Regional collaboration and the City of New Westminster, with Mayor Jonathan Cote

Greater Vancouver Board of Trade President and CEO, Bridgitte Anderson, is joined by New Westminster Mayor, Jonathan Cote, to discuss inter-municipal collaboration in Metro Vancouver and reflect on nearly two decades at city council.

What is GVPOD - Greater Vancouver's Business Podcast?

GVPOD is the podcast of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. President and CEO Bridgitte Anderson talks to leaders in the business community about the challenges and opportunities they experience, as well as issues impacting our region.

0:00:00.2 BRIDGITTE: Welcome to GVPOD, Greater Vancouver's business podcast, unpacking the challenges and opportunities facing our region. I’m Bridgitte Anderson, President and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. We're in the midst of a series on regional leadership, speaking with mayors in Metro Vancouver about the issues impacting their communities. Joining us today is New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Cote. Mayor Cote, thank you so much for taking time to speak with me.

0:00:28.0 JONATHAN: Well, thank you, Bridgitte, and looking forward to the conversation.

0:00:32.2 BRIDGITTE: So why don't we start at the beginning. You were first elected to Council in 2005, you served three terms as councillor and then two terms as mayor, and this is in addition to numerous boards in the community, so what inspired you to become so involved in public service?

0:00:51.8 JONATHAN: Yeah, well, I think for myself, my background has always had a strong interest in urban planning, so I think you combine that with a little bit of interest in politics and local government seems to be... Seemed to be a good, good fit for that, but I know when I first ran for city council, I was in my 20s at that time, and I'll be honest, I didn't expect to end up on council, but low and behold, I must have found some magic in that campaign and that has started me on this really amazing journey involved in local government.

0:01:28.3 BRIDGITTE: 17 years on... Council is a long time. How would you say New West has evolved in that time?

0:01:36.3 JONATHAN: Yeah, well, New West has gone through a lot of changes and a lot of positive changes during that time, it's a city that has seen a significant amount of growth during that period, it's also seen a lot of opportunities to invest more in amenities, community centres and park spaces that have really brought life to the community, and I think of even downtown New Westminster, that's been a neighbourhood that's kind of had its ups and downs over the years, but really being part of a local government where that neighbourhood really started to see a lot of growth and coming back to life has been wonderful to kind of see, because that's always a central point in the city of New Westminster.

0:02:17.8 BRIDGITTE: Well, I think Stats Can says that the city of New West grown by more than 10% since 2016, which is pretty sizeable growth, so what do you hear from some of these new residents and from some potential residents about what attracts them to New West? I know the city quite well. There's Queen's Park, there is the quay, there is the river, but what are the things that are attracting the new residents to your city?

0:02:42.3 JONATHAN: Yeah, well, I think first and foremost, New West is right in the centre of Metro Vancouver, so in terms of being connected to the region, we’re well connected and close to everything, being right in the middle. I think the other thing too, being the oldest, oldest city in the region is we still have the bones of that good urban character that we all love, those traditional commercial main streets, we've got really excellent public transit, and I think it's those kind of factors in there, I even think to myself, when my wife and I, when we were just getting married, deciding where we wanted to, wanted to buy our first town house, we chose New Westminster mainly because it had great SkyTrain and it really allowed us to get us to our jobs, and I think it's kind of those kind of factors that I think really initially draw people here, but I actually think it's kind of that small town community feel, but in a big city that really win people's hearts in the city of New Westminster.

0:03:38.8 BRIDGITTE: And certainly, a lot of people are drawn to New Westminster, whether it's brides for their wedding dresses or antique shopping. I think there's a lot of things that New West is really well-known for, and I think the quay is one of those that stand out as well, when you look over the last 17 years though, every community has got challenges and some more than others, that have come to light, over the last many years, affordability being one of them, for sure. What would you say are some of the biggest challenges facing New West?

