Sarah Harbord Explains Why She's Running for Port Coquitlam Council

Sarah Harbord, Port Coquitlam City Council candidate joins Nancy Furness (We’ve Got Issues).

Sarah has lived in Port Coquitlam for six years. She’s feels welcome in Port Coquitlam and this is where she wants to raise her children.

Sarah enjoys the friendly people and ‘small-town’ feel of Port Coquitlam, including schools, parks, the downtown core, the views, and the new recreation centre. Sarah has been a board member for the Port Coquitlam Business Improvement Association (BIA) for a year and a half. She likes knowing about new businesses and new people looking for jobs and enjoys connecting them. She was also voted into her strata council.

She thrives on being “in the know” and feels she can serve the community by being on council. Sarah has been talking to people, including current and former council and mayors and reading up on council meetings in preparation for the election. She says the community is happy with where the city is going. She feels Port Coquitlam shows leadership by allowing alcohol in the parks.

Sarah’s priorities on council would be getting to know the topics that take up the majority of council’s time because it’s hard to know exactly what they’re doing. She wants to do research and form opinions and work with council to keep moving things in the right direction.

She would like to keep working on the downtown core. She hopes to attract unique stores by having leasing and rental agreements and subsidies to help small businesses thrive and she supports having small outdoor patios. Sarah would also like to see the downtown kept safe, clean, well-lit and with accessible parking. She thinks people and businesses should talk to each other and have a visual awareness of what’s going on around them.

Sarah would like to work with the community and developers on affordable housing. She thinks Port Coquitlam needs to keep spaces like Gate’s Park and add small green spaces for apartments.

Everyone also needs space to play sports. Sarah will use her experience on the BIA and Strata Council to deal with contentious issues at the council table.

She believes it’s important to listen and be kind, while holding onto your own opinions.

Sarah is currently undecided with respect to supporting a Provincial ethics commissioner.