Letterbox: 2026 election offers chance to refresh Coquitlam council

In a letter, Coquitlam resident Sebastian Thomas says people go to work, raise children, take part in community life and vote when elections come, then leave the city to elected officials whose job is to act in residents’ interests and for the public good. He says the neighbourhoods of Burquitlam and Oakdale have become near heat islands, with few trees, dense towers and impermeable surfaces, little park space and limited walkability. They now have thousands of unaffordable, tiny “units” rather than homes, with more on the way, hundreds of empty condos and a lawsuit filed by condo owners.

Thomas asks how the neighbourhoods reached this point. He says Coquitlam had already moved proactively to build along the Evergreen Line before the provincial government introduced Housing Bills 47 and 44 in 2023, mandating density around transit. He questions whose interests were foremost in those development decisions and describes Coquitlam as likely one of the most developer-friendly municipalities, while saying it has some of the weakest environmental safeguards. He points to the Zero Carbon Step Code, the urban forest management strategy, tree-protection bylaws and streamside protection and enhancement areas (SPEAs).

He suggests readers examine the composition of the outgoing council and says Coquitlam’s local-election turnout is unusually low, well below the provincial average and neighbouring municipalities. An editor’s note says about 20 per cent of eligible Coquitlam voters cast ballots in 2022. Turnout was 31.3 per cent in Port Moody, 18.3 per cent in Port Coquitlam, 19.3 per cent in Burnaby and 27.2 per cent in New Westminster. Thomas says one likely reason for Coquitlam’s low turnout is how council operates. He says, unlike neighbouring municipalities, the council has developed a system that effectively keeps residents away from council chambers, and refers readers to an earlier letter of his on the subject.

Thomas calls for a change in City Hall culture. He says Coquitlam has exceptional staff, but council, as an oversight body, must provide oversight transparently and visibly. He questions a situation in which unacceptable conduct at senior levels has brought no consequences or accountability beyond a “graceful” retirement, and asks whether that culture filters down to staff and whether this is how governance should work.

He says 2026 presents a unique opportunity to change council’s makeup and that many talented people have stepped up as candidates, urging residents to vote. Council needs people willing to put in the time and rigorous effort to serve residents and the city’s greater good, he says, rather than people with other interests or obligations who treat civic governance as a part-time job. He says councillors should demonstrate analysis and understanding through their deliberations, explain their votes, and do more than appear at community events for photos or routinely approve staff reports. Thomas closes by urging residents to build civic democracy and a city that works for everyone, vote wisely and hold elected representatives accountable throughout their terms.