The Costliest Disaster in Canadian History In its zeal to torque stories about Fort Mac, the Canadian media has forgotten the actual largest disaster in Canada with headlines like this: “Fort McMurray wildfire estimated to be costliest disaster in Canada”. Dropping the word “natural” makes the headline of this article (and many others) inaccurate. The … Read more
Good things come to those who wait. As many will recall, following years and countless public meetings, in 2014 Port Moody decided to designate Westport in the Official Community Plan as a new amenity community hub. In doing so, Port Moody Council designated the Andres site as a Special Study Area suggesting that it requires … Read more
REALTORS® Reminded of Obligations to Clients “Don’t Take the Risk of Providing Services in an Area You’re Unfamiliar With.” – RECBC Once again (June, 2015) REALTORS® are being reminded by the Real Estate Council of British Columbia (RECBC), about the dangers of stepping outside their comfort zone. “Even in a hot property market, you can’t … Read more
Multi-Family versus Single-Family Homes in Port Moody The recent Coronation Park Community Visioning Meeting at City Hall once again echoed the desire of some to freeze this traditional single family neighbourhood in time as if the Evergreen Line were still a fantasy and we still lived in a pre-sustainability and pre-climate change bubble. Quite apart … Read more
West Port Moody – A Win-Win Concluding this series of three (1) (2) posts on West Port Moody, I thought it might be interesting to look at some of the tax benefits that we could gain from a new village centre, or gateway, in this part of town. This is an important topic since some folks … Read more
West Port Moody – Westport Promises My last post noted how West Port Moody and Moody Centre have been left behind in terms of amenities and sustainable lifestyle. At the same time, it’s fair to add that the stage has been set in the last couple of years for this picture to change significantly. While … Read more
West Port Moody – Our Rip VanWinkle The closure of the K. Y. Market will likely again remind some west Port Moody residents how time has passed them by. As I blogged many times since 2009, it’s amazing how little has changed in this sleepy neighbourhood which has had no new supermarket, drug store, government … Read more
Getting more affordable townhomes to market – What would it really take? A recent report, Getting to Goundbreaking (G2G), was produced by the Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association (GVHBA) in partnership with the Urban Development Institute and Simon Fraser University’s Urban Studies department. The report examines the residential building approval process for a townhome development to: … Read more
Are Fraser Institute School Rankings Reliable? Guest post contributed by Melissa Hyndes (former School Trustee and Board Chair of Coquitlam School District 43) It is disturbing to continually hear from new immigrants and International families that they have been referred to the Fraser Institute rankings of schools to help pick where they live and their … Read more
Port Moody Resident Melissa Hyndes; Thanks This is a big public thank you to a nineteen year Port Moody resident who I met in 2011; Melissa Hyndes. Working with others on a board or committee has always been a great way to meet new people, and I got to know Melissa, and others who I … Read more