New Westminster

RCH Hospital Thrift Store Needs Volunteers

SusanWest — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 23:27:52 +0000

RCH Hospital Thrift Store Needs Volunteers SusanWest Sat, 09/20/2025 - 19:27

'New To You' sells second hand products to the public and finances many medical items yearly.

There are so many reasons to volunteer at the Royal Columbian Hospital Thrift Store called 'New To You', which is near the New Westminster Public Library on 6th Ave. In this video, enthusiastic volunteer Deni Loubert has a lot to say about why it's worthwhile.

There are many volunteers needed on an ongoing basis to keep this important community store open, she explains. The store carries a wide variety of items, all in good shape and at low prices, that are really needed by many low-income people, including immigrants, refugees, and others living in difficult circumtances. Of course, the store attracts people of all income levels.

In this video, Deni provides a picture of all the various 'departments' in the store that cater to a variety of needs, including clothes for adults and children, kitchen and dining items, shoes, books, DVDs, and more. She also provides a description of the work involved in running the store, and why she enjoys working there, not the least of which is getting to know people in the community.

Not only are there lots of personal reasons that motivate her work there, there is also the benefit of knowing you are helping many departments in the hospital to acquire needed medical equipment. For example, this year the thrift store made over $200,000 that was used to pay for which over 50 items need in a number of departments at the Royal Columbian Hospital.

For those who don't wish to volunteer, Deni reminds viewers that donations to the store are appreciated as is the patronage of anyone wanting to get a bargain and support the store's aims.

NewWest.tv

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Non Profits & Activism

Sat, 09/20/2025 - 12:00

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Long-time Volunteer at 'New To You' Thrift Store explains how the store operates and why she volunteers.

Tags

#Royal Columbian Hospital; #RCH Thrift Store; #New To You Thrift Store; #New Westminster; #RCH Auxilliary;

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00:15:26

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Q to Q Ferry rates will rise in 2026 despite objections of three City Councillors

SusanWest — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 23:17:58 +0000

Q to Q Ferry rates will rise in 2026 despite objections of three City Councillors SusanWest Sat, 09/20/2025 - 19:17

In the September 15 City Council meeting that took place at Queensborough Community Centre, councillors reviewed the proposed changes on city fees and rates for 2026, on a wide variety of city services.
The proposed rate increases for passengers on the Q to Q ferry, from Quayside in downtown New Westminster to Queensborough, caused the most debate and discussion.
Proposed rates would amount to considerable hike percentage-wise, approximately 11%. but in an absolute terms it amounted to approximately 25 cents, as several councillors pointed out.
Councillor Daniel Fontaine was strongly against this increase on the grounds it would affect vulnerable people. The Mayor and other Councillors pointed out that the ferry was heavily subsidized by the city to the tune of approximately $800,000 per year and that discussions with Queensborough residents indicated that they were fine about an increase in fees particularly as it would ensure the ferry service being continued.
The Mayor said that they were able to lock down a contract with the ferry company for 5 years. And as Councillor Jaimie McEvoy pointed out, it was very difficult to find a company willing to take on that job.
Ultimately, the Council agreed to the increase in fare for the multi-use tickets, but there was some reduction agreed to on concession tickets.
The Ferry plies from Quayside to Queensborough daily every half hour from 7:30am to 7:30 pm, and has made it possible for Queensborough residents to avoid the heavy traffic on the Queensborough bridge. It has become an important addition to the transportation system of New Westminster.

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Sat, 09/20/2025 - 12:00

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Mayor says rates justified considering the City subsidizes it at a very high level.

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#Queensborough Ferry;# Q2Q Ferry; #City Council; #Ferry Fares Increase 2026; #New Westminster;

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00:22:57

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Sat, 09/20/2025 - 12:00

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Re-Invigorating the Fraser River Waterfront Walkway with Increased Interest in It

SusanWest — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 23:06:28 +0000

Re-Invigorating the Fraser River Waterfront Walkway with Increased Interest in It SusanWest Sat, 09/20/2025 - 19:06

In 2016. the New Westminster City Council adopted an ambitious plan to create a walkway of greenways and parks along a large chunk of the city's riverside, from Sapperton through to Quayside and on through Queensborough's waterfront.

At the city council meeting of Sept. 15, Councillor Ruby Campbell put forward a motion to have an update on the status of the overall project.

While the walkway has been extended recently by the new residential high rises not far from the Fraser River Discovery Centre....she says that she has had many enquiries by city residents about the status of the larger project.

