Bob Mackin
A former Port Moody city councillor running for the Liberal Party in Port Moody-Coquitlam appeared to lobby the mayor about a development connected to her husband’s consultancy.
In a 30-minute audio recording of a Dec. 7, 2020 Zoom meeting, about the Bayrock Terrace project, Zoe Royer admits to then-Mayor Rob Vagramov that she is in a conflict of interest. Vagramov expresses reservations, but Royer continues to discuss a proposal to solve a water drainage issue around the site of Aultrust Financial’s proposed residential tower.
Royer has not responded for comment.
Liberal candidate Zoe Royer (right) with Prime Minister Mark Carney (Royer/Facebook)
“If you have a potential conflict on something, you bringing it to council could, I don’t know, you know — I’m not a lawyer, but it makes me think of the provision of — what’s it called, influencing a decision,” Vagramov said on the recording, released under the freedom of information law.
Royer proceeded to show Vagramov slides of the site.
“CityState, family business, has been working,” Royer said. “Well, the owner of 3000 Henry, Creekside Investments, contacted CityState to work with them to better understand this issue, and that’s why I can’t, even though I understand the issue, I can’t even bring it up. And that’s just like, that’s just like, so unfair.”
Husband Gaetan Royer, the former Port Moody city manager, is CityState Community Planning and Development Design’s founding partner. Gaetan Royer was also runner-up for the Port Moody mayoralty in the 2014 election, when Zoe Royer was elected for the first time.
“So while CityState’s trying to mediate this issue, the City of Port Moody won’t even come to the table. They’d rather the lawyers duke it out,” Royer said.
She proposed to Vagramov that city council meet with Aultrust and Creekside representatives about a proposal to daylight a creek and then ask staff to meet with Aultrust and Creekside to negotiate a settlement.
“The request that you’re making is sort of directly benefiting a client of CityState’s,” Vagramov said.
Seven months later, council adopted a staff report and recommended a development permit be issued to build the U-shaped, 11-storey tower with 173 units near the Evergreen Line. Minutes of the July 13, 2021 city council meeting show Royer was present.
The project remains unbuilt. It was petitioned into receivership last summer over more than $13.5 million owed to KingSett Capital.
Two-term city councillor Royer was elected to school board in 2022. She is running on Mark Carney’s team in Port Moody–Coquitlam against NDP incumbent Bonita Zarillo and Conservative challenger Paul Lambert.
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