Coquitlam Mayor, Richard Stewart gives his second community update during the pandemic.

We’ve Got Issues hosts Brad Nickason and Nancy Furness spoke with Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart in December 2020 regarding upgrades to local parks, thoughts on using Colony Farm Park as a staging site for construction of the Trans-mountain Pipeline, coping with the second wave of COVID 19, and advocating for mental health at the municipal level.

Coquitlam is one of the few communities that is focusing on the costly process of keeping public facilities (pools, libraries, and parks) safely open during the second wave of COVID 19. Ongoing City business includes adoption of the City Centre area plan, the long-awaited expansion of Cottonwood Park with a new YMCA facility at a nearby community centre, and replacement of the outdated Maillardville Community Centre.

Plans to install bridges to a small island in Lafarge Lake were scuttled due to public push back regarding concerns to bird and other wildlife protection. Other improvements to Lafarge Lake include increasing biodiversity of the surrounding forest and adding two more washrooms. Lights at the Lake, one of Coquitlam’s most popular attractions was cancelled this year due to COVID safety concerns. The event will return next year if it can be done in compliance with Provincial Health regulations.

 Mayor Stewart shares concerns on the use of Colony Farm Park as a staging site for the construction of the Trans-mountain Pipeline prior to the pipeline being run under the Fraser River. He expresses concern over the loss of valuable old-field habitat and the fact that public funds are used to subsidize Provincial and Federal pipelines over which the municipality has no control. The vast majority of Coquitlam residents are complying with ongoing COVID 19 requirements - wearing masks, washing hands and not gathering. City bylaw officers are ensuring that businesses and residents understand requirements. However, it is up to the RCMP to enforce the Public Health regulations. The City is using this experience to better prepare for future emergencies. Mayor Stewart stresses the importance of following the advice of the Provincial Health Officer and avoiding getting ‘roped’ into believing COVID 19 conspiracy theories due to misinformation on the internet.

Coquitlam dedicated $5 million to a COVID response and recovery plan. Money is being used to ensure adequate masks and sanitation, and to support the food bank and non-profits (e.g. Share) who are struggling to provide services to the most vulnerable people in the community. Mayor Stewart has long been an advocate for mental health. In the case of poor mental health as well as diagnosed mental illness, we need as a community to be more empathetic and work on removing the stigma.

COVID is exacerbating mental health issues including depression and anxiety due to the need to be isolated. Some services have evaporated due to COVID situation. Riverview East and/or Centre Lawn should be reopened to support mental health and addiction services. At the municipal level Fraser Health Authority has been requested to have a Psych Nurse accompanied by a plain-clothes RCMP officer respond to mental health crises, instead of uniformed RCMP. The Mayor asks all citizens to be mental health advocates. His message for 2021 is to be kind and support local businesses – We’re all in this together.