[1:20] All

[1:30] right, welcome everybody to the January

[1:32] 28th regular council meeting for the

[1:34] city of Courtney. And I'd like to start

[1:36] by respectfully acknowledging that the

[1:38] land on which we're gathered is the

[1:39] unseated territory of the Komox First

[1:41] Nation, the traditional keepers of this

[1:44] land. Um, we don't have any late items,

[1:47] but we'll move into adoption of minutes.

[1:49] uh from January 14th.

[1:53] >> All right, it's been [laughter] Thanks,

[1:55] » All right, it's been [laughter] Thanks,

[1:55] Council Morn. Um are there any errors or

[1:58] omissions?

[1:59] Seeing none, we'll accept the minutes

[2:02] unanimously and we'll move into

[2:04] presentations. Um and I don't see

[2:07] Inspector Mercer here. So, what we'll do

[2:08] is we'll just bear the agenda and um I

[2:11] think and when Inspector Mercer gets

[2:12] here, we can uh pop back to that and

[2:15] we'll move on to item 5.1 corporate

[2:18] facility energy management plan.

[2:22] That's all right. And I'll pass it over

[2:23] to Mr. Garbet. Thank you. uh through the

[2:26] merit council. Um Janine Tazioli will

[2:29] provide an overview of uh the corporate

[2:31] facility energy management plan report

[2:33] and we have uh our director of uh um

[2:38] engineering and environmental uh

[2:41] division online as well as a consultant,

[2:44] Miss Tazuli.

[2:47] >> Thanks Mr. Garbett. Um welcome mayor and

[2:50] » Thanks Mr. Garbett. Um welcome mayor and

[2:50] council. I'm looking forward to

[2:52] presenting our corporate facility energy

[2:54] management plan. Um this plan represents

[2:57] more than a year of work with our

[2:59] consultant from Prism Engineering um

[3:01] who's joining us virtually and we'll be

[3:04] talking about uh what this what this

[3:06] plan means for our buildings and the

[3:08] path forward.

[3:12] So our objective is modern and efficient

[3:15] facilities and reducing greenhouse gas

[3:18] emissions. So this plan identifies the

[3:20] specific upgrades and retrofits required

[3:23] to achieve those greenhouse gas

[3:25] reduction targets required by the

[3:27] provincial climate change accountability

[3:29] act in buildings owned by the city. The

[3:32] pie chart shows a breakdown of our

[3:36] greenhouse gas emissions portfolio

[3:38] across all aspects of the city. So this

[3:40] plan addresses the natural gas used in

[3:44] buildings as well as the electricity

[3:46] used in buildings which collectively

[3:48] represent 43% of our emissions profile.

[3:53] In addition to looking at what specific

[3:56] projects to do, part of this project

[3:58] looked at how to be successful with the

[4:01] implementation. And these are some key

[4:04] uh measures that came through. So, we

[4:07] want to focus on the buildings that

[4:08] consume the most natural gas. That will

[4:10] give us the largest reductions. We want

[4:13] to align our equipment replacements with

[4:15] the end of life of equipment.

[4:18] We'll work with BC Hydro um to ensure

[4:21] that there's enough electricity to

[4:23] supply our facilities at the time that

[4:25] we need it. Also working to align with

[4:28] their funding programs. We'll consult

[4:31] building occupants to ensure that we're

[4:32] accounting for their comfort and the use

[4:34] of the building. We'll seek external

[4:37] grants and funding and we'll track our

[4:39] progress. Uh we'll make sure that we

[4:41] have systems in place to monitor and

[4:43] measure the performance of the buildings

[4:45] and the utility consumption.

[4:49] So the scope of this project

[4:52] included our primary facilities and our

[4:54] smaller facilities. The primary

[4:57] facilities

[4:58] uh represent 90% of our emissions

[5:01] profile and for those ones we've done a

[5:03] detailed ashray level 2 energy

[5:05] assessment. This portion of the project

[5:08] was funded by FCM and the green

[5:10] municipal fund and their community

[5:12] building retrofit initiative and the

[5:15] final report is attached in u attachment

[5:19] 2. Our smaller facilities are represent

[5:23] only 18% of our emissions. We did a

[5:26] higher level assessment because these

[5:28] are more simple buildings with less

[5:30] moving parts. And that final report is

[5:33] included in attachment

[5:36] four.

[5:38] So this is a summary of our top

[5:40] emitters. The Lewis Center um was among

[5:44] the highest followed by the operations

[5:47] center, native sons hall, memorial pool,

[5:50] fire hall, library and art gallery. The

[5:53] proportion of the space on the graph

[5:56] represents the proportion of the

[5:57] emissions. So as we had reviewed um 90%

[6:03] the green and the blue are covered by

[6:06] our major facilities and that green

[6:08] square represents a collection of our

[6:10] smaller facilities which include lift

[6:12] stations, street lighting, washroom

[6:14] buildings etc.

[6:18] So our approach is a series of retrofits

[6:21] and upgrade projects planned from 2026

[6:25] to 2050.

[6:27] The general approach will be to operate

[6:29] optimize the operation of our existing

[6:32] equipment. Upgrading equipment at the

[6:35] end of life for facilities that are

[6:37] currently being used. So in cases where

[6:40] facilities may be retired or are at the

[6:43] end of their lifespan, we will not be

[6:45] upgrading the equipment in those

[6:46] facilities. We'll replace the existing

[6:49] equipment with high efficiency electric

[6:51] options. And then after that's complete,

[6:54] we'll consider on-site renewable energy.

[6:57] And this approach really recalls a

[7:01] phased approach with the first phase is

[7:04] um focusing on

[7:07] uh reducing our gas use, switching to

[7:09] electric options, making our electric

[7:11] options more efficient, and then looking

[7:13] at on-site generation to further reduce

[7:17] our um greenhouse gas reductions and

[7:20] build resilience for the city. So we um

[7:22] are resilient against power outages.

[7:34] So this is a summary of what the

[7:37] proposed plan um means as far as

[7:40] greenhouse gas reductions across our

[7:42] portfolio. So in a business as usual

[7:46] case, if we were to not proceed with

[7:48] this plan and simply replace equipment

[7:50] at end of life with no consideration for

[7:53] its uh consumption of gas or its

[7:56] efficiency, we would have some moderate

[7:58] gains just from um equipment becoming

[8:03] more efficient. However, the most gains

[8:06] really come with the implementation of

[8:09] this plan where we are considering what

[8:14] what reduces our emissions most and and

[8:16] planning for things that are end of life

[8:18] and and completing those projects in a

[8:20] strategic way. You'll also notice on

[8:23] this graph there are two emission

[8:26] targets. These are provincial emission

[8:28] targets that are outlined in the climate

[8:30] change accountability act. And so it is

[8:33] our goal and direction we've received

[8:36] from council so far to prepare a plan to

[8:39] meet those reduction targets. And we can

[8:41] see the timeline um for when we might

[8:44] expect those reductions on this graph. I

[8:47] will note that this is all modeled and

[8:50] our actual performance will be based

[8:52] will be measured as we go um once we

[8:55] complete some of those upgrade projects.

[9:00] So this is a summary of the financial

[9:02] implications.

[9:04] The costs here are the capital costs to

[9:07] complete the projects. Also noted are

[9:10] the base case costs for each year. And

[9:13] the base case represents that

[9:16] cost for equipment that is at the end of

[9:18] life and if we were to just replace it

[9:21] um with no consideration for greenhouse

[9:24] gas reductions, that's the cost that we

[9:26] would incur.

[9:28] So um this project has been grant funded

[9:31] so far with no tax impacts. There are a

[9:34] number of grant funding streams

[9:35] available for implementation phases. We

[9:38] also have some reserve funds available

[9:42] um that must be spent on greenhouse gas

[9:44] reduction initiatives through our LGCAP

[9:47] local government climate action plan

[9:49] funds. And these amounts were provided

[9:52] in the five-year financial plan and 2026

[9:55] budget for council consideration.

[10:01] So with that um we have a couple of

[10:03] resolutions for consideration and I'm

[10:05] happy to take any questions.

[10:10] Excellent. Thank you very much for uh

[10:11] the presentation. It's good to see

[10:13] things meen and Wong and uh uh it's uh

[10:17] really like the um diagram just kind of

[10:20] showing where most of the energy is

[10:22] coming from uh kind of in in uh in uh

[10:25] comparison with the other buildings. Uh

[10:26] with that I'll pass it over to councelor

[10:30] I don't think the mouse is working.

[10:31] Councelor Cole Hamilton.

[10:33] >> Yeah, thanks Marin. Thanks so much for

[10:34] » Yeah, thanks Marin. Thanks so much for

[10:34] the report Janine. Um this is important

[10:38] work and it's good to see that we're

[10:39] doing it in a very cost-effective way. I

[10:41] appreciate it seeing that all of the

[10:42] studies so far have all been um produced

[10:45] by grant funding and uh the LGCAP

[10:49] funding obviously comes from the

[10:50] province for and is required to be spent

[10:52] on exactly this kind of work. Um

[10:56] so I guess my my question was uh just to

[10:58] dig a bit deeper on the funding aspect.

[11:01] Um it strikes me that the the base case

[11:04] that you spoke of which is replacing

[11:06] like with like if we just uh were going

[11:09] to do business as usual um that that

[11:12] would be covered by the uh by the SIP.

[11:16] Um so and it would make sense that it

[11:18] would be covered by the SIP according in

[11:20] my by my way of thinking it's replacing

[11:23] existing infrastructure and the increase

[11:26] in level of service um would be covered

[11:30] would make sense to be covered by LGCAP

[11:32] and I'm wondering if um if that is a a

[11:36] way of allocating the uh the

[11:39] expenditures required to to implement

[11:41] this. um if you had any thoughts on the

[11:44] way it's currently structured which you

[11:46] think is all LGCAP versus using the SIP

[11:48] to uh cover replacement of existing

[11:51] infrastructure.

[11:55] » Uh thanks councelor Cole Hamilton. I'm

[11:57] able to provide some technical

[11:59] background around those base cases. So

[12:02] because there is a basease cost, I think

[12:04] that proportion is eligible for funding

[12:07] through the SIP which is the sustainable

[12:10] infrastructure program. Um but using

[12:13] that fund would be a choice made by

[12:16] council and um our financial officer. So

[12:20] I think that perhaps that could be a

[12:22] budget conversation, but maybe I'll

[12:23] defer to Mr. Garbett to weigh in.

[12:28] >> Uh thank you through the mayor. Um when

[12:30] » Uh thank you through the mayor. Um when

[12:30] we presented the financial uh plan,

[12:32] capital projects uh were identified uh

[12:35] ranging from linear to vertical assets.

[12:38] Some of them are funded by the SIP funds

[12:41] and it would be um given the amount of

[12:45] uh asset management we need to do. um

[12:52] the recommendations a variety of sources

[12:58] to to the and these uh building

[13:00] improvements. And so at at this point u

[13:04] u our finance officer when we discussed

[13:07] this at the uh financial plan can run

[13:10] over the the table that was presented to

[13:12] council on the number of items in 2026

[13:15] 78 and what their proposed capital

[13:17] funding sources are. Uh but at this

[13:19] point yes all of these items would be

[13:22] SIP eligible. uh and in the current plan

[13:25] some of them uh for the works that are

[13:28] planned are are using SIP money and some

[13:32] are using uh reserves uh other types of

[13:35] reserves. So we we could note that u and

[13:38] uh although Mr. Langmar is uh attending

[13:40] this meeting electronically uh if he

[13:43] wants to weigh in any further but I

[13:44] think that's the status at this point.

[13:48] >> Could I ask a clarifying follow-up

[13:50] » Could I ask a clarifying follow-up

[13:50] question? I I mean I I know in the uh in

[13:53] the staff report it it referenced using

[13:55] LGCAP fun buttons, but I also note the

[13:57] resolution that was on the screen a

[13:59] second ago um doesn't speak to where the

[14:01] funding is going to come from that that

[14:04] so would I be correct in thinking that

[14:06] the actual um decision SIP versus LGCAP

[14:10] will be made at a later date and doesn't

[14:12] need to be made today given that it's

[14:14] not referenced in the recommendations.

[14:19] » Thank you through the mayor. That would

[14:20] be that would be my uh recommendation at

[14:22] this point. Um

[14:25] and uh as I said, Mr. Langmare is is

[14:29] participating electronically. If we uh

[14:31] thought that we needed uh any different

[14:33] direction than that, he would respond.

[14:35] So we can wait till uh that uh

[14:39] discussion could be tackled uh at our

[14:42] February 11th

[14:43] um meeting where the financial plan will

[14:46] be presented.

[14:47] >> Okay. Thanks very much. [clears throat]

[14:49] » Okay. Thanks very much. [clears throat]

[14:49] Thanks, Councelor Cole Hamilton and

[14:50] councelor Ilian.

[14:52] >> Thanks, Mayor, and thanks very much for

[14:54] » Thanks, Mayor, and thanks very much for

[14:54] the work on this. I'm just curious if um

[14:57] uh I don't think we have any solar uh

[15:00] installations yet, apart from the uh the

[15:03] crosswalks. Uh um do you know at what

[15:07] point we will start doing uh solar

[15:10] additions to uh to new roofs? Uh I

[15:13] wasn't sure whether the um uh the Woodco

[15:16] Park uh replacement might have included

[15:18] that. Uh but that's gone ahead before

[15:21] this report. So I just appreciate an

[15:24] update on uh when you think we might

[15:26] actually see uh solar roofing panels on

[15:29] city buildings.

[15:31] >> Great question. Um Councelor Hillian, I

[15:34] » Great question. Um Councelor Hillian, I

[15:34] think it's important to note that

[15:36] there's two different objectives when it

[15:37] comes to solar panel installations. So

[15:40] in some cases it's a great way to

[15:42] provide electrical service in locations

[15:44] that don't have power hookup and we see

[15:48] small p small small solar panels used in

[15:51] that way across the city for temporary

[15:54] traffic billboards or um you know

[15:57] lighting that that kind of thing. When

[16:00] we're looking at permanent installations

[16:02] on our facilities that's planned in 2041

[16:05] and beyond. Um, this plan takes us to

[16:07] our 2050 goals and the intention of

[16:11] those installations is for on-site

[16:14] generation. So, we can power our

[16:16] buildings using power generated onsite

[16:18] to build resilience and reduce our

[16:21] greenhouse gas emissions. And that's not

[16:23] something we would pursue until our

[16:26] buildings are already electric and

[16:28] efficient so that we can, you know, use

[16:31] that solar powered generated on site

[16:35] most effectively.

[16:37] >> Thanks very much. Appreciate that. And

[16:39] » Thanks very much. Appreciate that. And

[16:39] councelor McCullum.

