C I T Y O F B U R N A B Y
S p e c i a l F e a t u r e
rst art walk (on Beresford Street between
Dow and McKay avenues). The much-
anticipated art-focused streetscapes will
demonstrate the city's emphasis on creating
pedestrian- and transit-friendly spaces.
The redevelopment of the other town
centres are all geared towards enhancing
community rather than merely building new
homes, where pedestrian considerations,
transit, gathering spaces and live/work
options are given special priority.
"We don't want to restrict art and
creativity to galleries," says Mayor Corrigan.
"Working with citizens and our business
community, we are bringing art into the
streets—where the people are! Our business
community has supported these e•orts at
every turn."
It should be emphasized that
redevelopment and enhancement in
Burnaby doesn't as much mean doing away
with something substandard as it does
adding to the well-established elements
that give Burnaby its distinct character and
lifestyle appeal.
Admittedly, some of these elements
are a product of nature, not government,
albeit subtly augmented for human
activity. Burnaby's 86.4-hectare Central
Park is known for its excellent sports and
recreation facilities: tennis courts outdoor
swimming pool, horseshoe pitch and
aŸpitch-and-putt golf course. Anchoring
the park is Swangard Stadium, host facility
for many sporting, cultural, corporate and
fundraising events. Similarly, Burnaby Lake
Regional Nature Park, created by a glacier
12,000 years ago and only a century ago was
a location for sawmills, is today populated
by bird watchers, hikers and kayakers.
As for the entirely man-made elements
that contribute to Burnaby's lifestyle
appeal, they occur year-round and include
Summer Fun at Civic Square (Sunday
concerts and outdoor movies); the annual
Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival (world-class
music on three stages in Deer Lake Park);
the annual, free Symphony in the Park
(which features the Vancouver Symphony
for audiences that spread their family
picnics on the lawn of Deer Lake Park) Giro
di Burnaby (a high-speed bicycle race on
a short circuit with the city streets closed
to tra¢c); Heritage Village (which o•ers
free admission) and Heritage Christmas at
Burnaby Village Museum.
"In everything we do, we're focused
on livability," says Mayor Corrigan. "If you
create an exceptional environment, people
want to be there—which is why people want
to be here, in Burnaby."
W Since the 1970s, Burnaby has
maintained an open watercourse
policy that has preserved a network
of 79 streams contained within three
major watersheds.
W Burnaby accommodates 56
places of worship, representing
21 denominations, and it is also
home to the first Ismaili Centre and
Jamatkhana in Canada.
DID YOU KNOW?
Shadbolt Centre for the Arts
is a hub of creativity that
offers classes, workshops,
exhibitions, performances
and special events
