Committee of the Whole

Okay, thank you.

Good afternoon, everyone, and happy new year and welcome back.

Seems like a while since we've been here.

And um, I'll start the meeting by recognizing our friends and neighbors, the Esquimalt and Songhees Nation.

And oh, I have all my to read out.

It's been so long I've forgotten about that.

Have you given oh yeah, okay.

This meeting is being held under the auspices of Ministerial Order M192 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the public health officers' orders prohibiting gatherings.

We will hear from the public during public participation and the question period portions of the agenda, both uh coming up fairly soon and then at after seven o'clock tonight.

The way that you dial in is all on your computer screen at home.

You call 778 402 9227.

And when prompted, you enter conference ID 158-096-514 pound.

And at the appropriate time in the agenda, I will announce the last four digits of your phone number.

Ask you to mute the live webcast to avoid feedback.

Ask you not to use speakerphone to ensure sound quality, and ask that you unmute yourself by pressing pound six.

And you will then have the opportunity to give us your the benefit of your views.

The chat feature is open at public participation and question period.

Um, and the same with the chat feature.

And if you provide your name and address through there with a question, we'd be happy to answer it if we can.

This meeting will be recorded by participating in the webcast.

You are consenting to being recorded, and the recording will be available on the town's website for future access.

Thank you very much.

And so I need a motion to approve the agenda, please.

So moved.

Second.

Okay, moved by councillor Lemon, seconded by Councillor Rogers.

All in favor.

Opposed, that's carried.

We have minutes from December the 8th.

Move adoption.

Thank you.

Moved by Councillor Rogers.

Seconded by Councillor Lemon.

Any comments, corrections?

No.

There's no petitions and delegations.

I'm gonna guess that there's no public on the phone staff.

Okay, thank you.

That is uh that is correct, your worship.

There are no callers at the moment.

And is there anyone on the chat feature?

No, Mayor Screet.

There is nobody on the chat feature this afternoon.

So we can we did come to public participation period awfully quickly, but I don't think looking at our agenda for this afternoon's portion, that it's likely that um there's gonna be anyone calling in.

But if they do, we can certainly take their call.

So I'm gonna carry on and hand the chair over to Councillor Lemon for protective services.

Thank you, Your Worship.

Um, no report from me, and uh no business arising, but we do have Inspector Preston with us today.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, and thanks for having me.

It has.

It's been uh certainly a number, I think it's been a number of months here since it has.

Yeah, so thanks uh yeah, thanks for happy.

Uh happy new year and all that good stuff.

Uh I'll just give you a quick overview in terms of uh generality.

Um, not just your community, but I'll go over all of West Shore here and just give you some brief points if you'd like.

It'd probably take 10 minutes.

We're good with that.

Okay.

Um in general, we had a massive uh just to update the massive uh fraud uh investigation that we had a while ago there.

I uh that had a ton of stolen um identification and products.

So as a result of that investigation, we've been able to uh to solve 25 unsolved frauds and thefts that had previously been reported.

So that's uh you know I'm proud to report that because typically when we have frauds and thefts uh oftentimes they're very difficult to uh to investigate successfully as a result of this investigation we've been able to uh turn over 25.

The detachment sponsored a family um on the reserve on Songhees there uh for Christmas we were able to bring home gifts and dinner we also had a bunch of extra gifts uh from the detachment which we donated to MCFD uh to distribute the to the children in care um december 27th, four vehicles were broken into on Azurate Crescent.

Uh, police identified the suspect from home surveillance uh as a 37-year-old Langford resident after identifying uh suspects executed a search warrant on his residence, and a number of pieces of evidence were seized, including 25 pieces of stolen identification and stolen personal belongings as well.

So we're starting to see more and more of the identity thefts and thefts of identity, and uh certainly cause for concern, um, especially when you go to the bank and determine that you're no longer you and you go to travel, and it doesn't it's not an issue until it is an issue.

And I think a lot of people find that out, unfortunately, the hard way.

And it's a bigger issue than I think a lot of people understand.

Um on January 9th, unfortunately, the body of uh missing uh young young individual Andre was located in the Gold stream Park.

Um he was reported missing on January 2nd and just tragic circumstances.

And it that's one that uh you know I've been trying to work, and it i've spoken to uh to kim over there and the other caos we're trying to put together a counselor um that'll be able to work with our community policing it's these these are the exact kids the 16 you know the the young adults the teenagers that are falling through the cracks and although it it's not specifically a policing responsibility I think it's uh you know a humanitarian responsibility to look uh to try to to try to give some hope and some light and some mentorship to to these exact youths and you know, this isn't the the only one.

We've had a number of youths here um that have committed suicide or have certainly attempted to commit suicide in recent months.

