[1:08] 6:00 p.m. folks. Good evening.
It's my honor to welcome each and every
[1:14] one of you on behalf of the council the
community.
[1:19] If I may request each and every one of
you in present, make sure your phone is
[1:23] on
vibration or silent mode.
[1:26] Nobody get disturbed.
The whole council is present along with
[1:31] uh senior staff
as required but the council flashed
[1:36] forward due to her personal reason. She
is a zoom in. She's with us
[1:41] uh
through the internet.
[1:44] It's my honor to acknowledge that we are
gathered
[1:49] in the William Lake First Nations Sepnic
people's unceded territory. Thanks to
[1:54] the chief and the nation allowing us to
the business and get together. Adoption
[2:00] of the agendas on the floor.
>> So, second.
[2:03] » Moved and seconded.
Any addition or deletion? Hearing none,
[2:07] all in favor.
Carried unanimously.
[2:12] Minute of the regular council meeting
held in July 14th.
[2:16] » Move the recommendation.
>> Moved and seconded. Any addition or
[2:20] deletion?
Hearing none,
[2:23] all in favor.
Carried.
[2:27] We don't have any delegation today, but
I'm honored to announce we had a very
[2:32] special
privilege
[2:35] to receive one of our
well-deserved
[2:40] hero.
On behalf of the city of Williams Lake,
[2:44] it is my privilege to present a
certificate of appreciation to
[2:49] Kayla Lucas in recognition of her action
during the game between the Canim Lake
[2:56] and Williams Lake Mustangs on March 9th,
2026.
[3:02] This is a trailblazer thing
as I'm concerned.
[3:06] What Kayla did, I expect every citizen
to be ready to do when the time comes
[3:11] like
a great honor.
[3:15] Following a serious life-threatening
injury to a young Mustang player,
[3:19] Kayla stepped forward and provided care
in the critical moment
[3:24] before the physician or medical
assistance
[3:27] arrived.
Her calm
[3:30] demeanor,
quick thinking, and willingness to act
[3:34] under pressure helped support the
injured athlete when it mattered the
[3:39] most.
Kayla's action reflect the compassion,
[3:43] the true leadership,
and community
[3:47] spirit that are valued in Williams Lake.
It should be everywhere, in fact.
[3:53] And we have the council,
the staff
[3:56] in the city of Williams Lake. Thank you,
my friend,
[4:00] for your outstanding service and care
and compassion.
[4:05] Kyla, please accept the certificate of
appreciation with our sincere gratitude
[4:10] and con- congratulations.
Again, I will read what is written, then
[4:17] I'm going to request Ms. Lucas to come
forward,
[4:21] and also my colleagues who are present
for a photo opportunity.
[4:26] Usually, when the 90 days before the
election,
[4:30] we don't do any photos for any
individual council member,
[4:35] not the mayor. Not that mayor is not
above the law. Everybody is equal. We
[4:40] take all seven members equal, but today,
because it's a very special occasion,
[4:45] it's a privilege
to present this certificate. So, if I
[4:49] may request, we will post it on the city
web page.
[4:54] Uh from city of the Williams Lake
certificate of appreciation, Kyla Lucas,
[4:58] on behalf of the city of Williams Lake
council and the community of Williams
[5:01] Lake, thank you for your courage, quick
thinking, and professional action during
[5:07] the medical emergency took place on
March 9th, 2026,
[5:12] uh during the hockey game.
Your life-saving action in support of a
[5:18] young athlete demonstrate the
compassion, service, and
[5:22] community-minded spirit
that are the heart of the Williams Lake.
[5:28] Kyla, thank you very much. We really
appreciate it. It's dated in the city of
[5:33] Williams Lake,
British Columbia, on 11th day of 2026,
[5:37] signed by my office and each and every
council member. May I request you please
[5:43] to come forward.
[6:04] » [clears throat]
[7:03] » Always face to the chair. Always face to
the chair. You have to stand here. No,
[7:07] no, no, no.
Come in here. Yeah.
[7:11] Face me because I
am in [clears throat] court.
[7:13] » Okay.
>> People are watching you.
[7:16] » I'd like a little pressure, I guess.
[7:22] » [clears throat]
[7:25] » This, I feel, is um
I'm very grateful for the recognition.
[7:31] Um
I certainly could not have acted in the
[7:35] way I did without a lot of assistance
and support.
[7:38] Um
I'm really thankful to the people that
[7:41] were there, that did uh come to my
assistance. One of them being Tyler
[7:46] Judd.
Who I'd like to
[7:48] acknowledge um
also helped to keep me calm because
[7:53] it wasn't a situation that I'd like to
repeat. Um but
[7:57] the only thanks I needed was that uh
Dawson is here with us tonight. And I
[8:02] just like to acknowledge how grateful I
am that
[8:05] um that was the outcome. So
no recognition really necessary, but I'm
[8:10] very grateful for it. So thank you very
much.
[8:13] » Thank you. Give a round of applause
quickly.
[8:23] Thank you, folks. I would not expect as
a
[8:27] your community leader or uh
any less than what Kayla did from
[8:31] anybody. It's a great lesson to learn
for all of us.
[8:35] When the help is needed, we should
volunteer.
[8:38] Don't think twice.
Thank you once again, Kayla. You're a
[8:42] great inspiration. Look the support you
had
[8:45] from the family and friend of the
people, okay? Thank you once again.
[8:49] Moving forward,
computer checks, please.
