I’ve been called a lot of things over the years. Just the other day, a random stranger approached me with a “hey buddy.” He was asking for directions to the trail at the north end of Confederation Park. Last week, the good people at CBC Radio referred to me as a “champion.” More specifically, as the “champion of Burnaby Heights,” I had to defend my ‘hood against Steveston in CBC’s competition to name the best neighbourhood in Metro Vancouver.

In that vein, Stacey Robinsmith of A Dad in the Burbs joked that his mom calls me the “nice boy” who he “has soup with.” I guess that’s one way to describe Dot Com Pho. They both listen to CBC Radio and hopefully enjoyed the segment. Whether you think of me as a buddy, a champion, or a nice boy, I am proud to call Burnaby Heights my home of the past nine years. And I don’t plan on moving out of this area for the foreseeable future.

The Early Edition with Michelle Eliot

The “Best Neighbourhood” bracket started out with nearly 200 neighbourhoods across all of Metro Vancouver. That’s from Lions Bay to Crescent Beach, Upper Deer Lake to Tsawwassen Centre, UBC South Campus to Strathcona, and everywhere in between. Burnaby Heights faced off against Steveston in the Fraser River quadrant finals, which was effectively the quarterfinals overall.

Best Neighbourhood: Steveston vs. Burnaby Heights (CBC Radio)

In the radio spot, I had the opportunity to talk briefly about why I think Burnaby Heights is so great. Similarly, Steveston resident Andy Hobbs defended his corner of Metro Vancouver. Seven minutes really doesn’t do the two neighbourhoods justice, but such is the fast-paced nature of live radio!

Listen to the clip from The Early Edition with Stephen Quinn (guest hosted by Michelle Eliot) on CBC Listen here. It originally aired August 12, 2020.

Why I Love Burnaby Heights

I’m not going to flood this space with an ode to Burnaby Heights, pouring out my love for this area. What I do want to say is that this neighbourhood provides a great balance for me. There are nature trails if I want to get away for a bit. You’ll find a great variety of restaurants and eateries, like Chez Christophe for pastries and desserts, Turkish Donair for Lebanese lamb, and Sushi UOmo for sushi and sashimi. Burnaby Heights is central enough so other parts of town are within easy access. It’s busy, but not too busy.

And then you’ve got wonderful community events like the annual Hats Off Day street festival and parade. We were even in the parade last year! It’s a shame we couldn’t have one this year, but 2020 has been all sorts of different.

The Best Neighbourhood in Metro Vancouver Is…

Unfortunately, Steveston ended up beating Burnaby Heights 53.27% to 46.73%. The historic Richmond village faces Pitt Meadows (winner of the Northern quadrant) in the semifinals tomorrow. The other semifinal is between Mount Pleasant (winner of the Vancouver quadrant) and Fort Langley (winner of the South of the Fraser quadrant). The winners of the two semifinals meet in the grand finals on Friday.

Who will voters crown Metro Vancouver’s Best Neighbourhood? We’ll find out in a few short days! Personally, I’m rooting for Mount Pleasant. Having grown up in the area (technically a bit south in Riley Park), I still adore East Van with a passion.