Not all as high profile as this one, but um I'm hoping here in the coming months, we'll be able to put that to fruition where we're gonna actually have a counselor.

Like uh I think Sanich actually has uh a program like this already in place, but we really want to make it so that uh three days a week, for instance, the counselor would would ride along and we're gonna do community events trying to target these fringe kids at the skateboard parks or some of the other uh events that we could put on and host these children for free, bring them and try to give them some mentorship and then identify those use.

And when the uh the counselor's not working with the member, that would give them time to follow up with with these kids and make sure they get the the wraparound support that they need because oftentimes uh it's not at home.

Not to say that that's not the case in this one, but I think there's some mental health, uh certainly some mental health components in this one.

Just to give you an overview there um in terms of Langford we had an indecent act on Bellamy uh where a male exposed himself masturbating to a young female uh walking on the roadway the male was identified as a serial offender with similar types of offenses in Saanich and Sanich uh took there was a lead investigation uh investigators on that and uh arrested the individual um december 7th we had a fatal MBI on Bellamy Road in Gorman Place single vehicle went into the ditch hit a tree was a 60 year old male succumbed to his injuries we believe that was likely uh medical uh as a result of some medical issues.

On uh December 8th, we had a general duty member pull over a vehicle on Arncott for displaying the wrong license plate.

Evidence of illicit drugs and drug trafficking were in the vehicle, nearly 10 ounces of narcotics, uh including a combination of suspected uh cocaine and other drugs were seized, methamphetamine, heroin, and uh cash, drug paraphernalia, the two suspects, 31 and 28, were arrested for drug trafficking, and we towed their vehicle.

On December 23rd, we did a uh a winter uh tire road check on Bear Mountain, and about 600 vehicles.

And most people uh understood the spirit behind that.

It wasn't to go ticket uh those in it was just an educational complaint.

We did uh issue one ticket for somebody that blew through the check stop and we we tracked them down and uh they got a ticket.

But the other 600 people uh, despite the fact that uh there was a swack of them that didn't have proper tires, um, they were just issued warnings and it was an educational component to that.

And so the frustrating part for the police and and the general public is when they don't have the tires and you need to go up uh up island and the malahats closed because somebody's stuck on the road and uh has jackknifed or what have you.

Um so it's a responsibility uh for all of us that uh that's why we did that initiative.

Okay.

Oh, yes, uh sorry.

So with uh all winter radials, you know, all the radials exhibition, or do they need to yeah?

The mud and snow.

Is it have a mud and snow?

It can't be summer tires.

Yeah, yeah.

Um just to boil Bear Mountain.

Yeah, yeah.

Don't go with the mall hat, don't go with the Bear Mountain.

Okay.

So on December 30th, we had a male suspect uh attempt to steal electronics from Chopper's drug mort on Jacqueline.

When confronted, he brownished a baton.

Uh police dog uh Eric uh was able to track down the suspect who was located nearby.

And uh he was identified as a 23-year-old uh male who was arrested uh for robbery without incident.

It's amazing when you have uh Eric uh besides you.

Uh they don't they don't usually resist too much, so it's it's a good we should all have dogs.

Um December 31st, um on the 2700 block of Spencer Road, and we had an ERT activation.

So, so our emergency response team as a result of a male who pointed a loaded gun at another resident in that residence.

Uh suspect was barricaded and was uh later arrested for assault careless use of a firearm.

We did a search warrant on that residence, and uh scary so there was 14 firearms, ammunition, body armor in that uh in that residence.

So those are those are certainly the the files that causes grave concern because you know I think there might have been some indication in this type of file that the individual was kind of on the fence how he wanted this file to end.

And uh when you got body armor and 14 firearms in the residence, it's uh certainly caused for concern for everybody, not just the police.

Um, in terms of View Royal, uh we had 364 files in December 2020, uh, compared to 325 in the December of 2019.

So uh a small increase of about 40 files, 19 check well being calls as well as uh 11 mental health related calls.

So 30 calls involving mental health in the month of December alone.

So basically a call a day.

That's just for View Royal.

November 28th, we had a GD officer conducting patrols near Helmcken and Island Highway, and View Royal pulled over a vehicle for swerving.

The driver did not have a driver's license, was issued a ticket and towed.

The friend who came to pick up the impaired driver, uh, or sorry, the driver was impaired and had loaded firearms in his vehicle.

Um so he gets pulled over, he calls a friend, the friend comes and has a loaded firearm in his uh in his uh vehicle, three semi-automatic rifles and one semi-automatic shotgun, and one pump action shotgun were all seized from this individual.

Um, and one you know, again, here's the scary part is one of the rifles and the shotguns was found to be loaded.

So that's an issue.

And those things are taking, you know, we're becoming a big city out here, and we're starting to see more and more of these types of concerning uh issues.

