After many years of the same BCA/NDP government, we need change.

Dear friends,

After many years of the same BCA/NDP government, we need change.

A vote for the Burnaby First Coalition team is key to bring transparency, true democracy, and accountability back to Burnaby City Hall.

We will hold taxes, explore ways to control spending, attract businesses, create jobs, protect our environment and build sustainably after proper consultation with residents.

Your family and all of us deserve better.

Here is what we will commit to do

We will build relationships with provincial and federal governments to get the results that we need for Burnaby.

Set in motion for a New Burnaby Hospital expansion, that is long overdue.

Explore more affordable housing and a homeless strategy.

Listen to the citizens of Burnaby to address their concerns.

There should be better value for the taxes we pay. Doing more with less is what we are going to do.

We will work hard alongside you to make Burnaby the best Canada best city in Canada.

Please tell us your story of how we can make Burnaby a better place to live. Unlike the current City Hall, we are always listening.

Sincere regards,

Burnaby First Coalition

Vancouver Sun – Developer dollars and Burnaby’s $Billion+ reserve hoard

Developers help fill Burnaby’s coffers to tune of $1 billion

The physical transformation around Brentwood, Lougheed, Metrotown and Edmonds is dramatic, with nearly 100 new residential buildings underway or in the pipeline.

JOANNE LEE-YOUNG
More from Joanne Lee-Young

Published on: August 16, 2017 | Last Updated: August 16, 2017 6:04 PM PDT

Construction continues along the skytrain corridor near the Brentwood tower development. GERRY KAHRMANN / PNG

ADJUST COMMENT PRINT

There are cranes galore and condo towers are popping up all over Burnaby’s major town centres. The physical transformation around Brentwood, Lougheed, Metrotown and Edmonds is dramatic, with nearly 100 new residential buildings underway or in the pipeline.

All of this construction is also helping fill the city’s coffers.

Burnaby is one of only two municipalities in B.C. that operate debt-free.

But it’s Burnaby that is known for investing its so-called “reserve funds,” which are now in excess of a staggering $1 billion. (To compare, the City of Langley, which is the other B.C. city that doesn’t carry a debt, has around $30 million to invest.)

In 2016, this $1 billion-plus fund was invested both short and long-term and returned $44 million in income.

The City of Burnaby adds to this investment pool from its annual surpluses, which in 2016 was $188.3 million (up $60.1 million from 2015).

Total city revenues for 2016 were $599 million, up $77.5 million from 2015, “mainly due to additional contributions from developers through the Community Benefit Bonus program as well as donated assets, development permits and program revenues,” according to the city’s 2016 statement of financial information.

The Community Benefit Bonus program allows city council to approve additional density in exchange for a community benefit, including cash. In 2016, Burnaby received $85.2 million from developers specifically for the right to build more units than previously existed on a site. The figure has fluctuated in recent years, but generally outpaced projections. In 2015, it was $39.8 million. In 2014, it was $53.6 million.

In 2016, the City of Vancouver made 51 approvals for a total of 3.1 million square feet in additional density and charged developers $127 million for this, an amount of money it has designated for securing 884 rental housing units.

Along with population growth (from about 175,000 in 1996 to over 230,000 now), Burnaby’s reserve fund has been increasing. This has drawn some questions about what it could do to reduce taxes, build facilities and add rental housing, which the mayor has said requires more provincial attention.

“The City of Burnaby is unique in that it has a pay-as-you-go strategy versus taking on debt,” said Bob Klimek, the city’s deputy director of finance.

“Most municipalities raise money by taking on external debt and significant interest charges.”

Klimek said the city has been debt-free since 1997, when it “decided to use capital reserves to pay off its external debt.”

“There is a public perception that there is a lot of discretionary reserves … The key thing is that it’s a mistake to think this pool can be used as you would like. It’s earmarked for significant financial commitments.”

Indeed, the latest municipal report does show how the reserve funds of over $1 billion are divided into 11 “earmarked” categories, including $447 million for replacing capital and infrastructure assets, $280 million for community amenities and $52.3 million for affordable housing.

