[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:02] Can you hear us, Councillor Engster? You can wave.
[0:07] You can hear us.
[0:22] I don't see that you're muted, so. Oh, there were louder. But we can now hear you. Thank you.
[0:32] Okay. All right. Good. Thank you. Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the meeting of council. June 4th. It's 701 with the land acknowledgement in our agenda, and I'll call the meeting to order.
[0:48] I know Councillor Sheppard and Toth did indicate they would not be joining us tonight.
[0:56] Council, any concerns, conflicts?
[0:59] We have the agenda in front of us.
[1:02] I'll entertain a motion to adopt.
[1:05] Thank you, Councillor Bell, second, Councillor Roe.
[1:08] All in favour?
[1:11] Councillor Aingster, did you
[1:15] vote, Councillor Aingster?
[1:25] I think you've got to turn, I assume you've got to turn the volume up on your end, but
[1:28] because councilman McLaughlin, I believe, can hear us okay.
[1:33] So we were the motion for adoption of the agenda.
[1:37] You could just signify,
[1:45] okay?
[1:46] Well, for something like that,
[1:48] I think we can take the majority vote on that.
[1:52] I do want to check Councilor Inxer,
[1:54] you can hear us sort of, okay?
[2:00] Maybe we'll try and do IT support from here, but thank you.
[2:04] All right, Council, we can then go to item 5.1, which is a request reverence on a property
[2:11] we've seen before. We have the report on pages, I believe, three and four. I think if we've
[2:18] got any questions, Mr. Allen, can try to address them, but essentially we're taking what was
[2:24] approved previously and moving it to different dates to allow for weather and so did we approve
[2:33] the last time 100 meters? This is the same.
[2:37] Yes, that's correct. Apologies for bringing this back. The last Council resolution was generic,
[2:43] but there were dates specified in the report, sort of abundance of caution. We thought we would
[2:47] bring this back to Council, but the last time the dates didn't work out due to their work schedule
[2:51] on the weather, and they have new dates lined up, regardless of when that specific date is, we will
[2:56] in order for our assets to notify within 100 meters.
[2:59] Thank you.
[2:59] Great. Thank you.
[3:01] Okay.
[3:03] Council have a recommendation on page three.
[3:07] Any comments, concerns?
[3:10] That's a row.
[3:12] I'm happy to move recommendation.
[3:14] Thank you.
[3:15] Seconded.
[3:16] Okay. Any discussion?
[3:19] All in favor?
[3:21] Great. Thank you.
[3:23] Okay.
[3:24] Okay, then we moved item 5.2, which is my notice of motion.
[3:31] It's before you for consideration tonight, and I just acknowledge we have several members
[3:39] of the community of our community here tonight to just to witness this, so I want to acknowledge
[3:46] you guys.
[3:47] I've had the opportunity to meet with you a few times over the last few weeks.
[3:52] And, you know, you're, I just want you to know how impressive I am, how impressed I've
[3:58] been of you and your passion and frankly the difficulties you're going through or something
[4:06] that I hope we can help address.
[4:10] Council also let you know that we have about 50 employers on a list that have been contacted
[4:18] and many of them are in the process of providing letters of support.
[4:23] I think also the SDBA has signified their support of,
[4:28] and as are the, some of the directors of the Chamber of Commerce
[4:31] haven't had a formal meeting, but they are indicating that they're supportive.
[4:39] of.
[4:42] So I think Agnes Cabby is here if Agnes, did you want to offer us just a short couple
[4:51] of words? Okay, we've just come up here please and use and press the button for the microphone.
[5:13] Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed community leaders,
[5:18] artistry councilors, sir, ma'am,
[5:23] our honorable mayor, John Henderson,
[5:27] our Canadian tire owner, Sir Jeff Embers,
[5:31] and fellow residents of Sunshine Coast, Good evening.
[5:37] My name is Agnes Cabe, and I stand before you tonight,
[5:40] representing the temporary foreign workers of Sunshine Coast. I am here to
[5:48] address the important issue affecting many temporary foreign workers and
[5:56] families including mine. Many of us have been part of the community for several
[6:05] several years and significantly established strong ties and made substantial participation
[6:12] in our community.
