Community voice pressed into city climate planning
Members of New Westminster’s Community Advisory Assembly have delivered a set of detailed recommendations aimed at strengthening the city’s approach to climate hazards. The Assembly, convened to deliberate on the Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Plan (CCARP), proposed 16 recommendations that it says reflect local lived experience as well as technical briefing materials provided during the process.
At an April meeting, Assembly members voted on the package of proposals. The Assembly’s rules require at least 75 per cent of members present to back a recommendation for it to be approved; the group ultimately forwarded the 16-item slate in a report to council.
Presentation to council and response
On May 4, Assembly members Leanne Anderson, Evelyn Kemppi, Telka Pesklevits and Lenny Yu presented the recommendations to New Westminster’s mayor and council. Council subsequently voted in favour of a motion directing staff to review the Assembly’s suggestions, respond to them and, where feasible, incorporate them into the CCARP’s list of solutions.
“There’s a lot of [recommendations] in here that maybe we’ve thought about doing but aren’t really doing yet, and actually it’s good to hear that we’re being encouraged […] to continue down these paths.”
The remark from Mayor Patrick Johnstone acknowledged the report’s practical value while signalling municipal openness to the Assembly’s ideas. Councillor Ruby Campbell also commended the Assembly, noting the usefulness of recommendations that explicitly accounted for financial priorities.
Staff and staff-led documents stress community input
Climate Action Manager Laura Sampliner praised the Assembly’s role in broadening engagement on adaptation matters, saying the process allows residents to combine technical briefings with local knowledge and lived experience to produce considered advice.
“Climate adaptation can sometimes feel highly technical or policy-driven and there is significant value in creating space for residents to have thoughtful, in-depth conversations about how climate impacts are experienced in their daily lives…
The City’s own CCARP framework and solutions document, presented to council following the Assembly, references many of the community-suggested directions. City staff will now assess which recommendations can be translated into short- and medium-term actions, and how they align with budgetary and operational capacity.
What the Assembly recommended (summary)
While the city will publish staff responses in due course, the Assembly emphasised practical, community-rooted measures. Key themes included prioritising equity and finance in adaptation planning, integrating local lived experience into technical work, and taking a precautionary approach to climate hazards.
- Community-grounded recommendations: focus on everyday impacts residents face
- Financial prioritization: linking adaptation options to budget realities
- Integration into CCARP: proposals aimed at being actionable within city planning
Quick reference
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Recommendations proposed | 16 |
| Approval threshold at Assembly | 75% of members present |
| Presentation to council | May 4 — presenters: Leanne Anderson, Evelyn Kemppi, Telka Pesklevits, Lenny Yu |
For New Westminster residents, the Assembly’s work represents a direct pathway for neighbourhood concerns to shape municipal adaptation planning. The city’s next steps will be important: staff will evaluate feasibility and cost, and council will face decisions about which elements can be funded and implemented as part of the CCARP. The process shows how participatory models are being tested at the local level to ensure adaptation plans reflect both technical evidence and the lived realities of people who call New Westminster home.
