All
right, welcome everybody to the January
28th regular council meeting for the
city of Courtney. And I'd like to start
by respectfully acknowledging that the
land on which we're gathered is the
unseated territory of the Komox First
Nation, the traditional keepers of this
land. Um, we don't have any late items,
but we'll move into adoption of minutes.
uh from January 14th.
>> All right, it's been [laughter] Thanks,
» All right, it's been [laughter] Thanks,
Council Morn. Um are there any errors or
omissions?
Seeing none, we'll accept the minutes
unanimously and we'll move into
presentations. Um and I don't see
Inspector Mercer here. So, what we'll do
is we'll just bear the agenda and um I
think and when Inspector Mercer gets
here, we can uh pop back to that and
we'll move on to item 5.1 corporate
facility energy management plan.
That's all right. And I'll pass it over
to Mr. Garbet. Thank you. uh through the
merit council. Um Janine Tazioli will
provide an overview of uh the corporate
facility energy management plan report
and we have uh our director of uh um
engineering and environmental uh
division online as well as a consultant,
Miss Tazuli.
>> Thanks Mr. Garbett. Um welcome mayor and
» Thanks Mr. Garbett. Um welcome mayor and
council. I'm looking forward to
presenting our corporate facility energy
management plan. Um this plan represents
more than a year of work with our
consultant from Prism Engineering um
who's joining us virtually and we'll be
talking about uh what this what this
plan means for our buildings and the
path forward.
So our objective is modern and efficient
facilities and reducing greenhouse gas
emissions. So this plan identifies the
specific upgrades and retrofits required
to achieve those greenhouse gas
reduction targets required by the
provincial climate change accountability
act in buildings owned by the city. The
pie chart shows a breakdown of our
greenhouse gas emissions portfolio
across all aspects of the city. So this
plan addresses the natural gas used in
buildings as well as the electricity
used in buildings which collectively
represent 43% of our emissions profile.
In addition to looking at what specific
projects to do, part of this project
looked at how to be successful with the
implementation. And these are some key
uh measures that came through. So, we
want to focus on the buildings that
consume the most natural gas. That will
give us the largest reductions. We want
to align our equipment replacements with
the end of life of equipment.
We'll work with BC Hydro um to ensure
that there's enough electricity to
supply our facilities at the time that
we need it. Also working to align with
their funding programs. We'll consult
building occupants to ensure that we're
accounting for their comfort and the use
of the building. We'll seek external
grants and funding and we'll track our
progress. Uh we'll make sure that we
have systems in place to monitor and
measure the performance of the buildings
and the utility consumption.
So the scope of this project
included our primary facilities and our
smaller facilities. The primary
facilities
uh represent 90% of our emissions
profile and for those ones we've done a
detailed ashray level 2 energy
assessment. This portion of the project
was funded by FCM and the green
municipal fund and their community
building retrofit initiative and the
final report is attached in u attachment
2. Our smaller facilities are represent
only 18% of our emissions. We did a
higher level assessment because these
are more simple buildings with less
moving parts. And that final report is
included in attachment
four.
So this is a summary of our top
emitters. The Lewis Center um was among
the highest followed by the operations
center, native sons hall, memorial pool,
fire hall, library and art gallery. The
proportion of the space on the graph
represents the proportion of the
emissions. So as we had reviewed um 90%
the green and the blue are covered by
our major facilities and that green
square represents a collection of our
smaller facilities which include lift
stations, street lighting, washroom
buildings etc.
So our approach is a series of retrofits
and upgrade projects planned from 2026
to 2050.
The general approach will be to operate
optimize the operation of our existing
equipment. Upgrading equipment at the
end of life for facilities that are
currently being used. So in cases where
facilities may be retired or are at the
end of their lifespan, we will not be
upgrading the equipment in those
facilities. We'll replace the existing
equipment with high efficiency electric
options. And then after that's complete,
we'll consider on-site renewable energy.
And this approach really recalls a
phased approach with the first phase is
um focusing on
uh reducing our gas use, switching to
electric options, making our electric
options more efficient, and then looking
at on-site generation to further reduce
our um greenhouse gas reductions and
build resilience for the city. So we um
are resilient against power outages.
So this is a summary of what the
proposed plan um means as far as
greenhouse gas reductions across our
portfolio. So in a business as usual
case, if we were to not proceed with
this plan and simply replace equipment
at end of life with no consideration for
its uh consumption of gas or its
efficiency, we would have some moderate
gains just from um equipment becoming
more efficient. However, the most gains
really come with the implementation of
this plan where we are considering what
what reduces our emissions most and and
planning for things that are end of life
and and completing those projects in a
strategic way. You'll also notice on
this graph there are two emission
targets. These are provincial emission
targets that are outlined in the climate
change accountability act. And so it is
our goal and direction we've received
from council so far to prepare a plan to
meet those reduction targets. And we can
see the timeline um for when we might
expect those reductions on this graph. I
will note that this is all modeled and
our actual performance will be based
will be measured as we go um once we
complete some of those upgrade projects.
So this is a summary of the financial
implications.
The costs here are the capital costs to
complete the projects. Also noted are
the base case costs for each year. And
the base case represents that
cost for equipment that is at the end of
life and if we were to just replace it
um with no consideration for greenhouse
gas reductions, that's the cost that we
would incur.
So um this project has been grant funded
so far with no tax impacts. There are a
number of grant funding streams
available for implementation phases. We
also have some reserve funds available
um that must be spent on greenhouse gas
reduction initiatives through our LGCAP
local government climate action plan
funds. And these amounts were provided
in the five-year financial plan and 2026
budget for council consideration.
So with that um we have a couple of
resolutions for consideration and I'm
happy to take any questions.
Excellent. Thank you very much for uh
the presentation. It's good to see
things meen and Wong and uh uh it's uh
really like the um diagram just kind of
showing where most of the energy is
coming from uh kind of in in uh in uh
comparison with the other buildings. Uh
with that I'll pass it over to councelor
I don't think the mouse is working.
Councelor Cole Hamilton.
>> Yeah, thanks Marin. Thanks so much for
» Yeah, thanks Marin. Thanks so much for
the report Janine. Um this is important
work and it's good to see that we're
doing it in a very cost-effective way. I
appreciate it seeing that all of the
studies so far have all been um produced
by grant funding and uh the LGCAP
funding obviously comes from the
province for and is required to be spent
on exactly this kind of work. Um
so I guess my my question was uh just to
dig a bit deeper on the funding aspect.
Um it strikes me that the the base case
that you spoke of which is replacing
like with like if we just uh were going
to do business as usual um that that
would be covered by the uh by the SIP.
Um so and it would make sense that it
would be covered by the SIP according in
my by my way of thinking it's replacing
existing infrastructure and the increase
in level of service um would be covered
would make sense to be covered by LGCAP
and I'm wondering if um if that is a a
way of allocating the uh the
expenditures required to to implement
this. um if you had any thoughts on the
way it's currently structured which you
think is all LGCAP versus using the SIP
to uh cover replacement of existing
infrastructure.
» Uh thanks councelor Cole Hamilton. I'm
able to provide some technical
background around those base cases. So
because there is a basease cost, I think
that proportion is eligible for funding
through the SIP which is the sustainable
infrastructure program. Um but using
that fund would be a choice made by
council and um our financial officer. So
I think that perhaps that could be a
budget conversation, but maybe I'll
defer to Mr. Garbett to weigh in.
>> Uh thank you through the mayor. Um when
» Uh thank you through the mayor. Um when
we presented the financial uh plan,
capital projects uh were identified uh
ranging from linear to vertical assets.
Some of them are funded by the SIP funds
and it would be um given the amount of
uh asset management we need to do. um
the recommendations a variety of sources
to to the and these uh building
improvements. And so at at this point u
u our finance officer when we discussed
this at the uh financial plan can run
over the the table that was presented to
council on the number of items in 2026
78 and what their proposed capital
funding sources are. Uh but at this
point yes all of these items would be
SIP eligible. uh and in the current plan
some of them uh for the works that are
planned are are using SIP money and some
are using uh reserves uh other types of
reserves. So we we could note that u and
uh although Mr. Langmar is uh attending
this meeting electronically uh if he
wants to weigh in any further but I
think that's the status at this point.
>> Could I ask a clarifying follow-up
» Could I ask a clarifying follow-up
question? I I mean I I know in the uh in
the staff report it it referenced using
LGCAP fun buttons, but I also note the
resolution that was on the screen a
second ago um doesn't speak to where the
funding is going to come from that that
so would I be correct in thinking that
the actual um decision SIP versus LGCAP
will be made at a later date and doesn't
need to be made today given that it's
not referenced in the recommendations.
» Thank you through the mayor. That would
be that would be my uh recommendation at
this point. Um
and uh as I said, Mr. Langmare is is
participating electronically. If we uh
thought that we needed uh any different
direction than that, he would respond.
So we can wait till uh that uh
discussion could be tackled uh at our
February 11th
um meeting where the financial plan will
be presented.
>> Okay. Thanks very much. [clears throat]
» Okay. Thanks very much. [clears throat]
Thanks, Councelor Cole Hamilton and
councelor Ilian.
>> Thanks, Mayor, and thanks very much for
» Thanks, Mayor, and thanks very much for
the work on this. I'm just curious if um
uh I don't think we have any solar uh
installations yet, apart from the uh the
crosswalks. Uh um do you know at what
point we will start doing uh solar
additions to uh to new roofs? Uh I
wasn't sure whether the um uh the Woodco
Park uh replacement might have included
that. Uh but that's gone ahead before
this report. So I just appreciate an
update on uh when you think we might
actually see uh solar roofing panels on
city buildings.
>> Great question. Um Councelor Hillian, I
» Great question. Um Councelor Hillian, I
think it's important to note that
there's two different objectives when it
comes to solar panel installations. So
in some cases it's a great way to
provide electrical service in locations
that don't have power hookup and we see
small p small small solar panels used in
that way across the city for temporary
traffic billboards or um you know
lighting that that kind of thing. When
we're looking at permanent installations
on our facilities that's planned in 2041
and beyond. Um, this plan takes us to
our 2050 goals and the intention of
those installations is for on-site
generation. So, we can power our
buildings using power generated onsite
to build resilience and reduce our
greenhouse gas emissions. And that's not
something we would pursue until our
buildings are already electric and
efficient so that we can, you know, use
that solar powered generated on site
most effectively.
