‘The honour of my lifetime;’ former mayor Lahti reflects on 30-year career

The inauguration of Port Moody’s new mayor and council was exceptional for what was there, but also for who wasn’t.

After more than 30 years in and around council chambers (with the exception of one three-year hiatus) Meghan Lahti was absent.

The former community advocate, committee member, councillor, and mayor recently took to social media to thank the community, acknowledge colleagues, and reflect on her three decades in municipal government.

“It’s hard to even fathom. Thousands of meetings – decisions made. Community built. Countless late nights, early mornings and relationships forged,” she wrote.

With 47 percent of the vote, Lahti was narrowly defeated by new Mayor Haven Lurbiecki in the 2026 election. That loss may have ended a political career that began on St. George Street in the early 1990s when a car jumped the sidewalk near where Lahti was walking with her newborn.

She wasn’t hurt, but the incident pushed her off the sidelines and into municipal politics. Lahti soon began tracking speeding vehicles and dangerous driving and presenting her findings to city council meetings as part of a bid to bring traffic calming measures to St. George.

“I’m sure I was a pain in their collective ass,” she wrote.

Lahti’s move from community advocate to council candidate was precipitated by city mulling a major development on the land that would eventually become Bert Flinn Park.

“The council’s plan saw a clear-cut of the mountain and urban sprawl, in exchange for money in the bank, which the city desperately needed,” Lahti wrote. “The community was outraged.”

As part of a group that opposed the project, Lahti was swept into office in 1996. She eventually served as councillor under Mayor Joe Trasolini, who she credited for steady leadership amid major transitions as key employers including the Ioco refinery closed up shop.

It was also the era in which Port Moody became the City of the Arts and neighbourhoods like Suter Brook and Klahanie sparked concerns over Port Moody losing its small town charm.

Addressing that controversy, Lahti said she was glad many live in those neighbourhood today.

“Imagine what the community would look like today had you decided to succumb to pressures of the [NIMBYs] of the day. You will always have people in your community who want to stop growth from happening, but what I have learned is that growth is inevitable, it’s how you do it that matters.”

Lahti made a similar point when discussing a pending development at Coronation Park. At the time, she urged council not to repeat her mistakes.

“I took the easy way out back in 2006 . . . I actually voted against Suter Brook,” she said. “It isn’t bold to say no. . . . We’ve been obstructionist and pushed away opportunities for too long.”
It’s time to move the project forward, Lahti said.

Lahti also discussed the acrimonious council led by Mayor Rob Vagramov.

The mayor blasted Lahti as a major source of council drama, calling her voting record “abhorrent” and accusing her of pushing back against council’s aim to regulate the development industry.

Lahti described Vagramov as condescending. He threatened her in the very first meeting while presiding over an atmosphere of bullying, misogyny and manipulative behaviour, Lahti said.

The term was marked by infighting and dysfunction.

“We weren’t able to accomplish much during this term, and our city was once again in the headlines for all the wrong reasons,” Lahti summarized.

In the most recent term, some of the most spirited council debates were between council and province as B.C. passed housing legislation aimed to increase density, particularly around transit station.

“The province has removed much of our authority as it pertains to how we densify,” Lahti said in 2023. “In my view, these changes will have a profound impact on how we do business here . . . I think there’s going to be some bumps in the road.”

Lahti characterized the most recent term as one of the most functional and collaborative in her time on council.

“With the exception of one person, political positioning was left at the door,” she wrote.

Council crafted a new official community plan, completed Bob Favelle Field, and replaced the Shoreline boardwalk.

“I am proud to have been elected the first female mayor of Port Moody and I’m equally proud to be the longest serving elected official in the history of Port Moody. I didn’t start this journey thinking that would be the case, it just happened that way,” Lahti wrote. “Much of what we see in Port Moody today, I have had a hand in. I’m proud of the legacy that I leave.”