[8:54] » The recommendation that the accounts
payable computer check and EFT listings
[8:57] dated July 16th, 23rd, and 30th, and
August 6th, 2026 be received for
[9:01] information.
>> So moved.
[9:03] » Moved and seconded. All in favor.
Thank you, folks.
[9:07] » Thank you.
[9:50] » Hey, we'll get back to the business.
Uh we took the vote on the
[9:56] computer checks and we're moving to the
development permit application
[10:00] number five.
>> The recommendation that pursuant to the
[10:04] report of the planner dated July 22nd,
2026, Council approve development permit
[10:08] number five 2025 for Altus Group on
behalf of the owner BC Housing to permit
[10:12] construction of 51 unit supportive
housing complex located at 845 Carson
[10:17] Drive.
>> Second.
[10:19] » Moved and seconded. I might understand
there's a few people online.
[10:24] Um
if anybody from the public wanted to ask
[10:27] any question,
uh they're most welcome to come forward.
[10:34] Anybody from the public?
Anybody from the developer
[10:41] want to speak?
It's a great news for the city of
[10:45] Williams Lake.
Uh it's a 51 unit four-story.
[10:50] The it's been in the discussion for a
few years.
[10:54] I want to thanks to the BC Housing and
specially our very own
[10:59] economic development manager Ms. Win
Camp.
[11:03] She've been persistence on this site
along with the so many community leaders
[11:08] in the community.
Took us long time, but I'm glad.
[11:14] Yes, it might be sales pitch. I make no
bones telling the community
[11:21] including last Thursday in the
performance in the park, I said it. I'll
[11:26] say it anytime.
There's nothing nothing in the last four
[11:31] year minus two and a half month it come
to this table which has not been
[11:38] done positively.
This council
[11:43] and the staff has worked together as a
one team.
[11:47] I've delivered very positively. I'm very
proud of each and every one.
[11:53] It's a long time overdue.
We finish up 36 unit in the Glen Harbor
[11:59] right behind the city hall.
It used to be 34, adding 36 unit became
[12:06] 30 unit.
Now, these are four-story.
[12:10] There's, I believe, 30 plus unit right
now.
[12:14] And it will be demolished once the
few residents left there only handful.
[12:20] Once they found the place for them
and it will be done. Thanks to the
[12:25] government. Thanks to the BC Housing.
Thanks to our very own economic
[12:31] development manager who delivered it. 51
plus 36 unit it will be 87 unit
[12:38] delivered by this council
uh during the time of this council. Like
[12:43] I said, not all work done.
I didn't start it yesterday. We've been
[12:48] working on this a long time and I'm
honored and
[12:54] tell the community let them see how this
thing is coming to fruition. Councillor
[13:00] Nelson.
>> Thank you very much, Your Worship. I'll
[13:03] be supporting the application that's in
front of us. The proposed development
[13:07] will be a multi-
purpose
[13:11] four-story facility that will provide
approximately 51 self-contained homes
[13:17] including accessible and couple-oriented
suites designed to offer safe, stable,
[13:24] and inclusive housing for the vulnerable
individuals in Williams Lake community.
[13:29] I recognize that this is 51 units.
Um I can tell you that this started
[13:34] about 5 6 years ago. Uh thank you Beth
uh and your department. Thanks to the
[13:39] community as well.
Um
[13:41] this
replaces the existing 33 units that are
[13:45] there, Your Honor. So, we're we're
netting out approximately 17.
[13:50] Um that's the good news is is that this
is going to be modern, safe, and
[13:55] reliable. And it's going to replace an
old dilapidated building that's done its
[14:00] time and helped out.
Um I've always said and I will continue
[14:04] to advocate that I don't support tents,
people living in tents.
[14:07] This is what we need and we need more of
it on behalf of the provincial and
[14:11] federal government. So, I recognize that
we are it's only a net 17 units,
[14:17] but it's going to be simply the start of
I think many more to come. So, I'll be
[14:22] supporting the recommendation, the
development application from the Ultras
[14:26] Group on this particular application,
Worship, and hoping that we can get on
[14:30] moving forward to get it built. I do
recognize that the Canadian Mental
[14:34] Health Association
will be the
[14:38] one that's going to be running the
supportive housing.
[14:41] And I think that when we're in Victoria
um the next time around, we need to
[14:46] continue to emphasize that if we're
going to get people off the streets and
[14:50] not in tents, then we need more of this
type of supportive housing.
[14:54] Uh this community has been very very
supportive of of these types of
[14:58] projects. And we can only continue to
advocate to have more of these so we can
[15:02] get people off the streets. So, my hand
goes up. I want to thank BC Housing for
[15:08] quite honestly making sure that this one
stayed on on the docket because there
[15:11] was a lot of projects that got knocked
off uh during this last budget process
[15:16] on the provincial side. So, thank you
very much.
[15:19] » Thank you. Councillor Fletcher, please.
[15:25] » Thank you, Your Worship.
Yes, I also very much support this
[15:30] initiative and this development. I think
this is absolutely incredible
[15:34] for Williams Lake. It is the next step.
You know, I think as a council, we saw
[15:39] so many discussions about how we didn't
want a shelter. Individuals didn't want
[15:43] a shelter from BC Housing within our
community. Because we accepted having a
[15:47] shelter, I think that's why we got the
financial support to continue to have
[15:51] this development for our community,
which is so important because
[15:55] things are expensive out there. It's
hard for people to be living the way
[15:59] that they need to. Costs of rent is
ridiculous. You know, people that have
[16:04] all the apartment complexes, it's costly
for people to try and and have a place
[16:10] there. Where this is supportive housing
and and this gets people off the streets
[16:14] like my colleague mentioned. So, this is
really really important for Williams
[16:18] Lake. I also think that this development
is really smart looking. I like the
[16:23] design. I like the way that it appears.
