Voicing his vision

Voicing his vision
Mayor presents optimistic ‘state of the city’ address
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby Now assistant editor
Published Feb. 23, 2003

The creation of a task force to develop a 'contemporary economic development strategy' was announced by Mayor Derek Corrigan during his first state of the city address made Wednesday to the Burnaby Board of Trade luncheon.
"I have a vision for this city," Corrigan said to a crowd of about 170 business people at the Executive Inn Hotel. "A community where there are housing choices, transportation options, employment opportunities, investment possibilities, shopping, and parks and recreation facilities."
In his half-hour speech accompanied by a high-tech PowerPoint presentation, Corrigan said he intends to build on the financial footing that has been guided by the city's economic development strategy committee, which he chaired in 1990.
"Now, as mayor, I have the chance to build on that strategy and, with the help of the business community, to take Burnaby to the highest level of sustainable urban development."
He said the new economic strategy is needed because the city is facing many new challenges.
"These are difficult and uncertain times for many facets of the economy and we need to pull together in order to build the financial base for our children and our children's children," he said. "As a city, we are facing unprecedented downloading from the provincial government in many, many areas, and we are struggling to maintain our outstanding financial record under extreme pressure."
Corrigan received his greatest applause when he put aside his prepared notes and described the city's response to the provincial government decision to close the Burnaby provincial courthouse.
Although the courthouse closure has cost the city about $500,000 per year in rental fees from the province, and added an estimated $400,000 to the police travel budget for officers to attend court in Vancouver, city hall is now renting out the facility to the movie industry. "In the first month, we made more money from the film industry than we did when we rented it out to the provincial government," he said to a rousing chorus of hand-clapping.
And he pointed to a long list of what he considers the most positive aspects of the city.
He said the Millennium SkyTrain line, which opened last year, has already started to spur redevelopment along its route, including $10 million worth of new development in the Lougheed Town Centre, and work on the Madison Centre project which will eventually include four towers, 408 apartment and townhouse units.
City hall is now developing a plan to spur similar development around the Holdom Station, and has recently revised its zoning categories to allow greater density around the Lake City Station, which should open early next year.
Overall, the city has 5.5 million square feet of office space, making it the second largest submarket in the region after downtown Vancouver.
Corrigan said Metrotown, the second largest retail shopping complex in Canada, is poised for substantial growth in the next decade. With proposals to build three new office towers comprising 900,000 sq.ft. proposed, the region has the potential to grow from 6.3 million sq. ft. of retail and office space and 24,000 employees to a new total of 9.5 million sq.ft. of space and up to 40,000 employees.
"We are not so much a developing city as a redeveloping city," he said, as he rattled off a long list of companies that have made Burnaby their corporate headquarters including Ballard Power Systems, Creo, Electronic Arts Canada, Nokia, Telus, BC Hydro, McDonald's Western Canada, BCAA, Super Pages, the United Way and Best Buy.
Corrigan said city hall has cultivated the conditions needed to bring "knowledge-based and environmentally friendly" industry to the city, including a conducive social climate, a positive regulatory and taxation environment, infrastructure such as one of the most comprehensive fibre optic networks in North America plus global marketing and recognition.
"We have prestigious business parks that offer world class amenities, and of course, a quality of life that is rivaled by none," he said, adding that housing starts rose 28 per cent last year and are expected to do well again this year.
Corrigan lauded the city parks system, noting that 25 per cent of city land is now green or open space, and that 45 acres of new land was added to the protected park inventory last year.
Although the mayor made no mention of the province's Olympic bid, he did state that Burnaby has the inside track on hosting the 2009 World Police and Fire Games, which could attract 12,000 athletes to the city and generate between $35 and $50 million in economic benefits. "It's ours to lose," he said.
"At the end of the day it's all about a better Burnaby for our citizens, for our families and for our business," he said. "We're headed in the right direction, and with your help we will stay the course. The concept is very simple ... Burnaby for business and business for Burnaby."