Pomp, circumstance, and Metro Vancouver talk at New West council

A bagpiper led the procession as Mayor Patrick Johnstone and councillors Ruby Campbell, Daniel Fontaine, Jaimie McEvoy, Paul Minhas, Tasha Henderson, and Nadine Nakagawa walked into a jam-packed New West council chambers on Monday night.

Friends and family of the new mayor and council were in attendance as each person took their oath, promising to respectfully serve the community.

Also in attendance were outgoing councillor Mary Trentadue, MLA for New Westminster Jennifer Whiteside, and Qayqayt First Nation Chief Rhonda Larabee.

However, there was still business to attend to, including appointing someone from New West to represent the city in Metro Vancouver. During the meeting, Minhas requested that Johnstone's name be "scratched out" and replaced with Fontaine's.

On Oct. 24, Minhas issued a statement asking that Fontaine represent New West at Metro Vancouver instead of Johnstone. Minhas argued that Fontaine's experience, as well as his Indigenous background, would make him a better choice. Fontaine is Metis. 

Minhas reiterated many of the points that he made in a statement he published to his Facebook page on Monday, Oct. 25. He also repeated those points during a previous interview with New West Anchor. 

"If we appoint him, he will likely be the only Indigenous person [at Metro Vancouver]," Minhas said Monday night.

Minhas' New West Progressives slate-mate Fontaine thanked Minhas for the endorsement, appealing to his council colleagues to put truth to the ideas of truth and reconciliation.

"If this amendment is successful, I will likely be the only elected person from the civic government who is Indigenous at Metro Vancouver," said Fontaine, adding that while he is supportive of the tradition of sending the mayor to Metro Vancouver, he believed there was room in this instance to deviate from that.

Fontaine also brought up the Royal City moniker issue.

"Its been demonstrated in this council as recently as summer that when it wants to, council has done away with tradition, and it can phase out something that is important to many citizens within our community," said Fontaine.

The previous council voted in July to move away from the Royal City moniker, a motion tabled by former mayor Jonathan Cote. Cote previously told New West Anchor that next steps included city staff developing a plan to get the community involved in coming up with a new logo. Cote expected the draft community engagement plan to come some time after the municipal election.

"It will be up to the incoming council to determine whether to approve the draft engagement plan, and how this work should be prioritized over the next council term," Cote explained in a statement.

Minhas' motion to send Fontaine to Metro Vancouver as its main representative was voted down 4-2, with Community First's Campbell, McEvoy, Henderson, and Nakagawa voting against.

During the second motion to send Nakagawa as an alternate, Minhas expressed his disappointment with the previous minutes-old decision, putting forward another amendment to have Fontaine be alternate instead.

This was also opposed 4-2, with McEvoy, Nakagawa, Henderson, and Campbell against.

Nakagawa, McEvoy, respond

Nakagawa, a re-elected incumbent, spoke out against the amendment involving Johnstone and Fontaine.

"It is important that our newly elected mayor represents us at Metro Vancouver. We need to ensure that the voice of New Westminster is strongly represented at the Metro board," said Nakagawa, adding that while she supports and advocates for representation, there is a difference between descriptive and substantive representation.

McEvoy, who is also a re-elected incumbent and the longest-serving councillor of the six, said he also believes in Indigenous representation, but added that the Tsawwassen First Nation has a seat at the Metro Vancouver table. Tsawwasen First Nation was the first First Nation to become a part of Metro Vancouver.

The next meeting of council will take place on Monday, Nov. 28.