So, I think it'll be a real positive
[16:27] thing for the neighborhood as well as
businesses that are in the area.
[16:32] You know, there's already an established
supportive housing facility there in an
[16:36] old building, but you know, there we've
never noticed or I've never heard of you
[16:41] know, great impacts to the neighborhood.
So, I think an expansion off of this and
[16:46] will be just a real win-win for our
community.
[16:49] I do have a couple questions. I noticed
one of my colleagues mentioning that it
[16:53] would be 80, but it's not. I think it's
a total of 51 units and I'd like
[16:57] clarification on that. And um
my other question is that I noticed the
[17:03] northern part of the property, there's
still quite a bit of space that's not
[17:08] being utilized. Has there been any
discussion of potential expansion down
[17:12] the road
over and above this development once
[17:16] it's completed. Thank you.
>> I think I said it all to reply that
[17:21] first part of the question.
I said 81 unit. I said adding
[17:27] 36 unit from the Glenn Harbor and 51 of
the Council Flash Fuller. It's not 81,
[17:33] it's a 51 unit, but it will be total 81
unit delivered
[17:39] just by this council. Reference to the
space, I know the answer. I had the
[17:44] answer, but I let our CEO reply that
question. The space sitting there,
[17:50] what's happening with that?
>> Your Worship, I think that you have a Do
[17:54] you have a representatives from BC
Housing that probably be more in tune of
[17:57] what's happening with that space that
you can uh
[17:59] ask the question to them. I think that
Tyler's on there.
[18:03] » Yeah, could you please reply that the
question for Council Flash Fuller from
[18:08] BC Housing?
>> Thank you very much, Mayor and Council.
[18:12] My name is Tyler Baker. I'm the Director
of Development for the interior. Nice to
[18:15] see you all again.
Very astute question, Council Flash
[18:19] Fuller. Yes, there's some um
land remaining. We were actually quite
[18:22] careful to reserve land for a future
use. At the moment, we don't have
[18:27] funding for to know what that will be.
You know, but it leaves open the door
[18:33] to do something in the future when we
have funding to meet the needs in the
[18:37] community. And when we come to that
decision, it'll be a as this has been as
[18:42] our other decisions have been, it'll be
a joint partnership to talk about what
[18:46] the needs are in the community and what
our funding can be used best used for to
[18:50] meet those needs. So, we don't know yet,
but it'll be part of the picture in the
[18:55] future and it'll be a real asset for the
community.
[18:57] » Thank you. I really appreciate that
response and I think that's great
[19:01] proactive vision because we know that
times change, needs from communities
[19:05] change, and the fact that we might have
some area that we can put focus towards
[19:10] is I think a really really positive
thing. So, I really appreciate that and
[19:14] all the thought and processes behind
from everyone. And I also just want to
[19:18] really thank the province for continuing
with this program as we know that
[19:21] there's been substantial cuts and
everybody wants to have those supports
[19:26] in their community because everybody's
feeling the impacts right now. So, um I
[19:30] just want to put a thanks out to you,
your team, um also the team for the city
[19:34] of Williams Lake that have worked with
you and other community members that
[19:37] have worked with you guys as an
organization in making this happen. So,
[19:40] thank you so much. This is a real
positive positive one for us.
[19:44] » And last part of your
comment was Counselor Flash Fuller
[19:49] um how we got this project. Yes, there's
only one project in the BC going on
[19:54] that's in Williams Lake. That is a sign
of your, mine, this council, this team's
[20:00] um mission by working together. We got
this project because we worked together
[20:06] with the everybody, with the all the
stakeholder, regardless they're Victoria
[20:11] or Ottawa or regional or or or local.
So,
[20:15] it's another
uh
[20:18] mission completed or will be
accomplished in the
[20:23] days and months to come because we
worked together. Counselor
[20:27] How we in, please?
>> Thank you, Worship, and I just want to
[20:31] echo I mean I think most of the comments
have been made. I I do want to add that
[20:35] I think we did ask we wanted 80 units. I
mean 55 was I thought 55 was the number,
[20:40] but anyway, down to 51. It's pretty
usual, but
[20:43] um it's it's a drop in the bucket. I
think we still need more, but it it's
[20:47] such a good start and it hopefully will
lead the way to to down the future. We
[20:51] are very lucky and I do want to say
thank you to BC Housing for keeping us
[20:56] on the books cuz that's we're sure
thankful we cut that line because I
[21:00] think we are one of the few still left
standing with some of that funding. So,
[21:04] hopefully more will come in the works
cuz we aren't the only community that
[21:07] needs housing and we need more housing
and so many do. So, I just wanted to
[21:12] echo and say my thanks, but um I do
appreciate it and I look forward to
[21:15] hopefully seeing it actually going up
soon. Thank you.
[21:18] » I just to let you know also being I had
on my speed dial a dialer's number and I
[21:25] know our economic development manager
also had that. We won't let him get
[21:29] away. And uh we'll keep working on it
and uh
[21:34] Okay, I got a question to Moses,
Councillor Glaning, and Councillor
[21:37] Anton, please.
>> Thank you, Your Worship.
[21:40] Yeah, we we've been patiently and
excitingly waiting waiting for this
[21:46] meeting for for this agenda item.
