Councillor Richard Chang
I have been a Burnaby resident for 18 years and was first elected to Council in 2008. Because I was born in Taiwan and speak and read Mandarin, during my time on Council I have enjoyed many opportunities to provide links between the City of Burnaby and Burnaby’s growing population of citizens who have come here from China and Taiwan. More than one-third of Burnaby’s population now speaks Chinese. Because many of these citizens are new immigrants, it is sometimes difficult for them to understand how to access the many services Burnaby has to offer. I continue to welcome the opportunity to assist these people as they work to integrate successfully into their new community.
In addition, I have welcomed many opportunities to work with the City of Burnaby, Burnaby’s business community and Asian cities to advance business relationships. A key factor in the advancement of many of these relationships has been the complementary development of sister-city and friendship agreements between Burnaby and other cities that share common goals and attributes. Sister-city relationships promote education and economic and cultural awareness. Communities also benefit under the arrangement from the exchange of ideas on matters of mutual concern.
The City of Burnaby has a strong tradition and history associated with international sister city or friendship city relationships. Burnaby was one of the first communities in Canada to recognize the economic and cultural opportunities of “friendships” with Asian cities and has supported a very active sister city relationship with Kushiro, Japan since 1965. Burnaby also has sister city relationships with: Mesa, Arizona; Hwaseong, Korea (2010); and Zhongshan City, P.R. China (2011)
I have worked in many capacities in the entertainment and news industries, including as a TV Host for Fairchild TV and as a movie director and producer. I continue to work as a producer and many of my productions have provided opportunities to offer non-profit organizations significant donations to help them advance their charitable initiatives.
Current Focus
I continue to work to help new immigrants – particularly those who are Mandarin speaking – to access information about City services. I am also focused on helping to facilitate the development of relationships and trade agreements between the City of Burnaby, Burnaby businesses (through the Board of Trade), and cities in Asia. Specific achievements include:
- assisting in the completion of a high-tech agreement between Burnaby and Taiwan’s third largest City, Taichung
- leading several trade delegations comprise of Council and Burnaby Board of Trade representatives, to China and Taiwan
- facilitating the signing of a Friendship Agreements between Burnaby and: Chang Shu, P.R. China; Taichung, Taiwan, P.R. China; Dongcheng District (formerly Chongwen District) of Beijing, P.R. China; Tianjin (Dongli District), P.R. China; Kunming, Yunnan Province, P.R. China
Memberships and Community Links
- Member, Community Policing Committee
- Member, Community Heritage Commission
- Member, Transportation Committee
- Past-member, Parks, Recreation and Culture Commission
- Past-member, Social Issues Committee
