City of Coquitlam

Who we are

The City of Coquitlam is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in British Columbia. As an organization, the City plans for and delivers services to support the community’s long-term vision of sustaining a high quality of life for Coquitlam residents, where people choose to live, learn, work and play, including through the strategic priority of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Reconciliation and Social Cohesion and the recently adopted Accessibility and Inclusion Plan.

Accessibility and inclusion are fundamental to achieving the City’s vision, recognizing that as our community continues to grow and diversify, so do the needs of our residents.  Accessibility and inclusion shape how the City plans neighbourhoods, designs public spaces, delivers programs and services, and supports its workforce.

As a municipal service provider, Coquitlam is focused on continuing to prioritize accessibility and inclusion in our work, recognizing that most people will experience barriers at some point in their lives — either directly or through someone they care about.

Why we are involved

Coquitlam’s involvement in the Community of Accessible Employers reflects our long-standing commitment to serving our diverse community through accessibility and inclusion initiatives that have evolved over decades of work.

Recent efforts, such as the development of Coquitlam’s Accessibility and Inclusion Plan and the EDI Recruitment and Retention Action Plan, build on this foundation. These plans represent our continuous work towards creating an organization and workplace that better reflect our community and supports employees with diverse needs and experiences.

Joining the Community of Accessible Employers is a natural extension of this work. It creates space to learn from others, share knowledge and strengthen practices that prevent, remove and reduce barriers, helping ensure that more people can fully participate and contribute.

Accessibility initiatives

In Coquitlam, accessibility is shaped through collaboration and grounded in lived experience. For two decades, the City’s Accessibility and Inclusion Advisory Committee has helped guide this work by bringing forward community perspectives to help inform projects, policies and long-term planning.

This input can be seen across the city in both large-scale planning and everyday details. Civic facilities and public spaces are designed with a broader range of needs in mind, incorporating features that support diverse accessibility and inclusion needs. At the same time, improvements to sidewalks, intersections and transit connections are making it easier for people to move safely and confidently through the community.

Efforts to reduce barriers also extend into recreation and community services, where inclusive programming, adaptive equipment and targeted supports help more community members take part in activities that matter to them. These initiatives are complemented by practical resources and programs that address financial barriers to participation.

Partnerships with organizations such as the Rick Hansen Foundation and Crohn’s and Colitis Canada continue to play an important role in advancing this work, alongside internal efforts to build staff awareness and capacity.

Through training, collaboration, enhancements to the built environment, innovative programming and continued community engagement, Coquitlam will continue to prioritize accessibility and inclusion to sustain a high quality of life for our community.