[16:41] >> Yeah, thanks Marin. Thanks for the

[16:42] » Yeah, thanks Marin. Thanks for the

[16:42] report. Um it's great to see this uh

[16:45] coming through and um yeah our approach

[16:49] and the rationale to how we're funding

[16:51] it and um you know the um

[16:55] how we're going to address those

[16:57] transitions over time based on when our

[17:00] equipment is needing replacement and

[17:02] looking for opportunities to improve um

[17:05] how we're using energy in our buildings

[17:06] makes a lot of sense to me. Uh, one

[17:09] question I did have is, um, as far as I

[17:12] could tell, there wasn't, um, a lot of

[17:15] analysis on whether or not there's cost

[17:17] savings and in terms of like future

[17:20] operational costs going with electricity

[17:23] over natural gas. Um, and I mean with

[17:28] the um change in taxation on natural gas

[17:31] um with the um carbon tax being removed

[17:35] and I realize there's a lot more

[17:37] variability with um natural gas than I I

[17:40] think electricity rates are are

[17:41] reasonably predictable. Um but I'm

[17:44] wondering if we have a sense of whether

[17:45] or not this represents an operational

[17:47] savings or um like for like or if you if

[17:50] you have any insights into that that

[17:52] would be good to know as well.

[17:55] Thanks, councelor McCullum. What are we

[17:58] do have data on that and I will point

[18:00] out that it is available um in

[18:03] attachment three and appendix B or C

[18:07] that has a list of all of the specific

[18:10] upgrades or that are planned at each

[18:11] building and for each specific upgrade

[18:14] um it indicates if we can expect some

[18:17] operational savings or not and in cases

[18:20] where we are switching from gas to an

[18:23] electricity it's likely that it we may

[18:25] have additional util ility costs because

[18:28] electricity so far has been more

[18:30] expensive than gas. In cases where we

[18:33] are making or we are using electricity

[18:36] more efficiently, we do expect an

[18:38] operational cost savings. And so it it's

[18:41] quite project dependent and we have

[18:43] those two variables happening at the

[18:45] same time where we are increasing

[18:48] electricity use while decreasing gas use

[18:51] across our portfolio.

[18:54] Sorry, which attachment did you say

[18:56] that? What's attachment three? Appendix

[19:01] appendix B

[19:04] are numbered differently. I Yeah, I'm

[19:06] sorry. I didn't see that when I was

[19:07] reading through the reports.

[19:14] Appendix P. I'll find it. Um, yeah, we

[19:17] can we can carry on. But uh yeah, that's

[19:19] useful and and that does make sense to

[19:21] me that um it's case dependent.

[19:25] >> So I misspoke. Uh attachment for

[19:28] » So I misspoke. Uh attachment for

[19:28] appendix B if

[19:30] >> Oh, okay. Yeah, in the big report. Okay,

[19:32] » Oh, okay. Yeah, in the big report. Okay,

[19:32] thanks. I'll I'll go back and look at

[19:34] that.

[19:36] >> And thanks uh councelor McCullum and

[19:38] » And thanks uh councelor McCullum and

[19:38] councelor Fr.

[19:39] >> Yeah, thanks Mayor. Um in the case of

[19:41] » Yeah, thanks Mayor. Um in the case of

[19:41] the native hall, that's something that

[19:44] you're interested in doing sooner than

[19:45] later, it looks like. Um, where's that

[19:48] heating plant at? Like it does it need

[19:50] to be replaced this year? Is that why

[19:52] it's first on the docket?

[19:56] » Great question, Councelor Fr. Um, that

[19:58] heating plant uh definitely needs to be

[20:01] replaced. It's end of life and I was

[20:03] told by our facility maintenance folks

[20:05] that we could be experiencing cold

[20:07] spells if we don't replace it in short

[20:09] order. So, that one is at the top of our

[20:12] priority list for that reason.

[20:14] >> Yeah. And um yeah, I don't I don't know

[20:16] » Yeah. And um yeah, I don't I don't know

[20:16] a lot about heating systems, but it

[20:18] looks like it's maybe 60,000 to replace

[20:20] it with the existing something like what

[20:22] we have. I assume that's a gas, I know,

[20:25] boiler or something similar. Um yet it's

[20:29] $350,000 for an electric I assume. Is it

[20:32] a heat pump or is it an electric boiler?

[20:35] Sorry to get into the nitty-gritty. I

[20:36] just it's a lot of money. It's a huge

[20:38] difference between the electric version

[20:40] and the gas version. And maybe there's

[20:42] also some other pieces that have to be

[20:43] replaced for changing fuel source.

[20:47] >> Great question. Um, is our consultant

[20:50] » Great question. Um, is our consultant

[20:50] from Prism on the line? Um, I think this

[20:53] would be a great technical question to

[20:55] get some of their input. So, um, I'll

[20:57] pass that over to Emma from Prism.

[21:00] >> Hi. Can you all hear me?

[21:03] » Hi. Can you all hear me?

[21:03] >> Yep.

[21:03] » Yep.

[21:03] >> Yes. Great. Thank you so much for that

[21:05] » Yes. Great. Thank you so much for that

[21:05] question. That's a good one. So the

[21:07] Native Suns Hall um boiler plant heating

[21:10] plant upgrade um actually is with a

[21:15] higher efficiency boiler but there's

[21:16] other work involved that has increased

[21:18] the cost. Um and specifically that has

[21:21] to do with the piping through the

[21:22] building. Um so while we were on site we

[21:25] noticed that the way it has been piped

[21:27] to the building leads to inefficiencies,

[21:29] a lot of heat radiating to spaces where

[21:31] it doesn't need to be. So, a lot of

[21:32] losses along the way and so this upgrade

[21:36] um most of the cost is to improve those

[21:39] efficiencies that will critically help

[21:41] with occupant comfort and improve the

[21:44] efficiency of the system overall. So,

[21:46] that's where we see a big cost.

[21:49] >> Yeah, thanks for that. I guess I just

[21:51] » Yeah, thanks for that. I guess I just

[21:51] want to make sure that staff are looking

[21:52] at it obviously with a critical eye

[21:54] trying to figure out, you know, um

[21:56] because we are entering a bit of a

[21:58] session if anyone's not noticed and uh

[22:00] so maybe we make sure that we're doing

[22:01] what needs to be done in the most

[22:03] efficient way and it sounds like that's

[22:05] what you're doing. So I appreciate that.

[22:06] Thanks.

[22:12] » Okay. Uh that was going to be my next

[22:14] question. I don't see anything any

[22:15] questions. Somebody like to second it.

[22:17] >> All right. Motion's moved and seconded.

[22:19] » All right. Motion's moved and seconded.

[22:19] Uh any questions or comments with motion

[22:21] on the floor? See none. All those in

[22:24] favor

[22:26] motion carries. All right,

[22:30] we'll move on to um uh next item under

[22:35] financial services, Courtney Marina

[22:37] Society renewal lease. And at this

[22:39] point, I'll uh just declare my uh

[22:42] conflict of interest and I'll pass it

[22:44] over to councelor Morn as acting mayor

[22:46] and uh vacate my seat.

[22:55] Okay. So, I think I'll hand it over to

[22:58] staff to introduce this uh this report.

[23:00] Thank you.

[23:03] I need to Where's my mic?

[23:06] Yeah,

[23:08] it's usually on the other side the

[23:10] regional district.

[23:11] >> Thank you. uh through the uh acting

[23:13] » Thank you. uh through the uh acting

[23:13] mayor uh to councel um our manager of

[23:17] procurement risk and real estate Scott

[23:18] Hinssworth who's going to introduce this

[23:20] report.

[23:24] Thank you Mr. Garbet. Uh through the

[23:26] city manager to the acting man the

[23:28] acting mayor uh in council. Uh this

[23:31] report seeks council direction on

[23:33] renewing the lease uh with the Courtney

[23:35] Renewal Courtney Marina Society for the

[23:38] city-owned marina lands on the Courtney

[23:40] waterfront. The city has leased the

[23:42] marina facilities to the Courtney Marina

[23:44] Society for over 30 years to support

[23:46] public access to the water, including

[23:48] small motorized and non-motorized

[23:50] vessels. The society is a notfor-profit

[23:53] organization that operates and maintains

[23:54] the marina on behalf of the city. Over

[23:58] time, the society has made investments

[23:59] in the marina at its own expense,

[24:01] including dock upgrades, storm repairs,

[24:03] safety improvements, and ongoing

[24:05] maintenance.

[24:06] The current lease term expires at the

[24:08] end of 2025 or has expired at the end of

[24:10] 2025 uh with the and the society is

[24:13] requesting a renewal um effective

[24:15] January 1st, 2026.

[24:18] As part of the renewal, staff reviewed

[24:20] uh existing revenue sharing the the

[24:22] existing revenue sharing arrangement and

[24:24] commissioned an independent appraisal to

[24:26] establish the market rental value of the

[24:29] submerged lands. The appraisal

[24:31] determined that the market lease value

[24:33] is approximately $10,100 annually

[24:35] recognizing the unique constraints of

[24:37] the site including tide dependent access

[24:40] as well as limited amenities.

[24:42] Staff also considered the broader

[24:44] planning context. A local area plan for

[24:45] the Courtney Air Park and Marina

[24:47] precinct is scheduled for 2027 and staff

[24:50] recommend that the lease be revisited

[24:52] once that planning work is complete to

[24:54] ensure alignment with future land use

[24:56] direction.

[24:58] Council's presented with several options

[24:59] ranging from maintaining the status quo

[25:02] revenue sharing model to moving

[25:03] immediately to a full market lease rate.

[25:05] Staff are recommending option one, a

[25:07] graduated lease rate. This approach

[25:09] transitions from the current revenue

[25:11] sharing model to uh toward full market

[25:14] rent over the 5-year term. The

[25:16] recommended option balances fiscal

[25:17] responsibility with the operational

[25:19] realities of a small not for-profit

[25:21] society, reducing administrative

[25:23] complexity over time and maintains

[25:25] continuity of marina operations while

[25:27] longerterm planning is underway. Staff

[25:30] are also recommending updated lease

[25:31] provisions to streamline administration,

[25:33] including GST treatment and clearer

[25:36] membership requirements. In summary, uh

[25:39] the recommended approach supports public

[25:41] access to the waterfront, recognizes the

[25:43] society's long-standing role in

[25:44] investments and positions the city to

[25:46] reassess the arrangement once broader

[25:48] precinct planning is complete. And with

[25:50] that, I'd be happy to take any

[25:51] questions.

[25:52] >> Great. Thank you. And I see councelor

[25:54] » Great. Thank you. And I see councelor

[25:54] Hillian has a question. Go ahead.

[25:56] >> Thanks, Acting Mayor. I was just curious

[25:59] » Thanks, Acting Mayor. I was just curious

[25:59] um thanks for the work in the report, by

[26:01] the way. Uh I was curious about um if

[26:04] market value is uh is that amount now in

[26:08] 5 years isn't it going to be more and

[26:10] does it put us into um another catchup

[26:13] situation?

[26:14] >> Uh it it could potentially put us at

[26:17] » Uh it it could potentially put us at

[26:17] another catch-up situation. Um I I think

[26:19] to a much lesser degree than what we're

[26:21] looking to achieve at at this time. Um,

[26:23] I think given the magnitude of the

[26:25] change, uh, staff didn't feel like an

[26:27] additional cost or CPI increase was

[26:30] necessary, but we can certainly look at

[26:32] that if council wishes.

[26:36] » Okay. And

[26:40] councelor FR.

[26:42] >> Yeah. Thanks, acting mayor. Um, my

[26:44] » Yeah. Thanks, acting mayor. Um, my

[26:44] question is around whether

[26:47] [clears throat]

[26:48] the um, society collects the fees and

[26:51] then remits the rest to us. That's how

[26:52] it works. It kind of flows through them.

[26:54] And so I'm wondering if we're we're

[26:57] going to increase their rates um if you

[27:00] think it's realistic that they'll be

[27:01] able to um charge those rates based on

[27:04] you know it it's very title access

[27:07] there. So you think the market will bear

[27:09] that or is that our assumption then when

[27:11] we get them up to you know $10,000 and

[27:13] in lease fees to us?

[27:16] Sorry. Um no thanks for the question.

[27:18] Based on feedback from the the Marina

[27:20] Society and a review of their financial

[27:22] statements, we didn't think that there

[27:23] was a this was causing a real barrier to

[27:26] their financial operations. So, initial

[27:27] feedback has hasn't uh raised any red

[27:30] flags.

[27:31] >> Okay, thanks very much.

[27:35] » Okay, it's been moved and seconded. Um,

[27:37] is there any further discussion? Seeing

[27:40] none, all in favor?

[27:43] No one opposed. Okay, thank you. I guess

[27:46] we'll call the mayor back in.

[28:02] Thank you, Councelor Morren. Much

[28:03] appreciated. And we'll move into uh the

[28:07] fire department uh UBCM community

[28:10] emergency preparedness fund grant

[28:12] application. And I'll

[28:15] turn on your microphone there in a sec.

[28:26] All right. And Mr. Garbert.

[28:30] >> Yeah. Thank you. Through the mayor to

[28:31] » Yeah. Thank you. Through the mayor to

[28:31] council. Um

[28:33] this report in front of you, Chief

[28:35] McDonald is going to give an overview. I

[28:36] just wanted to continue to highlight the

[28:39] partnership and leader and leadership uh

[28:41] that our we continue to have our fire

[28:43] department evolve into a uh

[28:45] multi-jurisdictional emergency

[28:47] management support center. Um and uh

[28:52] this has been discussed uh at the uh CEO

[28:55] level that this kind of uh joint

[28:57] approach both through grant support and

[29:00] program support to the emergency program

[29:02] is really critical for it to be

[29:03] effective. But I just I I want to take

[29:05] every opportunity to highlight the uh

[29:08] partnership that we continue to um

[29:10] support. Chief McDonald,

[29:14] thank you through the CEO to Mayor and

[29:16] Council. Uh the purpose of this report

[29:17] is to seek council approval to reapply

[29:20] for the following Union of BC

[29:22] municipalities community emergency

[29:24] preparedness fund regional application

[29:26] streams. the emergency operations center

[29:29] equipment and training, emergency

[29:31] support services equipment and training

[29:32] funding, public notification and

[29:35] evacuation planning and indigenous

[29:37] cultural safety and humility. Uh as uh

[29:40] this CEO has stated that this

[29:42] application is being made in partnership

[29:45] with the Komox Valley Regional District,

[29:47] town of Komox Village of Cumberland and

[29:49] Komox First Nation, which allows us to

[29:53] look at these uh projects with a

[29:57] regional lens and provide maximum value

[29:59] to the amount of funding that's coming

[30:01] in. Uh fairly straightforward uh report

[30:04] and happy to take any questions if you

[30:06] have any on them.

