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[3:54] » Mhm.

[6:48] » All right, welcome everyone. We will call to order our regular meeting of

[6:52] council. And before we start, I'd like to recognize and acknowledge that we

[6:56] work, live, and play in the city of Port Alberni, which is on the unceded

[6:59] territories of the Seshaht and Hupacasath First Nations.

[7:02] Councillors, we do have an agenda in front of us. Are there any late items?

[7:07] Seeing none, any late items from our corporate officer?

[7:10] » No late items, Madam Mayor. >> Wonderful. Would somebody like to move

[7:12] approval of our agenda? Moved by Councillor Mielke, seconded by

[7:16] Councillor Dame. Any comments? Seeing none, on the motion all in favor.

[7:21] Carried, none opposed. And we have adoption of minutes from

[7:26] minutes from the special meeting and regular meeting of council held on May

[7:30] 11th, 2026 to be adopted. >> Moved to adopt.

[7:33] » Moved to adopt by Councillor Solda, seconded by Councillor Petola. Any

[7:37] comments on the minutes? Seeing none, on the motion all in favor.

[7:43] Carried, none opposed. We have no delegations and no unfinished business,

[7:47] no staff reports. On to bylaws, item number one, the election and assent

[7:52] voting bylaw. >> Thank you, Madam Mayor.

[7:56] This report brings forward a new election and assent voting bylaw, excuse

[8:00] [clears throat] me, for council's consideration

[8:02] in advance of the 2026 general local election held on October 17th, 2026.

[8:09] Uh so, elections BC identifies the nomination period as beginning September

[8:12] 1st, and the province advises that an election bylaw

[8:16] must be adopted >> [clears throat]

[8:17] » 56 days before the first day of the nomination period.

[8:21] The proposed bylaw would repeal and replace the city's current 2022 election

[8:25] bylaw, offering [clears throat] in a clearer and updated framework for

[8:28] election administration. It continues with the use of automated

[8:32] voting system, confirms use of the provincial list of voters, maintains

[8:36] advanced voting and mail ballot voting, adds clear authority for special and

[8:40] additional voting opportunities, and updates ballot nomination, post-vote,

[8:44] and official result procedures to better align with the current Local Government

[8:48] Act. Uh staff are recommending repeal and

[8:50] replacement rather than amendment uh as the updates are fairly substantial and a

[8:54] single consolidated bylaw is easier for staff, uh candidates, and the public to

[8:58] use. And with that, thank you. I'd be happy to answer any questions.

[9:02] » Wonderful. Are there any questions from council?

[9:06] Seeing none, Councillor Petola, would you like to read this one?

[9:10] » Thank you, Madam Mayor. I move that the City of Port Alberni

[9:14] election and assent voting bylaw number 5150, {comma} 2026, be now introduced

[9:19] and read a first time. >> Moved by Councillor Petola, seconded by

[9:23] Councillor Solda. Seeing no comments, on the motion, all

[9:26] in favor. Carried, none opposed. Councillor

[9:30] Petola. >> Thank you, Madam Mayor. I move second

[9:32] reading. >> Moved by Councillor Petola, seconded by

[9:35] Councillor Mealey. Seeing no comments on the motion, all in

[9:38] favor. Carried, none opposed. And Councillor

[9:42] Petola. >> Madam Mayor, I move third reading of the

[9:44] voting in a sent bylaw. >> Moved by Councillor Petola, seconded by

[9:48] Councillor Mealey. Seeing no comments on the motion, all in

[9:51] favor. Carried, none opposed.

[9:55] No correspondence for action, so on to proclamations. We have two items today.

[9:58] The first is a letter dated May 16th, 2026 from the National Dental Care Day

[10:03] Foundation requesting council proclaim October 10th, 2026 as National Dental

[10:08] Care Day in Port Alberni. They're very prompt and ahead of times on this, which

[10:13] is always nice. Councillor Solda. >> Madam Mayor, I move that the council on

[10:17] behalf of the National Dental Care Day Foundation proclaim October 10th, 2026 a

[10:22] National Dental Care Day in Port Alberni.

[10:26] » Thank you. Moved by Councillor Solda, seconded by Councillor Mealey.

[10:30] Any comments from council? Seeing none on the motion, all in favor.

