#portmoody first reading of the draft OCP passed 6-1, onward to second reading. I think the vision for the next 25 years is aspirational, and I’m hopeful we can collectively realize it.

When people ask whether community engagement on OCPs is “enough,” it helps to look at the data. Port Moody’s engagement rate (≈112 participations per 1,000 residents) remains among the highest of similarly sized cities. #CommunityPlanning #OCP #PortMoody #CivicParticipation #UrbanPlanning

UBCM Study Session: Climate Hazards and Housing: Risk, Resilience & Local Action 🛡️ Hazards may be inevitable — but disasters are not. Key highlights: • 2024 became the costliest year ever for insured natural disasters in Canada — over $8 billion in losses. #ubcm2025 #climateresilientcommunities

Worth watching!

It’s definitely fall when you have to remove spiders from your living space.

Clip from our most recent episode of The Basic Income Show where we talked about Ireland's basic income experiment results and how artists increased their incomes from doing art thanks to their income base and how it benefited the economy and reduced welfare spending. Essentially it was win-win-win.

Busy September: UBCM in Victoria, full council agendas & community highlights like the new boardwalk 🎉. In my newsletter: Guildford Way bike/ped upgrades, trail plan, childcare study, housing advocacy & more. Read it here: buff.ly/r4G7ALy #portmoody #monthlyupdate

Interesting article from April 2025: Campbell River amended its zoning bylaw to allow housing to be built right on the hospital grounds. The goal is to create homes for healthcare professionals and for families visiting loved ones at the hospital. Do you think Eagle Ridge Hospital should do this?

This 💔👇

You may recall that Council approved the purchase and installation of a noise sensor (this was all completed within existing budgets). It was installed at the Ioco & Murray intersection at the beginning of September. The photo shows the data from 7 days of operation, Sep 15-21. Data ⤵️ #noisesensor

This morning at the Noons Creek Hatchery, on the site of the ancestral Tseil-Waututh winter village Say-mah-mit, we came together to honour Survivors, their families, & the children who never returned home from residential schools. Many thanks to @manuelaxelstrain for your teachings.

Join senior economist @1alexhemingway.bsky.social and practitioner Sarah Ellis in a one-hour webinar to learn how BC’s housing crisis can be brought under control and to hear about on-the-ground efforts to create new non-profit housing. Register now! Oct 1, noon PT bcpolicy.ca/events

10 years ago today, then-Governor of the Bank of England @mark-carney.bsky.social gave his landmark “Tragedy of the Horizon” speech. In it, Carney warned of the existential threat that the climate crisis poses to the global financial system.

“…taxes, fees and royalties the province has control over — has plummeted from 19.2% to 15.4% of GDP over 25 years. This 3.8% drop represents $16.8 billion in foregone revenues annually — enough to eliminate the deficit with money left over for child care, education and other vital investments.” ⤵️

Last week, local elected officials from across the province gathered in Victoria for the annual conference. From study sessions to meetings with ministers, including running into Minister @ravikahlon.bsky.com, I've written about the week & some thoughts in my newsletter. Link: buff.ly/FqHgBF0 #ubcm

Active transportation grants help make our streets safer yet the province is pausing them? Inaction has a cost too - people’s lives are at stake.

UBCM Day 5: the last day! We got back to resolutions at 8 am. We’ve got some repeat themes and after an hour have only made it through 13 resolutions. Next up - address by Gregor Robertson.

UBCM memberships endorsed Port Moody’s resolution on working with Youth Climate Corps today!

UBCM Day 4: starting off the day with an address by the new @bcgreens.bsky.social leader @emilylowan.bsky.social. She’s speaking about investing in community infrastructure including renewable energy, housing and more - the theme is charting a course to a more just and hopeful future.

UBCM Day 3: opening remarks, keynote speaker, resolutions (but we only got through 3 😬)…next meeting with BC Hydro

UBCM Day 2: first meeting ✅. Next up reviewing resolutions with colleagues from around the province.

Homeowners can install AC. Renters often can't. This deadly double standard must end. Join us in demanding BC protect tenants from extreme heat. Everyone deserves the right to stay cool in their own home. #CoolingRights #HousingEquity #TenantRights #BCPoli #ClimateJustice

UBCM Day 1: study sessions • Climate Hazards & Housing: Risk, Resilience, & Local Action • Delivering Affordable Housing: Challenges & Opportunities #affordablehousing #alwayslearning #housingisahumanright

UBCM Day 1: on the bus to the conference centre. Same bus I used to take to university. Many times I prefer to use transit over driving and I wonder how much of that preference was influenced by having a U-Pass.