[30:08] >> Fantastic. I really appreciate it's

[30:10] » Fantastic. I really appreciate it's

[30:10] great to see this regional partnership

[30:12] uh um on these uh applications and um I

[30:17] don't really see uh councelor MREN

[30:21] >> Oh, sorry. Yeah, I just wanted to say

[30:23] » Oh, sorry. Yeah, I just wanted to say

[30:23] thank you for being uh diligent in

[30:26] applying for grants. This is on the

[30:27] heels of course of the other the

[30:29] regional uh big award that the region

[30:32] received for the community resiliency um

[30:36] uh fires smart. So hopefully you'll be

[30:38] just as lucky with this one. Thank you.

[30:41] >> Thank you.

[30:43] » Thank you.

[30:44] >> Right, it's been moved and seconded. I

[30:45] » Right, it's been moved and seconded. I

[30:45] don't think there's much discussion. All

[30:47] those in favor? Any opposed? And motion

[30:50] carries. And uh the next item is

[30:52] Courtney Fire Department annual report.

[30:55] Back to you. Uh fire chief.

[30:58] >> Thank you through the CEO to Mayor and

[31:00] » Thank you through the CEO to Mayor and

[31:00] Council. Again, I'd like to thank you

[31:01] for the opportunity to present the Cordi

[31:03] Fire Department's 2025 annual report.

[31:07] Uh, I'll be providing you an overview of

[31:08] what the department did over the past

[31:10] year, starting with who we are, then

[31:12] moving into response activity,

[31:14] prevention, training, and our work

[31:16] beyond municipal boundaries.

[31:19] The Courtney Fire Department operates as

[31:20] a composite department, combining a

[31:22] small career staff with a large

[31:24] volunteer component. Our volunteers

[31:26] handle a significant portion of

[31:27] emergency response particularly in

[31:29] evenings, nights and weekends early

[31:32] evenings. Uh this model continues to

[31:35] work because of our strong training

[31:37] coordination and a high level of

[31:38] commitment from our members which is a

[31:40] theme that you'll see reflected through

[31:41] the rest of this report.

[31:47] Looking at overall response activity in

[31:49] 2025, the department responded to 1,36

[31:52] calls for service. That's slightly lower

[31:54] than 2024. And this decrease was driven

[31:57] mainly by fewer ambulance assists and

[32:00] fewer open burning responses. While the

[32:02] total number of calls declined, the

[32:04] amount of time and effort required to

[32:06] manage incidents remains substantial,

[32:08] particularly for our volunteer members.

[32:12] When we look at where those calls

[32:13] occurred, the majority were west of the

[32:15] Cordy River, which is consistent with

[32:19] pretty much every year that we've been

[32:20] tracking these stats. We still do have a

[32:23] consistent significant portion of

[32:25] responses to the east side, but again,

[32:27] not as much as to the west. Um,

[32:31] this split has remained fairly stable

[32:33] year after year and is an important

[32:35] operational consideration when we're

[32:36] looking at staffing, deployment, and

[32:38] response coverage across the city.

[32:42] Breaking those calls down further, alarm

[32:44] activations were the most common

[32:45] response types in 2025. Open burning and

[32:48] motor vehicle incidents followed with

[32:50] public service calls and ambulance

[32:51] assists continue to represent a

[32:53] meaningful share of our workload.

[32:57] Prevention and public education are key

[32:59] parts of reducing emergency risk in the

[33:01] community. In 2025, staff completed more

[33:04] than 1,800 fire inspections and

[33:06] delivered 191 public education events.

[33:09] Most deficiencies identified during

[33:11] inspections were minor in nature. things

[33:13] like emergency lighting or fire

[33:15] extinguishers with that required

[33:16] servicing which indicates good overall

[33:18] compliance. This work plays a

[33:21] significant role in improving fire

[33:22] safety before emergencies occur.

[33:31] Supporting both response and prevention

[33:32] is a strong emphasis on training. In

[33:34] 2025, members completed over 4,900 hours

[33:38] of training covering fire suppression,

[33:39] auto extrication, self-rescue, and

[33:41] medical response. Included in that

[33:43] medical response was required BC

[33:47] emergency medical assistance gap

[33:49] training which was completed ensuring

[33:51] compliance with updated medical response

[33:53] standards. Essentially, they increased

[33:55] the uh types of um protocols and

[34:00] treatment that we could could provide to

[34:02] a patient and it required everyone in

[34:04] our department to go through a day's

[34:06] worth of training, additional training

[34:08] over and above everything else that they

[34:09] have to do. Uh we've also started a new

[34:12] recruit class in September and those

[34:14] members have been progressing very well

[34:16] through the program. They're actually at

[34:18] this stage now where they're going to be

[34:20] doing their first live fire uh training

[34:22] where they'll be going into the burn

[34:24] building that we have at the training

[34:25] ground and we'll be seeing how they

[34:27] perform under those types of of

[34:29] situations.

[34:34] Beyond day-to-day operations, the

[34:36] department also supported broader

[34:37] emergency and wildfire response efforts

[34:39] in 2025. While the local emergency

[34:42] program activations were limited, those

[34:44] would be for your uh warming and/or

[34:46] cooling events, uh provincial wildfire

[34:49] activity remained significant. Cordi

[34:52] fire department personnel were deployed

[34:53] to support wildfire suppression and

[34:55] emergency operation center operations

[34:57] during the Wesley Ridge and the Mount

[34:58] Underwood fires, working alongside

[35:00] regional and provincial partners.

[35:05] Alongside emergency response and

[35:07] training, the department also worked on

[35:08] several internal priorities throughout

[35:09] the year. These included work related to

[35:11] facilities, staffing analysis, and fleet

[35:14] planning, all managed while maintaining

[35:16] uninterrupted emergency service

[35:18] delivery. In summary, 2025 was a year of

[35:21] steady response activity, strong

[35:23] volunteer engagement, and continued

[35:25] emphasis on training, prevention, and

[35:26] regional cooperation. On behalf of the

[35:28] members of the Courtney Fire Department,

[35:29] I'd like to thank council for its

[35:31] continued support, and I'd be happy to

[35:32] answer any questions you may have.

[35:35] So, thanks so much for for the report.

[35:37] It's great to see uh all the numbers. Um

[35:39] maybe I have a a quick question on

[35:41] whether or not um this is something that

[35:43] gets uh advertised uh through social

[35:46] media like on the the volunteer

[35:48] firefighters um Facebook page, that kind

[35:50] of stuff, or it's something that just

[35:52] comes to council.

[35:53] >> Are referring to the stats?

[35:54] » Are referring to the stats?

[35:54] >> Uh yeah. Or or the Yeah,

[35:57] » Uh yeah. Or or the Yeah,

[35:57] >> generally just present it to council. We

[35:59] » generally just present it to council. We

[35:59] do do some highlights of of like bigger

[36:01] events on uh Facebook or use social

[36:03] media but again just prefer to use

[36:06] prefer to use this venue to to discuss

[36:08] and they've got access to it through the

[36:10] annual report that comes out I think in

[36:11] June and things like that. So the public

[36:13] does have access if they want it they

[36:14] can also phone the fire department and

[36:15] we can answer questions that way as

[36:17] well. But uh yeah

[36:19] >> fair enough. Thanks very much and Mr.

[36:21] » fair enough. Thanks very much and Mr.

[36:21] Carbid.

[36:21] >> Uh thank you through the mayor. with

[36:23] » Uh thank you through the mayor. with

[36:23] respect to talking about the activities

[36:25] of the city. It's a segue I can mention

[36:27] our uh electronic um um

[36:30] >> newsletter

[36:31] » newsletter

[36:31] >> newsletter and so I just was looking at

[36:33] » newsletter and so I just was looking at

[36:33] this afternoon and it will have

[36:34] information about fire department

[36:36] activities. So, it's a great opportunity

[36:38] to talk about the good work that the

[36:39] taxpayers of Courtney Fund and all the

[36:42] good work that our uh collective staff

[36:44] groups are doing

[36:45] >> and and my apologies for not saying

[36:47] » and and my apologies for not saying

[36:47] newsletter because uh it's so new. Uh

[36:49] but it uh I've [clears throat] gotten

[36:51] feedback on it already. Uh everything

[36:54] basically positive which is great great

[36:55] to hear and uh um and again pro probably

[36:59] an even better place to get that

[37:00] information out through. So, thanks Mr.

[37:02] Carvet. Uh councelor McCullum. Yeah,

[37:05] thanks mayor and thanks for the report.

[37:07] I I just had a question on the slide

[37:09] that was showing um the east side uh

[37:13] response or the calls versus the west.

[37:17] Is that limit are those numbers limited

[37:20] to the city of Kourtney calls or does

[37:23] that also include the um our fire

[37:26] protection area that we cover?

[37:28] >> Great question. that it's all the

[37:30] » Great question. that it's all the

[37:30] responses including the fire protection

[37:32] district. The Courtney Fire Protection

[37:34] District though is divided up into three

[37:36] chunks. One would be south of Walmart.

[37:38] So those would count in the west. Uh the

[37:41] other would be north of uh Virginia

[37:44] Drive or Piery area there. So actually

[37:47] Piery isn't that would be considered

[37:48] west because it's west of the river, but

[37:51] north of um Virginia Drive that would be

[37:54] considered in the east. And then you

[37:55] have the chunk that basically is along

[37:58] Dyke Road out by the animal hospital.

[38:00] There's a small piece of the fire

[38:01] protection district that uh that belongs

[38:04] to that. That said, just off the top of

[38:07] my head, probably our responses to the

[38:09] fire protection district in total would

[38:11] be maybe a hundred for the for the

[38:13] whole. So of the third, you know, that

[38:16] basically means that the other 1,200

[38:17] responses or let's just say 1150 for for

[38:20] sake of argument here, 1150 are city

[38:22] responses.

[38:23] >> Okay. Yeah, that's helpful. Thanks for

[38:24] » Okay. Yeah, that's helpful. Thanks for

[38:24] that context.

[38:26] >> Thanks, Council McCullum and Councelor

[38:28] » Thanks, Council McCullum and Councelor

[38:28] Moore.

[38:29] >> Great. Thanks, Mayor. Um, just a

[38:31] » Great. Thanks, Mayor. Um, just a

[38:31] comment. I I know it's not significant

[38:33] enough to include in your report, but

[38:35] from a managerial perspective, you did

[38:37] take council down to the Dashwood fireh

[38:39] hall, and I wanted to mention that

[38:41] because um that has influenced um the

[38:44] design of the new fireh hall to to be as

[38:48] economical as possible and to scale back

[38:50] kind of the original plans. And I just

[38:52] wanted to um show appreciation for kind

[38:55] of thinking outside the box and and

[38:58] taking that extra effort so that we can

[39:00] try to um yeah try to manage the finance

[39:03] as well and still have a a great new

[39:05] fireh hall, but um modeling it somewhat

[39:08] a um after the the one in Qualcomm. And

[39:12] then also just um it was just really

[39:15] even though it was a sort of sad

[39:17] occasion at Lawrence Burns um uh

[39:20] memorial service, it was just really

[39:22] impressive to see all the local

[39:24] firefighters of course from across the

[39:26] region, but just to hear um I think

[39:30] comments and when I was chatting with

[39:31] people after the service just there just

[39:34] seems to be a really great climate um

[39:36] within the Courtney Fire Department um

[39:38] with our personnel and um yeah and I

[39:41] think That's obviously um kudos to

[39:44] yourself as well as other supervisors

[39:47] and um and the and the way that you

[39:49] operate um the training programs and

[39:51] everything else. So, thank you.

[39:54] >> Thank you very much for the comments. I

[39:55] » Thank you very much for the comments. I

[39:55] would like to just throw a little some

[39:58] appreciation to our honor guard. Uh they

[40:01] were the ones that led the Burns family

[40:02] in and out and I honestly have not seen

[40:05] them perform as well as they did for

[40:07] that particular that particular event.

[40:09] It was it was really meaningful to the

[40:11] family and I was I mean proud of

[40:13] everybody obviously but really proud of

[40:15] the effort that that group put in. So

[40:16] again, thank you very much for

[40:18] acknowledging that.

[40:20] >> Thanks Councelor Morren and Councelor

[40:22] » Thanks Councelor Morren and Councelor

[40:22] Hill.

[40:23] >> Thanks Mayor. That's actually what I

[40:25] » Thanks Mayor. That's actually what I

[40:25] wanted to do and and um to acknowledge

[40:28] that honor guard and the fine job that

[40:30] your department did on that day. But I

[40:32] also wanted to commend you on your your

[40:34] words and uh say how uh how well you did

[40:36] on that occasion and and uh I think you

[40:39] and your department did the city proud

[40:41] um as you honored the service of a truly

[40:45] remarkable leader. Thank you.

[40:47] >> Thank you very much.

[40:49] » Thank you very much.

[40:49] >> All right. I don't see any further uh um

[40:53] » All right. I don't see any further uh um

[40:53] questions or comments. Uh so again,

[40:55] yeah, thanks so much and and uh yeah,

[40:57] the the celebration of life for uh

[40:59] Lawrence was just an amazing event uh

[41:02] and just really appreciated everybody

[41:03] who took took part in that to uh really

[41:06] honor his his memory. So um with that,

[41:09] if someone can make the recommendation.

[41:12] >> All right,

[41:14] » All right,

[41:14] all those in favor and motion carries.

[41:18] And um and I do see that uh Inspector

[41:21] Mercer is here. So we can um meander

[41:23] back to

[41:25] um where did it go? Item 4.1 for Komox

[41:30] Valley RCMP.

[41:32] And the microphone's already on. We've

[41:35] got the um

[41:38] PowerPoint ready to go. Is the clicker

[41:41] up there as well? You should have a

[41:43] clicker there.

[41:47] partner didn't disinfect it either, so

[41:49] sure you're fine, right?

[41:52] We joke, we kid. Police and fire love

[41:54] each other.

[41:58] » Uh well, thank you council for having

[42:00] me. I apologize for uh not being here on

[42:02] time. I was uh unfortunately called away

[42:04] on something else operationally, but uh

[42:07] nonetheless, I am here to discuss the

[42:09] third quarter uh report. uh the slides

[42:11] that I believe that have been presented

[42:13] to you should reflect quarterto quarter

[42:16] on it. Uh my initial slides uh slide

[42:18] deck that I uh provided was a

[42:20] comparative from uh the this year from

[42:24] last uh to last year. So while my data

[42:27] in front of me is from uh year to year

[42:29] I'll roll through this. I don't think

[42:31] it'll differ too much.

[42:33] Uh in the third quarter of the 2025 2026

[42:37] fiscal year, there was a 505 505 file

[42:41] increase in the number of calls for

[42:43] service in Courtney relative to the

[42:44] third quarter of the previous fiscal

[42:47] year.