[10:35] Carried, none opposed. And the second is an email dated May 21st, 2026 from the

[10:39] Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada requesting council proclaim the month of

[10:43] September 2026 as Prostate Cancer Cancer Awareness Month in Port Alberni.

[10:48] Councillor Haggard. >> Thank you, Madam Mayor. I'd like to move

[10:51] that council on behalf of Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada proclaim

[10:56] September 2026 as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in Port Alberni.

[11:01] » Moved by Councillor Haggard, seconded by Councillor Dame. Any comments on this?

[11:07] Seeing none on the motion, all in favor. Carried, none opposed.

[11:11] Moving on to correspondence for information, I'll go to our corporate

[11:14] officer. >> Thank you, Madam Mayor. Uh we have

[11:18] correspondence from UBCM in response to council's uh submissions of resolutions

[11:24] and from 2025. And these are related to forestry industry and fiber decline and

[11:29] forestry industry and sustainable fiber. We have a correspondence from Ministry

[11:34] of Housing and Municipal Affairs regarding preparing for water scarcity

[11:38] and potential drought conditions in 2026.

[11:41] We have a copy of a letter to the Ministry of Finance from the City of

[11:44] Abbotsford regarding provincial sales tax expansion. The ombudsperson report

[11:50] from January 1st to March 31st. ACRD board highlights of April and the

[11:56] AB Museum and Heritage Commission minutes for April 1st, 2026. Thank you.

[12:01] » Thank you. Are there any items counselors would like to speak to?

[12:06] Okay, would somebody like to move receipt? Moved by Counselor Meili,

[12:09] seconded by Counselor Dame. On the motion, all in favor.

[12:14] Carried, none opposed. We have no report from in camera today, so on to council

[12:17] reports. Any items counselors would like to speak to in their reports? Counselor

[12:21] Solda. >> I don't have it in a report, Madam

[12:23] Mayor, but um Counselor Heger and I attended the Ty Watson fundraising gala

[12:28] and I I don't know if you want to So, some really great news. It was a

[12:33] fantastic event. It sold out. There was

[12:37] people dressed. I mean, they were really dressed up for the occasion and

[12:41] everything like that. But, the the best news that came out of it, there was a

[12:45] lot of fundraising going on and and this is their biggest fundraiser for for the

[12:51] year and Coulson's group actually group of companies

[12:57] donated $100,000 to the Ty Watson and wow. And I I'm sure

[13:02] you want to speak on that a little bit. I think it's just great because

[13:07] there's a lot of updating on the building cuz it's an

[13:10] older building and and it costs a lot to run that building and they have to come

[13:14] up with 80% of the funding and I just want to say thank you and a lot of them

[13:18] the silent auction items and that were also donated by the Coulson group of

[13:23] companies and again, Darlene Coulson represented the company very well as she

[13:29] mentioned everything and I just want to say thank you but also

[13:33] thank you to the smaller businesses that have donated to

[13:38] Ty Watson auction and because the smaller businesses also have issues in

[13:43] the you know they're not maybe not as busy and and but they came out too and I

[13:48] think that's really important. It doesn't matter how large it is. This was

[13:52] just a really unexpected gift. Thank you Madam Mayor.

[13:56] » Yeah, thank you so much for sharing that and want to extend on behalf of council

[13:59] our appreciation to the Coulson Group of Companies for that incredible donation

[14:03] to Ty Watson House which you know is obviously just a a staple in the

[14:07] community and I think touches most members of our community at at some

[14:11] point through family. So yeah, really excited to hear that

[14:16] and certainly want to echo as well your your thanks to all of the small

[14:20] businesses that contributed and the members of the community who came out to

[14:24] support that event as well. It's always one of the best events to

[14:28] attend in our community. They do a fantastic job organizing it.

[14:32] Did you do the auctioning this year? And Councillor Solda is the master

[14:36] auctioneer. So

[14:37] » [laughter] >> grateful for her as well.

