Advisory committee members, City staff, and Council have all shared feedback in the past that the City's traditional advisory committee structure was not entirely satisfactory and could be improved to better meet the needs of participants and the City. Former committee members, in particular, shared in 2023 that they wanted to be able to provide the City with more meaningful input into projects in earlier phases, and that they wanted to be able to see if and how their input influenced the outcome of the project.
The Assembly model - where members form a representative cross-section of the public and deliberate to find common ground in providing advice to government - has been used in BC, Alberta, Ontario, and internationally in countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and others.
In June 2023, City Council directed staff to pursue the Assembly model to replace the previous committees and task forces that were organized around the former strategic plan.
The pilot year of the Assembly ran from January 2024 to January 2025. The 36 members discussed a range of topics: community belonging and connecting; road reallocation; climate action and intersectionality; cultural observances; and evaluation of the Assembly model.
Following the completion of the pilot year, the Assembly members, Council members, Steering Committee members, and staff who were involved in the process participated in the evaluation process. There was a strong trend among all groups recommending the City to continue with this model beyond the pilot year, with some adjustments.
In May 2025, Council directed to continue with the Assembly model based on the evaluation results following the pilot year. Watch the staff presentation on the evaluation results at the Council Meeting here.
Visit the resources below to learn more about the pilot year (January 2024 - January 2025) of the Community Advisory Assembly:
The Community Advisory Assembly consists of 36 members selected based on demographic characteristics such as the area of New West where they live, their age group, gender identity, housing tenure (renter or owner), visible minority, Indigenous identity, and a diversity of lived experiences.
To select the Assembly members, City staff first compile all application information into a spreadsheet, assign a unique number to each applicant, and remove all applicants' names and other identifying information such as email addresses.
Staff from a separate department are then provided with the de-identified data. Staff apply a variety of filters in the spreadsheet to first identify the demographic groups where there are the fewest number of applicants, if any. Then staff select applicants who may have a number of typically under-represented characteristics, such as renters, visible minorities, low-income, and those experiencing disabilities.
The group is then rounded out with selections based on age group, geographic area of the city, and gender identity in order to meet the overall community profile, as per the 2021 Census, as closely as possible. Selected applicants are then contacted and asked to confirm their participation in the Assembly.
Applicants are given an option to serve for one or two years on the Assembly. However, each year at least half of the group would be new members. Whether an applicant is chosen as a member for the second year depends on the demographic makeup of the rest of the group.
The application period for the 2026-2027 Community Advisory Assembly has now closed. We received 199 applications from the community. Thank you to everyone who expressed interest in applying. Applicants selected to join the Assembly will be notified by email towards the end of the summer. The next term of the Community Advisory Assembly will begin in September 2026.
Demographic Profile of the 2025 - 2026 Assembly
Demographic Measure | 2021 Census Profile for City of New Westminster | Community Advisory Assembly Membership |
Age Group | ||
19 and under | 16.4% | 16.7% |
20-34 | 23.9% | 22.2% |
35-49 | 22.9% | 25.0% |
50-64 | 20.8% | 19.4% |
65 and older | 16.1% | 16.7% |
Geographic Area of the City | ||
West End | 10.7% | 11.1% |
Uptown | 34.8% | 33.3% |
East End | 21.2% | 22.2% |
Downtown | 19.2% | 19.4% |
Queensborough | 13.8% | 13.9% |
Housing Tenure | ||
Residential tenant (renter) in New West | 45.3% | 47.2% |
Residential property owner (condo, townhouse, house, etc.) in New West | 54.7% | 47.2% |
Homeless (unhoused, temporarily housed) | 0.8% | 5.6% |
Gender Identity | ||
Women | 51% | 50.0% |
Men | 49% | 44.4% |
Non-Binary / Gender Diverse / Other | .44% (province wide) | 5.6% |
Visible Minority | ||
I identify as a person of colour and/or part of a racialized group | 46.8% | 50.0% |
Indigenous Identity | ||
I identify as Indigenous | 3.1% | 5.6% |
(SUCH AS MEETING FREQUENCY, LENGTH OF TERM, ETC.)
The Assembly term runs for ten months, from September 2026 to June 2027. Meetings are held in-person at rotating locations across the city and take place on weekday evenings or weekend mornings/early afternoons. Each meeting is approximately three to four hours long. Additional gatherings, or onboarding and educational sessions may be added depending on the needs and interests of the group.
Supports are available to reduce barriers to participation, including:
- Reimbursement for any direct expenses
- Childcare and elder care stipends
- Compensation for low-income members or those who must miss paid work to attend meetings
- Honorarium for youth
Members are required to commit to:
- Participate in the ten-month Assembly term, from September 2026 to June 2027
- Attend all ten in-person monthly meetings
- Participate in presenting advice and recommendations to City Council and staff (optional)
- Attend a kick-off event with City Council in September and a wrap-up event in June
The group will discuss and provide advice to the City on a variety of topics and current City projects that directly affect the day-to-day lives of New Westminster residents. Up to half of the topics discussed throughout their term will be generated by the Assembly members, and the remainder of the topics members will choose from a list generated by the City. Details on the topics and the Assembly's discussions will be shared in the agendas and minutes of the meetings.
Previous topics discussed by the Assembly include:
- Climate change topics, including
- intersectionality (read Council report),
- climate hazard scenarios and the Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Plan (watch Council recording)
- Community Belonging and Connecting (watch Council recording)
- Cultural observances in New Westminster (watch Council recording)
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism (DEIAR)
- Future of the Community Advisory Assembly model (watch Council recording)
- Non-Traditional Public Spaces (watch Council recording)
- Road reallocation projects related to the City's Active Transportation Network Plan (read Council report)
- The Future of Libraries in New Westminster (read Council report)
City Staff and Council that bring their projects to the Community Advisory Assembly for discussion are expected to plan for how to incorporate the Assembly's input. The Assembly will be led by professional facilitators, who will work with the City's teams to ensure their questions for the Assembly will be meaningful and applicable both for participants and the project.
Staff and Council will provide updates on the progress of their projects following the Assembly's recommendations.
(such as Affordable Housing and Childcare; Sustainable Transportation; Facilities, Infrastructure and Public Realm, etc.)
Many of the City's committees were structured around the previous Council's Strategic Plan. Following the most recent local election in October 2022, the new Council went through a strategic planning process to identify new priorities for this term (2022-2026).
As part of this planning process, Council asked City staff to explore potential changes to the structure of the City's advisory committees. Staff researched other potential models, and several options, along with pros and cons, were considered and discussed with Council. Advisory committee members were also consulted and their feedback was shared with Council.