PORT COQUITLAM, BC – July 8, 2019…The City of Port Coquitlam is rolling out a new program to make it easier for residents to report problems to help improve city services.

The new See It? Report It program, rolled out this week, will encourage residents and business owners to report city-related problems they spot around town, whether it be a broken streetlight, illegal dumping, a pothole, vandalism at a city building, or a bylaw infraction.

At the same time, the city has ramped up its enforcement of the animal control and smoking bylaws.

“While we’re increasing our bylaw presence, we know our staff can’t be everywhere at all times so we appreciate our residents’ help by reporting problems they come across,” Mayor Brad West said. “The faster we know of a problem, the more proactive we can be about addressing it. It’s a way that people can show their PoCo Pride while helping us get the basics right.”

The city will be rolling out information about See It? Report It on social media and internally to staff. Problems can be reported 24/7 through www.portcoquitlam.ca/report, the free PoCo Waste-line app (available at www.portcoquitlam.ca/wasteline) or by phone at 604.927.3111.

If the problem is an immediate hazard – such as a campfire on the riverbank, a downed power line or a car crash – residents should call 9-1-1 immediately instead.

The city has also hired two additional bylaw officers for the summer who will primarily focus on patrolling parks and trails, looking for off-leash dogs, smoking or vaping, and parking issues at high-demand times. They will also monitor the two pilot unfenced leash-optional areas at Chelsea and Skyline Parks to make sure users are cleaning up after their dogs and keeping them under control.

As well, during stretches of dry weather, bylaw and fire staff will be on the lookout for barbecues and open fires at local parks and outdoor spaces.

Smoking is a leading cause of wildfires in B.C. The city’s smoking bylaw, adopted in 2017, prohibits smoking and vaping of any substance at parks, along trails and in public spaces.

“We all have a role to play in keeping our community safe, clean and livable, whether it’s by following bylaws, reporting a problem to the city, or simply picking up litter in our neighbourhood,” noted Cllr. Steve Darling, Council’s designate for safety issues.

Individuals or groups can help keep Port Coquitlam clean and beautiful by volunteering for Adopt-a-SPOT (street, park or trail). Through the program, volunteers take ownership of a designated area and help remove litter and assist with tasks such as weeding, watering and graffiti removal for a certain period of time. Details are available at www.portcoquitlam.ca/spot.

Port Coquitlam also operates an Ambassador outreach program to educate citizens on how they can do their part by sorting their waste properly, following the water-use restrictions, and securing their waste to keep bears away. Ambassadors conduct outreach activities, attend public events, answer questions and make free presentations to schools or groups upon request. Information is available at www.portcoquitlam.ca/ambassadors.

 – 30 –

MEDIA CONTACTS

Pardeep Purewal
Manager of Communications & Admin Services
City of Port Coquitlam
Tel 604.927.5335 Cel 604.218.0533
Email purewalp@portcoquitlam.ca