Trish Mandewo (Coquitlam City Council candidate) speaks with Patrick McCarthy (TCCTV). Trish says two years of COVID during the four-year term hasn’t stopped her progressive and cohesive council from achieving things. She comes from a volunteering and small business background and calls herself a community advocate.

Trish points out that the growth people see today is rooted in the Official Community Plan (OCP) decisions the city made years ago. Development needs to be less disruptive and density around skytrain stations is important. She believes the city has opportunities to push developers for more affordable units as a percentage of development. Overall however, Coquitlam has done a good job of building purpose-built rentals and will continue that work.

Trish believes the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) can help support immigrants moving into our communities by working with the province. She also sees a role for the Federal and Provincial governments to support communities to build more affordable housing and admits that there are limitations for municipalities within the Community Charter. She thinks a Provincial governance review would be helpful.

On Reconciliation, coming from Zimbabwe Trish understands the importance of acknowledging unceded, traditional lands. She believes understanding history is important for the community. She is proud of Coquitlam’s good relationship with the Kwikwetlem First Nation Council and community, and thinks the work to build trust between the communities, needs to continue. Trish makes an important point that cities need to be involved in conversations with the Province and Indigenous communities.

Trish thinks nature can fuel economic growth and that Coquitlam is a great place for a good work, life balance. She advocates for complete cities, and is a big proponent of Environmental Sustainability Goals setting a roadmap for the communities’ future. More EV charging infrastructure, shifting the city fleet to EV’s and tree planting are the ways to move forward.

Trish believes Coquitlam’s bulk mailout for candidate leaflets is a very good idea to make it more accessible and easier for new candidates to run. She is grateful for the community’s support and has worked very hard in her first term and will continue to do so if re-elected.