A Message from Paul
I am proud to have grown up in Port Moody for over 20 years and my wife and I moved back 4 years ago to raise our family here. In total, I’ve now lived 26 years in our community. We have 3 wonderful kids and we just welcomed our 3rd this past August. The previous 3 years we lived in the Seaview neighbourhood, between College Park and Glenayre, then last year we moved to Heritage Woods.
My education is in Economics and I work as a Business Consultant working with businesses in Port Moody and throughout the Lower Mainland. I have extensive experience coming into businesses and organizations and contributing to positive change. I also have a long track record of giving back to our community through volunteer work and have coached youth sports, volunteered on local environmental issues and served as a Board Member for the Golden Spike Days Society.
I began this campaign running to be the next Mayor of Port Moody. Throughout May, June and July, the response to my campaign for Mayor was very positive and encouraging. Then, in August, my father had a heart attack and tragically, in early September he passed away. It was unexpected, at too young an age and heartbreaking for our family.
After a lot of thought, I decided to step back from the mayoral race and instead run for Port Moody City Council. I made this decision because I needed to put my family first and have the time to be there for my mother who lost her husband, and my kids who lost their Grandpa. However, I also could not abandon the commitment I had made to thousands of residents in May, June and July to help bring positive change to our city. Running for City Council allows me to do both.
My education is in Economics and I work as a Business Consultant working with businesses in Port Moody and throughout the Lower Mainland. I have extensive experience coming into businesses and organizations and contributing to positive change. I also have a long track record of giving back to our community through volunteer work and have coached youth sports, volunteered on local environmental issues and served as a Board Member for the Golden Spike Days Society.
I began this campaign running to be the next Mayor of Port Moody. Throughout May, June and July, the response to my campaign for Mayor was very positive and encouraging. Then, in August, my father had a heart attack and tragically, in early September he passed away. It was unexpected, at too young an age and heartbreaking for our family.
After a lot of thought, I decided to step back from the mayoral race and instead run for Port Moody City Council. I made this decision because I needed to put my family first and have the time to be there for my mother who lost her husband, and my kids who lost their Grandpa. However, I also could not abandon the commitment I had made to thousands of residents in May, June and July to help bring positive change to our city. Running for City Council allows me to do both.
Why am I running?
I'm running to offer Port Moody residents a platform that will unite our community, not divide it. Port Moody is the best place to live in the Lower Mainland, but often our city politics are negative and our voter turnout is low. I believe that is because the 2 established political groups in Port Moody keep offering platforms that divide our community, instead of bringing us together. I'm excited to offer residents a platform that offers real solutions, unites our community and ensures Port Moody remains a special place for generations to come.
My Platform:
1) Middle Ground on Development and Population Growth
- Are you aware the current Council supported changing our Official Community Plan to double our population from 39,000 to over 74,000?
- I am not an anti-development candidate, I believe strongly we need to build new housing and grow our local economy.
- However, I do not support doubling our population. And after knocking on thousands of doors in Port Moody, I know our residents don't support doubling our population either.
- Most Port Moody residents are not anti-development, but they want to grow in a way that doesn't risk losing what makes Port Moody so special.
- I support a more balanced approach to housing with more larger, livable units and more townhouses for families.
- I know we can strike the right balance and I believe this middle ground is what most Port Moody residents support.
2) Finally Fix Traffic in Port Moody
- After years of terrible traffic in Port Moody I am strongly committed to finally addressing this issue. My plan will significantly improve traffic in Port Moody, especially during rush hour.
- My plan will add a 4th lane going eastbound to the bridge going over the train tracks at Saint Johns and loco Road. This is one of two major bottlenecks in Port Moody and a 4th lane should have been added to this bridge years ago.
- Next, my plan will add a 3rd lane going eastbound, to the entire length of Saint Johns Street.
- Here is it important to note, the new multi-use path that was recently added to the west half of Saint Johns Street will have to be moved in a few places, but it is an important part of my transportation plan and will remain. We have enough space to do both.
- Last but definitely not least, my plan will also add a 2nd lane going eastbound on Murray Street.
- The reason for the second lane on Murray Street, is that the other major bottleneck in Port Moody is the overpass connecting Clarke Street to Murray. We need to add this second lane to Murray Street starting right at the bottom of the overpass, to maximize the outflow of cars from this bottleneck. This will finally alleviate the terrible backup on Clarke Street during rush hour.
- It is very important for residents to know my plan will only have these new lanes open during rush hour. We don't want to turn Saint Johns into a highway or erode the great pedestrian and cyclist friendly environment on Murray Street.
- As an additional positive benefit to my plan, the rest of the day the new lanes will provide increased parking for local residents, local businesses and Rocky Point Park.
3) Address the Daycare Shortage For Young Families
- If elected, every time new housing is built in Port Moody, I will require the development to have dedicated, purpose-built space for a new daycare to open. These spaces will also be required to include purpose-built outdoor space for our kids to get fresh air, natural light and physical activity as well.
- My goal will be to have the most daycare spaces per capita, of any city in the Lower Mainland.
- We need bold and clear action like this to finally address the shortage of daycare spots in our community.
4) Increase the Number of Recreation Spots for Our Kids
- I will significantly expand the number of recreation spots we have available for programs like swimming lessons and skating lessons.
5) No More Large Increases In Property Taxes
- In the past 4 years, the current Council has supported increasing our property taxes by 28% overall. This is not sustainable.
- If elected, I will not support large increases in property taxes moving forward.
My Integrity Commitment
I want our community to know I do not take donations from real estate developers. I believe strongly our next group of City Councillors should not have any conflicts of interest. However, I am not an anti-development candidate either. I believe developers are important partners to build new housing, grow our local economy and provide community benefits. I believe this is the type of integrity, balanced mindset and middle ground our community is looking for on our next Council.
Contact Paul LambertI would love to hear from you! Please send me a message below with any questions, concerns or feedback and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
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