[14:40] But yeah, just a really wonderful evening for the for Ty Watson House with

[14:44] those donations. Councillor Haygard. >> Thank you and yes Councillor Solda is

[14:48] auctioneer extraordinaire for sure. I just want to give a shout out to a

[14:52] member of our staff. A couple of weeks ago at the BC Economic Development

[14:56] Conference our economic development manager Pat Deacon was presented with

[15:00] the Chair's Award. The Chair's Award recognizes a member of BCEDA who has

[15:05] made a significant contribution to the promotion of economic development and to

[15:10] BCEDA. Pat has made a significant contribution

[15:14] to economic development development in British Columbia through his leadership,

[15:19] mentorship and commitment to collaboration and reconciliation

[15:23] initiatives. He has served BCEDA as both a board

[15:27] member and chair and is widely respected throughout the professions of for

[15:31] supporting communities and fellow practitioners and I can't think of

[15:35] anyone more deserving of this award. Congratulations, Pat.

[15:39] » Yes, absolutely. Thank you so much, Councillor Haggard, for bringing that

[15:43] up. I'm so proud to have Pat working with us and

[15:46] representing our community well beyond the boundaries of Port Alberni. He

[15:50] certainly deserves that award more than anyone else I can think of. Councillor

[15:55] Dean. I thought you had you just a half hand

[15:58] up. Thank [laughter] you. Any other members

[16:01] of council? Councillor Pothola. >> Thank you, Madam Mayor.

[16:05] Um Yes, I was lucky enough to be in

[16:09] attendance when Mr. Deacon won that award and it was such a pleasure, a

[16:14] blessing to me directly because it's the first time I've ever seen Pat at a loss

[16:18] for words. >> [laughter]

[16:21] » Just goes to show he was truly surprised and truly honored as he well should be.

[16:27] Uh Madam Mayor, I have four observations from attending that

[16:31] conference. Um

[16:32] » [clears throat] >> I've already spoken about one, the

[16:35] temporary operating permit policies of the Vancouver um

[16:41] business department for the Hastings Cross, also known as the Downtown

[16:45] Eastside, um where they're using a program to

[16:49] delay the implementation or requirement of a full building code assessment, but

[16:55] are using temporary life and health safety standards to enable businesses to

[16:59] open more quickly. I think it's a um

[17:05] well-thought-out creative example of how we can

[17:09] allow activity to occur in our community without stalling it and costing both

[17:15] developers or any other interested parties long uh

[17:19] money over long term. Uh and I'm going to be very interested

[17:22] to see if we can work that into some of the

[17:25] bylaw proposals or studies that are currently being done by administrative

[17:30] for council. Uh it could equally apply to residential

[17:34] areas. Um

[17:36] I was able to meet with BC Hydro and uh had some very um again creative

[17:42] discussions about the use of energy generating facilities on Vancouver

[17:47] Island, which ones are being used, which ones are not, and which ones uh may be

[17:52] coming into uh availability as different industries shift their uh

[17:58] their footprint on the island and leave behind

[18:02] materials that could serve the energy generation needs of the island. Most of

[18:08] the island's power comes from off-island. And uh that might be a bit

[18:13] of a um weak link should that uh

[18:17] cable ever be severed. Uh there would be great difficulty in

[18:21] many of the services that require energy generation.

[18:26] So, it was an interesting discussion that we'll probably take up further at

[18:28] UBCM. We've uh uh made arrangements for that to happen.

[18:34] Thirdly is the amount of municipal involvement in the conference uh and I

[18:38] pleased to say that every year it goes up.

[18:41] Uh and I think this council should take note of that in continuing to attend.

[18:46] Part of the discussions this year were the importance of the convergence

[18:49] between economic development from all areas, not just municipal, but

[18:54] uh uh chambers of commerce and business

[18:57] associations with the convergence with that with municipal planning and how

[19:02] important is that uh those parties all work together right

[19:06] from the get-go, uh that they're really partners on the

[19:09] same plans. And finally, Penticton is a great place.

[19:14] Um I I always have to give accolades to

[19:16] Penticton for doing a great job. Their downtown revitalization is fantastic.

[19:21] Their use of bike lanes is fantastic. Their industrial use is fantastic. And

[19:25] uh they have five breweries. Only none of them are as good as ours, but

[19:29] » [laughter] >> they still have more.

[19:31] And they have rattlesnakes, that's true. So

[19:35] So uh all all good uh pieces of information to carry forward as we

[19:40] continue our planning for for Port Alberni. Thank you.

[19:44] » Thank you very much for that report. Any other items counselors would like to

[19:47] speak to? Seeing none, would somebody like to move

[19:51] receipt? Thank you. Moved by Counselor Melee, seconded by Counselor Dame.

