Unofficial summary · Not affiliated with the City of Port Moody · 11-minute read · View in browser

Meeting: Council Standing Committee (City Initiatives and Planning, Finance, and Strategic Priorities committees), Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Length: about 3 hours 27 minutes, including a 30-minute dinner break
Watch: Full video on eScribe
Agenda and reports: City of Port Moody council meetings

This is a catch-up issue on a past meeting. All members of council sit on these committees. Committee decisions are recommendations that go to council for final approval.

Key decisions

RECEIVED · 2026 financial forecast (Finance Committee)
The first forecast of 2026, based on results to April 30, projects a general fund surplus of about $727,000 and a combined utility surplus of about $860,000. Moved by Councillor Knowles.
Vote: unanimous

CARRIED · Recreation financial assistance program (Strategic Priorities Committee, item 4.2)
The committee approved a new corporate policy for a recreation financial assistance program, repealing the leisure access policy, and asked that $15,000 be included in the 2027 recreation operating budget for consideration during budget deliberations. Staff said the program would start January 1, 2027. Moved by Councillor Dilworth.
Vote: unanimous

CARRIED, AS AMENDED · Resident parking pass pilot at Rocky Point Park (item 4.3)
Staff had recommended receiving the report for information. Instead, the committee asked staff to report back on a low-cost resident pass for free parking for up to four hours at Rocky Point Park (option B), run as a one-year pilot, with a review of other municipalities' best practices and recommended pricing for an annual pass. A second amendment added option A, a resident pass with reduced parking rates, so staff will report on both. Moved by Councillor Lurbiecki, seconded by Councillor Dilworth. Pilot amendment moved by Councillor Dilworth.
Vote: the motion was voted on in two parts. Option A part: opposed by Councillor Lurbiecki. Option B part: unanimous.

CARRIED, AS AMENDED · Free recreation pass for super seniors
A motion arising directs staff to include waiving fees for the super seniors recreation pass, for Port Moody residents aged 80 and over, in the fees and charges bylaw update expected this fall. Moved by Councillor Knowles.
Vote: unanimous

CARRIED · Incentives for medical clinic space (item 4.4)
Staff will explore ways to encourage doctors' offices and medical clinics in new developments, such as floor space exclusions, amenity cost charge exemptions or reductions, or counting them as qualifying amenities for density bonusing. The motion goes to the strategic priorities intake list. Moved by Councillor Lubik, seconded by Mayor Lahti.
Vote: unanimous

CARRIED · Advocating for a low-income transit pass (item 4.5)
The Mayor will write to the province supporting a low-income transit pass, and council will work with the TransLink Mayors' Council to lobby the province for the funding. Moved by Councillor Lubik.
Vote: unanimous

CARRIED · Including multilingual residents in recreation
A motion arising asks staff to explore best and promising practices for including multilingual residents, particularly seniors, in recreation programs, for example by working with community organizations on culturally specific needs and recruiting volunteer interpreters. Moved by Councillor Lubik.
Vote: unanimous

CARRIED · Strategic priorities intake (item 4.1)
The committee passed the recommended motion on the intake update, which covered completed projects and three new projects coming through the intake process, each listed as priority level 2: phase three of child care partnerships, a civic centre parking study, and podium heights guidance.
Vote: unanimous

CARRIED · Early input on 2518 St. George Street (City Initiatives and Planning Committee, item 4.1)
Committee members' comments will be passed to the applicant and planning staff. No decision was made on the application itself. Moved by Councillor Agtarap, seconded by Councillor Dilworth.
Vote: unanimous

CARRIED · Finance Committee consent agenda
Approved as presented: up to $30,000 of a Tire Stewardship BC grant for the Art Wilkinson Playground, plus an extra $25,500 from the Asset Reserve – Parks Envelope for swing set upgrades and swing surface replacement there. The committee also received a Police Board letter on a budget amendment for a police IT server replacement and a memo on contract awards over $200,000. Moved by Mayor Lahti, seconded by Councillor Dilworth.
Vote: unanimous

Recorded votes

Votes where members of council did not all agree. Unanimous votes are not listed.

• Amendment adding option A (reduced-rate resident pass) to the parking report: carried. Opposed: Councillor Lurbiecki.
• Resident parking pass motion, option A part: carried. Opposed: Councillor Lurbiecki.

