91原创 City leaders want the caf茅 in city hall to be more than a place to grab a muffin and coffee.

The Station House Caf茅, closed since the pandemic, has reopened with a new focus, a new operator, and a new vision.

City Mayor Nathan Pachal explained about the planning behind the re-opened caf茅 and the multiple goals envisioned, including food security, community connection, poverty, and more.

"When we talk to people in our community鈥�, whether it was young people or whether it was elders, the thing that we heard consistently is 'We really feel like we need a place where we can connect and a place where you can connect and feel safe.' The other thing that is something that council is trying to do is really reinvigorate local democracy and you know we're bringing conversations over the next year here to the Station Caf茅."

Speaking at the grand opening on Feb. 25 were Kwantlen elder Karen Gabriel and Dennis Leon, who has worked many years as an Indigenous educator in the Surrey School District. But there will also be day-to-day connection with the Indigenous community. Stacy Delpierre, owner of Stacy's Cookies, is Indigenous and will be involved in operations. As well there will be Indigenous foods on the menu.

A collaborative, community design-team comprising of 91原创 Education Centre students, local non-profit agencies, and community members worked together on the cafe revamp. The City received a $50,000 grant from the Union of B.C. Municipalities Poverty Reduction Action Stream. The funds will be used to support food skills and job training; affordable, fresh, culturally diverse meals; and an inclusive welcoming space for social connection.

The caf茅 revamp is linked with other City initiatives to get more people involved in local government, including the Citizens' Assembly. It has several members of the community and will spend March through September gathering input from residents. Assembly members will come together to share ideas, learn about challenges, and create solutions before presenting their findings to City council in December. The council was created in December and the 29 members should be in place this spring.

Another initiative is the Village Caf茅 Series which kicked off with an event for February鈥檚 Black History Month. The public can also expect 鈥渇ireside chats鈥�, storytelling sessions, and 鈥渟olution labs鈥� that will involve residents at the caf茅.