ROTARY IN ACTION

WHY I JOINED ROTARY.

1 Friendship and Fellowship: I have found that in an increasingly complex world, Rotary provides one of the most basic human needs: the need for friendship and fellowship

2 Citizenship in the Community: I believe that membership in a Rotary club helps develop better community citizens

3 Fun: Rotary is a fun and exciting place to be I always enjoy attending Rotary meetings, functions, fundraising events

4 Citizenship in the World: Rotary is truly an international organization There are few places on the globe that do not have a Rotary club Every Rotarian is welcome and encouraged to attend any of the approximately 30,000 clubs in most of the world’s nations and geographical regions

5 Entertainment and Education: Rotary holds conferences, conventions, assemblies, and institutes that provide entertainment in addition to Rotary information, education, and service

6 Youth and Family Programs: This is a part of Rotary that I particularly enjoy and find the most rewarding Rotary has one of the world’s largest youth exchange programs; high school and college clubs for future Rotarians; many opportunities for spouse involvement; and a lot of activities designed to help family members in growth and development

7 Cultural Awareness: Around the world, practically every religion, country, culture, race, creed, political persuasion, language, sexual orientation, colour and ethnic identity is represented among members of Rotary

8 Nice People: I have found that Rotarians are the nicest people on earth!

9 Absence of an Official Creed: I feel very comfortable with Rotary that has no official creed, no secret meetings or rituals It is an open society of men and women who simply believe in helping others

10 Opportunity to Serve: As a service club, Rotary’s business is “mankind” and its product is “service”

This is perhaps the main reason I joined Rotary: the chance to do some good Rotarians have been serving the New Westminster community since 1928

Recently we have supported many local causes and groups by volunteering and making financial donations to Don’t Go Hungry, Monarch Place, New West Victim’s Assistance, Domestic Abuse Services, New West Farmers Market, Senior Services Society We also provide Scholarships and Bursaries to NWSS graduates Several members, including Chris and his daughter ring the bells for the Salvation Army Kettle Campaign and distribute poppies for the Royal Canadian Legion New members are always welcome to help us continue to do good in the world.

JackieTeed, acting director of climate action, planning and development, said staff are in the initial stages of launching the bold vision process, which would come develop a vision for the neighbourhood She said staff had intended to start this work, and then the pandemic struck

Teed said staff shortages have “significantly” impacted the department’s ability to work on the vision

Council Keen To Proceed With Plan

Coun. Nadine Nakagawa said there are many opportunities around SkyTrain stations to create complete communities that include residences, businesses and amenities.

“We don’t get many opportunities like this We do want to get it right,” she said “And I know the community has been waiting for a long time ”

Coun. Paul Minhas believes it’s time for council to make this a priority

“I do understand (delays) with COVID and staff shortages,” he said, “but I think we need to find some sort of an answer for the people of Connaught Heights ”

Mayor Patrick Johnstone said there are a few stations along the SkyTrain line, including 22nd Street, that haven’t seen a lot of change since SkyTrain was built

“A lot of it had to do, I think, with a lack of impetus Unlike some other areas, there wasn’t a single developer who owned all the land and was ready to push the item through,” he said “And there wasn’t a real drive by the community to make it happen ”

Johnstone said a master-planned neighbourhood is not something that happens quickly and is something that will include a significant amount of community consultation and technical analysis

He said construction is still taking place at the Brewery District 15 years after that process began

“This one might even be more complex because, frankly, the last time we had conversations on 22nd Street with the Connaught Heights neighbourhood about that plan, it wasn’t a universal voice on what they wanted to see in that plan,” he said “There’s going to be some different opinions in the community about what they want to see there, and we’re going to have to take the time to work through that ”

Johnstone pledged to update residents about the city’s plans for the area around the 22nd Street SkyTrain station once the strategic plan is considered in April

Coun Daniel Fontaine questioned if the city is able to support increased densification and allow people to begin transforming that neighbourhood before the bold vision is developed, given that people have been waiting for clarity on the city’s plan for some time

Teed said it’s the city’s expectation that densification doesn’t happen in the area while the plan is being developed