Housing affordability was at the forefront as two Coquitlam mayoral candidates squared off in what at times was a contentious Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce debate this week.
On one side of the Evergreen Cultural Centre stage Tuesday, the incumbent, Mayor Richard Stewart, described a city hall working hard to increase the number of units in the municipality and provide more housing options to families.
On the other, challenger Adel Gamar blamed the current administration for not doing enough to make the municipality more affordable for residents. “We all know people who have moved out of Coquitlam because they can’t afford to live here,” he said in his opening statement.
He later added: “The current mayor has presided over the greatest housing affordability crisis in the city’s history.”
Stewart countered that the challenges around land values are a problem felt across the region and said many policies the current council has put in place have helped Coquitlam avoid some of the affordability issues seen in other parts of Metro Vancouver.
“I get that it is an easy solution for you, but there are a whole lot of communities that have struggled with this because we are a constrained region,” Stewart said. “These are regional challenges… There are some communities that aren’t tackling that issue but we are tackling that issue and we are achieving gains.”
Gamar also criticized Stewart for how the city approaches public consultation. He said the process is not welcoming for residents and that he has seen public hearings where people are nervous about bringing their concerns to city council. He added that if he is elected, he would hold more town halls and seek to engage more residents in the planning process.
“We need to make sure we have a mayor and a council that is held accountable on a monthly basis, a weekly basis,” he said.
While Stewart agreed that more residents need to participate in local decision making, he said the city has worked hard to make the process as easy as possible. He added that council holds a range of consultation processes and even provides child care in some cases so parents can get involved.
“We have worked so much to bring in the public and have them be engaged in our community,” Stewart said.
According to the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce, more than 250 people attended the event, which was a standing-room only crowd and maximum capacity for the venue. More than 80 questions were submitted online for the meeting.
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