‘Substantially correct’: B.C. housing minister backs Port Moody’s MLA after dispute with local council, again

For the second time, B.C.’s Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon has backed Port Moody-Coquitlam MLA Rick Glumac against criticisms from Port Moody council.

City council recently released two letters penned by Mayor Meghan Lahti – one addressed to Kahlon and the other to Glumac – in which she criticized her MLA’s remarks at a previous council meeting and requested clarification from the province. 

Lahti said that Glumac’s statements “created significant confusion” about the Transit-Oriented Areas (TOA) legislation and Port Moody’s obligations under provincial housing reforms.

“Your messages have been widely interpreted by the community as confirmation that the TOA is not relevant to Port Moody,” Lahti wrote to Glumac. “(This has) placed the municipality in an awkward position . . . and called into question both council and staff’s housing legislation implementation actions.”

It is not the first time Port Moody council has bypassed their MLA to complain to provincial higher ups. In October 2023, Lahti wrote to Premier David Eby, asking the party to rein in Glumac after he suggested a critical development could sacrifice parking to secure affordable housing.

Like the previous letter-writing spat, Kahlon largely backed Glumac.

In a June 2 letter to Mayor Lahti, Kahlon said the MLA’s presentation and response to council were “substantially correct.”

“It is my understanding that MLA Glumac was only given five minutes by council to present on very complex topics and subsequently issued a letter to mayor and council to provide more information to build on these topics.”

Port Moody council had invited Glumac to speak at their March 25 meeting, but did not allow him to utilize a prepared slideshow presentation, nor exceed the five-minute time limit imposed on public delegations.

A contentious hour-long conversation followed where the MLA was prodded with questions, criticism and skepticism over provincial policy.

In her letters, Lahti raised concern over Glumac’s statements at the meeting, which she said omitted key legal and planning nuances.

“While the statements he made may appear accurate in isolation, he has left out several important details that do not consider the full context of the legislative requirements,” Lahti wrote to Kahlon.

Four of Glumac’s comments were highlighted as being problematic:

• The MLA stated that cities could impose affordability or rental-only requirements to deny TOA applications.
• Lahti countered that such policies require an economic analysis demonstrating feasibility, which Glumac did not mention.
• Glumac also implied TOA rules didn’t apply to commercial areas, Lahti said they do – aside from a narrow exemption for certain commercial zone types.
• Regarding Glumac’s comment that minimum TOA densities are not intended as planning tools, Lahti warned that ignoring those densities could result in infrastructure shortfalls and loss of amenities.
• Lastly, the MLA suggested that if Port Moody’s 20-year housing needs were met, the city could use the OCP to “discourage” higher density in TOAs. Lahti argued this would conflict with provincial and federal housing goals.

City staff were forced to seek immediate clarification from the ministry following the meeting, according to Lahti, adding that Glumac’s statements cast doubt on whether Port Moody needed to follow certain provincial requirements.

Lahti also criticized Glumac for publicly posting his presentation slides online, and requested he remove them. She claimed the slides lacked provincial branding, contradicted clarifications Glumac made later in a follow-up letter on April 15, and questioned whether ministry staff had authorized them.

She emphasized that the city’s planning process had been paused in late 2023 to incorporate requirements in the new housing legislation, and the city was now under pressure to meet a year-end deadline for completing its OCP update.

Several councillors praised the public release of Lahti’s letters on May 27, with one councillor describing Glumac’s statements as “misinformation.”

“This council has mentioned, recently and frequently, facts are important, and when incorrect information or disinformation is shared in our community, it has the effect of eroding public trust and causing confusion among our residents,” said Coun. Kyla Knowles. “Now that (the letters) have been released, they outline which and when misinformation was shared.”

In his June 2 response, Minister Kahlon addressed each of Lahti’s concerns in detail and confirmed that municipalities have the authority to impose affordable and rental housing requirements in TOAs through inclusionary zoning, but only after conducting a feasibility analysis.

He clarified that TOA legislation applies to all parcels where residential use is permitted, including mixed-use commercial zones, but does not apply to lands where residential use is secondary to industrial or agricultural use.

On the question of whether minimum densities should be used as a planning tool, Kahlon explained that while the TOA framework sets mandatory baselines, municipalities must still take additional steps (such as pre-zoning land) for these areas to count toward their 20-year housing capacity.

Kahlon affirmed that even if a city meets its overall housing targets, TOA development applications must still be considered, and councils cannot use the OCP to avoid TOA obligations. That said, he added councils do retain full discretion over proposals that exceed TOA minimums.

For his part, Glumac told the Dispatch his presentation was constrained by time but was meant to outline the balance of mandatory requirements and municipal discretion.

He added he wants to work with council on housing opportunities, based: “on a foundation of mutual respect, that puts the needs of our constituents above all else.”

“While provincial housing legislation will have effects on Port Moody, the legislation and its requirements provide both powerful tools and allow for flexibility that afford council significant control over ensuring development in the community meets our needs,” Glumac said.