Craig Hodge sets affordability and safety as his first priorities as Coquitlam mayor
In his first address as mayor, Craig Hodge named housing choices, safer streets and infrastructure as the work his new council will take on over the next four years.
Long read. The subject the most local outlets covered that day, with the public record behind it. Every outlet and record is linked under the story. Read the original report on tricitiesdispatch.com.
Craig Hodge stood at the front of Coquitlam's council chamber on Monday, November 9, as the city's first new mayor in 18 years, and laid out the work his council plans to take on.
The ceremony at the 2026 Inaugural Council Meeting included an honour guard and a blessing from Kwikwetlem First Nation, with former mayor Richard Stewart, MLAs and MPs among those present, the Tri-Cities Dispatch reported. The swearing-in began the 2026-2030 council term, with four returning councillors and four people on council for the first time joining Hodge at the table.
What the new mayor said
Hodge told those at the ceremony that growth in Coquitlam must mean the city gets better, not simply larger, the Dispatch reported. He said every decision should come back to one question: how will it improve the daily lives of the people who live, work and raise their families here.
His address named five areas of focus: affordability, community safety, infrastructure, housing that suits residents at different stages of life, and two specific projects at Burke Mountain and Fraser Mills.
"Our goal can't be just to get bigger, it must be to get better," Hodge said, as reported by the Dispatch.
Hodge has served on Coquitlam's council for 15 years before this term. He worked as a photographer for much of that time, something he noted in his address: "I've had the privilege to photograph the people, places, and moments that tell Coquitlam's story," the Dispatch reported him saying. He succeeded Richard Stewart, who served as mayor from 2008 and did not seek re-election.
Housing and affordability
Housing is the subject with the most commitments in Hodge's platform, which is his own account of what he will work toward. It calls for more housing choices, with an emphasis on family-sized two- and three-bedroom homes, support for rental and below-market housing, and renewing older neighbourhoods.
At his campaign launch in October 2025, Hodge told the Dispatch that 900 below-market homes had been built in Coquitlam and 1,300 more were in the pipeline. His platform does not give a target for how many more he would like to see built.
The platform also commits to keeping City spending under control and working to keep property taxes as low as possible. The budget is a separate process that the new council will begin in the coming weeks, and it is covered in an earlier article at /bc/coquitlam-2026/news.
Safety commitments
Hodge named community safety and livelihood as a top issue at the inauguration, the Dispatch reported. His platform, his own account, sets out several policing and safety commitments: more RCMP officers, more visible neighbourhood and foot patrols, stronger gang prevention and enforcement, better traffic enforcement, more Community Safety Officers, and improved 911 response.
One specific commitment in the platform is a direct 911 line for mental health calls, so that callers in crisis reach a mental health responder rather than a police dispatcher. The platform does not say when this would happen or what it would cost.
Before the election, Hodge told Freshet News that he would like to see the City's two-person medic unit expanded and that a second fire hall on the south side of the city will be needed as the population grows there. Neither item was mentioned in the Dispatch's coverage of the inauguration speech.
The two projects he named
Hodge singled out Burke Mountain and Fraser Mills as major projects for the term. His platform commits to delivering a community centre for the Burke Mountain neighbourhood and planning recreation amenities at Fraser Mills. Neither the platform nor the City's current announcements that this site could read state a construction start date, a cost estimate, or a timeline for either project.
Burke Mountain is a fast-growing area in the northeast of the city where thousands of homes have been built over the past decade. The neighbourhood has grown quickly and residents there have been waiting for a community centre for several years. Fraser Mills is a large development site along the Fraser River, formerly an industrial mill site, where a mix of homes, shops and public spaces is planned.
Hodge's platform also commits to improving the Coquitlam Crunch and advancing a trail connection to Crystal Falls, as well as expanding pickleball and tennis facilities and renewing older parks and playgrounds. He told Freshet News before the election that he has long supported an entertainment zone near a SkyTrain station, with a new theatre as its anchor, though he did not name that project at the inauguration ceremony.