[42:48] Uh for the most common call types that

[42:52] we saw, uh it was traffic, unwanted

[42:55] persons, and check well-being that

[42:57] dominated most of our calls for service

[42:58] in this time period. Uh we saw decreases

[43:01] in street level calls for service such

[43:03] as uh uh disturbances, suspicious

[43:06] persons, thefts uh assist, EHS and other

[43:09] agencies.

[43:13] The most common call locations that we

[43:14] uh that we saw was that the provincial

[43:16] courthouse uh again dominated it in

[43:18] terms that we saw a uh 226 file

[43:22] difference uh from the previous year. So

[43:25] we're uh looking at about 126% uh de uh

[43:28] increase. And I've talked about this

[43:30] before in terms of the source of these

[43:32] uh these calls for service mainly stem

[43:34] from administrative investigative files

[43:36] such as failed to appear, breach of

[43:38] probation, breach of conditions as such.

[43:40] Uh because the provincial courthouse is

[43:42] situated within the city of Courtney, uh

[43:45] these files are generated and they are

[43:47] uh investigated by members. So while

[43:50] they may be administrative in nature,

[43:51] there's still a level of component that

[43:53] needs to happen with it in terms of the

[43:56] execution of these uh arrest warrants or

[43:58] these uh conditions uh breach and the

[44:01] paperwork and disclosure that goes with

[44:02] it. Uh in review of these files, it

[44:05] doesn't differ from my previous

[44:06] commentary that the majority of the

[44:09] courthouse files that are generated. If

[44:11] we looked at the origin of offenders,

[44:13] over half come from the Kourtney area

[44:15] while the other remainder are split

[44:18] between uh the CVRD as well as the town

[44:20] of Komox. And then we have our outside

[44:22] influences that come into this area as

[44:24] well. Uh superstore was one of uh our

[44:27] bigger ones where we continually get

[44:29] theft of uh shoplifting complaints from

[44:31] there. But a lot of these uh complaints

[44:33] are resolved through the restorative

[44:35] justice and not necessarily through

[44:36] charges. And we have a really good

[44:38] partner with the Superstore loss

[44:39] prevention as well as a lot of our box

[44:41] stores in terms of using this avenue as

[44:43] a means to resolve files before they

[44:45] actually go to the uh to any sort of uh

[44:48] groundup supported charges. Uh the

[44:50] connect warming center uh we did see uh

[44:53] an increase in in activi or sorry a

[44:56] decrease in uh activity from here. uh if

[44:59] we uh go from last year to this year,

[45:02] however, there uh comparative over

[45:05] years, we've actually seen a steady uh

[45:08] steady decrease in uh in this uh in this

[45:11] area. Uh I know this is prevalent to a

[45:13] lot of business owners as such to know

[45:15] and understand the activities that

[45:16] surround the connect warming center and

[45:18] I engage with uh CEO Garbet on this

[45:20] regularly as well as any other business

[45:22] owners that have any concerns. I've

[45:23] shared uh similar data with them to show

[45:25] the policing efforts and enforcement

[45:27] efforts that we're doing as well as the

[45:28] patrol activities that we're doing in

[45:30] these areas. Um we saw a uh 114%

[45:34] increase at the junction which pertained

[45:36] mainly to uh missing persons complaints,

[45:39] theft of property and unwanted persons

[45:41] as well.

[45:43] uh

[45:44] we did see a change in data entry uh for

[45:48] uh Courtney this year in which you can

[45:51] see there is unspecified location where

[45:54] there is a 1300 over 1300% increase in

[45:57] this category. What this is is we

[46:00] changed our way of scoring in terms of

[46:02] certain locations. uh if we get a

[46:04] complaint where we don't have a specific

[46:06] location with Courtney, if it's just

[46:08] called in, it's often referred to as

[46:10] just Courtney, BC. So that's how it's

[46:13] correlating to the data that you're

[46:14] seeing here is that we don't actually

[46:16] have a specific area, but it's just

[46:18] assigned to the geographic area. If

[46:21] there are questions from council on

[46:22] that, uh I can take that at the end of

[46:24] the presentation and then I source that

[46:26] back with my analyst if they want a

[46:28] little bit more uh context to that uh

[46:30] that change in data point. and and we

[46:32] might have a slightly different

[46:34] presentation in our um escribe because I

[46:37] I see wildly different numbers. So I

[46:39] don't know if um

[46:40] >> and that might be the difference in

[46:42] » and that might be the difference in

[46:42] presentation slide decks. Originally I'd

[46:43] given this one uh and then I followed up

[46:46] with a third from a third quarter to

[46:48] second quarter. So right that's why I

[46:51] also have a difference of data. So, so

[46:53] for those thousands of people that are

[46:55] following us online and using that that

[46:57] one they they might uh see there might

[46:59] be a bit of different thanks.

[47:00] >> It might it might be helpful if if both

[47:02] » It might it might be helpful if if both

[47:02] are provided uh to the to the public

[47:04] after this presentation so they can see

[47:06] the difference. If they just want to

[47:07] follow on the screen along we can just

[47:08] go from uh the comparative years and

[47:11] then uh we can provide more drilled down

[47:13] data through the other slide deck on the

[47:14] on the third quarter. So thank you your

[47:16] worship for appreciate it.

[47:17] >> I saw a lot of confused faces and

[47:19] » I saw a lot of confused faces and

[47:19] mumbling over that. [laughter]

[47:22] Yeah.

[47:24] >> Um so for downtown calls for service uh

[47:28] » Um so for downtown calls for service uh

[47:28] there was a a large increase in breach

[47:31] uh that we saw uh 141% approximately 230

[47:35] files. Uh so again that was uh

[47:38] associated to the courthouse and

[47:40] probation area that that I discussed

[47:41] earlier. Uh unwanted persons saw a uh

[47:45] 22% decrease or a negative 133 file

[47:49] difference. uh violent crime. Uh we saw

[47:52] uh a 2% increase in violent crime

[47:55] relative to 2024. Uh higher numbers of

[47:59] harassment calls for service in which

[48:01] there was a 22% increase from uh 2024 or

[48:04] approximately a 38 file difference. Uh

[48:07] we did see minor drops in uh threats and

[48:10] sex offenses, robbery, homicide, arson

[48:13] uh but a slight increase in assault and

[48:15] forceful confinement.

[48:18] As uh I've talked about before, when it

[48:20] comes to the heat map, we find most of

[48:22] our uh calls for service, whether

[48:24] they're uh violent crime or property

[48:26] crime to be focused in the more dense or

[48:28] populated areas uh where we find that

[48:30] the most tra uh traffic is vehicle or

[48:33] human uh or where we have residential

[48:35] areas or uh condensed businesses as

[48:37] such. So this is consistent in terms of

[48:39] the East Courtney and downtown areas

[48:41] where we see uh the more uh inflamed

[48:44] part of the the heat map to show the uh

[48:46] the high percentages of of calls for

[48:48] these uh

[48:50] in these locations.

[48:54] With respect to property crime, we saw a

[48:57] 1% increase in property crime or

[48:59] approximately 19 file diff difference

[49:01] relative to 2024. Uh driven uh by about

[49:05] a 232% increase in mischief. So about a

[49:08] 44 file difference. We saw a drop in

[49:12] break and enters and petty offenses as

[49:14] well as theft of bike and shoplifting uh

[49:16] comparative to the 2024 year.

[49:22] Again, with the violent crime as in the

[49:24] property crime, the same sort of areas

[49:26] that are being highlighted here as far

[49:27] as the majority of calls for service

[49:31] uh with respect to the Controlled drugs

[49:32] and substance act in the in the third

[49:34] quarter of uh of the 2025 2026 fiscal

[49:37] year, there was an 83% or 25 uh 20 file

[49:41] increase in drug trafficking files

[49:43] relative to the previous fiscal year.

[49:45] This increase was attributable to

[49:46] enforcement initiatives rather than a

[49:48] rise in the incidence of drug

[49:50] trafficking. uh we did see a drop in

[49:52] drug possession which has always been

[49:54] our focus within the detachment and

[49:56] especially when we have uh

[49:57] decriminalization that uh that has

[49:59] expired. Uh I want to relay uh my

[50:04] thoughts as a commander is that our

[50:05] focus is not going to be shifting. It's

[50:07] going to be on the serious uh crimes

[50:09] when it comes to associated to drugs

[50:11] such as drug trafficking and drug uh uh

[50:13] production. The 83% increase that we're

[50:16] seeing uh largely is attributable to uh

[50:21] uh a transfer of an individual that came

[50:23] into our detachment who has a very keen

[50:26] sense of eye and sense of smell for uh

[50:28] for these type of activities and has uh

[50:31] been made quite an impact actually

[50:33] within uh the downtown court area as

[50:36] well as the surrounding areas. We've

[50:37] executed a number of search warrants. So

[50:38] we're very uh thankful to have this

[50:40] person with his knowledge and his

[50:41] experience to bring in to add on to the

[50:43] existing that we already have. So this

[50:45] is the benefits of of having that

[50:47] individual.

[50:49] >> Uh with respect to traffic, we've uh saw

[50:52] » Uh with respect to traffic, we've uh saw

[50:52] a 475% increase in dangerous uh driving

[50:55] or a 19 file uh difference with that. Uh

[50:59] now I don't actually have numbers to

[51:01] support if those were just calls that

[51:03] were uh that uh we responded to or if

[51:06] that also led to charges. I am curious

[51:08] about the impact as far as what we're

[51:10] making in terms of impaired driving. We

[51:12] do have a couple members within our

[51:14] detachment uh that uh receive uh

[51:17] recognition every year for the amount of

[51:19] impaired uh uh drivers that they've

[51:21] removed from the roadway. Um and we just

[51:24] got a recent transfer in which he's also

[51:26] been celebrated for the same stuff. So,

[51:27] we're um I I think when it comes to

[51:29] traffic uh offenses, we're we're getting

[51:32] better uh at it in terms of our uh

[51:34] proactive enforcement. uh we make it a a

[51:37] an annual priority uh to have our

[51:40] watches uh commit to uh stopping traffic

[51:44] violators as opposed to just responding

[51:46] calls and being proactively on the road.

[51:48] We're also seeing an introduction of uh

[51:50] a new traffic member that's going to be

[51:52] coming from the Siri uh detachment. Uh

[51:54] so we will be able to have uh three in

[51:57] our uh fourman unit uh operational

[52:00] hopefully within the next 90 to 120

[52:02] days. So, it will even improve our our

[52:04] traffic uh uh numbers.

[52:08] » That is not mine. Uh I'm more than happy

[52:11] to take confusing questions regarding

[52:13] the information that's been provided in

[52:15] front of you as opposed to the

[52:16] information that I presented on. Um

[52:18] three things that I just wanted to to

[52:20] get out there uh ahead of any sort of

[52:23] questions is some of the events that we

[52:25] uh that we did this uh this past

[52:26] quarter. Uh I felt that we were fairly

[52:28] impactful in terms of uh our community

[52:31] uh involvement. Uh we hosted our haunted

[52:35] cells event uh back in October uh that

[52:37] saw over 900 plus people visit our

[52:40] detachment uh throughout the course of

[52:42] the three-hour period. Uh this was also

[52:44] in part and parcel of trying to uh raise

[52:47] awareness and funds for some of our uh

[52:49] community partners such as our local

[52:51] search and rescue. Uh we were able to

[52:53] raise over $3,600 in funds for uh uh

[52:56] search and rescue and approximately

[52:58] $1,300 in food donations for uh uh the

[53:02] Salvation Army that was also a community

[53:04] partner on this whole thing. Uh the

[53:06] feedback on this particular event has

[53:08] been wildly uh uh positive. Um I

[53:11] personally greeted every person that

[53:13] came into the into the cells on that

[53:15] night and uh had conversations and

[53:17] dialogue with them. I was amazed by the

[53:19] uh number of First Canadians that uh

[53:21] that were coming through uh the the

[53:24] conversations uh that we discussed where

[53:26] they were um mystified by the fact that

[53:30] police would do something like this

[53:32] considering from some of the countries

[53:34] that they come from originally. Uh they

[53:36] have a very different take on on police

[53:38] officers. Uh some come from more

[53:41] authoritative uh regions where they

[53:43] don't see this side of policing. So it

[53:45] was it was rewarding in that sense. also

[53:47] uh our youth uh that managed to come

[53:50] through uh high-risisk youth that uh uh

[53:54] they were laughing and and sharing some

[53:57] of the stories that they may have had in

[53:59] those particular cells with their

[54:00] friends. But the the commentary that

[54:03] I've been able to receive from probation

[54:04] as well as from mental health

[54:06] professionals uh have said that uh they

[54:09] were talking about this weeks after in

[54:11] terms of the positive impact that that

[54:13] this had as far as how cool uh such an

[54:15] event was hosted and they're looking

[54:17] forward to doing it next year. Don't

[54:19] know if that's going to happen. I might

[54:21] need to convince uh higherups to uh to

[54:23] allow us to do something like this

[54:25] again. Uh but uh both from an attachment

[54:27] perspective and a community side, we saw

[54:29] an incredible amount of smiles and uh

[54:32] and people appreciating the efforts that

[54:33] were put forward and just a kudos to my

[54:35] staff for making the effort because it

[54:37] was all in volunteer time that they did

[54:39] this and they're all volunteers that

[54:40] participated in it. Uh on top of that,

[54:43] we had our uh uh we had the Wounded

[54:45] Warriors uh charity hockey game. While

[54:47] the RCMP doesn't uh put this on itself,

[54:51] uh Sergeant Rob Brennan takes a leading

[54:53] role in both planning and organizing

[54:54] this event. This is very personal to him

[54:57] uh as a as a first responder to raise

[54:59] awareness and funds. Uh the game against

[55:01] the Glacier Kings brought in over

[55:03] approximately $40,000 in funds uh for uh

[55:07] uh to uh to their cause uh and a

[55:09] combined total of 80,000 uh towards uh

[55:12] their initiative. Uh in addition to uh

[55:16] to that hockey game, uh myself and uh

[55:18] members in the detachment hosted a

[55:21] charity hockey game with the U15 North

[55:23] Island Tier 1 uh Bears uh minor hockey

[55:25] team in which they played against our

[55:28] detachment recreation team. Uh also a

[55:31] toy drive to raise toys for uh for uh

[55:34] persons uh in and families in need uh

[55:36] during the holiday season. So it was a

[55:38] well attended event and enjoyed by uh by

[55:41] all the kids that went to it as well.

[55:43] But now I'll defer to to questions from

[55:45] the floor after I pump my own tires. So

[55:47] >> Sure. Well, well, since you uh I know I

[55:49] » Sure. Well, well, since you uh I know I

[55:49] got a couple of of uh questions here um

[55:52] waiting, but since you were meandering

[55:54] off a little bit uh uh from the uh the

[55:56] presentation, maybe the first question

[55:58] I'll I'll ask about uh just because

[56:00] there's a very recent article on the uh

[56:03] potential new detachment uh building and

[56:06] um and it's been something that has been

[56:09] uh talked about since I've been on

[56:10] council the last 11 years and I know

[56:13] we're actually supposed to do a tour of

[56:15] North Cow in um Uh, I was supposed to go

[56:18] there about a week or two ago and then

[56:20] realized the other mayors weren't

[56:21] invited, so we got them invited. So,

[56:23] we're all going to be going down there.