I I want to make sure that we point out
[21:51] that this type of supporting housing is
one that helps people who have graduated
[21:56] from the Canadian Mental Health's
Housing First programs. This means that
[22:00] they've already shown their dedication
to recovery and their ability to be able
[22:04] to pay for their housing. The The people
who receive these types of housing are
[22:09] often facing some form of disability or
a barrier to receiving income or
[22:14] housing. The The supportive housing that
this is replacing was a very successful
[22:20] program with very little footprint. So,
this is an amazing service that we're
[22:25] we're receiving to our community.
Uh but it took a lot of work in the
[22:29] background, lots of advocacy to ensure
that we didn't lose our project while a
[22:34] lot of other cities lost theirs.
So, I want to say a quick thank you to
[22:38] Tyler and the rest of the team at BC
Housing and the team at Canadian Mental
[22:42] Health Association. The The This is This
is a great achievement for us. Let's So,
[22:48] let's get that shovel in the ground,
Tyler. We Because we we have more
[22:52] projects where this one came from and
we're already ready to get those going
[22:56] next cuz I I agree with Councillor Beam
that we still need more. So, I have a
[23:01] hopeful question for Tyler. At at our
local Friendship Centre, we already have
[23:05] blueprints and land ready for another
apartment building. When are you going
[23:09] to get it get that one started next for
us? Thank you, Your Worship.
[23:13] » I wonder if Tyler wanted to respond to
that or should I move ahead?
[23:18] » I'm always happy to speak about um
the next project in the pipeline. We
[23:24] like I said, we are always looking for
opportunities even if we don't have
[23:27] funding available right now. When we do,
we need things that are ready to go. So,
[23:32] um happy to talk to you about that.
>> Definitely William Lake I always had a
[23:37] um shovel ready program, you know, shelf
ready program. So, whenever you're
[23:41] ready, uh Counselor Drainy, please.
Thank you, Tyler.
[23:45] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um yeah, thank
you. Kudos everybody for getting this
[23:50] project to go forward. I like I love a
visual person, so I love reading and
[23:54] seeing these uh
seeing the design and uh the
[23:57] architecture. Um but maybe I'm having a
moment here. Um I only count 30
[24:05] six. Like we've got we've got uh three
on the main floor and then there's two
[24:09] floors of third 16, so that's 32 plus
two is 38.
[24:13] Where's the other Where's the Where's
the 51?
[24:17] Unless I'm missing a floor or something.
>> You're probably missing the plan. I know
[24:21] the number shows that way, but
I I'm with you. I've seen it. I thought
[24:26] about it.
>> Okay, so I'm not the only one that
[24:27] » Yeah, yeah, you're not the only one.
Yeah.
[24:28] I definitely saw Yeah. I checked with
the staff it was 51. Trust me.
[24:34] Yeah. Yeah.
>> Okay. Tyler's a tease still showing me
[24:37] the
>> You're right on.
[24:38] » 51. [laughter]
Um I think there was I mean obviously
[24:41] you guys are a great proponent for um
for BC Housing and for people that are
[24:46] less fortunate and to help um get people
off the streets and into beds. And I
[24:51] think with the shelter as a kind of an
example [clears throat] as well, too,
[24:54] with just the the model of being able to
bring your goods with you. uh being able
[24:58] to have somebody if you have a partner,
being able to have a pet, um being able
[25:02] to see those little storage units for
shopping carts or for your bike or or
[25:06] whatever, I think are um just great
little details to be added.
[25:10] Um the layout looks fantastic. I mean,
it's going to be such a
[25:15] gem for that part of the area, and I
really look forward to seeing, you know,
[25:20] what else we are able to uh get off the
ground. And also, um
[25:26] to Counselor Flash forward's point that
my eyes, I was just focusing and I'm
[25:31] like, what land is she talking about?
Where is the extra land? Well, there's a
[25:34] whole freaking pile of it right behind
there. So, um wonderful. That just means
[25:38] that maybe one day we'll get another one
there, hopefully. So, I just want to say
[25:41] thank you. Want to make sure I wasn't
missing something cuz I didn't count 51,
[25:44] but we're sure that we're going to get
51 even though it's not in the package
[25:48] as 51 shown. We're good to go. Mayor's
telling me he's going to hold your feet
[25:51] to the fire. Thanks, Tyler.
>> I got to check I can't say anything in
[25:55] place.
>> Thank you. Yeah, I was super excited to
[25:58] see this project in the report and all
the plans just look beautiful, and I
[26:01] really want to say I appreciate the
aesthetics of the building. It
[26:04] definitely gives people a sense of pride
to be able to go to such a beautiful
[26:06] home. Obviously, I was very appreciative
that we had the Jubilee house, but this
[26:10] is definitely such an upgrade not just
in the number of units, but the
[26:13] beautification of the area, too, and
really giving people something to look
[26:16] forward to going home to. Thank you.
>> Before I let it go to the second round,
[26:20] I let Counselor Nelson want to make a
comment. Uh Tyler, I I know um
[26:27] what you think in William Blake William
Blake at the best mayor and council and
[26:31] the staff.
And whenever you wanted to build more
[26:34] houses, and we are all ready for you.
We'll help you every which way you
[26:37] needed, and please continue working
together philosophy, okay? I look
[26:42] forward. Counselor Nelson.
>> Yeah, Your Worship. I I I it's just
[26:46] I know that uh there's been a lot of
pressure on a lot of other communities.
[26:50] My colleagues alluded to that as well.
