Monthly Update - September 2025

September update, housing advocacy, and other useful links

Author

Samantha Agtarap
October 04, 2025

Hello neighbours,

As I mentioned in my previous newsletter, September has been a busy month. My workload outside of council increased (still meaningful and enjoyable), and we were essentially away for an entire week in Victoria. In addition, Council agendas were full of important topics and work, and there were some momentous events, such as the opening of the boardwalk. Some photos below.

In this newsletter:

Sep 19: Staff giving planting instructions

Sep 19: The fir tree I planted

Highlights of the month

Even with a week away at UBCM, Council still accomplished a lot this month. I’ve highlighted a few items below that I found especially important. For a full picture, you can find links to Council meetings at the bottom of this newsletter.

  • Guildford Way Bicycle Facility Improvements Project - Traffic Modelling (Sep 9): Improvements are proceeding, and ultimately, the intersection at Murray/Guildford and Ioco, plus Guildford (between Ioco and Coquitlam), will be safer for the most vulnerable road users - both pedestrians and cyclists, while still maintaining the bus queue jump. Cllr Morrison introduced a motion arising, ensuring future traffic modelling will use the microsimulation model, which includes video simulations, as a useful communication tool.

  • Zero Emission Municipal Building Policy (Sep 9): This corporate policy covers city facilities (whether it is a new building, an addition or a major renovation). City facilities are significant contributors to the city’s emissions. But beyond emissions, this policy ensures that our civic buildings will be resilient to a changing climate.

  • Trail Network Plan (Sep 9): Council adopted this plan, which supports the development of a more connected and accessible trail system. A motion arising from Cllr Lubik asked staff to report back on any current initiatives and projects that incorporated culturally or medicinally important plants and/or food into trail and park planning, and to explore potential opportunities for future integration.

  • On-site Childcare Facility (Sep 9): Council directed staff to proceed with the Phase 2 Feasibility Study. We all know childcare can be difficult to find, so I am looking forward to the results of this study and the next steps.

  • Farmers’ Market Apple Pie Contest (Sep 10): I was invited to be a judge for this year’s apple pie contest. There were eight entries and three winners - best overall, best traditional and best non-traditional. It was a tasty afternoon!

  • Boardwalk Celebration (Sep 13): This was a well-attended event, celebrating the opening of the boardwalk. I am very pleased that we’ve completed this project, and it is now accessible to people of all abilities (please do not ride your bike on it!).

  • OCP Townhall thoughts (Sep 15): It wasn’t as busy as I expected, and there were some questions about parking, supporting small businesses, etc. I wrote down some of the questions I heard, and I will answer them in more detail in a future post.

  • Neighbourhood Energy Utility (Sep 16): Council is continuing to explore the development of a NEU for Moody Centre. This would use waste heat from the sewer to provide approximately 70% of heating needs, reducing reliance on BC Hydro’s electrical grid.

  • Tree Planting with Reliance Foundry (Sep 19): I had the pleasure of being the acting mayor and welcoming Reliance Foundry, celebrating their centenary by planting over 40 trees and installing a bench at the Mill Pond.

  • Annual UBCM Conference (Sep 22-26) in Victoria: There were more resolutions than ever before, which I personally believe indicates that municipalities need much more support from all senior governments, financial assistance included. While we didn’t get all the meetings we wanted, we did meet with the ADM for Infrastructure and the Minister of Finance. The minister meetings are short (15 min); we had two topics - gaming revenue and taxation - so I hope we got our points across. ICYMI, I’ve written about the week here; it is rather lengthy, so be sure to grab a coffee or tea.

Advocacy work - housing

I have noticed some comments on social media suggesting that only certain councillors care about issues such as seniors housing or affordable housing. Unfortunately, social media isn’t always the best place for productive conversations. While I share information through this newsletter, I know it does not reach everyone so if you find it useful, please pass it along. I also believe the most meaningful work happens by building connections in person, beyond the council table.

