SFU Metro Conversations

Since the last episode of Metro Conversations at the beginning of April, BC has transitioned from a wide-scale shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic to gradually re-opening. In many communities, roads and park spaces have been reallocated to accommodate restaurant patios, sidewalks, and bike lanes. What does this mean for economic recovery and community well-being? Meanwhile, the Black Lives Matter movement is re-igniting conversations about the Colonial and racist foundations of many Canadian institutions, including the very form of our government. Councillors Nathan Pachal from Langley City, Mathew Bond from the District of North Vancouver, and Patrick Johnstone from New Westminster talk about what it means to be white-passing, ways in which systemic racism can be addressed, and what it means to listen, learn, and get out of the way.

There have been many discussions about COVID-19 and what it means for our country and our province, but what about our mid-size cities in Metro Vancouver? City councillors Kiersten Duncan of Maple Ridge, Patrick Johnstone of New Westminster, and Nathan Pachal from Langley City discuss the implication of this pandemic on local governments.

Metro Conversations are about bringing Urbanist and City Making conversations out of the Urban core to the urban edge: the north shore, south of the Fraser, the northeast sector, and beyond. In this conversation, Langley City Councillor Nathan Pachal talks about running for re-election, and the showdown between former Mayor and MLA Peter Fassbender’s re-emergence to local politics, and first-time Councillor Val van den Broek, in their battle for mayor.

Metro Conversations are about bringing Urbanist and City Making conversations out of the Urban core to the urban edge: the north shore, south of the Fraser, the northeast sector, and beyond. In this conversation, Maple Ridge Councillor Kiersten Duncan talks about her re-election campaign, and the challenges of running in a community where social media has turned local politics toxic.

Metro Conversations are about bringing Urbanist and City Making conversations out of the Urban core to the urban edge: the north shore, south of the Fraser, the northeast sector, and beyond. In this conversation, New Westminster Patrick Councillor Johnstone talks about how running for re-election means defending past decisions, and how a conservative slate tried to run as progressives.

Metro Conversations are about bringing Urbanist and City Making conversations out of the Urban core to the urban edge: the north shore, south of the Fraser, the northeast sector, and beyond. In this conversation, District of North Vancouver Councillor Mathew Bond talks about his experience running for re-election, including the challenges of being a pro-growth candidate in a no-growth community.

How can we make roads for the diverse and changing needs of communities that were either built before the advent of the motor vehicle, or before cities really began to question what accessibility (not just for cars) ought to look like? Join us as we talk about the changes we can make to our cities so that we can help develop road infrastructure that meet the needs of our present day communities.

The idea of single-family homes are traditionally valued but with the steep price of property in Metro Vancouver, how do we evolve and still keep our sense of community. In this episode of Metro Conversations, we are joined by: Michael Geller - Architect, planner, real estate consultant and property developer Krista Tulloch - District of North Vancouver Citizen, Official Community Plan Implementation Committee Cameron Maltby - Maltby Design, providing services for custom homes & renovations 
 Neal LaMontagne – City Planner & Adjunct Professor, UBC and Langara College This episode was recorded live on May 17, 2017 at the Lynn Valley Village Community Room in North Vancouver

Trump’s now infamous remark calling Hillary Clinton a “nasty woman” has become a rallying cry for women across the political spectrum to take a stand against the sexism and misogyny they face in politics. In this episode of Metro Conversations, we will discuss the reality and challenges for women running for and holding political office in Metro Vancouver. We are joined by: Mayor Nicole Read, City of Maple Ridge Councillor Bonita Zarrillo, City of Coquitlam Councillor Laura Dupont, City of Port Coquitlam Councillor Glenn Pollock, City of Port Coquitlam This episode was recorded live on November 22nd, 2017 in the M. Wright Art Gallery room at the Gathering Place in Port Coquitlam.

AirBnB, a website where individuals can rent short-term accommodations and VRBO, a vacation rental site, are booming. They encourage tourism and can help make home ownership more affordable. However, they may also disrupt traditional neighbourhoods and add to Metro Vancouver’s affordability crisis. How do short term rentals fit into communities in the "burbs" and what should local governments do about them? In this episode of Metro Conversations, we are joined by: Lindsay Kaisaris, Owner of Re-Up BBQ/ AirBnB Operator Tej Kainth, Executive Director of Tourism New Westminster Ian Marjoribanks, UBC SCARP student and AirBnB researcher This episode was recorded live on November 23rd, 2016 at the Network Hub in New Westminster.

Elon Musk’s bold vision of electric autonomous vehicles, cargo missions to Mars, and a network of high-speed underground Hyperloop tunnels promises a future free of traffic, free of drivers, and cities on Mars. Yet, what infrastructural and ethical considerations do cities and policymakers need to make to ensure that this transition is not only possible, but that nobody is left behind in this race to the future? For this episode of Metro Conversations, we are joined by: Mayor Jonathan X. Coté, City of New Westminster Shazeen Tejani, Community Planner at the District of North Vancouver Adrian Bell, Activate Planning (Principal & Founder) This episode was recorded live on Feburary 27th, 2018 at the Anvil Center in New Westminster. Our thanks to the City of New Westminster and Innovation Week for making this event possible.

Metro Conversations was started by a group of four like-minded elected officials from across Metro Vancouver. Join us for our first episode and find out a little about what brought together four city councillors from the District of North Vancouver, the City of Maple Ridge, New Westminster, and the City of Langley! Whether you’re a policy keener, or just looking for something to listen to on transit, Metro Conversations hopes to help cultivate interest in some of the topics that are important to those of us who live outside of Vancouver.