The Coquitlam election to choose a new city councillor is coming up on May 15. We have been in contact with all of the candidates, and we asked them a few questions to get a feel for where they stand. Owen Coomer responded, and his answers are printed verbatim.
1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, and why you are running for council?
I’ve been a citizen of Coquitlam for over 24 years and I plan to have a future here. I went to Como Lake Middle School and graduated with honours from Centennial High School. I used to play baseball at Mackin Park and Blue Mountain Park and I have coached and played soccer for Coquitlam and Metro Ford. I studied Business at BCIT. I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to do a fair amount of travelling throughout my life. I am very proud to call Coquitlam my home. I have always been involved in leadership programs and student councils and I ran for Mayor of Coquitlam in the 2008 municipal election.
I will bring leadership, positivity, strength, and a thirst and passion for bringing this city forward to my role on council. I feel I am a part of the future, a part of the 21st century. I am a forward-thinking individual who will work well with the experienced council members and help introduce a new, fresh, vibrant future.
We need a fresh voice, fresh ideas, and out-of-the-box thinking – someone not attached to or affiliated with a hidden agenda. I want to be a part of a plan of action to foster leadership on our city council.
With nearly 130,000 people living in Coquitlam, and with the likelihood of significant future development in the city, it is important that council has a member on its team that is young and can relate to the wave of the future and to properly represent its population. This may lead to better voter turnout as well as more people actively involved in municipal politics. I would provide an honest, fresh, personable voice on council that would definitely encourage trust and participation among Coquitlam citizens.
2. What do you see as the most important issues currently facing the City of Coquitlam?
There are many issues I want to raise in this by-election, including voter turnout. In the last municipal election only 21% of all eligible voters went out to vote, with 23% in the election before that. This is something we need to change.
I am also interested in increasing youth involvement. As a 26 year-old, I still consider myself a junior when it comes to municipal, provincial, and federal elections and issues. The decisions we make today as voters will affect how this city is running in the future, when my peers will be homeowners, renters, business owners, and parents in this city. I want to lend my ears to the younger voters and am willing to listen to any and all suggestions. I am always interested in hearing new ideas and fresh, positive thinking as to how we can improve things in our fine city.
I have an interest in revitalizing the Austin, Burquitlam, and Maillardville areas. These areas have constantly been overlooked by our past city councils in favour of newer development in the northeast sector and will be further delayed by the Fraser Mills development. Obviously I believe having a waterfront property near a Skytrain and a developer willing to build even during these economic times are very good things for the city. However, aside from the construction of the long-overdue new pool and the renovation of our library, where is the development in the older parts of Coquitlam?
It seems that ever since City Hall moved from the birthplace of Coquitlam in Maillardville to the new location by our city center, the older parts of Coquitlam, the original neighbourhoods, have been left behind. We seem to be developing a dangerous negative dividing line between the citizens of the “new” Coquitlam and the citizens of the “old” Coquitlam.
Why allow Burquitlam to rot? It is night-and-day compared to the new development across the street on the Burnaby side. There is a large amount of land not being used and a park and a school that have become hazards for children, with needles, homelessness, and crime. It’s no wonder the provincial government has wavered with regard to bringing the Evergreen Line into place. The Austin and Maillardville areas are also being neglected and allowed to languish. These are prime examples of areas that could benefit significantly from development, like that seen in Port Moody’s Suterbrook/Newport Village.
We have so many lovely parks in this city and I want to promote an active lifestyle. This includes providing more lighting for sports fields and parks, and safer areas for youth. We also have to increase the safety of our children, families, and all citizens in and around our parks and schools. As well, we need to continue to actively protect and save our greenspace. This includes re-planting after every development, setting aside community garden space, and preserving our streams and creeks.
The issues up in the Westwood Plateau Golf Course area are obviously very difficult and both sides have excellent arguments. Development and redevelopment are very important and bring in new jobs and money. We are a booming city. However, a lot of people sometimes forget that development isn’t just highrises and more density. Some examples of development that I’d like to see are more in the areas of hospitals, hotels, and a new school for Burke Mountain. Therefore, I feel that some development is vital and necessary. However, that does not mean that I am in favour of eliminating all of Coquitlam’s beautiful green spaces. I feel that the Westwood Plateau Golf Course should remain under the control of the Metro Vancouver Regional Growth Strategy, and should not be urbanized. I feel that development in this area is not necessarily the way to go at this time, although development in other areas of our city is essential.
Crime in this city is growing. Forget the numbers that may try to say otherwise. It’s a scary world outside these days. What’s happening is that businesses and citizens are becoming so used to what’s going on out there that fewer reports are being made. Is this right? Are we allowing our city to be overrun by drugs, graffiti, prostitution and more in the streets of Coquitlam? How can we turn a blind eye to this? I believe we need to be tough on crime and increase our by-law enforcement. We need to offer programs to teach our citizens about starting block watches. We also need to continually update new “things to watch†lists with regards to criminal behaviour and patterns.
Coquitlam is a very diverse city, with a growing infrastructure and a growing population. Providing adequate transportation service is a must. We need to look at increasing bus service in key corridors of the city to meet the demands of our citizens. As we continue to grow, we need to work together with the provincial government and TransLink to finally build the long-awaited Evergreen Line, which was put on the back-burner in order to build the much-anticipated and very well-used RAV Line for the Vancouver Winter Olympics. This includes Coquitlam council being more pro-active at listening to its citizens and working very closely with the Provincial Government on transportation issues and developments.
3. How will you work together with Mayor Richard Stewart and Council to make Coquitlam better?
As for working with council, I have worked with Richard Stewart on my many different civic projects and we have a few other ideas planned. I have also worked with Selena Robinson and enjoy her enthusiasm and passion for the city. As for the remainder of the council members, I truly admire each and every one of them, and could learn a thing or two from their previous experience. One of my strengths is the ability to foster a friendly atmosphere in any situation and I have no doubt that I would work well with all council members, either on an individual or group level.
I would be a passionate councillor for Coquitlam. I want you to be proud of me and trust me, and I want to prove I can inspire this City.
I’d like to thank Owen for taking the time to get back to us. And I would like to encourage all Coquitlam residents to get out and vote on May 15. Local politics matter!