[56:25] Um, cuz they've got a fairly similar

[56:28] size um uh area. Um, but uh the time

[56:32] that I've been on council, the the the

[56:35] holdup seems to be waiting for reports

[56:37] and things from sort of the higher ups

[56:40] in the RCMP. And so just wondering if

[56:42] those are um

[56:45] >> I I'd say that uh generating the

[56:47] » I I'd say that uh generating the

[56:48] conversation and getting everyone in the

[56:49] same room to uh understand what we're

[56:52] asking for and what we're looking for

[56:54] and uh the demonstrated interest from

[56:55] all the contributing municipal partners

[56:57] I think is key before we start

[56:59] initiating. It started off with the KFN

[57:01] with their letter of support. I I didn't

[57:04] make it a secret as far as that was my

[57:05] intention with all the municipal uh

[57:08] councils here and I'm just starting to

[57:10] get my legs underneath me right now that

[57:12] I'm going to make this a big push and

[57:14] priority for this particular year uh now

[57:16] that I have some free time to to pursue

[57:18] it. Uh I had a a collaborative

[57:20] discussion with the village of

[57:21] Cumberland that while they're not a

[57:22] contributing mimal partner, they will be

[57:25] in the near future and someone that

[57:27] should probably have some dialogue to it

[57:28] as far as getting a letter of support.

[57:30] My focus has always been to have a

[57:33] conversation both with the town of Komox

[57:35] and the city of Courtney and bring

[57:36] people in that room and discuss what our

[57:38] intentions are going to be, formalize it

[57:40] and then put it towards uh the RCMP as

[57:42] well as the public safety minister. Uh

[57:44] and then we would look at maybe again uh

[57:47] at a later time forming a committee to

[57:49] generate to show demonstrate that that

[57:52] seriousness and interest in in build.

[57:53] And I think once we start looking

[57:54] towards forming that that committee,

[57:57] then the people from my senior ranks

[57:59] will start to get involved and tell you

[58:01] what steps are needed, what options are

[58:04] available to you and what we can start

[58:05] doing to plan for that that new

[58:07] detachment.

[58:08] >> Okay. Excellent. Yeah, because I know

[58:09] » Okay. Excellent. Yeah, because I know

[58:09] it's been it feels like from my side

[58:11] that it we've been asking, but we've

[58:13] been kind of just waiting on on some of

[58:15] these studying stuff. But um the the

[58:17] second question I had was just since

[58:19] we're doing this tour, it may be uh a

[58:21] potential I'm not sure if you'd be

[58:22] interested in coming along, but

[58:24] >> yeah, I I I would love to to go down to

[58:26] » yeah, I I I would love to to go down to

[58:26] uh to Duncan. Uh Staff Sergeant Beard is

[58:28] a great commander there, and I'm sure

[58:29] he'd be more than hospitable to to have

[58:31] us there. Uh, one thing I did fail to

[58:34] mention, sorry, I know we talked about

[58:35] the new detachment. There was also a

[58:36] news release on the uh, uh, mobile

[58:40] integrated uh, crisis response uh, unit

[58:42] or the microcar or our car 64 uh, which

[58:45] has been uh, it came at the uh, in

[58:49] September. We uh we initiated the the

[58:51] pilot initiative uh and uh we decided to

[58:54] finally formally announce it yesterday

[58:56] and the impact so far for the past

[58:59] several months has been really positive

[59:01] within the community uh as far as uh

[59:03] what we're seeing in terms of

[59:04] relationship building and usage.

[59:07] >> Awesome. No, really appreciate that. Uh

[59:09] » Awesome. No, really appreciate that. Uh

[59:09] Mr. Carbid, um I know there's questions

[59:11] from elected officials, so I'll be very

[59:13] quick. Uh um Island Health staff had

[59:16] reached out. uh council had asked for a

[59:19] presentation about the outcomes of that

[59:21] and so uh Leslie Howy from Island Health

[59:24] and I think with Inspector Mercer there

[59:26] is an expectation from council to

[59:28] actually have a presentation on the

[59:30] outcomes of that pilot. So stay tuned.

[59:32] We'll try and do that as quick as

[59:33] possible.

[59:34] >> Fantastic. Really appreciate it. Uh

[59:35] » Fantastic. Really appreciate it. Uh

[59:35] thanks council for humoring me and I'll

[59:37] pass over to councelor Hillian.

[59:39] >> Thanks mayor and thanks for being here

[59:41] » Thanks mayor and thanks for being here

[59:41] inspector. Congratulations on your

[59:43] Halloween event. And I did drive by the

[59:45] detachment that night and wondered what

[59:47] was going on. But uh I spent quite a bit

[59:49] of time in those cells in my former

[59:51] life. So I had no wish to come and visit

[59:53] and see. Um I did want to ask two two

[59:55] questions. Uh one related to your stats.

[59:58] Um

[1:00:00] and I just wanted to clarify when we see

[1:00:02] a large increase uh um say breaches for

[1:00:06] example, do those represent distinct

[1:00:10] um files or actual counts?

[1:00:13] The point I'm getting at is you could

[1:00:14] have an individual who has multiple

[1:00:16] counts,

[1:00:17] >> right?

[1:00:17] » right?

[1:00:17] >> And [snorts] so a large number, it may

[1:00:19] » And [snorts] so a large number, it may

[1:00:19] not reflect that number of people, it

[1:00:21] may somebody who's been on a spree or

[1:00:23] whatever would inflate those numbers.

[1:00:26] >> Yeah, it it's a great question and let

[1:00:28] » Yeah, it it's a great question and let

[1:00:28] me bring that back to both my uh records

[1:00:31] person and my analyst to see if the data

[1:00:33] is drawn specifically based on the

[1:00:35] number of charges or actual identified

[1:00:37] persons that are being charged

[1:00:38] separately.

[1:00:39] >> Thanks. Um, the other thing I wanted to

[1:00:41] » Thanks. Um, the other thing I wanted to

[1:00:41] ask about and and I wanted to thank you

[1:00:43] for your efforts in enforcement on Back

[1:00:47] Road, which uh hopefully has eased off

[1:00:50] now that the Dyke Road is open again and

[1:00:52] there isn't the same pressure. But I

[1:00:54] just wondered if your members are

[1:00:56] noticing any difference um related to

[1:00:59] the lower speed limits in residential

[1:01:02] neighborhoods that have come into effect

[1:01:03] in the last few months. Crony,

[1:01:05] >> I I I think when when it was first

[1:01:07] » I I I think when when it was first

[1:01:07] introduced as well as the uh

[1:01:09] trafficcoming uh efforts, we we were

[1:01:12] getting feedback from the community

[1:01:13] mostly in terms of reporting persons

[1:01:16] that are violating those those or

[1:01:18] believe to be violating those violations

[1:01:20] or that aren't respecting the uh the

[1:01:22] calming uh pattern that's putting in

[1:01:24] there. uh back road has always been a a

[1:01:28] point of interest of me uh when when I

[1:01:30] first came here as I' I've spoken to

[1:01:31] before. I haven't had anything come up

[1:01:33] to my attention in the recent months.

[1:01:35] That's not to say that the existing

[1:01:36] problems still don't happen or if the

[1:01:39] current efforts are making a difference.

[1:01:40] Uh we have continued to increase our

[1:01:43] patrols within that area. Nothing has

[1:01:45] been reported up to me as far as uh

[1:01:47] additional complaints. Uh but uh yeah, I

[1:01:51] think it was certainly more noticeable

[1:01:53] during the point where uh certain roads

[1:01:55] were closed down and detourred and the

[1:01:57] amount of traffic that was being down

[1:01:58] there. So it's not surprising that with

[1:01:59] roads being opened up on Comox Avenue

[1:02:02] and such that probably the uh the amount

[1:02:05] of uh traffic that was going through

[1:02:06] there has probably dissipated a little

[1:02:08] bit.

[1:02:09] >> Yeah. All right. Thanks, Councelor and

[1:02:12] » Yeah. All right. Thanks, Councelor and

[1:02:12] Councelor Cole Hamilton.

[1:02:13] >> Yeah, thanks Marin. thanks for uh

[1:02:15] » Yeah, thanks Marin. thanks for uh

[1:02:15] sharing these details about about uh the

[1:02:18] community with us. I I um I wanted to go

[1:02:21] to the breach um question. I think every

[1:02:24] time we all have to kind of mentally

[1:02:26] remove that from the stats to some

[1:02:29] degree because uh the breach all occurs

[1:02:32] at the courthouse and it's not so much a

[1:02:35] crime in the way that most people think

[1:02:37] of crime. It's a it's um I don't know

[1:02:40] it's a state of someone being in a

[1:02:41] violation of the law and it's an

[1:02:43] administrative part of the the legal

[1:02:45] system. Would it be possible in in

[1:02:47] future would it make sense to to remove

[1:02:51] the produce of figures for us that

[1:02:53] removed the breach aspect and the

[1:02:56] courthouse as a location given that

[1:02:59] they're qualitatively different than

[1:03:00] everything else we're talking about. And

[1:03:02] when there's a you know a big increase

[1:03:04] in the breach it it excuse the figures

[1:03:08] and as an example I think that there was

[1:03:10] a 2% reduction in total calls last year

[1:03:12] >> right

[1:03:13] » right

[1:03:13] >> if you take remove breach from that then

[1:03:15] » if you take remove breach from that then

[1:03:15] it's four almost 5% reduction which is a

[1:03:18] fair difference

[1:03:19] >> I was just having a conversation with my

[1:03:20] » I was just having a conversation with my

[1:03:20] analyst today as far as what do we want

[1:03:23] the quarterly reports to look like

[1:03:26] moving forward and that and I think

[1:03:28] that's a conversation that I can have

[1:03:30] through the CEOs and through councils as

[1:03:32] far as what you would like to see

[1:03:33] represented in that data. It's not

[1:03:35] playing funny with the numbers, but I

[1:03:36] agree with you. I think that uh if there

[1:03:39] is a potential impact as far as the

[1:03:41] overall uh general feeling of safety uh

[1:03:44] in a in a community that something like

[1:03:46] this might uh lead it in a in a

[1:03:49] different direction. So, uh I think

[1:03:51] separating it from it is maybe something

[1:03:53] prudent to ask. And I can I can show uh

[1:03:56] the results of one report versus another

[1:03:58] uh on that too just to show the

[1:04:00] distinctive difference if that's

[1:04:01] something that council wishes for the

[1:04:02] future.

[1:04:03] >> That would be great. Mayor, can I just

[1:04:05] » That would be great. Mayor, can I just

[1:04:05] follow up? Yeah, brief followup. I was

[1:04:07] saying if if that is the case and that

[1:04:09] it really does make sense. They're

[1:04:10] qualitatively just different kinds of

[1:04:12] things um than community sort of uh law

[1:04:15] enforcement. And I'm looking at the uh

[1:04:18] the top 10 categories of of file types.

[1:04:21] And if one removes breach as we're just

[1:04:23] discussing then there's one that

[1:04:26] increased which was traffic incidents

[1:04:28] and councelor Helian's questions like

[1:04:32] kind of illuminated some of that but

[1:04:34] every other metric uh eight of them went

[1:04:37] down in one state the same and I think a

[1:04:39] lot of them seem to speak to um

[1:04:41] successfully addressing people's

[1:04:43] concerns about street disorder. I know

[1:04:44] that's something you've been working on.

[1:04:46] Things like unwanted person being down

[1:04:48] 11%, check well being down 11%,

[1:04:51] disturbance down 5%, suspicious

[1:04:53] circumstances down 4%, uh theft is down,

[1:04:57] and then assisting other services, which

[1:04:59] I imagine was a function of of overdoses

[1:05:02] and other um crisis. It it does seem to

[1:05:06] speak to um a consistent trend in

[1:05:10] managing those types of uh street

[1:05:12] disorder that people found challenging.

[1:05:14] >> It represents a positive trend. Whether

[1:05:16] » It represents a positive trend. Whether

[1:05:16] it consistently

[1:05:18] >> keeps going down in that direction is is

[1:05:20] » keeps going down in that direction is is

[1:05:20] always something that we we kind of

[1:05:21] monitor for the next quarter. And and uh

[1:05:24] I think

[1:05:25] >> when we look at the total calls for

[1:05:27] » when we look at the total calls for

[1:05:27] service for Courtney, we have seen less

[1:05:29] calls for service this year than in the

[1:05:31] previous year. Um and but this quarter

[1:05:35] in of itself, the third quarter uh was

[1:05:38] higher in some in some regards. So it it

[1:05:40] it goes up and down and it fluctuates.

[1:05:42] And I and I optimistically am cautious

[1:05:44] on on these trends when we see that. I

[1:05:46] mean it's certainly rewarding to see

[1:05:48] those key categories that are typically

[1:05:50] problematic and and dominate a lot of

[1:05:52] our calls for service start to trend

[1:05:54] down uh in that area. And then we always

[1:05:56] look to how we can pat ourselves on the

[1:05:58] back as to how that you know what caused

[1:06:00] that and whether it was you know some

[1:06:02] sort of enforcement change or some sort

[1:06:03] of police strategy or something else

[1:06:05] that that might have been a driver. So

[1:06:07] uh I I think it's a relevant point and

[1:06:09] something that uh you know hopefully

[1:06:11] we'll see in the next the final quarter

[1:06:13] uh the same sort of drop in it when we

[1:06:15] go from fourth quarter to third quarter

[1:06:17] as well. Well,

[1:06:17] >> it's an encouraging trend. It's good to

[1:06:19] » it's an encouraging trend. It's good to

[1:06:19] hear that you're actively analyzing

[1:06:21] what's causing that and so as to

[1:06:23] continue it. Yeah. Thanks very much.

[1:06:26] >> Thanks very much, uh, Councelor Cole

[1:06:28] » Thanks very much, uh, Councelor Cole

[1:06:28] Hamilton and Council Moore.

[1:06:29] >> Great. Thanks, Mayor. I have a couple

[1:06:31] » Great. Thanks, Mayor. I have a couple

[1:06:31] questions. We'll see if I can fit them

[1:06:32] all in. Um, thanks so much for the

[1:06:35] report. Um, so I noted that there were

[1:06:37] 36 calls at a private residence. Um, are

[1:06:40] you able to say whether is that a mental

[1:06:43] health related situation or

[1:06:46] >> maybe you're not able to share too much?

[1:06:47] » maybe you're not able to share too much?

