[3:45] Welcome everyone to tonight's council
meeting. Uh in this room we have
[3:50] different views, different ways of
expression, different emotional
[3:53] intensities and different roads that
lead to conclusions. May we combine
[3:57] clarity of mind with kindness of heart.
And may we be impartial without bending
[4:00] to strong personalities. May we
sacrifice self-interest for the good of
[4:04] the whole. And may we do our work with
the love and clarity of vision for the
[4:08] benefit of those that we represent. And
I'd like to start by saying that we are
[4:12] on the unseated territory of the Quatzen
people. And uh welcome our guest to our
[4:19] meeting this evening. And with that,
we'll call the meeting to order. Uh
[4:23] introduction of late items. We have one
late item, Miss McWilliam.
[4:27] » Thank you, Mayor Staples. We have one
late item to be included as uh number
[4:32] 9.3. It's the joint utilities board
sewage treatment plan outfall relocation
[4:38] project update and UBCM municipalities
funding risk.
[4:44] » Excellent. Thank you very much. So,
approval of the agenda as amended to
[4:48] include the late item is there remer.
Any discussion? All those in favor?
[4:53] Motion carries and adoption of minutes
from June 8th that the minutes of June
[4:58] 8th be adopted as circulated. Is there a
move and a secondary? Any questions,
[5:02] corrections? All those in favor? Motion
carries. And now we will move on to
[5:08] delegations. So we have uh Neil Puckish.
Am I saying your name correctly, Neil?
[5:14] » Close.
>> Close. Close. Mayor, it's Pukish.
[5:17] » Pukish.
>> Okay. Um sorry for
[5:20] » for incorrectly.
Uh welcome.
[5:24] » Thank you. Uh good evening, mayor and
council. I'm pleased to be here tonight
[5:28] to along with Steven Sluida, who's on uh
the television screen here from RC
[5:32] Strategies to present the findings of
the regional needs assessment uh review
[5:37] for the recreation in the Kawajin Valley
region. And before I pass it over to
[5:41] Stephen or Mr. Slooa, I just want to let
you know that this is a pretty big
[5:45] document. I think it was about 191
pages. There's lots of information there
[5:48] to digest. Um, but what we're doing
right now is we're doing a bit of a road
[5:52] show through the Cowin Valley. Uh, this
is our last stop with the municipality
[5:55] of Duncan, uh, to give the, you know,
give the information to you and as well
[6:00] to seek feedback. So, we've been to the
CBRD board. We've gone to municipality
[6:04] of North Kawichin, uh, town of Lady
Smith, uh, Lake Cowin, and now here's
[6:09] our final stop. So, at this time, we're
gathering a lot of feedback, and we're
[6:13] going to use that feedback to help
inform future decisions for what the
[6:16] region needs in terms of recreation
facilities. uh 10, 15, 20 years into the
[6:21] into the future. The good thing is is
that right now things are in really good
[6:25] shape. Our facilities are well
prescribed and there's a big emphasis
[6:28] right now on asset management. You may
have heard about this uh over the last
[6:32] several years, but this is something
that we're focusing on. But I'm going to
[6:35] hand it over to uh Mr. Sluda and he's
going to walk you through the process
[6:38] that we went through and I'm uh here to
uh answer any questions that you may
[6:41] have afterwards.
>> Wonderful. Thank you very much and
[6:44] thanks for saving the best to last. We
always appreciate that. And uh over to
[6:48] you.
>> Great. Thanks uh thanks Neil and and
[6:51] members of council. Can you hear me?
Okay. Just want to do a quick sound
[6:53] check there.
>> Absolutely. Yeah.
[6:55] » See some nods. Great. I'm just going to
share my screen here.
[7:01] And um if someone can give me a thumbs
up just to confirm you can see my my
[7:05] screen there, that'd be awesome.
>> Great. Okay. Wonderful. Thank you. Um
[7:09] yeah. Well, good evening and uh and
really have really excited to have the
[7:13] opportunity here to to share a bit of a
summary or synopsis of the recreation
[7:18] needs assessment that our team
undertook. So, as Neil mentioned, uh my
[7:22] name is Steve Sluda. I'm a partner at RC
Strategies and our firm was um retained
[7:27] undertake the work on behalf of the CVRD
and and all the respective partners. Um
[7:31] in terms of the the presentation itself,
really there's kind of three components
[7:34] here. Uh first, just touching on the
process we went through to develop the
[7:38] needs assessment. what were some of
those key inputs? How did we ultimately
[7:42] land where we landed? U secondly, we'll
share at a very high level and Neil
[7:47] referred to the length of the document.
There's a lot of detail there, so we
[7:50] can't get in kind of to the the real
weeds on it, but we'll share a bit of a
[7:54] synopsis of some of the recommended
infrastructure strategies or or
[7:57] recommendations. And then, um last but
certainly not least, uh answer any
[8:01] questions or or comments that you might
have.
[8:05] Um so, the study purpose really was kind
of three-fold. um first being and where
[8:10] we spend a lot of our time probably
about six months was assessing what
[8:13] we've I guess we call the current state
of regional recreation uh in the couch
[8:18] valley. So that would be looking at
things like trends what are the the
[8:21] changes that have occurred over the last
5 to 10 years. Obviously a lot has
[8:25] happened um that impacts recreation and
related activities within the course of
[8:29] a decade. Excuse me. Um trying to
understand what some of those gaps and
[8:33] high priority needs are. Ultimately, um
the work was was undertaken and intended
[8:38] to update the the last regional
recreation strategic plan which was uh
[8:42] developed in 2019 and that included a
number of five-year priorities. So
[8:48] obviously those priorities have um have
have kind of passed uh given that we're
[8:52] in 2026. So this work was necessary
necessary to revisit and update some of
[8:57] those priorities and and recommended
focus areas. And then really at the end
[9:01] of the day, um the document is there to
be a resource for certainly the CVRD
[9:06] board, but others as a kind of a point
of reference to inform decision-m.
[9:12] Um it's highlighted in the bottom on the
slide there, and I just wanted to make
[9:15] sure that that this was clear. The needs
assessment was looking at regional
[9:19] recreation. So looking at the the
regionally significant facilities, kind
[9:23] of the regional lens uh was put on
recreation. This work was not intended
[9:29] to, you know, tell the respective
municipalities what their local
[9:32] non-regional priorities should be. So,
we recognize that all the different uh
[9:37] jurisdictions, municipalities have uh
their own kind of planning documents and
[9:41] and that was not within the scope of our
work. We're really focused on the
[9:44] regionally significant facilities. So,
just wanted to make sure that was clear.
[9:49] Uh graphic on the screen on the right
there really just shows the process we
[9:52] went through to undertake the needs
assessment. And so as I mentioned spend
[9:56] about 6 months doing a fairly deep dive
into the current state of things and and
[10:00] what some of those kind of emergent gaps
and needs are through research and
[10:03] engagement. Uh then later uh in 2025 and
early into this year kind of made sense
[10:08] of all that information that we gathered
and that led to the the needs assessment
[10:11] draft and uh a final draft which uh
we're we're presenting here uh to all
[10:16] the different uh entities in the region
on the left there. Um that just really
[10:20] recaps that kind of bubble graphic there
just recaps the uh the different inputs.
[10:25] So we had a number of different
engagement opportunities. So we
[10:28] collected feedback from over a thousand
residents through uh a statistically
[10:33] representative resident survey and some
other inperson engagement opportunities.
[10:37] We engaged with 49 distinct community
organizations and groups. So
[10:41] representing a wide array of recreation,
culture and other related interests
[10:45] across the region. We did some analysis
of facility utilization to try to
[10:50] understand which of facilities are at
capacity, underutilized and and so
[10:54] forth. Looked at population and
demographics. Looked at kind of broader
[10:58] provincial, regional, national trends.
Uh undertook some spatial analysis and
[11:02] mapping to understand maybe where some
of those g those spatial or geographic
[11:06] gaps are. And then looked at
benchmarking with some comparator
[11:09] regions as well.
So that leads us into uh kind of the
[11:14] second part of the presentation here
which is a summary of the
[11:16] recommendations and priorities. And what
we wanted to ensure that we did is um
[11:21] come up with these priorities and these
recommendations in a really transparent
[11:25] datadriven way. So we used a three-step
prioritization framework as the graphic
[11:30] illustrates. So the first step in that
framework was to come up with a series
[11:33] of criteria uh and then weight those
criteria. So um figuring out what some
[11:38] of those things we can score different
potential amenities and projects
[11:41] against. So um those criteria, waiting
them and then actually scoring in step
[11:46] two all those different uh amenity types
that could represent potential
[11:50] priorities projects focus areas for for
capital infrastructure investment. And
[11:55] then step three um we use that to then
apply uh some practical considerations
[12:00] to come up with those strategies
themselves. So sequencing resource
[12:03] requirements, land and and so on. So,
uh, on the following slides here, we've
[12:08] put the the priorities and and the
strategies into a few different buckets.
[12:12] Um, but I just wanted to touch on kind
of the way that we got to those
[12:15] different priorities that we'll talk
about on the following slides here.
[12:20] So, uh, as mentioned, there's kind of
three slides here that represent three
[12:23] buckets of, uh, of infrastructure
strategies, priorities, recommendations.
[12:27] Um, Neil touched on this in in his
opening remarks there. Um, sort of under
[12:32] the strategies aimed at sustaining aging
infrastructure. Um certainly majority of
[12:36] the facilities have have been
wellmaintained and you know through good
[12:40] asset management practices and I'm
talking about the regionally significant
[12:43] facilities for sure. Um but we're
suggesting in the regional recreation
[12:47] needs assessment that that needs to be
an overarching priority moving forward.
[12:51] So certainly there's demand and and
desire for a lot of new types of
[12:55] facilities, new better as there always
is, but really important to kind of lock
[12:59] down and ensure asset management
protects um the the wealth, the hundreds
[13:03] of millions of dollars uh in
infrastructure that already exists. So
[13:05] that's kind of an overarching
recommendation there. In terms of
[13:09] specific focus areas for that
reinvestment, certainly the existing
[13:12] arenas that exist across the region, um
the two existing aquatics facilities,
[13:17] the two pools, community programming
spaces, and there's a variety of those,
[13:20] the sports plex, and then the Kouchin
performing arts center. So, those real
[13:24] key uh infrastructure spaces need to
make sure that they're sustained again
[13:28] through good asset management practices
to to sustain those service levels and
[13:32] ensure they're available for residents
to enjoy moving forward.
[13:36] Um the the next bucket of uh strategies
here are looking at some of those bigger
[13:42] longer term potential investments or
what we've turned kind of termed kind of
[13:46] the next generation of regional
facilities. So uh a few that we just
[13:50] wanted to touch on here. The first being
looking at arenas or or ice arena ice.
[13:55] Um so the the strategy uh here uh that
is recommended in the needs assessment
[14:00] is to look at working towards one to two
new ice sheets by 2040. So about a
[14:06] 15-year kind of outlook and ideally
doing that as part of a multi-heet
[14:10] facility. So there's there's kind of
economies of scale. Um and also just
[14:14] programmatic benefits by having multi-
sheet arena facilities. They can share
[14:18] mechanical systems. They can support
tournaments better. So we haven't
[14:22] exactly said where or how this should
occur. Um but we've kind of opened the
[14:26] door for some further uh review of how
that could occur. Is it adding a second
[14:30] sheet onto an existing facility? Is it
looking at eventually um scaling down
[14:36] operations at an existing facility when
it's at end of life and building a new
[14:39] double arena? Um so those approaches
would need to be further refined through
[14:43] through subsequent work, but ultimately
looking over the long term to have a
[14:47] multi- sheet facility um that delivers
one to two new sheets of ice incremental
[14:51] to what already exists. Um second bullet
there. Um so we've suggested doing some
[14:56] concept planning and cost validation for
a third regional indoor aquatics
[15:00] facility to serve the south. Obviously,
a lot of uh growth is occurring in the
[15:04] south part of the regional district. Um
so, not suggesting that that gets built
[15:08] and and or approved and built uh in the
near future, but just doing a bit of an
[15:12] update to uh some of the previous
planning that's been done in terms of
[15:15] what that type of facility could be. Is
it a small pool? Is it a medium pool?
[15:20] What's the cost to both build and
operate that? So, that's a strategy
[15:23] recommended around aquatics. Um third
point there um looking at options for a
[15:28] smaller scale performing arts venue um
to complement the the current one. Um
[15:32] the current facility is obviously a
great facility but it's quite large and
[15:36] it's not really well suited to u
providing kind of basic community
[15:40] program space uh or performing arts
space for some of those smaller
[15:43] functions dance groups community theater
and so on. So we've identified um as a
[15:48] strategy to look at options um for that
space and that space being a priority.
[15:53] Um and then lastly, you know, as or if
some of these majunities
[15:59] to meet other needs that we've
identified through the recreation needs
[16:02] assessment. So a few of those space
needs that we've flagged as being
[16:06] warranting further consideration is
gymnasiums, indoor walking tracks, and
[16:10] fitness spaces. So, you know, as new
arenas or a new pool uh gets considered
[16:15] and potentially developed, looking at
opportunities to kind of tack on or tag
[16:19] on some of these other amenities that
are part of the last bullet there on the
[16:22] screen.
And then the last bucket here um is just
[16:27] some additional strategies um more
focused on kind of trends monitoring and
[16:32] further validating needs moving forward.