There are also funds that are used for specific projects, like $21.7 million for new facilities, $58.7 million for replacing vehicles and $6.3 million to handle larger budget jolts such as this past winter’s heavy snowfall.

jlee-young@postmedia.com

Burnaby First wants to end government greed

LETTERS: Burnaby First wants to end ‘government greed’

BURNABY FIRST COALITION / BURNABY NOW

JULY 20, 2017 02:52 PM

Dear Editor:

It’s property tax time. For many of us, the massive increase in assessed property values means hundreds of dollars in city tax increases – about 25 per cent – over 2016. Over the last 10 years, many will have paid increases over $2,000, or 90 per cent. There’s no ‘us versus them’ – homeowners versus renters – in this, as Mayor Derek Corrigan would have it. We all pay property taxes; renters just pay them indirectly.

Is it fair for Corrigan’s one-party rule, NDP-only, corporate and union donor-funded Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA) city council to take advantage of the massive increase in property assessments to grab millions of dollars from us?

The Burnaby First Coalition (BFC) unites the growing diverse opposition seeking fairness at city hall: we say this tax grab is not fair.

Especially considering the BCA billion – that’s with a B: the massive wealth that the BCA hoards. Burnaby’s ever-swelling fiscal reserves stand at nearly $1.5 billion, according to the city’s 2016 financial statement. This includes far more than any reserves required for infrastructure by provincial laws. The city’s budgeted surplus for 2016 was exceeded by $68 million.

But this is not a fully transparent accounting. It does not recognize the current value of over 400 properties the city bought and holds “for resale.” On the books, this is $107.7 million.

But that is a gross misrepresentation. It is the total of the amounts paid for these properties as long ago as 1918, a century before today’s punishing property prices. There’s at least one property the city paid a mere $125 for (you read that right).

Fiscal transparency? BFC seeks it; we do not have that under the BCA. The real value of these properties held for resale is a secret, as are the addresses. The city refuses to disclose the information, though some favoured developers manage to locate and purchase these properties.

“The city is unable to disclose the specific addresses of all properties held for resale, their purchase price and date of purchase as it would be harmful to the economic interests of the city to do so,” emailed Bob Klimek, deputy director of finance.

Of course, the BCA is not “unable to disclose”; it is unwilling to be transparent. And transparency would not be “harmful” except to favoured developer-donors and their buddies at city hall.

This annual excessive surplus and the massive hoard demonstrate financial mismanagement: over taxation and government greed.

What have we got to show for the expense? Greater livability? No – especially not for the thousands of city taxpaying renters facing demoviction in Metrotown whom the BCA apparently does not want to live here at all.

BFC seeks fair taxation, transparent finances, a halt to demovictions and an end to one-party rule.

Charter Lau, Heather Leung, Nick Kvenich and Helen Ward, Burnaby First Coalition

Make utility fees fair

Homeowners are now paying city utility bills. Renters will be paying too, indirectly. We all pay city utilities and taxes, so let’s drop Mayor Corrigan’s tacky tactic of stoking division between house owners and everyone else.

Burnaby First Coalition (BFC) is the municipal party uniting the growing, diverse opposition to the Mayor’s NDP-based Burnaby Citizen’s Association (BCA) one-party monopoly. BFC seeks fairness but observes that once again utility fees are going up while related services are going down.

First and worst of all is the latest cash grab: the 50 percent increase in utility fees on homes with a ‘suite’ – an increase of $304.30. Regardless of suite size and even if it is not rented.

Mayor Corrigan has said we need supersize condo towers in Burnaby to prevent urban sprawl covering Chilliwack farmland. Well, empty bedrooms create urban sprawl and inflate housing costs. So why not encourage efficient use of existing, built housing by encouraging suites? This would help address the problems of empty bedrooms and the shortage of affordable housing.

The fact is that houses are bigger but families are smaller than in the past. Plus we have ’empty nesters’. This means there are thousands of empty bedrooms.

The city website says the cash grab is needed “to cover the costs associated with additional water and sewer services for suites.” But people do not produce “extra” garbage or use “extra” water because they are not related to the homeowner.

So why does Council want to charge more for garbage and water in houses with suites? The mayor could well argue that sharing living space rather than building new buildings cuts into the profits of the development, real estate, and construction sectors. In short, that it could reduce profits for BCA donors and buddies. But council ought to put the interest of residents first.

