New Westminster, British Columbia

New Westminster is a compact, historic city on the north bank of the Fraser River at the centre of Metro Vancouver, including Queensborough on the eastern tip of Lulu Island, on the unceded land of the Halkomelem-speaking peoples. The City of New Westminster runs more than most Metro Vancouver cities: its own electrical utility (power bills, outages and street lights), planning and building permits, business and dog licences, Animal Services and the City animal shelter, bylaw and parking enforcement, roads, snow clearing, water distribution and sewers, curbside garbage, recycling and food scraps collection, New Westminster Fire and Rescue Services, emergency management, parks, recreation centres such as the təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre, Anvil Centre, the museum and archives, and the New Westminster Public Library. The New Westminster Police Department is a municipal force. Metro Vancouver supplies the drinking water, treats the sewage and runs the regional recycling and waste centres; TransLink runs the buses and SkyTrain; health care is Fraser Health (Royal Columbian Hospital); and marriage licences, health cards and driver's licences are provincial.