COP 28 Controversy Overshadows Groundbreaking Citizens Committee

The January 22nd New Westminster City Council meeting grew to three and a half hours due to an hour-long battle for accountability. Councillor Daniel Fontaine, supported by Councillor Paul Minhas, raised questions regarding Mayor Johnstone's recent trip to Dubai to attend the COP 28 conference on climate change. Fontaine's motion was defeated, but not before over an hour was spent debating the subject.

The City Council meeting opened with two important reports. The Citizens Committee Assembly, the first of its kind in British Columbia, was controversial when it was first announced. It is replacing the previous practice of topic-specific non-partisan civic committees. Instead, the city will be assembling a 36-person committee made up of handpicked residents and consultants. They will be meeting monthly and advising staff and Council. After a year of preparation, councillors had an opportunity to question staff on its accessibility to the public and other key questions. 

A second report had a sense of urgency to it for good reason. New Westminster's only current food bank is slated to close in early February. A report on the feasibility of a new location generated more questions than it answered. The building in question, an Annex behind the soon to be completed new təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Center, is old. The report outlined what will be needed to make it viable for the proposed food bank. Councillor Ruby Campbell questioned the feasibility of this. Council and staff both agreed that at present there are no other locations for the food bank. Left with the possibility of the city being without food security for its most disadvantaged citizens, Council granted staff the funds to secure the location for the present.

Soon after New Westminster Progressives Councillor Fontaine and Minhas questioned the transparency and financial details of Mayor Johnstone's recent trip to Dubai, the mayor excused himself from chambers prior to the questioning. Fontaine continued to press for an explanation of who paid for the trip including details such as itinerary and hotel fees. He called for an investigation by staff into the legitimacy of the trip to attend the climate conference. Fontaine has stated that "the more we learn about this trip, the more questions there are. How did this come about, and who exactly paid for Mayor Johnstone and city staff to attend, and why?"

Councillor Nadine Nakagawa stated " I received an abundance of information...in an email copy to all of council. I'm surprised this motion wasn't removed. This isn't actually about the process at all, it is targeting individuals." Other councillors pointed out that all of them had at one time or another gone to various conferences without informing the council before attending. 

Despite an hour long back and forth between council members, in the end the motion for a detailed report back on the trip was defeated 4-2. Council did pass the motion for the city's ethics commissioner to conduct a workshop with council regarding the City Charter. It will emphasize section 105 that covers restrictions on the receipt of gifts.