Moreover, we encourage seniors to stay in their own homes because folks are healthier and happier, and this lowers public costs of special housing. Suites for caregivers can make this possible. Punishing them financially in not fair.

And while fees are up, utility services are also down. Take yard waste. Recall that Burnaby is supposed to be ‘green’. Plants are green. Yard waste is produced by plants that absorb carbon, release oxygen, provide homes for birds, beautify our neighborhoods, clean the air, control rainwater run-off and flooding, and – if edible – enhance local food security. These are all goals of the council.

But for the past few years the yard waste pick up has been drastically cut. We used to have seasonal weekly pick-up of all the yard waste that gardeners could bundle up and put out. Now we are restricting pick-up to one official container per week, every week. And even that one container is often not picked up. Weekly pick-up means we get yard waste removal in midwinter when there’s no yard waste.

But anyone who has trees and shrubs to prune, or grape vines and bean stalks to cut down will have far more than one container full seasonally, not every week. So gardeners spend a lot of unpaid time chopping branches into tiny pieces and stomping on the container to compress the load, while piles of uncollected yard waste remain for weeks and months.

Lastly, we will have garbage pick-up reduced to once every two weeks. This may be smart from an environmental and efficiency points of view, but shouldn’t reduce service result in lower fees? Oh and there’s an annual surtax of up to $360 for the garbage container.

BFC would review these cash grab tactics and make utility fees fair.

Janice Beecroft

Charter Lau

Heather Leung

Earl Pollitt

Helen Ward

Don’t penalize homeowners

Homeowners are now paying city utilities bills due March 15. Renters are paying too, indirectly. We all pay city utilities and taxes, so let’s drop Mayor Derek Corrigan’s tacky tactic of stoking division between house owners and everyone else.

Burnaby First Coalition (BFC) is the municipal party uniting the growing, diverse opposition to one-party rule by the NDP-based Burnaby Citizens’ Association (BCA). BFC seeks fairness, but observes that once again, utility fees are up while related services are down.

First, many homeowners were angry when they received letters about the suite cash grab: the 50 per cent add-on in utility fees for homes assumed to with a “suite.” This means an increase of $304.30 to be paid, regardless of suite size and even if it is not rented. B.C. Assessment checks for suites in part by looking at rental ads and then passes the info on to Burnaby.

Under-occupied houses exacerbate urban sprawl and inflate housing costs. So why not encourage efficient use of existing housing by encouraging suites?

This would help address the problems of under-occupied houses and the shortage of affordable housing. The fact is that houses are bigger but families are smaller than in the past. Plus, we have “empty nesters.” This means there are thousands of under-occupied houses.

The city’s website says the cash grab is needed “to cover the costs associated with additional water and sewer services for suites.” But people do not produce “extra” garbage or use “extra” water because they are not members of the house owner’s family.

So why does council want to charge more for garbage and water in houses with suites? The mayor could well argue that sharing living space rather than building new buildings reduces the profits of the development, real estate and construction sectors. In short, it could reduce profits for BCA donors and buddies. But council ought to put the interest of residents first.

And while fees are up, utility services are also down. Take yard waste. Recall that Burnaby is supposed to be “green.” Plants are green. Yard waste is produced by plants that absorb carbon, release oxygen,

provide homes for birds, beautify our neighbourhoods, clean the air, control rain water run-off and flooding, and – if edible – enhance local food security. These are all goals of council.

But for the past few years the yard waste pickup has been drastically cut. We used to have seasonal weekly pickup of all the yard waste that gardeners could bundle up and put out. Now we are restricting pickup to one official container per week, every week. And even that one container is often not picked up. Weekly pickup means we get yard waste removal in mid-winter when there’s no yard waste. But anyone who has trees and shrubs to prune, or grape vines and bean stalks to cut down will have far more than one container full seasonally, not every week. So gardeners spend a lot of unpaid time chopping branches into tiny pieces and stomping on the container to compress the load, while piles of uncollected yard waste remains for weeks and months.

Lastly, in April we will have garbage pick-up reduced to once every two weeks. This may be smart from an environmental and efficiency points of view, but shouldn’t reduced service result in lower fees? Oh, and there’s an annual surtax of up to $360 for the garbage container.