There has also been a rising interest by Tourism New West and Destination BC, the provincial crown corporation that markets BC as a tourism, according to Ruby.

In the interests of re-invigorating the plan, she has put forward a motion to get a city staff to update councillors on where the project stands.

Mayor Patrick Johnstone agreed that it was a good time to consider next step given the amount of activity on the waterfront, the longterm plan to enhance the Fraser River to attract tourists, and the additional interest of Metro Vancouver Parks. He also stated that this area has also a great importance to the indigenous people who will be part of the planning.

City Staff will now look at where the project is at the moment and potential plans for extending the walkway from Pier Park through to Sapperton – an area which has some challenges what with railways, the new bridge and the decommissioning of the Pattullo Bridge, among other issues.

NewWest.tv

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Sat, 09/20/2025 - 12:00

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Residents, NewWest Tourism, Destination BC and Others Want Waterfront Project Re-Invigorated.

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#Fraser Riverfront Walkway; #New Westminster; #City Council; #Councillor Ruby Campbell:

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00:13:00

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Major Safety Issues in Queensborough, says Community Delegate

SusanWest — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 22:57:45 +0000

Major Safety Issues in Queensborough, says Community Delegate SusanWest Sat, 09/20/2025 - 18:57

First up from the community was a delegation by a civil engineer living in Queensborough, who had some safety concerns locally, including what he said was a dangerous cross walk.

He said that the crosswalk goes across Ewen Street from the Community Centre to two schools. He says the street has become a hazard for pedestrians crossing – many of them children - because it is being used by commuters to get to Annancis Island, and is not just used by locals. Many drive quickly and don't stop for pedestrians waiting.

As a civil engineer, he had some concerns of the costing of the sign to be put up and proposed a number of engineering suggestions for making the crossing safer.

He also expressed concern with the fact that policing in the community is limited. He said that there is a need for a satellite police station as there had been in the past. Councillor Tasha Henderson, who sits on the Police Board, said that it was being considered for the next fiscal year.

And finally, he said that there is a pervasive belief that Queensborough doesn't get the city revenues ploughed back into the area commensurate with the property taxes paid. Councillor Ruby Campbell pointed out that this year there was many millions of dollars being put into the community, including the Active Transportation Plan, pavement additions and other amenities in the Community Centre. Of course, the Q2Q ferry had been subsidized to a very high level so it could be continued.

There was a good discussion with council members on these points.

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Sat, 09/20/2025 - 12:00

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A Dangerous Crosswalk and Lack of Policing are of Concern, also Queensborough feels it is ignored.

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#Queensborough; #New Westminster; #Dangerous Crosswalk; #Ewen Street; #Policing Issues

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00:19:16

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Property Tax Increases in Dispute by City Councillors

SusanWest — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 22:45:46 +0000

Property Tax Increases in Dispute by City Councillors SusanWest Sat, 09/20/2025 - 18:45

At the City Council meeting of September 15th, Councillors considered the proposed Process for Creation of the City's 2026 budget, including the scheduling, utility rates and most controversially... baseline property tax rates.

There was a general discussion of business taxes, about how they are determined. Businesses selling liquor have the highest license fees as is the case in most municipalities, it was explained. And there is an upper limit of what fees can be applied, according to the Chief Administrative Officer.

Mayor Patrick Johnstone said that fees are developed to be in line with surrounding municipalities, and in fact, they reduced liquor fees this year because New Westminster was charging more than the neighbouring cities.

Councillor Ruby Campbell said that there had been a few meetings about business taxes and there were well-considered.

It was the property tax issue that resulted in some widely divergent opinions and a fulsome discussion by the councillors.

Councillor Daniel Fontaine started the debate. He put forward a addendum to the main motion on adopting the City Staff's Budget 2026 Process, to have staff put forward a plan showing tax baseline rates at 0% increase in taxes and 2.5% increases in taxes.

The baseline tax rate in the initial report indicated a tax rate increase of a little over 5% . As was pointed out by the Finance Director, that is to cover only existing costs and contracts, with no new projects considered.

There was considerable discussion on the impact of inflation and also the importance of keeping the many services that the city provides. With a low tax rate, there would be many lost. Councillors Fontaine and Minhas felt that there should be some substantial cuts.

The addendum to the Motion was passed unanimously, as all felt it would be a good exercise to see what the impact of low tax rate would be.

