By Baljinder Narang

I have been a Burnaby resident since 1995. I was born in Uganda, lived in India for five years where I completed my high school, and moved to England for postsecondary education, becoming an occupational therapist and an alcohol counsellor. I also worked in Zambia for a short period before returning to England where my three children were born.

As a family, we moved to Halifax in 1990 where I completed my master's in health education from Dalhousie University. All my adult children graduated from Burnaby South secondary school and my husband is a medical specialist in Surrey.

I have been a school trustee for 10 years and am seeking a seat on city council for the first time. As a trustee, I advocated to all levels of government and maintained good working relations with community partners to achieve success for students. As a councillor, working in collaboration with partner groups including senior governments, unions, other employee groups, business partners and city residents are essential in achieving prosperity for all our diverse communities.  

Some of the issues that will require attention from the next council include:

Affordable Housing:  I believe that affordable housing is the one of main issue that concerns our communities, not only in Burnaby, but across the region. I would work in collaboration with senior levels of government to increase supportive housing for the most vulnerable, nonmarket units, co-op housing and private units available through secondary suites. 

Childcare Facilities:  An insufficient number of childcare places available in the city are a barrier to the well-being and prosperity of many working families. I would continue to build on the collaboration with the Burnaby school district and the provincial government to increase the number of childcare spaces available.

Transportation:  Although Burnaby is well served by SkyTrain networks, the challenge is to manage commuter traffic that regularly passes through the city creating problems for residents trying to move easily within the city. Again, I would work in collaboration with TransLink to find creative and innovative solutions to continue addressing this challenge.

I believe that the strong relationship between the city and the school district is an exceptional achievement that benefits all our families. The city’s support for community schools and the crossing guards program is something to be proud of. The collaboration on numerous initiatives with parks, recreation, and cultural services is second to none.

I bring to the table proven leadership, experience, and a passion for social justice. I am a strong team player, which is critical to being an effective councillor. I believe integrity and transparency are the cornerstones for public office, and I will uphold these values in my work on council.