Dear Editor
What a crying shame that the City of New Westminster is unwilling to work with the Quayside Community Board and support the Quayside Boardwalk Festival. I have seen this self-funded event evolve from 12 tables at the Rialto to hundreds of tables spanning the entire length of the boardwalk and including three music stages, drawing over 10,000 visitors to our city. In recent years, the city in its wisdom has added a food truck festival to the late afternoon and early evening on the same day.
For Mayor Jonathan Cote to suggest that everyone gets to the Quayside event via public transit is ridiculous. Vendors and service providers are unable to utilize public transit to bring their wares to the event and many of the customers are unable to transport goods acquired by public transit. The Quayside festival has been held on the third Saturday in August for the last nine years in a row and parking at the market and on the street is critical for the event.
Now that festival organizers have indicated they would like to hold the 10th anniversary of the Quayside Festival on Saturday Aug. 19, 2017, will Mayor Cote kindly agree to not hold nor approve any conflicting events in the morning and early afternoon that day? Surely 15 months advanced notice should be sufficient for Mayor Cote, council and the city to ensure there are no conflicting events.
Brian Allen, New Westminster
