Mayor Richard Stewart

From this morning's Provincial briefing on updated vaccine rollouts, including the revised plan to delay the second dose so that more people can be covered by t...he first dose as quickly as possible. With first-dose effectiveness in the 90% range, this is good news for BC residents. Two charts showing the virtual elimination of infections in long-term care facilities once first-dose vaccines were complete, as well as health care workers. The third chart (though the colours were inadvertently reversed) shows how quickly vaccines have been getting into arms after arrival into BC. The full slide deck: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Covid_ImmunizationDeck.pdf

It’s 4 am and the snow has started. Our thanks to the City crews who are out overnight with salt and ploughs to try to keep arterials, emergency routes and bus routes clear. Winds from the east may make that difficult. Stay safe.

Pleased to report that over the last two days, following some media attention on the issue (thank you Gloria Macarenko, Jill Bennett, Lynda Steele, Diane Strand...berg, Robyn Crawford and others), I received calls from several Coquitlam churches stepping up to offer unused space for an Emergency Shelter to house homeless individuals during extreme weather. By this morning we had narrowed the list down to two, and this afternoon Coquitlam Fire Inspectors and our Permits approved one of these church buildings for a shelter to be operated by Phoenix Society beginning in 24 hours. I want to thank all those who were involved in this work. Still much to be done to support the homeless and those struggling with mental illness and addictions, but at least our local population will be offered a warm place overnight and a couple of meals. Update: The location is now public -- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 3345 Robson (near Pipeline). Transportation to the shelter begins at 7:30, and will pick up from Lion's Park in Poco followed by Town Centre Park (south Stadium parking lot). See more

It’s 4 am and the snow has started. Our thanks to the City crews who are out overnight with salt and ploughs to try to keep arterials, emergency routes and bus routes clear. Winds from the east may make that difficult. Stay safe.

Pleased to report that over the last two days, following some media attention on the issue (thank you Gloria Macarenko, Jill Bennett, Lynda Steele, Diane Strand...berg, Robyn Crawford and others), I received calls from several Coquitlam churches stepping up to offer unused space for an Emergency Shelter to house homeless individuals during extreme weather. By this morning we had narrowed the list down to two, and this afternoon Coquitlam Fire Inspectors and our Permits approved one of these church buildings for a shelter to be operated by Phoenix Society beginning in 24 hours. I want to thank all those who were involved in this work. Still much to be done to support the homeless and those struggling with mental illness and addictions, but at least our local population will be offered a warm place overnight and a couple of meals. Update: The location is now public -- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 3345 Robson (near Pipeline). Transportation to the shelter begins at 7:30, and will pick up from Lion's Park in Poco followed by Town Centre Park (south Stadium parking lot). See more

This seems like it would be great for non-profits trying to advance their work!

The need is urgent. It's well-after midnight on a very cold night, and I've just returned from Riverview, where I spoke with a couple of the security staff that... patrol the 240-acre site 24-7. Also chatted with a fellow in front of East Lawn, who will be there all night keeping an eye on the site of a movie set that will be loaded into that building over the coming week. But mostly I visited Centre Lawn, a large building in excellent condition, heated, with the lights on, a building that served for many decades in housing and treating those with mental illness and addictions, but which now sits empty. A couple of times a year it plays a role in a movie or TV production (you might remember it from Deadpool 2.) Last week I toured Centre Lawn. In the 1980s I was in the building relatively frequently, back when it served hundreds of patients; I was last in the building in about 2003. And getting into it today, I found it remarkable how little has changed. It's still in every way a functional hospital, remarkably well-maintained, and extremely clean. Urging the Province once again to consider opening up Centre Lawn as an emergency shelter during the wave of extreme weather we're expecting. And longterm, to consider repurposing it to deal with the opioid crisis, to offer on-demand treatment for mental illness and addictions. City of Coquitlam commissioned a study back in 2014, written by Dr. John Higenbottam, former VP of Riverview Hospital. Dr. Higenbottam, a clinical professor in UBC's Dept of Psychiatry, is a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist who has held senior clinical leadership positions in BC including VP of Vancouver Richmond Health Board, Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre, BC Rehab and Riverview Hospital. Dr. Higenbottam's recommendation was that Centre Lawn be reopened to serve the population suffering from persistent mental illness and addictions. And with the subsequent opioid crisis that is killing people every day, the recommendations today are even more important and timely. Last week I saw a building with so much promise, even if only for the temporary emergency shelter that is so needed this month. I urge the Province once again to do what's necessary to break through the barriers. Let's get this building back to serving the enormous needs associated with mental health in BC.

