Add StudioX as a preferred source on GoogleCraig Hodge is set to become Coquitlam’s next mayor after the City officially declared him elected with 15,654 votes. A lifelong Coquitlam resident and former photojournalist, Hodge enters the mayor’s office after 15 years on city council, with priorities that include managing growth, affordability, public safety and keeping infrastructure in step with population change.
Hodge succeeds Richard Stewart, who stepped down after 18 years as Coquitlam’s mayor. The official declaration confirms Hodge’s victory and names eight councillors and four school trustees elected for the next four-year term.
A Coquitlam resident with a journalism background
In a candidate profile submitted to the City of Coquitlam, Hodge said he grew up in the city, graduated from Centennial Secondary and built a career as a photojournalist with the local community newspaper and the Vancouver Sun. He said he and his wife raised their three sons in Coquitlam and that he has spent 15 years serving on City Council.
Hodge was first elected to council in 2011. His long experience on council gives him detailed knowledge of the City’s planning, infrastructure and service pressures, but it also means residents will be able to compare his new mayoral agenda with decisions made during his previous terms.
What Hodge says Coquitlam needs
Hodge’s City-hosted candidate profile describes a central challenge: managing growth without losing the parks, neighbourhood character and services that residents value. He says Coquitlam must keep housing choices and living costs within reach for families and seniors, while ensuring roads, transit, recreation, schools, childcare and medical services keep pace with growth.
His stated priorities include:
- Affordability: keep municipal spending and property taxes under close review while expanding housing choices.
- Growth and neighbourhoods: protect parks, trees and green spaces as the city develops.
- Public safety: support more RCMP foot patrols, stronger traffic enforcement and community safety officers.
- Gang activity: dedicate resources to address gang-related activity and improve residents’ sense of safety.
- Emergency response: continue advocating for improvements to 911 service.
- Infrastructure: work to ensure transportation, recreation and community services keep pace with new development.
These priorities are drawn from Hodge’s candidate-submitted profile. They are campaign statements rather than adopted council policy. The City notes that candidate profiles express the views of the candidates and do not represent the City’s position.
The decisions facing the new mayor
Coquitlam’s next council will need to balance housing supply with transportation, parks, recreation facilities and other infrastructure. Hodge’s challenge will be to show how the City can accommodate growth while managing property-tax pressures and maintaining services across established and newer neighbourhoods.
His public-safety proposals also require practical detail. Residents will want to know where additional RCMP foot patrols would be deployed, how community safety officers would complement police and outreach services, and what resources would be assigned to traffic enforcement and 911 advocacy.
As mayor, Hodge will chair council and help set its agenda, but major decisions will require council votes and the City’s budget process. Regional transportation, school and healthcare services also involve other public agencies and levels of government.
What happens next
The official election declaration confirms Hodge and eight councillors for a four-year term. The next general local election is scheduled for October 19, 2030. Residents can track the new council’s priorities through its meeting agendas, budget decisions and progress reports.
Related StudioX coverage: Official Coquitlam mayoral and council results.
Sources
- City of Coquitlam: Declaration of Official Election Results, October 21, 2026
- City of Coquitlam: 2026 candidate summaries
- Daily Hive: Coquitlam elects its first new mayor in 18 years
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving multilingual diaspora communities across Canada. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, NEPMCC, and the Canadian Freelance Union (Unifor). Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
