In a vote of 4-3, New West City Council recently approved asking staff to look at the option of prioritizing the installation of a full signal light at the corner of 2nd Street and 6th Avenue across from Herbert Spencer elementary school. Councillors Fontaine and Minhas along with two Community First representatives voted in favour, while the Mayor and Community First Councillors Nadine Nakagawa and Ruby Campbell voted in opposition.
School Trustee candidate Kathleen Carlsen joined Councillors Fontaine and Minhas earlier today across from Herbert Spencer to deliver an important message to the parents, students and pedestrians who have to navigate that potentially dangerous roadway each day.
“I’ve had the opportunity to speak with a number of parents and school crossing guards and they all agree with us that this is a very dangerous intersection for students and it needs to be prioritized for safety improvements,” says Carlsen. “I’m thrilled that Councillors Fontaine and Minhas were able to secure a couple of extra votes to get this passed in Council.”
With the motion now passed, staff will need to report back to Council on how they can prioritize this intersection upgrade within the overall capital plan.
“We were elected to listen to the community. Unfortunately, in this case it took Queen’s Park resident Larry Church years before it finally resulted in motion that got passed 4-3,” says Fontaine. “I know that Kathleen is passionate about the safety of our students and this is the kind of issue she’ll be advocating for if she’s elected in the upcoming by-election.”
The date of the School District by-election has yet to be set. It was triggered due to former Community First School Trustee Dee Beattie admitting she had been operating a fake Twitter account and was using it to attack parents, teacher unions, political opponents and the media.
“This motion is a good example of our NWP listening, working together and pushing for positive change in our city,” says Minhas. “I know if Kathleen gets on the School Board she will continue to advocate and she’ll also be able to get things done.”