0:04:10.0 JONATHAN: Yeah, well, I think some of our biggest challenges aren't dissimilar to all of the challenges cities are facing, in Metro Vancouver, it's hard to have any conversation with a neighbour or anyone in our region without housing affordability coming up, and the challenge we have, even myself, with my three kids, I often wonder how are they going to find to find the right place in a housing market that we have, so no doubt New West hasn't been alone, but we have faced those challenges, which put pressure on the community for sure. I mentioned also before that New Westminster is right in the centre of the region, which can sometimes be a benefit, but sometimes it can be a bit of a curse because when you're right in the middle of the region, it means everyone's kind of going through you and with that comes a busyness and comes a lot of congestion that we often faced challenges there, so I think you have to take the good and the bad with some of those kind of locational things here, but I look at transportation and housing issues and those are always going to be important top issues, but I think they really have to be front and centre issues with local government leadership.

0:05:19.2 BRIDGITTE: What has been council's approach to addressing some of the challenges around housing that other communities in our region could learn from?

0:05:27.3 JONATHAN: Yeah, well, I think the housing file is one that has been really important to me and been really supported by New West Council of really trying to throw the kitchen sink at whatever policy tools that we have available. And I think there's a full spectrum... We've introduced new policies to encourage the development of new rental housing because our region really didn't see a lot of new rental housing built for 20 to 30 year period in our region, and it's only recently when local governments and other levels of government have started changing some of the incentives to get developers thinking more about building that form of housing to relieve some of the stress and lack of supply there, and New Westminster were leaders 10 years ago implementing policies that are now starting to start to result in more rental housing in the community, I think we've also recognized we need to find ways to make room for non-market and housing in our communities as well too. I think we... Many communities have based social challenges, and we have to recognize there are people that are falling through the through to cracks and opportunities, local governments in themselves can’t take on those issues, but there are ways, whether it's providing land or making zoning processes possible to partner with non-profits and other levels of government to get some of that more supportive housing that I think all of our communities really need to support the people in our society who are unfortunately falling through the cracks

0:06:49.5 BRIDGITTE: In speaking to some of your counterparts, pretty clear messages coming through about the need for the different levels of government to work together, for everybody to come to the table to really have some long-term solutions to the housing problem, and it's a point I think that you make here too, it's not just one thing that the municipality can do or one thing a developer could do... It's quite a complex issue.

0:07:13.7 JONATHAN: I think the housing issue, I kind of see it as a spectrum all the way to how do we make sure housing affordability is... Ownership is people have access to it all the way down to dealing with the issue of homelessness, to the whole spectrum in between. But I think the reality is all levels of government have a role to play in the affordability issue, and I think local governments, we do have to do our bit to advocate provincially and federal governments to step up in areas that they really have failed in the past couple of couple of decades, but I also say, You know what, local governments have tools at their disposal as well too, and I often say a local government's affordable housing plan, if it just involves advocating upper levels of government, we actually really don't have an affordable housing plan, we need to find the solutions that can combine and partner with the upper levels of government if we're really going to make progress on this.

0:08:06.2 BRIDGITTE: The other issue that you mentioned as a challenge is around congestion and transportation, and you have had a big regional voice here as the chair of the TransLink Mayor's Council since 2019, and looking at transit, ridership obviously plummeted through the pandemic, it is coming back, but it still hasn't fully recovered, which impacts revenues, and just looking at the Regional Transit System, it's facing some pretty significant funding challenges, what are some long-term solutions that should be applied here?

0:08:42.7 JONATHAN: Yeah, well, although we've had a bit of a roller coaster ride through the COVID period with our transit system, I'm still very bullish that Metro Vancouver has all the good bones to be a transit city, and a good solid public transit system is an integral part of our region's transportation system, particularly as we’re anticipated to grow by a million people over the next couple of decades, so to me, now is not the time to be losing focus and interest in making the important investments. But I think the reality is, we have to say how we fund public transit is broken right now, it largely relies on things like transit fares property taxes, and the gas tax, and as we've seen, transit fares has been vulnerable during this covid period, and I'm optimistic that we're starting to see life come back and those revenues will return over time, but even the gas tax as we move to electric vehicles, that's no longer going to be a sustainable so we need to have a serious conversation about replacing that with a sustainable long-term funding source for our transportation system because as far as I'm concerned, not properly investing in maintaining our transportation system and our public transit assets is really not an option for the Metro Vancouver region, but we're going to have to have some difficult conversations about different ways to replace and augment our funding sources.

0:10:13.0 BRIDGITTE: And... Not easy conversations to have. I think we've all learned that whether it's about housing or it's about transportation, some tough decisions need to be made that will have implications to individuals’ pocketbooks. So how as a person who serves in public service, how do you manage that kind of... Difficult conversation.