Um so, from my perspective uh
[26:55] Tyler, just a huge shout out to you and
your entire team. Working very close
[27:00] with the city of Williams Lake and
working closely with the non-profit
[27:03] organizations. And I think that this
Team Williams Lake really just wants to
[27:07] thank BC Housing on this particular
project. We know and recognize how how
[27:10] tough it is out there across the
province,
[27:13] but we're dedicated to ensure that we
can help and get people off the streets.
[27:16] And this is certainly the right
direction. Thank you.
[27:19] » Thank you.
I think everybody spoke enough. I
[27:22] already asked
according to my instruction if anybody
[27:25] wanted to speak for or against or any
comment. I didn't have to, but I'll ask
[27:30] second time from public if anybody
have to say anything.
[27:35] Hearing none,
all in favor.
[27:38] Carried unanimously. Congratulations and
thanks Tyler once again.
[27:43] Okay, I'm moving along license of
occupation agreement with properties.
[27:49] » Recommendation that pursuant to the
report of the planner dated July 21st,
[27:52] 2026, Council authorize entering into a
license of occupation agreement with
[27:56] Wave Properties Limited uh
for an existing overhead awning sign
[28:00] located at 29 3rd Avenue South.
>> Second.
[28:04] » Moved and seconded. Any question,
concern, comment? Hearing none, all in
[28:09] favor.
Opposed if any, carried unanimously.
[28:14] Request for continuation of provincial
LG cap funding.
[28:19] » Recommendation that pursuant to the
report of the planner dated August 4th,
[28:22] 2026, Council authorize a letter to be
sent from the mayor to the premier BC
[28:26] and relevant provincial ministers
outlining the importance of the Local
[28:29] Government Climate Action Program
funding and the critical need for the
[28:32] continuation of this funding program and
further that the letter be shared with
[28:36] local MLAs and CLGA, UBCM and all BC
municipalities and regional districts.
[28:41] » So moved.
>> Moved and seconded. We had is some
[28:45] supporting letter other communities have
written the similar letter. These are
[28:49] very important funding.
And we will request and every time
[28:53] anytime I'm talking to the Victoria,
I'll definitely be mentioning. I've
[28:58] already mentioned this to a couple
minister already as
[29:03] couple of the ministers showed up here
all of sudden Friday.
[29:07] So they are aware of our request, okay?
Our Council Moses.
[29:11] » Thank you, Worship. Yeah, this is
definitely something that we need to
[29:16] hold the province to to to ensure that
we continue receiving this funding. Not
[29:21] just our municipality, but right across
the whole province needs this funding.
[29:25] But here here in Williams Lake, we we
just recently created that partnership
[29:29] with the Cariboo Chilcotin Climate
Circle. And this type of funding is what
[29:33] allows us to do that and the ability to
get that work done. So I just want to
[29:37] point out that us advocating for this is
trying to make it so that we can fund
[29:42] that partnership and get great climate
projects done. Thank you, Worship.
[29:46] » Thank you. All in favor.
Carried unanimously. Poll of Council,
[29:50] please.
>> The recommendation that pursuant to the
[29:54] report of Legislative Services Assistant
Coordinator dated August 7th, 2026 and
[29:58] the email poll conducted on July 29th,
2026 authorizing Council to provide a
[30:02] resolution of support to the Central
Interior Rural Division of Family
[30:05] Practices application to the Northern
Development Initiative Trust Marketing
[30:08] Initiatives program for funding to
support the group's physician
[30:11] recruitment marketing expansion
initiative be ratified.
[30:14] » So moved.
>> Moved and seconded. Any question
[30:17] concern? Hearing none, all in favor.
Carried.
[30:22] Williams Lake Fire Department Rapid
Response to operational update.
[30:27] » The recommendation that the report of
the Director of Protective Services
[30:29] dated August 4th, 2026 containing an
operational update on the Williams Lake
[30:33] Fire Department's Rapid Response Crew be
received for information.
[30:37] » Second.
>> Moved and seconded. Uh
[30:40] Chief Dean is there, director of
protective services, please.
[30:45] » Your worship, council, I realized as I
was walking up here that this is maybe
[30:49] the last time I get to do this with this
particular group, so
[30:52] it's been a pleasure. Thank you.
[30:56] Um I just wanted to take this
opportunity, as you've seen in the
[30:58] report, to
go over the just a little bit of an
[31:02] update on the Williams Lake Fire
Department and the rapid response crew
[31:04] that we implemented on July 24th.
Uh as you can see in the report, just as
[31:09] a reference, uh we brought it in in
response to the current weather
[31:13] conditions as well as some community
anxiety about some recent fires that had
[31:17] happened in the area, as well as uh
resource deployment down in the Felker
[31:22] Lake fire area. Um and it yielded great
results almost immediately. Uh we had
[31:29] four fires in 4 days that our crew was
able to respond in about 5 minutes, uh
[31:33] which is about 7 minutes faster than our
typical response time.
[31:39] Uh as you know, it's a paid on-call
department, so everybody has to rush
[31:42] down to the hall from their homes or
from their businesses and get in a truck
[31:45] and get over there, and having a crew on
standby at the fire hall uh was able to
[31:50] expedite that significantly, which we
believe saved multiple structures on
[31:56] uh numerous events.
Um just for reference, in the period
[31:59] since we started that, we've already had
30 calls for service in the 18 days
[32:03] since then.
Um so we've been able to do this. Um
[32:07] it's been a bit of a strain on the
department, so we rejigged the model
[32:10] after about a week. Um we went away from
having four people 24 hours down to now
[32:15] we have two during kind of the critical
fire hours of the day, of noon to 10:00
[32:20] p.m.