What comes next
The new council's first regular meeting after the November 9 ceremony will set the direction for the 2027 budget and the council's priorities for the term. Residents who want to follow how each commitment is kept can visit the promise tracker at /bc/coquitlam-2026/tracker, where each of Craig Hodge's pledges is listed with its sources and will be updated as the council votes and acts.
The City's budget survey closed November 15; the City had asked residents to weigh in on what services matter most before the new council sets the 2027 spending plan.
Questions this story answers
When was Craig Hodge sworn in as Coquitlam's mayor?
Craig Hodge was sworn in at the City of Coquitlam's 2026 Inaugural Council Meeting on Monday, November 9, 2026, at a ceremony that included an honour guard and a blessing from Kwikwetlem First Nation. It was Coquitlam's first mayoral change in 18 years, as former mayor Richard Stewart had held the position since 2008.
What did Craig Hodge say at his inaugural address as mayor?
According to the Tri-Cities Dispatch, Hodge told those at the ceremony that growth in Coquitlam must mean getting better, not just bigger. He said his council would centre its decisions on how to improve the daily lives of people who live, work and raise families in the city. He named affordability, community safety and infrastructure as his main areas of focus for the 2026-2030 term.
What housing commitments did Craig Hodge make at his inauguration?
Hodge named housing diversity as a priority, including homes for residents at different life stages. His platform, which he published before the election and which is his own account, commits to more housing choices including family-sized two- and three-bedroom homes, support for rental and below-market housing, and renewing established neighbourhoods. The platform does not state a specific number of homes.
What is the Burke Mountain Community Centre and why did Hodge name it?
Hodge named the Burke Mountain Community Centre as one of the major projects his new council will work on. His platform, which is his own account, commits to delivering the centre for the Burke Mountain neighbourhood. The City's own pages do not currently list a construction start date or a budget figure for the centre that this site has been able to read.
What did Hodge say about safety in Coquitlam?
According to the Tri-Cities Dispatch, Hodge named community safety and livelihood as a top issue at his inauguration. His platform commits to hiring more police officers, increasing visible neighbourhood patrols, strengthening gang prevention, improving traffic enforcement, expanding Community Safety Officers, and improving 911 response including a direct line for mental health calls.
What is Fraser Mills and what did Hodge commit to there?
Fraser Mills is a large development area in Coquitlam. Hodge named it alongside Burke Mountain at his inauguration, according to the Tri-Cities Dispatch. His platform, his own account, commits to planning recreation amenities at Fraser Mills. It does not state a specific timeline or budget for those amenities.
Who attended Craig Hodge's inauguration ceremony?
According to the Tri-Cities Dispatch, the ceremony was attended by MLAs, MPs, past councillors and former mayor Richard Stewart. The new council sworn in alongside Hodge includes four returning councillors and four first-time members.
Where can Coquitlam residents track Craig Hodge's commitments as mayor?
Residents can follow Hodge's promises and what his council decides at the promise tracker on voche.me, at /bc/coquitlam-2026/tracker. Each commitment links to the sources behind it and will be updated as the council votes and acts.
What infrastructure commitment did Hodge make at his inauguration?
Hodge named infrastructure development as a core focus, saying it must match the city's growth. His platform commits to investing in roads, utilities and neighbourhood infrastructure, and to ensuring that new development pays for the infrastructure it requires. He also told the Tri-Cities Dispatch before the election that he would lobby for the Brunette Interchange fix and a railway underpass on Westwood Street.
What did Hodge say about the Evergreen Cultural Centre?
Before the election, Hodge told Freshet News that he has long supported an entertainment zone near the SkyTrain stations, anchored by a new theatre to replace the Evergreen Cultural Centre, with restaurants and an outdoor skating rink. He did not repeat that specific proposal at the November 9 inauguration ceremony, based on the Tri-Cities Dispatch report.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- Tri-Cities Dispatch · New Coquitlam mayor cites affordability, safety as top issues at inauguration, November 12, 2026tricitiesdispatch.com
- City of Coquitlam · 2026 Inaugural Council Meeting, November 2026coquitlam.ca
- Craig Hodge campaign · Platformcraighodge.ca
- Freshet News · Craig Hodge, Coquitlam mayoral candidate, September 30, 2026freshetnews.ca
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