Port Moody-Burquitlam: One city, one neighbourhood and two villages included in riding on the inlet

It’s between an incumbent, a city councillor and a new challenger in Port Moody-Burquitlam.

MLA Rick Glumac of the BC NDP is running for re-election amid competition from Conservative Party candidate Kerry van Aswegen as well as Green Party candidate and Port Moody city councillor Samantha Agtarap.

How the Port Moody-Burquitlam candidates answered your questions on . . . Eagle Ridge Hospital

Given its acreage, Eagle Ridge Hospital could become a regional hospital similar to Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, contended Green Party candidate Samantha Agtarap.

Agtarap also pointed out that, despite recent fundraising efforts, the hospital still needs an MRI machine.

The next government’s top priority for the hospital should be hiring more nurses and doctors, according to NDP incumbent Rick Glumac, who emphasized his party’s plan to hire 45,000 healthcare workers in five years.

Ambulance response time

That plan to hire more healthcare workers includes hiring many paramedics, Glumac added.

Keeping Urgent and Primary Care Centres open later should also reduce pressure on ambulances while allowing British Columbians faster access to emergency care, according to Glumac.

Agtarap contended that the government needs to: “improve the integration of mental health care into emergency response systems.”

The current Port Moody councillor advocated providing a fourth emergency option for mental health, which would reduce caseloads for ambulance, fire and police services.

Financialized landlords, outside investors, and the impact on rents

The commodification of housing has exacerbated the affordability crisis, according to Agtarap.

Glumac largely agreed, contending that real estate speculation has played a part in driving up the cost of housing.

To remedy the situation, Glumac advocated increasing the Speculation and Vacancy Tax on foreign owners while helping nonprofits operate low-rent buildings. Glumac also noted the party’s work cracking down on house flipping as well as the proliferation of short-term rentals, such as Airbnbs.

Agtarap favoured advocating the federal government to ban the sale of residential units to real estate investment trusts. The Green Party approach would also include vacancy control and the creation of new homes.

The province’s small-scale, multi-unit housing legislation

Glumac and Agtarap differed on the effectiveness of recent provincial legislation meant to accelerate the construction of new housing around transit hubs.

The policy is meant to help young families buy into housing ranging from fourplexes to townhouses, Glumac stated, adding that the legislation also provides more clarity for both builders and municipalities on amenity cost charges.

“Rather than lengthy negotiations, municipalities can now set these charges up front so homebuilders and the community understand what amenities will be funded by a project,” he stated.

Agtarap differed, writing that the government’s “one-size fits all” approach failed to account for local geography.

“The government needs to loosen their legislation in such a way that allows municipalities’ individual quirks and charms to work with the intent of the legislation,” Agtarap wrote.

Helping the homeless population

Given the rising number of people without homes, the provincial government can’t wait for new affordable housing, Agtarap stated. Instead, B.C. should build temporary housing and modular housing to help the region’s homeless population. Agtarap also emphasized the importance of providing wraparound supports for people transitioning into housing.

Glumac noted the province’s work in overseeing the construction of almost 6,000 units of supportive housing with more on the way.

“Without those units we would have thousands of more people living on the street without getting the support they need. We’ll continue to work with local government on challenges they face with homelessness,” Glumac wrote.

Subsidizing private and faith-based schools

Agtarap supported conducing a review of government funding that supports faith-based and private schools

“Public schools are where public dollars need to go,” Agtarap wrote.

The NDP’s plan is to add teachers and education assistants, according to Glumac, who noted that class sizes are at their lowest level in a decade.

Click here to read the complete candidate questionnaire responses from:

BC NDP incumbent Rick Glumac
BC Green Party candidate Samantha Agtarap

Conservative Party candidate Kerry van Aswegen did not answer the Dispatch questionnaire by press time.

Riding history

In 2020, Glumac captured 53.7 percent of the vote, well ahead of Liberal challenger James Robertson, who finished with 30.5 percent. Green Party candidate John Latimer won 11.8 percent of the vote.

Rick Glumac also won the riding, then Port Moody-Coquitlam, in 2017 with 47.7 percent of the vote. Liberal Linda Reimer finished with 40.2 percent while Green Party candidate Don Barthel notched 12.1 percent.

Prior to 2017, the riding tended to swing Liberal.

Liberal Linda Reimer won the riding in 2013 with 46.4 percent of the vote, finishing 437 votes and 2.09 percentage points ahead of NDP candidate Joe Trasolini.

Liberal Iain Black won the riding again in 2005 and 2009, getting more than 50 percent of the votes each time.

In 2001, when it was Port Moody-Westwood, Liberal and future premier Christy Clark scored one of the more lopsided election victories in the Tri-Cities, as she captured 74.6 percent of the vote.

In 1996, the riding then known as Port Moody-Burnaby Mountain supported Gordon Wilson of the upstart Progressive-Democratic Alliance. Wilson won the riding with 49 percent of the vote.

Shaped like an improperly assembled artificial Christmas tree, the riding includes Anmore and Belcarra as well as Coquitlam north of Austin Avenue between North Road and Blue Mountain Street.

The riding borders Burnaby on its southwestern side. On its northeastern side, the riding boundary bisects David Avenue on its way south, capturing Hemlock Place, Mountain Meadows Elementary and Eagle Ridge Hospital before meeting Brookmount Drive and heading west around Port Moody.