So the previous slides kind of uh
[16:37] identify strategies around um needs that
have been kind of validated or amenities
[16:41] that are are sort of validated as
priorities moving forward. There's a few
[16:44] other facility types that require a
little bit more exploration. Um the
[16:48] first bullet there refers to looking at
pickle ball um and undertaking either a
[16:53] feasibility study or developing a
regional pickle ball strategy to explore
[16:57] kind of a major regionally serving
pickle ball site. So something that
[17:01] could um kind of fulfill that need
across the region and you know through
[17:06] that planning work identify you know is
pickle ball even something that we want
[17:09] to include in the regional cadre of of
regionally significant facilities or is
[17:14] it best left to the individual
communities to provide. Um so that that
[17:19] planning work would kind of answer that
question and also sort of cost out or
[17:22] potentially validate the broader need
for kind of that major you know 12 16 30
[17:27] court size facility that could be kind
of a a tournament draw for the region.
[17:31] Um the second point there um Couchin
Sportslex. So there's a number of
[17:35] investments that we've suggested warrant
some further consideration. Um, one
[17:39] would be potentially covering the
existing sports blocks there to get more
[17:43] full season use out of that and and
potentially meet some of the needs for
[17:46] for dry floor space. Uh, and then also
looking at improvements to the the
[17:51] natural surface infield um that is uh
inside the track. So the track needs to
[17:55] certainly be replaced, but there's
opportunity to to squeeze a little bit
[17:59] more usage out of that natural surface
field as well um through some potential
[18:04] improvements. Things like improving the
surface, drainage, um lighting it
[18:08] potentially as well. So um these are
ultimately a few things that require a
[18:12] bit more review, a bit more exploration.
And then lastly again highlighted in red
[18:16] to kind of bring some emphasis to it
overall uh just improving data
[18:20] collection man data collection and
management approaches across the region.
[18:24] So when this work's done again in
whenever that is 5 or 10 years there's
[18:28] even more data to draw from um
particularly with things around
[18:31] spontaneous or casual use um things that
are a little bit harder to track. So
[18:36] always a chance to have more data to
make more informed decisions. So, we
[18:39] just wanted to highlight that as well
and appreciate the time and and
[18:43] listening through that and and happy to
take any uh comments or questions that
[18:46] you might have.
>> Excellent. Thank you so much for that.
[18:50] Are there any questions from council or
comments?
[18:54] No, I see no hand raised. Thank you for
answering all of our questions about
[18:59] what the future might need. I Yeah, the
two ice sheets. Is there would those be
[19:05] in South Couch? I you mentioned that not
necessarily, but would does that kind of
[19:10] lean towards making the most sense?
>> Yeah, through the mayor. Yeah, great
[19:15] question. Um, we we haven't specified
exact location or the delivery approach
[19:20] for those. We we but we kind of looked
at it with a regional a regional lens
[19:25] there as well. So, that would be
something that would need to be further
[19:28] reviewed in terms of kind of where and
how um we just kind of looked at it
[19:31] broadly as as the need for that many
sheets across the the Kawichin Valley.
[19:36] Excellent. Thanks. And I appreciate the
pickle ball conversation. I know that
[19:39] that brings out more people to council
meetings than almost anything else. So,
[19:43] » no doubt. Yeah.
>> Yeah. Thanks very much. All right. I
[19:46] see.
>> Thank you.
[19:46] » Thank Thanks very much for your report
and for the work that you're doing and
[19:50] there's no questions. So, we will move
right along.
[19:57] And we are over to you, Mr. Diverti.
>> Thank you, Mayor Staples.
[20:03] Uh just an update. Uh the Coronation
Avenue bike lanes still just a few
[20:07] deficiencies left to be addressed. The
pedestrian activated crossing lights
[20:11] have been installed at Coronation and
Era and there is now also a pedestrian
[20:15] crosswalk ahead sign up at the top of
the Coronation Hill. The Canon Avenue
[20:20] complete streets progress uh complete
streets project sorry is progressing and
[20:25] the speed reader board has been
installed on street to address some of
[20:29] the concerns around uh speeding through
that detour. RCMP have also been up to
[20:34] Alley Street where they have issued
another number of fines and RCMP tell us
[20:39] that they'll they'll be attending again
periodically throughout the construction
[20:42] detour to try to keep those speeds down.
We do have the potential to add some
[20:46] other traffic calming measures as well.
The couchway traffic signals a good
[20:51] update there. The new timing signals by
Ray have been approved by the traffic
[20:55] engineer and in the coming weeks we'll
be implementing those. The lights will
[20:59] then finally after many many years
utilize the actual traffic loops and and
[21:03] decrease time allocated to a particular
leg if that of the intersection when
[21:07] that traffic is actually light for that
leg. So uh no longer would you see say a
[21:12] 25-second uh green light when there's
only two cars going through. So that
[21:16] should improve traffic through through
there and we'll obviously watch as we've
[21:20] not had we've had a few hiccups as we've
tried to implement this in the past. So
[21:24] hopefully this one goes w without
hiccups.
[21:28] update on the 261 263 Third Street
project. As council is aware, you
[21:34] approved a rear parcel line setback
variance on June 8th. So that's uh and
[21:39] that's as because the applicant has
revived their revised their proposal now
[21:43] seeking approval for a five-story 17
unit uh residential building which was
[21:48] intended to be a strata. And so as a
result of that, they no longer require a
[21:52] zoning by amendment. So the next step
for them is to uh revise their
[21:56] development permit application drawings
and resubmit those to city staff for
[22:00] review and consideration of approval.
And lastly, the 2026 property tax
[22:06] deadlines uh approaching very quickly.
That deadline is coming up on June 2nd.
[22:11] So we need to get everyone to get their
property tax notices uh paid up and as
[22:16] well uh if you have a home or grant need
to get that uh signed off on for the
[22:20] province as well. Any questions, please
contact city hall at 7466126 or just
[22:26] email taxes duncan.ca.
Thanks.
[22:31] » Why thank you. Are there any questions
for Mr. Dvert about his report?
[22:34] Councelor Newington, go ahead.
[22:38] » 50 Coronation.
I had an opportunity to drive past that
[22:44] location and with the unit that is
planned to go in there. Is there going
[22:49] to be enough parking
for that? Like it's kind of a keyhole.
[22:56] » Yeah, at this point we don't have a lot
of details on the conceptual drawings,
[22:59] but uh I believe an underground parkade
was was intended.
[23:05] » Thank you. Any other questions for Mr.
Dvertai?
[23:08] Seeing none, uh, that council receive
the June 2 or 20 22nd 2026 report of the
[23:16] chief administrative officer for
information only. There's a mover and a
[23:20] seconder. All those in favor? Motion
carries. Thank you very much for your
[23:23] report tonight. We'll move to invite
Miss Hodins up for the accessibility
[23:29] plan.
[23:36] Thank you, Mayor Staples. So, this
report presents the 2026 accessibility
[23:41] plan. Uh, under the Accessible BC Act,
the city is required to review and
[23:45] update its plan at least once every
three years, and the city adopted its
[23:49] first accessibility plan in July of
2023.
[23:53] Um, the city's accessibility advisory
committee reviewed progress on the 2023
[23:58] plan last year and made additional
recommendations at that time to improve
[24:02] accessibility of city services. A draft
of this 2026 plan was presented to the
[24:07] committee on May 4th of this year which
in included those recommendations and at
[24:12] that time the committee made some
further recommendations which have now
[24:14] been incorporated into the plan before
you. Um so and one of the key items that
[24:20] the committee raised um at the last
meeting was to include our accessibility
[24:24] for businesses brochure in the uh
business license notices annually. So
[24:29] that's something that's been
incorporated that's new from the last
[24:31] plan. So, this plan reports on
accessibility improvements over the past
[24:35] three years and sets a list of actions
to work on until the next review period
[24:39] in 2029. Thank you.
>> Excellent. Thank you very much. Are
[24:44] there questions for Miss Hodins about
the plan at all? Comments? Council,
[24:48] anyone, would you like to say anything
about it?
[24:50] » Well, I just wanted to thank Miss
Hodins. She's worked very diligently
[24:54] with the committee on this. And the
other thing is that we are going to do
[24:59] be doing a walkabout through the city to
identify any issues that um the city can
[25:05] manage and bring up to date. So um we're
probably going to do that in July, I
[25:10] would think. And but once again, thank
you so much for all your help.
[25:16] Thank you. Will you invite council to
that as well? Will you invite council to
[25:20] the
>> Absolutely.
[25:22] » Wonderful. Excellent. Thank you. Uh so
that council adopt the 2026
[25:26] accessibility plan as reviewed and
amended by the accessibility advisory
[25:30] committee on May 4th, 2026. A mover and
a seconder for that motion. Any further
[25:35] discussion? All those in favor? Motion
carries. And again, yes. Thank you very
[25:40] much for all your work on that, Miss
Hogins. And we're going to move over to
[25:43] the temporary use permit application for
610 Trunk Road, otherwise known as the
[25:48] village. And we are going to welcome Mr.
Young up to the microphone.
[26:05] Thank you, Mayor Staples. This is a
temporary use permit application for 610
[26:09] Trunk Road.
[26:15] The purpose of the temporary use permit
is is to authorize the village
[26:20] supportive housing project um that
exists on the site now to continue for
[26:24] an additional three-year term from
December 31st of this year to December
[26:29] 31st of 2029. And the village uh
supports up to 40 unsheltered people and
[26:35] up to 40 modular sleeping units.
[26:43] In terms of a a brief history, so the
temporary use permit was first
[26:47] authorized
uh by council in December of 2021 uh
[26:52] with the uses beginning in in January
2022. The site has been in operation
[26:56] since that time. Uh the current
temporary use permit expires at the end
[27:02] of this year.
Uh the proposed uh new TUP would which
[27:07] would be the fourth temporary use permit
for the site would authorize the uses
[27:11] for an additional three-year term.
Uh the couch and housing association was
[27:16] the original applicant for for the
village site uh with Lookout Housing and
[27:23] Health Society as the operator and
Lookout is still the operator of the
[27:26] site today. Um, one thing that's changed
is that uh rather than CHA or Lookout
[27:33] being the applicant under previous TUPs,
BC Housing is now the applicant for the
[27:38] new TUP and the the extension is
proposed to be funded under the homeless
[27:44] encampment action response temporary
housing or hearth program
[27:51] uh with Lookout continuing as the
operator.
[27:55] The site is zoned high density
residential. That's the brown color. Uh
[27:59] the pink areas are the highway corridor
commercial zoning to the west. And then
[28:04] uh to the east is medium density
residential zoning. The air photo on the
[28:09] right you can see the the pods. Uh this
is a relatively recent air photo. So you
[28:15] can see the the site isn't currently in
operation. It's outlined in yellow.
[28:21] few site photos from from Trunk Road
back towards the site. It's uh
[28:27] surrounded by a security or or safety
fence with a a netting material.
[28:35] This is the entry way to the site.
[28:45] Uh this is from the sidewalk along Trunk
Road looking um east towards the site.
[28:56] This is the the parking lot on the
commercial properties behind the
[29:00] village.
And just another another image. So the
[29:04] the grass area are properties um um
single family residential properties
[29:11] zoned highway quarter commercial that
frontal to Dobson road.
[29:20] Uh the proposal is to revitalize the
site uh under a new three-year term
[29:26] which includes renovating and replacing
some of the existing units.
[29:31] um potentially adding an indoor amenity
space for the residents,
[29:36] a new fenced perimeter. So, uh my
understanding is is um the uh metal
[29:44] safety fence with that fabric material
would be replaced with a more durable uh
[29:50] fence around the perimeter of the site
as well as additional lighting and
[29:55] cameras for site security.
Um, of note, the previous TUPS included
[30:02] a commitment for broader neighborhood
walks by lookout staff and peer-to-peer
[30:07] outreach. Um, unfortunately,
uh, the Hearth program does not fund
[30:12] neighborhood security or security
offsite.
[30:17] the the temporary use permit and we'll
talk about that a little bit more on the
[30:21] next slide, but the temporary use permit
includes the letter of intent, a letter
[30:25] of commitment which which includes um a
number of commitments by BC Housing U
[30:30] but again unfortunately does not include
um neighborhood security
[30:38] as part of the application. Uh staff
referred the application to the RCMP.
[30:44] Um, and I just wanted to to read a brief
summary. This is my summary of of the
[30:49] information that was provided by the
RCMP in response to this application.
[30:53] Uh, so since its opening in 2022, the
RCMP has seen an increase in call
[30:58] volumes within a oneb block vicinity of
610 Trunk Road beginning in 2024 and
[31:04] 2025.
With the primary issues in the area
[31:07] being unwanted persons, mental health
calls, bylaw issues, assaults, and
[31:11] missing persons. 610 Shrunk Road, the
subject property is the primary call
[31:16] generator in the area, but the number of
calls at the site has generally remained
[31:20] stable since 2022, since the site's
opening,
[31:25] except for a spike for call uh in 2025.
[31:33] Um so based on the feedback from
uh from the RCMP and uh you know based
[31:40] on our observation that the increase in
calls for service seems to coincide with
[31:45] a reduced presence in the broader
neighborhood staff feel that those
[31:48] neighborhood and peer-to-peer walks um
are an important part of the success of
[31:53] the village.
[31:57] Um as the long-term plans for the
property have not yet been determined.
[32:02] um staff are supportive of the new TUP
subject to adding neighborhood security
[32:07] checks as an as as a condition of the
TUP.
[32:12] Now, the staff recommendation is that
council amend the temporary use permit
[32:16] for 610 trunk road by adding the
following condition. The site operator
[32:20] must conduct neighborhood security
checks within a 60 meter radius of the
[32:24] land with the nature and frequency of
the security checks to be determined in
[32:29] consultation with the city's bylaw
compliance department and approved by
[32:33] the city's chief administrative officer
and that council issue the temp permit
[32:39] as amended.
