1.1 Goal & Purpose of Burnaby's Official Community
Plan
- The goal of Burnaby's Official Community Plan(OCP) is to create a
more complete and livable community that reflects local needs, aspirations
and values, and at the same time define Burnaby's contribution to helping
shape a livable region for the next decade and beyond.
- The OCP is about defining directions. These directions will guide Burnaby's development and meet its anticipated needs. They will also help ensure that Burnaby is an even more desirable place to live, work and invest in the future.
1.2 Developments and Renovations to Firehalls as outlined
in the OCP
- Outlined in the Fire Protection portion of the OCP, the Fire Department
and City Staff are currently considering proposals for renovations to various
Firehalls. Also, new Firehalls are being proposed as well as the
relocation of a particular Firehall, Firehall #5.
1.21 Renovations of Firehalls
- Aside from Firehall #3 (Metrotown) that has already undergone complete
redevelopment, Firehall #1 (Canada Way and Sperling) and Firehall #6 (Brighton
and Winston) are currently being considered for renovations. It is
expected that improvements will also need to be considered for Firehall
#2 (Edmonds/Canada Way) at some future date.
1.22 New Firehalls
- In terms of new stations, need has been identified for the south
Brentwood, Big Bend, and SFU areas. Though the needs were not explicitely
defined in the OCP, the needs were probably identified by considering numerous
socio-economic factors such as population density and land use patterns.
1.23 Priority at hand: Relocation of Firehall #5
- The priority at the moment for Fire and Planning and Building Department
staff is the relocation of Firehall #5 (Willingdon and Hastings).
The current location of the Firehall is inefficient and also dangerous
in many respects. After a lengthy discussion with the Fire Chief
and a Fireman that also provided me with a short tour of the hall, I have
come to realize the urgency for the relocation. This particular Firehall
is among one of the oldest in the City. Many aspects of it's building
structure does not meet structural requirements of todays buildings.
It is deemed unsafe in many respects. Also, the entrance and exit
corridors are inefficient. Although the Firehall has provision of
the traffic signal for the intersection, it is difficult for Fire trucks
to leave and arrive since they do so using the same entrance.
1.24 Current method of Assessing the Optimal location for Firehall
#5
- The Fire department recently installed a computer assisted design(CAD)
system to help them locate the best placement for Firehall #5. I
gather from a map in the Official Community Plan that the proposed relocation
of Firehall #5 would take place near Hastings and Gilmore.
1.3 Provision of Public School Facilities as outlined
in the OCP
- Public school facilities are being used heavily and the City officials
respond to its demand.
1.31 Enrolment trend to Education Institutions
- Outlined in the Public School Facilities portion of the OCP, student
enrolment in education institutions have increased since 1987. More
and more students are enroling in Burnaby's elementary and secondary schools.
- Enrolment rose by 1,900 students between 1986 and 1990.
- It increased by an additional 3,692(19 percent) students between
1990 and 1996.
- The 1996 enrolment was 22,592 full time equivalent students.
- Preliminary projections for the School District suggest that by 2006,
school enrolment may be approaching 28,000 students.
1.32 Response to Enrolment trend
- Over the past several years, as enrolment pressures increase, the
School District's are becoming less and less equiped to respond to these
enrolment pressures as school facilities are used to capacity. As
a result, City and School District staff meet at a regular basis to review
development plans and provide estimate time frames for new schools.
Although school facilities needs are being identified, the lead times involved
in receiving provincial funding and undertaking construction are lengthy.
As a result, They emphasize that increasing the student capacity of existing
schools is necessary. City and School District staff are undergoing
discussions that include rezoning proposals that will involve future
increases in school.