NewWest.tv

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Sat, 09/20/2025 - 12:00

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Council passes motion for staff's Budget 2026 Process with details about different property tax hikes.

Tags

#New Westminster; #City Council Sept 2025; #Budget 2026 Process; #Mayor Patrick Johnstone; #Councillor Daniel Fontaine

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00:21:30

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More City Grants for Climate Issues Say New West's Climate Action Hub

SusanWest — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 22:35:20 +0000

More City Grants for Climate Issues Say New West's Climate Action Hub SusanWest Sat, 09/20/2025 - 18:35

At the September 15th City Council meeting, which was held in Queensborough, there were two delegations from the New Westminster Climate Action Hub.

The first presentation was by Sheryl Lewis and Aggie Black, who told council about their very successful Sustainable Homes Info Sessions in the spring, which was in part funded by the city. The Mayor, who attended, said he was impressed.

The event was all about teaching New Westminster residents about mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity – all important ways that people can reduce carbon emissions in an effort to fight climate change.

The event featured 3 homes and a laneway home, and there were expert community members putting on sessions on a range of topics from the electrification of your home to creating biodiverse gardens that attract pollinators and growing your own food garden. A cycling session was all put on by a local organization called the Hub.
This session was done on very limited funds, only $2000, with the help of 40 volunteers.

Following there was a delegation by Karen Crosbie of the same organization who asked the Council to consider more grants for climate action projects. She pointed out that of all the community grants that city has given out, only .01 percentage were for projects related to climate action, despite the city having adopted 7 strong pillars of action to reduce carbon emissions and to mitigate the heating of the planet through a wide variety of means.

Council seemed amenable to find a pocket of funding for grants for that purpose.
Next year, the Info Session will happen on May 2, 2026.

NewWest.tv

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Sat, 09/20/2025 - 12:00

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A Sustainable Homes Info Sessions by Climate Action Last Spring Was Successful Despite Limited Budget

Tags

#City Council; #New Westminster; #September 2025; #New Westminter Climate Action Hub;

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00:16:15

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Hospital Thrift Store Makes $200,000 this Year to Help Fund Medical Supplies

SusanWest — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 19:46:47 +0000

Hospital Thrift Store Makes $200,000 this Year to Help Fund Medical Supplies SusanWest Tue, 09/09/2025 - 15:46

The thrift store, New To You, run by volunteers of the Royal Columbian Hospital Auxilliary provides considerable funds that pay for many needed medical items in the hospital. This year the funds amounted to more than $200,000.

Once a year, after the hospital departments have created their budgets for the year, they each put together a wish list of their needs, items that might be paid for by the RCH Auxilliary and in particular the RCH Thrift Store. Representatives of each department come to a meeting of the RCH Auxilliary and the RCH Foundation to make presentations about the items that they would like to be funded.

This year, 51 items were funded for use in a variety of departments. These items ranged from infant sleep sacks to surgical instruments, from a biopsy device to an infinity game table for ACL patients, lead aprons for doctors working in critical care to a new electronic tablet used to help stroke patients relearn language skills. Other medical items that got funding included a power adjustable chair for use by lab technologists, a device for analyzing blood, a frame to still young children in order to do X-rays, baby car seats for parents of low-income families, and others.

Funded were the wish lists of 14 departments including medical imaging, hematology, speech language pathology, respiratory therapy and others.Unfortunately, not all requests by the 25 departments could be met from this funding tranche, but there are other funding sources that can be tapped through the RCH Foundation.

Thrift store volunteer Deni Loubert talks about the store, it's mission and the recent presentation event, which she videotaped.

NewWest.tv

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Tue, 09/09/2025 - 12:00

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The RCH Auxiliary and RCH Foundation funded 51 articles for 14 hospital departments from Thrift Store profits.

Tags

#New To You Thrift Store; #Royal Columbian Hospital; #RCH Auxilliary;#RCH funding; #New Westminster

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00:15:25

Music Credit

Tomas Skyldeberg, 'Celebration of Life'

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Mon, 09/08/2025 - 12:00

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London Street Concerns about the Active Transportation Plan get a Reprieve

SusanWest — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 05:25:43 +0000

London Street Concerns about the Active Transportation Plan get a Reprieve SusanWest Mon, 09/01/2025 - 01:25

The Active Transportation Route planned for London Street has caused a on-going stream of delegations to City Council in the last few months, by residents who are unhappy with the plan and with what they see as a lack of adequate consultation about it.