[32:45] » Thank you. Are there questions for Mr.
Young at this time? Council
[32:50] Newington,
>> is there somebody here from Lookout that
[32:54] is going to speak to this? Okay. And um
what about BC Housing?
[33:01] » BC.
>> Your BC housing.
[33:04] » Okay. Yeah. It's just um I feel that um
I and probably a lot of the neighbors
[33:11] need some sort of guarantee
um that the patrols are going to be
[33:16] done. this I mean this was one of the
things that we said right from the very
[33:22] beginning that needed to be done in the
area and it was done and it improved the
[33:27] area. Um there was garbage cleaned up. I
had people that lived in the area coming
[33:32] to me and saying it's never been as
clean as what it is since they moved in.
[33:36] So it's wonderful. Um but it seems to
have fallen kind of downward in the last
[33:42] little while. And before I can support
this, I would like to have some
[33:47] guarantees from both BC Housing and from
Lookout that these patrols are going to
[33:53] be done regularly daily in the evening
when people are trying to settle in.
[33:59] Thank you.
>> Anyone else from council?
[34:05] Seeing no other questions, did you have
something? Councelor Duncan, go ahead.
[34:09] » Thank you. uh your worship. Um I live
within about 200 meters of the facility.
[34:15] Um quite often when I'm driving by, if I
see people there, I contact our CEO. Um
[34:21] if I drive by a couple of times and
they're still there after half an hour
[34:25] or so, then I get concerned. I'm living
in the area. I recognize that in
[34:30] probably 90% of the cases, these people
don't live in the village and it's about
[34:35] moving them on. uh we you know we've set
up a a facility there so that we can
[34:40] provide shelter for unhoused people uh
you know it's time for the I think for
[34:47] the police to start doing something more
and I think that uh you know as
[34:52] councelor Newington said at the
beginning it was great I actually had
[34:55] people come up to me and apologize uh
after you know arguing with us here in
[35:00] the meetings about giving the initial
first permit so uh but I have noticed as
[35:05] someone that lives very close by that
there seems to be more people hanging
[35:09] around. So that I think requires uh uh
more frequent uh patrols.
[35:18] » Thank you. Anyone else?
All right. Pardon me.
[35:24] Okay. Um so the next up
>> Oh, sorry. I did not see that cow or
[35:30] sorry, Mr. Young. Go ahead.
>> Thank you, Mayor Staples. I should have
[35:34] mentioned this before, so I'm happy to
answer any questions the council has on
[35:36] the technical aspects of the TU, but BC
Housing and Lookout are here and may
[35:40] wish to to speak to their proposal as
well.
[35:43] » Excellent. Thank you. So, next up I have
um Naomi Brunmeer, is that correct? And
[35:50] Jennifer Fox, both from BC Housing.
And then following that is um uh Shane
[35:56] Williams from Lookout. So, we'll have an
opportunity to ask questions of BC
[36:00] Housing first, though. So, welcome.
>> H welcome. Uh, thank you so much for
[36:04] having me. I'm uh somewhat new to the
role of regional director for Vancouver
[36:08] Island and I've uh really enjoyed
working collaboratively with your staff
[36:12] uh and getting to know your community.
Uh and uh I want to congratulate you on
[36:16] your trailblazing with the village. Uh I
can tell you the envy of many other
[36:21] communities around the tiny village
concept and uh I just wanted to
[36:26] congratulate you on taking that brave
initiative and that step. What the
[36:30] temporary use permit extension is is um
offering is a renewal of the entire
[36:36] asset. So you may know that um BC
housing uh only provided operating
[36:41] funding to the first phase of the um the
village. Uh the units were already
[36:46] created and donated by the cow and
housing association.
[36:50] um they've uh maybe uh had some wear and
tear over the last uh several years and
[36:57] uh when we did a site tour, we felt that
it was time for us to renew um the
[37:01] village and so our proposal is actually
to renew um the entire village. Uh we
[37:06] wanted to keep it open to say renovate
or or renew. Uh but based on our
[37:11] findings, we feel that um it's just best
for us to start with a clean slate and
[37:15] to actually uh renew each of the 34
units knowing we have that expansion
[37:19] room under the temporary use permit up
to 40 uh which could be an ongoing
[37:23] conversation. And so we wanted to make
sure um that BC Housing was the
[37:28] applicant to the temporary use permit.
We wanted to have a relationship
[37:31] directly um with the city of Duncan as
opposed to through our operator. And so
[37:35] that's why there's been a shift. Uh, and
that's also um the content of the letter
[37:40] of commitment that um Kyle spoke to is
is talking about our intentions. So,
[37:44] we're the funer and we have expectations
of our operator. And so, that's how we
[37:48] structured it this time is to make sure
that we have a government-togovernment
[37:51] relationship. So, we've um started the
process of the procurement for the
[37:58] modulars to update the site. Um there is
approval in hand for funding both from a
[38:04] capital and operating side. And so
that's why we need this necessary step
[38:07] to do that that investment is to extend
that temporary use permit as it was
[38:12] stated by Kyle uh PRC. So that's the BC
housing landowning arm. We own the site
[38:18] uh and we currently um don't have have
uh a concrete plan for what that
[38:22] redevelopment looks like and we feel
that this model has been successful in
[38:26] this community and that we wanted to
continue to um house folks in this this
[38:31] model and in this manner at this
location. Uh we have since um opened the
[38:37] uh White Road supportive housing
facility uh also operated uh by the same
[38:42] team and uh have been seeing moveins and
tenanting uh increase uh in the last few
[38:48] weeks and are intending to definitely
create a positive flow from the village
[38:52] for those people who would like to move
on. So trying to create a broad range of
[38:56] housing options in your community. Um
I'm also joined by so I'm on the
[39:00] development side. um I do the building
and the construction and I pass the keys
[39:04] over to my lovely colleague um Jen Fox
who's the regional operations manager.
[39:09] So I'm going to pass it to her to speak
more about the operating model and what
[39:12] we can and can't make commitments around
around the hearth funding. Um and then I
[39:16] know that Shane is here as well. He's
the CEO of Lookout um who can speak um
[39:20] from an operations perspective as the on
the ground folks and of course you
[39:24] probably know better than I do um your
local team here from Lookout. Lee and
[39:28] Elliot.
>> Thank you. And I I do believe the White
[39:31] Road site is not operated by a lookout.
It's operated
[39:34] » connective.
>> Yeah, connective. That's okay.
[39:36] » Thank you for the correction. Hi
everybody. I am still the regional
[39:38] director of Vancouver Island region uh
for BC Housing, not the regional office
[39:43] manager, but thanks Naomi. Uh thank you
everybody for the opportunity to be here
[39:46] tonight and have this conversation about
uh T renewal for the village. Uh we're
[39:51] joined by Shane Williams, who's the CEO
of Lookout, who will provide uh more
[39:55] information and context with respect to
the boots on the ground work that's
[39:59] happening. But I just wanted to touch on
the uh draft letter of commitment. It's
[40:04] state's intentions by BC Housing to work
with the city to partner to continue to
[40:09] operate the village. Uh the province is
providing the funding through the
[40:14] homeless encampment action response
temporary housing fund. And that funding
[40:18] allows for a certain staffing level. It
allows for the meals and it allows for
[40:22] other services to be provided. It does
not provide funding for neighborhood
[40:26] security. So that's not part of the
program. However, Lookout operates a
[40:32] peer program where they partner with
their tenants who are interested in
[40:36] doing volunteer work for an honorarium
to have that site cleanup for a
[40:41] neighborhood um being a good neighbor.
And so I'll turn that over to you,
[40:45] Shane.
>> Thank you. Uh welcome Mr. Williams.
[40:52] » Thank you your worship and thank you to
my BC Housing colleagues for the intro
[40:55] and uh and setting the stage. Uh and
thank you m council for uh hearing us
[40:59] out on this and considering uh the
temporary use permit extension. Um just
[41:04] a couple of things. Um uh you know first
and foremost uh the province
[41:09] reinvestment in this project really
speaks to the success and the fragility
[41:13] of the people at the at the site that
are getting good ongoing support um from
[41:18] our local team and the staff that we
employ uh to to do this service on a
[41:23] day-to-day basis. It's true um that uh
in the last year we have had some
[41:27] difficulty uh with the perimeter walks
um largely to do with a union grievance
[41:33] um that um uh uh that was uh brought
forth by one of our staff members um who
[41:39] were was participating in the walks on a
regular basis and noted that it was
[41:43] outside of their current job um job
description. uh and uh having people
[41:49] doing the checks uh that the way the way
that they were um was actually uh taking
[41:54] away supports from the site um uh and
taking them off site. So that was
[41:59] causing some duress and some some some
challenge for some of the staff uh at
[42:03] the at the job site itself. I can say
quite a bit about uh this application uh
[42:08] but from the BC housing perspective uh
the renewal of the units uh the indoor
[42:13] amenity um fencing lighting cameras all
speak to security all speak to uh staff
[42:19] capability and function uh will which
will go much higher as a result of of
[42:24] these um um um really great supports. um
the peer program that Jen was talking
[42:30] about. Um there is a lot of interest um
and and you know we're looking at trying
[42:34] to expand that to uh to um um bring the
neighborhood um um back to a spot where
[42:41] they be clear support. Uh you know much
of the ongoing operational challenges at
[42:47] the site are a little bit outside of the
scope of what Lookout can do um um you
[42:51] know through the village operations
alone. um you know you've seen uh uh a
[42:56] little bit of a different approach to
civic uh camps um and and and
[43:00] interventions on those camps which is
displaced people I think in the
[43:04] community uh a little bit differently
than before. Uh and uh you've also seen
[43:09] um an a different approach um from
Kouchin tribes on the indigenous uh
[43:14] folks that may be struggling on reserve
uh and them no longer being on reserve
[43:18] has actually put a lot of lot more
pressure I think on all of the
[43:22] operations of the various uh um
nonprofits in in the community. Um and
[43:28] we're hopeful that you know White Road
um as it's tened it up um and other
[43:33] amenities and and and future BC housing
projects and potentially um you know the
[43:38] uh uh uh uh this project reaching its
its 40 um um uh uh occupancy and um uh
[43:46] and a renewal of the of the temporary
use permit. We are we are we are
[43:50] anticipating that we're going to see
some some some um um uh return to the
[43:55] the trust that the organization and and
that the tenants of the village had
[43:58] earned from the from the greater uh
community uh uh area.
[44:05] Um I appreciate the council I think was
councelor to Tom that talked a little
[44:10] bit about the police role in um um uh
the congregation in front of the
[44:15] village. Um it is really hard for um uh
you know a staff member uh that has very
[44:21] little leverage um very little um uh
control over somebody saying I'm not
[44:27] moving and you can't make me move and
there's nothing that you can do about
[44:30] that. Um there's really not a lot more
our team or that can be expected of our
[44:36] team. Um
calls have increased at the site because
[44:40] we we're calling for help and people
aren't moving along when prompted. Uh
[44:44] and so that can cause um you know this
notion that it's there's more unsafety
[44:50] in the community um when really we're
just trying to um live up to uh the
[44:55] expectation of the community which is to
try to bring down the congregation of
[44:59] people outside the site. Um so so that I
think has put a little bit more um maybe
[45:05] duress on our on our policing partners
um as does uh the missing persons. And
[45:11] so you noted in in the report from staff
that the missing person's uh data uh um
[45:17] was was noted as as as part of the
police calls. Um that that's something
[45:21] that our team would regularly report a
missing person's uh if if they haven't
[45:27] if if if a tenant of the village hadn't
been at um um their uh uh pod in the
[45:33] last 24 hours um we get concerned about
them. uh they are vulnerable um in some
[45:39] cases live al alternative lifestyles.
It's important that we're flagging that
[45:43] this person is missing and that we need
to reconnect with them. So we will use
[45:47] our local police so that you know the
police who often know some of the folks
[45:51] that that live at the village. Um we'll
keep an eye out for them uh and that we
[45:55] together can make sure that that
individual safe in our community. Uh
[46:00] again, this this can lead to inflated um
um data from from local RCMP and other
[46:06] policing across the province, and we've
noted this in our other other projects.
[46:11] Uh and just something that I think
council needs to be um uh mindful of or
[46:16] at least understand uh um before um you
know uh uh casting a vote in in the TUP.
[46:22] Um I think I've addressed uh questions
so far, but I'm open to anything else
[46:27] people might have.
Thank you. Are there questions right now
[46:31] for either Mr. Williams or Fox?
Councelor Caps, go ahead.
[46:36] » Thank you very much and thank you for
coming tonight. I'm really pleased to
[46:38] hear about this like really tangible
investment like really it sounds like
[46:43] really understanding and appreciating
how important this is. And so so to have
[46:47] that investment in the renewal is is
really exciting. I' I've been a huge
[46:50] supporter of this project from the very
beginning. And so it's yeah, I'm just
[46:53] I'm grateful that you're here tonight.
Um, I'm just cur I just had a a couple
[46:57] of questions and I'm not sure exactly
who it would be for, but in I'm just
[47:00] reading through the letter here and when
it says um ensuring the housing operator
[47:04] conducts perimeter checks between 7:00
a.m. and 7:00 p.m. to support community
[47:08] safety, monitoring, and cleanliness in
their surrounding neighborhood, what
[47:11] exactly would you say does a perimeter
check involve? And where does it take
[47:16] place? Is it on the property only? Is it
just outside? How far? And then I have a
[47:20] couple other follow-ups after. Thank
you.