What was discussed

Resident parking pass at Rocky Point Park

• Staff said pay parking began at five locations in September 2024, mainly to manage parking turnover and encourage other ways of getting around, with revenue a secondary goal. About 10% to 15% of pay parking users are Port Moody residents, and residents paid an estimated $70,000, about $50,000 of it at Rocky Point Park. Staff did not recommend a resident pass, but said option A, reduced rates, was their preferred option if council wanted one. Watch at 2:08:02
• Staff described three options, valid only at Rocky Point Park lots and tied to a licence plate: A, reduced rates with an annual fee of about $15; B, free parking with a similar fee; C, free parking for residents with higher rates for non-residents. Staff said B could increase demand and reduce turnover, and that B and C would not fit the pay parking policy. Watch at 2:12:59
• Councillor Lurbiecki, the only vote against pay parking at Rocky Point Park, said it was not meant to raise revenue and that residents, including seniors and families who need to drive, should have access to their parkland. Councillor Dilworth proposed a one-year pilot and a higher fee than $15. Watch at 2:15:12
• Councillor Knowles said the data shows the program is reaching its 85% occupancy target and that $15 seemed low. Councillor Agtarap noted that parking fees pay for staff; staff confirmed they fund a traffic technician, a full-time bylaw officer and a licence plate reader vehicle. Councillor Agtarap said free parking would not encourage walking or rolling. Mayor Lahti said a low fee would work against the program's goals and urged caution about the revenue in the 2027 budget. Watch at 2:23:54
• Councillor Lubik asked whether a reduced-rate pilot would be easier to adjust than a free pass, and Councillor Morrison raised concerns about four hours of free parking. Staff said an intercept survey at Rocky Point Park this summer would add data, and that staff would ask ICBC about counting unique Port Moody vehicles. Watch at 2:50:01

Recreation financial assistance and super seniors

• Staff said the leisure access program has run since 1997 and was last updated in 2017. It gives a 50% discount on admissions, up to four programs and two weeks of camps a year. More than 100 residents were approved each year, but only about half used it. Watch at 1:40:03
• The new program replaces the admission discount with a free recreation access pass, and gives credits covering up to 75% of program costs, with no limit on the number of programs. Eligibility stays based on Statistics Canada's low income cut-offs. Subsidies have cost about $6,000 to $9,000 a year. Watch at 1:44:56
• Councillor Knowles proposed making the super seniors pass free, saying seniors had told Councillor Knowles that neighbouring cities had done so, and that staff had estimated the cost at about $8,000 a year. Staff noted the super seniors age was lowered from 85 to 80 last fall. Staff suggested considering it with the fees and charges bylaw update, and Mayor Lahti suggested a motion arising to do that. Watch at 1:49:29
• Councillor Lubik said the multilingual inclusion motion came from a gathering of ethnocultural seniors that Councillor Agtarap and Councillor Lubik attended. Councillor Agtarap said programs delivered in people's first language can work better than translation. Watch at 1:58:01

Early input: 2518 St. George Street

• The applicant proposes rezoning a single-family lot to a comprehensive development zone for a 21-unit building: six storeys facing St. George Street and seven on the St. Andrews Street side, eight parking spaces and 36 bike spaces. The site is in a transit-oriented area, where provincial rules allow up to 3.0 FAR and eight storeys. The Land Use Committee did not support it on June 1. Watch at 0:05:09
• Staff raised concerns that the lot is 809 square metres, while the zone the proposal is based on requires 2,400, and that side setbacks of 1.18 and 1.5 metres are proposed where about 3 metres is standard. The lot has a home on the City's heritage register, which the applicant hopes to relocate within Port Moody. Watch at 0:09:47
• Councillor Lurbiecki asked why no OCP amendment was needed when the land use map shows three storeys. Staff said the provincially required transit-oriented area heights and densities are built into the OCP, so none is triggered. Councillor Lurbiecki said this should be looked at further. Watch at 0:12:01
• All members of the committee raised concerns about the massing or setbacks, and several about having eight parking spaces for 21 units. Councillor Knowles suggested smaller units to shrink the footprint, and Councillor Lubik raised the courtyard's size and shade. The applicant said fewer people are expected to own cars, and Mayor Lahti suggested a car share arrangement. Watch at 0:20:59

