This is a page from the 2018 BC Local General Elections.
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Troy Hunter
Independent for New Westminster Council
New Westminster is the heart of Metro Vancouver and I want it to be the place to be. People will come here because of our arts, culture and heritage.
Misc. topics
Accessibility
As we have an aging demographic and others with mobility concerns, we have to ensure that our public spaces meets the needs of all. Good sidewalks with regular upkeep & maintenance, wheelchair ramps, bathrooms with adequate space, etc. are the kinds of things that must be kept.
Affordable Housing
This is one of the most important issues facing City Hall and we have to do whatever council can to ensure the fundamental human right to a home is guaranteed. We need to ensure tenants have safety, security, affordability and mechanisms in place to prevent forced evictions.
Arts and Culture
My undergraduate education at the University of Victoria is heritage conservation. My Diploma is Cultural Conservation, I have built and opened an interpretive centre. I am a photographer and multimedia artist and have been exhibited. I am an author as well. 10 years as V.P.
It is our heritage conservation, preserving our history, celebrating our culture and support for the arts that is going to make New Westminster the place to be.
Cannabis Legalisation & Policy
Is it the white elephant in the room? Noboby is talking about legalization of marijauna and what it means for New Westminster. City Council plays a major role in what is allowed and where. I'm not interested in us being the next Amsterdam. Regulation is necessary.
City Police
Absolutely we have to support our local police force. We all need safety, security and enforcement mechanisms to all areas of the City including Queensborough.
Community Safety and Security
We need to support our New Westminster Police force including budget for a staffed satellite office in our fastest growing neighborhood (Queensborough). We need ample street lighting and should consider camera systems to deter violent crime.
Community-Building
We need great ways to engage with the community, to meet each other, to learn about other cultures and languages, to have more networking and socializing events that don't cost an arm and a leg to get in. We need to embrace our community and be more friendly and welcoming.
Development and Overdevelopment
We cannot stop progress but we can manage it so that adverse effects are minimized. Conservation easements, heritage covenants might be ways homeowners can fight back from overdevelopment. We need to be wise on the decisions made going forward & have to think about all people.
Diversity
New Westminster is a diverse community and City Hall should also have a diverse set of views. I know the plight of immigrants and indigenous peoples and want to bring a voice that is meaningful as I am a lawyer in this city and I support equality and diversity.
Drug Use
It is most upsetting to find used syringes in the lawn where you live or elsewhere. Drug use should be discouraged if it is not legal and we need places and means for people to get off and stay off of drugs, we need to be a healing forest to create change.
Environment & Sustainability
Without a doubt, we have to do more to prevent climate change and we can do this on a local level. That means getting away from fossil fuels and encouraging alternatives such as electricity and bike paths for transportation options. It also means we can create gardens for food.
The Patullo Bridge Expansion just brings more pollution, noise, and vibration to the city when we need peaceful parks, beautiful fountains, luscious gardens and sustainable homes. We need solar energy collectors and rain water harvesing.
Good Governance
The key to our democratic system is to elect individuals within our community while ensuring a wholistic and balanced approach to an effective government system that not only works for the people but it represents all of the people in the community and not just fringe groups.
Green Space
I recently toured the Old Interurban Forest which was logged and had a railway, it is now excellent green space in Burnaby which is in our backyard. If we can save that and build more and better parks in our #NewWest community, I am all for it. I use the parks regularly.
Homelessness
When we think of homelessness, often we think people are there by choice but with rising rent prices, high cost of land, violence, a 50% divorce rate in Canada, then the concept is much more of risk than we think. We need good shelters in proper locations for people in need.
Jobs
We need employment, we need to work and live in the same place and cut down on commuterism. I find many of the people that work here don't live here and then there are too many vacant store fronts, this has to change.
Mental Wellness
One of the things City Council can do is support the concept of a 50's Town Square which is great for dementia patients as it helps them to remember the past. We also need to support our Royal Columbia Hospital and other facilities to care for and treat persons that need it.
Natural Disaster Measures
Who would have thought an earthquake and tsunami could hit New Westminster, but it can. This means we need preparation, tsunami evacuation routes, and to think twice about putting skyscrapers on the mud flats adjacent to the Fraser River. We also need to evaluate old buildings.
Parks
Great parkland is fantastic, we also need dog parks, the seniors & others love to interact with dogs. We need safe, beautiful and attractive parks in the city and nearby. The old interurban forest in Burnaby would be great as a park, more should be done to save our green spaces.
Pedestrian Safety
Crosswalks and sidewalks are necessary and their upkeep. Queensborough needs bike paths and walking paths, and open ditches are not necessary. I like the idea of cobblestone streets and sidewalks in areas of high tourism potential with more yellow light buttons to cross roads.
Public Engagement
We need to engage more and better. We could use a variety of engagement methods including the Internet, community town halls, & door to door. Too often I didn't know Columbia Street is shut down for some activity whether its parking for movie companies or other & I work there.
