⚓ Mayor, province speak on trustee's burner account

Plus: substation complete!

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New West Anchor Staff
June 20, 2023

Together With

Hi all,

Uh…so it’s been ~a week.~

I hope you were able to enjoy some time outside. I was supposed to go for a run on Sunday but I experienced shin splints for the first time in a long time. Ouch.

👀 In this edition:

Tomorrow marks the start of the Summer Solstice, and the list of events continues to pile up in my inbox—a good problem to have! A reminder to let us know if you’ve got an event, to please reply to this email or send the details to [email protected].

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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Left: Mayor Patrick Johnstone. Right: Trustee Dee Beattie. Ria Renouf/New West Schools.

After we reported last week on New West school trustee Dee Beattie’s online behaviour, we’ve received some other responses.

To recap this local story in one sentence: New West parent Sarah Arboleda called Beattie out in a Twitter thread after some intense online sleuthing—which included Beattie revealing her location in a screenshot of a map used to insult Arboleda.

We’re hearing from Mayor Patrick Johnstone and have also reached out to BC’s Minister of Education on this story. Meantime the New West District Parent Advisory Council is the latest to formally call on the Beattie to resign.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

This talented, made-in-New-West choir will be performing on Sunday, June 25. We’re teaming up with them to give away two (2) tickets!

All Anchor Insiders (those with a paid membership) are automatically entered. Anchor Insiders can give themselves an extra entry if you reply to the newsletter, and a third entry if you ‘like’ our contest announcement post on Instagram—that means Insiders have up to three chances to win!

Those with a standard subscription must reply to this email to be entered.  Standard subscribers can also give themselves an extra entry if you ‘like’ our contest announcement post on Instagram. That’s two chances to win!

The contest closes 3pm on Wednesday, June 21, and we will announce the winner in our Thursday, June 22 newsletter, as well as over our Instagram account. Good luck!

SPONSORED BY CITY OF NEW WESTMINSTER
A YEAR OF TRUTH - CITY OF NEW WESTMINSTER

A Year of Truth

New Westminster City Council has proclaimed March 2023 to March 2024 as A Year of Truth. In order to understand Truth and Reconciliation, truth must come first. As a city and community, we need to understand the mistakes of our past in order to make meaningful reconciliation. We need to learn about all that was stolen and all that was lost so that we can live, work, and play on the lands and waters now known as New Westminster.

A Year of Truth is a time for our city and community to acknowledge where we are responsible, learn as much as we can about the Indigenous experience in Canada, and commit to meaningful Reconciliation.

Visit YearOfTruth.ca for more information.

📣 Neighbourhood bulletin

⚡ E-bike update. The city is taking the next steps to potentially bring an e-bike sharing program to New Westminster.

🐕For the fur (and feathered!) babies. Bosley’s at Columbia Square will be holding a BBQ fundraiser on June 25 from 1 to 3pm. All proceeds will go towards New West Animal Services and Wild West Animals.

✏️Where are our writers at? Submit your work for the 10th Fred Cogswell award for excellence in poetry. Learn more about how you can enter to win one of a handful of cash prizes.

🎉 New store alert! Classique Grails has opened up at The Shops at New West. Learn more about this vintage store through their Instagram page.

🗓️ Celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day June 21, 9:30am-2pm at Moody Park. Enjoy free family-friendly cultural entertainment, activities, arts and crafts, Indigenous vendors, and storytelling.*

*Sponsored Listing

🗞 In other news

Gurdwara president fatally shot. Detectives confirmed Monday that Hardeep Singh Nijjar was targeted on Sunday night. Take a look at local reporter Kim Bolan’s Twitter thread for more details. (Kim Bolan, Vancouver Sun)

Staying in Surrey. The province is demanding the City of Surrey submit a report about the choice to revert back to the use of the RCMP. The City had been in the process of transitioning to the use of a municipal force. (CityNews Vancouver)

So long, Sunwing. The budget airline is shutting down its flights department, but you’ll still be able to book a vacation with them. (BNN Bloomberg)

Indigenous relations. As reported by CBC, Vancouver has named an inaugural senior director of Indigenous relations. This comes months after New Westminster announced Christina Coolidge as its Indigenous relations advisor.

Milk bank. BC Women’s Hospital is struggling to keep its supply of breast milk up. There are about 300 donors currently registered in the province. (CTV Vancouver)

LOCAL NEWS

The Anchor is an absolute sucker for a good time lapse, and there’s a pretty neat one that chronicled the creation of the Queensborough Substation you can check out. The city will be celebrating its completion today with a ribbon cutting. The project—valued at $30M—is New West’s third substation and will distribute power to the ever-growing Queensborough community.

🤝 Now hiring

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Where to eat and drink

Kabayan Fiesta is a Filipino restaurant that offers authentic cuisine and the chance to shop for some Filipino food. They’re recommended for their dinuguan (pork blood pudding) and beef kaldereta, (a meat stew). They’re located at 941 12th St.

Sushi Simagoya is a traditional Japanese restaurant that focuses on using fresh ingredients to create traditional flavours and an authentic environment to create high-quality dishes. You can find them at 1102 Ewen Ave #103.

Take Five Cafe is a quaint cafe that offers a variety of coffee types and both savoury and sweet foods. They’re recommended for their specialty lattes and friendly service. They’re located at 202 E Columbia St.

Local deals and specials

Spud Shack Co. This made-in-New West joint now has a poutine happy hour! Weekdays from 3 to 5pm get 20% off their delicious poutines, and there are also available discounts on certain drinks. Spud Shack Co. can be found on the upper floor of New West Station. Certain conditions apply.

The Flapper. The Downtown lounge is offering 10% off on their cocktails and chews until June 30.

Know an awesome deal New Westies should know about? Reply back to our newsletter to share it.

Things to do

🧘Yoga at the Quay. It’s a double bill to mark International Yoga Day: there will be two events: aromatherapy yoga followed by Kirtan at the Quay. Happening Wednesday, June 21. Please note that as of deadline, the aromatherapy yoga event is full.

🎤ABBA Revisited. The tribute band comes to the Massey Theatre for a night full of authentic costumes, spectacular harmonies and a musical journey through ABBA’s greatest hits. Get your tickets now! Happening Friday, June 23.

🎮 Vancouver Retro Gaming Expo. The Anvil Centre will play host to games, activities and vendors, live performances, gaming tournaments, and panels. Tickets are available now! Happening Saturday, June 24.

🌊Finding Nemo. Dancers of all ages gather on stage to creatively tell the story of Nemo, Marlin, Dory and others in the School of Dance annual dance recital. The show is open to all ages. Happening Saturday, June 25.

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