Articles: Letter from the Mayor

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.