Public Transit
I believe there is a better, more efficient and greener way to transport people including high school students to and from Queensborough using alternative methods. I am looking at how an aerial tramway would be feasible connecting uptown and downtown and Queensborough Landing.
Reconciliation
First and foremost we need a reconcilliation agreement with Qayqayt First Nation and assist them with their land claim as they do not have a Reservation and this is unacceptable. Secondly, we need to consult and hear what it means from First Nations and have their support first.
Recreation
My policy on youth is related. We need to use the river for kayaking, boating, sailing, fishing, we need parks, we need bike paths including Queensborough, we need champions and mentors and we need a community that embraces each other and grows together and plays together.
Recycling
Waste management is imperative to a healthy environment. We only have limited resources & we have to think about at least the next 7 generations going forward. It means we can and will do better. We must understand what is not working and fix it because full garbage bins isn't.
Road Maintenance
The fixing of roads should be done at times when it is not peak traffic hours and it should be done as quick as possible while maintaining high standards of professionalism. There are places in our city that are identified hazards but haven't been fixed for more than a year.
Seniors
We need to support all seniors, give them opportunities to own pets, protect dog parks, assist them as they become empty nesters and give them housing options that meets their needs at least cost possible. We need interaction with our community Elders and share time with them.
Sewage and Water Infrastructure
First off, we need rainwater catchment or harvesting systems. Our old infrastructure needs to be reliable and safe and minimize hazards to health and environment. We need to make sure that sewage is properly and safely taken care of.
Small Business
New Westminster City Council must do all that it can to ensure that small business flourishes, whether its home based business, portable, or in a commercial space. No more empty spaces, provide high speed Internet to all businesses and attract tourism operators as well.
Sports and Leisure
There is a lot of talk of a new swimming pool to replace the Canada Games pool. We need to understand completely if the Canada Games pool really needs dismantling or is it good for another ten years. Major expenses need good evaluations. We need a marina, we need kayaks, etc.
Taxes
Most people are not in favour of giving more money to the tax collector and rightly so; however, our tax dollars pay for the things the City is supposed to provide including police protection, clean safe streets, good roads, good sidewalks, infrastructure, parks, maintenance, etc
Traffic
We cannot rebuild Pattullo Bridge, we need a new bridge on east side of Sapperton Bar to connect the freeway, Highway Number 1 with Surrey while minimizing flow through traffic in Sapperton, in New Westminster, on Royal Avenue, uptown and on Front Street. Get traffic out.
Vibes
My policy is that New Westminster is going to be the place where people want to be. It is to be known as a vibrant place with lots of art, culture and heritage aspects as well as having great tourist attractions. We need to think like Banff or downtown Victoria, we have it.
Youth
We need great activities for youth in sports, arts, culture, outdoors, and much more. We need to bring all youth forward in events and activities and to look to our resources such as a river or a hillside and find ways to make healthy things to do such as sailing, ziplines, etc.
Connecting Queensborough
I have made a plan for an aerial tramway that would bring commuters, high school students, community members, & tourists from downtown to uptown to Queensborough to the Casino, to Queensborough Landing, to the River Front. This would be electrical and better for the environment.
Support for Tourism
The average draft of a cruise ship is 9 metres and that the Vancouver Port Authority allows for an 11.5M draft. This means New Westminster is capable of accommodating cruise ships and there is an existing passenger dock at the discovery centre, tourism needs better support.
We need to give tourists a reason to come to New Westminster. We are not just a commuter city with a little river front, we are not just a place to buy a wedding dress, we are British Columbia's first city, we are the Royal City, we need to celebrate our rich heritage and cultural diversity. We need cruise ships coming to our existing port with existing passenger exit deck from the old casino cruise ship. We are going to be the place where people want to be.
Biography
submitted by the candidate or their team
New Westminster Lawyer JD, born at Royal Columbia, five years call as lawyer, 3 years experience as School Trustee, 10 years experience as Vice President of a Provincial organization known as Indigenous Arts Service Organization, has a Diploma in Heritage Conservation, dog lover.
My law office is on Columbia Street which I opened in 2017. I have lived here in New Westminster for four years now and this is the place I was born. I feel connected and belong to #New West.
I was formerly elected as a School Trustee in SD#58 which is Merritt and Princeton area. I grew up in Cranbrook and I am a member of the Ktunaxa First Nation (Kootenay). I have ancestry that includes Scotland, Ireland, France, and Germany. I recently visited Old Quebec City where I have ancestral roots that married in the Notre Dame church in 1668 after immigrating from France.
My dad (Roy Hunter) and my grandfather (Albert Hunter) were both bridge builders, they were there when the Second Narrows disaster occurred at the Memorial Bridge. I do believe that many of the bridges in the province were built with the hands of my father and grandfather.
I am a historian and author. I've just completed a manuscript about the Metis of the Rocky Mountains with a 200 year history in British Columbia.
My wife is Indonesian and we met when I lived in Jakarta while I was training (articling) to become a lawyer.
I love New Westminster and want to be part of the great changes that are coming to make our city welcoming, attractive, and a great place to be.
troyhunter.ca www.troyhunter.ca