[47:24] through the chair. Um what we are able
to offer is uh in partnership with
[47:30] Lookout, we are exploring additional FTE
resources. So Shane spoke to some of the
[47:36] um limitations through the collective
agreement and so looking at having
[47:40] another position that is responsible for
providing leadership for the pre peer uh
[47:45] peer organization that comes to do those
patrols. There's also the opportunity
[47:50] that we've been in discussion about with
connective as well as with uh Squamo
[47:54] operations about some kind of larger
peer group that could be doing this
[47:58] together. In terms of what we can expect
from the perimeter checks is is really
[48:03] about a few things. First, it's making
sure that we're not handing out
[48:08] resources to people who don't live at
the village. So, discouing discouraging
[48:12] people from coming. It's looking at a
guest policy to prevent foot traffic
[48:16] from coming in and out of the current
village. We're also looking at
[48:19] repositioning the front gate area. So
that's that um staffed booth would move
[48:24] forward where the entrance is. We'd have
the new fence and more importantly, we
[48:29] would be working together with Lookout
to have more honorarium funding to be
[48:33] able to provide through that volunteer
work to discourage people from
[48:38] congregating. And so to Shane's point,
Lookout doesn't have the ability to
[48:41] enforce uh make people leave the
sidewalk that is technically city
[48:45] property. However, there's an
opportunity to share resources. Hey, you
[48:50] can find something over here. You could
maybe get a sandwich over here or
[48:53] something like that to redirect people
to other resources within community and
[48:57] discourage that congregating.
Those are just a few things.
[49:03] » Thank you. Thanks. I really appreciate
that. And I do really um I appreciate
[49:07] the emphasis as well on the the the
peer-to-peer interaction. I think these
[49:13] relationships are are really important.
I think helping people connect with
[49:18] residents and and and so I I I really
appreciate that aspect of it. I'm
[49:22] curious whether any other
similar projects or any projects through
[49:27] this funding or similar funding through
BC housing. Have any in other
[49:31] communities found any ways to in
addition to these fantastic, you know,
[49:35] peer-to-peer initiatives? Um, have there
been any other, you know, creative
[49:40] solutions to
get around this? There's no funding for,
[49:46] you know, security. There's no funding
for for things in the neighborhood. I
[49:49] understand in in certain cases,
absolutely. there's union restrictions,
[49:52] but have there been for any other
projects, have there been any other
[49:55] creative ways that that has been able to
be addressed? Because I think I'm I'm
[50:01] hearing from my colleagues that that's
something that's quite important is to
[50:03] just get a commitment at this stage in
the TUP. And I understand why, you know,
[50:07] for a number of reasons, not just for
the residents in the neighborhood, but
[50:10] also maintaining that positive
relationship in the community. I I I
[50:14] really worry sometimes when you know
over the past few years seeing instances
[50:18] of violence against unhoused people the
the sort of discrimination and and you
[50:22] know I think having a a positive
relationship and a and a positive idea
[50:28] of uh of the of the area of the facility
is really important and for the safety
[50:32] as well because what yeah again like
what we're talking about is it's not
[50:35] you're not able as as staff working on
the site at the facility to control
[50:38] people who are outside but nearby due to
the nature right so how Can we look
[50:44] outside of that immediate staff who's
there trying to provide those really
[50:47] critical services to people that can
look out for the safety as well of the
[50:51] the residents that are there as well as
the overall well-being of the immediate
[50:55] neighborhood. Anyway, sorry, long-winded
way to say, have there been any
[50:57] instances in other communities where BC
housing operators have been able to find
[51:01] ways to fund something similar to what
we're asking for?
[51:07] » Thank you for the question through the
chair. um we have seen great
[51:11] partnerships happen and so in some cases
directly with uh operator NBC housing we
[51:16] look to get creative and so the example
that I would share is what I was I I
[51:20] said previously which is we have the
opportunity to provide some additional
[51:24] funding to look out to have additional
FTE resources to be able to oversee this
[51:30] type of program um not fully full-time
but part of that role could include this
[51:35] type of work and also providing an
increase so they can do that honorarian
[51:39] And the other piece I would say and
Shane can speak more more to this, but
[51:43] there is the homelessness response
leadership table in Kawachin right now.
[51:48] And so we do have the opportunity
through that table to have conversations
[51:51] as partners about how we do this
together. And so what that could look
[51:55] like is partnering with um Couchin
Housing Association or with outreach
[52:00] partners or with BC Housing's own
encampment response team to be able to
[52:04] partner on how we address specific
issues. So, it's one thing for Lookout
[52:09] uh not to be providing resources to
people who aren't living at the site and
[52:14] to encourage people with a handout or
information to be able to go seek
[52:18] services elsewhere, but really about
partners coming together in community.
[52:22] We've seen that work where outreaches
together and different service providers
[52:26] and talking about the resources we
collectively have in a community and how
[52:30] we can deploy or allocate those where
the emerging need is. And so, that's
[52:35] what we've seen work as well.
And I believe that the for the first few
[52:39] years that the village operated that is
what was done. We were sort of a
[52:43] template for that in the region. Is that
am I correct um Shane on that? That's
[52:49] that was something that we did but then
funding started to shift and change
[52:53] around and now what we're asking what
I'm hearing is that we're moving back to
[52:57] reimplementing that model in a in a more
robust way with staff hours that you're
[53:01] talking about to go towards that. So it
is something that we did do as as part
[53:06] of the beginning of this for a number of
years. So am I hearing that correctly?
[53:11] » Absolutely. Mayor Staples, you are
hearing that correctly. We would love to
[53:15] um bring it back to that. You will
remember that the table had applied um
[53:20] um for peer funding um through other
other means. Um and so we had some
[53:24] one-off grants that were that were
augmenting peer service for a long time
[53:29] and certainly we've missed that. Um um
the other thing I think that's so
[53:33] important to note is as there are
different approaches to uh the
[53:36] homelessness within the region and that
people are are are kind of um uh
[53:41] disrupted in maybe how they would have
camped rough before or stayed on on
[53:45] couch and land. Um
folks folks are they're figuring out a
[53:51] new pattern. Uh, and it's really
important that we um uh continue to work
[53:55] alongside our tenants and residents who
feel somewhat sometimes a little guilty
[53:59] for for having um um a pod uh and and
and and living within the village when
[54:05] some of their friends are still very
rough on the streets. Uh and so they um
[54:10] um will sometimes um you know try to
support their friends on the streets by
[54:15] bringing them you know some of the
sandwiches from the site. Um um and and
[54:19] we have to educate and and make sure
that they understand that if you do this
[54:23] more will come uh and the impact on the
community is hard and and it's um um you
[54:28] know people don't always put their
refuge in in the buckets and and and
[54:32] that kind of thing. And so um you know
reminding the tenants and educating the
[54:37] tenants and letting them know here here
are the decisions we'd like you guys to
[54:41] make and here's why. Um it does take a
while sometimes to change some of those
[54:45] some of those behaviors. Sure.
Can I just say something to that? I I
[54:52] think too that that's one of the things
with the village that we have managed to
[54:55] do as a community as well uh is to
recognize that you know there is going
[55:01] there are times where we have to relook
at things and we have to reimagine
[55:04] things and we have to the ch everything
is changing around us and it sounds like
[55:09] we're you know back on that road again
and and so um I I believe that when we
[55:14] do presentations about this one of the
things that we talk about all the time
[55:18] is the the ability to you know to not do
things well and but address those needs
[55:25] and address those changes so that we
know everything isn't always going to
[55:28] run smoothly. As you know, Shane has
pointed out the community has changed.
[55:32] We've seen that. I've seen that
everywhere. And so, uh, but it it is
[55:37] important for us to pick that up and,
you know, make sure that we're
[55:40] addressing that. And that is what I'm
hearing uh being spoken today and being
[55:45] shared today. And I for one am, you
know, really grateful to hear that
[55:48] because it is, as we've said throughout
this whole process to to all of you at
[55:53] BC Housing, um to the to the province,
that's such a core component of making
[55:58] this successful. And so I just wanted to
add that while we were on topic and I'm
[56:03] going to pass it back to um councelor
Caps.
[56:06] » Absolutely. Thank you so much. So just
looking at the amendment that's been
[56:09] proposed here, just I'll just read it
out. It just says that the site operator
[56:13] must conduct neighborhood security
checks within a 60 meter radius of the
[56:16] land with the nature and frequency of
the security checks to be determined in
[56:19] consultation with the city's bylaw
compliance department and approved by
[56:22] the city's chief administrative officer.
And I'm not sure if perhaps this is a a
[56:26] question for Miss McMilliam or Mr.
But just does it sound as though based
[56:29] on the discussion that we've just been
having about um some of the possible
[56:33] ideas or the ways that that could look.
Does it sound as though
[56:36] it doesn't sound to me as though this
amendment would prohibit these
[56:41] discussions? It sound actually like
we're quite on a similar page in terms
[56:45] of what we're looking for. Um does it
sound as though those types of
[56:48] discussions and things that are being
had would be that's what we're trying to
[56:52] be able to have with with having this
amendment if that makes sense?
[57:01] Thank you through Mayor Staples to
councelor Caps. We had a similar
[57:05] discussion at a staff level about what
exactly the um the language around
[57:10] perimeter checks that was included in
the letter of commitment meant. And our
[57:14] our concern is that um exactly as you
raised, our hope was that the there
[57:20] would be a commitment made to ensuring
that the congregation that has from time
[57:24] to time occurred adjacent to the site
would be addressed even if it was just
[57:28] past the perimeter of the of the
location. So the 60 meters would bring
[57:33] us around the site where we have been
from time to time encountering some
[57:37] issues and the hope there is that a
conversation could occur and people
[57:42] could be encouraged to to relocate and
if that's not successful of course
[57:47] there's a willingness and an interest in
providing support and hoping to see the
[57:52] site continue to succeed. So, um, yeah,
I think what has been included as an
[57:58] amendment to the temporary use permit
aligns well with what's being discussed
[58:01] around a peer patrol um or arrangement
and whether that's specific only to this
[58:07] site or whether that's something that
could be carried out for all of the the
[58:12] support sites that are in the community
that would that would also align. I
[58:15] think
>> have another question another followup
[58:20] » sort of line. So, thank you but but go
ahead council caps. Um, thank you so
[58:24] much through the chair to Miss
McWilliam. So, yeah, in my mind, this
[58:27] this amendment uh is not overly
prescriptive. I think that what it is
[58:32] asking for is very reasonable and and
not misaligned with the discussion we've
[58:36] been having tonight. Um, and I think I I
really do I really want to support this
[58:41] um this renewal, this this application.
I really want to support it. Um, and I
[58:46] think supporting it as amendment as as
amended here, the staff recommendation
[58:50] allows uh staff and BC housing and the
operator and everyone to work together
[58:54] to come up with something that's going
to work well for the residents of the
[58:57] village, the the neighborhood, and uh
the broader community and all the
[59:00] organization. So, I yeah, I plan to uh
vote in favor of this, but I'll let
[59:04] everyone else speak before I start
moving things over here.
[59:10] Uh, councelor Duncan.
[59:15] We'll go to councelor Newington was
first I believe.
[59:20] » I just have a question about um when
you're going to be move um putting in
[59:25] new pods. So you're doing it on like
four or five pods at a time. Is that
[59:31] what you're doing? Okay. I just didn't
want to have all those people without
[59:36] their home.
We're definitely going to be taking
[59:40] advantage of some of the tenanting to
White Road to be able to create a little
[59:44] bit of vacancy and then move through the
pods as we Yeah, absolutely. We don't
[59:48] want to accomplish that that either.
>> Thank you, Council McKinley.
[59:54] » Regarding the fencing and the security
and the lightings, so if you're putting
[59:59] in a new fence, is it going to be a
gated community now or is it going to be
[1:00:04] open? because you said you're moving the
office forward to closer to the street
[1:00:09] side. So I just question that way and
the security would be cameras on all
[1:00:14] corners. Correct.
>> Uh thank you for the question. So we are
[1:00:19] still working through with the operator
to make sure that what we're proposing
[1:00:23] doesn't limit the ongoing operations of
the site. So that is one of the
[1:00:26] questions around the gate um having it
open for staff vehicles to come in etc.
[1:00:31] So we are still working on that. We're
currently um sourcing for another
[1:00:35] project a gate that has the ability to
roll. Uh so certainly um going to have
[1:00:39] that conversation with Lookout and the
placement of the cameras is going to be
[1:00:42] based on where we move the pods in the
amenity space. So absolutely the point
[1:00:46] of putting in cameras would be able to
have maximum visibility as well as
[1:00:50] lighting. So we're also going to um I
think move the position of the fence. I
[1:00:55] think there was a request to to move it
slightly. So we have the opportunity to
[1:00:59] do that. that was brought up by uh by uh
city of Duncan staff and I believe
[1:01:04] Lookout also supports the movement of
the fence. So there's going to be a
[1:01:07] couple of tweaks in that sense too and
plus some of the fencing interior to try
[1:01:11] to create a little bit of a sense of
community sort of separate the groups of
[1:01:14] pods together. So lots of different
combination of things um that we're
[1:01:18] happy to continue to work with your
staff on as we establish them.
[1:01:22] » Excellent. Thank you. Is there any other
questions? No. Councelor Duncan,
[1:01:27] » thank you your worship. Um, so if I
understand correctly and I heard you
[1:01:32] correctly, there is some money for an
FTE that would work with the peers. Is
[1:01:38] that correct?
>> BC Housing and Lookout are having a
[1:01:42] conversation about what additional FTE
hours can be added to the site to be
[1:01:47] able to provide that support.
>> Yeah.
