2011 Inaugural Address

Mayor Wayne Wright 2011 Inaugural Address

 

December 5, 2011

Welcome everyone. I am humbled and honoured to be here this evening giving my fourth inaugural address as Mayor of New Westminster. Those who know me, and by now many who don’t, are well aware of the passion I have for this community. I believe that while others have adopted the label of best place on earth, we have it right here in our Royal City on the banks of the Fraser River.

We owe a debt of gratitude to those who have come before us. And throughout our more than 150 year history there are many who have put their vision and ideas into action on behalf of their city - from volunteers to business people, from public to private sector, from young to old and from all sides of the political spectrum. What has united them is their shared desire to create a better New Westminster for future generations and to make this a truly livable community. It’s this spirit that has guided city councils over the years and will continue to do so in the coming council term.

Looking around this council chamber tonight, I can tell every citizen of New Westminster that we are in great shape. We have familiar faces surrounding us and a combined pool of talent and knowledge on our council to guide us forward. No one in our city can deny that we have come a long way over the past decade. Many of the decisions that made the progress possible were developed by the people who will serve as your councillors for the next three years. We work very well together, let me tell you, and though we don’t always agree, we always come to our conclusions with mutual respect guided by what is in the best interests of our community.

To my colleagues Councillor Cote, Councillor Harper, Councillor McIntosh, Councillor McEvoy and Councillor Williams, I am extremely proud to be serving with you again. Working with city staff and our community, we have made great strides and I look forward to more progress as we continue to be a community of firsts in the coming years. I don’t have to tell any of you how big a responsibility the governance of our city is. Each of you has proven your ability in this area time and again and I know we will continue to rise to the challenges of the future together.

While he won’t be joining us on Council, I want to extend on behalf of all citizens of the city our sincere gratitude to you Bob. Bob Osterman has served in public life for nearly three decades. During that time he has tirelessly put the needs of the community first. As Mayor, I came very early on to value Bob’s experience, wisdom and judgment. I know that while he now has some more time to complete the “to do” list that Marion must have for him – and Bob, after nearly 30 years, I’m sure it’s a doozy – we’ll still be seeing Bob Osterman putting his energy and passion to work on behalf of his fellow citizens.

Our Council for the next three years is joined by a not-so-new face. Handsome yes, but not-so-new. Chuck Puchmayr served on city council from 1996 to 2005 when he became New Westminster’s Member of the Legislative Assembly in Victoria. Chuck’s many years of service at the municipal and provincial levels combined by his years of contributions volunteering and putting his leadership skills to work for local organizations is legendary. Chuck is not only a colleague, he is a friend, and I can say with conviction that all citizens of the Royal City are lucky to have Chuck back at the council table. I look forward to his contributions over the next three years.

We are a council of seven people. Fellow citizens entrusted with the good governance of New Westminster. But while we may be the public face of the city, each of us would not be able to do what we do without the tireless contributions of the best city staff in the country. Our staff and their dedication to excellence in everything they do is a shining example for other municipalities. On behalf of council and the entire community, I’d like to extend my sincere appreciation to our excellent city staff. You surely do us all proud.

Looking back over the past few years, we’ve come a long way. Our council, working together, has accomplished much to promote livability in our community. In some of our accomplishments, we’ve blazed a trail for the history books. In others, we’ve borrowed from best practices and followed, learning from the experiences of other municipalities.

I’m proud of what we’ve done, and excited about what is left to accomplish by working together. And we will continue to make progress over the next three years.

In our downtown, we’ll be putting our award-winning Downtown Community Plan into action – developing our new Multi Use Civic Facility for the community and continuing the transformation of Columbia Street into the shining star it once was.

We’ll soon open Westminster Pier Park, a new public amenity that reclaims our waterfront for the use of everyone in the community and demonstrates what can be accomplished by leveraging dollars from senior levels of government to make improvements right here at home.

This council will oversee improvements in our other parks and recreation facilities across the city. In Queensborough, we’ll continue construction of an expanded Queensborough Community Centre and look forward to sharing the expanded parks, trails and greenways developed over the past few years with all residents of the community.