>> Thanks very much. Appreciate that. And
» Thanks very much. Appreciate that. And
councelor McCullum.
>> Yeah, thanks Marin. Thanks for the
» Yeah, thanks Marin. Thanks for the
report. Um it's great to see this uh
coming through and um yeah our approach
and the rationale to how we're funding
it and um you know the um
how we're going to address those
transitions over time based on when our
equipment is needing replacement and
looking for opportunities to improve um
how we're using energy in our buildings
makes a lot of sense to me. Uh, one
question I did have is, um, as far as I
could tell, there wasn't, um, a lot of
analysis on whether or not there's cost
savings and in terms of like future
operational costs going with electricity
over natural gas. Um, and I mean with
the um change in taxation on natural gas
um with the um carbon tax being removed
and I realize there's a lot more
variability with um natural gas than I I
think electricity rates are are
reasonably predictable. Um but I'm
wondering if we have a sense of whether
or not this represents an operational
savings or um like for like or if you if
you have any insights into that that
would be good to know as well.
Thanks, councelor McCullum. What are we
do have data on that and I will point
out that it is available um in
attachment three and appendix B or C
that has a list of all of the specific
upgrades or that are planned at each
building and for each specific upgrade
um it indicates if we can expect some
operational savings or not and in cases
where we are switching from gas to an
electricity it's likely that it we may
have additional util ility costs because
electricity so far has been more
expensive than gas. In cases where we
are making or we are using electricity
more efficiently, we do expect an
operational cost savings. And so it it's
quite project dependent and we have
those two variables happening at the
same time where we are increasing
electricity use while decreasing gas use
across our portfolio.
Sorry, which attachment did you say
that? What's attachment three? Appendix
appendix B
are numbered differently. I Yeah, I'm
sorry. I didn't see that when I was
reading through the reports.
Appendix P. I'll find it. Um, yeah, we
can we can carry on. But uh yeah, that's
useful and and that does make sense to
me that um it's case dependent.
>> So I misspoke. Uh attachment for
» So I misspoke. Uh attachment for
appendix B if
>> Oh, okay. Yeah, in the big report. Okay,
» Oh, okay. Yeah, in the big report. Okay,
thanks. I'll I'll go back and look at
that.
>> And thanks uh councelor McCullum and
» And thanks uh councelor McCullum and
councelor Fr.
>> Yeah, thanks Mayor. Um in the case of
» Yeah, thanks Mayor. Um in the case of
the native hall, that's something that
you're interested in doing sooner than
later, it looks like. Um, where's that
heating plant at? Like it does it need
to be replaced this year? Is that why
it's first on the docket?
» Great question, Councelor Fr. Um, that
heating plant uh definitely needs to be
replaced. It's end of life and I was
told by our facility maintenance folks
that we could be experiencing cold
spells if we don't replace it in short
order. So, that one is at the top of our
priority list for that reason.
>> Yeah. And um yeah, I don't I don't know
» Yeah. And um yeah, I don't I don't know
a lot about heating systems, but it
looks like it's maybe 60,000 to replace
it with the existing something like what
we have. I assume that's a gas, I know,
boiler or something similar. Um yet it's
$350,000 for an electric I assume. Is it
a heat pump or is it an electric boiler?
Sorry to get into the nitty-gritty. I
just it's a lot of money. It's a huge
difference between the electric version
and the gas version. And maybe there's
also some other pieces that have to be
replaced for changing fuel source.
>> Great question. Um, is our consultant
» Great question. Um, is our consultant
from Prism on the line? Um, I think this
would be a great technical question to
get some of their input. So, um, I'll
pass that over to Emma from Prism.
>> Hi. Can you all hear me?
» Hi. Can you all hear me?
>> Yep.
» Yep.
>> Yes. Great. Thank you so much for that
» Yes. Great. Thank you so much for that
question. That's a good one. So the
Native Suns Hall um boiler plant heating
plant upgrade um actually is with a
higher efficiency boiler but there's
other work involved that has increased
the cost. Um and specifically that has
to do with the piping through the
building. Um so while we were on site we
noticed that the way it has been piped
to the building leads to inefficiencies,
a lot of heat radiating to spaces where
it doesn't need to be. So, a lot of
losses along the way and so this upgrade
um most of the cost is to improve those
efficiencies that will critically help
with occupant comfort and improve the
efficiency of the system overall. So,
that's where we see a big cost.
>> Yeah, thanks for that. I guess I just
» Yeah, thanks for that. I guess I just
want to make sure that staff are looking
at it obviously with a critical eye
trying to figure out, you know, um
because we are entering a bit of a
session if anyone's not noticed and uh
so maybe we make sure that we're doing
what needs to be done in the most
efficient way and it sounds like that's
what you're doing. So I appreciate that.
Thanks.
» Okay. Uh that was going to be my next
question. I don't see anything any
questions. Somebody like to second it.
>> All right. Motion's moved and seconded.
» All right. Motion's moved and seconded.
Uh any questions or comments with motion
on the floor? See none. All those in
favor
motion carries. All right,
we'll move on to um uh next item under
financial services, Courtney Marina
Society renewal lease. And at this
point, I'll uh just declare my uh
conflict of interest and I'll pass it
over to councelor Morn as acting mayor
and uh vacate my seat.
Okay. So, I think I'll hand it over to
staff to introduce this uh this report.
Thank you.
I need to Where's my mic?
Yeah,
it's usually on the other side the
regional district.
>> Thank you. uh through the uh acting
» Thank you. uh through the uh acting
mayor uh to councel um our manager of
procurement risk and real estate Scott
Hinssworth who's going to introduce this
report.
Thank you Mr. Garbet. Uh through the
city manager to the acting man the
acting mayor uh in council. Uh this
report seeks council direction on
renewing the lease uh with the Courtney
Renewal Courtney Marina Society for the
city-owned marina lands on the Courtney
waterfront. The city has leased the
marina facilities to the Courtney Marina
Society for over 30 years to support
public access to the water, including
small motorized and non-motorized
vessels. The society is a notfor-profit
organization that operates and maintains
the marina on behalf of the city. Over
time, the society has made investments
in the marina at its own expense,
including dock upgrades, storm repairs,
safety improvements, and ongoing
maintenance.
The current lease term expires at the
end of 2025 or has expired at the end of
2025 uh with the and the society is
requesting a renewal um effective
January 1st, 2026.
As part of the renewal, staff reviewed
uh existing revenue sharing the the
existing revenue sharing arrangement and
commissioned an independent appraisal to
establish the market rental value of the
submerged lands. The appraisal
determined that the market lease value
is approximately $10,100 annually
recognizing the unique constraints of
the site including tide dependent access
as well as limited amenities.
Staff also considered the broader
planning context. A local area plan for
the Courtney Air Park and Marina
precinct is scheduled for 2027 and staff
recommend that the lease be revisited
once that planning work is complete to
ensure alignment with future land use
direction.
Council's presented with several options
ranging from maintaining the status quo
revenue sharing model to moving
immediately to a full market lease rate.
Staff are recommending option one, a
graduated lease rate. This approach
transitions from the current revenue
sharing model to uh toward full market
rent over the 5-year term. The
recommended option balances fiscal
responsibility with the operational
realities of a small not for-profit
society, reducing administrative
complexity over time and maintains
continuity of marina operations while
longerterm planning is underway. Staff
are also recommending updated lease
provisions to streamline administration,
including GST treatment and clearer
membership requirements. In summary, uh
the recommended approach supports public
access to the waterfront, recognizes the
society's long-standing role in
investments and positions the city to
reassess the arrangement once broader
precinct planning is complete. And with
that, I'd be happy to take any
questions.
>> Great. Thank you. And I see councelor
» Great. Thank you. And I see councelor
Hillian has a question. Go ahead.
>> Thanks, Acting Mayor. I was just curious
» Thanks, Acting Mayor. I was just curious
um thanks for the work in the report, by
the way. Uh I was curious about um if
market value is uh is that amount now in
5 years isn't it going to be more and
does it put us into um another catchup
situation?
>> Uh it it could potentially put us at
» Uh it it could potentially put us at
another catch-up situation. Um I I think
to a much lesser degree than what we're
looking to achieve at at this time. Um,
I think given the magnitude of the
change, uh, staff didn't feel like an
additional cost or CPI increase was
necessary, but we can certainly look at
that if council wishes.
» Okay. And
councelor FR.
>> Yeah. Thanks, acting mayor. Um, my
» Yeah. Thanks, acting mayor. Um, my
question is around whether
[clears throat]
the um, society collects the fees and
then remits the rest to us. That's how
it works. It kind of flows through them.
And so I'm wondering if we're we're
going to increase their rates um if you
think it's realistic that they'll be
able to um charge those rates based on
you know it it's very title access
there. So you think the market will bear
that or is that our assumption then when
we get them up to you know $10,000 and
in lease fees to us?
Sorry. Um no thanks for the question.
Based on feedback from the the Marina
Society and a review of their financial
statements, we didn't think that there
was a this was causing a real barrier to
their financial operations. So, initial
feedback has hasn't uh raised any red
flags.
>> Okay, thanks very much.
» Okay, it's been moved and seconded. Um,
is there any further discussion? Seeing
none, all in favor?
No one opposed. Okay, thank you. I guess
we'll call the mayor back in.
Thank you, Councelor Morren. Much
appreciated. And we'll move into uh the
fire department uh UBCM community
emergency preparedness fund grant
application. And I'll
turn on your microphone there in a sec.
All right. And Mr. Garbert.