[1:01:50] » Okay. And uh um one more. So what is the
process? Because right next door to the
[1:01:57] village was the old youth center and
when I drive by I usually see three or
[1:02:02] four people laying on the ground uh
doing drugs. uh what is your your
[1:02:08] procedure if when you go if you happen
to run go out at the time do you tell
[1:02:12] them move on or do you say we're going
to phone the police or we're going to
[1:02:16] phone the bylaws or you know uh the
other thing I was wondering is is there
[1:02:20] some way for um lookout to assume what I
I think you get permission from a
[1:02:27] property owner to move people along we
similar to what we did at the ENN
[1:02:33] so is there some way that you guys could
say you know work with the property
[1:02:36] owner that's complaining that people are
out there all the time to get
[1:02:41] enforcement faster
>> through the chair. So, Lookout's being
[1:02:47] contracted by BC Housing to operate the
village. And so in terms of moving
[1:02:52] people along who are sheltering or
gathering in front of a private business
[1:02:57] or another building, that's not what
we're contracting Lookout to do. But we
[1:03:01] are interested in having a community
conversation together with service
[1:03:04] providers about what we can do together
to provide support. I just I just want
[1:03:08] to respectfully manage expectations for
what Lookout will be able to do and
[1:03:13] where we need to put some um boundaries
in terms of the expectation that they'll
[1:03:17] be doing all the things related to
homelessness in Duncan. Really, if we're
[1:03:21] seeing people who are gathering outside
the area of the village where it's
[1:03:25] located because maybe they're trying to
come and talk to their friends or they
[1:03:29] were here last time and their friend
gave them their lunch. But it's really
[1:03:32] about lookout referring people to other
resources that are available in
[1:03:36] community and just discouraging people
from gathering in large groups. So I'm
[1:03:40] just Yeah, it would really be about that
conversation with community and service
[1:03:44] providers and outreach partners on how
we're looking after people who are
[1:03:47] actually living outside.
>> Yeah,
[1:03:51] » thank you.
>> Yeah, if I may add to that. Um uh yes.
[1:03:54] So if they are tenant um uh uh councelor
Tom if they're if they're if they're
[1:03:58] tenants of the village uh and we can
identify that they're tenants of the
[1:04:02] village then it gets into a larger
educational piece a conversation. Hey
[1:04:06] listen how do you think the neighbors
feel about that? How do you think the um
[1:04:10] you know the the the businesses next to
us um uh you know do do you think that
[1:04:14] that's a good positive kind of community
element? Um and and and you know we
[1:04:19] these conversations sink in for the
tenants and we've got you know lots of
[1:04:22] leverage and lots of ability to educate
and help people that are living at the
[1:04:27] site. That's you know and that's our
focus and that's exactly what BC Housing
[1:04:30] wants us to be doing. Um you know we've
had conversations with with the the the
[1:04:36] um neighbor directly beside us. Uh one
of the big reasons why people were
[1:04:40] congregating was the shade of the trees
um and and people wanting to be around
[1:04:44] those trees. Um, and we had talked
about, you know, expanding the fence to
[1:04:48] go around those trees. Um, and and that
that neighborhood didn't want that to
[1:04:52] happen. Um, um, you know, we've tried to
be a bit more proactive. There seems to
[1:04:57] be some hesitancy there to um, uh, look
at, you know, a larger uh, uh, solution
[1:05:04] to some of those ongoing issues. Um um
but you know what I think we normally
[1:05:09] see through our through our through our
checks uh through our perimeter checks
[1:05:13] are people that that that we're not
familiar with or that we have some
[1:05:17] rapport with. Uh and our approach would
look like this. Hey, how you doing
[1:05:20] today? Um yeah, you know, this is
private property. Uh you know, you're
[1:05:25] not supposed to be here. Um you know,
can you pack it up and you know, can you
[1:05:28] head head on down to um you know, uh
warmland? You know, the local shelter is
[1:05:33] just down this way. Sometimes people
don't know. So you want to give them uh
[1:05:36] resources. I think what what Jen's um
what BC Housing is uh uh um suggesting
[1:05:41] is that we you know um um work with
other providers and have you know some
[1:05:46] resources that we can hand to somebody
to help them on their journey um to to
[1:05:50] wellness whatever that looks like but it
can't be where you're currently at. Um
[1:05:54] and then that can be met with okay yeah
no problem I'll be gone and they're gone
[1:05:58] in 2 minutes. or can be met with uh some
hostility and some you know we don't
[1:06:02] have to listen to you and you know some
harsh words in which which case our
[1:06:07] staff would typically back off and make
a phone call to um um um you know our
[1:06:12] our our policing partners if it was
folks in danger um you know maybe uh
[1:06:17] ambulance if somebody was overdosing and
and you know we had given an oxen and
[1:06:21] they're up again um you know because he
did say that they were using drugs um uh
[1:06:26] or maybe bylaws um if you know that
they're uh um if if they have capability
[1:06:32] to help us in that moment. So um there'd
be you know we go run through the list
[1:06:36] of of folks that maybe be able to help
but um uh uh you know and that's met
[1:06:41] with you know some success and sometimes
it takes a while for you know our our
[1:06:45] policing partners are busy on other
things and so not they don't always get
[1:06:49] there. So you might see those same
people hanging there a half an hour or
[1:06:53] 45 minutes later. Um, and that's usually
around a local capacity.
[1:07:00] » Yes, I am definitely supportive. I just
see this as let's nip this in the bud,
[1:07:05] as they say, before it gets to be uh
Lewis Street issue.
[1:07:12] » Uh,
[1:07:15] Stacy,
I just lost my mind.
[1:07:19] » Thanks. Um, yeah, I appreciate, uh,
everything that's being presented. Um,
[1:07:26] and I'm kind of in a unique position,
um, having worked front lines for many
[1:07:32] years. Um, and you know, I often think
back to when I first started out in the
[1:07:37] in my work and um, you know, you're like
a heart, you know, advocating for your
[1:07:45] clients are homeless and you want the,
you know, and all those things and I see
[1:07:49] it every day in my work. um
where I think staff just sometimes
[1:07:57] either they're they just don't have the
training or it's not leadership doesn't
[1:08:01] bring that forward where like they don't
understand their whole focus is on their
[1:08:07] clients and um they don't always
understand
[1:08:12] the whole concept of like making sure
that the neighborhood
[1:08:17] is happy in order to have this site. and
how that helps people that live there.
[1:08:22] And so I think sometimes there's um
sometimes
[1:08:27] I know there's a lot of that
conversation also with the clients that
[1:08:30] live at the village and um you know a
lot of them take ownership for for that
[1:08:35] place and I know we used to always hear
stories about them helping out neighbors
[1:08:38] and taking you know lots of things great
stories have come out of there. Um,
[1:08:42] yeah. I think just on top of and I get
that you're you're going to come up
[1:08:48] against people that don't want to move
and all those things, but I think
[1:08:51] sometimes it just comes down to if the
staff have a really good understanding
[1:08:56] at all the le levels of staff around um,
you know, what kind of what we're asking
[1:09:03] for and what why it's important because
you don't you don't unless you're in
[1:09:08] this work or in your you know, land
work, you don't always know those
[1:09:11] pieces. and you're just like hardcore
wanting to help your clients and and so
[1:09:15] that piece gets forgotten or they don't
know about it. So it's always like oh by
[1:09:21] the city or RCMP like they're the bad
guys but really they're just like a we
[1:09:26] have a kind of a difficult seat too
where we're trying to we want to support
[1:09:30] this because we know it's doing a great
thing for the people that are living
[1:09:34] there and at the same time we're also
responsibility responsible to the rest
[1:09:38] of the community and so we have to in
some kind of balance. Of course, we
[1:09:43] can't say there's never going to be
anyone outside the gate waiting for
[1:09:45] somebody or whatever, right? It's going
to happen time to time, but it's just
[1:09:49] overall, I think if the staff have a
better understanding
[1:09:53] of those pieces and like why that's
important. Um, then I think that that
[1:10:00] would go a long way.
[1:10:04] » Thank you. Anyone else?
No. Okay.
[1:10:10] Thank you uh everyone for um for your
presentation. Is there anything else
[1:10:16] that any of the presenters would like to
say at this point in time?
[1:10:21] No. Okay. And so now if there's anyone
here who believes that their interest
[1:10:25] may be affected, um this is the
opportunity for you to come up to the
[1:10:29] microphone.
Do I have to do it three times?
[1:10:34] Three.
[1:10:46] There's different procedures for
different things. So, I just wanted to
[1:10:49] make sure. Okay. So, I'm not seeing
anyone else um come up to the
[1:10:52] microphone. And I just would like to
just make a comment about this before I
[1:10:57] read out this very lengthy motion. Um,
but
[1:11:02] I know that the people that are here
recognize the the value of the village
[1:11:07] and what it brings to the people who are
there and also to our community and how
[1:11:12] it's changed. And I also really want to
um thank you all for all of the work
[1:11:18] that you've done and for all of the
hurdles that you've all overcome through
[1:11:21] this process. We've had some pretty
intense conversations over the last how
[1:11:26] many years has it been now? Five years.
uh at multiple times in multiple stages
[1:11:31] of this. Some of them have not gone
well. Um but I believe that they've all
[1:11:36] they've but we've gotten through all of
those and this has not been easy. It's
[1:11:41] breaking ground on something that's
different and and and I really just want
[1:11:47] to thank everyone for going through that
because it's not easy. These
[1:11:50] conversations are not easy to our staff
as well. you. Our staff has done an
[1:11:54] incredible job um at addressing this and
going above and beyond uh to to ensure
[1:12:02] you know to ensure that we're we're even
though things can be struggle sometimes
[1:12:08] that we're trying to figure out a way to
to have solutions instead of just saying
[1:12:12] you know what forget it we're not doing
this. There's so many times along the
[1:12:15] line that that could have happened and
we persevered and people figured out
[1:12:21] ways of having different conversations
and figured out ways of different ways
[1:12:25] of advocating and um and our council has
brought multiple motions to UBCM around
[1:12:31] this and I've been very proud to be a
spokesperson on behalf of this all
[1:12:35] across the country and uh and and it's
those and and one of the things that I
[1:12:42] always go back to is that this is not
something that is simple. It is has to
[1:12:46] be, you know, there there's always going
to be things that we have to overcome
[1:12:49] and deal with. And it's how we do that.
And we don't always do that, you know,
[1:12:54] we do that to the best of our ability at
the time, but we definitely um continue
[1:12:59] to move forward with this. And so I'm
just grateful for everyone and to our
[1:13:03] council who continues as well um to and
to our community members that support
[1:13:09] this. Right. But council, you've been
huge advocates and leaders in this and
[1:13:14] and that people talk to me about that
all the time too when I'm presenting in
[1:13:17] different communities because it is not
easy in these seats to make decisions
[1:13:21] that are super unpopular sometimes and
come at a real cost in lots of in lots
[1:13:27] of different ways in our lives. But I'm
just proud of us for car carrying on
[1:13:31] this path and um and continuing to to be
willing to stand in this. And so just
[1:13:39] thanks to everyone for everything we've
done up to this point.
[1:13:44] And now I will read out this very long
motion. Actually, it's not that long.
[1:13:48] I'm being dramatic. It's been a long
week.
[1:13:54] I know.
I think this is my 17th day in a row. So
[1:13:59] it's uh always just one one uh run-on
week for me lately. So that council
[1:14:05] amend temporary use permit number TUP
2026 for 610 trunk road by adding the
[1:14:11] following condition. Uh 10. The site
operator must conduct neighborhood
[1:14:15] security checks within 60 meter radius
of land with the nature and frequency of
[1:14:19] the security checks to be determined in
consultation with the city's bylaw
[1:14:23] compliance department and approved by
the city's chief administrative officer.
[1:14:27] And that trunk that no and that council
issue temporary use permit number TUP
[1:14:32] 2026014610
Trunk Road as amended to facilitate the
[1:14:36] temporary accommodation of up to 40
unsheltered people in up to 40 modular
[1:14:40] sleeping units for a three-year term
beginning December 31st, 2026 and ending
[1:14:45] December 31st, 2029. Do I have a mover
and a second for this motion? Is there
[1:14:50] any further discussion on this motion?
Seeing no hands, all those in favor?
[1:14:55] Anyone opposed? Motion carries
unanimously. Thank you all again so much
[1:15:00] for all the work that you do in our
community and all the work you've done
[1:15:03] um on this. We'll just give everyone a
moment
[1:15:08] before we carry on to our agenda.
[1:15:16] Thanks Shane. Oh, he's gone. That was
too fast. Okay, so Miss Crosman for the
[1:15:21] annual report.
Thank you, Mayor Staples. So you have in
[1:15:27] front of you the 2025 annual report. All
the departments at the city have a hand
[1:15:33] in creating this report for the previous
year. It's legislated by the community
[1:15:38] charter that it be received by council
before June 30th of each year. And um we
[1:15:46] can go through
it page by page if you'd like. I'm just
[1:15:52] kidding. There's 138 pages.
[1:15:59] » Happy to take any questions if there are
any.
[1:16:03] » Thank you. Are there any questions for
Miss Crossman about the report?
[1:16:09] There's no request for her to read out
every page. No. You have a question now?
[1:16:14] » Yeah.
>> Okay. Go.
[1:16:15] » Didn't we win an award for this report
or did we want we won an award for your
[1:16:20] financial work this year, right?
[1:16:24] Guys, we have won awards for the
previous 14 years in a row. We haven't
[1:16:31] won an award for this one yet because it
hasn't been submitted, but I'm confident
[1:16:36] that we will.
[1:16:41] Oh, sorry. It's over to me, isn't it?
That was it. All right. I was expecting
[1:16:46] more than that. Okay. Okay. The council
received the 2025 annual report is
[1:16:50] attached uh from the director of
finance.