0:10:34.6 JONATHAN: Yeah, well, and any time you're talking about new funding sources, ultimately someone has to pay for it somewhere down the line, and those are never easy discussions, and I think you need to have a thoughtful of approach that really kind of weigh the benefits of who's being impacted by the different taxation sources, what are the unintended consequences, 'cause we all know that there are certain tax sources that might have a real detrimental impact on a local economy. Well, that's counter-productive. So I think you need to be really, really mindful. Thinking of the transportation sector, there are a variety of different potential funding options, I know we had the failed referendum on an increase in the sales tax to be a part of that, but... I'll be perfectly upfront. I still think that shouldn't be off the table as a long-term discussion... As a leaving politician, I can maybe be a little bit more courageous, but I think the discussion about mobility pricing is one that really deserves some time and merit in the region, because not only does that help generate revenue to help fund transportation infrastructure, but also helps manage road space and be able to reduce congestion quite effectively and has been very effective in the other parts of the region, so I know it can be politically unpopular, but I think there has to be some space for that conversation to have in the next 5 to 10 years of our region.

0:11:55.3 BRIDGITTE: And you're right, you've got a good window to bring some of these to the forefront, and certainly at the Board of Trade, we've talked about a regional approach to mobility pricing and not seeing that currently in the region, and so... I agree that there needs to be a more stand back and take a look at the holistic issue for sure, speaking of difficult conversations, another one comes to mind that would be pre-covid, and it was around the Inter-Municipal ride-hailing license. And for those who are listening who maybe don't remember this, but when we were getting into the ride-sharing, which took a long, long time to come to our region, there was also a big disconnect between our 20 plus municipalities about how this would work, but the mayor's council and yourself had a huge win here, and if you can walk us through what that process was like, because that seemed like a huge hill to climb.

0:12:47.0 JONATHAN: Yeah, seems like a lifetime ago. Pre-covid, but yeah, that was... Three years ago, that was a major issue that was facing us and as the province began to open up a ride hailing into the communities, the challenge we faced in having a Metro Vancouver region made up of 21 different municipalities is what immediately started to happen is you were getting a patchwork of policies that were inconsistent, and the reality is just not doable, it took a few months of getting people together and moving around, but I actually think the Mayors’ Council and even TransLink, which is not really the type of organization you would think that would jump in, but you needed that kind of Metro Vancouver regional organization to kinda take the bull by the horns with this issue, kind of stepped in and say we need a regional solution there, and to me, I would say that's a perfect example of where regionalism works in Metro Vancouver because I think as individual communities we’re all proud and we love the uniqueness of our cities, and there's always going to be differences there, but the reality is a region like Metro Vancouver has to have that collaboration and work as a federation on these big regional issues, because there's so many examples where a patchwork of policies or a patchwork of services is not an efficient or effective way to deal with those issues and to me, I think Metro Vancouver, we have an interesting history, but overall, in terms of regional cooperation, whether that's at TransLink, whether that's at Metro Vancouver, the Metro Vancouver Board actually does have a lot of good examples of where we've effectively been able to work together as municipalities.

0:14:29.1 BRIDGITTE: So, looking over your shoulder down at the last 17 years or so, are we getting better at working as a region?

0:14:37.0 JONATHAN: You know what it's like sometimes it feels like a bit of a roller coaster ride. Some days it's like we're moving in the right direction, and other days we seem to be more solely focused individually on our own municipalities, but I think the structures are in place and to really promote and protect regional decision-making and regional solutions, but ultimately it comes down to actually having the local leaders buying into regionalism as well too, because we can have the work of the Mayor's Council and the work of the Metro Vancouver board, but if the people around those tables aren't working well together, then these kind of solutions aren't going to be found as easily.

0:15:19.8 BRIDGITTE: That's a pretty good advice that you can leave on the table as you step away because you've announced that you're not going to be running again in the upcoming municipal election, you made the announcement on January 1st on New Year's Day. And in making the announcement you cited the pandemic is playing a factor in your decision, what was it about the last two years that really kind of pushed you to say, You know it's time to do something a different.

