Mayor is a strange job. Surrounded by subject matter experts on every topic - planning, housing, engineering, finance, engagement, public safety, etc. - and at the same time you are asked by the public (some of who are also subject matter experts!) to opine on all of those topics… 🧵

How rules thou @jmcelroy.bsky.social? www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Trying to avoid “Mayorsplaining” on International Women’s Day, so here’s some better sources that have informed my thinking on how we can make #NewWest a more equitable and just City www.patrickjohnstone.ca/2026/03/iwd-...

Just Pogi doing Pogi things again. 80km all by himself. Again. velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-ra...

Great 🧵 that #NewWest folks can share to counter some of the anxiety about new transitional housing that is circulating over on that other platform.

Just #NewWest elector group #NWP misinforming the public about the nature of a BC housing info session, suggesting it's a townhall organized by West End activists NIMBYing the shelter coming to the south end of 20th Street. Create chaos, campaign on the chaos, repeat. Who's organizing whom?

Yesterday I attended the Capacity Café at the #NewWest Youth Hub. This was a chance to hear from youth in the City – who were pretty frank with us about their lived experience – and hear what community support looks like from their experience...🧵

TFW you are presented an award, and get a Mark V home!

Happy Casimir Pulaski Day to all who celebrate! (here's a really sad song) www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Eze...

Public Engagement. We are either right on track here or completely missed the mark, and I have no way of telling which. 😆

Thank you Ramsay for this!

For me, "Vision Zero" isn't a label to stick on the same road safety work we have always been doing. Its about a commitment to do what it takes to end the acceptance of death as a necessary cost to movement around the region... www.communityfirstnw.ca/safer_streets

If you can't do your job without spreading vile hate speech targeting minors, then resigning is the right call. theprogress.com/2026/02/26/c...

Digging through old CD-ROMs looking for old thesis data, and its a blast through the past. This was pretty fun work to do with GIS a long 25 years ago!

In #NewWest, the community asks us to address homelessness. Not to point fingers at others or make excuses, but to make the investments and the commitments that will get people off of the streets into homes... www.communityfirstnw.ca/tiny_home_vi...

Alas... Bill taught me a lot about curling when I played a few years on his Men's league team as a mere kid. He was a wily curler and a hell of a nice guy. Rest in peace, Skip, and thank you for the lessons. castlegarnews.com/2026/02/24/b...

He *can* smile.

Hey #NewWest, there's a pretty significant Water Main failure downtown on Carnarvon near the roundabout with 10th Street. Please avoid the area, and check the City webpage here for updates on when water service will be restored. www.newwestcity.ca/2026/02/23/w...

Canada seriously lacks depth when it comes to Olympic-themed advertisement.

This is hard to watch

Really enjoyed the insight in this nuanced look at the priorities in the provincial budget. In #NewWest I see a hospital, two schools, and several transitional & supportive housing projects under construction. Let’s not pretend those are delivered without cost. open.substack.com/pub/khelsile...

Is curling the only sport where they just yell out thier strategy for the entire world to hear? You know the other team is standing *right there*, right? 🤣

We're fortunate in #NewWest that Heart & Hearth (24/7shelter & transitional housing = 80 units!) & 2 important supportive housing projects (~140 units!) are already underway & fully funded, but I worry about the next tranche we need to meet our housing targets. vicnews.com/2026/02/18/b...

I know some of you are watching Hockey, but I’m at a #NewWest Chamber of Commerce event watching this all-star line! Talking current and future workforce in New West!

IMO The deferral system has not been destroyed, it has been re-calibrated to do what intended (allow pensioners to live in their homes protected from skyrocketing land values) while removing the obvious incentive for profit-seeking it became.

When BC's consumer carbon tax was first introduced, it was accompanied by tax cuts to both personal and corporate taxes to make it revenue-neutral. But when it was eliminated last spring, these tax cuts were not reversed. The result is a $2 billion hole in BC's finances. #BCBudget

The BC Government list stats (including financial data) for all local gov'ts, going back more than a decade. Fascinating what you can glean from a few spreadsheets. www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/...

