A theatre represents the heart of a community; a single performance can unite strangers and evoke a sense of belonging and understanding. New Westminster cannot lose its beloved Massey Theatre. During this period of economic breakdown and resulting budget cuts, we must continue to recognize what is integral to our city’s livelihood. Moreover, we cannot turn a blind eye to the many benefits this particular stage has provided to the students in our district. We must make every effort to preserve and save an aging building that has presented its users with so many opportunities throughout its sixty years of history.

I am having a real problem writing this post. I am a white guy and as my ancestors came to New Westminster in 1909. I am one of the very, veeery few New Westminsterites whose oldsters may have actually participated in active or passive discrimination of Chinese Pioneers in this city’s past.
I fully understand my position in this story but as a bleeding heart liberal and as a BC elementary and secondary student whose history education consisted of French Canadians, Aboriginal Canadians, Chinese Canadians and South Asian Canadians to the …

Though her early lead of over 60%  has waned as the night developed, NDP candidate for New Westminster and former Federal NDP MP Dawn Black held a safe lead as the evening wore on.
An experienced politician and opposition defense critic in Ottawa, Dawn Black will now join the Provincial opposition caucus as New Westminster’s voice in Victoria.
With 142 of 148 ballot boxes reporting, BC Election Results in the riding of New Westminster are below.

New Westminster
Dawn Black
BC NDP
10,908
55.96%

Matthew Laird
Green Party of BC
1,780
9.13%

Carole Dorothy Millar
BC Liberal Party
6,804
34.91%

142 of 148 ballot boxes reported
19,492
100%

The Newsleader’s Michal McQuillan writes a great summary of Wednesday’s meeting to brainstorm solutions to build a west side middle school. Those ideas will be narrowed down to two or three options today [Saturday].
Many of the same questions kept cropping up.
• Why doesn’t the provincial government buy or expropriate land for the school?
• What impact would it have on programs of choice?
• How could the school affect other schools?
• And why can’t the middle school be built on the former cemetery site?
After participants returned from a brief break, workshop moderator …

The City of New West has received a grant from the feds to boost green transportation in the city. We’re already fairly well served by transit, and our small footprint makes New West more walkable than many places. The funds, which will be matched by the city, look like they will target awareness programs. 
The city is receiving a $120,000 grant from the federal government for environmentally-friendly transportation programs to get people out of their cars and encourage walking and cycling to local schools. The funding, matched by the city, also …

New Westminster school trustee Lori Watt calls giving a kidney to friend and acting coach Nathaniel Deveaux the “most unique” Christmas gift she has given in a recent Newsleader profile. No kidding!
It started with a phone call when Watt asked, “What blood type are you?”
“B positive,” he replied.
“I’m B positive too.”
That’s when she started thinking about it. After doing research on transplant surgery she told Deveaux she would donate her kidney.
A battery of medical tests showed they were a match and the surgery was scheduled.
“When we both got out of …

The Vancouver Sun reports that New Westminster will ask school district managers to come back to the classroom as teachers to help offset costs for substitutes due to the $2 million shortfall.

School district managers could be teaching in New Westminster classrooms next month as part of an urgent plan by the district to eliminate a $2-million shortfall without laying off staff.

Senior managers from the board’s head office will work as teachers on call from January until June in a move estimated to save $19,000. A manager is also expected to …

Grimston Park will be protected space, and will not be considered as a future school site according to last night’s school board vote. This is great for the West End, who would have lost its only large park, but leaves New West in a bit of a pickle. New schools must be built, but where? To further complicate matters, our school district is facing a $2 million budget shortfall. We have neither time, nor money, nor resources. So what to do?
Some creative thinking is called for! Some of the ideas …

Royal City Blogger Niki Hope, who excels at all things educational in her website, has recently posted that the Glenbrook Middle School Parent Advisory Council has passed a resolution that, while focusing on the need for a new High School, also calls for the use of Grimston Park as a school site for a middle school.
While the idea of a school on Grimston has been almost universally reviled by the West End community (see Facebook Page Here) and the need for a middle school is still hotly debated, I don’t …

Eagerly awaiting the last official results of the 2008 New Westminster civic elections, we are pleased to relay that the judicial recount for the position of school trustee has been completed. In a message this afternoon from New Westminster Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Doris Fassbender, the results were announced:

Following a two day judicial recount at the BC Provincial Court, New Westminster Registry, Judge Her Honour Alexander declared the results for the office of School Trustee for the 2008 General Local Election for the City of New …

Taking a (web)page straight from the David Plouffe hand book, this local school trustee candidate has been kicking it Obama style by launching a polite and engaging army of telephone campaign staff on the voters of New Westminster.
Oh yes, after getting a call a week ago, my wife asked some questions about the “School on Grimston Park” controversy (against btw) and as a follow up, she asked further questions that the volunteer simply could not answer on Ms. Kaur’s behalf. “May I take your information and Kirpaul can get back …

Photo of NWSS library doors by BuckyHermit (via Flickr)

A small geographical footprint is both one of New Westminster’s charms and one of its challenges. Density is inevitable. Sprawl is not an option. This is great, if you’re assessing public transit feasibility or walkability within the city. It means, however, that options are limited when it comes to new development.  

New West has long known it needs new schools. The current high school is in need of upgrades and isn’t adequate to house all of the city’s kids. The original idea …