0:15:44.9 JONATHAN: Yeah, well, you know what, I think during the covid period, I think we've all had had some opportunity to kinda just be a little bit more reflective of life, and I know myself, one of the first things that comes to mind being a mayor is... I've really enjoyed the opportunity in the job, but it can be very demanding and evenings and weekends were often full game in terms of the role, but suddenly with the pandemic, my evenings and weekends became a little bit more free and I've got three kids and being able to be home for dinner every night. Sometimes you don't realize what you're missing until it's staring you right back in your face there, and I think my wife and I, we kinda realized, you know what, we need to find a little bit of better balance in the work we're doing, and... I have no regrets in the 17 years in public office that I've spent, but there's part of me going, I still have a lot to give and I'm eager to the next adventure, but that a different work-life balance is definitely something I'm striving for as well, and I think a lot of people are having similar conversations this time.

0:16:47.3 BRIDGITTE: I have had dozens and dozens of these conversations from the public sector and the private sector, I think the pandemic gave everybody an opportunity to review and just kind of think about what they wanted... The next chapter of their life to be... So now that you have this window for the next few months, you are really in, I think, a unique position, given how long you served, your regional voice, what would you say... Is there anything that you wish you would have done that you're just simply running out of time now?

0:17:18.3 JONATHAN: Well, I try not to leave on any kind of regret, to me, I've really actually started this year going, what can I get done in this time, and to me it's about finishing up and kind of ending on a good way, whether it's the City or whether it's the work that I'm doing on the Mayors’ Council, I recognize my mandates coming to an end, so it's not appropriate for me to put in bold... New radical changes that I have to leave that for the next group, but there are a lot of things that I've been really passionate working on that I wanna see through, and as an example, and on TransLink, landing the region's Long Range Transportation Plan, Transport 20-50 this spring, that was something that was really important to me to get that across the finish line, and we still have more work to do with an investment plan and the next mayors’ ten-year vision, but I'm hoping by summer those two things can be accomplished. And locally here in New Westminster, it's just about taking some important files, we're working on climate change and reconciliation and finishing up nicely, but also setting the scene for whether it's the next New West city council or the next Mayors’ Council to be really in a good position to have a good start to moving into the next term

0:18:31.0 BRIDGITTE: And looking at the community of New West, and your 17 years on council there, I'm sure you have dozens and dozens of moments that are real highlights, but are there one or two that you could share with us that really stand out as a project or initiative or a moment that just resonates with you or you're really proud of?

0:18:50.3 JONATHAN: Yeah, well, there's probably a number that can come to mind on a policy side, I'm really proud of the work we've done on affordable housing and Climate Change locally, but on a more personal level, there's a brand new riverfront park that was built about 10 years ago, and it's a beautiful Pier Park, and me and my family we’re down there constantly on the weekend, and just to not only enjoy it as a family, but actually to see hundreds of residents and visitors using that space it always warms your heart to know, I was a part of that project and know that so many community partners were a big part of making that happen, but that's the beauty of local government too, is when you make positive change in the community, you see it right in your neighbourhood, and I think that's the joy of this type of work, and this is why I always encourage people, if you really care about your local communities, think about putting your name forward, if it's a good fit for you for council or for mayor or school board.

0:19:47.8 BRIDGITTE: Small communities maybe, but big impacts and... Absolutely, hear you on that. So as you think about this chapter ending and looking to the next, any thoughts on what you'll do after your term as mayor?

0:19:59.4 JONATHAN: Yeah, well, definitely starting to put some thoughts to that, haven't nailed that down exactly where the next chapter will be, but I have a feeling it's still going to be related to my passion for cities, because although I'm ready to take a break from politics and move on to my next chapter, I think the passion is still very much there for all of the important work that's needed around cities, so I'm not exactly sure where that next chapter will be, but if I have an inkling and if I fall on my heart, my gut tells me, I'm still going to be involved in cities in some capacity.

0:20:34.9 BRIDGITTE: Well, that's very good news for our region, and as we close out, I want to take a moment and thank you, I know it's very difficult serving in public office and 17 years is you're giving up a lot of personal and family time and very grateful that you've done that for our region. So, thank you, and thank you for joining us today. Really appreciate the conversation.

0:20:54.5 JONATHAN: Well, thank you, Bridgitte. It's been a delight to have this discussion today.