In our uptown, we’ll be completing major infrastructure replacement along the Sixth Street corridor, protecting and improving critical services that businesses and residents rely on.

In Queen’s Park we’ll be cutting the ribbon on a new artificial turf field. This new field, along with upgraded lighting, will be a welcome amenity for the many sports clubs that we have here in New Westminster.

On the transportation front, council will oversee the completion of a new Master Transportation Plan. To ensure the views of our citizens are heard during this process, we are establishing an advisory committee made up of representatives from various city committees and key stakeholders to advise the plan’s development. In addition to working with the community, this plan will help guide us into the future and provide ways to deal with one of the most pressing – and frustrating – issues that faces our city.

Underscoring our commitment to the environment and sustainability, we’ll be rolling out our new Community Energy and Emissions Plan and will expand on our automatic waste collection services with a new single-stream recycling program. We’ll also look at new ways to make our community an even “greener” place to live while reducing our environmental footprint for the benefit of future generations.

To promote a vibrant economy, we’ll continue to develop ways to market New Westminster as a great place to invest. We will be focusing our efforts on our Employment Lands Strategy that has been developed to bring jobs to some of our under-utilized industrial and commercial areas. We of course will continue to highlight the Royal City’s competitive advantage for businesses that choose to locate here and strive for new ways to create winning conditions for business to thrive.

Moving forward, we will also continue to utilize new technology and social media to inform while developing new ways to solicit input from the community. New Westminster is blessed with engaged and passionate people - citizens with ideas and energy to share with their neighbours. By ensuring accurate, up-to-date information is available and soliciting feedback in a constant and meaningful way, we will ensure that our decisions truly reflect the will of the community we are here to serve.

Working with our partners, city council will collaborate to bring to fruition key investments that help all citizens of our city realize their full potential. The next three years will be busy ones on the education front as ground is broken and construction begins on three new schools. We share the frustration that many have expressed over the years on this project and will continue to work school district #40 officials and staff to bring development of these new schools to completion.

One of largest employers in New Westminster and a critical health care provider for British Columbians from Burnaby to Boston Bar, Royal Columbian Hospital is a valued partner for our city. In the near future, we will be working with Fraser Health and the provincial government as a major investment is made to expand the Royal Columbian health care complex.

On the arts front, council will engage with our vibrant arts community on projects such as the new Multi Use Civic Facility, expansion of public art in the city and a new Massey Performing Arts Centre. We are blessed with richness in this area to which few other municipalities can compare and we owe it to ourselves, our past and our future, to ensure arts and culture continue to thrive in the Royal City.

And in keeping our citizens safe, we’ll continue to highlight the excellence that is the hallmark of our own New Westminster Police Department and New Westminster Fire and Rescue Service. As a community, we can be justifiably proud of the highly-trained men and women who remain ready to assist us in our moment of need.

As we do all of this, our council will remain committed to ensuring citizens of New Westminster receive the best value for their tax dollar. We will be responsible with our investments and look for every opportunity to leverage those dollars through innovative partnerships with senior levels of government and the private sector. We’ll do all of this while maintaining the excellent relationships we’ve established with the provincial and federal governments along with the helpful assistance of our MLA and MPs. In short, we will work together to make New Westminster the best city in Canada in an affordable way that puts us on a solid financial footing for the future.

So we’ve got a lot of work to do. But one thing I’ve discovered in nine years as Mayor – and I know I speak for my colleagues on council when I say this – we don’t have all the answers. We need the input, energy and ideas of the people who live here to make the decisions that work for all. So, whatever your passion, whatever your talent, on behalf of Councillor Cote, Councillor Harper, Councillor McEvoy, Councillor McIntosh, Councillor Puchmayr and Councillor Williams, please get involved in your community. Get involved, get inspired – share with your fellow citizens. By working together, we’ll make the City of New Westminster the very best place to live, work and play.

Thank you.