Housing has always been one of my top priorities, across the full spectrum of needs. Council and staff recognize that affordable housing is essential for a thriving community and economy, so it remains a priority for all of us.

While there is always more work to do, I want to highlight that Council has already approved hundreds of units of rental housing, both market and non-market. In 2023, Cllr Lubik and I initiated a resolution called Supporting Affordable Rental Housing Action, as well as a motion to ensure that affordable housing (including transition housing, seniors housing, supportive housing or other needs) is considered when civic buildings are built or significantly refurbished. Other housing-related resolutions that I have either supported or initiated include (but are not limited to):

  • Requiring heat pumps in rentals (failed at LMLGA 2023),

  • Incentives for multi-unit residential buildings for individual unit owners for energy efficiency and climate resilient upgrades (like heat pumps),

  • A motion to UBCM on working with the Youth Climate Corps on energy poverty,

  • A policy to protect and replace affordable rentals outside of formal rental buildings (still in process),

  • Supporting the more recent resolution on Housing is a Human Right, and

  • Poverty reduction measures (including a basic income pilot).

I have advocated for temporary seniors housing, asking BC Housing to fund this through their existing programs. Unfortunately, we’ve been told that we either don’t qualify or that funding is unavailable to serve that need. BC Housing programs can be very rigid, with little room for creative approaches. I hope that this changes under the new housing minister, and I look forward to working together. We are also investigating potential opportunities for seniors’ long-term supportive housing, which will again require partnerships.

Groups experiencing the greatest challenge finding and affording housing in Port Moody include: single people living on their own; low-income households; families; new immigrants; seniors; persons with disabilities; and people experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness.

Port Moody Housing Needs Report, updated November 2024

On the federal side, we’ve had similar challenges. Despite 45 Mary St (old Canada Post facility in Moody Centre) being identified as surplus federal land, no BC projects were included in the recent Build Canada Homes announcements.

Cllr Lubik and I have also been learning from other municipalities. For example, we connected with our Penticton colleague, Cllr Isaac Gilbert, and the group 100 More Homes Penticton to understand how their successful model came together, and what Port Moody might adapt to meet our own housing and service needs. We have introduced them and housing advocates from Duncan to the Tri-Cities Homelessness and Housing Task Force, so communities can learn from one another and share solutions.

I also regularly reach out to professionals and organizations working in this space, such as SHARE, Kinsight, and Coast Mental Health. Later this fall, I will be attending the Housing Central Conference (November 17 - 19) and will share key takeaways in a future post. The housing session at UBCM also highlighted promising approaches from other municipalities.

The challenge with this kind of work is that much of it happens behind the scenes and isn’t always visible. Short of posting photos from every Zoom or coffee meeting, I struggle to show progress without it feeling performative. If you have ideas on how best to share this work with the community, I’d love to hear them.

So, how do we get more deeply affordable, non-market housing built?

The honest answer: there is no single tool that can do it all. Inclusionary zoning bylaws, where developers are required to provide a percentage of affordable units in new projects, help, but usually only create housing that is “moderately” below market. To achieve deeply affordable housing, especially for low-income seniors, singles, families, and people with disabilities, we need another key piece: access to land. In Port Moody, in Moody Centre TOD and Portwood, it has been donated by developers, but that is an unusual opportunity, especially on small sites.

When land is donated, leased at a nominal rate or otherwise removed from the market, the cost of constructing and operating housing dramatically decreases. Many successful projects in BC and across Canada are on land contributed by municipalities, faith groups, non-profits or senior levels of government.

The path forward isn’t just about one policy lever. It requires many tools, senior government programs, partnerships with non-profits and co-ops, and, most importantly, securing low-cost land.

This is the type of collaboration I will keep pushing for, because everyone deserves a safe, stable and affordable place to call home. Please continue to push on every level of government to make sure we all know your priority is affordable housing for your neighbours.

Other useful things