[19:56] Seeing no comments on the motion, all in favor.

[20:00] Carried, none opposed. And on to new business. Item number one, we have the

[20:03] Reconciliation Theatre Society and recommendation made from the Committee

[20:06] of the Whole. Would anyone like to read this motion?

[20:10] Counselor Melee. >> Thank you, Madam Mayor. I move that

[20:12] council approve the request from the Reconciliation Theatre for $5,000 from

[20:17] the reconciliation fund to support the presentation of Women of the Fur Trade

[20:21] by Frances Concan at the Capitol Theatre on Saturday, July 11th, 2026, pending

[20:26] approval from the Tseshaht and Hupacasath First Nations.

[20:30] » Thank you. Is there a seconder? Seconded by Counselor Solda. Comments.

[20:35] Okay, seeing none on the Oh, thank you. Counselor Dame.

[20:39] » Thank you, Madam Mayor. Um I have to admit that I was slightly hesitant about

[20:43] this one just just because um I want to be careful anytime we dip into

[20:47] the reconciliation fund that it is meaningful uh

[20:53] locally, I suppose. Um

[20:56] and I just feel like um I don't know, maybe maybe I'm just

[21:01] feeling like I'm not quite aware enough of of how

[21:04] uh this necessarily applies directly to local reconciliation.

[21:08] Um, so I'm kind of going back and forth on it

[21:12] cuz it's easy to just say sure, let's do it, but, you know, $5,000 is meaningful

[21:16] and I'm not entirely even clear on on exactly what the money will be spent on.

[21:20] Um, so um yeah, I don't know. I don't know if

[21:24] anybody is feeling the same as I am, but that was uh

[21:27] just it's just some hesitance I felt like I needed to express.

[21:30] » Thank you and I would echo that. Um, that said, I I do think that it is

[21:36] potentially a worthwhile um endeavor to allow members of the community to watch

[21:40] this for free rather than charging um which is what this, you know, what is

[21:43] coming to the community regardless, but opening it up to more members of the

[21:47] community. Um, that said, we really don't know a lot about it. So, I'm

[21:51] really relying on that approval or not from Sechelt and Hupačasath as being the

[21:57] guide of whether or not we should um fund this activity. I think that

[22:02] Sechelt and Hupačasath will know more about whether it is something

[22:06] that they would like supported in our community or not. Um, and I would just

[22:11] and maybe, you know, I can communicate this to Ken and Brandy when we go to

[22:13] them for it. Um, it is not council's made a decision, we'd like your

[22:17] approval. It's, you know, we've made a decision pending you being supportive of

[22:21] of this and if you're not or it's not something that you feel is meaningful,

[22:25] um then we're happy to not fund it. Um, so I will do my best to carry the

[22:30] message to Ken and Brandy if council does move forward with it in that way

[22:34] and then they can give their input on if they think it's worthwhile or not.

[22:38] Councillor Petola and then Councillor Solda and then Councillor Hegedus.

[22:41] » Thank you, Madam Mayor. Uh, I I do have some uh

[22:46] queries myself about this issue and um it's

[22:51] it uh it's an opinion that's really

[22:53] probably in agreement with everyone else on council and that is

[22:56] uh deferring to input from the Hupačasath

[23:00] and Sechelt First Nations. Um

[23:04] I think the way this motion is worded, um by approving it

[23:09] pending their approval, uh

[23:11] I'm not as comfortable with that. I would rather have um

[23:15] not even uh the First Nations approval, but First Nations input on the matter.

[23:20] Um they may approve it, but also be

[23:24] interested in that same amount of money for other specific reconciliation local

[23:28] reconciliation purposes. Although um it's entirely possible that this play

[23:33] is an excellent act of reconciliation. Uh these are matters I'm not terribly

[23:39] um educated in.

[23:42] Uh although I try to learn more. So, I I would suggest actually that uh

[23:47] » [sighs] >> although it's coming up soonish, we

[23:51] probably still have a month and a half or so before it happens, and it'd be

[23:54] good to get input from uh both uh Chief Watts and Chief Lauder on the

[24:00] issue. Um Just for their views, uh

[24:04] including uh if there is a formal um stamp of approval.

