make a wreath that captures your family’s holiday spirit. The event is between 7 and 9 p m Buy tickets online through www. pacificbreezewinery com

FRIDAY, DEC. 2 AND SATURDAY, DEC 3

Artisan craft fair: Royal City Gogos Artisan Craft Sale returns to the Unifor hall, 326 12th St , Friday from 4 to 8 p m and Saturday from 10 a m to 2 p m , with fashion, accessories, jewelry, home decor, vintage housewares,

baking and more

SATURDAY, DEC. 3

Holiday Night Market: The New West Craft Holiday Night Market returns to River Market (810 Quayside Dr ) from 3 to 9 p m , featuring more than 50 artisans, plus food, music and more

Christmas bazaar: The Church on the Hill (Shi loh Fifth Avenue United Church and St Barnabas Anglican Church) has a Christmas bake sale and ba zaar, with snack bar, baking, preserves, crafts and a table or two from the St Barnabas Thrift Store, 10 a m to 3 p m at 1010 Fifth Ave No admis sion cost

Queensborough fire hall lighting: The City of New Westminster is hosting the lighting of the Queensbor ough fire hall, 1011 Ewen Ave from 6 to 9 p m This

annual holiday tradition includes a chance to meet Santa and Sparky the Fire Dog, dance to festive music, enjoy hot cocoa and baked treats, and see the lighting of the fire hall Attendees are asked to bring a non perish able food item or cash dona tion for Food Banks Canada.

Seasonal Sing along:

Join the Rainbow Chorus of New Westminster for its first Seasonal Sing along, 3 p.m. at The Sanctuary on Sixth (Queens Avenue United Church), Queens Avenue and Sixth Street It’s a chance share the joy of the season and is free to all who would like to join in.

SUNDAY, DEC 4

Homes for the Holidays: The Queen’s Park Healthcare Volunteer Society presents its 2022 Homes for the Holidays festive holiday tour, running from 4:30 to 7:30 p m , with six

festively decorated heritage homes around the city. Tick ets $30, buy through Royal City Colours at 700 12th St. or online at www newwest heritage.org. The tour is pre sented with the support of the New Westminster Heritage Preservation Society

TUESDAY, DEC. 6

Jazz at the Anvil: Catch a holiday instalment of the Piva Presents: Jazz at the Anvil series with A Jazz Christmas, 7 p m at the Anvil Theatre, 777 Columbia St Tickets at www ticketsnw ca or call 604 521 5050

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7

VSO’s Traditional Christ mas: The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra returns to the Massey Theatre (735 Eighth Ave ) for a 7:30 p m concert, led by assistant con ductor David Bui and hosted by Christopher Gaze The concert features music from

Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, Dis ney’s Frozen and a collection of classic Christmas carols, with soprano Mariana Moreno and baritone Odyn Mulder Tickets $48 to $56, buy through wwwticketsnw ca

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7 AND THURSDAY, DEC 8

Christmas Dinner Cruise: Enjoy a three hour tour on the Fraser River aboard the MV Native, from Paddlewheeler Riverboat Tours, featuring a turkey dinner with all the trim mings, plus beverages and other refreshments available for purchase Board at 5:30 p m ; tour from 6 to 9 p m Tickets from $49 95; book online at wwwvancouver paddlewheelercom

See our Christmas cho ral roundup on page 19 and more events at tinyurl com/ NewWestChristmasEvents 2022.

Deliservesupsoup,sandwiches

TheresaMcManus tmcmanus@newwestrecord ca

A local business is serv ing up comfort food to help makes the lives of folks in need more com fortable.

Leona Green, co owner of Greens and Beans Deli in Sapperton, is once again collecting socks, toques and gloves at her Sapperton deli She’s kick ing off her annual cam paign on Saturday, Dec 3

“If people bring in nice comfort items like socks and toques and gloves, I will feed them comfort food a grilled cheese and tomato soup,” she said “I thought that would be fun ”

The more items col

lected, the more dona tions can be dispersed to a number of local organiza tions, including the Lower Mainland Purpose So ciety, Lookout Housing and Health Society, and the Elizabeth Fry Society Items will also be donated to local programs helping seniors and folks dealing with food insecurity

“I am collecting all month, but Saturday is going to be the kickoff to get a nice pile started. I just wanted to get a head start,” Green said “I spread them all over the city.”

Green said local groups are always thankful for the support of her custom ers and other community members

“What’s better than a nice dry pair of socks if your feet are wet?”she said

from 11 a m to 2 p m at Greens and Beans Deli, 143 East Columbia St. You can also drop off items at Greens and Beans any time before Dec 23

Merry & Bright Christmas in New West err ht rstm

Nothing sounds more like Christmas than a choir singing carols

Choral music fans in NewWestminster have a plethora of options to choose from this season We’ve rounded them up here in one handy list

SUNDAY, DEC 4

Vancouver Welsh Men’s

Choir: The Vancouver Welsh Men’s Choir, a diverse, 60 voice auditioned choir, presents Holly, Jolly Christ mas, 2:30 p m at Massey Theatre (735 Eighth Ave , New Westminster) The choir will be joined by Winter Harp Info: wwwvancouverchoirca or buy tickets through ticketsnw ca

