In Conversation: Mayor’s Podcast and Letter

Childcare is one of the biggest affordability challenges facing families and single parents in Burnaby and across BC. High fees and long waitlists make it harder for parents to work, go to school, or fully participate in community life.

This month, Burnaby marks a major milestone in the most significant period of civic investment in our city’s history. Four cornerstone projects in our capital construction program have now surpassed 50% completion—part of what is not only the largest capital construction program Burnaby has ever undertaken, but one of the largest municipal investments in community facilities anywhere in Canada.

Municipalities like Burnaby receive roughly nine per cent of the total taxes collected in our city–yet we are being asked to do more and more, with less and less support from other orders of government. Amid global economic uncertainty, slowing provincial growth, and high costs putting pressure on public finances, the provincial government’s Budget 2026 outlines a $13.3 billion deficit–one of the largest deficits British Columbians have faced–with significant impacts on Burnaby.

From everyone at City Hall, we wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous Lunar New Year. This celebration is shared across Burnaby by a broad Asian diaspora–from thousands of residents with roots in Hong Kong and Taiwan to our sizeable Korean and Vietnamese communities, and the more than one third of residents who identify as Chinese.