For the Record with Daniel Fontaine & Paul Minhas

In this week's edition of For the Record with Daniel Fontaine we explore what will be debated at New Westminster City Council over the coming weeks. Special guest Councillor Paul Minhas is in studio and he provides his unique perspectives into the issues of the day. The opening opinion piece "The Way I See It" talks about how local politicians could take a lesson or two from the Olympi...

It's the middle of summer but that doesn't mean we are taking a break from For the Record. We've invited Councillor Paul MInhas back for this special "Long Weekend Edition" that you won't want to miss. Some of the topics we touch upon include a kick off discussion regarding the City of New Westminster's rebranding efforts. A new report posted online consolidates public...

It was another interesting week when it came to civic politics in the Metro Vancouver region. On the podcast today we cover a number of fascinating topics including recent revelations stemming from documents obtained by Global TV. It was reported that former Metro Vancouver Chair George Harvie billed Metro Vancouver taxpayers over $7,400 to stay on the exclusive gold floor at the Fairmont Hotel in...

In this summer episode of For the Record, Coun. Paul Minhas makes another appearance in studio to analyze the latest activities of New West city politicos. What do President Joe Biden and the New West Mayor have in common? Well, some say they may both soon have close allies and supporters asking them to step down for the 'good of the party'. That's a topic we explore as we undertake a...

In Part II of our podcast coverage of the July 8th New West Council meeting, we discuss a number of topics on the docket for the 'mid-summer marathon' session. Be sure to check out Episode 36 for Part I of this two-part podcast. In this edition, special guest Coun. Paul Minhas discusses the tragic loss of a life on East Columbia which was the subject of a report to improve road safety. A n...

It was a jam packed workshop and council meeting in New Westminster on July 8th. There is so much to unpack, that's why we've broken this podcast into two parts. Special guest Coun. Minhas is in studio with us and he provides his personal perspective on what transpired and why. A number of interesting topics came up for discussion including raising the level of authority for the city manag...

Joining us on the podcast this week is Jennifer Mackie, owner of the popular Kelly O'Bryan's pub in beautiful downtown New Westminster. Mackie provides her personal insights regarding the significant challenges her business has faced over the past few years when it comes to managing COVID, construction on Columbia and Front Streets and crime. Whether it's criminals breaking into her es...

In what can only be described as the "Mother of all Council meetings", host Daniel Fontaine and his special guest Coun. Paul Minhas review a number of key issues coming up for debate on July 8th. The council meeting and workshop is packed with dozens of items which are no doubt going to spur debate and discussion. No wonder there is talk on this podcast about bringing pyjamas and extra sna...

In this latest episode Coun. Paul Minhas appears as part of the regular Council Roundup feature. A number of topics were on the table including an interesting debate regarding the placement of a new public toilet at the corner of Begbie and Front St next to the Interurban building. Is the toilet still being installed, or isn't it? The more things change, the more they stay the same. It was Sta...

Special host Paul Minhas conducts an exclusive interview with Kayvan Rahmati, President and CEO of Waves Coffee House. They talk about the business climate in New West, patios and economic development. We also find out how Waves got its name and which public figure Kayvan most respects! We also bring back the popular "Bell or Buzzer" game and have Kayvan attempt to get all 4 responses righ...

For the Record has a special host this week and its none other than Councillor Paul Minhas! He brings on to the podcast local business owner Kayvan Rahmati who owns Waves Coffee which is headquartered in New West. Minhas sits down with Rahmati for a wide ranging and interesting discussion about everything from the state of the business climate to what is Kayvan's favourite travel destination!...

This week's episode of For the Record with Daniel Fontaine is jam packed with a full hour of issues and topics of interest to both residents and business owners in the Royal City. To start off "The Way I See It" segment asks about whether we have enough competition in the construction sector? Would more competition help to lower the price tag for ballooning costs related to municipal c...

We're pleased to announce that Paul Minhas will be hosting his first ever episode of For the Record! Have a listen to this promo where he talks about who is first two guests will be, and it may well surprise you.