>> Yeah. Thank you. Through the mayor to
» Yeah. Thank you. Through the mayor to
council. Um
this report in front of you, Chief
McDonald is going to give an overview. I
just wanted to continue to highlight the
partnership and leader and leadership uh
that our we continue to have our fire
department evolve into a uh
multi-jurisdictional emergency
management support center. Um and uh
this has been discussed uh at the uh CEO
level that this kind of uh joint
approach both through grant support and
program support to the emergency program
is really critical for it to be
effective. But I just I I want to take
every opportunity to highlight the uh
partnership that we continue to um
support. Chief McDonald,
thank you through the CEO to Mayor and
Council. Uh the purpose of this report
is to seek council approval to reapply
for the following Union of BC
municipalities community emergency
preparedness fund regional application
streams. the emergency operations center
equipment and training, emergency
support services equipment and training
funding, public notification and
evacuation planning and indigenous
cultural safety and humility. Uh as uh
this CEO has stated that this
application is being made in partnership
with the Komox Valley Regional District,
town of Komox Village of Cumberland and
Komox First Nation, which allows us to
look at these uh projects with a
regional lens and provide maximum value
to the amount of funding that's coming
in. Uh fairly straightforward uh report
and happy to take any questions if you
have any on them.
>> Fantastic. I really appreciate it's
» Fantastic. I really appreciate it's
great to see this regional partnership
uh um on these uh applications and um I
don't really see uh councelor MREN
>> Oh, sorry. Yeah, I just wanted to say
» Oh, sorry. Yeah, I just wanted to say
thank you for being uh diligent in
applying for grants. This is on the
heels of course of the other the
regional uh big award that the region
received for the community resiliency um
uh fires smart. So hopefully you'll be
just as lucky with this one. Thank you.
>> Thank you.
» Thank you.
>> Right, it's been moved and seconded. I
» Right, it's been moved and seconded. I
don't think there's much discussion. All
those in favor? Any opposed? And motion
carries. And uh the next item is
Courtney Fire Department annual report.
Back to you. Uh fire chief.
>> Thank you through the CEO to Mayor and
» Thank you through the CEO to Mayor and
Council. Again, I'd like to thank you
for the opportunity to present the Cordi
Fire Department's 2025 annual report.
Uh, I'll be providing you an overview of
what the department did over the past
year, starting with who we are, then
moving into response activity,
prevention, training, and our work
beyond municipal boundaries.
The Courtney Fire Department operates as
a composite department, combining a
small career staff with a large
volunteer component. Our volunteers
handle a significant portion of
emergency response particularly in
evenings, nights and weekends early
evenings. Uh this model continues to
work because of our strong training
coordination and a high level of
commitment from our members which is a
theme that you'll see reflected through
the rest of this report.
Looking at overall response activity in
2025, the department responded to 1,36
calls for service. That's slightly lower
than 2024. And this decrease was driven
mainly by fewer ambulance assists and
fewer open burning responses. While the
total number of calls declined, the
amount of time and effort required to
manage incidents remains substantial,
particularly for our volunteer members.
When we look at where those calls
occurred, the majority were west of the
Cordy River, which is consistent with
pretty much every year that we've been
tracking these stats. We still do have a
consistent significant portion of
responses to the east side, but again,
not as much as to the west. Um,
this split has remained fairly stable
year after year and is an important
operational consideration when we're
looking at staffing, deployment, and
response coverage across the city.
Breaking those calls down further, alarm
activations were the most common
response types in 2025. Open burning and
motor vehicle incidents followed with
public service calls and ambulance
assists continue to represent a
meaningful share of our workload.
Prevention and public education are key
parts of reducing emergency risk in the
community. In 2025, staff completed more
than 1,800 fire inspections and
delivered 191 public education events.
Most deficiencies identified during
inspections were minor in nature. things
like emergency lighting or fire
extinguishers with that required
servicing which indicates good overall
compliance. This work plays a
significant role in improving fire
safety before emergencies occur.
Supporting both response and prevention
is a strong emphasis on training. In
2025, members completed over 4,900 hours
of training covering fire suppression,
auto extrication, self-rescue, and
medical response. Included in that
medical response was required BC
emergency medical assistance gap
training which was completed ensuring
compliance with updated medical response
standards. Essentially, they increased
the uh types of um protocols and
treatment that we could could provide to
a patient and it required everyone in
our department to go through a day's
worth of training, additional training
over and above everything else that they
have to do. Uh we've also started a new
recruit class in September and those
members have been progressing very well
through the program. They're actually at
this stage now where they're going to be
doing their first live fire uh training
where they'll be going into the burn
building that we have at the training
ground and we'll be seeing how they
perform under those types of of
situations.
Beyond day-to-day operations, the
department also supported broader
emergency and wildfire response efforts
in 2025. While the local emergency
program activations were limited, those
would be for your uh warming and/or
cooling events, uh provincial wildfire
activity remained significant. Cordi
fire department personnel were deployed
to support wildfire suppression and
emergency operation center operations
during the Wesley Ridge and the Mount
Underwood fires, working alongside
regional and provincial partners.
Alongside emergency response and
training, the department also worked on
several internal priorities throughout
the year. These included work related to
facilities, staffing analysis, and fleet
planning, all managed while maintaining
uninterrupted emergency service
delivery. In summary, 2025 was a year of
steady response activity, strong
volunteer engagement, and continued
emphasis on training, prevention, and
regional cooperation. On behalf of the
members of the Courtney Fire Department,
I'd like to thank council for its
continued support, and I'd be happy to
answer any questions you may have.
So, thanks so much for for the report.
It's great to see uh all the numbers. Um
maybe I have a a quick question on
whether or not um this is something that
gets uh advertised uh through social
media like on the the volunteer
firefighters um Facebook page, that kind
of stuff, or it's something that just
comes to council.
>> Are referring to the stats?
» Are referring to the stats?
>> Uh yeah. Or or the Yeah,
» Uh yeah. Or or the Yeah,
>> generally just present it to council. We
» generally just present it to council. We
do do some highlights of of like bigger
events on uh Facebook or use social
media but again just prefer to use
prefer to use this venue to to discuss
and they've got access to it through the
annual report that comes out I think in
June and things like that. So the public
does have access if they want it they
can also phone the fire department and
we can answer questions that way as
well. But uh yeah
>> fair enough. Thanks very much and Mr.
» fair enough. Thanks very much and Mr.
Carbid.
>> Uh thank you through the mayor. with
» Uh thank you through the mayor. with
respect to talking about the activities
of the city. It's a segue I can mention
our uh electronic um um
>> newsletter
» newsletter
>> newsletter and so I just was looking at
» newsletter and so I just was looking at
this afternoon and it will have
information about fire department
activities. So, it's a great opportunity
to talk about the good work that the
taxpayers of Courtney Fund and all the
good work that our uh collective staff
groups are doing
>> and and my apologies for not saying
» and and my apologies for not saying
newsletter because uh it's so new. Uh
but it uh I've [clears throat] gotten
feedback on it already. Uh everything
basically positive which is great great
to hear and uh um and again pro probably
an even better place to get that
information out through. So, thanks Mr.
Carvet. Uh councelor McCullum. Yeah,
thanks mayor and thanks for the report.
I I just had a question on the slide
that was showing um the east side uh
response or the calls versus the west.
Is that limit are those numbers limited
to the city of Kourtney calls or does
that also include the um our fire
protection area that we cover?
>> Great question. that it's all the
» Great question. that it's all the
responses including the fire protection
district. The Courtney Fire Protection
District though is divided up into three
chunks. One would be south of Walmart.
So those would count in the west. Uh the
other would be north of uh Virginia
Drive or Piery area there. So actually
Piery isn't that would be considered
west because it's west of the river, but
north of um Virginia Drive that would be
considered in the east. And then you
have the chunk that basically is along
Dyke Road out by the animal hospital.
There's a small piece of the fire
protection district that uh that belongs
to that. That said, just off the top of
my head, probably our responses to the
fire protection district in total would
be maybe a hundred for the for the
whole. So of the third, you know, that
basically means that the other 1,200
responses or let's just say 1150 for for
sake of argument here, 1150 are city
responses.
>> Okay. Yeah, that's helpful. Thanks for
» Okay. Yeah, that's helpful. Thanks for
that context.
>> Thanks, Council McCullum and Councelor
» Thanks, Council McCullum and Councelor
Moore.
>> Great. Thanks, Mayor. Um, just a
» Great. Thanks, Mayor. Um, just a
comment. I I know it's not significant
enough to include in your report, but
from a managerial perspective, you did
take council down to the Dashwood fireh
hall, and I wanted to mention that
because um that has influenced um the
design of the new fireh hall to to be as
economical as possible and to scale back
kind of the original plans. And I just
wanted to um show appreciation for kind
of thinking outside the box and and
taking that extra effort so that we can
try to um yeah try to manage the finance
as well and still have a a great new
fireh hall, but um modeling it somewhat
a um after the the one in Qualcomm. And
then also just um it was just really
even though it was a sort of sad
occasion at Lawrence Burns um uh
memorial service, it was just really
impressive to see all the local
firefighters of course from across the
region, but just to hear um I think
comments and when I was chatting with
people after the service just there just
seems to be a really great climate um
within the Courtney Fire Department um
with our personnel and um yeah and I
think That's obviously um kudos to
yourself as well as other supervisors
and um and the and the way that you
operate um the training programs and
everything else. So, thank you.
>> Thank you very much for the comments. I
» Thank you very much for the comments. I
would like to just throw a little some
appreciation to our honor guard. Uh they
were the ones that led the Burns family
in and out and I honestly have not seen
them perform as well as they did for
that particular that particular event.
It was it was really meaningful to the
family and I was I mean proud of
everybody obviously but really proud of
the effort that that group put in. So
again, thank you very much for
acknowledging that.
>> Thanks Councelor Morren and Councelor
» Thanks Councelor Morren and Councelor
Hill.
>> Thanks Mayor. That's actually what I
» Thanks Mayor. That's actually what I
wanted to do and and um to acknowledge
that honor guard and the fine job that
your department did on that day. But I
also wanted to commend you on your your
words and uh say how uh how well you did
on that occasion and and uh I think you
and your department did the city proud
um as you honored the service of a truly
remarkable leader. Thank you.
>> Thank you very much.
» Thank you very much.
