To find out more about New Westminster Mayoral and City Council candidates during the 2018 municipal elections, we asked them one question: what does your ideal city look like?

Mary Trentadue is running for City Council, and this is her answer:

What does my ideal city look like?

This is a great question and I suspect you will receive many different answers to it. I love that New Westminster has a small city feel but takes on BIG city challenges.
My ideal city would be a place where all of our residents feel safe, included and inspired.

Housing is the greatest threat to our existing residents and future community. We need to make sure that we encourage development that meets people at both ends of the spectrum. I am pleased that we are now seeing more townhouse developments but want to make sure they continue to be feasible for development. I would really like to find a way to encourage co-housing, co-ops and other housing forms so that people can get into the market in less traditional ways.

As New Westminster grows I think it’s important that we continue to honour our history but also make way for new community members and customs. An ideal city would reflect all of its residents in its planning, discourse, community events and outcomes.

The spirit and heart of New Westminster is incredible and the only way to sustain this is to make sure we continue to look out for each other and find ways for all voices to be heard!