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- Monthly Update - June 2025
Monthly Update - June 2025
June council meetings, upcoming events and other news
Samantha Agtarap
June 30, 2025
Hello neighbours,
June flew by, mostly because I was still catching up with my day job work from May's travels, and of course, Council work. We also celebrated National Indigenous Peoples Day and the Art Shuffle. Read on for a recap — it’s a long one — or jump ahead to the topics that interest you.
 National Indigenous Peoples Day 2025 Photo credit: City of Port Moody  National Indigenous Peoples Day 2025 Photo credit: City of Port Moody |  2025 Art Shuffle, June 20, 2025 Photo credit: Samantha Agtarap |
Reminder: Property taxes are due July 2. More information on the website here.
June Council Update
Key highlights:
CPKC Community Advisory Committee (June 2): We met for the first time and discussed rail regulations and community concerns.
Land Use Committee (June 2): The committee met to discuss the 2805- 2811 St. Johns Street rezoning application for a 6-storey mixed-use building.
As some may recall, an application for a six-storey mixed-use building containing retail, office, and restaurant uses was presented to the LUC on July 6, 2023. At the time, the LUC noted concerns about the red oak tree among other issues. The Advisory Design Panel review, on July 27, 2023, noted concerns about loading and parking garage entrance on the south side (St Andrews) of the development and the impact it would have. Council reviewed the same application on Sep 5, 2023. The discussion included retention of the red oak tree and integration with the future extension of the MUP, the orphan lot to the west of the property, among other comments.
The LUC declined to endorse the current application for the following reasons: it does not meet the minimum required dimensions for CRM-2; it has not met the Inclusionary Zoning Policy; canopy cover in the proposal does not meet the minimum requirements; and a suggestion that the applicant reduce building lot coverage by acquiring additional land.
Council provided comments at the June 17 City Initiatives and Planning Committee (item 4.1).
UBCM Advocacy Motions (June 10): Council sent the following motions to the UBCM 2025 annual conference:
Housing as a Human Right
Primary Care Clinic Spaces
Provincial Reform on School Planning
Additional motions were sent earlier, and there are eight advocacy resolutions from this Council.
Council also referred Cllr Lurbiecki’s motion “Supporting Informed Decision-making Through a Council Town Hall on the OCP” (June 10) to an upcoming Strategic Priorities committee for further discussion.
Notices of Motion: Supporting a Vibrant Small Business Community (June 10) and Support for Small Businesses (June 24) - more details below, including my own opinion.
Master Transportation Plan (June 17): Council endorsed the Master Transportation Plan Update – Final Report and directed staff to report back with an implementation and funding plan for Council consideration.
Additionally, there were two motions arising related to the plan: (1) that staff explore opportunities to partner with the Society for Children and Youth of BC on the BC School Streets Initiative; (2) Council also directed that staff report back on potential ways to measure or find data on how people in existing TOD developments (Newport, Suter Brook, Klahanie) use their cars (or not).
City Initiatives and Planning Committee (June 17): Council also provided feedback (all positive) on the draft Small-Scale and Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) Guide (view the draft here), and we adopted the Construction Traffic and Trades Parking Management Plan policy, which will help manage trades parking during construction projects.
Youth Committee Representation (June 17): Council agreed that the updates to the Terms of Reference and the Council Committee System Policy will be considered as part of a broader review of all Committee Terms of Reference later this year. This initiative is intended to increase greater youth representation and perspectives on our civic committees, creating a pathway from the Youth Focus committee to broader participation in City decision-making.
Urban Marine Park and UNESCO Urban Marine Protected Area (June 24): Mayor Lahti served this motion and provided background. Council, generally supportive, heard from community members and referred it back to staff for further consideration.
[Opinion] Supporting our local businesses
At our June 10 meeting, Council unanimously endorsed my motion titled Supporting a Vibrant Small Business Community. At the next regular meeting, Cllrs Lubik and Morrison brought forward a complementary motion, Support for Small Businesses, which was also supported. While these two motions differ in focus, the goal is the same: to protect and strengthen Port Moody’s local business ecosystem.
Small businesses are facing rising costs, shifting consumer habits and intense pressure beyond their control. In times of economic uncertainty, commercial landlords may understandably lean towards 'safe' tenants, often national chains or service-based, low-interaction businesses. But this can come at the cost of employment, foot traffic and the character of our streetscapes.
Ground-level commercial spaces play a vital role in activating streetscapes and creating the welcoming, walkable neighbourhoods we love and value. My motion, supported by Council, focuses on exploring policy options available to us as a city, so we can ensure our policies and zoning support a diverse mix of retail, service and cultural spaces, especially as we grow and densify in areas like the TOAs. Without intentional placemaking, we risk defaulting to uses that don’t contribute meaningfully to neighbourhood vitality.