BFC would review utilities to ensure fees and services are necessary and fair.

J. Colin, David Field, Charter Lau, Heather Leung and Helen Ward represent Burnaby First Coalition and friends.

Secret party meetings held by all BCA School Board

Trustee questions Burnaby Citizens Association colleagues on school board election

Election of chair and vice-chair reflects divisions, political ambitions on BCA-dominated board, says Meiling Chia

CORNELIA NAYLOR / BURNABY NOW

DECEMBER 14, 2016 09:21 AM

Trustee Meiling Chia objected to the way her Burnaby Citizens Association colleagues conducted this year’s election of school board chair and vice-chair. (Photograph By Cornelia Naylor)

Elections at the Burnaby Citizens Association-dominated school board didn’t run as smoothly as usual Monday night.

Every year, the board is required by provincial legislation to elect (or re-elect) a chair, vice-chair, and representatives to the B.C. School Trustees Association (BCSTA) and B.C. Public School Employers Association (BCPSEA).

For years, only one candidate has been nominated for each position, and the annual event is usually a brisk, well-oiled procedure for the Burnaby board, which has been made up entirely of BCA members for eight years.

This time, however, second-term trustee Meiling Chia threw her colleagues a curve.

Trustee Larry Hayes had nominated chair Ron Burton to serve another term in the top spot, but Chia then nominated trustee Gary Wong.

Wong appeared to be taken aback and declined the nomination, and Burton was acclaimed chair for a third consecutive one-year term.

Chia then asked the new chair leave to comment on the election.

“As long as it’s nothing personal,” Burton said.

In her comment, Chia made reference to an “unofficial agreement” and “transparency to the public” in relation to the election, but Burton quickly kyboshed any explanation.

“That agreement is not a part of the public board,” he said. “That’s within the summer caucus, so I’m going to rule you out of order and move on.”

Chia later told the NOW she had planned to voice frustration at the way the election had been conducted.

For the five years Chia has been a trustee, she said BCA trustees have met privately before the December elections and predetermined who would be elected to each position.

In her second year, Chia said it was explained to her there was a kind of unofficial agreement that trustees would be elected to the chair and vice-chair positions for two consecutive years, and the vice-chair would then rotate into the chair’s position.

“Ron mentioned that it’s a healthy rotation to offer the new people who are interested to be taking the next step,” Chia said. “He said we just want to give new trustees a good opportunity to step in if they have the passion or interest to explore the position, which is a good reason – a rotation, not people stay in the chair for four years.”

At a private meeting Sunday, however, the same trustees who had argued to keep the two-year term rotation four years ago chose to ignore it, Chia said.

So, on Monday, Burton was acclaimed to serve a third consecutive year as chair, and outgoing vice-chair Harman Pandher was replaced by trustee Baljinder Narang instead of being rotated into the top spot.

With municipal elections now less than two years away, Chia suggested some trustees are flouting the precedent because of political aspirations and infighting among board members.

“This has to be public,” Chia said. “To me, that’s too selfish. How can you be a trustee if you only make a decision for your own benefit?”

Burton, however, said he has “no future aspirations.”

He said the reason Pandher was passed over was because the board is getting ready to engage the provincial government on a number of important issues involving the B.C. Teachers’ Federation and the courts, and Pandher is a Surrey public school teacher.

“There was a feeling that having a teacher at the front of it would be a bit of a conflict,” Burton said. “It had nothing to do with his performance or anything like that. It was just, we didn’t want the board to be in conflict. During negotiations, (Pandher) was doing a lot of tweeting and that, supporting the teachers, but we kept him out of all meetings to do with the teachers. If he was the chair, that would be virtually impossible.”

Burton acknowledged the decision didn’t go down easy with Pandher, who missed Monday’s public meeting because of laryngitis.

“Harman obviously has some issues with it,” Burton said.

As for Chia’s frustration, Burton said he was sorry for the way she felt.

“She is a new trustee and I don’t think she fully understands the process,” he said.

Burton made no apologies for how the BCA board has conducted the annual elections.

“It’s been a long tradition of operating like this, and I think it’s served the board well over the years,” he said.