[6:15] In the local businesses, particularly in the retail, food service, and healthcare support
[6:22] sectors, many TFWs have brought their families to Canada under the IRCC pathway, open work
[6:32] permit for family members of foreign workers.
[6:36] However, the recent and drastic immigration changes on January 21, 2025 have created uncertainty
[6:48] about our future.
[6:51] We are now faced with a difficult choices, either to return to our home country as a family
[6:59] or have our family members go back while the primary temporary foreign workers remain
[7:08] in Canada for work.
[7:12] This separation could lead to anxiety and depression for TFWs who will
[7:20] be left behind in Canada. Hence why I am making our way to the local community to let you know
[7:29] the challenges that we are dealing with, despite of our willingness to be a long-term part
[7:38] of our community.
[7:40] And to continue our integral role in supporting the local businesses and enterprises, we are so
[7:50] answers as to how we will renew our family members work from it due to the eligibility requirements imposed by the IRCC.
[8:03] I strongly believe that recognizing our value to our community is crucial at this time.
[8:14] We are not just a temporary workers.
[8:18] We are neighbors, we are colleagues and friends.
[8:23] We have built our relationships, learned about the Canadian culture
[8:28] and adapted to local ways of life.
[8:33] Our children attend school here and our spouses works
[8:39] and sometimes they volunteer in the community.
[8:43] By supporting our petition to include the Sunshine Coast
[8:49] in the rural community immigration pilot program,
[8:53] or alternatively proposing an extension to open work permits
[9:00] for the family members of temporary foreign workers
[9:05] members who are already established in our community would also be beneficial.
[9:13] This support would enable families like mine to build a stable and long-term life here,
[9:24] potentially leading to permanent residency.
[9:27] This impact would be felt not only by our families but also by local businesses, customers
[9:38] and the broader community, ultimately contributing to the region's growth and development.
[9:46] This is not just about us and our families.
[9:50] It is also about the businesses we work for, the customers we serve, and the community
[9:59] we care about.
[10:02] As we move forward, I trust that we can work together to address these challenges we
[10:09] face and build a more inclusive and supportive environment for all the members of our society.
[10:18] that's all and thank you.
[10:21] Thank you. Thank you, Regency.
[10:25] Okay, thank you.
[10:27] Okay, I appreciate that.
[10:31] So council, do you have questions?
[10:34] Comments? Councillor Rho.
[10:38] Thank you for speaking and thank you, folks, for attending.
[10:42] I appreciate that.
[10:44] Unfortunately, I can't support this at this time
[10:47] because I don't feel like I have the background on why this is happening in the first place.
[10:53] So it's certainly something that I'd like to have a discussion with Mr. Wheeler about, but
[11:02] I can't be in support of writing a letter of support without having more information.
[11:12] Thanks.
[11:13] Thank you. Do you have particular things you'd like to know? Do you have questions?
[11:21] Well, I'd like to understand what is behind the change. I mean, the federal government
[11:26] must, I'm sure that something is driving this. This isn't a random change just for the
[11:36] fun of it, if you will. I'd like to understand what's behind it, because I may have supported
[11:42] at that in the federal election, I don't know.
[11:45] Hey, I suppose I can offer from the research
[11:51] and I have talked to MP Wiler.
[11:55] The part of the process is, as I understand it,
[12:00] we are kind of lumped into an urban environment.
[12:04] And as we all know, when you go to Google,
[12:07] we're considered to be only 20 kilometers away from Vancouver.
[12:11] or even closer than the NIMAL, which of course we know is not realistic.
[12:18] So it's the categorization that we are considered more of an urban environment
[12:24] than a rural one, and that is what has triggered this.
[12:29] So certainly my notice of motion requests a letter of support.
[12:34] I think that's where we certainly have a lot of work to do both.
[12:39] Well, I would suggest it's probably more MPWiler because ultimately immigration is a federal
[12:45] thing.
[12:45] But I'd certainly encourage you to support the spirit of this and with that we will, that's
[12:53] part of the process.
[12:54] So we would take it forward to Mr. Wiler to see what he can offer.
