Departments

The Office of the Chief Administrative Officer is responsible for the oversight of all City departments other than Library and Police. New Westminster’s Legislative Services, Indigenous Relations, and Intergovernmental Relations are also located within this office.

The Planning and Development Department is responsible for advising Council on the orderly, efficient and aesthetic use of land in New Westminster as well as the physical, social and economic development of the City which includes urban and regional planning, urban design, processing of rezoning applications, social planning, overseeing the heritage program, building and development, assigned strategic social and community issues, permits and licenses and bylaw enforcement.

The Department also focuses on the City’s strategic issues and specific projects that have corporate-wide impacts and require special interdepartmental coordination. Management of gaming activities, economic enhancement, investment generation strategies, and M.T.I. are also handled by the Planning and Development Department.

The Community Services Department is comprised of the following divisions: Economic Development, Communications, Public Engagement, Cultural Services (Anvil Centre), and will also incorporate Special Events, Filming, and Volunteer Services, formerly under the Parks and Recreation Department.

The Electrical department is involved in designing, constructing and maintaining overhead and underground electrical distribution systems; maintaining City street lights and traffic lights and performing the electrical maintenance work at a majority of City building/facilities.

The Engineering Department is made up of two distinct divisions. The Administration and Design Division is responsible for the design of the City’s water, sewer, drainage, road and traffic services and for the administration of the contracts of outside firms performing related tasks for the City.

The Engineering Operations Division is the outside workforce responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of the various City services. Garbage collection, recycling, towing, animal, parking patrol and the City Garage are included in the Operations Division.

The Finance Department manages the financial affairs of the City. Specific functions of the department include billing and collecting property taxes, electric and water utility charges; accounts payable; accounts receivable; payroll and purchasing. The Finance Department’s goal is to provide expert financial and accounting information to Council, Administration and operational staff.

New Westminster Fire and Rescue Services protects life, property, and the environment through effective emergency management, fire and life safety education, fire code enforcement inspections, and by responding to emergencies. In addition to fire suppression, rescue services and emergency medical services, other roles include working with our community emergency services partners, developing the youth firefighter program and providing community outreach.

The goal of the Human Resources Department is to best utilize the City’s most valuable assets, its employees. This goal is pursued through providing core services such as recruitment, labour relations, health and safety, training and development, and salary and benefits administration to all City departments. In addition, positive employee relations are fostered through the involvement by the Department in many City wide administrative functions. The department also acts as a “sounding board” for organizational and administrative ideas.

Administered by the New Westminster Public Library Board, its mission is to engage and connect the community to a world of imagination, creativity, and lifelong learning by providing information services, digital and print materials, study and meeting spaces, and diverse programming. It is administered by the New Westminster Library Board.

New Westminster is famous for its well maintained parks, first class facilities and top quality recreation programs. The department is comprised of two main divisions. Throughout the year, the Parks Division maintain the parks and playgrounds and beautifies the city with dazzling flower beds, hanging baskets and decorative areas. Whether the program is swimming or skating, arts or aerobics, bus trips or ball hockey, special events or softball, the emphasis in the Recreation Division is always on fun, with qualified leaders in a clean, safe environment.

The mission of the New Westminster Police Department is to work with the community to establish a safer environment by reducing crime, violence and fear. The department has three major divisions; general patrol, criminal investigation, and administrative and technical services. Community involvement, crime prevention and quality service are some of the key strategies which the department has implemented to help it achieve its vision of making New Westminster’s streets the safest in the Lower Mainland. The Police Department is administered by the New Westminster Police Board.