⚓Accessibility and city hall

Happy Thursday, dear reader!

Yesterday morning I went for a quick run along the Agnes Greenway. It's unreal to have watched it change from a very dull and grey space to one that now has a sweet little gated area for the dogs, places to sit, and all sorts of cute plants. A couple of folks biked past me, kids and their parents were walking along the route, and many were taking their dogs out for a jaunt. It felt good; welcoming and warm—despite the rain!

I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like when it's done, along with its connection to the new crossing that will replace the Pattullo Bridge.

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LOCAL NEWS

Accessibility at council

The Anchor had the opportunity to speak with two councillors: Tasha Henderson and Jaimie McEvoy about their personal experiences with accessibility at city hall.

Learn more about how they navigate life in their roles, and outside of municipal politics—and why rethinking accessibility for all is an important part of getting people from all walks of life participating in democracy.

LOCAL NEWS

🌎An Earth Day update

In case you missed Monday's piece about some of the Earth Day events happening in New West, we've got you covered. We've also added another event that was flagged by the Royal City Arts and Literature Society—it'll be happening at the main branch of the New West Public Library.

📣 Neighbourhood bulletin

🌈 Coming Home's new home. Guy Dubé is back! (And we are STOKED!) The wunderkind launched the Rainbow Connections Cafe yesterday. Currently, hours will go from 3 to 8pm at Eighth & Eight creative spaces...and more projects are in the works, so stay tuned.

🎉 Vancouver Hong Kong fair. The fair has chosen the Anvil Centre as its location this year. It'll be happening on May 7 from 11am to 7pm.

🚶🏼‍♀️ Log those minutes. Are you part of the Walk30 challenge? Don't forget to log your minutes for the day. To learn more about the challenge, check out this post.

🏠 Lawn bowling. Save the date: the New Westminster Lawn Bowling club will have its annual open house on Friday, May 5. Sign up for a couple of lessons and learn more about this sport.

🗞 In other news

Today is 420. 420 marks a day for some to celebrate cannabis, and there will be two celebrations in Vancouver today—in case you're wondering about any extra smoke on the streets. (CTV Vancouver)

Public service strike. Action by the Public Service Alliance of Canada, the country's biggest federal public-sector union, will mean disruptions to services like Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, as well as the Canada Revenue Agency. (CityNews)

How will the aforementioned strike impact me? Expect potential delays in passport applications, tax return processing, and immigration matters. (CBC Vancouver)

New West shooting. Investigators are looking into a shooting that happened on Tuesday around noon, in the area of Carnarvon St., between Begbie and Lorne streets. One man was treated for non-life threatening injuries; two suspects are in custody.

Vigil for stabbing victim. On Tuesday evening, a number of friends, family, and community members met at Holland Park to remember the life of 17-year-old Ethan Bespflug. He'd been attacked the Tuesday prior, while riding a bus. (CityNews Vancouver)

Messy situation. A Blue Jays pitcher's tweet has sparked some debate online after he tweeted about a United Airlines flight attendant asking his wife to clean up popcorn. Anthony Bass's wife was travelling with their five-year-old and two-year-old, with Bass noting his wife is 22 weeks pregnant. (CTV)

LOCAL NEWS

Groundbreaking!

On Tuesday, Coun. Paul Minhas and Mayor Patrick Johnstone joined Brent Sawchyn and Steve Forrest of PC Urban to mark the beginnings of the project at 618 6th St. The site will be a mixed-use space, including retail and housing. 338 units are expected to be built, and the project is slated to be completed by 2026.

If you're wondering about the previous businesses that were in the building formerly at this site, you can take a look at this piece for an update.

THROWBACK THURSDAY

When we first saw this post, we thought the included photo was taken pretty recently.

Turns out it's from November of 1952. 😱

Amid the discussion of the "old" Pattullo Bridge and what to do with it once the new crossing from Surrey to New West is built, we're sharing this incredible post from the New Westminster Museum and Archives in this edition of our Throwback Thursday.

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