Following is a letter to Burnaby residents from Mayor Mike Hurley
Thank you to everyone who put their trust in the existing Council and gave me the honour of serving a third term as Mayor of Burnaby in last week’s local election.
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.
It also recognizes our significant investment in public safety, fire stations, community policing and innovative wildfire detection systems, and the largest capital construction program Burnaby has ever undertaken. This is one of the largest municipal investments in community facilities anywhere in Canada, delivering three new state-of-the-art community centres, a new community safety building for our RCMP detachment and a new performing arts centre.
Burnaby is one of Canada’s most diverse and welcoming cities. Even during a period of record growth, we have remained debt-free and kept tax increases and utility fees among the lowest in the region.
With a growing innovation economy at the heart of the Lower Mainland, residents have made it clear they want to see Burnaby continue to grow in a stable and thoughtful way.
Burnaby is not only one of the safest cities in British Columbia but it is the fittest in all of Canada. We’ve planned thoroughly for that, from the Burnaby Lake Overpass and the Mountain Air Bike Skills Course on Burnaby Mountain to our vast network of beautiful parks and trails. The new Burnaby Lake Recreation Centre, with the city’s first Olympic-sized swimming pool and an NHL-sized arena, will take us another step towards becoming Canada’s competition capital.
But there is still much to do. Listening has always been a big part of the job and over the past eight years, that has meant bringing thousands of residents, businesses and community organizations into our task forces and City consultations, meeting people through my Walk and Chats with the Mayor and attending community events across Burnaby most days.
Spending hours on doorsteps each day during the campaign added another important opportunity to listen, answer questions and explain the work taking place.
People shared what matters to them, what they want to see next and their ideas for Burnaby’s future. Those conversations will help shape the work ahead.
Record turnout
A record 50,336 ballots were cast in Burnaby, representing more than 29 per cent of eligible voters. That is the highest number of people ever to take part in a municipal election in the city.
That increase is especially encouraging given the number of choices residents had to consider. Sixty-four candidates ran for mayor, council and school board in Burnaby, while advance voting in the provincial election began the day before Burnaby’s election. Residents had to learn about two sets of candidates and vote in two elections within a week.
Local government matters because so much of its work affects daily life. The City is responsible for roads, water and sewer systems, fire and police services, parks and recreation, waste management, land-use planning, business licensing and many other local services.
Council sets the policies, bylaws and direction that guide that work, while advocating for Burnaby’s needs to the provincial and federal governments who are responsible for housing, transportation, schools, hospitals and the services which address homelessness.
Voting is so important, but public engagement does not end on election day. Please keep sharing your views, taking part in consultations and speaking with members of Council over the next four years.
Thank you to those who made the election possible
Thank you to Dennis Back, Burnaby’s Chief Election Officer, and to all the City staff and election workers who made the election possible. That included the people who supported advance voting, mail voting and voting locations across Burnaby, as well as those involved in receiving and reporting the results.
Thanks also go to everyone who put their name forward and everyone who supported a campaign.
Running for office, volunteering and helping with a campaign all take time and commitment. Everyone who took part did so because they care about Burnaby. Please stay involved and continue bringing that energy and care to the community.
Congratulations to councillors Joe Keithley, Maita Santiago, Daniel Tetrault, James Wang and Richard T. Lee who were all re-elected, with residents acknowledging your hard work and commitment. But also, to Cindy Lee, Ryan Erwin and Kiran Singh, who are set to join Council for the first time.
You can count on the support of experienced colleagues on Council and a mayor committed to helping you succeed. There will be different views around the table, as there should be, but our shared responsibility is to work through them and make the best decisions for all Burnaby residents.
The start of a new Council also means saying goodbye to three councillors who have given a great deal to Burnaby. Councillors Pietro Calendino and Sav Dhaliwal have both served on Council since 2002.
Being Burnaby’s first Punjabi Indo-Canadian councillor and why representation matters
It was important to give them the farewell they deserved in recent weeks, including through their episodes on the Voices of Burnaby podcast and guest Letters from the Mayor articles. Both have brought decades of experience and knowledge to Council, and their contributions will continue to be felt across the city.
Thanks also go to Councillor Alison Gu, who became the youngest councillor ever elected in Burnaby and will no doubt continue contributing to public life and our community in meaningful ways in the years ahead.
What happens next?
Burnaby’s election took place last Saturday with preliminary results posted after voting closed, based on ballots cast on election day, during advance voting and by mail. The Chief Election Officer confirmed the totals by checking the results reported from each voting place and making sure they had been added correctly before declaring the official results on October 21.
The inaugural Council meeting will take place at 5pm on Tuesday, November 10th. The newly elected councillors will be sworn in at that meeting, formally beginning the new Council’s four-year term.
Early in that new term, Council will make appointments to City committees and boards and select Burnaby’s representatives on Metro Vancouver. The current Council’s work, however, continues until then.
The work of the City also continues throughout the transition. Staff are delivering the services residents rely on, moving projects forward and preparing the matters that will come before the new Council.
Thank you again to everyone who voted, everyone who took part in the election and everyone who shared their thoughts over the past few months. The focus now is on continuing the work, reflecting what you have told us and delivering the stable and thoughtful growth Burnaby has voted for.
PODCAST: Serving Burnaby for over four decades, from the classroom to City Hall—with Councillor Pietro Calendino