>> All right. I don't see any further uh um
» All right. I don't see any further uh um
questions or comments. Uh so again,
yeah, thanks so much and and uh yeah,
the the celebration of life for uh
Lawrence was just an amazing event uh
and just really appreciated everybody
who took took part in that to uh really
honor his his memory. So um with that,
if someone can make the recommendation.
>> All right,
» All right,
all those in favor and motion carries.
And um and I do see that uh Inspector
Mercer is here. So we can um meander
back to
um where did it go? Item 4.1 for Komox
Valley RCMP.
And the microphone's already on. We've
got the um
PowerPoint ready to go. Is the clicker
up there as well? You should have a
clicker there.
partner didn't disinfect it either, so
sure you're fine, right?
We joke, we kid. Police and fire love
each other.
» Uh well, thank you council for having
me. I apologize for uh not being here on
time. I was uh unfortunately called away
on something else operationally, but uh
nonetheless, I am here to discuss the
third quarter uh report. uh the slides
that I believe that have been presented
to you should reflect quarterto quarter
on it. Uh my initial slides uh slide
deck that I uh provided was a
comparative from uh the this year from
last uh to last year. So while my data
in front of me is from uh year to year
I'll roll through this. I don't think
it'll differ too much.
Uh in the third quarter of the 2025 2026
fiscal year, there was a 505 505 file
increase in the number of calls for
service in Courtney relative to the
third quarter of the previous fiscal
year.
Uh for the most common call types that
we saw, uh it was traffic, unwanted
persons, and check well-being that
dominated most of our calls for service
in this time period. Uh we saw decreases
in street level calls for service such
as uh uh disturbances, suspicious
persons, thefts uh assist, EHS and other
agencies.
The most common call locations that we
uh that we saw was that the provincial
courthouse uh again dominated it in
terms that we saw a uh 226 file
difference uh from the previous year. So
we're uh looking at about 126% uh de uh
increase. And I've talked about this
before in terms of the source of these
uh these calls for service mainly stem
from administrative investigative files
such as failed to appear, breach of
probation, breach of conditions as such.
Uh because the provincial courthouse is
situated within the city of Courtney, uh
these files are generated and they are
uh investigated by members. So while
they may be administrative in nature,
there's still a level of component that
needs to happen with it in terms of the
execution of these uh arrest warrants or
these uh conditions uh breach and the
paperwork and disclosure that goes with
it. Uh in review of these files, it
doesn't differ from my previous
commentary that the majority of the
courthouse files that are generated. If
we looked at the origin of offenders,
over half come from the Kourtney area
while the other remainder are split
between uh the CVRD as well as the town
of Komox. And then we have our outside
influences that come into this area as
well. Uh superstore was one of uh our
bigger ones where we continually get
theft of uh shoplifting complaints from
there. But a lot of these uh complaints
are resolved through the restorative
justice and not necessarily through
charges. And we have a really good
partner with the Superstore loss
prevention as well as a lot of our box
stores in terms of using this avenue as
a means to resolve files before they
actually go to the uh to any sort of uh
groundup supported charges. Uh the
connect warming center uh we did see uh
an increase in in activi or sorry a
decrease in uh activity from here. uh if
we uh go from last year to this year,
however, there uh comparative over
years, we've actually seen a steady uh
steady decrease in uh in this uh in this
area. Uh I know this is prevalent to a
lot of business owners as such to know
and understand the activities that
surround the connect warming center and
I engage with uh CEO Garbet on this
regularly as well as any other business
owners that have any concerns. I've
shared uh similar data with them to show
the policing efforts and enforcement
efforts that we're doing as well as the
patrol activities that we're doing in
these areas. Um we saw a uh 114%
increase at the junction which pertained
mainly to uh missing persons complaints,
theft of property and unwanted persons
as well.
uh
we did see a change in data entry uh for
uh Courtney this year in which you can
see there is unspecified location where
there is a 1300 over 1300% increase in
this category. What this is is we
changed our way of scoring in terms of
certain locations. uh if we get a
complaint where we don't have a specific
location with Courtney, if it's just
called in, it's often referred to as
just Courtney, BC. So that's how it's
correlating to the data that you're
seeing here is that we don't actually
have a specific area, but it's just
assigned to the geographic area. If
there are questions from council on
that, uh I can take that at the end of
the presentation and then I source that
back with my analyst if they want a
little bit more uh context to that uh
that change in data point. and and we
might have a slightly different
presentation in our um escribe because I
I see wildly different numbers. So I
don't know if um
>> and that might be the difference in
» and that might be the difference in
presentation slide decks. Originally I'd
given this one uh and then I followed up
with a third from a third quarter to
second quarter. So right that's why I
also have a difference of data. So, so
for those thousands of people that are
following us online and using that that
one they they might uh see there might
be a bit of different thanks.
>> It might it might be helpful if if both
» It might it might be helpful if if both
are provided uh to the to the public
after this presentation so they can see
the difference. If they just want to
follow on the screen along we can just
go from uh the comparative years and
then uh we can provide more drilled down
data through the other slide deck on the
on the third quarter. So thank you your
worship for appreciate it.
>> I saw a lot of confused faces and
» I saw a lot of confused faces and
mumbling over that. [laughter]
Yeah.
>> Um so for downtown calls for service uh
» Um so for downtown calls for service uh
there was a a large increase in breach
uh that we saw uh 141% approximately 230
files. Uh so again that was uh
associated to the courthouse and
probation area that that I discussed
earlier. Uh unwanted persons saw a uh
22% decrease or a negative 133 file
difference. uh violent crime. Uh we saw
uh a 2% increase in violent crime
relative to 2024. Uh higher numbers of
harassment calls for service in which
there was a 22% increase from uh 2024 or
approximately a 38 file difference. Uh
we did see minor drops in uh threats and
sex offenses, robbery, homicide, arson
uh but a slight increase in assault and
forceful confinement.
As uh I've talked about before, when it
comes to the heat map, we find most of
our uh calls for service, whether
they're uh violent crime or property
crime to be focused in the more dense or
populated areas uh where we find that
the most tra uh traffic is vehicle or
human uh or where we have residential
areas or uh condensed businesses as
such. So this is consistent in terms of
the East Courtney and downtown areas
where we see uh the more uh inflamed
part of the the heat map to show the uh
the high percentages of of calls for
these uh
in these locations.
With respect to property crime, we saw a
1% increase in property crime or
approximately 19 file diff difference
relative to 2024. Uh driven uh by about
a 232% increase in mischief. So about a
44 file difference. We saw a drop in
break and enters and petty offenses as
well as theft of bike and shoplifting uh
comparative to the 2024 year.
Again, with the violent crime as in the
property crime, the same sort of areas
that are being highlighted here as far
as the majority of calls for service
uh with respect to the Controlled drugs
and substance act in the in the third
quarter of uh of the 2025 2026 fiscal
year, there was an 83% or 25 uh 20 file
increase in drug trafficking files
relative to the previous fiscal year.
This increase was attributable to
enforcement initiatives rather than a
rise in the incidence of drug
trafficking. uh we did see a drop in
drug possession which has always been
our focus within the detachment and
especially when we have uh
decriminalization that uh that has
expired. Uh I want to relay uh my
thoughts as a commander is that our
focus is not going to be shifting. It's
going to be on the serious uh crimes
when it comes to associated to drugs
such as drug trafficking and drug uh uh
production. The 83% increase that we're
seeing uh largely is attributable to uh
uh a transfer of an individual that came
into our detachment who has a very keen
sense of eye and sense of smell for uh
for these type of activities and has uh
been made quite an impact actually
within uh the downtown court area as
well as the surrounding areas. We've
executed a number of search warrants. So
we're very uh thankful to have this
person with his knowledge and his
experience to bring in to add on to the
existing that we already have. So this
is the benefits of of having that
individual.
>> Uh with respect to traffic, we've uh saw
» Uh with respect to traffic, we've uh saw
a 475% increase in dangerous uh driving
or a 19 file uh difference with that. Uh
now I don't actually have numbers to
support if those were just calls that
were uh that uh we responded to or if
that also led to charges. I am curious
about the impact as far as what we're
making in terms of impaired driving. We
do have a couple members within our
detachment uh that uh receive uh
recognition every year for the amount of
impaired uh uh drivers that they've
removed from the roadway. Um and we just
got a recent transfer in which he's also
been celebrated for the same stuff. So,
we're um I I think when it comes to
traffic uh offenses, we're we're getting
better uh at it in terms of our uh
proactive enforcement. uh we make it a a
an annual priority uh to have our
watches uh commit to uh stopping traffic
violators as opposed to just responding
calls and being proactively on the road.
We're also seeing an introduction of uh
a new traffic member that's going to be
coming from the Siri uh detachment. Uh
so we will be able to have uh three in
our uh fourman unit uh operational
hopefully within the next 90 to 120
days. So, it will even improve our our
traffic uh uh numbers.
