New mayors and councillors were sworn in at the respective inaugural ceremony in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows on Tuesday, November 1, 2022
The ceremonies and council meetings were open for the public to attend in person and online.
The inauguration ceremony in Maple Ridge took place at the ACT Arts Centre while the Pitt Meadows ceremony was held at the City Hall.
Read: Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows voters’ guide for Election Day 2022
Katzie First Nation’s Chief Grace George and her husband Damian George welcomed the Pitt Meadows council with an Indigenous welcome song.
“I am honoured to witness and welcome the new council and extend my gratefulness to the previous mayor, Bill Dingwall. We hope to continue working with the council,” said Chief George.
An elder from the Katzie First Nation was also in attendance at the Maple Ridge ceremony.
Highlights from Maple Ridge Inaugural ceremony
- Onyeka Dozie, a Nigerian-Canadian man has been elected as councillor and chose to be sworn in on a Bible, held by his wife on stage.
- Dan Ruimy, mayor of Maple Ridge took an oath and was passed on the city’s chain of office.
- Mayor Ruimy thanked the previous council and commended their work through the pandemic.
- The new council will form a team to put together BC Summer Games in Maple Ridge. They were cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
- Ruimy got emotional during his speech as he thanked his family.
- The city needs a strong local economy, and Maple Ridge should be positioned for future employment, said Ruimy.
- Dealing with the opioid epidemic, homelessness, affordable housing, transit system, sustainable development and reducing carbon footprint are all on the agenda for the council, he added.
Highlights from Pitt Meadows
- Nicole MacDonald is the second female mayor elected in the city of Pitt Meadows. She thanked Debrah Walters, the first female mayor elected in 2011 for “paving the way.”
- Some projects on MacDonald’s radar include the Harris Road underpass project, the RCMP detachment, unanimous opposition to CP Logistics Park, and affordable housing.
- She said “Pitt Meadows is not immune to homelessness and the opioid crisis.
- She thanked the Sikh community farmers in the municipality and the Japanese community.