That's still been difficult to staff,
[32:23] but uh it's been successful, and um I
just kind of wanted to share that with
[32:28] the community and have a bit of a good
news story out there for Williams Lake
[32:32] Fire Department.
[32:35] » Thank you very much, uh
Councillor Delaney. Before that, Mr.
[32:41] Moraca
>> [clears throat]
[32:42] » and Councillor Nelson.
>> Thanks, Your Worship.
[32:46] Chief Dean kind of brushed over the
advantages of the
[32:50] rapid response and having their
membership at the hall for these events
[32:53] and these fires. If anybody that was in
the area and could see where the burn
[32:56] lines went to, they was very close and
that difference of timing between what
[33:01] they would respond to from home rather
than being at the hall, obviously could
[33:04] have resulted in way, way bigger
substantial damage. And those those
[33:08] decisions to mobilize that model were
made at the fire hall and I support that
[33:13] decision. I think it was a great one
completely by the Williams Lake Fire
[33:16] Department and I think they did a
fantastic job, Your Worship.
[33:19] » Thank you. I could not insist uh
three days in a row
[33:26] same place.
It's a sick thing.
[33:31] There's a saying way, way back actually
uh one of our
[33:37] police chief said here
[33:40] at time of old council, council rather,
you can give me 1,000 police officer
[33:45] and I can park them on each
block of the street, I cannot assure you
[33:50] this safety of the community.
The community has to police themselves.
[33:57] I'm requesting publicly to the
community, keep your eyes open, please.
[34:03] Watch for your neighbor.
[34:07] That's the only way we can
make sure our community's safety.
[34:13] When the Boston Pizza
side got on fire my phone was ringing
[34:19] off the hook from Vancouver.
[34:25] The people was calling
reference to their guest
[34:30] the owners
in the hotel there.
[34:35] It's a serious matter, folks.
[34:39] We cannot ask the fire department to
look after our safety. We have to.
[34:46] So, I request each and every one of you
watching, listening,
[34:50] reading in the paper,
or on the listening on the radio,
[34:54] please keep your eyes open and look for
each other. I got counselor Nelson
[35:01] and the counselors Oh, sorry. Sorry,
you're first. Counselor Delaney, and
[35:06] then Counselor Nelson, Counselor
Flashford. Yes, I got you that way.
[35:11] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Um I just wanted [clears throat] to say
[35:14] thank you very much for the intelligent
report that was written and for having
[35:19] um
the compulsion to think outside the box
[35:22] and put something together that works
for our community. It's an excellent
[35:25] model. I mean, we see it in other
centers, maybe not municipalities, but I
[35:29] would the fire center and having people
mobile from their place of work is a
[35:33] huge, huge advantage.
Um and
[35:37] the way that you've structured it, too,
um takes into consideration those
[35:41] rotations so that you don't have, you
know, people just around everywhere on
[35:46] standby. You actually have your crew
that are allotted the time, and if
[35:50] there's something happens, they go out
and they do it. We don't have people
[35:53] just waiting for a phone call.
Um a whole pile of people waiting for a
[35:56] phone call. Cuz it's not awesome to be
on standby, you know, cuz then you can't
[35:59] go do things, you know, you can't really
leave your, you know, 20 minutes or
[36:03] whatever from where you are. So, I think
this is a I think that was an awesome
[36:06] way, and I love that it hardly is
costing anything extra. Like, we might
[36:10] see a little bit at the very end, but
you worked within the budget that you
[36:14] were given. So, like
great work. I I love it. It was awesome.
[36:18] Thank you.
>> Um Counselor please.
[36:22] » I I echo my my colleague's comments. The
rapid response crew that you put in
[36:27] place on July the 24th
saved, in my opinion, a number of
[36:31] facilities inside this community. It was
a very smart, calculated move.
[36:35] Um and highly effective. Uh so, I think
that we're going to probably see some
[36:39] positive changes uh continue along that
way. I think it was the right decision.
[36:44] Um we've got extreme uh fire behavior
right now. The weather conditions are
[36:49] hot, they're dry, they're windy. And
then you take the bozos and the idiots
[36:53] that are out there lighting the fires in
these times. So, kudos to you and the
[36:57] entire fire department cuz I've seen you
guys in action and it's unbelievable
[37:03] what you've done here. And I think it's
great. And quite frankly, if he needs a
[37:06] little bit more money to top up in the
future,
[37:09] you know where where I'm going to be
supporting. I think it's just great. So,
[37:12] pass it on to the entire team. Thank you
very much.
[37:14] » Councillor Fleshman, please.
[37:18] » Thank you, Your Worship.