» That is not mine. Uh I'm more than happy
to take confusing questions regarding
the information that's been provided in
front of you as opposed to the
information that I presented on. Um
three things that I just wanted to to
get out there uh ahead of any sort of
questions is some of the events that we
uh that we did this uh this past
quarter. Uh I felt that we were fairly
impactful in terms of uh our community
uh involvement. Uh we hosted our haunted
cells event uh back in October uh that
saw over 900 plus people visit our
detachment uh throughout the course of
the three-hour period. Uh this was also
in part and parcel of trying to uh raise
awareness and funds for some of our uh
community partners such as our local
search and rescue. Uh we were able to
raise over $3,600 in funds for uh uh
search and rescue and approximately
$1,300 in food donations for uh uh the
Salvation Army that was also a community
partner on this whole thing. Uh the
feedback on this particular event has
been wildly uh uh positive. Um I
personally greeted every person that
came into the into the cells on that
night and uh had conversations and
dialogue with them. I was amazed by the
uh number of First Canadians that uh
that were coming through uh the the
conversations uh that we discussed where
they were um mystified by the fact that
police would do something like this
considering from some of the countries
that they come from originally. Uh they
have a very different take on on police
officers. Uh some come from more
authoritative uh regions where they
don't see this side of policing. So it
was it was rewarding in that sense. also
uh our youth uh that managed to come
through uh high-risisk youth that uh uh
they were laughing and and sharing some
of the stories that they may have had in
those particular cells with their
friends. But the the commentary that
I've been able to receive from probation
as well as from mental health
professionals uh have said that uh they
were talking about this weeks after in
terms of the positive impact that that
this had as far as how cool uh such an
event was hosted and they're looking
forward to doing it next year. Don't
know if that's going to happen. I might
need to convince uh higherups to uh to
allow us to do something like this
again. Uh but uh both from an attachment
perspective and a community side, we saw
an incredible amount of smiles and uh
and people appreciating the efforts that
were put forward and just a kudos to my
staff for making the effort because it
was all in volunteer time that they did
this and they're all volunteers that
participated in it. Uh on top of that,
we had our uh uh we had the Wounded
Warriors uh charity hockey game. While
the RCMP doesn't uh put this on itself,
uh Sergeant Rob Brennan takes a leading
role in both planning and organizing
this event. This is very personal to him
uh as a as a first responder to raise
awareness and funds. Uh the game against
the Glacier Kings brought in over
approximately $40,000 in funds uh for uh
uh to uh to their cause uh and a
combined total of 80,000 uh towards uh
their initiative. Uh in addition to uh
to that hockey game, uh myself and uh
members in the detachment hosted a
charity hockey game with the U15 North
Island Tier 1 uh Bears uh minor hockey
team in which they played against our
detachment recreation team. Uh also a
toy drive to raise toys for uh for uh
persons uh in and families in need uh
during the holiday season. So it was a
well attended event and enjoyed by uh by
all the kids that went to it as well.
But now I'll defer to to questions from
the floor after I pump my own tires. So
>> Sure. Well, well, since you uh I know I
» Sure. Well, well, since you uh I know I
got a couple of of uh questions here um
waiting, but since you were meandering
off a little bit uh uh from the uh the
presentation, maybe the first question
I'll I'll ask about uh just because
there's a very recent article on the uh
potential new detachment uh building and
um and it's been something that has been
uh talked about since I've been on
council the last 11 years and I know
we're actually supposed to do a tour of
North Cow in um Uh, I was supposed to go
there about a week or two ago and then
realized the other mayors weren't
invited, so we got them invited. So,
we're all going to be going down there.
Um, cuz they've got a fairly similar
size um uh area. Um, but uh the time
that I've been on council, the the the
holdup seems to be waiting for reports
and things from sort of the higher ups
in the RCMP. And so just wondering if
those are um
>> I I'd say that uh generating the
» I I'd say that uh generating the
conversation and getting everyone in the
same room to uh understand what we're
asking for and what we're looking for
and uh the demonstrated interest from
all the contributing municipal partners
I think is key before we start
initiating. It started off with the KFN
with their letter of support. I I didn't
make it a secret as far as that was my
intention with all the municipal uh
councils here and I'm just starting to
get my legs underneath me right now that
I'm going to make this a big push and
priority for this particular year uh now
that I have some free time to to pursue
it. Uh I had a a collaborative
discussion with the village of
Cumberland that while they're not a
contributing mimal partner, they will be
in the near future and someone that
should probably have some dialogue to it
as far as getting a letter of support.
My focus has always been to have a
conversation both with the town of Komox
and the city of Courtney and bring
people in that room and discuss what our
intentions are going to be, formalize it
and then put it towards uh the RCMP as
well as the public safety minister. Uh
and then we would look at maybe again uh
at a later time forming a committee to
generate to show demonstrate that that
seriousness and interest in in build.
And I think once we start looking
towards forming that that committee,
then the people from my senior ranks
will start to get involved and tell you
what steps are needed, what options are
available to you and what we can start
doing to plan for that that new
detachment.
>> Okay. Excellent. Yeah, because I know
» Okay. Excellent. Yeah, because I know
it's been it feels like from my side
that it we've been asking, but we've
been kind of just waiting on on some of
these studying stuff. But um the the
second question I had was just since
we're doing this tour, it may be uh a
potential I'm not sure if you'd be
interested in coming along, but
>> yeah, I I I would love to to go down to
» yeah, I I I would love to to go down to
uh to Duncan. Uh Staff Sergeant Beard is
a great commander there, and I'm sure
he'd be more than hospitable to to have
us there. Uh, one thing I did fail to
mention, sorry, I know we talked about
the new detachment. There was also a
news release on the uh, uh, mobile
integrated uh, crisis response uh, unit
or the microcar or our car 64 uh, which
has been uh, it came at the uh, in
September. We uh we initiated the the
pilot initiative uh and uh we decided to
finally formally announce it yesterday
and the impact so far for the past
several months has been really positive
within the community uh as far as uh
what we're seeing in terms of
relationship building and usage.
>> Awesome. No, really appreciate that. Uh
» Awesome. No, really appreciate that. Uh
Mr. Carbid, um I know there's questions
from elected officials, so I'll be very
quick. Uh um Island Health staff had
reached out. uh council had asked for a
presentation about the outcomes of that
and so uh Leslie Howy from Island Health
and I think with Inspector Mercer there
is an expectation from council to
actually have a presentation on the
outcomes of that pilot. So stay tuned.
We'll try and do that as quick as
possible.
>> Fantastic. Really appreciate it. Uh
» Fantastic. Really appreciate it. Uh
thanks council for humoring me and I'll
pass over to councelor Hillian.
>> Thanks mayor and thanks for being here
» Thanks mayor and thanks for being here
inspector. Congratulations on your
Halloween event. And I did drive by the
detachment that night and wondered what
was going on. But uh I spent quite a bit
of time in those cells in my former
life. So I had no wish to come and visit
and see. Um I did want to ask two two
questions. Uh one related to your stats.
Um
and I just wanted to clarify when we see
a large increase uh um say breaches for
example, do those represent distinct
um files or actual counts?
The point I'm getting at is you could
have an individual who has multiple
counts,
>> right?
» right?
>> And [snorts] so a large number, it may
» And [snorts] so a large number, it may
not reflect that number of people, it
may somebody who's been on a spree or
whatever would inflate those numbers.
>> Yeah, it it's a great question and let
» Yeah, it it's a great question and let
me bring that back to both my uh records
person and my analyst to see if the data
is drawn specifically based on the
number of charges or actual identified
persons that are being charged
separately.
>> Thanks. Um, the other thing I wanted to
» Thanks. Um, the other thing I wanted to
ask about and and I wanted to thank you
for your efforts in enforcement on Back
Road, which uh hopefully has eased off
now that the Dyke Road is open again and
there isn't the same pressure. But I
just wondered if your members are
noticing any difference um related to
the lower speed limits in residential
neighborhoods that have come into effect
in the last few months. Crony,
>> I I I think when when it was first
» I I I think when when it was first
introduced as well as the uh
trafficcoming uh efforts, we we were
getting feedback from the community
mostly in terms of reporting persons
that are violating those those or
believe to be violating those violations
or that aren't respecting the uh the
calming uh pattern that's putting in
there. uh back road has always been a a
point of interest of me uh when when I
first came here as I' I've spoken to
before. I haven't had anything come up
to my attention in the recent months.
That's not to say that the existing
problems still don't happen or if the
current efforts are making a difference.
Uh we have continued to increase our
patrols within that area. Nothing has
been reported up to me as far as uh
additional complaints. Uh but uh yeah, I
think it was certainly more noticeable
during the point where uh certain roads
were closed down and detourred and the
amount of traffic that was being down
there. So it's not surprising that with
roads being opened up on Comox Avenue
and such that probably the uh the amount
of uh traffic that was going through
there has probably dissipated a little
bit.
>> Yeah. All right. Thanks, Councelor and
» Yeah. All right. Thanks, Councelor and
Councelor Cole Hamilton.
>> Yeah, thanks Marin. thanks for uh
» Yeah, thanks Marin. thanks for uh
sharing these details about about uh the
community with us. I I um I wanted to go
to the breach um question. I think every
time we all have to kind of mentally
remove that from the stats to some
degree because uh the breach all occurs
at the courthouse and it's not so much a
crime in the way that most people think
of crime. It's a it's um I don't know
it's a state of someone being in a
violation of the law and it's an
administrative part of the the legal
system. Would it be possible in in
future would it make sense to to remove
the produce of figures for us that
removed the breach aspect and the
courthouse as a location given that
they're qualitatively different than
everything else we're talking about. And
when there's a you know a big increase
in the breach it it excuse the figures
and as an example I think that there was
a 2% reduction in total calls last year
>> right
» right
>> if you take remove breach from that then
» if you take remove breach from that then
it's four almost 5% reduction which is a
fair difference
>> I was just having a conversation with my
» I was just having a conversation with my
analyst today as far as what do we want
the quarterly reports to look like
moving forward and that and I think
that's a conversation that I can have
through the CEOs and through councils as
far as what you would like to see
represented in that data. It's not
playing funny with the numbers, but I
agree with you. I think that uh if there
is a potential impact as far as the
overall uh general feeling of safety uh
in a in a community that something like
this might uh lead it in a in a
different direction. So, uh I think
separating it from it is maybe something
prudent to ask. And I can I can show uh
the results of one report versus another
uh on that too just to show the
distinctive difference if that's
something that council wishes for the
future.
>> That would be great. Mayor, can I just
» That would be great. Mayor, can I just
follow up? Yeah, brief followup. I was
saying if if that is the case and that
it really does make sense. They're
qualitatively just different kinds of
things um than community sort of uh law
enforcement. And I'm looking at the uh
the top 10 categories of of file types.
And if one removes breach as we're just
discussing then there's one that
increased which was traffic incidents
and councelor Helian's questions like
kind of illuminated some of that but
every other metric uh eight of them went
down in one state the same and I think a
lot of them seem to speak to um
successfully addressing people's
concerns about street disorder. I know
that's something you've been working on.
