Port Moody Mayor Meghan Lahti Community Update

Port Moody City Council has raised concerns about ensuring property developments remain accessible to local residents rather than being purchased as investments by offshore buyers with no intention of occupancy. Mayor Laity acknowledged the challenge, noting that while homeowners have every right to do as they wish with their properties, vacant homes contribute to housing availability issues.

The government’s home vacancy tax has helped mitigate the problem in recent years. Additionally, Port Moody has introduced a policy requiring developers to promote their properties locally for two weeks before marketing them more broadly. This measure has resulted in a modest increase of 2% to 4% in local homeownership.

Metro Vancouver recently implemented changes to development cost charges, shifting more of the financial burden for infrastructure onto municipalities rather than developers. Historically, Port Moody has followed a model where the city and developers share infrastructure costs equally, as officials are wary of passing excessive costs onto homebuyers.

City Council also moved to ban rodeos and petting zoos. While the rodeo ban is largely symbolic—no record exists of a rodeo ever being held in Port Moody since its incorporation in 1913—the decision to prohibit petting zoos has more immediate implications. These attractions have been a staple of Golden Spike Days and other community events. The ban was enacted in the interest of animal welfare, though critics argue it will limit educational opportunities and pose financial challenges for organizations that care for rescued animals, as petting zoos are a major source of revenue.

In another significant change, Port Moody cut funding for its 111-year-old volunteer fire department. While Mayor Laity and council members acknowledged the department’s deep historical roots, they pointed out that Port Moody is one of the last cities in the Lower Mainland to make this transition. Volunteer firefighters have been encouraged to continue fundraising and providing public education, but council determined that reallocating funds to hire additional full-time firefighters would be a more effective use of resources.