Yeah, I just want to compliment the
[37:22] organization being the fire department
and um upper management um
[37:28] just the city for this work and making
sure that this is happening for our
[37:32] community. You know, I know it's
historical. We have done and I'm sure um
[37:37] Chief Dean would reiterate, but we've
done patrols like in 2010, other years
[37:42] that have been um where there's high
fire risk. There's always been such
[37:46] proactive work with Williams Lake Fire
Department and I'm just so happy to see
[37:50] that continuing. This is the kind of
stuff that can build
[37:54] confidence in a community because as an
organization
[38:00] or as a council, if we're doing things
that's creating fear in people, when we
[38:05] have the history of having to uh
evacuate our whole city,
[38:11] that's not good. You do not want to
create more fear in people. You want to
[38:16] work on trying to do the proactive work
like this that makes the community feel
[38:21] confident in the team that we have and
the work that we can do to collectively
[38:26] as an organization. So, I just think
that this is amazing work. I want to put
[38:31] the the compliment and accolades to the
members of the organization because I
[38:37] know that they are all with other jobs,
they are all with families, and when
[38:42] they sign up to do these shifts, they're
doing it off their own back and their
[38:47] own time. You know, uh so easy for us as
just council members to talk so big
[38:53] about how amazing we are and what we do,
but we're not the ones that's out there,
[38:58] um
you know, patrolling till 10:00 at night
[39:01] or going out when putting a fire that is
rapidly growing um out, and I just know
[39:07] how incredible these people are, and I'm
just happy to see this work. Like you
[39:11] said, Chief Dean, this is good news um
messaging, and it is because
[39:18] we want our community to feel confident,
not scared that everything's going to
[39:22] burn. We want them to feel like we have
this um under control, and we can pay
[39:28] attention to it. From the day that I
joined the organization,
[39:32] um which was back in the late '90s, we
were
[39:36] doing proactive burns at the Stampede
Grounds and proactive burns in Bow
[39:40] Valley Park because people used to go
and light it back then. So, I just love
[39:45] to see this continuation of this great
teamwork and great positive initiatives.
[39:50] Thank you.
>> Councilor Moses, thank you. Councilor
[39:53] Paisley.
>> Thank you, Worship.
[39:57] Yeah, first off, thank you so much, Fire
Chief, for the work that you and your
[40:00] team have continually been doing to keep
our community safe.
[40:05] Uh
the the points that Councilor Delaney
[40:07] made, I think, are spot-on on the the
work that you're doing inside and
[40:12] outside of the box and within within a
very contained budget. So, thank you so
[40:17] much for making sure that that work is
being done.
[40:20] And I I also agree with Council Nelson
that if our if our our team needs some
[40:25] help in the future on this topic that
I'll I'll be in support of making sure
[40:29] that that you get the
the
[40:33] resources the resources that that your
team could would need because you're
[40:38] you're doing such a great job and we
need that to continue. Um
[40:43] if anyone wants to be an extra pair of
eyes to to help make sure that that our
[40:48] our community sees these faster, I
recommend everyone looks into uh the
[40:52] citizens on patrol and see if you can
take some time to volunteer. Uh being
[40:57] able to get get our our teams out there
a few minutes faster often makes a
[41:02] really big difference. Uh so, big thank
you and congratulations, Fire Chief, for
[41:07] for leading such a successful summer and
keep keep going with it. Thank you.
[41:12] » Please convey our gratitude and thanks
to your team, Chief.
[41:16] And um I can't say enough.
Our community is so lucky to have the
[41:21] staff we have.
And your dedication, your compassion,
[41:25] each and every one of you.
I'm going to name very lucky.
[41:30] I want to thank from bottom of my heart
to each and every one of the city staff
[41:35] and the leadership of Mr. Maraca.
We're very lucky to have it.
[41:39] Reference to citizen patrol, just 35 40
year back, I was one of the person who
[41:45] started this community policing in
William Wright.
[41:47] But I have never seen this many members
citizen of patrol and very active.
[41:53] Congratulation
to the chair, uh Bob Sunner, and the
[41:58] team members.
I I really appreciate it.
[42:02] Council Moses one of them and I got
another member sitting in the audience.
[42:06] Um Ruth Lloyd, thank you very much. And
all the other people visiting, I will
[42:12] equally encourage, please join the
session patrol. Thank you very much for
[42:16] once again, appreciate.
Uh any more comment, compliment? Hearing
[42:19] none, all in favor.
Thank you. Carry fire service review,
[42:24] please.
>> Recommendation that pursuant to the
[42:27] report of the director of protective
services dated July 21st, 2026, council
[42:31] award the contract for the fire service
review, community risk assessment, and
[42:34] fire master plan to Tim Play and
Associates Limited for the proposal
[42:38] price of $66,113.25,
[42:42] including applicable taxes, reflecting
the city's deductive scope change issue
[42:46] during the RFP process.
>> Moved and seconded. Any question,
[42:50] concern to chief?
Hearing none, all in favor.
[42:55] Thank you. Thank you, chief.
>> Thank you very much.
[42:57] » Appreciate it.
Moving along, uh
[43:00] crematorium re-bricking award.
>> Recommendation that direct that pursuant
[43:06] to the report of the municipal services
coordinator dated August 4th, 2026,
[43:09] council waive the purchasing policy
number 138 to approve a direct award for
[43:12] the re-bricking of the retort of the
crematorium to Stingray Crematory
[43:16] Services Limited for the purchase price
of $71,000
[43:19] plus applicable taxes.
>> So moved.
[43:22] » Yeah, uh uh
thank you. Anybody had any compliment or
[43:27] comment or question?
Hearing none, I'll say a couple word.
[43:30] It's uh
bypassing because there's a very limited
[43:35] people, in fact, one or two people in
Western Canada, never mind in BC, who
[43:41] does this work. It's very specialized
work. As most of you know, I don't uh
[43:47] like um bypassing the RFP, but this
I'm in favor. The person is doing lot
[43:56] with the less money compared to what
would be regular. He's making the round,
[44:02] and it's a long overdue. And uh so, I
recommend the council we go through with
[44:08] the staff recommendation, even though
it's moved and seconded. All in favor?
[44:13] Carried unanimously. Thank you.
[44:21] Response letter from the Minister
Osborne.