Things like unwanted person being down
11%, check well being down 11%,
disturbance down 5%, suspicious
circumstances down 4%, uh theft is down,
and then assisting other services, which
I imagine was a function of of overdoses
and other um crisis. It it does seem to
speak to um a consistent trend in
managing those types of uh street
disorder that people found challenging.
>> It represents a positive trend. Whether
» It represents a positive trend. Whether
it consistently
>> keeps going down in that direction is is
» keeps going down in that direction is is
always something that we we kind of
monitor for the next quarter. And and uh
I think
>> when we look at the total calls for
» when we look at the total calls for
service for Courtney, we have seen less
calls for service this year than in the
previous year. Um and but this quarter
in of itself, the third quarter uh was
higher in some in some regards. So it it
it goes up and down and it fluctuates.
And I and I optimistically am cautious
on on these trends when we see that. I
mean it's certainly rewarding to see
those key categories that are typically
problematic and and dominate a lot of
our calls for service start to trend
down uh in that area. And then we always
look to how we can pat ourselves on the
back as to how that you know what caused
that and whether it was you know some
sort of enforcement change or some sort
of police strategy or something else
that that might have been a driver. So
uh I I think it's a relevant point and
something that uh you know hopefully
we'll see in the next the final quarter
uh the same sort of drop in it when we
go from fourth quarter to third quarter
as well. Well,
>> it's an encouraging trend. It's good to
» it's an encouraging trend. It's good to
hear that you're actively analyzing
what's causing that and so as to
continue it. Yeah. Thanks very much.
>> Thanks very much, uh, Councelor Cole
» Thanks very much, uh, Councelor Cole
Hamilton and Council Moore.
>> Great. Thanks, Mayor. I have a couple
» Great. Thanks, Mayor. I have a couple
questions. We'll see if I can fit them
all in. Um, thanks so much for the
report. Um, so I noted that there were
36 calls at a private residence. Um, are
you able to say whether is that a mental
health related situation or
>> maybe you're not able to share too much?
» maybe you're not able to share too much?
>> I I can't share too much about that. Um,
» I I can't share too much about that. Um,
Cumberland had a very similar type of
thing where there was like an inflated
call volume around a particular
residence and that was uh a youth
related thing. It wasn't a care home or
anything, but it was just sometimes we
find that we get called to events that
don't necessarily require police
attendance, right? And uh you know I
know in in in a different jurisdiction
we get called there's a residence that
it shows like it it spiked up uh there
but that was more health related because
EHS requires us to stage to go into that
house. It's not really a police matter
right but we're there just to keep the
peace. So, I mean there is that that
element to it and I can look at this
particular residence council MREN and
get back to you on it if it is again I
don't have to reveal the the the details
of it but I can tell you the context as
to which and why we're responding
because when I do see specific
residences like this that go up me as a
commander and from a former operations
per person is I don't like seeing that.
I don't like seeing why we're spending a
considerable amount of police resources
on one particular residence and I try
and look at ways to mitigate that
whether it's to form better
relationships with the appropriate
agency or community supports that are
better to step in or have some dialogue
with those managers to say like this
isn't working for us. We can't always
just be there because you guys like to
have us in your back pocket, right? So,
uh and it doesn't do anything to mend
any relationships with that person in
the house either if they see the police
behind them too. So, uh, I think it's a
point of interest and and one that I can
bring back and and probably get a
better, uh, some better information for
you on.
>> Yeah. No, I mean, I know it's come up in
» Yeah. No, I mean, I know it's come up in
the past where we've had certain
locations that have had a lot of calls
and so I was happy to see that, um, the
announcement around the mobile
integrated crisis response unit. Um
uh and yeah, you know, not to put a
downer on it, but on social media there
there were some comments kind of making
it sound like it's fluff or it's not
meaningful because these kinds of
programs don't have the quantitative or
sorry the the um you know the numbers
backing them. They're experiences that
create change and that happens over
time. Um but I think those of us who you
know have worked in the field of u
working with these complex issues you
know that those changes do often happen
and it comes from relationship which is
a lot of what that program is all about.
So in some of our early reporting that
we were seeing and this is why we talk
about how trends go up and down and we
have to be cautiously optimistic is that
what we were seeing within the first
month and a bit of uh of mic her
introduced to uh to to Courtney we were
seeing a down tick in in violence
related calls for service. I'm getting
excited thinking like, hey, is this
maybe because people are getting the
appropriate supports? They're getting
connected to their uh their treatment
teams. We're introducing something early
on so that they're not spiking or
escalating to a point of crisis where
someone gets hurt or harmed, right? Uh
we did see that number go up a little
bit up again, but then again, it started
to go down. So, I mean, is it a driving
uh you know, reason as to why? No. But I
mean I always look at it if that unit
wasn't available the data would read
differently right and we know that from
our experiences dealing when with people
in that have mental health crisis
sometimes they escalate to a point where
violence is involved right and that's
when we get get uh get incorporated into
the problem so uh I I think I feel more
assured knowing that I have a trained
registered psychiatric nurse that has
the ability to assess people rather than
one of my officers on the street and
that is just it's really rewarding to
have that opportunity right now.
>> Yeah. No, I'm just um I'm hoping that um
» Yeah. No, I'm just um I'm hoping that um
the powers at Bweather through Island
Health and um and your um organization
are able to tease out some of that
because I I believe that that that data
is is there, but it's just harder to
kind of tease it out. It's not like we
can do a report of oh we paved this many
we repaved you know this many kilometers
of road like those kind of um impacts
are just not easy to measure but um yeah
so I hope people will just be patient
and and allow this program to you know
to to flourish and
>> for sure
» for sure
>> and uh continue on but uh oh one last
» and uh continue on but uh oh one last
question was around I thought we had had
in our charts previously
um I don't know if it was under domestic
um incidents or intimate partner
violence. I thought we had that at one
point. Um I was just curious around
that. I know um what the trends that
we're seeing just because sadly we've
had, you know, very high-profile
incident with um
>> with a woman who was killed by a partner
» with a woman who was killed by a partner
who had done all the right things. And
so it was just it's always something
that's on my mind in terms of um
primarily women experiencing violence
and
>> I think I think that's a a valid thing
» I think I think that's a a valid thing
to have in in reports. Uh, I always find
that when it comes to sexual offenses
and intimate violence and that that they
need to be they have to have their
special category represented in some
sort of reporting because
>> those are the ones like you said that
» those are the ones like you said that
always catch the headlines that always
you always wonder what could have been
done, where was the trends, what were
police doing and uh we do have a special
victim's unit that focus primarily on
those type of uh offenses. So I think uh
moving forward that's something that I
can bring to my analyst and then tease
that out uh so that it's something for
you guys to consume and ask questions on
later as well.
>> Great. Thank you.
» Great. Thank you.
>> Excellent. Thanks very much uh councelor
» Excellent. Thanks very much uh councelor
MREN and uh I don't see any further
questions. Um oh uh Mr. Carver
thank you through the mayor. I wanted
the our elected officials to be able to
answer questions. I I can say that uh to
your to your um comments, councelor Cole
Hamilton, I've spoken with Inspector
Mercer about breach. Uh and I can let
council know that all of the local
governments on Vancost provincial
courouses are are questioning this
statistic. It does show up in the uh
crime severity index report. Um so the
uh city manager of Duncan uh Port
Alurnie and myself have talked about
this. We've had a roundabout
conversation in Campbell River as well.
It is I agree uh a special category and
when it's not factored into our uh stats
there are very good news and the work
that our uh RCMP partners are doing is
very good. So I I actually feel that
like this is something that needs
attention because it is a special
category. I 100% agree and talked to
Inspector Mercer about that and I'm glad
that he's pulling that statistic out.
It's just when you look at that report,
that provincial index, it it tells a
story that is not a complete one. So, I
think we need to remain focused on that.
And thank you for raising that,
counselor.
>> Yeah. And and also there's a a financial
» Yeah. And and also there's a a financial
implication there when we're talking
about, you know, Cumberland paying more
and Komox and city of Courtney. And this
is something that, you know, is uh quite
specifically provincial courthouse. So,
uh um oh pass it over to council.
>> Yeah, thanks Mayor. Well, I generally
» Yeah, thanks Mayor. Well, I generally
agree with uh with that approach. Um I
think uh we shouldn't lose sight of the
fact that um breaches are are valuable
work that our police officers do and and
this these reports are partly a
reflection of of police work. Um,
sometimes it's interesting to note the
distinction between breaches that
involve minor offenders, um, people who
maybe didn't show up for an appointment
and and more significant offenders who
may have violated a no contact order,
um, with a victim or any number of
things. So um I would suggest rather
than being entirely removed from the
report, it simply be categorized
separately as a separate issue to
reflect the work that police are doing
without necessarily being a reflection
of uh of crime in the community. I would
I would ask that that too just for the
fact that there is a degree like you
said a degree of work that can't be
minimized on stuff like this because it
is essentially hours that are being
committed elsewhere for while it may be
an administr administrative offense
there's leg work and and disclosure that
needs to be done with it as well.
>> Yeah. And and I that's how I interpreted
» Yeah. And and I that's how I interpreted
what councelor Cole Hamilton meant but
I'll pass back to him.
>> Yeah. Thanks very much and I appreciate
» Yeah. Thanks very much and I appreciate
the clarification. I certainly wouldn't
want to lose track of those figures
because as was being said, it's a an
important metric of how police time is
being used and because we happen to have
a courthouse here, which other
communities don't. We pay for a certain
amount of police resources that are used
for um the administration of the court
system rather than dealing with what
most people think about as uh crime in
our community. Uh so useful to have them
but useful to be able to look at sort of
true community based stats that don't uh
include them. Yeah. Thanks.
>> Thanks for that clarification. Um with
» Thanks for that clarification. Um with
that uh I think we can accept the uh
report unanimously uh by council and um
really appreciate uh the the update
today.
>> Oh sure.
» Oh sure.
>> Yeah.
» Yeah.
>> You can ask if you want.
» You can ask if you want.
Uh I was I was wondering given that
there there was mention by the mayor of
the uh you know the need for uh which
you've been stating for a new uh
division headquarters. Um one then
there's a piece in the CBC today which
discussing it.