[12:59] I should indicate, too, he is in, he's confirmed that he is available later in June.
[13:05] I think the date is yet to be confirmed.
[13:12] Yes, and thank you as well for coming and speaking so compassionately about this. I also
[13:21] understand that to be the issue around the category that you are placed in. So I'm actually
[13:28] going to support the letter of support.
[13:32] Thank you. Councillor McGotten, I see your hand up and can I just check? Do we have Councillor
[13:38] If you're still with us, you dropped off.
[13:41] I'd appears to Councillor Inxter left the meeting
[13:43] after the vote for the noise variance.
[13:46] Okay, thank you.
[13:47] But yes, so we still have a quorum.
[13:50] Okay, thank you.
[13:51] Councillor McLaughlin, please.
[13:53] Yes, you can hear me.
[13:56] Ann, thank you.
[13:57] Yeah.
[13:59] I was just, I appreciate the folks there coming forward
[14:05] and the work they do
[14:07] and, you know, unfortunate need for them often to have to leave their own country and
[14:15] often without their families, which has been a long-standing difficult situation.
[14:20] So it's nice that they are bringing their families over.
[14:24] I guess the unfortunate part here is that, you know, we're facing this American tariff issue
[14:31] and job issue ourselves, which makes it very hard to just do things as we had until recently.
[14:42] And also, you know, I was actually reading the National Post yesterday had an article
[14:49] from the organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OCAD,
[14:57] which is basically the developed countries.
[15:00] Where they analyzed all the countries and they were commenting on Canada and that in Canada's survey, the issues of housing affordability and worker productivity are two areas which Canada now ranks amongst the worst in the developed world. And so it's unfortunate, but it says that, you know, the record high immigration is made housing affordability. And as we all know,
[15:29] the issue so it's hard to know if this is a good idea when our federal government now is trying
[15:36] to take on these big challenges and they have a lot on their plate more than I think I've ever seen
[15:41] before so I don't know if they really can change this approach right now and I almost I hesitate
[15:51] to ask them to do that because they just have so much to do and all these things work together
[15:59] and just kind of glad that we have somebody at the helm that can figure out the connections
[16:06] and the various things. So unfortunately I am not going to support it today because I do think we
[16:15] have to let our government and our MP continue with the incredibly
[16:20] unfortunately very, very important work that they've been so
[16:25] diligently doing for the last month or two. I think we just have to
[16:30] focus on that. Thanks.
[16:33] Okay, thank you. Okay, so no councilloring. Sure. I think the in
[16:41] response, Councilor McLaughlin, the issue is not about, I did read that article as well
[16:46] and I found it, one of the challenges, it's a bit like talking about homeless people
[16:52] that there's, within the category that we tend to use of one word, there's several categories.
[16:58] And in this case, immigration, there are categories ranging from students to skilled workers that
[17:06] that are agreeing to go to work to a specific location.
[17:11] This, my notice of motion, is related to the Sunshine Coast and
[17:16] the employers among others that depend on these people to work to keep their businesses operating.
[17:24] We have a letter coming I know from one employer that will be saying it is likely they will have to severely curtail their hours.
[17:35] because they won't have enough workers.
[17:39] The OECD report referenced a lack of housing in a sweeping across the country thing.
[17:47] I guess I'm just wanting to emphasize to all of council that this is about what's going
[17:52] on on the Sunshine Coast.
[17:54] And it is severe, or the part of the employers it's severe for health care, severe for the elderly
[18:01] really depend on people in this category.
[18:05] So I would ask in this situation that you reconsider it, we're both Councillor Rho and
[18:14] Councillor McLachlan, we're looking for my proposal as a letter of support.
[18:19] We don't need it, but in terms of the group continuing to work on appealing to MP Wiler
[18:28] and others, this isn't necessary, but I think it's the right move for the district of
[18:34] C. Sheldt to be supportive of this part of our community.
[18:42] Any other comments?
[18:46] Yes, Councillor McLachlan.
[18:50] Sorry, it was your answer.
[18:52] Thanks.
[18:52] Yes, thank you.
[18:54] Yes, unfortunately, you know, the policy is a federal policy and also as Councillors, we
[19:02] We have to think about, you know, the good of all people in our community.