The need is urgent. It's well-after midnight on a very cold night, and I've just returned from Riverview, where I spoke with a couple of the security staff that... patrol the 240-acre site 24-7. Also chatted with a fellow in front of East Lawn, who will be there all night keeping an eye on the site of a movie set that will be loaded into that building over the coming week. But mostly I visited Centre Lawn, a large building in excellent condition, heated, with the lights on, a building that served for many decades in housing and treating those with mental illness and addictions, but which now sits empty. A couple of times a year it plays a role in a movie or TV production (you might remember it from Deadpool 2.) Last week I toured Centre Lawn. In the 1980s I was in the building relatively frequently, back when it served hundreds of patients; I was last in the building in about 2003. And getting into it today, I found it remarkable how little has changed. It's still in every way a functional hospital, remarkably well-maintained, and extremely clean. Urging the Province once again to consider opening up Centre Lawn as an emergency shelter during the wave of extreme weather we're expecting. And longterm, to consider repurposing it to deal with the opioid crisis, to offer on-demand treatment for mental illness and addictions. City of Coquitlam commissioned a study back in 2014, written by Dr. John Higenbottam, former VP of Riverview Hospital. Dr. Higenbottam, a clinical professor in UBC's Dept of Psychiatry, is a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist who has held senior clinical leadership positions in BC including VP of Vancouver Richmond Health Board, Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre, BC Rehab and Riverview Hospital. Dr. Higenbottam's recommendation was that Centre Lawn be reopened to serve the population suffering from persistent mental illness and addictions. And with the subsequent opioid crisis that is killing people every day, the recommendations today are even more important and timely. Last week I saw a building with so much promise, even if only for the temporary emergency shelter that is so needed this month. I urge the Province once again to do what's necessary to break through the barriers. Let's get this building back to serving the enormous needs associated with mental health in BC.

After midnight on a very cold night, and a dozen heated-but-empty buildings. Even if only for the extreme weather that is forecast for February, can one of Riverview’s empty buildings be opened as emergency shelter?

Still looking for volunteers for the last two days (Monday and Tuesday) of the annual Poppy Drive, the main fundraiser for the Royal Canadian Legion. Here in Coquitlam, Legion Branch 263, on Ridgeway at Nelson, counts on these funds for the good work it does all year. If you can help replace some oil the more-senior volunteers who normally take this on but can't this year for obvious reasons, please drop by the Legion anytime after 9 am, both Monday and Tuesday. Thank you!

Please SHARE: Looking for volunteers on this beautiful Sunday to help the Legion with their major annual fundraiser the poppy drive. Many of their regular vol...unteers aren’t out-and-about this year, so today’s volunteer sheet is mostly empty. Drop by Legion Branch 263 (Nelson and Ridgeway), and the volunteer coordinator (in the room right behind me) will get you a kit and an assigned location. I’m at Como Lake Village BCL store starting at noon. Can you help out? See more

Respect for Each Other: Most people are trying to follow the guidelines put out by the Provincial Health Officer, and as long as they are following those guidelines, let's respect their methods. If you see someone who appears to have lower risk aversion or lower standards than you have, give them room. And if you see someone who appears to have HIGHER risk aversion or is taking extra precautions, give them room. Respect that some people have serious concern for COVID-19 safety, for reasons that may be very personal to them -- compromised health, an aging parent, their job, etc. We have much to be stressed about these days; let's not stress about someone being more concerned about COVID than we are.

We're supporting "Hearts for Health Care Workers" by putting hearts in City facility windows to show support for health care workers who are required to work du...ring the COVID-19 outbreak. Show your support by downloading a heart from our website at http://ow.ly/pB3A50yUVLM and posting it in your windows, and join in the 7 p.m. cheer each night during health care facility shift changes. Tonight at 7 p.m., open your windows and cheer, yell, ring bells, bang drums or pots and pans to let health care workers know Coquitlam supports them! Visit http://ow.ly/liyl50yUVLN to learn more. See more

"Coquitlam is a great community that has always come together in times of crisis. This crisis will test us all, but I know that we will work together, we will help each other, we will listen to experts and heed their advice, and we will get through this." http://ow.ly/KYt550yS6Tu