Port Moody honours Robert Simons with Freedom of the City award

Before Wednesday night, it would have been hard to describe Robert Simons in a short sentence.

The long-time Port Moody resident has served as a volunteer, committee member, board member, provincial appointee, vice-president and president of a dizzying amount of community, academic and non-profit organizations.

Port Moody bestowed Simons with the highest honour it can give a resident on April 17, awarding him the Freedom of the City medal along with a key to the city.

“My last love is giving back to the community,” Simons said. “To my friends, associates and family, you have made this day very special, and one that I never dreamed would occur.”

Wednesday’s award ceremony included a who’s who of local bigwigs, including the current council, MLA Rick Glumac, Kwikwetlem First Nation Elder Stephen Armstrong, and past Freedom of the City honourees David Driscoll and Gerry Nuttall, to name just a few.

Freedom of the City awards are rarely given out, with Simons being only the 16th resident to receive the prestigious award since 1971.

The award acknowledges a resident’s significant contributions to Port Moody, which have elevated the community’s reputation nationally or internationally.

Recipients immediately become municipal VIPs, and are welcome at all city functions and special events as guests of honour.

Originally hailing from Kimberley, B.C., Simons and his wife, Valerie, moved to Port Moody in 1980.

A graduate of BCIT, he spent 43 years working at BC Tel/Telus, eventually holding senior positions in corporate finance, and spearheading a wide array of special assignments before retiring.

While at school and working, he served as a board member of the Variety Club of BC, president and vice-president of Epilepsy BC, president of the Vancouver Neurological Centre, president and vice-president of the BCIT Alumni Association, and as a member of the BCIT board of governors.

Simons said working with non-profit activities early on grew his interest in volunteering, but he was not able to do more while working full time.

His involvement with community work began in earnest in 2008, and has only grown since he retired in 2016.

Coun. Diana Dilworth recalled that early on in her career with the city, she kept hearing Simons’ name from numerous committee and police board meetings.

“This man was everywhere,” she said.

That sentiment is shared by many across the community, according to former Port Moody councillor Gerry Nuttall, who was awared the Freedom of the City award in 2018.

“Robert gets involved with anything to do with Port Moody,” Nuttal said. “Go to any event, and you will probably see Robert and Valerie there supporting their community.”

Simons has served multi-year terms on the Community Care Committee, Heritage Commission, and Economic Development and Tourism Committee; was the president of the Port Moody Heritage Society until 2011; and was named the provincial appointee to the Port Moody Police Board from 2009 to 2015.

He is currently the president of the Port Moody Foundation, Port Moody Arts Centre, Yarilo Contemporary Music Society, on the community board of directors for Sasamat Outdoor Centre, and a representative for the Association of Neighbourhood Houses of BC.

Simons’ time as head of the Port Moody foundation saw more than $1.4 million worth of grants dolled out to non-profit actors working within the community.

Other significant contributions include his constant advocacy for the revitalization of local heritage sites, and securing federal funding for Port Moody’s 100th anniversary in 2013.

Mayor Meghan Lahti described Simons as a “model resident,” who gives his time and expertise freely to numerous causes across the city.

“He is a reminder of the power of volunteering, and how big a difference one person can make,” Lahti said. “We are forever indebted to you.”

Former Port Moody mayor and 1999 Freedom of the City recipient David Driscoll said Simons’ body of work within the community is so extensive, he can’t imagine any resident who has not been touched in some way by it.

He recalled Simons being at the forefront of fundraising efforts to get Mossom Creek Community Salmon Hatchery rebuilt after it burned down in late 2013.

Driscoll noted Simons has an ability to collaborate and find common ground amid conflicting viewpoints.

“Robert’s work, as I’ve seen, has never left anyone leaving the table, who wasn’t felt that they were heard that their vision was respected,” Driscoll said. 

Dilworth agreed, stating she’s seen committee members change their minds mid-discussion after Simons brought an alternative perspective to the table.

“When Robert speaks, it is with gravitas. It is respected and it is heard,” she said.

Nuttall said Simons didn’t even slow down after a failed run at the mayor’s seat in 2011, instead choosing to immediately jump back into community work.

He said that many residents have urged Simons to take another swing at a council seat, but he has always refused.

“This signals to me that his attentions are pure, and he just wants to make a difference in our community,” Nuttall said. “It would be perfectly understandable if Robert had taken his marbles, gone home, sulked for a couple of months, and was never seen again. But that’s not Robert.”

Freedom of the City recipients are provided funds to donate to a non-profit organization in their name.

Simons, however, used the occasion to personally donate $500 to Yarilo Contemporary Music Society, the Samamat Outdoor Centre, the Port Moody Heritage Society, Port Moody Arts, Mossom Creek Community Salmon Hatchery, and the Port Moody Ecological Society.