Meet the candidates in . . . Port Moody-Coquitlam

Voters in Port Moody-Coquitlam will get to choose from candidates representing the Conservative, Liberal, New Democratic, Green, and Marxist Leninist Parties.

If you’re not registered to vote you can visit the elections office at 1163 Pinetree Way or at 15 King Edward Street by April 22. You can also register online.

The election is scheduled for April 28.

For more information about the riding, click here.

Bonita Zarrillo, NDP

The incumbent has frequently accused corporate investors and predatory landlords of exacerbating Canada’s housing affordability crisis.

Besides calling for stricter rental controls Zarrillo has also taken aim at residential property owners using data analytics to set prices, calling for an investigation in 2024.

Zarrillo accused the Liberals and Conservatives of standing by “greedy corporate landlords.”

Noting the state of the former post office building off Clarke Street in Port Moody, Zarrillo called for the building to be converted into seniors housing.

“The closed Canada Post office at 45 Mary St. is a good location for quality affordable homes for seniors,” she said.

The former Coquitlam city councillor has also attempted to make it easier for people with disabilities to receive financial support by removing marital status and household income as requirements to get the Canada Disability Benefit.

“Whenever they get the slightest increase in income their critical government benefits are reduced,” Zarrillo said.

Zarrillo also pushed for Canada to maintain its plan to reduce plastic pollution.

“We cannot let the regressive Conservatives, kowtowing to petrochemical industry, set the tone for our international commitments,” Zarrillo said in Parliament.

Zarrillo also served as the NDP’s opposition critic for disability inclusion and seniors issues. She previously worked as a business analyst.

Paul Lambert, Conservative Party

One of Lambert’s stated priorities is in helping small and medium-sized businesses.

“Years of high taxes and the over-regulation of our economy have significantly reduced economic growth,” he stated in his campaign literature. “Even more alarming is that many young couples are uncertain whether they will have enough space in their home, or their budget, to be able to have children.”

To address the housing affordability crisis, the Conservative Party platform includes cutting the sales tax on new homes and incentivizing municipalities to speed up permits so housing can be built faster.

As a Coquitlam city council candidate in 2022, Lambert pushed for the city slow down to a moderate level of growth.

At the time, Lambert cited the strain on roads, parks, schools, and the healthcare system.

Lambert also called on the city to focus on housing affordability with more three-bedroom units and affordable units for first-time buyers and seniors.

He has also volunteered with the city’s Sports and Recreation Advisory Committee as well as the Coquitlam Watershed Roundtable.

Zoe Royer, Liberal Party

A former Port Moody city councillor and current school board trustee, Royer’s campaign literature highlights her work as an advocate for reconciliation.

Royer recommended a task force with Indigenous community members and suggested city council and staff participate in a Blanket Exercise.

The Liberal Party’s housing plan is to double the pace of residential construction while utilizing mass timber technologies and providing $25 billion in financing for prefabricated home builders.

As a councillor, Royer was a critical vote in the approval of several projects, including the 1,861-unit Woodland Park development. Discussing criticism over the traffic impact of a 222-unit development at St. Johns Street, Royer asked her colleagues to take a regional view.

“Where we delay or deny these projects we actually push density into Langley, Mission, Abbotsoford, and Hope,” she said in 2021. “We push people into auto-dependency and taking longer and longer commutes.”

Royer has also been an advocate for the arts, advocating several events and recently starring in an Ioco Players production.

Nash Milani, Green Party

Milani’s stated priorities include building more housing and cutting taxes on Canadians earning less than $40,000 per year.

Government neglect has led to untenable costs of living, “rampant population growth” and a housing supply shortfall, according to Milani’s campaign literature.

“All while billions of dollars are being recklessly handed over to the fossil fuel industry so they can pilfer our landscape,” he wrote.

A newcomer to federal politics, Milani noted his activism in support of climate action and Palestine.

Milani recently ran for school board trustee, emphasizing the importance of giving a voice to young people.

He’s also worked for the City of Burnaby as a recreation clerk.

“I work with the public on a daily basis, so I’m far from some career politician warming a chair,” he stated.

Milani served on Port Moody’s economic development committee and its transportation committee in 2020.

Roland Verrier, Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada

When campaigning in 2021, Verrier the MPLC as a party for political renewal and people’s empowerment.

He accused the Liberal and Conservative party of making economic decisions: “without regard to the consequences for people and the environment.”

We know that the Liberals and Conservatives in Ottawa and the Liberals and NDP in BC come up with one pay-the-rich scheme after another to serve private interests,” Verrier wrote.

The Marxist-Leninist Party has emphasized the need for Canadians to: “change the direction of the economy by becoming decision-makers themselves.”

The party supports using all resources: “to bring into being a world which puts humanity at the centre of its concerns, not the interest of the international financial oligarchy.”