THAT Council direct the Manager of Economic Development to bring the following topics to Economic Development and Tourism Committee for discussion and comment: o exploring restricting extended health services as a permitted use in ground level commercial buildings through use of zoning tools, where upper stories exist or within limited geographic areas such as Moody TOA, Inlet TOA or other mixed use developments as appropriate; o exploring barriers for commercial property owners interested in subdividing commercial units through permitting and zoning, where possible; and o mapping existing health services to better understand physical gaps in access and given this understanding, consider tools or incentives of health care hubs in key locations;
AND THAT staff use the committee’s input to inform subsequent steps;
AND THAT staff present the findings to a future Strategic Priorities Standing Committee for further discussion.
It was not about restricting, but about creating space for better outcomes - for example, understanding the barriers to subdividing larger spaces into smaller ones could provide much-needed flexibility and support local, small-scale and start-up businesses that are currently priced out of larger and newer spaces.
Similarly, mapping existing health services allows us to plan proactively, understanding service gaps and aligning with broader equity and access goals; this supports (not replaces) provincial planning and our UBCM advocacy on primary care clinics.
Referring this idea to the Economic Development and Tourism committee for feedback will help shape the conversation before proceeding down a path that consumes staff time. This exploratory work with the committee is intended to inform future steps and aligns with the committee's current work plan. It will be discussed at the July 2 EDTC meeting.
We are in good company with our advocacy work. Other cities, including Pitt Meadows, Mission, and New Westminster, are also advocating for small business protections. While commercial lease agreements fall outside of municipal jurisdiction, the pressures businesses face are real and complex; it’s important that we collectively use our voices to advocate for change.
The motion, Support for Small Business, asks the Province to explore a framework for commercial rent regulation through a pilot program. While change won’t happen overnight, this approach provides an opportunity to test ideas in the real world, collect data, and adjust as needed before broader policy shifts are considered.
WHEREAS the current economic instability is applying financial pressure on small businesses across our communities;
AND WHEREAS local governments have an opportunity to identify zoning, development, and other policies that may support affordability for businesses;
AND WHEREAS the Province has greater jurisdictional power to decrease the economic pressures on small businesses through a variety of policy changes;
AND THAT the City send a letter to the Minister of Finance and CC the Minister of Municipal Governments and Rural Communities, the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, and the Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation:
• advocating for WorkBC programs offered to support the development of new businesses be extended to offer continued operational support to small businesses;
• requesting that the Province pilot a program to temporarily regulate commercial rent increases through a rent cap to ensure sustainability over this period of extreme instability and potential recession
This isn’t about preventing landlords from negotiating fair lease terms at the start of a tenancy; it’s about ensuring that rent increases at the end of a lease are reasonable and don’t force long-standing businesses that have invested in their space and community to shut down or relocate. We’ve seen too many local shops relocate or shut down because of unaffordable rent hikes. That disruption not only hurts business owners, but it also diminishes the vibrant fabric of our communities.
In 2023, during my lease renewal, I was hit with a rent increase from $15 to $23.5 per square foot—a 50% jump. The landlord gave me no room to negotiate; I was simply told to “take it or leave it.” To make matters worse, my lease includes an automatic annual increase of $1.00 per square foot. On top of that, I am responsible for triple net costs which is a standard fee that most tenants pay, which currently run around $15 per square foot, covering property taxes, building insurance, and maintenance fees.
What isn't standard is while most commercial landlords typically cover major capital expenditures such as structural repairs or building-wide system upgrades, in my case, those costs are still passed on to me as the tenant. This adds yet another layer of financial burden on top of already high rent and triple net charges.
I feel that there is no investment or shared stewardship from the property owner; all the burden is placed on me as the tenant.
This isn’t to say that all landlords are unreasonable. Many are flexible and transparent - my own family's business has benefited from a supportive landlord during COVID and beyond. But I know this isn't always the case. A clear framework could offer greater stability for both commercial landlords and tenants.
Ultimately, these motions are just one step in a broader conversation on how we protect and enhance the diversity, affordability and vibrancy of our local economy. If we want our streets to showcase the character of Port Moody, we need to ensure there is more than just big chains and financial institutions lining them.
I believe the province and municipalities share responsibility to preserve and support the local business ecosystem. Thoughtful, proactive policy can help to signal that Port Moody is a place where independent businesses can grow and flourish.
 Report available at LOCO BC - Our Work: https://www.locobc.ca/cpages/our-work | “Independent businesses recirculate up to 4.6 times more revenue in the local economy than multinationals. Independent businesses recirculate up to $63 of every $100 in revenue in the local economy, compared to $14 for multinationals.” The Economic Impact of Local Business, LOCO BC |
Links to June Agendas
Council Standing Committees: Finance and Strategic Priorities - June 10
Regular Council Meeting - June 10
Council Standing Committees: City Initiatives and Planning, and Governance and Legislation - June 17
Regular Council Meeting - May 27
Upcoming Dates and Information
Got kids? Get the $25 Child and Youth Pass Now! More details here:portmoody.ca/summerpass
Check out the Community Calendar (not the Council’s calendar) for upcoming community events.
July 1: Canada Day events and Pop Up city hall at Rocky Point Park.
Play in Our Parks (free program) is back this year! Recreation staff will be at various parks around the city starting July 7. Details can be found here.
Car-Free Day (Aug 17): Learn more here.
Spring / Summer Focus Newsletter - read the electronic version of the Focus Newsletter here.