Financial forecast

• Staff said revenues are slightly ahead of budget, mainly recreation and licences and permits, adding about $275,000 after reserve transfers, and spending is about $452,000 under budget, mostly from vacant positions. Police are about $397,000 under budget, community development $142,000 and finance and technology $98,000. Watch at 0:48:02
• Fire rescue is forecast about $98,000 over budget. Asked by Councillor Knowles, the fire chief said this was mainly from paying two deputy chiefs for about five months after a retirement, and that overtime is on track. Watch at 0:54:04
• Councillor Dilworth asked about lower green waste volumes. Staff said recycling volumes are down partly because packaging is getting lighter, that the figures include the City's own materials and can be seasonal, and that staff would look into why organics are lower. Staff also said the next forecast comes in November. Watch at 0:58:29

Clinics, transit and project timing

• Councillor Lubik said the clinic motion follows a UBCM resolution, passed last year, asking the province to work with family doctors and local governments on clinic space in new developments. Councillor Morrison asked that any incentive keep the clinic space in the building over the long term. Councillor Knowles noted health care is a provincial responsibility. Watch at 3:06:00
• On the transit pass, Councillor Knowles said the larger issue is TransLink funding. Mayor Lahti said earlier provincial funding for children's fares was not long-term, and that any program needs sustained operating funding. Watch at 3:22:12
• Staff said work on podium heights guidance could start internally in the third quarter, with a report to council in the first quarter of 2027 and approvals in the second quarter. Watch at 1:36:05
• Mayor Lahti noted a Metro Vancouver air quality warning because of wildfire smoke and advised limiting outdoor activity and checking on neighbours. Watch at 3:28:25

Public input

None at this meeting. The Mayor said there would be no standing public input item at council meetings between July 20 and October 17 because of provincial rules on election advertising, and that residents can email council at council@portmoody.ca. The applicant for 2518 St. George Street answered questions from Mayor Lahti.

Following up

From earlier issues: None of the items from the July 14 issue came up at this meeting. Still open: adoption of the amenity cost charge bylaws (expected July 28), public disclosure of the parkland purchases funded by Bylaw 3555, the ACC inflation amendment (expected January 2027), and the people, dogs and public space strategy.

New items we'll watch for:

• Report back on a one-year resident parking pass pilot at Rocky Point Park, with options A and B and recommended pricing: no date given.
• Free super seniors recreation pass in the fees and charges bylaw update: expected this fall.
• $15,000 for the recreation financial assistance program in 2027 budget deliberations; program to start January 1, 2027.
• Next financial forecast: expected November 2026.
• Podium heights guidance: report expected in the first quarter of 2027.
• Incentives for medical clinic space and multilingual inclusion in recreation: no date given.
• 2518 St. George Street rezoning returning to council: no date given.

What's next

• July 20 to October 17: No standing public input item at council meetings; residents can email council.
• This summer: Intercept survey of people using the Rocky Point Park parking lots.
• This fall: Fees and charges bylaw update, expected to include the free super seniors pass.
• November 2026: Next financial forecast, to the new council.
• January 1, 2027: Planned start of the recreation financial assistance program, if funded in the 2027 budget.

Get involved

• During the pause on public input, residents can email council at council@portmoody.ca.
• Council and committee meetings are open to the public in person at City Hall or online.
• Agendas, reports and ways to contact council are on the City's council meetings page.

Terms used

ACC: amenity cost charge, a fixed charge on development for growth-related amenities · CD zone: comprehensive development zone, a custom zone for one project · Density bonusing: allowing extra floor space in exchange for amenities · Early input: a first look by council at a rezoning application, with no decision · FAR: floor area ratio, a building's floor space divided by its lot area · Intake list: the list where new projects and motions are prioritized · LICO: low income cut-offs, Statistics Canada's income thresholds · Massing: a building's overall size and shape · Motion arising: a new motion that comes up during discussion of an item · OCP: Official Community Plan · Setback: the required distance between a building and its lot lines · TOA: transit-oriented area, where provincial law sets minimum allowed heights and densities near transit · UBCM: Union of BC Municipalities · Consent agenda: routine items approved together in one vote.

Context notes

We check factual figures cited at the meeting against public sources where we can. These notes add context; they are not verdicts on any speaker.

• Residents living in poverty (staff presentation: about 2,330 residents, or 7%, in the 2021 census): Statistics Canada's 2021 Census Profile for Port Moody shows about 2,330 residents (7.0%) in low income under the after-tax low-income measure (LIM-AT). Under the after-tax low-income cut-offs (LICO-AT), the figure is 1,545 (4.6%).

Council Watch Port Moody is an independent, unofficial summary of publicly accessible meetings of the Port Moody Council. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the City of Port Moody. This summary was generated by AI from an automatic transcript and may contain errors. Watch the linked video for the official record.

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