[19:07] And I can see that this is primarily, I think, coming from the business community.
[19:13] But, you know, we have to think about everybody in the community, maybe think of other ways
[19:17] to provide services and, you know, because we're just in a state of change.
[19:24] And I don't think we can just ask the government to go back to what they just decided to do
[19:30] for the good of Canadians. Thank you.
[19:34] I do need to, if I wasn't clear or perhaps I put the wrong emphasis,
[19:39] this originally it was Agnes and some of her peers that approached me.
[19:45] After we talked about it, I asked who else was impacted by this.
[19:50] He was told employers and was a really, it is employers certainly,
[19:56] But it is the individuals, some of whom are in the room here.
[20:00] And it's also a lot of customers, a lot of clients, I said earlier, elderly.
[20:09] So the people impacted, this is not coming from the business community only.
[20:16] Okay.
[20:17] So Council, nothing else?
[20:23] We'll call the question then.
[20:24] All in favor of my motion on page 5 of the agenda.
[20:31] Opposed?
[20:32] Councillor Rho.
[20:35] Councillor McLachlan.
[20:36] Opposed?
[20:37] The motion is defeated.
[20:41] Okay.
[20:42] We'll go on, then, counsel, to the agenda, which is the SCRD reports.
[20:49] And neither of our SCRD reps are with us.
[20:52] So we can go to the council reports.
[20:55] and perhaps they'll start with you, Councilman McLachlan.
[21:00] And then Councilwoman.
[21:03] Yeah, I don't have too much to report.
[21:06] I haven't been feeling well.
[21:08] I did go to a meeting on the weekend,
[21:12] thinking I was feeling pretty good,
[21:13] but out of the goodness of my heart
[21:17] and for my own sake, I've been laying low
[21:20] and not sharing my coughs with anybody.
[21:24] Hey, thank you for not sharing.
[21:28] Answer row.
[21:31] Hi, thanks.
[21:32] So in the last couple of weeks, I did something I have only ever done a couple of times in my
[21:37] life.
[21:38] Just for all of our 800 viewers out there who is wondering who actually wrote the letter
[21:43] to the editor, that was me.
[21:46] And so I have done that, have received a FOI request with regards to that.
[21:52] So what makes one wonder if our 800 viewers are wondering who wrote it.
[21:58] So I just wanted to speak to it.
[22:00] Other than that, I took a vacation and enjoyed a week in somewhat cloudy, but lots of sunny Alaska.
[22:12] And happy to be back.
[22:17] Thank you, Councillor Bill.
[22:21] Agenda, the salmon enhancement festival, which is always a delight to see all the little
[22:30] kids put all the little fishes in the water as they head to Chapman Creek and go out
[22:35] to spawn.
[22:36] I think it's quite an event, I mean, it's incredible to see the number of people there, but
[22:42] also see the youngsters appreciate what salmon does for the biodiversity and ecology and
[22:49] the environment. I also attended a Davis Bay Elementary School Road Safety Blitz yesterday
[22:56] and on June 3rd and it was excellent. It was great to see all of, we had our staff there
[23:03] and district of seashell staff, by law officers, police and firemen there and so we just got a chance
[23:13] to observe what it was like to see when the school buses came in and the parents dropped
[23:20] the kids off and really just how easy it would be to just in a moment's glass, a glance,
[23:29] have an accident and to see someone hurt. So there's some work we need to do up there.
[23:34] We have our engineering staff there, which is fantastic. They're actually doing an observation.
[23:39] They have a co-op student there right now that's going to be up there in the morning and
[23:42] other times to observe the pattern and the behaviors of the people driving in that area and I think
[23:49] that will be very helpful for them to determine what that's going to look like in the future for the
[23:55] safety of the kids. There was another one at the West C. Shell Elementary School today so it's a great
[24:00] initiative. It's happy to be a part of it and to see the whole community behind this. Thank you.
[24:06] Thank you. Okay, I've got a number of things to raise. First of all, you'll see in the lobby. We have a consultation and have your say on this building.
[24:21] There's a public event. I think Friday, three o'clock to seven o'clock here and in the farmer's market on Saturday.
