Burnaby residents will be heading to the polls Saturday for the municipal election to decide whether a change will be coming to city hall for the next four years.

The city has six mayoral candidates to choose from, including incumbent Mayor Mike Hurley, who is seeking a third term. Hurley ran unopposed in the last election, but this time, five challengers are hoping to take the city’s top job.

CityNews spoke to Burnaby residents who say rising costs and the pressures that come with a growing city are among the top concerns heading into election day.

“There’s been so much emphasis on development and increasing the population, but not the same amount of attention when it comes to infrastructure,” one resident said.

It’s not just residents looking for change. Members of Burnaby’s business community say affordability and the speed of doing business with the city are also top of mind. Burnaby Board of Trade CEO Angie Whitfield says members would appreciate a reduction in taxes.

“It’s a big pinch point for many businesses,” Whitfield said.

“What we are looking for is support from city hall, anything they can do locally to support the rising cost of business.”

Others say their priority would be a reduction in red tape, such as dealing with business permits. 

Mike Kaerne, owner of HollyNorth Production Supplies in North Burnaby, says processing paperwork at city hall can be slow. He says he recently moved to a new warehouse down the street, and the procedure wasn’t efficient.

“Electrical permits and relocation of my business licence have been a little harder than I expected,” he said.

“I know the city is working on improving that, but it still needs quite a bit of streamlining to make it much easier for small businesses.”

With local issues ranging from affordability and infrastructure to taxes and red tape, Burnaby voters will have their voices heard on Saturday, Oct. 17. Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with voting locations available on the City of Burnaby’s website.