After the decision was made to develop a new Strategic Plan, the City conducted a competitive RFP process to identify a strategic planning consulting group that could supplement the City’s internal knowledge with strategic planning expertise, independence and perspective.

Lucent Strategies Inc., the successful proponent, is a Vancouver-based communications consulting firm specializing in strategic planning, public consultation and community relations.

A key element to the City’s decision to work with Lucent was their proposed methodology, which recognizes a strong foundation built on organizational knowledge teamed with a sharing of ideas leads to an effective Strategic Plan and is possible by appropriately engaging residents, businesses, community organizations, City Council, staff, unions and other interested groups and individuals.  

Working with the City, Lucent has designed a process to ensure the City’s key stakeholders are informed and engaged throughout the process of developing our new Strategic Plan.


Vision and Mission

As a start to the consultation process, City Council and senior staff developed a proposed vision statement that reflects what we desire our community to look like in the future and the ideals we will uphold.

The proposed mission statement provides us with a purpose statement – our reason for being – and serves as our guide on how Council and staff will focus our work and approach to service delivery to achieve our vision.

• Proposed Vision: Innovative thinking, sustainable practices, inspired results, vibrant community.    
• Proposed Mission: To support our community by providing a diverse and responsible range of programs and services that fosters a high quality of life for residents and a healthy business environment.          

Challenges and Opportunities

The type of issues the new Strategic Plan will address include:

Meeting public demand for services while maintaining affordable rates: Demand for City services and new facilities continue to grow, while at the same time there are expectations to keep taxes down. Port Coquitlam also must deliver legislated services including health and safety, and is increasingly responsible for a larger proportion of services traditionally provided by senior governments. The result is more pressure on limited budgets.

Creating financial sustainability:  To maintain currently delivered municipal services into the future, municipalities must fund the full cost of service delivery from taxpayer levies, user fees and other municipal revenue sources. These costs have not been fully funded in the past and infrastructure assets are depleting without adequate funding for replacement. Port Coquitlam has limited reserves to fund this significant shortfall. This means that to meet current commitments, Port Coquitlam must either:

• Raise property taxes, user fees and/or find additional sources of revenue, or
• Reduce services in some areas to sustain services in others.

Managing growth: Another 23,000 to 28,000 new people are projected to live in Port Coquitlam by 2031. That’s a population increase of 40-49% compared to just over 57,000, and our employment within the city is expected to increase by 50% to 32,000 jobs from the 21,000 we have today. Since Port Coquitlam is almost built out, most of this residential and business growth will be achieved through redevelopment to increased densities, such as using townhouses rather than single family homes. This is a change from historical trends of developing agricultural or vacant lands. The community’s look and feel will change - and this has the potential to change our sense of community.

Providing leadership and management:  Port Coquitlam believes in a proactive, empowered, and accountable workforce that supports the effective and efficient provision of services to the community.  City Council, with its responsibility for governance, policies and bylaws, wants community feedback and involvement in decisions affecting services provided to community members.  To remain focused in a manner that best meets the priorities of the community City operations and plans must be aligned with the Strategic Plan.

Addressing environmental sustainability: Recent consultation on Port Coquitlam’s Environmental Strategic Plan has shown that the community supports creating a more sustainable environment.  We need to respond to legislative changes related to climate change, such as reducing our carbon footprint and improving the air quality, or by providing alternative transportation choices including rapid transit, cycling and pedestrian trails. We must reduce solid waste, protect watercourses and reduce water consumption. Business and population growth is likely to put pressure on our ability to retain agricultural lands and, green space while creating demand for additions to the transportation network.

Building community involvement: In a dynamic community like Port Coquitlam, there are a variety of projects, programs and services that affect residents and businesses. Port Coquitlam has committed to effective public consultation to hear from the community about programs and services. (This includes early, proactive and effective communications to ensure people know about the ways in which they can participate and the decisions made as a result of their input.)


Four Key Goal Areas
Read more about the four key goal areas that have been developed to focus on a longer term approach to address challenges, leverage opportunities and move Port Coquitlam towards its vision.