At the meeting of August 25th, two motions were put forward by councillors to deal with this issue. The first, put forward by Councillor Henderson asked that City Staff bring the plans to Council before tendering any work to be done and that further communication with London Street residents would happen at that time. This was passed.

The second motion asked for a pause on the project for a short time for further consultations and it was defeated, in part because of the redundancy with the first motion already passed.

But before the video dives into the council debate, first up is a a video of the London Street delegation that presented at the Council meeting. At the very end of the video program, there is coverage of another delegate speaking about similar issues on 7th Street with respect to the Active Transportation Plan there.

NewWest.tv

Video

Sun, 08/31/2025 - 12:00

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Council debates about two motions on how to handle the considerable resistance from the street's residents.

Tags

#New Westminster; #City Council; #Active Transportation Route; #London Street; #7th Street; #Councillor Tasha Henderson;

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Total Duration of Civic content. format is hh:mm:ss

00:54:39

Music Credit

Tomas Skyldeberg, 'Celebration of Life'

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Sun, 08/31/2025 - 12:00

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City Council Votes to Increase Budgets for Grants for Community Events

SusanWest — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 05:15:12 +0000

City Council Votes to Increase Budgets for Grants for Community Events SusanWest Mon, 09/01/2025 - 01:15

The July City Council meeting stopped abruptly when two councillors walked out during an acrimonious discussion about a motion regarding City Grants to non-profit organizations.

On August 25th, the motion and two addendums added by the Mayor, were re-introduced and respectfully discussed among the councillors.

The motion in question was put forward by Councillor Paul Minhas asking that certain long-standing organizations – legacy organizations – should be guaranteed city grants.

The two-part addendum to the motion put forward by the Mayor asked: First to increase the city grants by 50% for the coming budget year and second, to advocate to various provincial ministries for more funding so that the city can provide grants to more organizations. Currently, they are twice as many applications for grants as can be accommodated by the city. Most recently, there were asks for $2 million, while the available grants amounted to $1 million dollars.

The motion to guarantee funding to particular pre-determined organizations was not passed. However, the asks to increase city-grant budgets and to advocate for more provincial funding, were passed. In effect, an increase in available city grants would likely mean that some of the 'so-called' legacy organizations would have a greater likelihood of be funded in any case.

The Mayor said that the various services provided by organizations in the city such as those that put on fairs and festivals and hold important community events are very important to creating connections in the community, economic value, and tourism among other aspects considered key to the city's future.

NewWest.tv

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Sun, 08/31/2025 - 12:00

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Council sees City Grants for Fairs, Festivals, Sports and Events Provide Many Benefits.

Tags

#New Westminster; City Council; Grants for Non-Profits; #Mayor Patrick Johnstone

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Total Duration of Civic content. format is hh:mm:ss

00:22:26

Music Credit

Tomas Skydleberg, 'Celebration of Life'

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Sun, 08/31/2025 - 12:00

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The City's 'Building Safer Communities' Program presented at Council Meeting

SusanWest — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 05:01:02 +0000

The City's 'Building Safer Communities' Program presented at Council Meeting SusanWest Mon, 09/01/2025 - 01:01

One of the highlights of the City Council meeting of August 25th was the presentation of a report on the Building Safer Communities program that was begun in 2022 by the City. Funded by Public Safety Canada, with some provincial funds, it is a very wide-reaching program developed to serve 'at risk youth' and build youth resiliency in the city. The project involved research into the needs of the community, co-ordination with many non-profit organizations and the establishment of an 'At Risk' Situational Table, where monthly, representatives of many agencies meet to develop plans for helping 'at risk' youth in a timely manner.

For further understanding of the work of the Building Safer Communties Program, two delegations of organizations involved in the program presented their work made at Council. First, there was a presentation by Melanie Smith, who is the Administrator for Safe & Caring Schools in the local school district. It is in the schools where many of the 'at risk' youth in need of urgent care are identified, she said. She also explained about the monthly the Situational Table and its work to get urgent solutions for youth in need. It includes representatives from a wide variety of organizations.

Tom Littlewood of Dan's Legacy also made a presentation at Council. This non-profit has been working to help at risk youth for decades providing a whole wrap-around of services for them. It's most public facing program is their local kitchen that sells soup and other food made by youth, but Dan's Legacy provides a whole gamut of services, as Tom explains.

Council will be looking into continue to fund this program into the future.

NewWest.tv

Video

Sun, 08/31/2025 - 12:00