On the way to UBCM…

Local orgs can now apply for up to $5,000 in provincial grants for projects that fight racism & build multicultural understanding. Eligible projects include cultural celebrations, workshops, film festivals, anti-hate initiatives + more. 🗓 Deadline: Oct. 14, 2025 🔗 Learn more: news.gov.bc.ca/32759

Our new report explores the vital role Canada's construction industry plays in the net-zero transition, and the potential for green job growth in the building trades. Learn more here: www.ccg.eco/research/jobs-for-today

Though focused on the US insurance market, this is worth reading. Climate inaction has costs too. Do nothing now doesn’t mean we won’t pay in some way later.

Thanks to everyone who came out tonight and provided constructive comments and asked relevant questions. Next step 1st reading on October 7th, where I expect a number of motions will be made.

Reminder: special council meeting tonight AKA OCP townhall. Come share your thoughts on the future of our city. 6 pm, Inlet Theatre or online, links below ⤵️ engage.portmoody.ca/portmoody-20...

There are no protections for commercial tenants (unlike residential). #newwest, #pittmeadows, #mission & #portmoody have asked BC gov to temp regulate commercial rent as pilot project. Small biz need predictability or we are going to lose the very things that make each of our communities unique.

Before we opened the boardwalk officially, council and VIP members were able to access the house post viewing platform. This is one of five house posts (2nd one up) that will be placed around the inlet. This new boardwalk is now accessible, safe and resilient- built to last. #portmoody

The logging of old growth is incredibly disturbing & has not changed since I was a teen - then it was the fight over Carmanah. We need to protect it, & its biodiversity. If you have been to Carmanah, or other old growth forests, you will understand the importance of protection. Email your MLA.

This is something all cities should be striving for. Road design and speed limits make a difference.

This story highlights how we/society tend to only think about the use of the product (or in this case work camp accommodation) and not what happens after it reaches the end of its purpose. Temp housing, in particular, doesn’t need to be built this way, if we start thinking about the full lifecycle…

Air quality has been rapidly declining over that last few hours. #portmoody @metrovancouverorg.bsky.social gis.metrovancouver.org/maps/air

Did not have malfunctioning dishwasher on my “to do” list today, but why not add that, sigh.

If you are biking, walking or rolling along Murray Street today, stop and get some ice cold lemonade from these two young residents. Only 50 cents!

Never forget, a 13-year study found that protected bike-lanes led to a drastic decline in fatalities for all road users. ALL ROAD USERS. And painted bike-lanes? No safety improvement at all. For sharrows, it’s actually safer to NOT have them. Via @usa.streetsblog.org @nyc.streetsblog.org

The week of October 6th, we're returning to our beloved Vancouver for a week of learning about active transportation planning including a workshop, lecture and book launch for our latest "Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation". Program and tickets: modacitylife.com/vancouver

There’s a persistent myth that new solar farms don’t really help tackle climate change because panels are “made with coal” and “never pay back” their carbon debt. This is simply false. - UN: solar ~8x cleaner than gas, ~19x than coal per kWh - panels repay CO2 in 4 months; save 57x over life

You can find creativity everywhere.

Friday question: what does the future look like in your city? (And what do you love about it now?)

A small Yukon community cuts diesel use by more than half with solar power www.nationalobserver.com/2025/08/20/n...

ICYMI: This past BC day, Chloe Goodison got a surprise. She'd been awarded the BC Medal of Good Citizenship, one of the province’s highest honours, for her tireless work to save lives and reduce stigma. If you don't know Chloe yet, she's the founder of @NaloxHome, ... #BCMedalOfGoodCitizenship

"From 2010 to 2020... total road deaths rose 18% in the US but declined 22% in Canada. That finding is even more jarring when considering that Canada’s population grew faster during the decade." Via @davidzipper.bsky.social

Loud vehicles keeping you up at night? Cllr @tealepb.bsky.social from Saanich and I wrote about noise cameras—smart tech that detects and records vehicles exceeding legal noise limits. Could they work in Port Moody? Read more: buff.ly/g3lPK9g #PortMoody #NoisePollution #SmartCity

Heat warning has been issued. Heat affects everyone, but the risks are greater for seniors, people who live alone, people with pre-existing health conditions. Check www.portmoody.ca/resident-ser... for locations of cooling centres & misting poles.

We cannot afford to ignore the carbon cost of wars any longer, writes Ellen Field. www.nationalobserver.com/2025/08/07/o...