For six consecutive years, the City of Coquitlam has been named one of B.C.’s Top Employers, an achievement that recognizes the City’s commitment to creating a positive and inclusive work environment.
But it doesn't stop there. Coquitlam has a number of awards and achievements that are a testament to a progressive and award-winning work culture focused on positive outcomes for the community it serves.
Focusing on community benefit
For leaders like Genevieve Bucher, director of community planning, community collaboration is especially critical. Bucher oversees all matters of land-use planning, which is how the City manages and plans for growth. The policy work she does with her team includes development, heritage, management, childcare, and — arguably the biggest challenge facing residents of the Lower Mainland — housing affordability.
Bucher also spearheaded the creation of Coquitlam’s award-winning Childcare Partnership Strategy, which received a Silver Medal for Excellence in Policy Planning from the Planning Institute of British Columbia.
“Childcare is technically a provincial responsibility, but our council recognized a real need in the community, and they heard that very strongly from the residents of Coquitlam,” Bucher states. “The task then for me was to find the right balance of how the City can use its tools and policies and services to respond to this need, but also do it in a financially sustainable and appropriate way.”
As a veteran of municipal government work, Bucher says the City of Coquitlam hits the perfect sweet spot being a large enough entity to have the capacity to engage with the community and tackle pressing issues, but small enough to be functional.
"I've worked in very big organizations, where it could be hard to connect across teams , and decision-making was really challenging," she describes. "Coquitlam is not like that. I feel the structure and the organization are really responsive, both to the community and to the needs of staff."
Harnessing technology
As an innovative and tech-focused organization, the City of Coquitlam stands above the rest, winning a Tech Trailblazer Award in 2022 and being named one of the world's Smart21 Communities of 2023. This success is in no small part due to the leadership of Danny Bandiera, manager of information and communications technology, and the hard work of his team.
"I live in the community and work for the community,” Bandiera says. “You really get a sense of pride, working where you live, and the impact that has on the city, its community, and its residents.”
On being selected as a winner for these awards, Bandiera says, "It's an impressive achievement. This is the second time we've been selected as a Smart21 Community. We were selected in 2021 and now again in 2023. Our Tech Trailblazer award also really spoke to our digital solutions to create efficiencies, and really streamline our processes to support housing approvals."
Bandiera and his team are always looking forward, pursuing unique, community-focused initiatives, such as expanding the city’s digital strategy.
“There's obviously a multitude of innovative technologies that are out there that we're currently exploring,” he explains.
Nurturing professional growth
Sara Yastremski, parks services manager, has worked her way up from a seasonal labourer to her current position and is now marking 18 years at the City of Coquitlam. As someone born and raised in Coquitlam, she understands the importance of community involvement.
"I've been fortunate enough to have supervisors and managers over the years who have continually supported my career progression, and I've had a lot of opportunities to lead and supervise, but I’ve also been challenged to continue to grow and develop in all my roles," she says.
Yastremski's leadership has played a key role in the City's Communities in Bloom program, which has won both provincial and national awards.
"The Communities in Bloom program allows me to engage and connect with groups, local businesses, schools, volunteers, and staff from across the city to highlight all of the incredible things that are happening in every sector of our community," she explains. "We really get to showcase what makes Coquitlam an incredible place to work and live."
Yastremski says that working with the City is about celebrating the community as a whole and the opportunity to work with all the different facets of the population through Coquitlam is truly fun and exciting.
To learn more about employment opportunities at The City of Coquitlam, visit coquitlam.ca/careers.
