Articles: Letter from the Mayor

Municipalities are engaging on the ground every day in our communities, we have the local insights necessary to make effective decisions about how our communities grow, where new housing, businesses and jobs can best meet local needs, and align with the delivery and maintenance of roads, water and sewer systems, fire protection, parks, recreation facilities and other public infrastructure.

Tens of thousands of people attended last year’s month-long Burnaby Halloween Festival which generated $10.85 million in economic benefit for the city. This year, close to 30 events are taking place across Burnaby throughout October. From Saturday’s Monster Dash 5K which brings a flavour of Burnaby’s active, outdoor spirit, to film screenings, art installations, haunted tours, the Day of the Dead market and performances, and pop-up experiences across our town centres.

That result recognizes the work being done across our City over the past eight years, from delivering landmark protections for renters and fighting for the promised redevelopment of Burnaby Hospital to standing up to the provincial government’s one-size-fits all housing policies and helping to step in as a municipality and start filling the affordable housing gap ourselves.

When I came to Canada from Italy in 1959, building a new life here was much harder than it is today. That was true for Italians, but also for people from many other countries and cultures.

When I first ran for Burnaby City Council, becoming its first Punjabi Indo-Canadian councillor was not what motivated me. It had never occurred to me to run because I was Punjabi, and I certainly did not see myself as a candidate for my own community. I wanted to serve the whole city, just as every councillor should. It was only after I was elected that I fully understood the importance of what it meant to everyone in the community, to me and to our city.

Burnaby is proof that a growing urban city can protect and improve its waterways at the same time. Around the world, many cities have lost the creeks and streams that once flowed through them. As communities grew, waterways were culverted, paved over and forgotten. Burnaby chose a different path. Thanks in part to its long-standing Open Watercourse Policy, roughly 70 per cent of the streams that existed here 125 years ago still exist today.

The Union of British Columbia Municipalities, or UBCM, brings local governments together to represent our shared interests and advocate to the Province on the issues affecting our communities. The annual convention is where local leaders, through policy sessions, workshops and resolution debates, discuss these common priorities and meet directly with provincial representatives.

In Burnaby, we are investing at record levels in the facilities, parks, trails and public spaces that help keep our community active. This investment is essential to meeting the needs of a growing city and ensuring Burnaby remains an outdoor and active city, which is such an important part of our identity and quality of life.

We are so proud in Burnaby to be a city where people can experience food from around the world within only a few blocks.

Over the years, family visiting from Ireland have always been excited to explore the Burnaby locations they recognize from film and television…

Modular housing is not a silver bullet, but it is an example of the kind of innovation and most importantly, the collaboration that will be needed to address our housing challenges in the years ahead.

Burnaby has not experienced wildfires on the scale seen elsewhere in BC, but hotter, drier summers are increasing the risk. Burnaby Mountain requires particular attention because its steep, forested slopes are close to homes and critical infrastructure. But the risk is not limited to the mountain.

Trees cover almost a third of our city, from the forests of Burnaby Mountain and Central Park to those lining our neighbourhood streets. Together, they form an urban canopy that is pivotal to Burnaby’s identity and to the quality of life our residents enjoy.

It is important for residents to know that this upgrade was part of a larger 25-year plan for Burnaby's parks, shaped by extensive feedback from the community. Residents told us what they wanted, and this plan provides a roadmap to meet those needs today while ensuring our park system can keep apace as Burnaby grows and faces new challenges.

The visit marked the announcement of two major projects being planned by the Ismaili community in Burnaby: Generations Burnaby, a mixed-use seniors and community care campus, and the Burnaby Lake multipurpose centre (Pavilion).

Construction plays a vital foundational role in shaping our region—delivering the housing, commercial and industrial infrastructure we need while supporting economic growth, creating jobs and building strong, resilient communities.

To suggest homelessness in our city and the problems associated with it can be solved overnight is not being realistic or understanding of the complex legal, practical and human challenges involved.

Many years ago, I immigrated from Ireland to the greatest country in the world. Canada welcomes people from all cultures and backgrounds, and there is something truly special about the way we come together, can build a life here and continue to learn from one another.

Over the next decade the federal government has committed more than $5 billion toward infrastructure investments in British Columbia. Anything which potentially helps deliver more housing, improve affordability and invests in the infrastructure needed to support our growing community is welcome news.

Burnaby enters the second half of 2026 with strong momentum, as our local companies gain recognition on the global stage and we advance an ambitious capital program that will replace aging civic facilities and reshape everyday life for our residents.

The State of the City address plays an important role each year—updating Burnaby's business community on the progress being made across our city while setting out a clear strategy for the future. This year marked my eighth address as Mayor, and it remains an important opportunity to take stock of where Burnaby stands today and where we are headed.