[1:06:47] >> I I can't share too much about that. Um,

[1:06:50] » I I can't share too much about that. Um,

[1:06:50] Cumberland had a very similar type of

[1:06:52] thing where there was like an inflated

[1:06:53] call volume around a particular

[1:06:55] residence and that was uh a youth

[1:06:57] related thing. It wasn't a care home or

[1:06:59] anything, but it was just sometimes we

[1:07:02] find that we get called to events that

[1:07:04] don't necessarily require police

[1:07:06] attendance, right? And uh you know I

[1:07:09] know in in in a different jurisdiction

[1:07:10] we get called there's a residence that

[1:07:12] it shows like it it spiked up uh there

[1:07:15] but that was more health related because

[1:07:17] EHS requires us to stage to go into that

[1:07:21] house. It's not really a police matter

[1:07:23] right but we're there just to keep the

[1:07:25] peace. So, I mean there is that that

[1:07:27] element to it and I can look at this

[1:07:29] particular residence council MREN and

[1:07:32] get back to you on it if it is again I

[1:07:34] don't have to reveal the the the details

[1:07:36] of it but I can tell you the context as

[1:07:38] to which and why we're responding

[1:07:40] because when I do see specific

[1:07:41] residences like this that go up me as a

[1:07:44] commander and from a former operations

[1:07:46] per person is I don't like seeing that.

[1:07:48] I don't like seeing why we're spending a

[1:07:51] considerable amount of police resources

[1:07:52] on one particular residence and I try

[1:07:54] and look at ways to mitigate that

[1:07:56] whether it's to form better

[1:07:57] relationships with the appropriate

[1:07:58] agency or community supports that are

[1:08:00] better to step in or have some dialogue

[1:08:03] with those managers to say like this

[1:08:05] isn't working for us. We can't always

[1:08:06] just be there because you guys like to

[1:08:08] have us in your back pocket, right? So,

[1:08:11] uh and it doesn't do anything to mend

[1:08:12] any relationships with that person in

[1:08:14] the house either if they see the police

[1:08:15] behind them too. So, uh, I think it's a

[1:08:18] point of interest and and one that I can

[1:08:19] bring back and and probably get a

[1:08:21] better, uh, some better information for

[1:08:22] you on.

[1:08:23] >> Yeah. No, I mean, I know it's come up in

[1:08:25] » Yeah. No, I mean, I know it's come up in

[1:08:25] the past where we've had certain

[1:08:26] locations that have had a lot of calls

[1:08:28] and so I was happy to see that, um, the

[1:08:31] announcement around the mobile

[1:08:33] integrated crisis response unit. Um

[1:08:37] uh and yeah, you know, not to put a

[1:08:39] downer on it, but on social media there

[1:08:41] there were some comments kind of making

[1:08:44] it sound like it's fluff or it's not

[1:08:46] meaningful because these kinds of

[1:08:48] programs don't have the quantitative or

[1:08:51] sorry the the um you know the numbers

[1:08:55] backing them. They're experiences that

[1:08:57] create change and that happens over

[1:08:59] time. Um but I think those of us who you

[1:09:04] know have worked in the field of u

[1:09:08] working with these complex issues you

[1:09:10] know that those changes do often happen

[1:09:12] and it comes from relationship which is

[1:09:15] a lot of what that program is all about.

[1:09:17] So in some of our early reporting that

[1:09:19] we were seeing and this is why we talk

[1:09:21] about how trends go up and down and we

[1:09:23] have to be cautiously optimistic is that

[1:09:25] what we were seeing within the first

[1:09:27] month and a bit of uh of mic her

[1:09:29] introduced to uh to to Courtney we were

[1:09:32] seeing a down tick in in violence

[1:09:34] related calls for service. I'm getting

[1:09:37] excited thinking like, hey, is this

[1:09:38] maybe because people are getting the

[1:09:40] appropriate supports? They're getting

[1:09:41] connected to their uh their treatment

[1:09:43] teams. We're introducing something early

[1:09:45] on so that they're not spiking or

[1:09:46] escalating to a point of crisis where

[1:09:49] someone gets hurt or harmed, right? Uh

[1:09:51] we did see that number go up a little

[1:09:53] bit up again, but then again, it started

[1:09:55] to go down. So, I mean, is it a driving

[1:09:58] uh you know, reason as to why? No. But I

[1:10:00] mean I always look at it if that unit

[1:10:03] wasn't available the data would read

[1:10:06] differently right and we know that from

[1:10:08] our experiences dealing when with people

[1:10:11] in that have mental health crisis

[1:10:12] sometimes they escalate to a point where

[1:10:14] violence is involved right and that's

[1:10:16] when we get get uh get incorporated into

[1:10:18] the problem so uh I I think I feel more

[1:10:22] assured knowing that I have a trained

[1:10:25] registered psychiatric nurse that has

[1:10:27] the ability to assess people rather than

[1:10:29] one of my officers on the street and

[1:10:31] that is just it's really rewarding to

[1:10:33] have that opportunity right now.

[1:10:34] >> Yeah. No, I'm just um I'm hoping that um

[1:10:37] » Yeah. No, I'm just um I'm hoping that um

[1:10:37] the powers at Bweather through Island

[1:10:39] Health and um and your um organization

[1:10:43] are able to tease out some of that

[1:10:45] because I I believe that that that data

[1:10:49] is is there, but it's just harder to

[1:10:51] kind of tease it out. It's not like we

[1:10:53] can do a report of oh we paved this many

[1:10:56] we repaved you know this many kilometers

[1:10:58] of road like those kind of um impacts

[1:11:00] are just not easy to measure but um yeah

[1:11:04] so I hope people will just be patient

[1:11:05] and and allow this program to you know

[1:11:08] to to flourish and

[1:11:10] >> for sure

[1:11:10] » for sure

[1:11:10] >> and uh continue on but uh oh one last

[1:11:15] » and uh continue on but uh oh one last

[1:11:15] question was around I thought we had had

[1:11:18] in our charts previously

[1:11:21] um I don't know if it was under domestic

[1:11:25] um incidents or intimate partner

[1:11:27] violence. I thought we had that at one

[1:11:29] point. Um I was just curious around

[1:11:31] that. I know um what the trends that

[1:11:36] we're seeing just because sadly we've

[1:11:38] had, you know, very high-profile

[1:11:41] incident with um

[1:11:43] >> with a woman who was killed by a partner

[1:11:45] » with a woman who was killed by a partner

[1:11:45] who had done all the right things. And

[1:11:47] so it was just it's always something

[1:11:49] that's on my mind in terms of um

[1:11:52] primarily women experiencing violence

[1:11:54] and

[1:11:55] >> I think I think that's a a valid thing

[1:11:58] » I think I think that's a a valid thing

[1:11:58] to have in in reports. Uh, I always find

[1:12:01] that when it comes to sexual offenses

[1:12:03] and intimate violence and that that they

[1:12:05] need to be they have to have their

[1:12:07] special category represented in some

[1:12:08] sort of reporting because

[1:12:10] >> those are the ones like you said that

[1:12:11] » those are the ones like you said that

[1:12:11] always catch the headlines that always

[1:12:14] you always wonder what could have been

[1:12:16] done, where was the trends, what were

[1:12:17] police doing and uh we do have a special

[1:12:20] victim's unit that focus primarily on

[1:12:23] those type of uh offenses. So I think uh

[1:12:26] moving forward that's something that I

[1:12:27] can bring to my analyst and then tease

[1:12:29] that out uh so that it's something for

[1:12:30] you guys to consume and ask questions on

[1:12:32] later as well.

[1:12:34] >> Great. Thank you.

[1:12:36] » Great. Thank you.

[1:12:36] >> Excellent. Thanks very much uh councelor

[1:12:38] » Excellent. Thanks very much uh councelor

[1:12:38] MREN and uh I don't see any further

[1:12:40] questions. Um oh uh Mr. Carver

[1:12:44] thank you through the mayor. I wanted

[1:12:45] the our elected officials to be able to

[1:12:46] answer questions. I I can say that uh to

[1:12:49] your to your um comments, councelor Cole

[1:12:51] Hamilton, I've spoken with Inspector

[1:12:53] Mercer about breach. Uh and I can let

[1:12:56] council know that all of the local

[1:12:58] governments on Vancost provincial

[1:13:00] courouses are are questioning this

[1:13:03] statistic. It does show up in the uh

[1:13:06] crime severity index report. Um so the

[1:13:09] uh city manager of Duncan uh Port

[1:13:12] Alurnie and myself have talked about

[1:13:13] this. We've had a roundabout

[1:13:15] conversation in Campbell River as well.

[1:13:17] It is I agree uh a special category and

[1:13:20] when it's not factored into our uh stats

[1:13:23] there are very good news and the work

[1:13:25] that our uh RCMP partners are doing is

[1:13:28] very good. So I I actually feel that

[1:13:31] like this is something that needs

[1:13:33] attention because it is a special

[1:13:34] category. I 100% agree and talked to

[1:13:37] Inspector Mercer about that and I'm glad

[1:13:38] that he's pulling that statistic out.

[1:13:40] It's just when you look at that report,

[1:13:43] that provincial index, it it tells a

[1:13:46] story that is not a complete one. So, I

[1:13:48] think we need to remain focused on that.

[1:13:49] And thank you for raising that,

[1:13:50] counselor.

[1:13:53] >> Yeah. And and also there's a a financial

[1:13:55] » Yeah. And and also there's a a financial

[1:13:55] implication there when we're talking

[1:13:56] about, you know, Cumberland paying more

[1:13:58] and Komox and city of Courtney. And this

[1:14:01] is something that, you know, is uh quite

[1:14:04] specifically provincial courthouse. So,

[1:14:06] uh um oh pass it over to council.

[1:14:11] >> Yeah, thanks Mayor. Well, I generally

[1:14:13] » Yeah, thanks Mayor. Well, I generally

[1:14:13] agree with uh with that approach. Um I

[1:14:16] think uh we shouldn't lose sight of the

[1:14:18] fact that um breaches are are valuable

[1:14:21] work that our police officers do and and

[1:14:24] this these reports are partly a

[1:14:26] reflection of of police work. Um,

[1:14:29] sometimes it's interesting to note the

[1:14:32] distinction between breaches that

[1:14:34] involve minor offenders, um, people who

[1:14:37] maybe didn't show up for an appointment

[1:14:38] and and more significant offenders who

[1:14:40] may have violated a no contact order,

[1:14:43] um, with a victim or any number of

[1:14:45] things. So um I would suggest rather

[1:14:48] than being entirely removed from the

[1:14:50] report, it simply be categorized

[1:14:53] separately as a separate issue to

[1:14:55] reflect the work that police are doing

[1:14:57] without necessarily being a reflection

[1:14:59] of uh of crime in the community. I would

[1:15:01] I would ask that that too just for the

[1:15:03] fact that there is a degree like you

[1:15:04] said a degree of work that can't be

[1:15:06] minimized on stuff like this because it

[1:15:08] is essentially hours that are being

[1:15:10] committed elsewhere for while it may be

[1:15:12] an administr administrative offense

[1:15:14] there's leg work and and disclosure that

[1:15:15] needs to be done with it as well.

[1:15:17] >> Yeah. And and I that's how I interpreted

[1:15:18] » Yeah. And and I that's how I interpreted

[1:15:18] what councelor Cole Hamilton meant but

[1:15:20] I'll pass back to him.

[1:15:21] >> Yeah. Thanks very much and I appreciate

[1:15:23] » Yeah. Thanks very much and I appreciate

[1:15:23] the clarification. I certainly wouldn't

[1:15:24] want to lose track of those figures

[1:15:26] because as was being said, it's a an

[1:15:28] important metric of how police time is

[1:15:30] being used and because we happen to have

[1:15:32] a courthouse here, which other

[1:15:34] communities don't. We pay for a certain

[1:15:36] amount of police resources that are used

[1:15:38] for um the administration of the court

[1:15:41] system rather than dealing with what

[1:15:42] most people think about as uh crime in

[1:15:45] our community. Uh so useful to have them

[1:15:48] but useful to be able to look at sort of

[1:15:50] true community based stats that don't uh

[1:15:52] include them. Yeah. Thanks.

[1:15:55] >> Thanks for that clarification. Um with

[1:15:57] » Thanks for that clarification. Um with

[1:15:57] that uh I think we can accept the uh

[1:16:00] report unanimously uh by council and um

[1:16:04] really appreciate uh the the update

[1:16:07] today.

[1:16:07] >> Oh sure.

[1:16:09] » Oh sure.

[1:16:09] >> Yeah.

[1:16:09] » Yeah.

[1:16:09] >> You can ask if you want.

[1:16:11] » You can ask if you want.

[1:16:11] Uh I was I was wondering given that

[1:16:13] there there was mention by the mayor of

[1:16:15] the uh you know the need for uh which

[1:16:18] you've been stating for a new uh

[1:16:21] division headquarters. Um one then

[1:16:24] there's a piece in the CBC today which

[1:16:26] discussing it.

[1:16:28] One thing that I haven't been able to

[1:16:29] find out from asking people is what the

[1:16:31] typical funding formula is for the

[1:16:35] building of a new structure like that.

[1:16:37] uh is there some contribution by um is

[1:16:41] it E division green timbers? Is there a

[1:16:43] contribution by the province by the

[1:16:45] federal government by

[1:16:47] >> and it was a very similar question that

[1:16:48] » and it was a very similar question that

[1:16:48] was posed to me by the village of

[1:16:50] Cumberland as far as what can we expect

[1:16:51] in terms of you know a set standard

[1:16:54] contribution level to so that we can do

[1:16:56] future planning. I think that's step

[1:16:59] four or five down the road. And while

[1:17:00] it's a very important step, it's getting

[1:17:02] the at the interest and the commitment

[1:17:05] factor and then the persons that are

[1:17:06] able to present those options to you

[1:17:08] because it's a series of options. It's

[1:17:10] depending upon what you want for a

[1:17:13] detachment and what we agree on as far

[1:17:16] as a uh an effective policing

[1:17:19] detachment. Currently, we have an

[1:17:20] integrated service where everyone's

[1:17:21] underneath one roof. So, that's

[1:17:23] provincial members as well as municipal

[1:17:25] members. I have a set belief and uh I

[1:17:29] truly do believe that our policing model

[1:17:31] that we have right now is beneficial to

[1:17:33] everyone to the city of Courtney to the

[1:17:35] town of Komox having everyone underneath

[1:17:37] one roof. There may be a consideration

[1:17:40] that may not you might not want to go

[1:17:42] that route and there's different options

[1:17:44] that are that that are potentially

[1:17:46] available before you depending on what

[1:17:48] route you want to want to go as it you

[1:17:50] know it's going to be your detachment

[1:17:52] right your build uh with whoever is

[1:17:54] contributing towards that the amount of

[1:17:57] who prays what is something that will be

[1:18:01] decided in collaboration through the

[1:18:02] committee through OSB and through

[1:18:04] project management when they present

[1:18:06] those options to you and I I think the

[1:18:08] service delivery review that has been uh

[1:18:11] that is going down uh that is happening

[1:18:12] in the background right now will help

[1:18:14] set that foundation to move that

[1:18:16] conversation forward uh because it's

[1:18:19] long been standing that there are

[1:18:20] discrepancies as far as what community

[1:18:22] feels that they should pay for policing

[1:18:24] and what percentage and I'm hoping that

[1:18:27] uh this report will present some data

[1:18:29] that will reflect what is currently

[1:18:33] needed for adequate uh and and effective

[1:18:35] policing. Um that report should be ready

[1:18:39] [clears throat] to present to council in

[1:18:41] some fashion here in the next coming

[1:18:42] months. We set a diary date of April.

