Hey neighbours,
Lots to talk about this last month: I completed the second part of Port Moody’s Housing Debate, Part 2: What are we building and for whom? of the housing discussion, we had our second Mayor’s Task Force meeting, the Soroptimist Give Her Wings annual gala, volunteer appreciation BBQ and Metro Vancouver meetings, Port Moody Junior Firefighter Program Wrap-Up, BC Federation of Labour Climate 2050 reception, plus many things I didn’t make it to (too many things, too little time).
Before I get into all the details of the monthly recap, I want to take a moment to acknowledge a sombre anniversary. April 27 marks the one-year anniversary of the tragedy that stole the lives of 11 Lapu Lapu Day festival goers and seriously injured 30 more. This was a tragic end to a day honouring Filipino culture in Vancouver.
Following that, April 28 is the National Day of Mourning, dedicated to remembering and honouring those who lost their lives or were injured in a workplace tragedy. It is also a day to affirm commitment to improving occupational health and safety to prevent further accidents. A small ceremony was held at City Hall, and the City Council observed a moment of silence at the beginning of the meeting. Watch this video by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety: https://youtu.be/-PCiDVWeHRQ?si=snkgMQn95wAjdcc_
Here are some photos from my month (I have more, but I am having technical difficulties uploading them and would rather get this sent out sooner than later).
Flowers from the Farmers’ Market
Cllr Lubik and I at the Soroptimist Gala
In this newsletter:
Council Highlights
The city has a webpage called Council Highlights that shares the “Coles’ notes” version of recent regular council meetings, along with links to the relevant video and agenda sections – a useful resource if you want more details on any of the topics covered at a council meeting. Below are a few that matter the most to me.
Update on the Arts and Business Initiative: One outcome of the Mayor’s Task Forces on Arts and Business was the creation of an Arts and Business non-profit. Before we committed to doing that, Council agreed to fund the hiring of the Arts and Business Specialist to field test the concept. This update provides details on the initiatives completed to date, underway and planned. One of the goals of this work is to strengthen the City of the Arts identity.
2026-2030 Five-Year Financial Plan: We discussed this at the Finance committee (April 21) and gave the plan three readings at Regular Council on April 28.
During the April 21 meeting, I addressed a recurring claim: that property taxes have increased by 30% over this council's term. This is incorrect. The budget has increased by that amount, but property taxes have risen approximately 5% per year. This year’s primary cost drivers were salaries, wages and benefits (3.65%) and Port Moody PD (1.86%). These increases were offset by Non-Market Growth (the growth in the tax roll related to new units), which reduced the total taxation impact by -1.94%.
Staff reviewed tax increases across the region, though direct comparisons are difficult. Some municipalities, like Pitt Meadows, include their utility fees in the reported tax percentage or dollar increase, while we do not. Even so, Port Moody sits in the middle of the range of reported increases. Not bad for a city that has no gaming revenue and has properties subject to provincial limits on how much tax the city can collect. (port properties and utilities). I’ve written about that here (Cities with Casinos Pay Less and Port Taxes and a share of gaming revenue).
Pay Parking Rates (updated): Following the first full year of the Pay Parking Program, the City updated its rates based on collected data. The March 31 report noted that 85%-90% of Rocky Point Park parking lot users were not Port Moody residents. Approved changes include:
Pay parking now starts at 9 am across all locations
On-season extended: April 1 – September 30
Rocky Point Park, Murray St, Esplanade Ave: $1.50 first-hour on-season rate; first hour free off-season; on-season rate rises to $3.75/hr after first hour
Suter Brook Village: reduced to $2.00/hr
Ungless Way: reduced to $1.50/hr
Council Meeting Links
Regular Council (April 14)
Council Standing Committees (April 21)
Regular Council (April 28)
Other Things
Do you need a doctor? Register at the Health Connect Registry. The ministry uses this to measure need in a region. Signing up helps to demonstrate that primary care physicians are needed in specific areas.
Have you signed up for the Port Moody Events Newsletter? If not, email [email protected]. (I am not affiliated with the newsletter, just sharing a community resource.)
One More Thing…
This is an election year (as I am sure you have noticed). I am going to run again. I will, at some point, have an official launch event. Currently, I am working on my website. In the meantime, if you want to get involved in my campaign or can donate, I would be grateful.
To get involved, please fill in the Volunteer Form.
To donate by cash, cheque or e-transfer, please contact my financial agent, Marshal, at [email protected].
Everything helps, no matter how big or small. Thank you for all your support.