[1:16:54] All those in favor? Motion carries. And
statement of financial information. That
[1:16:58] must be you again, Miss Craftman.
>> Yes. Thank you, Mayor Staples. So, this
[1:17:02] again is a legislative requirement that
the city prepares a statement of
[1:17:07] financial information
uh must be completed by June the 30th.
[1:17:12] So this um
records a schedule of debts of which we
[1:17:17] have none. Schedule of remuneration and
expenses for elected officials and for
[1:17:23] employees.
A schedule of severance agreements and
[1:17:28] suppliers of goods and services of which
we've paid over $25,000.
[1:17:34] And then the approval and the financial
statements. So, this is just on for uh
[1:17:40] approval by council.
[1:17:46] Any questions for Miss Crossman?
I see no hands. So, the council approved
[1:17:52] the 2025 statement of financial
information as attached to the June
[1:17:56] 22nd, 2026 report by the director of
finance. Move in a second. All those in
[1:18:01] favor? Motion carries. And we'll move
now to the December field booking fee
[1:18:05] reduction for the Couch and Valley
Football Association.
[1:18:09] And that one is over to Miss Mc William.
Miss Crossman, you're off the hook for a
[1:18:14] moment.
[1:18:19] Thank you, Mayor Staples. We have
received a request from the Cavan Valley
[1:18:23] Football Association for a reduction on
their invoice from December of last
[1:18:28] year. Um there was a a mistake made
around the field booking and they did
[1:18:34] inadvertently did not cancel cancel
their December field usage times. Uh
[1:18:40] they fully recognized that the process
was just there was a learning curve
[1:18:44] involved and they just needed um they
were unfortunately did not communicate
[1:18:51] with us on on their end around the
cancellation.
[1:18:54] Um, we
given that it was December, it it is
[1:18:59] very unlikely that there were other user
groups that were intending to use it, we
[1:19:02] didn't leave the field lights on. Um,
they've
[1:19:06] made sure that they've made a commitment
to following the process going forward.
[1:19:10] So, over to you for consideration.
All right. Are there any questions about
[1:19:14] this one? So, the council reduced the
Couch and Valley Football Association's
[1:19:18] December 2025 field booking fees from
$1,1949
[1:19:22] to $989. Recognizing that the booked
field time was not used. Is there a
[1:19:27] mover and a seconder? Any discussion?
All those in favor? Motion carries.
[1:19:32] Strategic plan actions.
And that is over to Mr. Dvertai.
[1:19:39] Thank you, Mayor Stipples. Um, so a bit
of an update. I won't go through the
[1:19:43] entire uh entirety of the update report,
but uh just for for reminder that the
[1:19:48] items or the actions that are complete
have been listed in black. items that
[1:19:53] are on track or or largely now complete
are less than in green and actions that
[1:19:58] are somewhat behind uh are on the
scheduleled as uh as orange. So maybe
[1:20:04] I'll just highlight a couple of there's
actually been a number of uh items over
[1:20:08] the last uh 6 to 12 months that have
progressed quite quite significantly.
[1:20:11] Not the least of which uh more recently
is the initiation of the boundary
[1:20:15] realignment study that's been on council
strap plan for well over 10 years now.
[1:20:20] Uh some good progress on the heritage
program now approved. The Canada Avenue
[1:20:25] complete streets project is now well
underway. The Cornation uh Queens bike
[1:20:30] lanes are are now um largely complete
and we made some good good progress very
[1:20:36] recently on the items such as the
Transcatter Highway landscaping plan.
[1:20:41] Unfortunately, that won't be in a
position to construct those until those
[1:20:45] improvements until the fall, but it's
just definitely um moving moving along
[1:20:49] in and some good progress in a lot of
projects in the last um in the last
[1:20:53] while. So, happy to answer any
questions.
[1:20:56] » All right. Are there any questions for
Mr. Dvertai at this time? I don't see
[1:21:00] any hands up. You're getting off easy
tonight. The council received the June
[1:21:04] uh 2020 Why do I keep saying that? the
June 22nd, 2026 strategic plan action
[1:21:11] status update report for information
only. Mover and a second. All those in
[1:21:16] favor, everyone put their hands up all
at once. All right. Thank you very much.
[1:21:20] And now back to you, Miss Crossman, for
the climate action report for 2025.
[1:21:25] Thank you, Mayor Staples. As you can
see, I've been doing a lot of reporting
[1:21:29] work for the previous year. This most uh
recent report is concerning the city's
[1:21:36] emissions and the commitment to being
carbon neutral. And so I've um listed
[1:21:43] out here the emissions that we've done
from our direct services as well as the
[1:21:48] emissions from contractors that we've
hired to do infrastructure projects in
[1:21:53] the city and calculated that we would
need to purchase 300 offsets in order to
[1:21:59] be carbon neutral. slightly higher than
some previous years. Couple reasons for
[1:22:05] that. Um the the first one is that the
province has changed the calculation of
[1:22:12] how much emissions
uh the use of hydro is worth. Um I don't
[1:22:18] know a lot about how they calculated but
it has somewhat to do with um water use
[1:22:24] and the needing to get hydro from
outside of the country. Um so this is a
[1:22:31] a year that they've calculated that
hydro is worth more emissions. So that
[1:22:37] has brought our totals what would have
been under the old calculations we would
[1:22:42] have had 156 emissions we this year we
have 193 and that's mostly because of
[1:22:49] that change. Uh and then we our
contracted services have also increased
[1:22:54] and that's just attributable to the uh
capital projects that we did last year.
[1:23:00] We had some big ones. Um so we're
looking for direction from council to
[1:23:06] purchase 300 carbon credits at an
approximate cost of 9,450.
[1:23:13] and staff are again recommending the um
Great Bear car forest carbon project as
[1:23:20] the project that is closest to home.
>> All right. Is there any questions?
[1:23:28] Councelor Newington, go ahead.
>> Um I do have one question. So the people
[1:23:33] that we have contracted with the city um
do is there some sort of restriction for
[1:23:41] how much do they buy carbon credits as
well or do we have that in in our policy
[1:23:48] of hiring somebody?
Uh, no, we don't have that in our
[1:23:52] policy, but we just we have in our um
when we hire them, we state that they
[1:23:58] will need to submit to us a calculation
of how many liters of fuel they used,
[1:24:03] both diesel and gas, while doing the
project. And then the city then counts
[1:24:09] those as our emissions. But we don't um
state that they have to be carbon
[1:24:16] neutral themselves.
[1:24:21] Fantastic. No other hands. So, the
council received report climate action
[1:24:25] plan report 2025 dated June 22nd, 2026
for information only and the council
[1:24:31] direct staff to purchase 300 carbon
credits at an approximate total cost of
[1:24:35] 9,450
to be funded from local government
[1:24:38] climate action program reserve. Mover
and a seconder. Any more discussion? All
[1:24:44] those in favor? Motion carries. Thank
you very much for that. and we're going
[1:24:48] to move on to new business. Um, so we
have the elect respect pledge. I'm not
[1:24:54] sure if everyone's had a chance to read
that, but at the uh annual Vancouver
[1:24:59] Island and Coastal Communities
Conference, they had a table there. Um,
[1:25:03] it was the Mayor Wells that brought uh
brought the group there and essentially
[1:25:10] as abuse is uh at a bit of an all-time
high for elected officials. And actually
[1:25:15] at the recent um conference that
councelor Duncan and councelor Capsner
[1:25:19] were at for the federal municipalities
conference, there was a number of
[1:25:22] sessions on um how challenging that is
getting across Canada
[1:25:28] and harassment and abuse are undermining
uh they're undermining conversation uh
[1:25:34] and also democracy. Okay. And so we have
a resolution around electrospect
[1:25:40] to try to start to shift the discourse
back to you know we can we can we need
[1:25:48] to do this work in different ways and uh
we need to do it in respectful ways. And
[1:25:53] so the resolution I'll read out uh is
whereas democracy is healthy when
[1:26:00] everyone is able to participate fully
and safely and contribute to the
[1:26:03] well-being of their community and
whereas we are witnessing the
[1:26:06] dissolution of democratic democratic
discourse and respectful debate across
[1:26:10] all levels of governments and in
neighboring jurisdictions and whereas
[1:26:14] Ontario's mun municipally elected
officials are dealing with so this would
[1:26:19] be British columbombians I guess in this
case elected officials are dealing with
[1:26:23] uh increasingly hostile, unsafe work
environments and facing threats and
[1:26:26] harassment. And whereas social media
platforms have exacerbated disrespectful
[1:26:31] dialogue, negative commentary, and toxic
engagement, which de disincentivizes
[1:26:36] individuals, especially women and
candidates from diverse backgrounds,
[1:26:39] from running for office. And whereas
better decisions are made when democracy
[1:26:43] is respectful and constructive and the
voices of diverse genders, identities,
[1:26:48] ethnicities, races, sexual orientation,
ages, and abilities are heard and
[1:26:53] represented around municipal council
tables. And whereas the Association of
[1:26:58] Vancouver Island and Coastal
Communities, is that the one that we
[1:27:01] would be doing it under or would it be
UBCM?
[1:27:04] We're not. Okay. AVIC. Okay.
um
[1:27:12] sorry uh has identified concerning
trends with fewer people voting in local
[1:27:16] elections and running for municipal
office and whereas in 2024 female
[1:27:21] elected representatives from across
Hamilton formed a group called her um
[1:27:25] it's a Hton elected representatives
which pledged to speak out against
[1:27:28] harassment and negatively negativity in
politics and called on elected officials
[1:27:32] to uphold the highest standards of
conduct and whereas her has launched a
[1:27:36] campaign called elect respect act to
promote the importance of healthy
[1:27:39] democracy and safe, inclusive,
respectful work environments for all
[1:27:43] elected officials that encourages
individuals to participate in the
[1:27:46] political process. And whereas on June
5th, 2025, the Canadian Association of
[1:27:51] Feminist Parliamentarians launched a
nonpartisan par parliamentary civility
[1:27:55] pledge to encourage all parliamentarians
to commit to end workplace harassment
[1:28:00] and increase civility on Parliament
Hill, modeled after the pledge developed
[1:28:04] in Halton by representatives of her. Now
therefore be it resolved that the city
[1:28:08] of Duncan Council supports the elect
respect pledge and commits to treat
[1:28:11] others with respect in all spaces
public, private, and online. Reject and
[1:28:16] call out harassment, abuse, and personal
attacks. Focus on debate. Focus debate
[1:28:20] on ideas and policies, not personal
attacks. Help build supportive culture
[1:28:25] where people of all backgrounds feel
safe to run and hold office. call on
[1:28:29] relevant authorities to ensure the
protection of elected officials who face
[1:28:33] abuse or threats and model integrity and
respect by holding one another to the
[1:28:37] highest standards of conduct. And that
the city of Duncan Council calls on
[1:28:41] elected officials, organizations, and
committee members to support the
[1:28:44] Electres Respect campaign and sign the
online pledge at www.electrespect.ca
[1:28:50] CA
and that this resolution, a copy of this
[1:28:54] resolution be sent to the Association of
Vancouver Island Coastal Communities,
[1:28:59] uh, the Federation of, uh, BC or sorry,
the Federation of Canadian
[1:29:02] Municipalities.
[1:29:05] Do I keep reading this? No. Okay, leave
it at that. Okay, sorry, I'm reading the
[1:29:11] their from their page. Uh so that is the
resolution uh that uh if we sign on the
[1:29:21] elect respect pledge that council will
be adopting this evening. So is there
[1:29:25] any discussion or comment about this?
Councelor Newington and then councelor
[1:29:30] caps and then councelor Dun. Yeah, I
attended one of the um
[1:29:36] well, I guess they were seminars at um
FCM last year and um I was actually
[1:29:44] appalled at the number of incidents
across Canada of particularly female
[1:29:50] elected officials that have been
harassed and threatened and bullied. It
[1:29:57] is just it's outstanding
um how badly it is. So, I'm 100% behind
[1:30:03] this. Absolutely.
>> Thank you, Council Caps.
[1:30:07] » Thank you. Yeah, it was really great to
meet um Mayor Maryanne Me Ward from
[1:30:12] Burlington who was sort of championing
spokesperson of this that uh that the
[1:30:15] mayor of Courtney brought to AVIC um and
to talk to her about some of the
[1:30:19] experiences that led to this the
creation of this. And I'm so pleased
[1:30:23] that it's starting to be adopted like I
know I know Courtney has adopted it and
[1:30:28] uh other communities are are beginning
to as well. Um, at the FCM convention
[1:30:34] recently, I went to a session not
specifically on social media, but on the
[1:30:38] ways that local government can be
inaccessible uh, for women and a lot of
[1:30:45] it came back to there there are lots of
different things, right? It was really
[1:30:48] an interesting session actually. But the
parts of it that were relevant to this
[1:30:51] were just the the vast number of elected
women in the room speaking about the the
[1:30:56] amount of harassment, the severity of
the harassment that they've received
[1:30:59] since being elected or that has
prevented people they know from running
[1:31:02] for office. I know that locally we've
seen some really heinous instances of
[1:31:06] this uh somewhat recently with members
of our regional district, female members
[1:31:10] of our regional district being
absolutely bullied, harassed, um people
[1:31:15] using really horrific threatening
language and and slurs towards them
[1:31:18] online primarily. And so I think it's
really important that communities sign
[1:31:23] on to pledges like this and stand up and
take a stance and say that that's
[1:31:28] completely unacceptable and uh and
pledge to conduct ourselves in a
[1:31:32] respectful manner and and call out
people who aren't. So yeah, totally
[1:31:35] support
>> council Duncan.