Wild. There are more players on the Canadian men's hockey team from the United States (1) than there are from Quebec (0).

I took a walk on the Pattullo yesterday. A few people were doing the same, enjoying the view one more time, reminiscing, and it was fun to chat with them and shake our heads at the wonder of it all...

Hey #NewWest, we have heard that people might want to gather tomorrow to lean on each other on the provincial Day of Mourning. All are invited to City Hall at 6pm tomorrow for a candlelight vigil. No agenda, no speeches, just community.

Words fail right now. The #NewWest community stands with the community of Tumbler Ridge. Our flags will stand at half mast to mark our shared grief. If you are hurting because of this and need someone to talk to, remember crisis responders are available 24/7. 📞 Call 1-800-668-6868

TFW an old colleague asks if you might have the thousands of lines of structural data you collected for your 2006 thesis in a digital format? I’m sure it’s in here somewhere…

This is terribly short-term thinking. The KVR has the potential to be a global destination. Disappointment is not a strong enough word. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work. "All in favour? All opposed? Carried."

A great Canadian once said: “I ain’t no movie star, but I can get behind anything” #NewWest

Hey @davethompsonvic.bsky.social is this coming as a resolution to UBCM? Because I'm happy to rally some support on this side of the pond! cheknews.ca/victoria-to-...

Loved this video! Although almost every section provided a tangent that I wanted Uytae to explore (Helmet law impacts! history of OV-fiets & bike/rail integration in Holland! Section 25 of the Community Charter! Existing subsidies for cars!) that would have made it a feature-length documentary...

Council Workshops are important. That’s where public & stakeholder consultation is reviewed & discussed, where “hearing from” the public becomes “listening to” the public. It’s also where Council can discuss policy & outcomes with subject matter experts. It’s where we can actively learn... 1/6 🧵

I met Sam Osmow today! It was the Grand Opening of the new Osmow’s in #NewWest, and the Founder himself paid a visit from Ontario. He is excited about the growth of Sapperton and the commercial spin-off from RCH expansion.

It’s a big day today in #Newwest as we celebrate Lisa Spitale (too smart to have social media handles) on her retirement. She has led this City with vision, compassion, and strength.

Why are so many young families and new businesses choosing #NewWest? Not only is it the most affordable City in Greater Vancouver, it is recognized as one of the most livable Cities in Canada. 5th overall, 2nd by population. And the trend is upward! www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Carney's Davos speech was great, but if I counted every time I've heard someone say "nostalgia is not a strategy" to me over the last week... it would almost equal the number of people who presented to me, as a strategy, their nostalgia. 😬😆

Alas, a valued small business suffering a devastating loss last night in #NewWest. Glad to know no-one was hurt. Thank you to our dedicated fire crews who had a long night keeping the public and each other safe, and kept the SkyTrain running safely. www.newwestcity.ca/2026/01/28/d...

We had a less-common-now Public Hearing at #NewWest Council yesterday, here is my almost-free-of-politics report of what went down, and what it means. www.patrickjohnstone.ca/2026/01/coun...

Telling people there’s no plan for infrastructure (after passing a 10-year capital plan), no plan to pay for it (after passing an interim funding- growth strategy) & no plan for managing growth (while opposing an OCP update to mange growth) is not only misleading, it’s fearmongering. #newwest

Two older adults hit by drivers in separate incidents in separate *parking lots* in #NewWest in the same week; one killed, one seriously injured. Families devastated, lives alerted, because of momentary mistakes. Mistakes we all make every day driving or walking. How do we end this? 🧵

a very #NewWest story. www.freshetnews.ca/new-west-run...

Lisa's mark on #NewWest is indelible. I'm proud to have been able to work with her and learn from her. Kudos on an amazing career! www.freshetnews.ca/from-planner...