An update which includes: Good News, Huh???? & Sincere Calls to Action!

GOOD NEWS:

Some GOOD NEWS! Monday at a New West Council workshop, Coun. Fontaine moved the following motion:

"THAT staff undertake a secondary review of intersection safety to the 2nd St and 6th Ave including near miss analysis with the goal of implementing pedestrian safety upgrades, where warranted, by 2026" PASSED 4-2 with Mayor Patrick Johnstone and Ruby Campbell voting NO. NOTE: Coun. Nadine Nakagawa was not in Council for this important budget meeting. While there remains more work to be done to secure the motion introduced, this is now formally included in the notional* 2025 budget priorities. Kudos to Coun. Jaimie McEvoy, Paul Minas, Daniel Fontaine and Tasha Henderson for supporting these initiatives.

*This means our initiative MAY make it's to the 2025 budget, BUT it may be removed in a future budget meeting before the budget is finalized. It has to get officially passed in MARCH 2025. We have at least 4 councillors on our side, for now, doing the right thing by you. Yippee!!!!

But we have seen this initiative fail before with a last minute change of votes. We can't declare victory until the motion is passed and is officially in the budget March 2025.

HUH???

Facts and Figures - In Mayor Johnstone's recent newsletter on Nov 27th, he expressed it "is not a particularly dangerous intersection compared to dozens of others around the city...if we tell staff to "do something", they are likely to come up with the same analysis: that this is not a particularly dangerous intersection compared to dozens of other ones in the city... a true waste of taxpayer money if we end up not making things safer." 

I am not interested in making enemies, I genuinely want to work with everyone for a positive change. But I'd love to clarify, not dangerous according to what or who? A few non-comprehensive ICBC stats or according to the users? aka - YOU!? Because you have spoken. And you don't feel safe. And if money is a concern and we don't want to 'waste' it on the kids, how about we just do it right and fix the problem (I know, I know, easier said than done!)? But if spending money on the safety of kids isn't worth every penny, I genuinely do not know what is. Sorry, but we are not sorry for trying to prevent a child's death here! We are polite and kind, but we are not sorry. And you should not be either. Why do we have to wait for a kid to die to make it "worth" the money?

Before I move to the next topic, I will say that written material in a public newsletter like that quoted above, may make us question ourselves and our movement. Don't feel bad, don't stand down. You are doing the right thing. And others agree...

TO THOSE IN FAVOUR SAY I!: But who is in favour of us? The Herbert Spencer PAC is supportive, and they have stated that will be expressing their support in writing. The Principal at Herbert Spencer is supportive. He has signed and shared our petition in his newsletter. We have directly spoken with extremely supportive people within the Queen's Park Residents Association and the Glenbrooke North Residents Association. We have supportive school board members and the school board has stated they are actively exploring how they can support our request! Thank you for seeing the importance of this issue, School Board Trustees - we trust you will help to protect our children of SD40! And most important, we have well over 670 of you (and counting, tell your friends!)! Adam, Tony & I are working really hard... BUT WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP!

CALL TO ACTION:

Hear me when I say, we won't win without more help. Here's how you can make a difference:

1) Email the School Board (cc them all) and tell them you want their stated support with the notional city budget item: "THAT staff undertake a secondary review of intersection safety to the 2nd St and 6th Ave including near miss analysis with the goal of implementing pedestrian safety upgrades, where warranted, by 2026".

Remind them that we currently have support from at least 4 city councillors on our side, voting with us, and you would like to have the School Districts support in way of a letter from the SD to the city. Here are their emails:

Gdhaliwal@sd40.bc.ca

Mrussell@sd40.bc.ca

Donnelly@sd40.bc.ca

Csluis@sd40.bc.ca

Eslinn@sd40.bc.ca

Mandres@sd40.bc.ca

Kcarlsen@sd40.bc.ca

2) Email YOUR city councillors - firmly state that you are proud and pleased to see the notional budget item and that you want this notional budget item to be upheld in the final 2025 City Budget: You support "THAT staff undertake a secondary review of intersection safety to the 2nd St and 6th Ave including near miss analysis with the goal of implementing pedestrian safety upgrades, where warranted, by 2026."

Email clerks@newwestcity.ca to the attention of Mayor and Council

3) Add to your Calendar: Come to City Council Meeting on Dec. 2nd at 6pm or join by Zoom MEETING & ZOOM INSTRUCTIONS HERE. We will present to council. We need to show them we are watching and we want change. I know you will be feeding your kids or getting them to bed, so Zoom in and do your best. You don't need to speak, just stand and be counted!

4) Add to your Calendar: Come to the School Board Meeting on Dec 17th - show the School Board we want their support and we want change. This effects Herbert Spencer and Glenbrooke North Middle, NWS students are also passing through here - this isn't a Queen's Park issue, this is an urgent CHILD SAFETY ISSUE. BOARD MEETING & ZOOM INFO (they state it's 7pm - no current Zoom info, I will update later when it's available).

5) Don't let the idea that "someone else will do it, so I don't have to" get in the way of you taking action. I know you are tired and busy and working hard at doing life. But we need to work together to prevent serious injury and we have a duty to protect children. Send an email tonight and rest well, knowing you are helping a current and future family cross a street safely (that's all we want, a safe street crossing at 6th Ave and 2nd Street) :).

Don't forget elected officials work for us! 

Thanks everyone and stay fantastic!

Lyndsay

PS - Regarding the image shared today: On Sunday, an elderly woman (very mindful, very demur) expressed to the crowd at the QPRA Annual General Meeting that this intersection has been a problem for 46 years! No doubt the problem specifics have changed (and some things have been tried out to help) as New West has growing traffic issues and a rapidly expanding population. But, I certainly hope I'm not in my 80s still fighting for the kids to cross that street, you know with the hover cars... that will be a whole new problem in 40 years! Anyhow, the picture above is to recognize her courage and advocacy. If she can speak up, so can you :)