Filipino-Canadian Dehara Thompson brings sport, community-building vision to Port Coquitlam council race

ASM, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
October 10, 2026

Photo courtesy: Dehara Thompson 4 poco

PORT COQUITLAM, British Columbia — For Dehara Thompson, the path to Port Coquitlam City Council runs through many of the spaces where she has already spent years building community – soccer fields, school programs, nonprofit organizations, local businesses and neighborhood events.

The Filipino-Canadian community leader, former professional soccer player, coach and entrepreneur is seeking one of six council seats in Port Coquitlam’s October 17 municipal election. Thompson is among 15 official candidates for councillor listed by the City of Port Coquitlam.

Born in Winnipeg to a Filipina mother from Kawit, Cavite, and a South African father from Cape Town, Thompson describes her upbringing as strongly shaped by both cultures. She is now raising her own family in Port Coquitlam, where her work has centered heavily on sport, youth development, and community-building.

Her campaign focuses on four broad priorities: affordable housing, community safety, complete communities and fiscal responsibility.

Housing that keeps pace with the community

On housing, Thompson is calling for a wider mix of housing options while linking new development to the capacity of schools, transportation, roads and other public services.

Her campaign supports what it describes as smart density near transit and along the West Coast Express corridor, while maintaining established neighborhoods and creating more housing opportunities for families and younger residents.

Her platform also proposes faster approval timelines for projects that meet community needs, partnerships with nonprofit and community housing providers, and continued work with the provincial government on locally driven housing solutions.

Thompson has also connected housing growth with household finances, saying municipal decisions should take into account the pressure rapid growth can place on property taxes and existing infrastructure.

Community safety tied to wellness

Thompson’s approach to community safety combines policing and frontline services with health, prevention and public-space initiatives.

Her platform calls for properly resourced first responders, improved traffic safety and well-maintained public spaces. It also supports programs addressing mental health and addiction and prevention initiatives aimed at factors contributing to community safety concerns.

Her campaign magazine takes that concept further, describing safety as connected to wellness and calling for visible, well-resourced RCMP services working alongside Fraser Health outreach.

Clean streets, accessible parks and responsive bylaw enforcement also form part of that approach.

Sport and recreation as community infrastructure

One of the clearest threads running through Thompson’s campaign is her belief that recreation and sport should be treated as part of a functioning community rather than as extras.

Under her complete communities platform, Thompson supports accessible recreation facilities, after-school sport and youth programs, services and transportation for seniors, protection of green spaces and investment in aging infrastructure such as roads, sidewalks, water and sewer systems.

That emphasis reflects much of Thompson’s own career.

She is executive director of She Plays Sports Society, a nonprofit focused on opportunities for women and girls in sport, and has worked in coaching, technical operations and sport development. Her campaign profile also lists her as a former professional soccer player with Newcastle United Women’s in England’s FA Women’s Premier League.

Through She Plays Sports Society’s Super Feminil Program, Thompson has focused on coaching, mentoring and connecting young women with opportunities in soccer. Her campaign materials say four players who went through the program have since signed professional contracts in Spain.

She has framed that work around a wider goal of ensuring girls and young women can see pathways into spaces where women have historically had fewer opportunities.

Her involvement in sport extends beyond women’s soccer. Thompson co-directs the ASCA African Soccer Tournament, has been involved in after-school sports programs, and chaired logistics and volunteer management for the 2024 BC Summer Games.

Supporting families, youth and seniors

Thompson’s community platform extends beyond organized sport.

She has emphasized the role of parks, recreation facilities and community programs in reducing isolation and creating places where young people, families and seniors can remain connected.

Her campaign specifically calls for dedicated senior programs and transportation services, affordable access to recreation and continued investment in spaces where residents of different generations can participate in community life.

Thompson also serves as a parent advisory council president at Pinetree Way Elementary and as a board member of Mabuhay House Society. Her campaign profile documents involvement in school activities, Filipino community events, youth mentoring and the delivery of support to local families.

Women and girls at the center of her community work

Women’s participation in sport has become one of Thompson’s most identifiable community initiatives.

As a former professional player and one of the earlier female coaches in British Columbia to pursue advanced national coaching certification, Thompson has used She Plays Sports Society to create programs aimed at giving girls access to coaching, mentorship and development opportunities.

Her campaign materials describe the work as partly shaped by her own experience of often being one of few women in competitive sporting environments.

That experience has also informed her emphasis on representation in leadership – from sports organizations to local government.

Fiscal responsibility

Thompson’s fourth major campaign priority focuses on municipal finances.

Her platform calls for directing spending toward infrastructure and services residents use, pursuing federal and provincial grants and maintaining transparent reporting on how public money is spent.

She also wants the city to strengthen partnerships with community organizations as a way of extending services while limiting additional pressure on property taxpayers.

Thompson has said council should continue Port Coquitlam’s record of comparatively restrained tax increases while ensuring residents continue to receive city services.

A life built around sport and community

Beyond policy, Thompson’s campaign has leaned heavily into the community networks that have shaped her life.

She is also a business owner, operating Pacifica Cleaning Inc., and her campaign materials highlight connections with Riverside Community Church, the Filipino community, local basketball and pickleball groups, and community sport organizations.

At home, Thompson and her husband Xavier are raising two children in Port Coquitlam, with sport forming a significant part of their family life.

Her Filipino roots have also remained visible throughout the campaign. Thompson has participated in Filipino community events and serves with Mabuhay House Society, while her campaign materials identify her mother’s roots in Kawit, Cavite.

“Politics is the vehicle,” Thompson has said in describing her approach. “Community is the destination.”

Her campaign has also faced a recent disruption. Thompson said eight of her campaign signs were damaged or removed over four days and that she filed a police report and notified the city elections office. She said she did not know who was responsible and would not speculate while the matter was being investigated.

The incident has not changed the main focus of her campaign, which continues to revolve around housing, community safety, recreation, infrastructure and responsible municipal spending.

Port Coquitlam residents will elect one mayor, six councillors and two school trustees on October 17. Advance voting will be available on October 7 and October 10, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For Thompson, the council race brings together years spent in sport, business, schools and nonprofit work as she seeks to take that experience to the Port Coquitlam council table.