Thurs. Sept. 19, 2024 edition: City to conduct a full-scale emergency response exercise

Good morning, Burnaby!

This week, we’re looking into an announcement made by city council in early September detailing plans to conduct a full-scale emergency response exercise, testing the city’s readiness in the event of a disaster. According to city officials, the exercise will likely occur in 2027. In other news, the Beacon took a walk with the city’s parks design manager to learn more about Burnaby’s fascinating display of eco-sculptures, and a new art exhibition featuring a former Burnaby resident is coming to the Lower Mainland just next week.

👀 In today's edition:

• A full-scale emergency response exercise

• Get to know Burnaby’s eco-sculptures

• Imagining new worlds with art

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NEWS

City to conduct a full-scale emergency exercise

The City of Burnaby announced in early September that it plans to conduct a full-scale emergency response exercise to test the city’s readiness in the event of a disaster. The city said the exercise will likely occur in 2027. In recent months, Burnaby has stepped up its emergency preparedness after the expansion of the Trans Mountain (TMX) pipeline and tank farm. 

In 2021, the city hired ONEC Group, a third-party consultant, to prepare a risk assessment and an eight-minute animated video of hypothetical scenarios on Burnaby Mountain and the Westridge Marine Terminal. The video was released on the city’s YouTube channel in August. 

The video shows the fossil fuels inside tanks on Burnaby Mountain and Westridge Marine Terminal sloshing around during an earthquake and then spilling onto the ground. The tanks burst into flames, which rapidly spread to the surrounding areas. 

Get the full story here.

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Burnaby Bulletin

Charged with manslaughter. Four people have been charged with manslaughter and forcible confinement more than a year after a 19-year-old youth was killed in an apparent home invasion in Burnaby, BC. According to authorities, charges were laid in the death of Ryan Nagy, who lived at a home on the 7600-block of 17th Avenue. [CBC]

A new child care centre. The City of Burnaby will receive $7.4 million through ChildCareBC’s New Spaces Fund to support the development of a new 74-space child care centre on Rowan Avenue. The centre, currently under construction and scheduled to open in May 2025, will provide 50 spaces for children 30 months to school age, and 24 spaces for children under three years old.

A hot new ramen spot. Burnaby is now home to a new ramen spot, Horin Ramen Metrotown, which soft opened in Crystal Mall earlier this week. The restaurant specializes in fresh noodles, creamy tonkotsu broth and a special spicy tare sauce. [Daily Hive]

Celebrating local rivers. More than 100 countries and millions of participants are preparing to mark World Rivers Day this Sunday, Sept. 22, for a commemorative day that has its roots in BC's Rivers Day. Burnaby Village Museum will host an event Sept. 22 with demonstrations, displays, entertainment and more to share information about local waterways and restoration efforts. [Burnaby Now]

Attend a Community Solutions Session. There’s still time for residents, businesses and visitors to help shape the future of community safety in Burnaby. In-person Community Solutions Sessions is the last phase of the City’s engagement before updating Burnaby’s Community Safety Plan—upcoming session dates can be found here. 

Cycling doesn't need to stop when the summer ends! Come discover the joy of cycling year-round during Fall Go by Bike Weeks from September 23-October 6.*

Lanna Thai Spa offers a relaxing retreat that provides a tranquil environment. They offer a variety of treatments that focus on wellness and rejuvenation.*

*Sponsored Listing

NEWS

Get to know Burnaby’s eco-sculptures

Most Burnaby residents are familiar with the city’s quirky animal inhabitants made out of plants that often appear overnight in parks and public spaces. But have you ever wondered how they are created and where the idea behind them came from?

The Beacon spoke with Heather Edwards, manager of parks design with the city, about the eco-sculptures, a very important project to her. 

Edwards brought the eco-sculptures to Burnaby in 2003 after she visited Montreal’s Mosaiculture, where she saw a display of living sculptures on frames, a new approach to horticulture. Since then, the city’s eco-sculpture collection has grown to 80, replanted and recreated every spring. The city now has an interactive map on its website that guides people who want to explore the collection. 

