Port Moody is a city in British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It envelops the east end of Burrard Inlet and is the smallest of the Tri-Cities, bordered by Coquitlam on the east and south and by Burnaby on the west. The villages of Belcarra and Anmore, along with the rugged Coast Mountains, lie to the northwest and north, respectively. It is named for Richard Clement Moody, who was the founder and the first lieutenant-governor of the Colony of British Columbia.
History Port Moody is named for Colonel Richard Clement Moody, of the Royal Engineers. It was created at the end of a trail that connected New Westminster to Burrard Inlet, to defend New Westminster against potential attack by the USA. It grew rapidly after 1859 by land grants to Moody's Royal Engineers.
The construction of a transcontinental railroad was the condition that prompted British Columbia to enter into confederation in 1871. The small town received little attention until it was declared the terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1879.
By 1881, the survey of Port Moody had begun. Both John Murray Sr. and Jr. assisted, and, in fact, it was John Murray Jr. who named many of the streets after members of his family. The population grew rapidly through the early 1880s. Andrew Onderdonk was the contractor who, under government contract, built of line from Port Moody, via Hope, Yale and Savona. Onderdonk built a large wharf and receiving area and started rail construction from Port Moody in 1883. The line was finished in 1885. As the Western Terminus of the CPR, almost everyone had high hopes that Port Moody would become a major West Coast metropolis.
The railway was completed with the last spike driven at Craigellachie on 7 November 1885, and a train arriving at Port Moody the next day. The first scheduled passenger transcontinental train arrived on 4 July 1886, a date that is still celebrated during Golden Spike Days. Real estate prices soared but soon fell flat when a branch line was built westward along the inlet to Vancouver in 1887.
While many people lost a great deal of money and moved on, others, including real estate tycoon and ship captain James A. Clarke, and several lumber mills, decided to remain. On 7 April 1913, Port Moody's Council met for the first time as a city.
Governance and politics Federal The City of Port Moody is located entirely in the Federal riding of Port Moody—Coquitlam and is represented in the House of Commons of Canada by Member of Parliament Zoe Royer.
Provincial The City of Port Moody is located entirely in the Provincial electoral district of Port Moody-Coquitlam and is represented in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia by Rick Glumac.
Municipal Port Moody's City Council consists of Mayor Meghan Lahti, Councillors Samantha Agtarap, Diana Dilworth, Kyla Knowles, Dr. Amy Lubik, Haven Lurbiecki, and Callan Morrison. School Trustee representing Port Moody is Lisa Park.
Climate
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Port Moody had a population of 33,535 living in 13,109 of its 13,603 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 33,551. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
In 2006, 8,015 residential dwellings were owned, while 2,115 were rented.Statistics Canada (10 January 2006). "Port Moody Community Profile", Community Highlights, Retrieved 8 February 2008. 45% of Port Moody residents were legally married, 6.25% were in common-law relationships, 5.72% were divorced and 24% were single. Thirty percent of residents identified themselves as immigrants, slightly higher than the 27% Canadian average.
+Population by year 2006 2011 20162021 27,512 32,975 33,55133,535 +Population by age Age Group % of Total % of Males % of Females 0 to 14 years 18 19.1 17.1 15 to 64 years 69.8 69.1 70.5 65 years and over 12.2 11.8 12.5 85 years and over 1 0.8 1.2 Average age of the population 39 38.4 39.6 Median age of the population 40.6
Ethnicity Panethnic groups in the City of Port Moody (2001−2021)Panethnic group20212016201120062001 European 21,495 22,505 22,530 20,030 18,345 East Asian 5,765 5,710 5,385 4,020 2,645 Middle Eastern 1,585 1,335 1,085 505 420 Indigenous 1,030 760 850 470 480 South Asian 1,005 775 710 825 555 Southeast Asian 955 940 875 845 595 Latin American 580 560 580 235 165 African 395 300 440 275 280 Other/multiracial 655 575 420 235 250 Total responses 33,455 33,450 32,875 27,440 23,730 Total population 33,535 33,551 32,975 27,512 23,816
Languages Mother languages as reported by each person:
+Canada 2011 Census Language Population % of total population % of non-official language population English 22,720 69.1 N/A Korean 1,830 5.6 18.8 ChineseCantonese 635 1.9 6.5n.o.s.6251.96.4Total1,2603.812.9 Persian 930 2.8 9.5 Spanish 655 2.0 6.7 French 340 1.0 N/A
Religion According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Port Moody included: Irreligion (19,160 persons or 57.3%) Christianity (11,570 persons or 34.6%) Islam (1,310 persons or 3.9%) Buddhism (385 persons or 1.2%) Hinduism (300 persons or 0.9%) Judaism (215 persons or 0.6%) Sikhism (80 persons or 0.2%) Indigenous Spirituality (20 persons or 0.1%)
Education Port Moody is served by School District 43, which offers the following:
Secondary Schools:
Heritage Woods Secondary School Port Moody Secondary School
Middle Schools
Eagle Mountain Middle School École Moody Middle School of the Arts
Elementary schools
Aspenwood Elementary School École Glenayre Elementary School Heritage Mountain Elementary School Moody Elementary School Mountain Meadows Elementary School Pleasentside Elementary School Seaview Community Elementary School)
Simon Fraser University is located in nearby Burnaby, while Douglas College maintains a campus in Coquitlam Town Centre.
