Thursday, May 29 edition: Construction begins on 300 non-market rentals

Good morning, Burnaby!

Just one week after one fortunate Surrey resident took home a historic $80 million lottery win, the BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC) announced that another winning ticket was sold in Burnaby for a $40 million jackpot. At the time of writing, BCLC has not revealed the lucky winner’s name, possibly because they have not claimed their prize yet. If you bought a lotto ticket last week, be sure to check the numbers; you might be $40 million richer!

In other news, construction has started on two new housing developments in Burnaby, providing 300 new non-market rental units. The two projects are located in Edmonds and are expected to be completed in 2027. Another housing project, a $200 million SFU student housing tower in Burnaby, just broke ground. This project is also expected to be completed in 2027.

This week, Burnaby City Council recognized eight Burnaby residents as local heroes during its biweekly meeting. Canada Day StreetFest is returning this year, and the city just announced the lineup for the festival.

👀 In today's edition:

• Construction begins on non-market rentals

• City council recognizes eight local heroes

• SFU breaks ground on new student residence tower

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NEWS

Construction begins on two non-market rental developments

Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD) has broken ground on two new housing developments in Burnaby, The Steller and The Connection, in Edmonds. The two projects will be built in partnership with BC Housing and the City of Burnaby.

When the projects were first proposed in 2020, the budget was $45 million for The Steller and $63.8 million for The Connection. However, in 2024, the budgets for both projects more than doubled. According to Metro Vancouver reports, in 2024, the budget for The Steller was increased to $93.9 million, later reduced to $90.8 million. In 2024, the budget for The Connection was increased to $120.8 million.

The two projects will provide 296 new below-market rental homes and around 45 new childcare spaces.

Read more here.

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Burnaby Bulletin

🧑‍🦽 Burnaby schools celebrate Accessibility Week: Burnaby Mountain Secondary hosted the first unified basketball playoffs.

💰$40M winning lotto ticket sold in Burnaby: Just one week after a Surrey resident won an $80M jackpot, someone in Burnaby bought another winning ticket, this time for $40 million.

💃 Canada Day StreetFest performers announced: The headliners will include two-time Juno winners MAGIC! and Asad Khan + Friends.

🚒 Burnaby man injured in fire, cat dead: A Burnaby resident is in hospital in critical condition after a house fire, the man’s cat was found dead.

👾 King Charles delivers throne speech: The king stressed Canada’s sovereignty in his speech.

💵 BC minimum wage to increase June 1: The minimum wage will increase from $17.40 to $17.85 per hour next month.

👨🏼‍🦳 Affordable rentals open for seniors: Seniors moved into 155-unit, six-storey building Dania Gardens, 109 suites are subsidized for seniors with low incomes.

👚 Burnaby thrift store BASES closes: Burnaby Association for South East Side (BASES) Family Thrift Store announced it will close its doors after 12 years in business due to rising rents

🍺 New Westminster brewery announces closure: Another Beer Co. (ABC) brewery in New West announced it will be closing in September.

💉 LifeLabs workers reach a collective agreement: After 10 weeks on strike, LifeLabs unionized workers reached a collective agreement.

🧺 Enjoy fresh produce, local food, fun art workshops, kids activities, and lively pet parades at the Burnaby Farmers Market—a perfect outing for all ages!*

*Sponsored Listing

NEWS

SFU breaks ground on new student housing tower

SFU celebrated the groundbreaking for a new eight-storey student housing project on May 21. Joy Johnson, SFU president; Anne Kang, minister of post-secondary education and future skills; Rohini Arora, parliamentary secretary for child care; and MLA for Burnaby East, attended the ceremony.

The new student residence will be located near the SFU Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, across from the existing Pauline Jewett, Barbara Rae, and Shadbolt student housing buildings. The new residence tower will accommodate 445 upper-year students and include a 160-space child-care centre. It is scheduled to open in 2027.

Read more here.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

City council recognizes eight local heroes

On May 27, Burnaby City Council and acting mayor, Coun. Richard Lee, recognized eight Burnaby residents for their contributions to the community as “Local Heroes.” Each of the residents received an award during council’s biweekly meeting on May 27. All of them have been volunteering in the community for more than 10 years.

Here are the names of the eight local heroes:

• Alishah Dahya

• Minaz Dhanani

• Elsa Fogale

• Erika Justmann-Rowell

• Emy Lai

• Vincent Kam Wing Liu

• Karen O’Shannacery

• Karl Shen

Read more here.

Where to eat & drink

🍗 Popeyes Metrotown, for years a store in the Metropolis at Metrotown mall featured a sign saying Popeyes was opening soon, it is finally here.

🥘 Kurry Wala, a huge variety of Indian fusion food, with some unique Indo-Chinese specialities you won’t find anywhere else.

🍞 Tenen Restaurant, embark on a culinary journey through Eastern Europe and the Balkans at this hidden gem.

🤝 Now Hiring

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

• Anti-graffiti facilitator, City of Burnaby

• Customer service representative, Best Buy Burnaby

• Communications and marketing coordinator, City of Burnaby

• Medical office assistant, Sea Cliff Medical

• Maintenance, McDonald’s Burnaby

• Baker helper, Vancouver Croissant Ltd.

• Registered nurse, Fellburn Care Centre

• Pharmacist, BC Drugs Pharmacy

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

🗓 Things to do

Thursday

• Artist Salon with Damla Tamer, 2-3:30pm, Burnaby Art Gallery, 6344 Deer Lake Ave.

•  D&D One Shots, 5-8pm, Mind Games, Urban Planet, in Metropolis at Metrotown mall, 4800 Kingsway

• Umami Exhibition, 6-8pm, Nikkei Museum and Cultural Centre, 6688 Southoaks Cres.

Friday

• delecTABLE: Burnaby Food Journeys exhibition, starts 10am, Burnaby Village Museum.

• 18th Annual Nikkei Place Charity Classic, starts 10:30am, Riverway Golf Course & Driving Range, 9001 Bill Fox Way.

• Metrotown Friday Night Magic, 5-9pm, Mind Games, Urban Planet at Metropolis at Metrotown mall, 4800 Kingsway.

Saturday

• Farmers’ Market, 9am-2pm, Burnaby City Hall, 4949 Canada Way.

• Big Jungle Run, 12pm, Burnaby Lake Rugby Club, 3760 Sperling Ave.

• City of Burnaby Eco-Centre open house, 10am-2pm, 4855 Still Creek Dr.

• Remove invasive species, 9:45am-1pm, Lower Mainland Green Team, 9192 Klenner Dr.

• Burnaby RCMP open house, 10am-3pm, Burnaby RCMP Detachment, 6355 Deer Lake Ave.

Sunday

• Senior show, 7-8pm, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave.

Monday

• Top scams affecting newcomers, 2-3pm, Burnaby Public Library, Bob Prittie Metrotown.

Tuesday

• Guided canoe trips on Deer Lake, 6-7pm and 7:15-8:15pm, Deer Lake field building.

Wednesday

• Guided canoe trips on Deer Lake, 6-7pm and 7:15-8:15pm, Deer Lake field building.

• Toastmasters, 12-1pm, Burnaby City Hall, 4949 Canada Way.