Skip to content

New West proclaims Feb. 23 as Anti-Bullying Day

Council in brief
new-westminster-city-hall
Anti-Bullying Day, election appointments and a dog strategy were among the items on the Feb. 14 council agenda.

New Westminster is joining cities across Canada in proclaiming Feb. 23 as Anti-Bullying Day.

“Anti-bullying day provides an opportunity to wear something pink to symbolize that we as a society will not tolerate bullying anywhere,” said a proclamation from the city. “Anti-bullying Day provides an opportunity to celebrate kindness, togetherness and being inclusive by lifting each other up.”

City goes to the dogs

A People, Parks and Pups strategy has received council’s stamp of approval.

On Monday, council adopted the People, Parks and Pups strategy, which will guide the planning and design for people and dogs in parks and open spaces across New West.

A report to council said the strategy is intended to be a 10-year framework to guide the ongoing planning, design and management of dog off-leash activity across the city.

“New Westminster parks and open spaces are shared by residents with and without dogs,” said the report. “As the population of our city grows, so do the number of dogs. Statistics Canada 2016 estimates suggest the number of Canadian households with dogs is roughly equal to the number of households with children.”

Staff said a community-driven approach is needed to help improve the access, design, stewardship and enforcement of dog activities in parks in order to address the needs of all residents.

Election prep underway

The City of New Westminster is taking action to prepare for this fall’s civic election;

Council has approved a staff recommendation to appoint city clerk Jacque Killawee as New Westminster’s chief election officer and to name assistant city clerk Nicole Ludwig as the deputy chief election officer for the 2022 local government election. The Lower Government Act requires the city to appoint a chief election officer and deputy chief election officer.

The 2022 civic election is taking place on Saturday, Oct. 15.