Thurs. Oct. 3, 2024 edition: Burnaby signs agreement with Trans Mountain

Good morning, Burnaby!

This week, we’re diving into all the details about Burnaby’s new relationship with Trans Mountain—the City recently announced that it has signed a Community Contribution Agreement with Trans Mountain, effective Sept. 27, 2024. Under the new agreement, the city has agreed to cooperate with Trans Mountain on emergency response planning (more details on that below). In other news, city planners presented the latest proposed version of Burnaby’s tenant assistance policy last week, and public engagement results concerning Burnaby’s 2050 Community Plan have just been released.

👀 In today's edition:

• Burnaby signs agreement with Trans Mountain

• Burnaby proposes changes to the tenant assistance policy

• Burnaby releases OCP public engagement results

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NEWS

Burnaby signs agreement with Trans Mountain

The City of Burnaby announced that it has signed a “Community Contribution Agreement” with Trans Mountain, effective Sept. 27, 2024.

Under the new agreement, the city agrees to cooperate with Trans Mountain on emergency response planning. Trans Mountain will pay Burnaby $5 million a year for the first three years, after which it will pay $300,000 per year for 17 years. 

Under this agreement, Burnaby must “remove all negative public communications about Trans Mountain, its operations, shareholders, and Affiliates from the City’s communications channels, including websites.” 

Get more details about the agreement and its conditions here.

Burnaby Bulletin

The single-stair apartment building. The concept of building small apartment buildings with a single staircase is being met with renewed debate in Burnaby after the province announced building code changes that removed the requirement to have two stairwells in multi-unit buildings of up to six storeys earlier this year. [Global News]

Duplex catches fire. The Burnaby Fire Department says a family has been displaced after a home in the Metrotown area caught fire last Saturday. Crews were called to a duplex on Burns Place near Kisbey Avenue just before 2pm. [CityNews]

Plans for BC Parkway. Earlier this year, Burnaby released renderings of a proposal for the BC Parkway enhancement project, transforming the multi-use path running under the SkyTrain's Expo Line from a utility corridor into a vibrant linear park. The city has now released new designs and display boards for the next phase of public engagement on the project. [Burnaby Now]

City seeks volunteers. The City of Burnaby is inviting people who live or work in Burnaby and are committed to improving community safety to join their local Community Safety Advisory Committee (CSAC). Applications will be accepted until October 31, 2024.

Funding Burnaby’s Halloween festival. Nearly $130,000 in federal funding is aiming to make Burnaby's Halloween Festival even better this year, helping attract more local and out-of-town guests during a slower fall season. [Burnaby Now]

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NEWS

Burnaby proposes changes to tenant assistance policy

City planners presented the latest proposed version of Burnaby’s Tenant Assistance Policy (TAP) to the Planning and Development Committee last week on Sept. 25. The recommended updates are the result of the second two-year review of the policy. The city last reviewed the TAP in October 2022. 

Since the current version of the TAP was introduced in 2019 and adopted in 2020, subsequent revisions have tried to address gaps in the policy and clarify the language. 

According to a staff report summarizing the changes, “The goal of these updates is to increase clarity and transparency of the TAP in advance of considering the development of a tenant protection bylaw at a later date.”

The new updates will provide better clarity about the policy, but some tenants are still excluded.

Read more about the proposed changes here.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Burnaby releases OCP public engagement results

The City of Burnaby released a 106-page “What We Learned” report detailing the results of the third phase of public engagement regarding the Burnaby 2050 Official Community Plan (OCP). The report was discussed during the city’s most recent Planning and Development Committee meeting on Sept. 25. 

The third phase of OCP public engagement involved several surveys regarding each aspect of the OCP, including policy, vision and values, housing, and transportation. This phase also incorporates the recommendations of the Burnaby Community Assembly, which was a parallel process organized and facilitated by the SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. 

Although the 106-page report is comprehensive, the public engagement participants skewed towards wealthy homeowners who own detached houses, duplexes, and townhomes and was not representative of Burnaby’s demographics.

Read more about the public engagement results and who participated here.

Where to eat & drink

Little Billy’s. A homey Greek restaurant near Burnaby Mountain Park that serves heaping portions of grilled meats, seafood and irresistible dips like saganaki, tzatziki and hummus. Big platters are ideal for larger groups, allowing everyone to try a bit of everything on the menu.

Oneway Cafe. A fantastic brunch and lunch spot in the city, you’ve got to try Oneway Cafe’s eggs bennies and rice bowls. Ingredients like braised pork and bulgogi really make breakfast pop, and lunch items like hefty BLTs, grilled paninis and bibimbap are all worth coming back for.

Maison Mori. Looking to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or other special occasion soon? Perhaps just a sweet treat on your way home from work at the end of a long day? Maison Mori makes incredible cakes and pastries perfect for any kind of day—earl grey chiffon, matcha roll cakes and strawberry cream buns are just a few things they have in store for you to try.

🤝 Now Hiring

Looking to make a move? Here are local jobs open right now:

• Recreation Leader at City of Burnaby

• Claims Representative at Horizon Grocery + Wellness

• Site Assistant at Evonik

• Security Operations Coordinator at Fusion Security

• Customer Service Representative at Sunbelt Rentals

• Cleantech Partnerships Manager at SFU

• Retail Space Planning Specialist at Parkland Corporation

• Intermediate Hydrogeologist at Stantec

Hiring and want to let people know? Reply back and let us know!

🗓 Things to do

Thursday

• Getting Started with Computers. 3pm. Burnaby Public Library.

• Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby. 6pm. Burnaby Village Museum.

• Pumpkins After Dark. Oct 3-Oct 31. Swangard Stadium & Central Park.

Friday

• Live Comedy. 8pm. The Rec Room.

• Healing Exchange. 7:30pm. 5584 Kincaid St.

• Soul Journey: Breathwork, Sound Healing, Meditation and Reiki. 7:30pm. Savasana Meditation.

• Millennial Night Salsa Party. 9pm. World Dance Co.

Saturday

• All About Garlic. 3:30pm. Gardenworks @ Lougheed Hwy.

• Burnaby Foraging/Plant ID Workshop. 11am. Deer Lake Park.

• Land Acknowledgement: An Indigenous and Settler Perspective. 10am. Beta Collective Burnaby.

Sunday

• Fall & Winter Pruning. 10am. Gardenworks @ Lougheed Hwy.

• Paint Nite. 6pm. The Rec Room.

• EcoBlitz Planting Event. 11am. Burnaby Lake Park.

Monday

• Networking Luncheon. 12pm. Lochdale Community Hall Association.

Tuesday

• Family Storytime. 10:30am. Burnaby Public Library.

• Book Launch Party: Unfinished Business. 5pm-8pm. Personas Patio Restaurant & Lounge.

• Swing Dance Class: The Next Step. 8:30pm. 820 6th St.

Wednesday

• Dumpling Fest. 6pm-10pm. Burnaby Heights, more details here. 

• Free Beginner Bachata Class. 8pm. World Dance Co.

• Charity Drag Bingo. 7pm. 759 Carnarvon St.