12TH STREET FEST RETURNS SUNDAY
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JULY 25 2014 www.newwestnewsleader.com
New West’s Jon Cornish of the Calgary Stampeders has been sidelined with a concussion. See Page A5
Darcy stays health critic
GRANT GRANGER/NEWSLEADER
Patrick Johnstone is a local activist, blogger and the 2013 citizen of the year, and now he’s hoping to make the leap into New West city council.
Johnstone to make bid for city council Grant Granger
ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com
Patrick Johnstone finally has an answer to the incessant query he’s been fielding everywhere he goes in New Westminster these days. His answer is yes. Johnstone, the city’s 2013 citizen of the year, declared on Wednesday he will run for city council in the civic election Nov. 15. “For the last two months I think every second person is asking me if I’m going to run for council, so I’ve gotten a lot of encouragement,” said Johnstone.
Now that he’s answered that director of the New Westminster question, he’s free to get straight to Environmental Partners, the Royal talking about the myriad of issues City Curling Club and the Brow of New Westminster the Hill Residents faces and he is so Association. fascinated with. He attends many “Being coy about I have ideas about building of the open houses my intentions and workshops a smarter, more resilient city that services its of whether or the city holds residents better. not to run takes on various city away from the issues. He’s also a conversation,” said Johnstone, 44, prodigious Twitter commentator an environmental geoscientist who and a thought-provoking blogger works for the City of Richmond. (nwimby.blogspot.ca) with his Johnstone’s involvement in New regular essays on issues affecting Westminster is ubiquitous. He’s a New West.
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Johnstone believes he would bring valuable skills and energy to the council table. “I am a communicator, that is one of my strengths. I have the ability to create those stronger channels of communication,” said Johnstone. “To me city hall is a place people should be able to talk to. “I’ve been pretty outspoken over the last decade over a lot of issues, and have my own ideas about issues and have never been afraid to express those. But I also like to look at all sides of an issue.” Please see IT’S THE NEXT, A3
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New Westminster MLA Judy Darcy retained her health critic portfolio in the New Democratic Party’s shadow cabinet reshuffling by new leader John Horgan on Wednesday. “I’m thrilled. I’m over the moon. There’s so much work to be done advocating for the health care community,” said Darcy, a rookie MLA and former head of the B.C. Hospital Employees Union. “It’s what I wanted to continue doing. I have a deep abiding passion for improving our health care system.” Darcy was named health critic following the May 2013 election by then opposition leader Adrian Dix. He later resigned and was replaced by Horgan, who Darcy supported him prior to him being acclaimed as leader when no other challengers surfaced. Darcy dismissed the suggestion her early support helped her keep the position. “I don’t think so because at the end of the day everybody supported John,” said Darcy. “I hope that it means he thinks I’ve done a good job and that I can still be a strong advocate for health care.”