Port Coquitlam city hall will strike a new environment committee in the new year.
Mayor Greg Moore named Coun. Laura Dupont as chair of the newly created Environmental and Sustainability Committee with Coun. Glenn Pollock as vice chair and Coun. Brad West as a member.
The civic group, responsible for environment, housing, land use policy and street naming, will also have two citizen advisors and Brad Fenton from the Downtown Business Improvement Association.
Last year, PoCo council made a push for more “green” features in the city, adding “livability” to its strategic priority list — along with infrastructure and the new community recreation complex (in which construction started this year and resulted in the loss of more than 100 trees) — as well as hiring an environmental co-ordinator, and retooling its tree policies around growth and cutting.
At council’s Dec. 12 meeting, Mayor Moore also announced he would split the Finance and Intergovernmental Committee he chairs into two factions: the Finance and Budget Committee (chaired by Coun. Dean Washington with Coun. Dupont as vice chair), and the Community and Intergovernmental Committee (chaired by Moore with Coun. Mike Forrest as vice chair).
Meanwhile, Forrest will head up the Community Safety Committee in 2018 — taking over from Coun. Pollock — to stickhandle animal control, bear awareness and emergency operations.
Pollock gains the reins of the Healthy Community Committee, which is responsible for cultural festivals and events, recreation facility maintenance and improvements and leisure programs.
Also new for 2018 is the appointment of all council members to the Smart Growth Committee, led by Coun. West, which handles development bids and regulations, and liquor licence applications.
The Transportation Solutions and Public Works Committee will remain in the hands of Coun. Darrell Penner; however, Coun. Washington takes over from Coun. Pollock as vice chair.
Other council appointments to regional boards and committees include:
• Coun. Pollock: ArtsConnect; Fraser Health Municipal Government Advisory Council; Port Coquitlam Community Foundation;
• Coun. Dupont: Fraser Valley Regional Library
• and Coun. Forrest: School District 43 municipal liaison.
jcleugh@tricitynews.com

