Thurs. Aug. 29, 2024 edition: Burnaby struggles to afford new Confederation Park Community Centre

Good morning, Burnaby!

In this week’s edition, we’re taking a look at Burnaby City Council’s discussion on whether the city can afford to build the new Confederation Park Community Centre. A staff report discussed during the Aug. 26 meeting recommends that the city defer the construction phase of the Confederation Park Community Centre project until funds become available. In other news, Cameron Elementary School is getting a major upgrade, and a new study by SFU researchers reveals stark information about mental health.

👀 In today's edition:

• Burnaby struggles to afford Confederation Park Community Centre

• A new Cameron Elementary School

• SFU study on mental health among sexual minorities

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NEWS

Burnaby struggles to afford new Confederation Park Community Centre

Burnaby City Council discussed a staff report at its Aug. 26 meeting recommending that the city defer the construction phase of the Confederation Park Community Centre project until funds become available. 

According to the report, the city currently has four ongoing parks, recreation, and culture projects, costing hundreds of millions of dollars. These projects are the James Cowan Theatre, Burnaby Lake Recreation Complex, Cameron Community Centre, and Brentwood Community Centre. 

The report mentioned that the construction phase of the Confederation Park Community Centre, which is currently under discussion, would cost around $154M. With the cost of design, the total cost is $215,460,000—$31.2M short of the funds required for the centre, with recent provincial zoning legislation contributing to the lack of funds. 

Get the full story here. 

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Burnaby Bulletin

Indigenous reconciliation framework. In this week’s council roundup, the city approved a new strategy to build government-to-government relationships with host Nations based on recognizing Indigenous rights. Plus, 12 city staff members retire and council considers proposal by non-profit that provides work opportunities to unhoused people. [Burnaby Beacon]

RCMP officers injured. Four RCMP officers were injured responding to a "disturbance" over the weekend, according to authorities. RCMP said the officers were dispatched around 6:15pm to a home on Humphries Avenue, where a suspect had reportedly tried breaking into a property. [CTV News]

Power outage. Around 40,000 Hydro customers were off the power grid just after 9:45am last Monday, affecting residents in Burnaby, Coquitlam, New Westminster and Port Moody. The outage was caused by a transmission circuit failure and has since been restored. [CityNews]

Coronation medal. Three Burnaby residents and advocates have been honoured with the King Charles III Coronation Medal this week, an honour that recognizes a citizen’s dedication and commitment to their community and province. [Burnaby Now]

Defending against density. Property owners residing around Brentwood Park say they will rely on restrictive covenants put in place in the 1950s to preserve the area's character and single-family homes in the face of provincial density rules. [CBC]

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NEWS

New $67M Cameron Elementary School to replace the old one

The BC government recently announced that it will provide funding for new student spaces and expansions at two Burnaby schools. In a press release from July 31, the province announced that the $75.1M in funding will add 550 new student spaces to Burnaby within the next three years. 

The statement said the province is providing $67M to build an entirely new Cameron Elementary School, which will adhere to current seismic safety standards. The project is part of an ongoing provincial program to upgrade Burnaby schools to be seismically safe. 

“Over the past seven years, the Province has continued to invest significantly in new, expanded, and seismically safer schools in Burnaby with more than $267.7 million committed to projects in the Burnaby School District,” the statement said. 

Read more about the Cameron Elementary School upgrade here.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Sexual minorities more likely to have mental health issues: SFU study

A new study by SFU researchers shows that while Canadians are generally experiencing more depression and anxiety, mental health is even worse among sexual minorities.

Using data from the nationwide Canadian Community Health Survey, Travis Salway, assistant professor of health sciences at SFU, and fellow researchers, examined around 1M survey responses over 18 years from 2003 to 2020. According to Salway, this is one of the longest trend analyses of mental health and substance use comparing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and heterosexual adults in Canada. The study is in the September 2024 issue of SSM Population Health Journal. 

“What we found is that the percentage of people in Canada experiencing poor self-rated mental health, such as depression and anxiety, increased for LGB and heterosexual survey participants,” Salway said. 

Get the full story here.

Where to eat & drink

Massawa Restaurant. This cozy, bright blue eatery is a true Burnaby gem for wholesome East African and Mediterranean meals like shiro, tibsi and hefty shawarma platters. Do not miss out on their breakfast! Enticing options include shakshuka, homemade flatbread and eggs served with pita and yogurt.

Sixth Street Grill. Home fries, pancakes, bacon and eggs served your way, this New West diner has an all-day breakfast that truly feeds the heart. Find all of your favourites here, from loaded hash and bennies to waffles and french toast with all the fixings.

Wild Thyme. A casual Lebanese restaurant serving meals that are far from ordinary—the flatbreads are to die for, coming with a range of different fillings like chicken, spicy tomato and ground beef, as well as their brunch menu. Start your morning off strong with grilled nabulsi cheese and pita or homemade kaaek bread served with four unique dips.

🤝 Now Hiring

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

• Associate - Experimental Immunology at Amgen

• Trainer at Pacific Ropes

• Field Service Representative at Arjo

• Volunteer Program Coordinator at Engineers & Geoscientists BC

• Archaeologist at Stantec

• Aquatics Recreation Instructor at City of Burnaby

• Knowledge Mobilization Expert at SFU

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

🗓 Things to do

Thursday

• Summer Stages: Burnaby Lyric Opera. 2pm. Confederation Park.

• Babytime. 10:30am. Burnaby Public Library.

• RCLAS Presents: In Their Words. 6pm. New Westminster Public Library.

Friday

• Straight Arcade Speed Dating. 7pm. The Rec Room.

• Summer Cinemas: Sonic 2. 8:15pm. Burnaby Civic Square.

• Matsuri Eve: Zenyasai Beer Garden. 4pm. Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre.

Saturday

• Geode Crystal Candlemaking Workshop. 10:30am. 3871 N Fraser Way.

• Unleash Your Inner Artist: Acrylic Painting Event. 5:30pm. 7332 4th St.

• Ethiopian Summer Festival. 10am. Edmonds Park.

• Crystal Light Psychic & Wellness Fair. 12pm. First United Spiritualist Church.

Sunday

• Back to School Drag Brunch. 12:30pm. The Rec Room.

• Paint Nite. 6pm. The Rec Room.

Monday

• New Moon Ceremony. 7:30pm. 5584 Kincaid St.

• Miyako Folk Song Workshop. 2pm. Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre.

Tuesday

• Meet with a Peer Navigator. 1:30pm. Burnaby Public Library.

• Balboa Dance Class: Level Three. 8:30pm. In Movement Dance Co.

• ESL Classes. 9am. EduGlobal College.

Wednesday

• Bachata White Party. 10pm. World Dance Co.

• Kick Start Connect. 11am. BCIT.