Thursday, Dec. 12 edition: Burnaby scraps plans for sister cities trip

Good morning, Burnaby!

After planning a trip to Japan, Korea and Taiwan last August, council has decided not to move forward with their 2025 visit of Burnaby’s sister cities in Asia. Mayor Mike Hurley was the first to oppose the trip primarily due to budget constraints, though is open to considering the trip further into the future. In other news, three Burnaby startups have received $3.7M in federal funding recently, and the long awaited Lobley Park has finally reopened after extensive upgrades.

👀 In today's edition:

• Burnaby scraps plans for sister cities trip

• Three Burnaby startups receive $3.7M in federal funding

• Lobley Park reopens after extensive upgrades

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NEWS

Burnaby scraps plans for sister cities trip

On Monday, Dec. 2, Burnaby council voted with a majority of seven to two to cancel the planned trip to three of Burnaby’s sister cities: Kushiro in Japan, Hwaseong in South Korea, and Taichung in Taiwan. The trip, which was supposed to take place in September 2025 would have cost between $106,000 and $116,000 for three councillors and the mayor, as reported by the Beacon back in August.  

Mayor Mike Hurley was the first council member to say he opposed the trip during the meeting. 

“I will start this out by saying that I’m opposed to this at this time, although I would love to keep our sister city relationships going, and they are important, and they’ve been going for a long time; I just don’t think that this is the right time to be traveling, given the constraints on budgets that we’re going to see moving forward here,” Hurley said. 

Get more details on council’s decision here.

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Burnaby Bulletin

Charges in murder case. Mounties say two men have been charged in the 2021 murder of 38-year-old Kenneth Howe whose remains were found near the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex in August 2021. In a statement released last Monday, the Burnaby RCMP said John Perry Harasym, 38, was arrested on Dec. 7 and charged with second-degree murder in Howe's death. [CTV News]

Taxi scam. Burnaby RCMP is warning residents about a fake taxi that scammed people out of their debit and credit cards at SFU earlier this week. A black Hyundai Elantra with a taxi sign on the roof approached several people at SFU, claiming a passenger inside couldn’t pay their cab fare and asking for help to cover the amount, according to a police news release. [Burnaby Now]

B.C. nurses rally. Dozens of health-care workers rallied in Burnaby Tuesday, making their demands loud and clear ahead of the provincial contract negotiations set to begin next year. The top concern among nurses continues to be physical safety, with workers saying they’re constantly exposed to aggressive patients and illicit drugs. [CityNews]

Sustainable fuel. Parkland Refinery has become the first in Canada to produce low-carbon aviation fuel. The pilot project has already produced more than 100,000 litres of aviation fuel using a combination non-food grade canola oil and agricultural waste. [CTV News]

Apartment renos, reversed. A Burnaby owner who changed her apartment's layout without strata authorization has been ordered to pay $12,400 in bylaw fines and reverse the renovations. While the owner received conditional approval to change the flooring and cabinets in her apartment at City Club on the Park on Beresford Street, the strata determined more had been done than had originally been approved. [Burnaby Now]

NEWS

Three Burnaby startups receive $3.7M in federal funding

Three Burnaby technology startups have received $3.7 million in funding from Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), a federal government agency. The three startups specialize in different fields and have developed processes and projects that promise to improve sustainability and reduce waste and emissions, among other benefits. 

Burnaby startup pH7 Technologies received the largest portion of the funding, with $1.5 million. The company developed a new process for extracting and recycling critical metals commonly used in technology products. 

Two other Burnaby businesses are also receiving PacifiCan funding. PosiTrace, a supplier of GPS tracking solutions, is receiving $1,230,000 in funding through PacifiCan’s Business Scale-up and Productivity program. 

Get the full story here.

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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Lobley Park reopens after extensive upgrades

After months of upgrades, Lobley Park is now open to the public, featuring a brand-new playground with a rubberized surface made of thousands of recycled tires. The new surface aims to improve accessibility, particularly for children and caregivers with disabilities or who are wheelchair users. 

“This is an exciting project for our community—not only are we improving Lobley Park, making it safer and more accessible for all users, we’re also making strides to support our climate action goals by recycling and reusing more than 2,000 tires,” said Mayor Mike Hurley in a statement.

The upgrades to Lobley Park include a new main play structure and playhouse, an accessible net climber and seesaw, a larger swing structure with a multi-person friendship swing, and a park trampoline. 

Get the full story here.

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Where to eat & drink

The River’s Reach Pub. This cozy, welcoming pub in New West is a prime neighbourhood hangout spot and an absolute gem for happy hour drink deals and bar food. Classics like burgers, nachos, dry ribs and seasoned fries are all featured on their menu, as well as a generous selection of local beers and cocktails.

The Spud Shack Fry Co. A poutine lover’s dream, The Spud Shack is immediately what comes to mind when thinking of where to get fries in the lower mainland. Along with a long list of poutine options (butter chicken, meatballs in marinara and jambalaya to name a few), they also make great burgers and snacks like onion rings and chicken strips.

Soft Peaks Ice Cream. Specializing in specialty organic milk soft serve, Soft Peaks is an undoubtable favourite in Burnaby for ice cream. And it’s far from the stuff you’d get at your average ice cream truck—some delectable flavours include black sesame, biscoff and white peach jelly—with seasonal options always changing to make every trip exciting.

🤝 Now Hiring

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

• Community Outreach Representative at BC Hydro

• Payment Operations Lead at SFU

• Lab Assistant at Bureau Veritas

• Underwriter at Rise Health

• Assistant Instructor, Medical Radiography at BCIT

• Manager at Birdies Eats & Drinks

• Exhibit Custodian at City of Burnaby

• Dispatcher at FortisBC

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

🗓 Things to do

Thursday

• English conversation circle. 2:30pm. Online via Zoom.

• Karaoke. 8pm. The Admiral Pub & Grill.

Friday

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

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

• Snow Balboa Special. 8pm. 65 E 6th Ave.

Saturday

• Oh Run All Ye Faithful Holiday Spirit Run & Walk. 8:30am. Fit First Footwear.

• Heritage Christmas Community Day. 1pm-9pm. Burnaby Village Museum.

• Immersive Art Experience: A Cinematic Art Exhibit for All Ages. 3pm. 4010 Myrtle St.

• Winter Warm Up Blues Thing. 7:45pm. 202-4199 Lougheed Hwy.

Sunday

• Merry & Bright Holiday Centerpiece Workshop. 10am. Gardenworks at Lougheed Hwy.

• Bossa Monthly Card Show. 10am-3pm. Bonsor Recreation Complex.

• Christmas with the Maple Leaf Singers. 2pm. Firefighters Catering and Banquet Hall.

Monday

• Paint Nite. 7pm. Wings Burnaby.

Tuesday

• Beginner Tai Chi Class. 5pm. The Dancing Cat Yoga Centre.

• New West Artists & RCLAS Holiday Pop-In. 6:30pm. Centennial Lodge.

Wednesday

• Healthcare Virtual Job Fair. 11am-3pm. Online via Zoom.

• Restorative Healing Meditation Sound Bath. 7pm. Savasana Meditation.

• Terrarium for the Gifting Season. 6pm. Gardenworks at Mandeville.