[1:31:39] Uh thank you, Madame Mayor. So more a
process and procedure. um you know the a
[1:31:45] lot of the whereases referred to Ontario
will that be all corrected or you know
[1:31:51] because I in the the therefore be
resolved is fine. Uh but my pre my
[1:31:56] question is process and procedure we
just read out a bunch of stuff that
[1:32:00] relates to Ontario.
>> Yeah. Thank you uh councelor Duncan
[1:32:03] through Mayor Staples. The
electrespect.ca
[1:32:07] website doesn't allow us to adapt the
pledge. So it's more about signing on.
[1:32:11] Unfortunately, the wording doesn't isn't
entirely universal, but it the the
[1:32:16] sentiment is there and so they're
looking for signitories to the pledge as
[1:32:19] it exists on their website.
[1:32:25] Uh yeah and uh I think that you know as
as over the years we've been going to
[1:32:32] more every I don't think there is a
conference for the last five or six
[1:32:35] years that does not have increasingly um
large sessions on and growing sessions
[1:32:41] on this type of challenge that people
are facing and it's also staff it's
[1:32:45] directed at female staff often um and
other staff members as well but uh
[1:32:51] predominantly what what came up was
around female staff members and in other
[1:32:54] jurisdictions and I know in ours um both
female and male um
[1:33:00] in some of the uh references that
councilor caps is making recently and it
[1:33:05] is a it's it's a challenge people should
not have to feel unsafe you know when
[1:33:09] they go to work and they should not have
to be uh subject to uh to the abuse that
[1:33:14] is that is coming in it's you know it's
if people don't like a decision that is
[1:33:19] made or a decision that's on the table
there are respectful ways to have that
[1:33:23] discussion full stop. And so just to
bring awareness to this is really
[1:33:28] important. And it's getting into
election season which is making it a lot
[1:33:33] uh more aggressive and a lot worse. And
we, you know, I know so many people who
[1:33:39] uh would love to join into, you know,
considering running in different
[1:33:46] different areas. It just simply refuse
to now because of how bad it is and
[1:33:50] because of fear around that. And so,
yeah, this is important for us to make a
[1:33:55] standard and uh and it just is not
there's so many better ways that we can
[1:34:02] we can uh agree to have differences and
work through
[1:34:07] um to get to a better outcome. So on
that note, uh all those in favor,
[1:34:17] thank you very much and thank you for
bringing for uh bringing this to us as
[1:34:22] well. I know that we some of us what
after we went to ABSC brought this
[1:34:26] forward and thank you staff for
following it up and and uh bringing it
[1:34:29] here, Miss McMillian. Much appreciated.
And so the next is that council
[1:34:33] proclaimed September 2026 as childhood
cancer awareness month in the city of
[1:34:37] Duncan. Do I have a mover and a seconder
for that? All those in favor? Motion
[1:34:42] carries. Thank you. And we'll move into
our uh late edition, the Joint Utilities
[1:34:47] Board Sewage Treatment Plant Outfall
Relocation Project Update and Union of
[1:34:51] British Columbia Municipalities Funding
Risk. I will pass the floor to Miss
[1:34:56] McWilliam before I consider reading out
this lengthy motion. Um over to you.
[1:35:06] » And thank you, Mayor Staples. There was
recently a joint utilities board meeting
[1:35:10] that took place on June 1st. Uh at the
meeting was called to consider a letter
[1:35:15] that has been received from the union of
BC municipalities.
[1:35:19] They have previously made a commitment
to funding $6 million towards the sewage
[1:35:25] outfall relocation project. However, the
timeline and increasing costs of this
[1:35:31] project have uh caused them to
ask that the project be rescoped. So,
[1:35:39] they ask the joint utilities board to
consider narrowing the scope of the
[1:35:43] project within 60 days and provide an
update to UBCM otherwise risk losing
[1:35:50] that funding. Now through the course of
the discussion at the at the job the
[1:35:57] conversation took place around the
potential of uh allocating that funding
[1:36:00] towards a a pump station or a portion of
the project. However, unfortunately the
[1:36:06] cost shortfall is so great at this time
that it it did not the joint utility
[1:36:11] board did not deem that to be feasible.
So you have before you a recommendation
[1:36:15] coming from the board at that meeting uh
suggesting that they advise UBCM that
[1:36:22] the project will not be rescoped
uh and that staff be directed to
[1:36:28] continue to work to secure the balance
of the funding hopefully from the new
[1:36:32] building Canada fund and to seek funding
through the new building oh sorry the
[1:36:37] build community strong fund or any other
applicable fund for the construction of
[1:36:41] the project. And finally, draft a letter
to the province of BC and Canada for
[1:36:47] jointly to come from the mayor of North
Kawich and the mayor of the city of
[1:36:50] Duncan, the board chair of the cowin
valley regional district and the chief
[1:36:53] of cow and tribes to provide an update
around the project funding requesting
[1:36:58] support for funding to complete the
design and construction of this project
[1:37:02] to include some following points that
should they be able to retain the new
[1:37:07] build Canada fund, the project
we will complete the acquisition of
[1:37:13] approvals and design with the intent of
requesting additional funding for the
[1:37:16] construction of the project. But if
unable to uh retain the NBCF funding,
[1:37:23] then this the Joe utility board which is
administered by North Kawin will stop
[1:37:28] design process.
[1:37:34] Questions?
[1:37:37] » No questions. Oh, councelor Duncan.
So would this be like number four?
[1:37:45] » It's all four. So it's a bit of a
long-winded one. It essentially saying
[1:37:48] that it and it's
>> not going to be achievable to to make
[1:37:53] the timeline that UBCM is requiring of
the joint utility board to be able to
[1:37:59] rescope the project and that in order to
continue to proceed with the design
[1:38:04] work, it would require some additional
funding through the new build Canada
[1:38:08] fund.
So, I just think that this is just too
[1:38:14] much money. Uh, I'd have to say it's
time to shelf this project. Is there
[1:38:19] some way that we can continue to
investigate any alternatives? Uh, you
[1:38:26] know, as as the future comes down
rather than this route that goes all the
[1:38:31] way out to the middle of Coway.
>> Um, thank you. Um, to councelor Duncan's
[1:38:38] question.
Maybe a few different things within the
[1:38:42] the report here is that that so item one
is just addressing that that aspect of
[1:38:48] sort of abandoning that that $6 million
because in order as as Paige mentioned
[1:38:51] in order to get that you got to probably
spend like 11 11 to 17 to secure that
[1:38:57] one. So that's that's a pretty pretty
costly ask and essentially the
[1:39:01] discussion of the GB was to really hold
off and ask for greater grant funds to
[1:39:06] be able to do the whole thing as opposed
to a portion of it that without the
[1:39:10] outfall doesn't doesn't really do too
much. Um the next one uh item two there
[1:39:15] is around so there is six million there
was two grants that were received or or
[1:39:20] approved one was the six million through
UBCM and then the other was 6 million
[1:39:23] through this new build candidate fund
they're just wanting conf confirmation
[1:39:27] that they continue to use that just from
the design perspective just use the six
[1:39:31] million for design only and just get
that as done as we can and then the
[1:39:34] items three and four are really around
and if and then continue to to try to
[1:39:39] get other grants whether that's through
this build community strong fund or just
[1:39:43] directly in in uh approaching the
province directly as to to find it from
[1:39:48] whatever program they want to they want
to come up come up with. um to the
[1:39:52] question around can we just do something
else that came out there was quite a bit
[1:39:55] of discussion at the at the GB uh around
that um and essentially there there's so
[1:40:02] much volume in the in the winter months
that it has to go somewhere like there
[1:40:09] isn't you know any other use of it
requires some sort of of marine outfall
[1:40:15] currently it's into the river and then
gets to the marine outfall there isn't
[1:40:18] there's just too much volume through the
winter months for it to be say for
[1:40:20] example taken on farmers fields or or
reused in any fashion. So there was a
[1:40:25] bit of discussion as well around, oh
well, could we reuse it? You know, some
[1:40:28] places like in in Palm Desert, Palm
Springs, they actually recycle their
[1:40:32] water. Well, in order to do that, you're
spending millions and millions of
[1:40:35] dollars of creating the a purple pipe
system where you're piping it back into
[1:40:39] community. So also not maybe a great
project, but also extremely expensive.
[1:40:44] And in order to do that, you're probably
talking treatment plants or or an extens
[1:40:49] not just the distribution pipe but the
actual treatment. And then none of those
[1:40:53] as as Mr. Reeds often rec brings up
during these discussions is none of
[1:40:58] those addresses that sort of there's
this um contaminants of emerging
[1:41:02] concern. So whether that's
pharmaceuticals or whatnot that enter
[1:41:05] into the enter into our waist stream
even the most advanced treatment plant
[1:41:10] you can't foresee what might come next
as as a something you may not be able to
[1:41:15] treat. So you may may take it to a
certain level. So that's why ultimately
[1:41:18] the best location for it to go is when
it's possible is into a unfortunately
[1:41:24] into a very expensive marine outfall. So
there was quite a bit of discussion and
[1:41:28] um ultimately the JB did did recommend
that that that we move forward in this
[1:41:32] fashion
because the project costs have ballooned
[1:41:36] from what were originally in the 20,000
20 million range to 96 million now is
[1:41:42] kind of where we're current and that and
that's not even the most current. So it
[1:41:45] could be even higher at this push any so
that's a a big challenge.
[1:41:50] » So 20 million to 96 million in how many
years?
[1:41:53] » Oh it's been a number of years we've
been at it. I'd have to look
[1:41:56] specifically to
[1:42:03] Yeah, I'd have to I'd have to email
that. I'd be um pick a pick a year
[1:42:07] that's but it's it's been I mean
essentially since almost since my entire
[1:42:12] time we've been talking about moving the
outfall uh from the river in the
[1:42:16] conversations with couch and tribes and
in the current lease agreement and so
[1:42:19] we've been certainly making as is listed
in the lease best efforts to do so but
[1:42:25] the uh consult consultation process in
order to have a marine outfall with a
[1:42:29] number of first nations that are um
interested in in in the marine outfall
[1:42:34] was was pretty significant and it's it's
still not complete entirely.
[1:42:41] » Yes, council.
>> So, does that affect our lease with the
[1:42:46] couch and tribes
as as you know using the river will if
[1:42:52] we put a stop to this which obviously we
have to um how does that affect moving
[1:42:59] forward?
>> Yeah, thanks for the question. the the
[1:43:03] lease just talks about the city and
North Couch and well the JB itself which
[1:43:07] is an entity and of itself which uh
we're all cauter in both CBRD and couch
[1:43:12] and tribes all cost share in it but with
the lease talks about making best
[1:43:16] efforts and we're continue to do so we
don't have enough funds to construct it
[1:43:20] right now it's it's just that expensive
of a project so um you know it would
[1:43:26] depend on the discussions with couch and
as to whether they feel like we're
[1:43:29] making best efforts and discussions
around that. So,
[1:43:34] » any other questions, comments? Seeing
none, I'm going to start to read this
[1:43:39] out. The council directs staff to
undertake the following in relation to
[1:43:43] the joint utilities board sewage
treatment plant outfall relocation
[1:43:47] project. Advise the Union of British
Columbia Municipalities that North Couch
[1:43:51] and Duncan will not be rescoping the job
SDP outfall relocation project in order
[1:43:56] to retain the 6 million of UBCM funding.
two, continue to work to secure the
[1:44:02] balance of the new building Canada fund
funding. If the NBCF funding is secured,
[1:44:08] staff will complete the design. Or B, if
the NBCF funding is not secured, staff
[1:44:13] will come back to the job for
recommended direction as to whether to
[1:44:16] continue or not continue to the design.
Three, seek new funding through the
[1:44:20] build community strong fund or any other
funding that may be applicable to fund
[1:44:24] the construction of the project. A if
staff are not successful in obtaining
[1:44:29] additional funding for the construction
of the project
[1:44:32] then staff will come back to the JUB for
recommendation direction related to the
[1:44:36] construction phase of the project. Four,
draft a letter to the province of BC and
[1:44:40] Canada for from the mayor of North Couch
and mayor of the city of Duncan, the
[1:44:44] board chair of the Couch and Valley
Regional District and the chief of couch
[1:44:48] and tribes to send providing an update
around the project funding and
[1:44:53] requesting support for funding to
complete the design and construction for
[1:44:56] this project to include the following
points. A, if we are able to retain the
[1:45:00] NBCF funding, we will complete the
acquisition of approvals and design with
[1:45:04] the intent of requesting additional
funding to construct the project. And B,
[1:45:08] if we are unable to retain the NBCF
funding, we will stop the design
[1:45:12] process. Is there a mover and a seconder
for that? Any further discussion?
[1:45:18] I absolutely hate that we're here after
all of these years and all of this time.
[1:45:24] I mean, I can't even imagine how many
thousands of hours has been spent on
[1:45:29] this. Um,
yeah, and all of the other repercussions
[1:45:33] of it. So, it is with great duress that
I call the motion on this. All those in
[1:45:40] favor? Any opposed? Motion carries.
Thank you very much. And we'll move down
[1:45:46] to reports. Are there any council
members who wish to make a report this
[1:45:49] evening? Councelor Caps. Anyone else?
Councelor Duncan. Going once, going
[1:45:54] twice. Councelor Caps, over to you.
>> Thank you. Um, it's been too long. We've
[1:46:00] had a meeting since the FCM, so I won't
go I won't speak to that, I don't think.
[1:46:05] But, uh, the most one of the most
exciting things recently was getting to
[1:46:09] take part in the amazing race cowin um,
with our team for the city, Mayor
[1:46:13] Staples and Mr. Deverai, Miss McMilliam.