In this episode of For the Record, we cover a number of topics and issues of interest to New West residents and business owners. We start off with our regular "The Way I See It" segment which focuses on why the provincial and federal governments were a no-show when it came to being a major funding partner for the new təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre. The project cost over $110M and...

In this edition of For the Record with special guest Coun. Paul Minhas, we have an issue filled podcast! It starts off with "The Way I See It" which focuses on the issue of cutting down trees and how citizens are treated compared to city governments. Should city officials have to go through the same hoops and accountability for cutting down mature trees as do private property owners? Durin...

$17,336.50. That's how much it cost Metro Vancouver taxpayers to send the Chair of Metro Vancouver to attend the 2023 Asia Pacific Cities Summit and Mayors Forum. Keep in mind, that's for just his airfare! He also attended the conference with two other civic politicians who sit on the Metro Vancouver board. Now Metro Vancouver Chair Mayor George Harvie is asking taxpayers to pay for his ne...

In Episode 27 of For the Record, we cover a number of topics and issues of interest to New West residents and beyond. We start off the podcast by discussing a number of motions that are making their way through New West city council. Have you noticed limited access to the City's waterfront lately due to a lack of working elevators? A motion will be coming to Council asking that we start keepin...

In this week's edition of For the Record, we cover off a number of interesting issues making news in the Royal City. A motion coming to city council later this month regarding decriminalization is sure to trigger a debate. It has already generated some media interest and you can listen to an interesting head-to-head discussion on CKNW's Mike Smyth Show featuring Garth Mullins of VANDU (Van...

In this week's "The Way I See It", the focus is on a recent decision by Delta city council to remove Mayor George Harvie as their representative on the Metro Vancouver Board. That also had the effect of removing him as the Chair of Metro Vancouver which will mean a significant pay cut. Was his removal warranted? Harvie was essentially non-responsive to calls for a snow summit after our...

In this edition host Daniel Fontaine welcomes special guest Councillor Paul Minhas to the podcast. This edition was recorded in Whistler at the annual Lower Mainland Local Government Association (LMLGA) conference. In a wide ranging discussion, Fontaine and Minhas discuss a number of topics of interest to New Westminster residents and business owners. The podcast opens with a discussion focusing o...

It was a packed episode of For the Record this week with way too many topics to cover! Councillor Paul Minhas makes another appearance to review the April 22nd Council meeting and much more. Some the items discussed include a donation of $150,000 USD to the City of New Westminster. The source of the funds was Bloomberg Philanthropies which has as one of its stated goals to lobby civic politicians!...

Special guest Councillor Paul Minhas joins host Daniel Fontaine to discuss a number of issues of interest to local New West residents and businesses. What do you think about setting up a Canucks on Columbia Fan Zone? It would consist of a couple of big screens and would allow fans to visit Hyack Square to watch the playoffs. It would be a BYOC (Bring Your Own Chair) event and would be family-frien...

In this latest episode of For the Record host Daniel Fontaine covers a number of interesting topics including an opening editorial on the sport and recreation infrastructure deficit plaguing New Westminster. Will the opening of a new $114M aquatic and community center put a big dent in that deficit? Fontaine also paid a visit to the BC Legislature this week and had an exclusive sit down interview...

Host Daniel Fontaine has an exclusive interview with local Filipino activist and journalist Ted Alcuitas regarding his efforts to get Benson Flores the proper recognition he deserves. Benson Flores was the first Filipino on record to have settled in Canada - on Bowen Island, British Columbia in 1861. He died in 1929 and was buried in an unmarked grave in Vancouver. While Filipinos are known to hav...

In this episode, special guest Councillor Paul Minhas and host Daniel Fontaine explore the financial and political ramifications of a costly overrun at a waste treatment plant under construction in North Vancouver. The original cost for this infrastructure project was pegged at $500 million, but now it's estimated to cost upwards of $4 billion dollars. Once all the dust has settled, North Shor...