Winner has plan for North Van Linda Buchanan cites housing affordability and traffic congestion for mayoral agenda By ALBERTO TUFANO orth Vancouver city’s new mayor says she is eager to begin the job of tackling solutions for the region’s biggest problems. “We need to move forward be- cause there are big challenges,” said Linda Buchanan, who will be taking over the reins from Dar- rell Mussatto after his 12 years as mayor. “First of all housing affordability, and people are frus- trated with the traffic congestion. We need immediately to start with these issues.” Buchanan won the race for mayor with a slim 401 vote lead over Guy Heywood, the 59-year- old accounting and finance expert who wanted to develop a plan with the district to reduce grid- lock. Buchanan, a long-time council- lor, emphasized her creative solu- tions to affordable housing during her campaign. She will be getting support from new council members like Tony Valente. “I am looking forward to work- ing with the new mayor and the entire team,” he said. “Tt’s really hard for women sometimes, but I am really proud of the [other] women who are going to be in council with me, too, and the men.” —LINDA BUCHANAN, MAYOR ELECT NORTH VANCOUVER Buchanan said she hopes to achieve a lot with her new team. “This is going to be an amazing council,” said Buchanan, observ- ing that city council has been re- juvenated by all the newcomers. “I am sorry only for Mack [Mc- Corkindale],” she said about the only councillor not elected from the team supporting her. “He is in his 20s and it’s not easy to put yourself out there.” Buchanan is the third female mayor in the city’s history, fol- lowing Carrie Cates and Barbara Sharp. “T think we need a lot of women in leadership roles,” she said. “It’s really hard for women sometimes, but I am really proud of the [oth- er] women who are going to be in council with me, too, and the men.” Buchanan was not the only fe- male mayor elected on the North Shore. In West Vancouver, Coun. Mary-Ann Booth narrowly de- feated Mark Sager, a former may- or who came forward to challenge her after being out of politics for years. Winning candidate Mike Hurley, who upset long-time Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan by nearly 6,000 votes last Saturday. He says he'll put together a task force to examine the demolition of low-cost apartments in the city. D&S/REE GaRciA PHOTO Hurley focuses on demos Incoming Burnaby mayor says he wont forget promise By DESIREE GARCIA urnaby’s new mayor is promising that he will not abandon his commit- ment to impose a morato- rium on the demolition of low-cost apartments in the city. And that’s something Mike Hurley’s supporters and campaign workers are counting on. Scott Ruddy, a long-time friend and supporter of Hurley, said he is looking forward to seeing Hurley get to work on an issue that likely led to the defeat of Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan Saturday after 30 years on council. “That’s why I wanted to help him. I believed in Mike and obviously a lot of people in Burnaby tonight believed in him too.” Campaign manager Lorne West said the moratorium and a new housing policy are first priorities for the new mayor. Hurley has said he will put a temporary stop to all un- approved developments until dis- placed renters are guaranteed new units at the same price. Hurley reiterated his commit- ment to his housing-policy plans just after he was elected. “And yes, we will have a mora- torium here in Metrotown,” said Hurley to cheering crowds during his victory speech Saturday night. “I am planning to put together a task force, and hopefully when I sit down and talk with council we can move that forward as soon as pos- sible.” Hurley, running as an indepen- dent, upset Corrigan by beating him in this year’s municipal election by 5,927 votes. Although Corrigan was defeated, seven out of eight members of the new council are members of the Burnaby Citizens Association, a party led by Corrigan. Although a majority of the new council are BCA party members, West believes most council mem- bers are keen to be co-operative and want to be a part of Hurley's success. West also added that he believes conflicts may arise as a few council members may be hurt by Corrigan’s loss. “They have to recognize the vote was pretty clear and why that vote was clear. The residents want what Mike wants too,” West said. New West elects diverse slate New council has first-ever visible minorities By CLOELOGAN ew Westminster has elect- ed its first-ever visible mi- norities to city council, a change that many say is long over- due. Two new councillors, Japanese- Canadian Nadine Nakagawa and Indo-Canadian Chinu Das, were part of the sweep for Jonathan Coté and his team. Coté’s win was expected, but the diversity in council is a first for New Westminster. For some Team Coté support- ers, it was one of the best pieces of news for the night, along with the number of women elected on school board. “Tt looks like a school board slate is going to be a strong slate of amazing women, including some new women candidates,” said Coté supporter Debra Parkes. “It’s amazing for the city to have a more diverse council, and school board and yeah, just moving New West forward.” The Royal City’s neighbours — Richmond, Burnaby and Surrey — elected two visible minorities on each of their councils as well. On the other hand, Vancouver’s new council has as its sole non-white person Pete Fry, who is Trinida- dian-Canadian. Coupled with the fact that Vancouver’s population is 54 per cent non-white, many have been quick to call out the discrep- ancy. Supporters and politicians alike welcomed the change in New Westminster, saying that the city was in need of more diversity on council. “To me it, just shows that we're moving in the right direction in the city of New Westminster,” Coté said. Nakagawa said that New West is known to be a progressive city, but that representation on council is an essential step forward to becom- ing a more inclusive and forward- thinking city. New West is 42.3 per cent "non- white." Visible minorities account for 39 per cent of the population Before the 2018 civic election New West's council was com- prised of six all-white members. New West's council now has two women from an ethnic minority. Source: www.newwestcity.ca