And it was a really cool experience. 19
[1:46:18] different challenges uh, and 14
different teams, different organizations
[1:46:21] and businesses. and we got to go all
over the valley and do some really cool
[1:46:24] activities and I learned about even a
couple of places that I didn't know
[1:46:28] existed before. Um, and we learned that
uh I'm really bad at hula hooping and
[1:46:33] Mr. Dvertai is even worse. Uh, but we're
all really good at bowling. So, that was
[1:46:38] really fun. Uh, fantastic. Really cool.
I'm really grateful to everyone that
[1:46:42] helped organize that and uh it was
really really awesome to participate in
[1:46:45] that. Uh, interestingly enough, on a lot
of the clues we were given, it said for
[1:46:49] this one you're heading back to Duncan.
Uh but not a single one of the
[1:46:52] challenges was actually within Duncan's
borders. So hopefully next year we see
[1:46:56] some Duncan businesses and organizations
um taking parts. It was super fun. And
[1:47:00] then yesterday along with uh again Miss
McWilliam and Councelor Duncan and I
[1:47:05] believe councelor Newington was there as
well uh attended the Couch and Pride
[1:47:09] Society parade and festival and it was
super fun, really nice, high energy day.
[1:47:15] Um, lots of uh lots of again like really
cool community organizations and
[1:47:20] businesses were out supporting and
individuals and families. And I thought
[1:47:22] it was really sweet because it was also
uh as well as being indigenous people's
[1:47:26] day, it was also Father's Day. And I saw
a couple of really sweet t-shirts of uh
[1:47:29] of some dads that were there. Things
like free dad hugs and and things like
[1:47:33] that, which is really nice. So, a lot of
people brought their brought their dads
[1:47:35] to Pride, which I think is very sweet
and wholesome. Uh, and it was yeah, a
[1:47:39] really nice family event downtown.
And what else? I think that's about it.
[1:47:46] Yeah, that's it for me. Thank you.
>> Thanks, Councelor Caps. Councelor
[1:47:49] Duncan,
>> thank you. Yeah, I missed the last
[1:47:51] meeting, but just a couple of points
from the FCM. I went on a tour uh out to
[1:47:57] the suburbs. Uh definitely a lot of
construction going on around Edmonton.
[1:48:02] Uh but I don't know if it's affordable
housing. Uh people talk about affordable
[1:48:07] housing. These are town houses and
condos that are starting at $500,000.
[1:48:12] So, I don't know too many people
starting out that unless they've got
[1:48:16] some help or win the lottery, they're
going to be able to get too much
[1:48:19] affordable housing for that price. But
also on that note, the new NDP leader
[1:48:23] Avi Lewis spoke and he spoke about
affordable housing. uh one of the things
[1:48:28] he said is that you know we actually the
government actually has to start
[1:48:32] building the houses instead of giving
the money to developers so that they can
[1:48:36] build condos like the 4600 that are
sitting empty in Vancouver. Uh it's time
[1:48:43] to actually have the government assume
the role as the landlord, the builder,
[1:48:47] and take care of the tenants. That's the
only way we're going to get out of this
[1:48:50] mess as far as I'm concerned. Um, I also
attended it was like I guess you would
[1:48:55] call it military week for me or I I was
at the uh 744 aircadet squadron annual
[1:49:04] re review uh and I was also at the
cadetses annual review and I was also at
[1:49:10] the army cadetses uh
standard review. But it was interesting
[1:49:15] because I was a CC cadet back in like
1970 or 71 and I actually found out from
[1:49:22] going to these that I was part of the
Fraser unit at the time. So because I
[1:49:26] remember that and it was nice to run
into a lot of these young kids and talk
[1:49:30] to them uh about the advantages of
taking taking up the education that the
[1:49:36] armed forces offered. You know uh in the
past one of my uh my ex-in-law he took
[1:49:41] that and you get four years of free
education. you give them three or four
[1:49:45] years back and you know away you go. So
certainly something there was as usual
[1:49:50] there was two or three uh outstanding
cadetses uh that won a lot of the awards
[1:49:56] but it was great
[1:50:01] on the pride parade we had I counted the
booths it was 30 booths here so it was
[1:50:05] the equivalent of having another
Saturday market but there was tons of
[1:50:09] people in town so
>> that is so great to hear. I was really
[1:50:14] sad to miss the pride parade yesterday.
I was at work on Salt Spring on and off
[1:50:19] all week uh for my day job and we were
doing um something for indigenous
[1:50:25] people's day around understanding the
impacts of um colonization in Canada.
[1:50:31] And so uh we were I was doing that and I
could not make it back in time but it
[1:50:37] was great to see the pictures. Thanks
for sharing them.
[1:50:40] And uh and one thing when after we were
at FCM, I I went uh and drove the
[1:50:47] prairies, which I've never done before,
and I went from Edmonton to Winnipeg.
[1:50:52] And uh one of the things that really
surprised me, there was a number of
[1:50:57] things. One was though we we hear so
much and kind of going back to our um
[1:51:03] earlier motion or um about respect. We
hear so much negative discourse
[1:51:11] and so I sometimes think that you know
the world out there is more negative
[1:51:15] than it actually is. And so when I was
driving into these really tiny little
[1:51:20] places, like it's my first time going
between Edmonton and and uh I've never
[1:51:26] been to Saskatchewan before, never been
to Manitoba before, and there's these
[1:51:30] tiny little towns, like tiny tiny tiny
little towns that I didn't even know a t
[1:51:35] a town could be that small. Um and and
going into those towns and there was not
[1:51:41] one town that I went in where I did not
see a pride flag or a pride banner or a
[1:51:47] pride sign. Not one town. And
I would not because of the social
[1:51:54] discourse that I am exposed to. I would
not have thought that. And I apologize
[1:52:00] to all of those provinces for my
ignorance on that. Um, but I would not
[1:52:05] have believed that based on the things
that I hear. And so I felt uh every time
[1:52:11] I would see one, I took a whole bunch of
pictures of them because I was just like
[1:52:14] there's, you know, yeah, there's this
comedian on SNL and I won't say exactly
[1:52:19] what he says, but
because I can't here, but one of the
[1:52:24] things that he talked about uh recently
was someone asked him how as a comedian
[1:52:28] did he not have a lot of rage about the
world? and he's American and he well
[1:52:34] says so that's obvious I guess but he
said I do he said but I'm a comedian so
[1:52:38] I get to share it that's part of what I
get to do and uh and then he he said but
[1:52:45] actually he said when you when you go
into some of those pockets you know the
[1:52:49] internet does a lot of good things I'm
not I use it all the time I use social
[1:52:53] media all the time there's a lot of ways
that it connects people it does a lot of
[1:52:57] good for the world it also has a lot it
also has some negative little little
[1:53:02] dark holes you can go down. And and he
said he said you he said when you go
[1:53:07] down those dark holes, he said it's like
you're in you got to imagine like you're
[1:53:10] in an asylum. It's just like that it
pulls you into this hatred and and the
[1:53:14] worst possible things that could happen
in the world. He said but when I go
[1:53:17] travel across the states on tour, he
said that are those are not the people
[1:53:21] that come and talk to me on the street.
Those are not the people that is not
[1:53:24] what I hear when I'm out in the world.
And it was sort of during this time that
[1:53:29] I was doing this traveling that I'd
heard that and I thought about that
[1:53:33] because you know we hear we were in
Edmonton for what like five or six days
[1:53:39] and there was some you know there was a
lot of pride about being Canadian in
[1:53:45] Edmonton in Alberta. There's a lot of
and and that's not again a lot of what
[1:53:50] we get to hear in in social media and
some of those dark holes and and as I
[1:53:57] was sort of traveling through other
parts of the prairies too like I the
[1:54:01] same thing was just so apparent to me
that people are really um there was kind
[1:54:06] of like a doubling down almost on this
pride of being Canadian which maybe
[1:54:10] that's there all the time. I don't know
because I haven't been there before but
[1:54:13] it was definitely something that I heard
along the way. But then also this, you
[1:54:17] know, this openness that mult like
places like Winnipeg are like incredibly
[1:54:21] multicultural.
I didn't know that living here. That's
[1:54:25] not what I hear. Right. And so it was
just it's good to travel in our own
[1:54:29] country as much as we can, but also it's
just a good reminder that, you know,
[1:54:34] there's it's easy for us to get taken
taken away down to these places that,
[1:54:40] you know, are not real to everyone. And
there's this whole other uh huge world
[1:54:45] and amazing people. Uh, everyone was so
friendly and accommodating and I ended
[1:54:51] up having some of the most amazing
experiences on that on that um that
[1:54:54] little side road trip and people were
kind and generous and excited to share.
[1:55:01] Uh, I rented a car in Edmonton, but for
some reason it had BC plates and I
[1:55:05] didn't know that for the first like five
days and and everyone kept talking to me
[1:55:11] about being from BC and I was like, do I
just look like I'm from BC? And then I
[1:55:15] realized that I had a BC place on my
car. uh and and there's all this history
[1:55:21] in these spaces and and at the
conference that we were at, one of the
[1:55:25] things that they kept talking about was
sense of place and and all these places
[1:55:30] in that I saw are places that you know
were really vibrant and alive a long
[1:55:35] time ago and are undergoing massive
change and Edmonton like every city you
[1:55:40] go into it's just building and building
and building and building and and so I
[1:55:45] think in the next 10 years there's going
to be such a difference of the way that
[1:55:49] communities look in Canada because
there's so much money going into new new
[1:55:54] builds and changing the way that the
cities are. And so I really appreciate
[1:55:58] that I got to kind of go and sit in
those places where, you know, that sense
[1:56:02] of place is still connected to a few
decades ago. And and you can see it
[1:56:08] starting to, you know, change and new
businesses and new people coming into
[1:56:11] these communities. And I don't know what
it'll look like. Um, but I'm happy that
[1:56:15] I got to see what it did look like and
as it's going through this transition
[1:56:18] because I think that's important. It's
important for me to remember and uh and
[1:56:23] not to go down those those dark tunnels
and not to let them into the rest of the
[1:56:29] world either.
So that was part of my little journey
[1:56:32] down there. Um and I also at FCM
again had some excellent speakers. Uh
[1:56:40] Avi Lewis from the NDP and Elizabeth May
from the Green Party fantastic speakers.
[1:56:45] Uh Minister Gregor Robertson uh also
spoke. He did a session on housing which
[1:56:50] was great and the uh chair Sagal and I
from the regional district got to have a
[1:56:55] one-on-one for 45 minutes with um the
minister about the housing needs in our
[1:56:58] area. They're investing a lot of money
into infrastructure here. So it was a
[1:57:02] really productive meeting about the
needs of our region, not just the city,
[1:57:06] but you know homelessness is a regional
issue. It's not just our issue. And so
[1:57:10] it was good to have that um to have
those connections and looking forward to
[1:57:14] some follow-ups
on that. And uh and then also you know
[1:57:21] last week or just a few days ago I think
there was um the premier no the prime
[1:57:27] minister was here with the premier and
minister Bole and they did the uh some
[1:57:32] announcements on looking at doing
something with condos around creating
[1:57:37] some sort of more affordable housing. So
I'm curious to see about what that uh
[1:57:41] what that brings. And I was also got to
meet with Minister Ma at the hospital.
[1:57:47] um she came to do a a site tour of the
hospital again and we didn't get to go
[1:57:50] on the tour but we did get to visit
afterwards and also um speak to her
[1:57:54] about some of the infrastructure needs
that we have. So lots of great sort of
[1:57:57] you know those short meetings that
you're not anticipating and and great to
[1:58:01] have that long with um the Minister of
Housing federally. And then today I got
[1:58:06] a a message last night uh for an invite
to uh go to um an event with uh with
[1:58:15] Diana Fox Carney uh which was really
wonderful and I got to speak to her. I
[1:58:22] tried not to talk to her too much about
the things that we have because she's
[1:58:24] not the, you know, she's not the um
prime minister, but but also just
[1:58:29] curious about some of the, you know,
some of her thoughts and really good to
[1:58:32] hear about some of her thoughts about
uh, you know, what is happening and and
[1:58:37] what it's like from her perspective and
where Canada is at from the things that
[1:58:40] she sees. So, it was really just always
good to have those take those
[1:58:44] opportunities when we can to do that.
And uh because we're, you know, when you
[1:58:50] again just on reflecting on my travels,
we're we're huge. We're this massive
[1:58:54] country, but we're also this really
small country. And so, I think that
[1:58:59] those connections are really important
because they connect all of us. And some
[1:59:03] of the best times we had were the
coasters, the Newfoundlanders and the
[1:59:06] Vancouver Island uh coming together to
really yeah celebrate and and uh have a
[1:59:13] lot of good laughs together. So it was
good good to make those those that time.
[1:59:18] So much appreciated to everyone for
that. And uh with that we'll go into
[1:59:23] question period. I'm sure there's
thousands of questions people have right
[1:59:26] now for us after this meeting. So now's
your opportunity.
[1:59:32] I'm hearing nothing. So we'll go into
close that the meeting be closed to the
[1:59:36] public under the following sections of
the community charter to discuss matters
[1:59:40] related to personal information. Section
91A personal information about an
[1:59:44] identifiable individual who holds or is
being considered for position as an
[1:59:48] officer, employee or agent of m of a
municipality or another position
[1:59:52] appointed by the municipality.
Is there a movement or second to do
[1:59:56] that? Any further discussion? All those
in favor? We'll take five minutes and
[2:00:00] then we will come back and we will carry
on. And thanks for all of you for being
[2:00:05] with us this evening.