One thing that I haven't been able to
find out from asking people is what the
typical funding formula is for the
building of a new structure like that.
uh is there some contribution by um is
it E division green timbers? Is there a
contribution by the province by the
federal government by
>> and it was a very similar question that
» and it was a very similar question that
was posed to me by the village of
Cumberland as far as what can we expect
in terms of you know a set standard
contribution level to so that we can do
future planning. I think that's step
four or five down the road. And while
it's a very important step, it's getting
the at the interest and the commitment
factor and then the persons that are
able to present those options to you
because it's a series of options. It's
depending upon what you want for a
detachment and what we agree on as far
as a uh an effective policing
detachment. Currently, we have an
integrated service where everyone's
underneath one roof. So, that's
provincial members as well as municipal
members. I have a set belief and uh I
truly do believe that our policing model
that we have right now is beneficial to
everyone to the city of Courtney to the
town of Komox having everyone underneath
one roof. There may be a consideration
that may not you might not want to go
that route and there's different options
that are that that are potentially
available before you depending on what
route you want to want to go as it you
know it's going to be your detachment
right your build uh with whoever is
contributing towards that the amount of
who prays what is something that will be
decided in collaboration through the
committee through OSB and through
project management when they present
those options to you and I I think the
service delivery review that has been uh
that is going down uh that is happening
in the background right now will help
set that foundation to move that
conversation forward uh because it's
long been standing that there are
discrepancies as far as what community
feels that they should pay for policing
and what percentage and I'm hoping that
uh this report will present some data
that will reflect what is currently
needed for adequate uh and and effective
policing. Um that report should be ready
[clears throat] to present to council in
some fashion here in the next coming
months. We set a diary date of April.
Everything that I have right now is
indicating that it's on time. I think
that will also help build uh that
discussion piece as far as the
contributions towards the detachment
because you know whether it's going to
be Cumberland uh and Komox and and
Courtney, you need to be able to
effectively plan through your taxes as
far as what that uh what that portion is
going to be that you're going to have to
fund, right? So, um I don't want to put
the cart before the horse or speak out
of turn. I think taking it in small
steps right now as far as demonstrating
that intent to build or that letter of
support, then we can get that committee
set up to answer those very important
questions that you're asking right now.
>> Yeah. Um I mean I can I can I I
» Yeah. Um I mean I can I can I I
understand everything you're saying. A
lot of that makes sense and certainly
like the question of what this building
should be and to me to some degree
that's a question of how big the pie is,
right? But I think one of the questions
that local governments would need to
think about before signing off on a
letter saying that something should be
done um is what what portion of the cost
we would be responsible for covering to
make sure that you know we're doing our
due diligence. We're thinking ahead
>> um because these are significant sums
» um because these are significant sums
and uh you know as municipalities we try
to plan ahead to make sure we're ready
for them. So right um probably
>> the sooner the better and like you said
» the sooner the better and like you said
it might be step four or five but I
think perhaps providing a bit more
information on what sort of range of
funding might be helpful
>> maybe up until that point uh if that's
» maybe up until that point uh if that's
you know certainly a a critical
consideration for for this council
before they commit to a letter I can go
back to uh division and and maybe get
some clarification to give you a
ballpark idea on something like that if
that if that's better served than just
me ambiguously making statements here.
Uh and then we'll we'll see what that
might generate in terms of
>> to my mind that seems really helpful to
» to my mind that seems really helpful to
get a clearer idea. So, thanks very much
for that. Yeah.
>> Okay. Appreciate it.
» Okay. Appreciate it.
>> Yeah. Thank thanks councelor uh Cole
» Yeah. Thank thanks councelor uh Cole
Hamilton and again uh given the
conversations that I've had both with
the other elected mayors here but more
specifically proincially with our our
counterparts um uh around this topic. We
feel that I I definitely feel like we've
been definitely saying like this is
something that needs to happen. So it
it's uh I'm happy to see it happening.
Um one of the reasons for doing the tour
down in North Kawichin is to find out
those exact questions. How did they make
it happen? What are lessons that they've
learned? Um what were the challenges or
pinch points and those kinds of things.
So, um hopefully um the um we'll we'll
get some light shed and uh I I think one
of the things that is not lost on me
when every year goes by uh on a project
like this, whatever is going to be cost
construction, the the costs going up and
I think I've had this conversation with
you. I it was the first conversation I
had with Inspector Kerver when I became
mayor. Um and that was, you know, seven
years over seven years ago now. And so,
uh, I think it's, uh, definitely, uh,
something that that, uh, we're we're
keen on getting as much, uh, data as we
can. So, um, with that, I think, uh,
we're flush out of questions for now,
but, uh, really looking forward to the
presentation on, um, on the on the new
car and, uh, and its impact on our
community. And I just want to really say
thanks the feedback from uh
organizations but even just uh the
impact that you guys have had with uh
the different events you're putting on.
It's just great to see that uh community
integration. So much appreciate it.
>> Well, thank you for your time this
» Well, thank you for your time this
evening.
>> All right, have a good day.
» All right, have a good day.
>> Um all right, uh over to internal
» Um all right, uh over to internal
reports and correspondence. We'll uh go
back to our regularly scheduled um
agenda. 6.1 ABA digital gold award for
Courtney's website redesign and I'll
pass it over to Mr. Garvet.
>> Yeah, thank you through the mayor to
» Yeah, thank you through the mayor to
council. Um unfortunately um
[clears throat] and Guio is unwell today
and so uh Kate Connell is going to give
a little overview of this briefing note
which is extremely exciting and we're
all proud very proud of the work.
>> Uh thanks very much. Yes. Um, I'm very
» Uh thanks very much. Yes. Um, I'm very
sad that on one of the very few nights
that Ann is not able to be here is one
where we're going to have an opportunity
to celebrate in a successful project
that she was really an integral part and
lead of. But um, to get to it, I'm
excited to bring some fantastic news,
but a significant accomplishment for the
city of Courtney. We've been awarded the
AVA Digital Gold Award in recognition of
our recent website redesign. The ABA
Digital Awards is an esteemed
international competition that
celebrates excellence in digital
creativity, branding, and strategy
recognizing the work of creative
professionals across various fields such
as digital campaigns, website
development, audio, and visual
production, and social media engagement.
The award highlights innovative
approaches to digital communication and
the transformative impact of technology
on communications and engagement. The
website replacement project was
initiated due to the pressing need for a
modern and accessible city website. Our
previous site, which was over a decade
old, fell short of current designs and
functionality standards. Through
community consultation, we learned that
many of our residents, particularly
those from equity deserving communities,
relied heavily on our website for
essential information, but face
challenges in navigating it. The new
website, launched on July 22nd of last
year, marks a significant step in
enhancing our digital presence and
providing better access to vital
information for residents, businesses,
staff, and visitors.
One of the key elements of the project
success in this ex exceptional collab is
the exceptional collaboration across all
city departments. Every department
played an important role in the
development of the new site ensuring
that it truly reflects the diverse needs
of our community members. This award is
not just for website. It is a shared
achievement by everyone involved in the
project. We came together to create a
user-friendly, informative and
accessible digital platform. I want to
extend special thanks to Angio who's
currently the acting director of
corporate services but regularly the
manager of communication services for
her leadership and unwavering commitment
throughout this process as well as to
the communications team whose expertise
was crucial in bringing this redesign to
life. Some highlights include um or key
improvements include a userentric
design. So, this redesigned website
features streamlined navigation tailored
to different user groups, making it
easier for everyone to find information
quickly. It's accessible. So, we have
enhanced the accessibility of our
website to meet the WC A2.2 level
doubleA standards, ensuring that it's
usable by all members of our community.
We've enhanced the search functionality,
so users can now easily navigate and
aggregate results from various
platforms, simplifying the process of
finding information. There's also an
interactive and multilingual features.
The incorporation of interactive maps
and support of over 80 languages with
immediate translation broadens
accessibility and engagement
opportunities for everyone. This award
represents the hard work and dedication
of every individual who contributed to
bringing this vision to life. But
really, it wouldn't have been possible
without the input and perspectives of
our residents and business community
members um who are extremely integral in
informing how we shaped the way we
interact with our community members. And
with that, any questions uh council may
have, but happy to celebrate an award.
» Thank you so much. And and huge kudos to
uh to Ann and the team. Um I I know uh
for someone like myself uh I I was
chomping at the bit for quite some time.
Um and uh but seeing the the outcome uh
definitely was worth the wait. So uh and
I I think I mentioned I've me well I've
mentioned it to Ann I think quite a few
times. I've mentioned it at this table
as well um just the ability to find
information uh which I think is its most
critical uh use is uh uh definitely uh
heads and shoulders above what it used
to be. So uh councelor Thanks, Mayor
Hardy. Congratulations to you and your
entire department. And in particular, I
hope Miss Guo knows how much uh her work
is valued and appreciated. Uh she does
excellent work, not just in relation to
this website redesign, but but
throughout her duties and and she's an
incredibly valued member of of the city
staff. Um, I did want to ask if there is
any sort of formal uh presentation that
will be taking place. Uh, an expenses
paid trip to somewhere or anything like
that.
» Yep.
» Um, this is not one of those ones where
we get to fly some place and accept and
get photos. Um, they actually made the
announcement through the website and
that's how we found out. At the same
time, I will say um we did take the
liberty of of um celebrating with some
staff uh including some uh gold medals
made by hot chocolates to to be able to
share. So, we all felt that that pride
of the award, but no, it's there's
unfortunately no uh presentation here.
It's a bit more subtle than that, but
still appreciate it.
>> And and on the um agenda, there are some
» And and on the um agenda, there are some
screenshots and there's a bit of a
PowerPoint there for those who are
following us online. They can uh take a
look at the site there. Uh but hopefully
they would have gotten there from our
website. So um again, huge kudos uh if
we if we look at how to best communicate
with um uh the folks of the city of
Courtney and beyond uh the website's
definitely most effective way. So really
happy to see that and uh congratulations
to everybody. Um and uh council just
unanimously received this and uh again
kudos to everybody involved. Um, next on
the agenda, we have the indigenous uh
procurement uh update. Mr. Gar,
thank you through the mayor to council.