[44:24] » Clerk's note that the letter from
Minister Osborne dated July 14th, 2026
[44:27] in response to letter from the mayor
dated February 4th, 2026 regarding
[44:31] support for ambulance paramedics of BC
be received for information.
[44:34] » So moved.
Moved and seconded. All in favor?
[44:39] Carried.
Response letter from Minister Parmar,
[44:43] forestry is a solution.
>> Clerk's note that the letter from
[44:46] Minister Parmar dated July 13th, 2026 in
response to letter from the mayor dated
[44:50] March 12th, 2026 regarding support for
the BC Council of Forest Industries
[44:54] Forestry is a Solution Initiative be
received for information.
[44:57] » So moved.
>> Second.
[44:58] » Moved and seconded. Mr. Parmar was here
Friday on a quick tour along with the
[45:03] Mr. Amali.
Uh he traveled pretty late night uh
[45:08] Wednesday around 11:30, 12:00 midnight.
They came to see us and give us the
[45:14] update on the timber supply as well as
uh the fire situation and they traveled
[45:21] back Thursday night after. It's an honor
that minister the from minister time to
[45:27] time
our coming minister of uh environment,
[45:31] minister of mining was here and I had a
great opportunity to represent the
[45:37] community and the council. So, it's uh
been an excellent that even
[45:42] the Victoria and Ottawa is listening,
watching us. They know we exist.
[45:47] Um
they're keeping us
[45:50] in the loop and I keep twisting their
arm
[45:53] at time to time. All in favor?
Thank you.
[45:58] Um proclamation, please.
>> Recommendation that the list of
[46:02] recognitions provided in the uh agenda
be received for information.
[46:06] » Second.
>> Moved and second. Any question concern?
[46:09] Hearing none, all in favor?
Carried.
[46:13] And nothing here. We'll go in camera.
Nothing nothing.
[46:18] Okay, council information package.
>> That the uh recommendation that the
[46:22] council information package for August
11th be received for information.
[46:26] » Second.
>> Anything you wanted to bring at the
[46:28] council, Moses?
>> Yes, thank you, Your Worship. There's
[46:31] two letters I would like to pull out of
the package if if you allow.
[46:35] Uh the the first one is a letter from
the Aboriginal Housing Management
[46:39] Association from July 17th.
>> Mhm.
[46:43] » Uh the this was a request for for our
council to support a motion that's being
[46:49] made at UBCM this year, and I would like
to advocate on the behalf that we do
[46:54] support this motion when it happens. Uh
what what is happening is that the
[46:59] Aboriginal Housing and the Friendship
Centres are are uh destined to lose
[47:03] their funding in 2028, I believe it is.
And what this will do is cause another
[47:09] wave of homelessness across our country,
and indeed right also right here in
[47:14] Williams Lake, because that funding does
affect Williams Lake directly. So I I
[47:18] just want to say that I'll I'll
definitely uh individually be in support
[47:23] of this uh motion at UBCM, and I hope
that our our colleagues in the room will
[47:27] also join us in that.
>> Is there anything you wanted to move to
[47:30] make the special motion, anything?
>> No, Your Worship.
[47:33] » Okay, fair enough. I'll be when we go to
UBCM, I don't think very many council
[47:38] members are going to UBCM.
Uh only two three of our four of us
[47:42] going. We will definitely be watching
and we'll definitely support that, and
[47:46] you got my support.
>> Thank you. And I uh the second letter
[47:48] I'd like to pull out is the letter from
Billy Sheridan regarding the memorial
[47:53] complex potential renames.
>> Yes.
[47:56] » Thank you, Your Worship. Um she she
brings up good points that renaming the
[48:00] complex could bring the unexpected
consequence of removing the memorial
[48:04] aspect of the name. And this memorial
aspect is to pay respect to our to our
[48:10] veterans and our our currently serving.
So, I I would like to to just make a
[48:16] simple motion that we have this letter
forwarded to joint committee so that
[48:20] along with the regional district we can
review these unintended consequences and
[48:25] make sure that we we move forward in a
way that we continue to pay our respects
[48:30] to our veterans while also looking for
opportunities for them
[48:33] » the recommendation to forward that to
another problem. I moved and seconded it
[48:37] but it was a misunderstanding for as I'm
concerned. There's no such thing of
[48:41] removing the name memorial but I'm not
against
[48:44] » Perfect.
>> what you're saying. As far as I'm
[48:46] concerned, there's nothing no discussion
removing the memorial. It will never
[48:51] happen. But you moved it you seconded
it. It's not your motion or seconded
[48:55] motion. It's a council motion. Now I'll
take it to the motion as presented. All
[49:00] in favor.
>> Wait, may may I speak to the motion?
[49:03] » Yes, please please please.
>> I just want to say thank you for for
[49:06] your words of of
encouragement and of of saying that that
[49:10] the memorial will not be removed. So,
let's just for for the the sake of the
[49:16] motion to make sure that we make that
known to the public.
[49:19] » You bet you. We will definitely take it
to information. You're right. That's
[49:22] another problem. All in favor of
taking it to the joint. Thank you.
[49:26] Carried. And there is no
round table anything. We will be going
[49:31] in camera quickly.
I just want everybody the media the
[49:36] the people know because 90 days before
since 17th July there's no more round
[49:41] table till the election happen.
Motion for the in camera, please.
[49:45] » So moved.
>> Moved and seconded all in favor.
[49:49] So motion to adjourn regular meeting.
Moved it. I need second. Move and second
[49:55] a constitutional second. All in favor.
Carried. Thank you.