Port Coquitlam behind on ‘Colossal waste of time’ provincial housing targets
Two years after being issued a housing target order from the province, Port Coquitlam is nearly 200 homes off the pace.
However, that shortfall is largely beyond the city’s control, said Coun. Steve Darling during a council discussion Tuesday.
“The housing market is in turmoil right now,” Darling said.
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Based on several conversations with local builders over the past few months, Darling said he didn’t expect to see any city hit a provincial housing target.
“They’re not building anything,” he said.
In 2024, the province set a target for 2,279 net new units in Port Coquitlam by July 31, 2029.
After two years, Port Coquitlam has added 527 new units, well short of the goal of 724 new homes.
The city added 336 net new units including 170 studio and one-bedroom units in the past year.
While many factors are outside the city’s control, such as high interest rates and rising construction costs, Port Coquitlam also saw an unusually high number of demolitions, with the wrecking ball hitting 131 homes over the past 12 months.
Based on Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation data, housing starts dipped about 42 percent from July 2025 to July 2026.
Mayor Brad West was critical of the province for what he characterized as an inflexible approach to legislation.
“The province, although they profess to be listening, have not made a single adjustment to anything,” West said. “They’ve taken decades if not generations of community planning and thrown it out the window.”
Noted the need for family-oriented housing, West reiterated his call for council to make decisions in the best interests of the community.
“If that means that we’re on a naughty list or the province doesn’t like us . . . well, so be it.”
The target is based on a provincial estimate based on projected population growth. If the city fails to meet that mark, the province can appoint an advisor or intervene “in a municipality’s authorities for bylaws and permit issuance,” according to a city staff report.
Both Couns. Dean Washington and Paige Petriw were dismissive of the idea of Port Coquitlam providing a progress report to the province.
“It’s just a make-work project as far as I’m concerned,” Petriw said.
Washington referred to the obligation as a: “Colossal waste of time.”
Washington was particularly critical of legislation allowing four units of housing on one lot, which he called a: “disastrous way to achieve more housing units.”
With 636 units under construction, Port Coquitlam is “well positioned” to hit the provincial housing target in 2027, the staff report stated.
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