[1:18:45] Everything that I have right now is

[1:18:47] indicating that it's on time. I think

[1:18:49] that will also help build uh that

[1:18:52] discussion piece as far as the

[1:18:53] contributions towards the detachment

[1:18:55] because you know whether it's going to

[1:18:57] be Cumberland uh and Komox and and

[1:19:00] Courtney, you need to be able to

[1:19:02] effectively plan through your taxes as

[1:19:04] far as what that uh what that portion is

[1:19:07] going to be that you're going to have to

[1:19:08] fund, right? So, um I don't want to put

[1:19:11] the cart before the horse or speak out

[1:19:13] of turn. I think taking it in small

[1:19:15] steps right now as far as demonstrating

[1:19:17] that intent to build or that letter of

[1:19:19] support, then we can get that committee

[1:19:21] set up to answer those very important

[1:19:23] questions that you're asking right now.

[1:19:25] >> Yeah. Um I mean I can I can I I

[1:19:29] » Yeah. Um I mean I can I can I I

[1:19:29] understand everything you're saying. A

[1:19:30] lot of that makes sense and certainly

[1:19:32] like the question of what this building

[1:19:34] should be and to me to some degree

[1:19:36] that's a question of how big the pie is,

[1:19:38] right? But I think one of the questions

[1:19:39] that local governments would need to

[1:19:41] think about before signing off on a

[1:19:43] letter saying that something should be

[1:19:45] done um is what what portion of the cost

[1:19:49] we would be responsible for covering to

[1:19:51] make sure that you know we're doing our

[1:19:53] due diligence. We're thinking ahead

[1:19:55] >> um because these are significant sums

[1:19:57] » um because these are significant sums

[1:19:57] and uh you know as municipalities we try

[1:20:00] to plan ahead to make sure we're ready

[1:20:02] for them. So right um probably

[1:20:04] >> the sooner the better and like you said

[1:20:06] » the sooner the better and like you said

[1:20:06] it might be step four or five but I

[1:20:07] think perhaps providing a bit more

[1:20:10] information on what sort of range of

[1:20:11] funding might be helpful

[1:20:13] >> maybe up until that point uh if that's

[1:20:16] » maybe up until that point uh if that's

[1:20:16] you know certainly a a critical

[1:20:18] consideration for for this council

[1:20:20] before they commit to a letter I can go

[1:20:22] back to uh division and and maybe get

[1:20:25] some clarification to give you a

[1:20:27] ballpark idea on something like that if

[1:20:29] that if that's better served than just

[1:20:31] me ambiguously making statements here.

[1:20:34] Uh and then we'll we'll see what that

[1:20:36] might generate in terms of

[1:20:38] >> to my mind that seems really helpful to

[1:20:40] » to my mind that seems really helpful to

[1:20:40] get a clearer idea. So, thanks very much

[1:20:41] for that. Yeah.

[1:20:42] >> Okay. Appreciate it.

[1:20:44] » Okay. Appreciate it.

[1:20:44] >> Yeah. Thank thanks councelor uh Cole

[1:20:46] » Yeah. Thank thanks councelor uh Cole

[1:20:46] Hamilton and again uh given the

[1:20:48] conversations that I've had both with

[1:20:50] the other elected mayors here but more

[1:20:52] specifically proincially with our our

[1:20:54] counterparts um uh around this topic. We

[1:21:00] feel that I I definitely feel like we've

[1:21:02] been definitely saying like this is

[1:21:03] something that needs to happen. So it

[1:21:05] it's uh I'm happy to see it happening.

[1:21:08] Um one of the reasons for doing the tour

[1:21:10] down in North Kawichin is to find out

[1:21:14] those exact questions. How did they make

[1:21:16] it happen? What are lessons that they've

[1:21:18] learned? Um what were the challenges or

[1:21:20] pinch points and those kinds of things.

[1:21:22] So, um hopefully um the um we'll we'll

[1:21:26] get some light shed and uh I I think one

[1:21:29] of the things that is not lost on me

[1:21:31] when every year goes by uh on a project

[1:21:34] like this, whatever is going to be cost

[1:21:37] construction, the the costs going up and

[1:21:39] I think I've had this conversation with

[1:21:40] you. I it was the first conversation I

[1:21:42] had with Inspector Kerver when I became

[1:21:44] mayor. Um and that was, you know, seven

[1:21:47] years over seven years ago now. And so,

[1:21:50] uh, I think it's, uh, definitely, uh,

[1:21:53] something that that, uh, we're we're

[1:21:55] keen on getting as much, uh, data as we

[1:21:57] can. So, um, with that, I think, uh,

[1:22:00] we're flush out of questions for now,

[1:22:02] but, uh, really looking forward to the

[1:22:05] presentation on, um, on the on the new

[1:22:07] car and, uh, and its impact on our

[1:22:10] community. And I just want to really say

[1:22:12] thanks the feedback from uh

[1:22:14] organizations but even just uh the

[1:22:16] impact that you guys have had with uh

[1:22:18] the different events you're putting on.

[1:22:20] It's just great to see that uh community

[1:22:22] integration. So much appreciate it.

[1:22:24] >> Well, thank you for your time this

[1:22:25] » Well, thank you for your time this

[1:22:25] evening.

[1:22:26] >> All right, have a good day.

[1:22:29] » All right, have a good day.

[1:22:29] >> Um all right, uh over to internal

[1:22:32] » Um all right, uh over to internal

[1:22:32] reports and correspondence. We'll uh go

[1:22:34] back to our regularly scheduled um

[1:22:37] agenda. 6.1 ABA digital gold award for

[1:22:40] Courtney's website redesign and I'll

[1:22:42] pass it over to Mr. Garvet.

[1:22:44] >> Yeah, thank you through the mayor to

[1:22:45] » Yeah, thank you through the mayor to

[1:22:45] council. Um unfortunately um

[1:22:48] [clears throat] and Guio is unwell today

[1:22:50] and so uh Kate Connell is going to give

[1:22:52] a little overview of this briefing note

[1:22:54] which is extremely exciting and we're

[1:22:56] all proud very proud of the work.

[1:22:59] >> Uh thanks very much. Yes. Um, I'm very

[1:23:02] » Uh thanks very much. Yes. Um, I'm very

[1:23:02] sad that on one of the very few nights

[1:23:04] that Ann is not able to be here is one

[1:23:06] where we're going to have an opportunity

[1:23:07] to celebrate in a successful project

[1:23:10] that she was really an integral part and

[1:23:12] lead of. But um, to get to it, I'm

[1:23:14] excited to bring some fantastic news,

[1:23:16] but a significant accomplishment for the

[1:23:18] city of Courtney. We've been awarded the

[1:23:20] AVA Digital Gold Award in recognition of

[1:23:23] our recent website redesign. The ABA

[1:23:25] Digital Awards is an esteemed

[1:23:26] international competition that

[1:23:28] celebrates excellence in digital

[1:23:29] creativity, branding, and strategy

[1:23:32] recognizing the work of creative

[1:23:33] professionals across various fields such

[1:23:35] as digital campaigns, website

[1:23:36] development, audio, and visual

[1:23:38] production, and social media engagement.

[1:23:40] The award highlights innovative

[1:23:42] approaches to digital communication and

[1:23:44] the transformative impact of technology

[1:23:46] on communications and engagement. The

[1:23:48] website replacement project was

[1:23:50] initiated due to the pressing need for a

[1:23:51] modern and accessible city website. Our

[1:23:54] previous site, which was over a decade

[1:23:55] old, fell short of current designs and

[1:23:57] functionality standards. Through

[1:23:59] community consultation, we learned that

[1:24:01] many of our residents, particularly

[1:24:02] those from equity deserving communities,

[1:24:04] relied heavily on our website for

[1:24:06] essential information, but face

[1:24:08] challenges in navigating it. The new

[1:24:10] website, launched on July 22nd of last

[1:24:12] year, marks a significant step in

[1:24:14] enhancing our digital presence and

[1:24:15] providing better access to vital

[1:24:17] information for residents, businesses,

[1:24:19] staff, and visitors.

[1:24:21] One of the key elements of the project

[1:24:23] success in this ex exceptional collab is

[1:24:25] the exceptional collaboration across all

[1:24:27] city departments. Every department

[1:24:29] played an important role in the

[1:24:31] development of the new site ensuring

[1:24:33] that it truly reflects the diverse needs

[1:24:34] of our community members. This award is

[1:24:37] not just for website. It is a shared

[1:24:39] achievement by everyone involved in the

[1:24:41] project. We came together to create a

[1:24:43] user-friendly, informative and

[1:24:44] accessible digital platform. I want to

[1:24:47] extend special thanks to Angio who's

[1:24:49] currently the acting director of

[1:24:50] corporate services but regularly the

[1:24:53] manager of communication services for

[1:24:55] her leadership and unwavering commitment

[1:24:57] throughout this process as well as to

[1:24:59] the communications team whose expertise

[1:25:01] was crucial in bringing this redesign to

[1:25:03] life. Some highlights include um or key

[1:25:07] improvements include a userentric

[1:25:09] design. So, this redesigned website

[1:25:11] features streamlined navigation tailored

[1:25:13] to different user groups, making it

[1:25:14] easier for everyone to find information

[1:25:16] quickly. It's accessible. So, we have

[1:25:19] enhanced the accessibility of our

[1:25:20] website to meet the WC A2.2 level

[1:25:24] doubleA standards, ensuring that it's

[1:25:26] usable by all members of our community.

[1:25:29] We've enhanced the search functionality,

[1:25:31] so users can now easily navigate and

[1:25:33] aggregate results from various

[1:25:34] platforms, simplifying the process of

[1:25:37] finding information. There's also an

[1:25:39] interactive and multilingual features.

[1:25:42] The incorporation of interactive maps

[1:25:44] and support of over 80 languages with

[1:25:47] immediate translation broadens

[1:25:48] accessibility and engagement

[1:25:49] opportunities for everyone. This award

[1:25:52] represents the hard work and dedication

[1:25:54] of every individual who contributed to

[1:25:56] bringing this vision to life. But

[1:25:58] really, it wouldn't have been possible

[1:25:59] without the input and perspectives of

[1:26:01] our residents and business community

[1:26:03] members um who are extremely integral in

[1:26:06] informing how we shaped the way we

[1:26:08] interact with our community members. And

[1:26:10] with that, any questions uh council may

[1:26:12] have, but happy to celebrate an award.

[1:26:18] » Thank you so much. And and huge kudos to

[1:26:21] uh to Ann and the team. Um I I know uh

[1:26:24] for someone like myself uh I I was

[1:26:26] chomping at the bit for quite some time.

[1:26:29] Um and uh but seeing the the outcome uh

[1:26:33] definitely was worth the wait. So uh and

[1:26:35] I I think I mentioned I've me well I've

[1:26:36] mentioned it to Ann I think quite a few

[1:26:38] times. I've mentioned it at this table

[1:26:40] as well um just the ability to find

[1:26:42] information uh which I think is its most

[1:26:44] critical uh use is uh uh definitely uh

[1:26:48] heads and shoulders above what it used

[1:26:50] to be. So uh councelor Thanks, Mayor

[1:26:53] Hardy. Congratulations to you and your

[1:26:55] entire department. And in particular, I

[1:26:57] hope Miss Guo knows how much uh her work

[1:27:00] is valued and appreciated. Uh she does

[1:27:03] excellent work, not just in relation to

[1:27:06] this website redesign, but but

[1:27:07] throughout her duties and and she's an

[1:27:09] incredibly valued member of of the city

[1:27:11] staff. Um, I did want to ask if there is

[1:27:14] any sort of formal uh presentation that

[1:27:17] will be taking place. Uh, an expenses

[1:27:19] paid trip to somewhere or anything like

[1:27:21] that.

[1:27:25] » Yep.

[1:27:28] » Um, this is not one of those ones where

[1:27:31] we get to fly some place and accept and

[1:27:33] get photos. Um, they actually made the

[1:27:35] announcement through the website and

[1:27:37] that's how we found out. At the same

[1:27:38] time, I will say um we did take the

[1:27:41] liberty of of um celebrating with some

[1:27:43] staff uh including some uh gold medals

[1:27:47] made by hot chocolates to to be able to

[1:27:49] share. So, we all felt that that pride

[1:27:51] of the award, but no, it's there's

[1:27:53] unfortunately no uh presentation here.

[1:27:55] It's a bit more subtle than that, but

[1:27:57] still appreciate it.

[1:27:59] >> And and on the um agenda, there are some

[1:28:01] » And and on the um agenda, there are some

[1:28:01] screenshots and there's a bit of a

[1:28:03] PowerPoint there for those who are

[1:28:04] following us online. They can uh take a

[1:28:06] look at the site there. Uh but hopefully

[1:28:08] they would have gotten there from our

[1:28:10] website. So um again, huge kudos uh if

[1:28:14] we if we look at how to best communicate

[1:28:16] with um uh the folks of the city of

[1:28:19] Courtney and beyond uh the website's

[1:28:22] definitely most effective way. So really

[1:28:24] happy to see that and uh congratulations

[1:28:26] to everybody. Um and uh council just

[1:28:30] unanimously received this and uh again

[1:28:33] kudos to everybody involved. Um, next on

[1:28:36] the agenda, we have the indigenous uh

[1:28:38] procurement uh update. Mr. Gar,

[1:28:42] thank you through the mayor to council.

[1:28:45] Um, council gave us direction to update

[1:28:47] our procurement policy. Uh, as well, uh,

[1:28:49] we committed to bring back some

[1:28:51] information on how it was going. We're

[1:28:52] one of the first municipalities to

[1:28:54] actively engage on this and we're really

[1:28:56] proud of that work. We think it's very

[1:28:58] very important and it's consistent with

[1:28:59] council's direction on reconciliation

[1:29:01] and activities to support um uh

[1:29:05] important capacity building in our

[1:29:07] community. Uh again, Mr. Eninsworth is

[1:29:09] going to give us an overview of this

[1:29:11] program and he's available for

[1:29:13] questions.