During my recent Walk, Roll and Chat, residents from the Capitol Hill neighbourhood in North Burnaby spoke to me about the impact the new YVR flight paths are having on their community—and how tired they are of living under the noise of constant planes week after week.

As we advance the largest capital construction program in Burnaby’s history, it is important that we explain to residents the financial planning that has made these projects possible. Which means clarifying what are reserves, reserve funds and how must we use them?

It was great to be at Web Summit last week, showcasing Burnaby’s innovation economy on the global stage. Not only were we invited to speak, but Burnaby’s growing presence in technology and life sciences was referenced again and again over the course of the summit—from centre stage to the exhibition floor, and in conversations with organizations and founders from around the world.

As a City, we are always looking for ways to improve how we serve our community. Over the past few years, Burnaby has delivered a level of capital investment that is unprecedented in the city’s history, including one of the largest municipal investments in community facilities anywhere in Canada.

Last Friday, I met with Premier David Eby, major community contributors, senior representatives from the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, doctors and frontline staff to discuss the future of Phase 2 of the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment. The meeting took place amid widespread frustration and disappointment across Burnaby following the Province’s announcement earlier that week that the Phase 2 construction contract had been cancelled.

One of the things we are best known for in Burnaby is our exceptional network of parks, outdoor spaces and natural beauty. As we move into the warmer months, we get more opportunities to enjoy these spaces, and it’s also when we host many of our City events.

Tomorrow night, Rise FC kick off the new Northern Super League season as reigning champions at Swangard Stadium. In Burnaby, promoting accessible, active living across every project we can is a priority.

The overnight lifting of the Burnaby Lake Overpass across Highway 1 last November was one of the city’s highlights of 2025. We are delighted to announce that as of Monday, April 27 the new overpass will officially be open to the public.

In the coming days, many residents across Burnaby will gather to celebrate Vaisakhi—one of the most important days of the year for our Sikh community. This week, Jewish families are marking Passover, while Christians recently came together for Easter.

Last Sunday marked the first Walk and Chat with the Mayor of 2026, beginning the eighth year of what is becoming a real community tradition through spring and summer in Burnaby. Walkers meet at the Christine Sinclair Community Centre at 9 am, for a one-hour walk.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, federally funded affordable housing fell from tens of thousands of units annually to almost none. Over the following decades it became a major driver of the crisis we face today.

The redevelopment of Burnaby Hospital is long overdue. The business and health care case for redeveloping Burnaby Hospital now is clear. This is the priority health care project in the province. This is the right thing to do.

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.

As a Burnaby resident, about two per cent of your property tax goes to Metro Vancouver’s regional district services, as well as roughly $65 a month for water, sewer and solid waste which are collected through utility charges.

Local news has long been how residents understand what’s happening in Burnaby. That is from decisions at City Hall, to what’s going on in local schools, upcoming community events, the local sports and arts scene, and how public policy affects daily life in our city.

It’s important to us in the City of Burnaby that we buy Canadian, but just as important that we support our residents and local businesses to do the same. Right now, cities across Canada are facing real economic uncertainty.

The target response time for firefighters to arrive on the scene of an emergency is just over six minutes. Everything we can do to support our firefighters meeting that standard in Burnaby is crucial.

At this time of year, many families across the City are thinking about their personal finances - catching up after the holidays, reviewing household budgets, and planning for the year ahead. It’s usually a moment to pause, and think carefully about both stability but also the future.

By signing off 2025 with the 10th anniversary of the Pat Quinn Classic, we’re ending the year in Burnaby as we approached it throughout - working collaboratively, celebrating community, and being the welcoming, active, fun city we are. A late-December minor hockey tournament has been part of Burnaby’s sports calendar since 1962, making this one of the longest-running events of its kind anywhere.

Within three months of becoming Mayor, we formed our first Task Force on housing, and in January, we’ll convene our third. This time to tackle another one of Burnaby’s most critical priorities: ensuring our City’s economic growth and resilience.

Public hearings are one of the most fundamental parts of our local democracy. As Mayor, I have sat through hearings that run more than seven hours, and last Monday, over five hours were dedicated to hearing from residents on the updated R1 zoning bylaws in response to new provincial housing legislation.

B.C. Premier David Eby was recently left frustrated on the sidelines as discussions about a major Alberta-to-coast pipeline moved forward without B.C. at the table. It’s not a good feeling - and I can tell you, municipalities feel the same way when decisions about our communities are made without our input.

From the very first day I arrived in Canada, I felt welcomed and accepted. When immigrating to a new country you have to roll up your sleeves and work…

A Burnaby resident whose family has lived here for three generations shared with me recently that all of her children had to move to Mission to find homes that met their needs.

After more than 30 years in the Fire Department, I've learned that communication is the single most important tool for getting the job done. In high-pressure, life-or-death situations, we had to communicate clearly and effectively to help people in their greatest moments of need.