Port Moody's public library is located in the City Hall complex.
Geography and the environment Over 41 streams flow through Port Moody to Burrard Inlet. The City of Port Moody Stream Stewardship Program manages urban streams, streamside vegetation and watersheds to support the production of fish and insect life for present and future generations. The Port Moody Ecological Society (PMES), a not-for-profit organization, works alongside the city to promote ecological awareness in the area. PMES volunteers operate a salmon and trout hatchery, a water quality lab and public awareness & community outreach programs.
The city has also banned the use of pesticides and holds annual seminars on how to garden naturally at its Inlet Theatre. City Hall has been pesticide free since 1988.
Port Moody won a large number of provincial, national and international awards. In 2004, the city received a prestigious award from the UN sponsored International Awards for Liveable Communities in the category Planning for the Future. The city also received third place overall for cities of its size.
Economy The traditional industrial sector in Port Moody is characterized by a deep-sea bulk loading terminal, two petrochemical distribution operations, a large wood products manufacturer, and a thermal electric generating station. Light industry, home-based business, and crafts and cultural businesses are also common in Port Moody, along with a growing health and social services sector. Port Moody is well-known for its number of craft breweries, many of which happen to be conveniently located on the same street, which is known as Brewer's Row.City of Port Moody (2008). "2005 Statistical Economic Profile" , Labour Force, Retrieved 15 February 2008.
Port Moody's economic development focus in recent years has been on the arts and culture sector, including the development of a new Port Moody identity as the “City of the Arts.” An estimated 6% of employment in Port Moody is in arts and culture sector, which is one of the highest concentrations of arts and culture employment in the region.
In 2008, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business highlighted Port Moody as the most fiscally responsible of British Columbia's 28 largest cities.
Largest employers In 2014, Port Moody's single largest employer was Eagle Ridge Hospital, with 927 employees, followed by the City of Port Moody (686 employees) and School District 43 (525 employees).
Media In addition to Vancouver-based media outlets, Port Moody was served by the Tri-City News community newspaper (no longer in circulation). Local FM radio station CKPM-FM was based in Port Moody and served the Tri-Cities (and beyond) at 98.7 MHZ (ceased operations)
Transportation
Port Moody is served by the regional TransLink public transit network, which provides bus, commuter rail, and rapid transit connections throughout Metro Vancouver.
Port Moody is connected to the SkyTrain system through the Millennium Line, which serves the city at: Moody Centre station Inlet Centre station Moody Centre station is also served by the West Coast Express commuter rail service. It is the first station outside Downtown Vancouver on the line heading eastbound.
Modo has five vehicles located in Port Moody available for carsharing. As of June 2019, seven Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations were located in Port Moody, with the capacity for 14 vehicles.
Police department
The Port Moody Police Department is the police force for the City of Port Moody. It was formed in 1913 with a single police officer expanding to a department of approximately 50 sworn officers and 20 civilian employees today. Its headquarters have been located at 3051 St Johns Street since the mid-1980’s. The headquarters were later re-developed on the same property, opening in 2006. +Chief constablesChief constableTerm of appointmentC.C. Mills1913 to 1922Thomas Mackie1922 to 1939George Helmsing1939 to 1942T, Davis1942 to 1946A.W. Kruger1946 to 1960A.D. Kupkee1960 to 1967E.C. Millard1968 to 1969L.A. McCabe1970 to 1986G.W.G. Laughy1987 to 1992R.C. Singbeil1993 to 1998D.W. Stuckel1998 to 1999P.J. Shrive1999 to 2008B. Parker2008 to 2013C. Rattenbury2013 to 2017D. Fleugel2017 to presentThe department is structured into two main facets; a patrol division and a support division. The patrol division consists of four patrol shifts providing round the clock coverage of the city. The support division consists of various specialty units including a Major Crime Section, Training & Administration Section, Community Services Section as well as a Community Action Team.
In addition to the patrol and support division of PMPD, further policing services in an integrated capacity with the RCMP and other police agencies (where a PMPD officer is seconded to) that form the following integrated units: Integrated Homicide Investigations Team (IHIT), Integrated Road Safety Unit (IRSU), Integrated Forensic Identification Section (IFIS), Integrated K9 Services, Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team (LMD-ERT) and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) for Investigations and Uniform Gang Enforcement.
Rank structure
Chief Constable Deputy Chief Constable Inspector Staff Sergeant Sergeant Constable
Fleet structure Dodge Charger police pursuit Dodge Durango police pursuit Ford police intercept utility Chevrolet Tahoe Ford F-150
Crime Severity Index and weighted clearance scores Port Moody continues to rank as one of the safest cities in British Columbia, based on the Statistics Canada Crime Severity Index and weighted clearance rates among Canadian provinces, territories and census metropolitan areas. In 2021, Canada as a whole saw a decrease in CSI by -0.30% (73.68) compared to the previous year, whereas Port Moody’s score decreased by -4.0% and maintains a appreciatively low score of 37.8 CSI. Port Moody has the lowest score and one of the most improved compared to all surrounding cities in the Greater Vancouver Lower Mainland.
Controversy