05-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
‘Wrong way to plan': SD43's school site proposal rejected by Port Moody council
In a surprising move, Port Moody councillors rejected a usually routine capital planning proposal submitted by the Coquitlam School Board.
On April 22, council unanimously voted to not accept the district's annual resolution, which identifies eligible school sites in order to secure future capital funding from the province.
The official reason given was a proposed waterfront school at the historic Flavelle Mill site relies on development of private property which has not yet received a rezoning application. However, several councillors criticized the general methodology the province uses to plan for new schools, which they said is outdated and leaves school capacity lagging behind.
'This is the wrong way to plan,' said Coun. Callan Morrison. 'It just feels very much like a pipe dream, and I fear an exercise in unrealistic planning, as there are too many factors that can prevent the school district from delivering on this.'
The Coquitlam School District's 2026–2027 Eligible School Sites Proposal (ESSP) proposes a need for six new elementary schools in Coquitlam and Port Moody between 2026 and 2035, with an estimated land acquisition cost of $192.7 million.
ESSPs outline the number, location, size, and cost of new school sites based on projected enrollment, and local school districts are required to pass them annually under the Local Government Act and School Act.
Port Moody is expected to see an additional 6,205 residential units built over the next ten years, adding roughly 804 new school-aged kids.
Across the district, 26,490 new dwelling units are expected – slightly fewer than previous estimates – generating roughly 4,595 additional students.
Coquitlam is expected to account for 67.9 percent of the projected residential development 67.9 percent, followed by Port Moody at 23.4 percent, Port Coquitlam at 7.7 percent, and Anmore and Belcarra at a combined 0.9 percent.
Five of the proposed school sites are located in Coquitlam, while Port Moody is slated to receive a single new site.
Most of Port Moody's anticipated housing will come in the form of high-rise apartments and multi-family dwellings, particularly through major projects like Woodland Park, Coronation Park, and early-stage applications in the Moody Centre transit-oriented development (TOD) area.
The proposed new school site in Port Moody would be located along the waterfront to serve the anticipated surge of families, according to the ESSP. It states the location is intended to to minimize the need for students to cross busy streets and railway lines.
The Flavelle Oceanfront Development plans to build over 3,300 new homes across the 34-acres of industrial land adjacent to Rocky Point Park. While the site has been designated as a redevelopment area since 2008, and Port Moody's most recent official community plan (OCP) permits towers up to 38 storeys, no official applications have been submitted to the city.
Manager of Policy Planning Mary De Paoli said the school site has been on the books for a long time, and pointed out that Coquitlam's new school in the Fraser Mills Development was planned under a similar approach.
However, Morrison said he couldn't endorse the ESSP as it's not a 'deliverable plan.'
'How can our province be planning school provision based on a private landowner's property possibly being built out over the next 25 to 40 years in their five-year capital plan?' he said.
Morrison went on to raise concerns about whether the ESSP accounted for the increased density being mandated around transit stations and through small scale multi-unit housing under new provincial housing legislation.
He also voiced broad frustrations regarding how the province plans new schools, stating school districts have to reach capacity before capital funding is provided for expansions.
'There's a perfect example of this type of planning happening with the new Moody Elementary School,' Morrison said. 'It will likely be at capacity by the time it's built.'
De Paoli said that SD43 staff have recognized the significant impact that provincial housing legislation will have on student enrolment in the city, and noted they have indicated they want to retain the old Moody Elementary site for another potential school.
Couns. Samantha Agtarap and Kyla Knowles both pointed out these issues have been frequently raised through the Union of BC Municipalities.
'The current status quo of planning for schools is disconnected from the reality of what our school children are experiencing,' Agtarap said. 'We need to be more forward thinking and understand ways that we can address school capacity in a more timely manner.'
Knowles, on the other hand, said she was inclined to reject the proposal 'to send a message.'
'The planning isn't good enough,' she said. 'I feel like we're not being heard.'
Mayor Meghan Lahti said that while she recognized that planners were likely looking at projected growth in Port Moody's OCP, she agreed with her colleagues' frustrations.
She said the council will be able to voice their concerns to the school district in a future meeting.