Um, council gave us direction to update
our procurement policy. Uh, as well, uh,
we committed to bring back some
information on how it was going. We're
one of the first municipalities to
actively engage on this and we're really
proud of that work. We think it's very
very important and it's consistent with
council's direction on reconciliation
and activities to support um uh
important capacity building in our
community. Uh again, Mr. Eninsworth is
going to give us an overview of this
program and he's available for
questions.
Thank you, Mr. Garbett. uh through the
city manager and mayor council. This
briefing note provides an update on the
city's indigenous procurement work, what
staff are currently doing and where we
see the future opportunities. Indigenous
procurement refers to procurement
practices that intentionally increase
participation by indigenous owned
businesses in public sector supply
chains. At its core, the work supports
economic development, job creation, and
capacity building within indi indigenous
communities while also advancing
reconciliation in a practical and
systemic way. In January 2023, council
adopted in an updated procurement policy
framework. This was a significant
milestone as it modernized a policy last
updated in 2011 and for the first time
at the local government level in BC, it
included explicit language supporting
indigenous procurement. Since that time,
staff have been focused on embedding
indigenous procurement considerations
into day-to-day procurement activity
across the organization.
Since policy adoption, staff have
implemented indigenous procurement
across all non- construction procurement
processes, updated templates, and
delivered training to staff. Indigenous
procurement considerations are now
routinely discussed in bitter debriefs
and importantly staff have received no
negative feedback from the market on
this approach to date through regular
meetings with the Komox Economic
Development Corporation. Staff have
developed indicative processes for
capital construction projects informed
by those discussions. Current work is
focused on developing indigenous
procurement plans for mal major capital
projects such as the East Courtney Fire
Hall and the Anderton lift station.
Looking ahead, staff see opportunities
to further refine indigenous procurement
and capital construction, including uh
post post project reporting to assess
effectiveness and inform continuous
improvement. Continued staff training
and organizational capacity building
will remain a focus alongside
strengthening relationships with
indigenous partners. Overall, this work
position positions the city to deliver
meaningful and systemic reconciliation
outcomes while remaining fully compliant
with applicable trade agreements and
procurement best practices. And with
that, I'll be happy to take any
questions.
>> Fantastic. Thanks so much and
» Fantastic. Thanks so much and
appreciated the reports and I'll pass it
over to Councelor Hill.
>> Thanks, Mayor, and thanks for staff's
» Thanks, Mayor, and thanks for staff's
work on this initiative. I did note
there was a question from the public
that among other things asked about um
um whether or not this um initiative
tracked engagement with um indigenous
members of the community beyond Karach's
first nation and we do have uh certainly
people with uh from other uh uh
indigenous backgrounds along with matei
and uh so I just wondered if um you know
we have any way of tracking that within
the procurement initiative.
>> Um so in terms of tracking the progress
» Um so in terms of tracking the progress
amongst the communities um in the
various first nations uh whether it be
on Vancouver Island, BC or more broadly
um we we don't necessarily have any
tracking mechanisms currently in place
for that. Um the structure of the policy
around specific opportunities for
specific first nations is really around
the construction procurement piece and
that's u based on um typically um well
I'm getting drifting away from your
question I apologize but um I guess the
answer is no we don't have any tracking
mechanisms and I'll stop there. Yeah.
>> Oh yeah sure. Um just um in terms of the
» Oh yeah sure. Um just um in terms of the
construction procurement, it is it the
policy is highly defined for Komox First
Nation businesses. Um and and the reason
for that is is the work is is occurring
on their traditional territory. So um
there there's two pieces to the policy.
Something that broadly applies across
all procurement that isn't necessarily
structured or or directed specifically
to Komox First Nation on the
construction side of things because
we're building those projects within
city limits that is on that traditional
territory. refocus those opportunities
to KFN and their businesses.
>> Right. Councelor
» Right. Councelor
Hill.
>> Thanks, Mary. And just to follow up, um
» Thanks, Mary. And just to follow up, um
I know that there are a number of
indigenous b businesses that are in fact
connected to Komox. I don't know whether
there we have uh businesses in the
community that have other indigenous
heritage that they identify as such, but
I'm imagining that um when we um when we
go through the procurement process and
essentially award points for some sort
of indication that there's an indigenous
component um that could in fact cover
the whole range of uh of communities
that are represented within the valley
beyond just Komox.
>> Yep. Absolutely. So um just um speaking
» Yep. Absolutely. So um just um speaking
currently or a procurement that recently
closed, we did see um a vendor that
identified as an indigenous business
from down island. Um so we are asking
those questions around whether or not
the organization that's bidding a
project is an indigenous business and to
provide additional information and
details to that effect.
>> Excellent. Thanks uh councelor councelor
» Excellent. Thanks uh councelor councelor
Mr. Gard.
>> Yeah, thank you through the mayor.
» Yeah, thank you through the mayor.
Councelor Helen, just with respect to
the identification of Komox First Nation
and so I would say we're in a relatively
unique position where we have one
principal First Nation within our uh
within our the lands that incorporate
our municipality and so that's
appropriate to identify that principal
First Nation. If we're in the context
where we had multiple First Nations as
is the case uh north and south, east and
west of us, uh then we would do that.
That's the explanation as to why there's
a specific reference.
Uh thanks for that clarification. Uh
appreciate that. Um and um thank you.
And we'll receive that unanimously. Uh
thank you Scott for the the
presentation. And we'll move into
bylaws. We have 7.1.1 fees and charges
amendment bylaw 3208 2026 for solid
waste.
» Okay. And I'll pass it over, I think, to
Chris Thompson.
>> Uh yeah. or if council has any questions
» Uh yeah. or if council has any questions
we can have a presentation or if you
want to proceed as is carry on.
» Okay. So, looks like we're going to Yep.
Uh
>> fair enough. Okay. Uh so, it's been
» fair enough. Okay. Uh so, it's been
moved and seconded. Doesn't sound like
there's any questions. Um, so with that,
all those in favor and motion carries
and we'll go to 7.1.2,
the uh 2026 revenue anticipation boring
bylaw 3209.
Okay, it's been moved and seconded. And
I heard that Mr. Langmire was online. If
there's any questions,
there he is.
Uh, councelor Fr.
>> Yeah. No, quickly. We do this every year
» Yeah. No, quickly. We do this every year
this time of year. So, I'm really happy
just to move ahead. Thanks.
>> All right. With that, I'll call the
» All right. With that, I'll call the
question. All those in favor?
Any opposed? And motion carries. And
that brings us to council reports. We'll
start with councelor Cole Hamilton.
Councelor Fr. Councelor Hillian.
[clears throat]
>> Thanks, Mayor. Two things. First of all,
» Thanks, Mayor. Two things. First of all,
I want to acknowledge um being part of
the uh project watershed's celebration
of the lifting of the of the wall at the
cuscusum site. And uh I would encourage
anybody who hasn't had the opportunity
to watch the process unfolding uh to to
take it in. It's quite remarkable to
actually watch one of those steel plates
being pulled out from start to finish
and to see how long they are. And uh um
so there was an event on Thursday
afternoon that was um open to members of
the public who had signed up with three
sessions that yourself and and others
were at and very well attended with a
great deal of support for the project.
So I just wanted to acknowledge that. I
also wanted to acknowledge that um in
the past weeks I've had the opportunity
to reflect on um the uh the work that
our staff does um sometimes in the face
of a significant amount of pressure and
I'm aware that um at the council table
from time to time either through
reflecting things we've heard in the
public or through questions that come up
for ourselves um it might be implied
that uh that council members such as
myself don't always have the uh um uh
the the full regard for the work that
our staff does that uh that perhaps we
it might be implied that that we don't
respect and value the work that our
staff does. And I I just want to
reaffirm my own perspective that u the
staff that works for the city of
Courtney and the consultants that serve
us do excellent work sometimes under
very difficult circumstances. And uh I
want to reaffirm uh my uh faith and and
respect for the expertise and the
professionalism that they bring to the
work that they commit every day. And uh
I think we're very fortunate to have the
staff and consultants that we do have.
And um uh I think from time to time the
the cut and thrust of what goes on at
the council table may suggest otherwise
and it couldn't be further from the
truth from my perspective and I just
wanted to acknowledge that today.
>> Thanks.
» Thanks.
>> Uh thanks so much. Councelor Hill,
» Uh thanks so much. Councelor Hill,
really appreciate that. Uh, yeah, the I
know the the staff definitely have my
utmost confidence and I think that that
that's pretty true of of all of council,
but yeah, sometimes uh comments can be
made that could be uh misconstrued. So,
I appreciate you clarifying. Um, Council
McCullum,
Councelor Morren, and um, again, just
want to appreciate everybody who came to
the couscous event. It was extremely
well attended, an amazing event. very
inspiring to see our community come
together and I know there's many council
members there. Um uh last night I was
able to present uh the Legion with a
replacement freedom of the city uh um
plaque which uh apparently had gone
awall um uh a year or two ago and so
we're able to replace that and they were
very thankful and it's a good time to uh
reflect on the fact that the Legion
Canadian Legions are celebrating 100
years this year. Um and uh so it was a
great presentation last night and um uh
this is the time of year where I'm doing
a lot of presentations uh to
organizations uh like Rotary and uh
Lions, that kind of thing. And so if
there are any organizations out there
that are wanting an update uh on city
activities, happy to do that. But uh in
particular, the Courtney Rotary Club uh
uh yesterday I was able to uh go and
accept a check. Actually Joy took the
check. Uh I just got a picture with the
big one um uh for $10,000 to the
Woodcoat Park. Um and uh so uh and just
it's really great to see uh Rotary Clubs
uh kind of getting re-engaged and over
the last um uh uh year and a bit the
Courtney Rotary Club is actually put um
uh over $150,000 into um projects within
the city of Courtney. So, um, uh, they
they were ready to go and I know there's
other Rotary clubs that are just just as
excited and and happy to work with the
city on on projects. So, uh, with that,
uh, we'll adjourn.