[1:29:18] Thank you, Mr. Garbett. uh through the

[1:29:19] city manager and mayor council. This

[1:29:21] briefing note provides an update on the

[1:29:23] city's indigenous procurement work, what

[1:29:25] staff are currently doing and where we

[1:29:27] see the future opportunities. Indigenous

[1:29:29] procurement refers to procurement

[1:29:31] practices that intentionally increase

[1:29:32] participation by indigenous owned

[1:29:35] businesses in public sector supply

[1:29:37] chains. At its core, the work supports

[1:29:39] economic development, job creation, and

[1:29:42] capacity building within indi indigenous

[1:29:44] communities while also advancing

[1:29:46] reconciliation in a practical and

[1:29:48] systemic way. In January 2023, council

[1:29:51] adopted in an updated procurement policy

[1:29:53] framework. This was a significant

[1:29:55] milestone as it modernized a policy last

[1:29:58] updated in 2011 and for the first time

[1:30:01] at the local government level in BC, it

[1:30:03] included explicit language supporting

[1:30:05] indigenous procurement. Since that time,

[1:30:07] staff have been focused on embedding

[1:30:09] indigenous procurement considerations

[1:30:10] into day-to-day procurement activity

[1:30:12] across the organization.

[1:30:16] Since policy adoption, staff have

[1:30:18] implemented indigenous procurement

[1:30:19] across all non- construction procurement

[1:30:21] processes, updated templates, and

[1:30:24] delivered training to staff. Indigenous

[1:30:26] procurement considerations are now

[1:30:27] routinely discussed in bitter debriefs

[1:30:30] and importantly staff have received no

[1:30:32] negative feedback from the market on

[1:30:33] this approach to date through regular

[1:30:36] meetings with the Komox Economic

[1:30:38] Development Corporation. Staff have

[1:30:39] developed indicative processes for

[1:30:41] capital construction projects informed

[1:30:42] by those discussions. Current work is

[1:30:45] focused on developing indigenous

[1:30:46] procurement plans for mal major capital

[1:30:48] projects such as the East Courtney Fire

[1:30:50] Hall and the Anderton lift station.

[1:30:52] Looking ahead, staff see opportunities

[1:30:54] to further refine indigenous procurement

[1:30:56] and capital construction, including uh

[1:30:59] post post project reporting to assess

[1:31:01] effectiveness and inform continuous

[1:31:03] improvement. Continued staff training

[1:31:05] and organizational capacity building

[1:31:06] will remain a focus alongside

[1:31:08] strengthening relationships with

[1:31:10] indigenous partners. Overall, this work

[1:31:12] position positions the city to deliver

[1:31:15] meaningful and systemic reconciliation

[1:31:17] outcomes while remaining fully compliant

[1:31:18] with applicable trade agreements and

[1:31:20] procurement best practices. And with

[1:31:22] that, I'll be happy to take any

[1:31:23] questions.

[1:31:25] >> Fantastic. Thanks so much and

[1:31:26] » Fantastic. Thanks so much and

[1:31:26] appreciated the reports and I'll pass it

[1:31:29] over to Councelor Hill.

[1:31:31] >> Thanks, Mayor, and thanks for staff's

[1:31:34] » Thanks, Mayor, and thanks for staff's

[1:31:34] work on this initiative. I did note

[1:31:36] there was a question from the public

[1:31:38] that among other things asked about um

[1:31:41] um whether or not this um initiative

[1:31:44] tracked engagement with um indigenous

[1:31:50] members of the community beyond Karach's

[1:31:52] first nation and we do have uh certainly

[1:31:55] people with uh from other uh uh

[1:31:58] indigenous backgrounds along with matei

[1:32:00] and uh so I just wondered if um you know

[1:32:02] we have any way of tracking that within

[1:32:06] the procurement initiative.

[1:32:08] >> Um so in terms of tracking the progress

[1:32:11] » Um so in terms of tracking the progress

[1:32:11] amongst the communities um in the

[1:32:14] various first nations uh whether it be

[1:32:16] on Vancouver Island, BC or more broadly

[1:32:18] um we we don't necessarily have any

[1:32:21] tracking mechanisms currently in place

[1:32:23] for that. Um the structure of the policy

[1:32:26] around specific opportunities for

[1:32:28] specific first nations is really around

[1:32:30] the construction procurement piece and

[1:32:31] that's u based on um typically um well

[1:32:35] I'm getting drifting away from your

[1:32:36] question I apologize but um I guess the

[1:32:38] answer is no we don't have any tracking

[1:32:40] mechanisms and I'll stop there. Yeah.

[1:32:42] >> Oh yeah sure. Um just um in terms of the

[1:32:45] » Oh yeah sure. Um just um in terms of the

[1:32:45] construction procurement, it is it the

[1:32:47] policy is highly defined for Komox First

[1:32:50] Nation businesses. Um and and the reason

[1:32:52] for that is is the work is is occurring

[1:32:54] on their traditional territory. So um

[1:32:56] there there's two pieces to the policy.

[1:32:59] Something that broadly applies across

[1:33:00] all procurement that isn't necessarily

[1:33:02] structured or or directed specifically

[1:33:05] to Komox First Nation on the

[1:33:06] construction side of things because

[1:33:08] we're building those projects within

[1:33:09] city limits that is on that traditional

[1:33:11] territory. refocus those opportunities

[1:33:13] to KFN and their businesses.

[1:33:17] >> Right. Councelor

[1:33:20] » Right. Councelor

[1:33:20] Hill.

[1:33:21] >> Thanks, Mary. And just to follow up, um

[1:33:23] » Thanks, Mary. And just to follow up, um

[1:33:23] I know that there are a number of

[1:33:26] indigenous b businesses that are in fact

[1:33:29] connected to Komox. I don't know whether

[1:33:32] there we have uh businesses in the

[1:33:35] community that have other indigenous

[1:33:37] heritage that they identify as such, but

[1:33:39] I'm imagining that um when we um when we

[1:33:44] go through the procurement process and

[1:33:46] essentially award points for some sort

[1:33:48] of indication that there's an indigenous

[1:33:50] component um that could in fact cover

[1:33:55] the whole range of uh of communities

[1:33:57] that are represented within the valley

[1:33:59] beyond just Komox.

[1:34:00] >> Yep. Absolutely. So um just um speaking

[1:34:03] » Yep. Absolutely. So um just um speaking

[1:34:03] currently or a procurement that recently

[1:34:05] closed, we did see um a vendor that

[1:34:08] identified as an indigenous business

[1:34:10] from down island. Um so we are asking

[1:34:12] those questions around whether or not

[1:34:14] the organization that's bidding a

[1:34:16] project is an indigenous business and to

[1:34:18] provide additional information and

[1:34:19] details to that effect.

[1:34:22] >> Excellent. Thanks uh councelor councelor

[1:34:24] » Excellent. Thanks uh councelor councelor

[1:34:24] Mr. Gard.

[1:34:25] >> Yeah, thank you through the mayor.

[1:34:27] » Yeah, thank you through the mayor.

[1:34:27] Councelor Helen, just with respect to

[1:34:28] the identification of Komox First Nation

[1:34:30] and so I would say we're in a relatively

[1:34:33] unique position where we have one

[1:34:34] principal First Nation within our uh

[1:34:37] within our the lands that incorporate

[1:34:39] our municipality and so that's

[1:34:41] appropriate to identify that principal

[1:34:42] First Nation. If we're in the context

[1:34:45] where we had multiple First Nations as

[1:34:46] is the case uh north and south, east and

[1:34:49] west of us, uh then we would do that.

[1:34:51] That's the explanation as to why there's

[1:34:53] a specific reference.

[1:34:56] Uh thanks for that clarification. Uh

[1:34:58] appreciate that. Um and um thank you.

[1:35:03] And we'll receive that unanimously. Uh

[1:35:05] thank you Scott for the the

[1:35:07] presentation. And we'll move into

[1:35:08] bylaws. We have 7.1.1 fees and charges

[1:35:10] amendment bylaw 3208 2026 for solid

[1:35:14] waste.

[1:35:17] » Okay. And I'll pass it over, I think, to

[1:35:20] Chris Thompson.

[1:35:22] >> Uh yeah. or if council has any questions

[1:35:25] » Uh yeah. or if council has any questions

[1:35:25] we can have a presentation or if you

[1:35:26] want to proceed as is carry on.

[1:35:33] » Okay. So, looks like we're going to Yep.

[1:35:37] Uh

[1:35:39] >> fair enough. Okay. Uh so, it's been

[1:35:42] » fair enough. Okay. Uh so, it's been

[1:35:42] moved and seconded. Doesn't sound like

[1:35:44] there's any questions. Um, so with that,

[1:35:47] all those in favor and motion carries

[1:35:51] and we'll go to 7.1.2,

[1:35:55] the uh 2026 revenue anticipation boring

[1:35:58] bylaw 3209.

[1:36:02] Okay, it's been moved and seconded. And

[1:36:04] I heard that Mr. Langmire was online. If

[1:36:07] there's any questions,

[1:36:09] there he is.

[1:36:11] Uh, councelor Fr.

[1:36:13] >> Yeah. No, quickly. We do this every year

[1:36:15] » Yeah. No, quickly. We do this every year

[1:36:15] this time of year. So, I'm really happy

[1:36:17] just to move ahead. Thanks.

[1:36:20] >> All right. With that, I'll call the

[1:36:21] » All right. With that, I'll call the

[1:36:22] question. All those in favor?

[1:36:24] Any opposed? And motion carries. And

[1:36:28] that brings us to council reports. We'll

[1:36:30] start with councelor Cole Hamilton.

[1:36:32] Councelor Fr. Councelor Hillian.

[1:36:37] [clears throat]

[1:36:38] >> Thanks, Mayor. Two things. First of all,

[1:36:40] » Thanks, Mayor. Two things. First of all,

[1:36:40] I want to acknowledge um being part of

[1:36:43] the uh project watershed's celebration

[1:36:46] of the lifting of the of the wall at the

[1:36:49] cuscusum site. And uh I would encourage

[1:36:52] anybody who hasn't had the opportunity

[1:36:53] to watch the process unfolding uh to to

[1:36:57] take it in. It's quite remarkable to

[1:36:59] actually watch one of those steel plates

[1:37:01] being pulled out from start to finish

[1:37:02] and to see how long they are. And uh um

[1:37:05] so there was an event on Thursday

[1:37:06] afternoon that was um open to members of

[1:37:09] the public who had signed up with three

[1:37:10] sessions that yourself and and others

[1:37:13] were at and very well attended with a

[1:37:16] great deal of support for the project.

[1:37:18] So I just wanted to acknowledge that. I

[1:37:20] also wanted to acknowledge that um in

[1:37:23] the past weeks I've had the opportunity

[1:37:25] to reflect on um the uh the work that

[1:37:28] our staff does um sometimes in the face

[1:37:31] of a significant amount of pressure and

[1:37:33] I'm aware that um at the council table

[1:37:36] from time to time either through

[1:37:38] reflecting things we've heard in the

[1:37:40] public or through questions that come up

[1:37:42] for ourselves um it might be implied

[1:37:45] that uh that council members such as

[1:37:47] myself don't always have the uh um uh

[1:37:52] the the full regard for the work that

[1:37:54] our staff does that uh that perhaps we

[1:37:58] it might be implied that that we don't

[1:38:01] respect and value the work that our

[1:38:02] staff does. And I I just want to

[1:38:04] reaffirm my own perspective that u the

[1:38:08] staff that works for the city of

[1:38:09] Courtney and the consultants that serve

[1:38:10] us do excellent work sometimes under

[1:38:13] very difficult circumstances. And uh I

[1:38:16] want to reaffirm uh my uh faith and and

[1:38:19] respect for the expertise and the

[1:38:21] professionalism that they bring to the

[1:38:23] work that they commit every day. And uh

[1:38:25] I think we're very fortunate to have the

[1:38:27] staff and consultants that we do have.

[1:38:29] And um uh I think from time to time the

[1:38:33] the cut and thrust of what goes on at

[1:38:35] the council table may suggest otherwise

[1:38:37] and it couldn't be further from the

[1:38:38] truth from my perspective and I just

[1:38:40] wanted to acknowledge that today.

[1:38:42] >> Thanks.

[1:38:43] » Thanks.

[1:38:43] >> Uh thanks so much. Councelor Hill,

[1:38:45] » Uh thanks so much. Councelor Hill,

[1:38:45] really appreciate that. Uh, yeah, the I

[1:38:48] know the the staff definitely have my

[1:38:50] utmost confidence and I think that that

[1:38:52] that's pretty true of of all of council,

[1:38:54] but yeah, sometimes uh comments can be

[1:38:56] made that could be uh misconstrued. So,

[1:38:58] I appreciate you clarifying. Um, Council

[1:39:01] McCullum,

[1:39:04] Councelor Morren, and um, again, just

[1:39:07] want to appreciate everybody who came to

[1:39:09] the couscous event. It was extremely

[1:39:11] well attended, an amazing event. very

[1:39:14] inspiring to see our community come

[1:39:15] together and I know there's many council

[1:39:17] members there. Um uh last night I was

[1:39:20] able to present uh the Legion with a

[1:39:23] replacement freedom of the city uh um

[1:39:27] plaque which uh apparently had gone

[1:39:29] awall um uh a year or two ago and so

[1:39:33] we're able to replace that and they were

[1:39:35] very thankful and it's a good time to uh

[1:39:38] reflect on the fact that the Legion

[1:39:40] Canadian Legions are celebrating 100

[1:39:42] years this year. Um and uh so it was a

[1:39:45] great presentation last night and um uh

[1:39:48] this is the time of year where I'm doing

[1:39:50] a lot of presentations uh to

[1:39:51] organizations uh like Rotary and uh

[1:39:54] Lions, that kind of thing. And so if

[1:39:56] there are any organizations out there

[1:39:57] that are wanting an update uh on city

[1:40:00] activities, happy to do that. But uh in

[1:40:03] particular, the Courtney Rotary Club uh

[1:40:06] uh yesterday I was able to uh go and

[1:40:08] accept a check. Actually Joy took the

[1:40:10] check. Uh I just got a picture with the

[1:40:12] big one um uh for $10,000 to the

[1:40:15] Woodcoat Park. Um and uh so uh and just

[1:40:19] it's really great to see uh Rotary Clubs

[1:40:22] uh kind of getting re-engaged and over

[1:40:25] the last um uh uh year and a bit the

[1:40:28] Courtney Rotary Club is actually put um

[1:40:31] uh over $150,000 into um projects within

[1:40:36] the city of Courtney. So, um, uh, they

[1:40:39] they were ready to go and I know there's

[1:40:41] other Rotary clubs that are just just as

[1:40:43] excited and and happy to work with the

[1:40:44] city on on projects. So, uh, with that,

[1:40:48] uh, we'll adjourn.

Council Meeting

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