[24:31] So a chance to give your input into what we, what you think we should be doing with this building.
[24:37] I want to also acknowledge staff for getting the tax notices mailed out on Monday.
[24:43] I did have some calls late last week and I saw somebody today who was quite overjoyed to get his tax bill,
[24:52] but that's what we kind of expect, but it's a huge job.
[24:56] and I do want to say thanks for dealing with the uncertainty of the post office situation.
[25:04] I attended GMF Council meeting remotely last week. I attended a celebration of life
[25:11] for a dear friend and mentor in Hong Kong. Again, remotely. We had a public hearing last
[25:17] week and also an interesting discussion about transit planning at the intergovernmental meeting
[25:24] at the SCRD or MLA Randy Neal spoke to the Chamber of Commerce on Friday and told us what's
[25:34] going on as a new MLA. And last night I had an APC meeting that I attended to learn
[25:44] a bit about proposed Tibetan Meditation Center, right, close to this building. And a real
[25:53] treat today we entertained and welcomed two young ladies O.J. and Scarlett who were
[25:59] mayors for the day. And so council would be happy to know we had a discussion and debated
[26:05] the issues and they have we voted and it wasn't unanimous but I think at the end we all
[26:12] supported and that is that we need a bowling alley and it's to be located in Wilson Creek.
[26:19] week. So that was a fascinating process in a 15-minute discussion to hear the kids discuss
[26:26] whether it should be true story, Pam, whether it should be in toonic, or anyways they settled
[26:34] on Wilson Creek. And finally, I want to congratulate Gracie Hemstreet, our own Gracie, who became
[26:41] the first Canadian woman to win a downhill mountain biking world cup event. So, way to go Gracie
[26:48] and hopefully when she's not on tour, we'll be able to congratulate her.
[26:56] Yeah. So those are the good things. Another one to flag is about community safety.
[27:07] As council knows, but I think most of you would know. About ten days ago, there were some
[27:13] multiple incidents, including a home invasion and assault with a weapon.
[27:20] I'm happy to report
[27:21] charges have been recommended by the RCMP, who by the way responded very promptly. The suspect
[27:28] is out on bail with conditions to not go to the neighborhood. But meanwhile, the victims
[27:34] have been traumatized, and one was physically injured as were two RCMP officers, all of
[27:41] with what we tend to call minor injuries.
[27:45] And I'm just so frustrated with how things are going.
[27:48] I'm frustrated and I'm angry.
[27:51] I think this society we've lost our way.
[27:55] Surely the minimum we can expect
[27:58] and our residents can expect is to feel safe
[28:00] in their own homes.
[28:03] So I think council, we have to ramp up our efforts.
[28:07] You know, the community safety committee has been working,
[28:09] But we've got to get much more focused on how do we protect our residents.
[28:16] And that has with the earlier discussion around the immigration relates to us advocating
[28:23] for what's good for our community.
[28:28] Second thing is to respond to the letter that was published last week, signed by five counselors.
[28:35] I'm not sure where, but my message in that, of course, the communication that I put out on social media was to encourage people to run for office and expressing my personal views on Bill 15 that was before the provincial legislature.
[28:50] So where the idea that somehow is referring to the governance audit or to anything to do with staff,
[29:02] it's not accurate so I stand by the and I encourage people to look at
[29:10] running I encourage people to get to know what bill 15 might mean for us but
[29:15] the governance audit you know that was raised in the letter is not one of the
[29:19] issues that I was referring to I hope that council the council let's say they
[29:24] want to deal with the governance audit it was issued a year ago that you'll
[29:30] actually decide to proceed with implementing the other recommendations that have been waiting.
[29:38] I get that people are upset on council but you know we've got some important things to do and
[29:45] I think that things like what I reference victim safety, caring for the folks in the room
[29:52] and advocating on so many fronts is what we really need to do.
[30:00] That is my report.
[30:05] Council, I think that brings us to the end of our agenda. So, I will entertain a motion to adjourn. Second, all the favour. Here adjourned. Now, we can go to questions if there are any from the public. We have anybody? Yes, anybody online?
[30:29] Okay. There are two online.