A Voice for Thoughtful Growth
Welcome
We're a group of engaged residents working to foster connection, share resources, and ensure a resilient, livable neighbourhood for now and future generations.
News & Updates
Spring 2025 - Urban Forest Strategy — What Residents Need to Know
Upcoming community discussions and opportunities to stay informed and involved.
The Roy Stibbs Residents group is not leading this initiative.
We are sharing this information because the City's draft Urban Forest Management Strategy will directly impact our neighbourhood and community.
We are following this closely, participating where we can, and encouraging residents to stay informed and get involved.
Why this matters
The City of Coquitlam is developing an Urban Forest Management Strategy that will guide how trees and green spaces are managed across the community.
Many residents and environmental groups are concerned that the current draft focuses too heavily on tree planting, without the stronger protections needed to prevent the ongoing loss of mature trees.
Mature trees provide cooling, stormwater management, biodiversity, and livability — benefits that cannot be quickly replaced.
Decisions made now will shape our neighbourhood for decades.
Upcoming Events
Community Discussion with City Staff (anticipated)
Details to be confirmed
Environmental groups, including the Tri-Cities Urban Forest Working Group (TCUF), are expected to meet with City staff to provide feedback on the draft strategy.
This is likely one of the last opportunities to influence the direction of the plan before it moves forward.
April 14 — Burke Mountain Naturalists Meeting
"Ten Must-Haves for Urban Forest Management"
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Como Lake United Church
535 Marmont St, Coquitlam
Presented by Nancy Furness and James Bobick of TCUF.
This session will outline what a strong and effective urban forest strategy should include — and what's currently missing from the current draft.
April 22 — Tri-Cities Environmental Alliance Meeting
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm (networking to follow)
Como Lake United Church
535 Marmont St, Coquitlam
This inaugural meeting brings together environmental groups from Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody to share knowledge, align priorities, and strengthen collaboration.
Past Events & News
Council & Committee Delegation (March 30)
A recent delegation to Council and Committee raised concerns about the current draft Urban Forest Management Strategy and the need for stronger protections for mature trees.
You can watch the presentation here:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNVD6cMBzvE
This provides helpful context on the issues being discussed and the feedback being shared with the City.
Watch the Tri-Cities Urban Forest Forum (TUFF) Showcase
What should a real urban forest strategy look like?
The TUFF Showcase is a three-part forum series featuring local experts, including horticulturist Brian Minter and Dr. Kathleen Ross, along with community advocates, discussing the future of urban trees in Coquitlam and the Tri-Cities.
This 20-minute video brings together highlights from all three forums — distilling hours of discussion into a concise overview of key concerns, ideas, and recommendations.
Jump to key topics
- Why urban forests matter — 0:00
- What's happening to tree canopy — 3:00
- Concerns with the current draft strategy — 6:00
- What a stronger approach could include — 10:00
- Community perspectives and priorities — 14:00
- Key takeaways — 18:00
👉 Watch the TUFF Showcase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rblacErDOto
This is worth watching in full — it's only about 20 minutes.
Fall 2025 - Update On Stage 2: Southwest Shoulders & Corridors
Our feedback made a difference.
Coquitlam has put the shoulders land-use plan on hold!
Coquitlam is now looking at Stage 2 of its Transit-Oriented Areas plan — including rezoning areas outside the 800 metres required by the Province under Bill 44.
The City seems to be on a path toward zoning more areas for townhouses, but Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) is already permitted by provincial legislation — no extra rezoning needed in many cases.
⚠️ Why this matters: Under new provincial rules, if a property is included in the Official Community Plan (OCP), it no longer requires public hearings or separate rezoning. In effect, the OCP designation now has the same power as zoning — meaning changes made now could be locked in without future public input.
We believe this expansion is happening too fast, with unclear long-term planning.
🧭 Our recommendation: Focus on what's required first, and pause further rezoning until the impacts of Stage 1 are understood.
Roy Stibbs Residents Update
City Council Vote on PRO/24-148 — Anthem Market Rental Project
August 1, 2025
Meeting: Repeat - July 28, 2025
Council voted to advance Anthem's 8-storey purpose built rental project despite serious concerns, citing the risk of a taller, denser, parking-free development under provincial TOA rules if rejected.
- Reluctant approval: Passed 1st-3rd reading; below TOA max (2.4 FAR vs 3.0).
- No public hearing: OCP-aligned projects bypass hearings under Bill 47.
- Concerns raised: Tree loss, unit mix, and provincial override of local planning.
- Next steps: Development Permit stage — residents can still monitor and comment informally.
A Message to Our Neighbours
Disappointed, But Not Defeated
Although our concerns were discounted and Anthem's proposal approved, we committed to continuing the fight for better standards.
Who We Are
We're residents of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures who care deeply about the Burquitlam community. While we began as a small group of residents in the Roy Stibbs area, our vision extends to the greater Burquitlam-Lougheed neighbourhood.
Our shared goal is to foster a livable, healthy, and resilient community—one where thoughtful development goes hand-in-hand with the well-being of all residents.
We're not against growth—we know change is part of life. But we believe it should be thoughtful and reflect what matters most to the people who live here: protecting our trees, creeks, and green spaces, making sure housing stays diverse and accessible, and ensuring everyone has access to schools, hospitals, recreation, and the amenities that support a great quality of life.
What We Are Advocating For
🏠 Diverse Housing
Homes for all––families, singles, seniors––rental or owned, affordable and inclusive.
🌳 Our Natural Spaces
Protect what we have–– trees, parks and green spaces–– while creating more places to relax, play and connect with nature.
🏗️ Community Needs
Easy access to schools, transit, shops, and services that support daily life.
🏘️ Neighbourhood Character
Keep what makes us unique––friendly, safe streets, local flavour, and livable spaces.
⚖️ Good Governance
Require clear, community-informed plans from developers and officials––and ensure follow-through that respects housing, nature, services and character.
What Brought Us Together
Like many neighbourhoods in Coquitlam, we are experiencing rapid and significant changes driven by ongoing development.
Coquitlam has long been guided by an Official Community Plan and was once considered a model for thoughtful urban planning. That changed in November 2023, when the Provincial Government introduced sweeping undemocratic housing legislation around transit hubs (Transit-Oriented Areas) that dramatically altered the planning landscape.
Recognizing the potential impacts and unintended consequences on our community, we knew it was time to take action.
Planning a community isn't as simple as drawing circles around SkyTrain stations on a map. The provincial governments official approach is Transit-Oriented Development. We stand for Transit-Oriented Living.
Since our first community Town Hall in November 2024, we've been:
- Building connections with local environmental- and neighbourhood-focused groups
- Growing membership
- Engaging with elected officials and developers
Our community actions and conversations so far. Click here to see what we've been doing.
We'd Love to Hear From You!
Get involved, ask questions, share resources, or stay up to date on what's going on.
📅 Upcoming Events
We believe in the power of connection. Attend one of our upcoming meetings, forums, or community events.
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Whether it's a neighbourly act of kindness, a special place you visit, or a memory, we'd love to hear it. Stories help us stay connected and celebrate the heart of our neighbourhood.
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Join us in advocating for thoughtful growth that protects the livability of our community—now and for generations to come.
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Join our monthly community meetings to discuss current issues and plan advocacy efforts.
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Disclaimer
We've done our best to ensure the information on this site is accurate, based on careful research, public documents, and watching City meetings. However, we're residents — not lawyers or planners — and it's possible we may have misunderstood or missed something.
If you spot an error or have additional information to share, please let us know — we're always happy to correct and improve.