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Mithila Karnik-Adarkar
Independent for Port Coquitlam Council
PoCo For Families, PoCo Forward and Downtown Everyday
Businesses & Jobs
Climate Change, Heat, Fires, & the Environment
Artificial Intelligence & Data Centres
Ethical use
Awareness of cons
Energy-Efficient Buildings
Increase access to energy-efficient developments
Increase access to update current housing to meet energy efficient standards
Flooding
Actively update and test disaster management plan
Invest in technology that doesn’t just act as a stop-gap
Green Space
Increase tree canopy in PoCo
Study how cities globally similar in size and demographics to PoCo are achieving more in terms of green spaces and bring a wider worldview to PoCo
Private Vehicles & Parking
Plan for density with community engagement at tbe forefront of all decisions
Walking & Cycling
Increase walkability by engaging with organizations like Movement YVR and Hub to bring in their expertise
Adapt bikeways and walkways to change with changing means of transportation such as caravan bikes, e-scooters etc
Zoning
Uphold the housing accelerator plan
More family sized homes, less unaffordable condos
Hold developers accountable for incorporating rooftop green spaces, childcare spaces, maintaining heritage spaces
Culture & Events
Festivals & Events
Continue to do what I am best known for - imaginative, highly successful large scale multicultural events
Work with community groups to grow their presence in the community
Public Art
Grow the museum - we are lucky to have a museum in our city!
Make public art accessible and representative of PoCo’s diverse demographics
Housing & Homelessness
Affordability
More single family homes
Building Maintenance & Occupant Health
Regular upgrades to ensure we are compliant with disaster management planning
Homelessness
Explore and fasttrack transitional housing partnerships
Ensure PoCo has an active and visible voice on the Tricities Homelessnesa and Housing Task group
Treat all human beings from all walks of life with dignity and compassion
Indigenous-Led Housing
Keep advancing practical partnerships
Property Taxes
Build up our contingency reserves to ensure we stay strong for the next 20 years
Zoning
Uphold the housing accelerator plan
More family sized homes, less unaffordable condos
Hold developers accountable for incorporating rooftop green spaces, childcare spaces, maintaining heritage spaces
Human Rights
Human Rights Abroad
Consular support on the ground, work closely to build relationships with Global Affairs Canada - a relationship I currently hold outside of the city
Recent Immigrants
Access to multi lingual resources through the city
Bring in the TCLIP on a regular basis and build a working advisory group for PoCo residents
Local Government, Planning, & Democracy
Artificial Intelligence & Data Centres
Ethical use
Awareness of cons
Budgeting
Maintain transparency
Engage the community meaningfully
Good Governance
Use the council seat with ethics, family values and honesty at the heart of it
Long-Term Plan
Proactively Proficient PoCo - not a city that reacts to problems as they come up
Public Engagement
Meaningful, transparent, empowering public engagement that goes beyond surveys and feedback forms
Youth Engagement
Youth Advisory Body that is privy to some infrastructure and governance decisions on the city
Mental Health, Drugs, & Addiction
Public Safety & Policing
Non-Police-Based Public Safety
Strengthen bylaw enforcement to keep up with PoCo’s growing density
Go beyond community and volunteer policing
Police Funding
PoCo should have it’s own police detachment
Police Wrongdoing & Accountability
Having our own police detachment will give us more control over accountability
Public Spaces & Services
Green Space
Increase tree canopy in PoCo
Study how cities globally similar in size and demographics to PoCo are achieving more in terms of green spaces and bring a wider worldview to PoCo
Sidewalks & Bike Paths
Do a detailed neighborhood sweep into streets such as Barberry, Robertson etc to build sidewalks and streetlights for safety
Ensure no neighborhoods fall into the cracke when it comes to safety
Upgrades to bike paths as caravan bikes etc make it into the city
Zoning
Uphold the housing accelerator plan
More family sized homes, less unaffordable condos
Hold developers accountable for incorporating rooftop green spaces, childcare spaces, maintaining heritage spaces
Reconciliation & Indigenous Nations
Transit & Getting Around
Private Vehicles & Parking
Plan for density with community engagement at tbe forefront of all decisions
Sidewalks & Bike Paths
Do a detailed neighborhood sweep into streets such as Barberry, Robertson etc to build sidewalks and streetlights for safety
Ensure no neighborhoods fall into the cracke when it comes to safety
Upgrades to bike paths as caravan bikes etc make it into the city
Walking & Cycling
Increase walkability by engaging with organizations like Movement YVR and Hub to bring in their expertise
Adapt bikeways and walkways to change with changing means of transportation such as caravan bikes, e-scooters etc
Biography
submitted by the candidate or their team
PoCo’s Volunteer of the Year 2026, Port Coquitlam - Coquitlam Community Champion 2026, DEI Strategist, Creative Tech Professional and Anti Racism Facilitator. Serves on Port Coquitlam’s DEI Roundtable and the Tricities Local Immigration Advisory Roundtable, PoCo Heritage Board
A PoCo resident since 2018, my love and passion for this city is evident in my time and commitment spent as a dedicated volunteer. I am raising my family here, put down my roots but I did much more than that. I gave the city an investment into true multiculturalism by founding The South Asian Collective Society for organizing the first Diwali celebration in the Tricities, the city’s first International Day of Dance, the city’s first Holi celebration and I founded The Make A Fuss Movement that leads platforms for International Women’s Day, seniors emotional and mental wellbeing and youth empowerment. I also co-founded The Level Up - space for immigrant and newcomer professionals to learn to navigate Canadian work landscape. And to think I started all of this with just an Adopt-a-Spot in the city.
Reason for running
submitted by the candidate or their team
I am here to build the kind of city that stops fighting fires. It is time for Port Coquitlam to have a paradigm shift; to move from complacency and reactionary measures to Proactive Proficiency. And that will only happen with young, fresh perspectives.
karnik4poco.ca www.karnik4poco.ca