Connor Fesenmaier
Mayor · Port Coquitlam
Port Coquitlam 2 yrs
About
Connor Fesenmaier is a Port Coquitlam business consultant and mayoral candidate focused on transparent, accountable government, responsible spending, practical infrastructure planning and measurable results for residents.
Policy commitments
Buildings
We all want healthy, affordable, and comfortable homes. These policies will help to lower energy bills, cut pollution, and improve indoor air quality.
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Support electrification of new buildings.
Neutral
✓
Scale up energy retrofits for existing homes, businesses, and public buildings.
Supportive
Climate Justice
Our community is already experiencing the harmful impacts of climate change caused by fossil fuel pollution, and taxpayers are on the hook to upgrade and repair critical infrastructure.
✓
Pursue available legal options to recover a fair share of the climate costs facing our community from fossil fuel companies and other big polluters.
Supportive
✓
Collaborate with Indigenous peoples as partners in the stewardship of the land, air, and water, and work towards reconciliation.
Supportive
Ecosystems
The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat all rely on healthy ecosystems. Nature can also help protect our community from extreme weather by controlling floods, protecting shorelines, and cooling neighbourhoods. Access to nature improves the health and well-being of residents, and supports biodiversity.
✓
Expand and protect tree canopy, parks, and green infrastructure to cool neighbourhoods, clean air, and manage stormwater.
Supportive
✓
Prioritize native tree planting in all areas, especially those with low tree cover, higher population densities, and more vulnerable residents.
Supportive
Land Use
We envision vibrant, walkable communities that protect nature and improve food security.
✓
Build affordable homes near jobs, schools, shops, and transit.
Supportive
✓
Upgrade critical infrastructure for heat, fire, flood, and storm resilience.
Supportive
Transport
Connecting neighbourhoods through public transit and active transportation networks will cut pollution, improve public health, and make our communities more affordable (and fun!).
✓
Deliver reliable, frequent, affordable local transit.
Supportive
✓
Advocate to improve regional public transit between communities.
Supportive
✓ Supportive
~ Neutral
× Opposed
– No response
Climate action
How have you contributed to climate action in your community through advocacy, past work, advisory committees, volunteer work, and/or reducing your personal carbon footprint?
My professional background has primarily been in business and consulting rather than formal climate advocacy or environmental committees. I believe it is important to be straightforward about that.
My approach to climate issues is practical and results-oriented. Municipal government should focus on areas where it has meaningful responsibility and can demonstrate measurable outcomes, including resilient infrastructure, transportation planning, energy-efficient development and responsible management of public assets.
As Mayor, I would approach climate policy the same way I approach other public policy: understand the evidence, identify the risks, examine costs and alternatives, and measure whether the action taken is actually producing the intended result.
My approach to climate issues is practical and results-oriented. Municipal government should focus on areas where it has meaningful responsibility and can demonstrate measurable outcomes, including resilient infrastructure, transportation planning, energy-efficient development and responsible management of public assets.
As Mayor, I would approach climate policy the same way I approach other public policy: understand the evidence, identify the risks, examine costs and alternatives, and measure whether the action taken is actually producing the intended result.
Questions for Port Coquitlam
Port Coquitlam is vulnerable to many climate-related risks (e.g., intense rainfall, flooding, wildfire smoke, and extreme heat events). How will you address these risks to increase our community’s resilience?
Port Coquitlam faces genuine risks from extreme rainfall, flooding, heat and wildfire smoke, and resilience needs to be treated as an infrastructure and public-safety issue.
My priority would be maintaining and upgrading drainage, dikes, pump stations and other critical infrastructure based on current risk assessments, while ensuring new development does not create additional strain on systems that are already vulnerable. I also support incorporating future rainfall and flood conditions into infrastructure planning rather than waiting for failures before responding.
Extreme heat and poor air quality require a different response, including accessible cooling and clean-air spaces, emergency communication and planning for vulnerable residents.
Most importantly, resilience spending should be prioritized according to risk. Residents should be able to see what risks have been identified, what projects are being funded, what they cost and whether they are actually improving community resilience.
My priority would be maintaining and upgrading drainage, dikes, pump stations and other critical infrastructure based on current risk assessments, while ensuring new development does not create additional strain on systems that are already vulnerable. I also support incorporating future rainfall and flood conditions into infrastructure planning rather than waiting for failures before responding.
Extreme heat and poor air quality require a different response, including accessible cooling and clean-air spaces, emergency communication and planning for vulnerable residents.
Most importantly, resilience spending should be prioritized according to risk. Residents should be able to see what risks have been identified, what projects are being funded, what they cost and whether they are actually improving community resilience.
If elected, will you do everything you can to ensure that Port Coquitlam implements the highest level of the Zero Carbon Step Code by January 2028, so that all new buildings are required to be built to be virtually zero carbon going forward?
I support reducing emissions from new buildings, but I would not commit in advance to imposing the highest level of the Zero Carbon Step Code by an arbitrary date without first understanding the consequences for housing costs, construction feasibility and development in Port Coquitlam.
The Province has already established a pathway toward increasingly stringent energy and emissions standards, and municipalities have the ability to move faster. I believe any decision to accelerate those requirements should be supported by evidence, consultation with builders and residents, and a clear assessment of costs and benefits.
If the evidence shows Port Coquitlam can move faster without creating unreasonable costs or barriers to new housing, I would consider doing so. Climate policy should produce measurable environmental results while remaining economically and technically workable.
The Province has already established a pathway toward increasingly stringent energy and emissions standards, and municipalities have the ability to move faster. I believe any decision to accelerate those requirements should be supported by evidence, consultation with builders and residents, and a clear assessment of costs and benefits.
If the evidence shows Port Coquitlam can move faster without creating unreasonable costs or barriers to new housing, I would consider doing so. Climate policy should produce measurable environmental results while remaining economically and technically workable.
Compiled & presented by
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