FRIDAY, DEC 9 AND

SATURDAY, DEC 10

Amabilis Singers: This 60 voice choir presents Voces Angelorum at New West

minster Christian Reformed Church, 8255 13th Ave , Burn aby Artistic director Frank Lee and pianist Ingrid Verseveldt lead the choir in a program of music from traditional to contemporary, featuring harpist Dr Elizabeth Volpé Bligh and instrumentalist Elliot Lo (percussion/guitar) They will be joined by two special guest choirs: Burnaby Central Chamber Choir (Friday) and St Thomas More Collegiate Chamber Singers (Saturday) Tickets $25; free for children 12 and under Book via Eventbrite ca or find more information at www amabilissingers org

SATURDAY, DEC 10

Carols and Bells: This one has both voices and hand bells. You can enjoy the 23rd annual Christmas concert at Queens Avenue United Church, 529 Queens Ave The performance features five handbell choirs of all ages:

Sound Wave, from Burnaby; Sacred Bronze, from Maple Ridge; White Rock Christian Handbell Choir; Memorial Bell Ringers; and a newly formed children’s handbell choir from Queens Avenue Also per forming will be the Rainbow Chorus of New Westminster, the Queens Avenue United Church Choir, and organist Rachel Alflatt Tickets $20 gen eral admission; $15 students/ seniors; $10 children (plus fees) via Eventbrite ca or call 604 522 1606

SUNDAY, DEC 11

Holy Trinity Cathedral: The cathedral presents its annual concert featuring the Cathedral Choir and the Royal New Westminster Regimental Band in a program of seasonal favourites. It’s at 3 p.m. at the cathedral, 514 Carnarvon St Admission is by donation to church programs, and the doors open at 2:30 p.m. Info: 604 521 2511

Phoenix Chamber Choir: Join the renowned ensem ble for its Christmas Around the World concert, 3 p m at Queens Avenue United Church, 529 Queens Ave , with special guests the Pacific Academy Choir The program features seasonal choral music, mixed with music and readings from authors and composers around the world Tickets are $35 regular, $25 students/seniors, $15 youth, with a limited number of reduced cost $10 tickets available; buy online through www phoenixchoircom or at the door (cash or card)

SATURDAY, DEC. 17

Vancouver Cantata Sing ers: The Vancouver Cantata Singers return with one of the highlights of the Metro Vancouver choral calendar: their 19th Christmas Reprise, featuring traditional carols and contemporary Christmas compositions for unac

Sounds

companied choir, 7:30 p m at Queens Avenue United Church, 529 Queens Ave Tick ets $10 to $35; book through vancouvercantatasingers com

Coastal Sound Youth Choir: Join Coastal Sound’s youth ensemble for Into the Morning, 7:30 p m at

New Westminster Christian Reformed Church, 8255 13th Ave , Burnaby Conductor Will de Sousa and pianist Krista Pederson lead the choir on a wintry journey through the night The choir will be joined by special guests from Argyle Secondary School Buy tickets through www coastalsound music com

of the season: The Vancouver Cantata Singers bring their Christmas Reprise back to new Westminster on Saturday, Dec 17 PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

NaveenaVijayan nvijayan@newwestrecord ca

It’s a good bet that most people already have their travel plans set to spend the holidays in the com pany of their families. But even as you gear up for an elaborate home made turkey dinner with your loved ones, the NewWestminster Pub lic Library is asking you to spare a thought for all those in the community who might have to spend the festive season in soli tude

Through the library’s Holiday Hellos (a name coined by the Coquitlam Public Library) initiative, which is in its third year now, over 400 letters were sent out to community members in the last two years 150 plus in 2020,

and 250 plus in 2021

“What we did is we partnered with the Se nior Services Society (an organization that sup ports seniors aged 60 and above),” said Heather Hortness, who is leading the Holiday Hellos pro gram. “They have a Santa for Seniors program in which they provide hot meals and grocery gift cards to seniors within our community”

The first edition of Hol iday Hellos was launched during the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020 to help seniors in the community who were forced to isolate, and had few opportuni ties to meet others, Hort ness said.

“We wanted to find a way to connect some of the young or young at heart patrons with some of

the older or more isolated members of our commu nity,” she said “So we thought a nice way is if these young or young at heart patrons could create a holiday card, some art work or a nice letter and share it with someone in

the community.”

As part of the program, Hortness designs holiday cards in a way that pro vides enough space for people to add their per sonal writings and art

Anyone can collect one of the cards from the li

brary (either the main branch or the one at Queensborough Commu nity Centre), write their message on it, and drop it off back at the library

All the cards that the li brary receives before Dec 7 will be delivered to older community members along with a hot meal and a gift card as part of Santa for Seniors program, be tween Dec 12 and 16

“But, if we get cards af ter that, that’s fine too Be cause we also have our Home Library Service pa trons we go to their homes and bring the ma terials, so we can also give them the cards ”

Though most of the cards that the library col lects are made by kids, “quite a lot of adults” par ticipate too, Hortness noted “We have collected

cards or artwork from in dividuals, families, schools, day cares and other com munity organizations,” she said “It’s for anyone who just wants to write a nice holiday greeting to some one in the community that may need some joy during the holiday season.”

HOWTO TAKE PART

For more details about Holiday Hellos, visit New West Public Library web site at nwpl ca/youth/kids or call 604 527 4677.

Besides the cards, peo ple can also donate a $15 holiday meal card, $25 or $50 groceries and medi cine bundle, $100, $200 or $350 temporary hous ing bundle, towards the Santa for Seniors pro gram See www seniors servicessociety.ca/ santaforseniors

Holiday Hellos: The New Westminster Public Library is once again inviting folks to create cards and send holiday greetings to seniors in the community PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

ANVIL