[24:09] Thank you. >> Thank you. And I will just add that uh

[24:12] we are regularly on an ongoing basis working with Seshaht and Huu-ay-aht on

[24:16] initiatives that they view as reconciliation initiatives. We do have a

[24:20] request um that has come from them that we that we talked about um briefly at

[24:24] our Committee of the Whole meeting. So, I wouldn't necessarily want to put this

[24:27] forward as $5,000 up for grabs for whatever we feel is uh worthwhile for

[24:31] reconciliation, but rather asking if this is

[24:35] uh something that they support um our reconciliation funds going to or not um

[24:40] with a lot of openness for if they feel it is not the right direction for those

[24:44] funds. Councillor Solda.

[24:46] » Um Madam Mayor, I agree with everybody, and I'm glad it's going to go to

[24:51] Tseshaht and Huu-ay-aht. Uh when you read the synopsis about the play and

[24:55] that and or just glance at the script. It should be interesting because I think

[25:00] it will it's to do with colonization and different things like aspects in it. So

[25:05] um it'll be I I'm looking forward to

[25:07] hearing their response. Thank you. >> Thank you, Councillor Haggard.

[25:11] » Thank you, Madam Mayor. Uh I got the impression at the last meeting that the

[25:15] money remaining in our reconciliation fund was going to be put towards the

[25:19] reconciliation walk. So if they were counting on that full amount of money,

[25:24] just I would like to ask that you ensure that it's going to be $5,000 less cuz

[25:28] that might happen they might feel differently. They might

[25:31] need that funding. >> Yes, and I think that when we got the um

[25:36] when we got the answer last time, it was noted that there would be sufficient

[25:40] funds for both but that that would utilize the full fund for this year.

[25:44] » Councillor Meili. >> Thank you, Madam Mayor. Just going back

[25:46] to my notes just on that question. It I did ask that question how much was left

[25:50] in the fund and they Mr. McGiver did say there was about

[25:53] 30,000 earmarked for or for the reconciliation walk but that

[25:58] there was enough for this $5,000. So yeah, and we had a I thought we had a

[26:02] decent delegation that day as well and some

[26:05] questions. Some questions were answered but again, I think um

[26:09] if you're going to come into a territory, you need to approach those in

[26:12] the territory first before coming for this. So I do appreciate that we're

[26:16] going to be talking with Chief Shawn Hooper Cheechoo before any money is

[26:20] dealt out for this and again, it could be input or approval.

[26:23] Either way, it's I think it's just important to have them as part of the

[26:26] discussion. >> Agree completely and if this passes, I

[26:31] will call Ken and Brandy today just to get their input on it so that we have an

[26:35] answer sooner rather than later and we can move forward from there.

[26:40] Okay. Uh motion is moved and seconded. On the

[26:43] motion, all in favor. Carried, none opposed.

[26:47] All right, and moving on to item number two, we have policy review and

[26:50] recommended updates. Uh and this is a another recommendation from the May

[26:54] 19th, 2026 Committee of the Whole meeting. Councillor Mealey, would you

[26:57] like to read this one? >> Thank you, Madam Mayor. I'll move that

[27:01] Council rescind the following Council policies that are outdated, duplicated

[27:05] elsewhere, operational in nature, or no longer required. One, computers disposal

[27:10] of obsolete surplus. Two, Federation of Canadian Municipalities Council. Three,

[27:15] internal controls and cash management policy. Four, internal controls and cash

[27:19] management procedures. Five, tag days. Six, solid waste city dumpster service

[27:24] payment arrears. And seven, water meter billing due date.

[27:29] » Moved by Councillor Mealey, seconded by Councillor Dame. Any further comments?

[27:33] Or any comments? Seeing none, on the motion all in favor.

[27:37] Carried, none opposed. Thanks, everyone. And on to question period. This is an

[27:42] opportunity for members of the public to ask questions of Council on decisions or

[27:46] recommendations made during this Council meeting. Would anybody like to ask

[27:50] questions today?

[27:55] Seeing none, would somebody like to move adjournment?

[27:58] Moved by Councillor Mealey, seconded by Councillor Dame.

[28:01] Any comments? Seeing none, on the motion all in favor.

[28:04] Carried, none opposed. >> And a new record.

[28:06] » A new record, yes. Thanks, everyone.

City of Port Alberni - May 25/2026 - Regular Council Meeting - 2PM

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