In 2021, Port Moody had roughly 33,500 residents. Today, we’re around 39,000. Port Moody is projected to reach 74,300 residents by 2050. This number comes directly from city staff and is based on developments already approved by Council, applications in the pipeline, and additional planned growth – all now embedded in a new Official Community Plan (OCP) headed for adoption in the coming weeks.

In simple terms: 74,300 is the future the current council has voted for. Well, except for one councillor. Port Moody Voice’s Cllr. Haven Lurbiecki is the only councillor who has voted against any reading of the OCP, questioning whether the type, scale, and pace of development truly reflect what residents want for their city.

Above: Examples of tower development approved under the current council (Beedie (3 up to 38 storeys), PCI (2 up to 39), Wesgroup (6 up to 31), Anthem (16 storeys))

Then why are some of the same councillors that voted for this growth now claiming the projections won’t happen and suggesting they are exaggerated or inaccurate? Because the scale and type of change they have championed is deeply unpopular and vastly different from their election promises of moderate growth.

Many residents are concerned that unchecked population growth without proper planning will strain our city, adding to already stressed infrastructure, creating busier parks and recreation facilities, worsening traffic, and eroding community character as luxury condos push affordability further out of reach for families, seniors, and young people.

Above: A now typical traffic jam on St John’s

Some Councillors who voted for massive developments are now trying to reassure concerned residents by saying: don’t worry – the market is slow, and these projects might not actually get built. That argument doesn’t hold up. Once Council approves a project, the entitlement stays with the land. While developments can be temporarily put on hold, when market conditions change developers could – and often do – come back asking for even more density.

You cannot plan a city while claiming that approved developments won’t materialize. That isn’t planning. It’s political cover.

And this is where the real issue lies.

While councillors squabble over projections, residents are asking something far more important: What kind of city do we want to become?

Change will happen. But the form that change takes is still very much within our control. Growth does not have to come at the expense of livability, affordability, or community character. Planning for growth must be careful, transparent, and genuinely involve residents.

This term, development approvals have not represented promised moderate growth. But we have the opportunity to do things differently going forward: to align housing with infrastructure, ensure parks, roads, and recreation keep pace, build housing that serves families, seniors, and young people – not just the luxury and investor market, and protect the natural setting and small-town feel that make this city so loved.

Our future is not predetermined. Projections are not destiny. With open dialogue, responsible planning, and meaningful public input, Port Moody can grow in a way that strengthens the community for all current and future residents.  That is exactly why Port Moody Voice was created.

You can read the draft 2050 OCP here https://api.ghdcdn.com/portmoody-edocs/v1/eDocs/Get?docnumber=660367