Read more about Burnaby’s eco-sculptures here.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Imagining new worlds with art

Residents of the Lower Mainland can attend a free art exhibition titled Future Worldings from Sept. 28 to Dec. 15 at the Griffin Art Projects premises in Vancouver at 1174 Welch St. The exhibition brings together six artists from Canada and South Africa whose work focuses on themes of colonization, indigeneity, institutional racism, and marginalization. One of the artists is Sun Forest, a former Burnaby resident. 

“Their work not only reflects the complex histories and ongoing dialogues around decolonization but also offers a unique opportunity for cross-cultural exchange and understanding,” said Lisa Baldissera, director of the Griffin Art Projects and curator of the exhibition.   

Former Burnaby resident Forest has had a varied career, spanning several countries, including Canada, the US, and South Korea. Forest will be using biomaterials such as those used in nourishing face masks to create speculative counter-surveillance cloaking devices that Forest intends to wear as part of a performance art exhibit.

Read more about the Future Worldings exhibition and Forest’s work here.

Where to eat & drink

Columbia Street Sandwich Company. A cafe that makes quality homemade soups, sandwiches, baked goods and more, offering all the classics—turkey cranberry, tuna salad, BLTs and roasted beef can all be found here, delicious in their simplicity. This is a great place to come for breakfast too, with a variety of bagels and egg-and-cheese combinations to choose from.

Hart House Restaurant. If you’re looking for a place to celebrate a special occasion in Burnaby, look no further than Hart House Restaurant. Winner of OpenTable’s 2024 Diner’s Choice Award, it’s a tudor-style mansion on Deer Lake offering a classy array of Pacific Northwest plates. Weekly lunches and dinners here are always exciting, not to mention weekend brunch (beef brisket eggs and brioche french toast, here we come).

Piva Modern Italian. You can’t go wrong at Piva Modern Italian, whether you’re looking to grab a few drinks with friends during happy hour, enjoy a cozy Sunday brunch or go out for a late night dinner date with a loved one. Items featured on this modern trattoria’s menu include wild boar meatballs, duck and fig pizza and a juicy burger with truffle oil that will take your breath away.

🤝 Now Hiring

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

• Recreation Leader - Weight Room at City of Burnaby

• Disability Access Advisor at SFU

• Assistant Support Services Manager at Aramark

• Associate Underwriter, Commercial at Hub International

• Manager, Student Life at BCIT

• Intermediate Aquatic Biologist at Stantec

• Retail Space Planning Specialist at Parkland Corporation

• Air Quality Planner at Metro Vancouver

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

🗓 Things to do

Thursday

• Family Storytime. 11:30am. Burnaby Public Library.

• Chalford House Charity Golf Tournament. 1pm. Guildford Golf & Country Club.

• Career Fair Prep Workshop. 11:30am. BCIT, the Fishbowl.

Friday

• All Friends Trivia Night. 7pm. The Rec Room.

• Fania Salsa Party. 9pm. World Dance Co.

• Breathwork Journey. 7:30pm. Savasana Meditation.

Saturday

• Presidents Bike Ride to HUB Annual General Meeting. 2pm. Patterson Station.

• Teen Angst. 7:30pm. Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.

• Pink Flamingo Bachata Party. 8pm. World Dance Co.

• Yogasanas. 8:30am. Hindu Temple Burnaby.

• Fall & Winter Pruning. 2pm. Gardenworks at Mandeville.

Sunday

• Saje x Pilates with Orijin Yoga. 9:15am. Saje Natural Wellness.

• Learn to Square Dance. 3pm. Wesburn Community Centre.

• Burnaby 2050 Draft Land Use Map Open House. 11am-4pm. Burnaby Village Museum.

Monday

• Paint Nite. 7pm. Wings Burnaby.

• Entrepreneurs House Society: Networking Luncheon. 12pm. Lochdale Community Hall Association.

Tuesday

• Veterans Virtual Job Fair. 11am. Online via Zoom.

• Community Safety Plan Session. 3pm-7pm. Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.

• Origami. 12:30pm. Global Student Centre.

Wednesday

• Creative Protesting. 7pm. Starbucks at Lougheed Mall.

• Book Discussion: Denison Avenue. 6:30pm. Burnaby Public Library.