Where where would they be able to access or get a pump action gun?

Oh, I mean, you can I mean a lot of these aren't uh they're not some of these aren't prohibited, or some of them are restricted, some of them aren't prohibited, and then um we've got a giant border, uh the largest unmanned border in the in the world, I believe, uh across to the states.

So it's uh it does trickle up here.

Yeah.

Um November 30th, we had a man we arrested a man for refusing to wear a mask at the Peninsula Co-op, causing a disturbance turn or causing a disturbance.

Turns out it was the same male refusing to wear a mask at your Starbucks at View Royal.

He was issued two COVID tickets for failing to wear a mask.

Uh of interest, the View Royal Starbucks actually didn't report this uh to us.

It was uh Constable Sagar, Nancy, who does a phenomenal job in our media.

Uh she was the one that was able to piece it together from a picture that she she found, and uh that's how we identified the linkage there.

Um in terms of Calwood, uh December 8th, we investigated uh threats that were spread online about a possible school shooting uh that was going to happen uh the following day at uh Belmont Secondary.

And it turns out this is uh you know your classic case of how social media uh got greatly distorted and snowballed uh over and there was you know an inappropriate comment made by a student, but those comments obviously snowballed and snowballed and snowballed, and I don't blame the parents, uh, but a lot of the parents with all their kids from uh school that day, and um, we were able to deem it as unsubstantiated or unfounded, sorry.

But uh anyways, that was one of the calls there.

Uh on December 28th, the complaint received from a residence near 200 Marine Drive, the homeowner advising that a suspect was attempting to break into her residence.

A suspect was carrying a stick and being chased away from a home by a neighbor.

Uh, the frontline officers caught the suspect identified as a 53-year-old male, who was arrested for breaking in her, as well as mischief for destroying all her Christmas decorations.

The individual is under the influence of drugs at the time.

So and I think a lot of that was before the McKenzie overpass uh had been changed back over.

People were using that as a shortcut, and then they became accustomed to using that road.

And um, you know, a lot of the local residents uh were very, very annoyed by that.

So we've been certainly beefing up the uh traffic enforcement in there anywhere.

Um, other than what I just read, yeah, the mental health, like no, like uh everything else in society right now uh is really taking its toll, I think, on the community, and and we see that on a daily basis.

I think everybody sees that, so I don't think it's shocking that I tell you that.

But certainly uh within the the realm of policing, it's evident, and the fear is that uh you know people had something to look forward to at Christmas time.

Um and now we're we're past Christmas and we're getting into those lone, lonely, dark uh months, and I think uh we're only gonna see more of it over the next couple months here, unfortunately.

Uh can I open the floor up to you?

Yes, yes, Councillor Matson.

Thank you.

Uh thank you presentation.

But the homeless situation I know in the website.

How is that we see more people more homeless?

Uh, causing the disturbance, uh maybe mental health of people and the Yeah, there's a story.

There is no doubt that there's been um a trickle effect from the downtown into um the west shore.

However, we haven't had a significant issue as of late.

I don't know if that's because there's been such a huge push to find uh accommodation, find housing from the provincial government.

In fact, I saw yesterday they're buying another.

It looks like they're gonna buy another hotel um downtown somewhere in Sanich uh uh to house.

And so, yes, we're seeing the the 12 or 14 um parks in downtown Victoria that are full of tents, 300 tents or whatever it is, and and we do see them trickle out here, but we haven't seen huge encounters.

There was one in Langford, which we were able to shut down fairly quickly as a result of the request from their Merron Council that they were they were on the side of the highway, which was not a not a smart or safe place for them to be in the first place.

Yeah, you bet.

Did it?

Thank you.

Hi, thanks for coming.

Um, with all the individuals that you spoke of, um some of the more serious characters, did anyone go into custody?

Oh yeah, yeah, there's uh no one our jails are uh every every day or every other day.

There's there's bail hearings to be had.

Uh the sheriffs, we've actually worked out a program with the sheriffs uh with the province because the reduction in court services, and so for the longest time they were asking us to do it.

We're we're actually one of the only detachments, I think the only detachment in the uh the on the island right now where the sheriffs come every morning and they take care of our bail hearings.

The our municipal partners have that as well.

But as far as RCP detachments, uh we we weren't that fortunate.

And uh I had a meeting with them and we were able to come to a mutual agreeable resolution where they would come every morning and uh and take care of our prisoners because that's a ton of uh resource hours to go down there, uh, make sure that they had their phone calls uh for with their lawyer or duty counsel, and then wait for a court where they're gonna be doing mixed be a Zoom session with court, and then we have to go sit there and you wait for your turn.

So, you know, we were spending a lot of our resources, your dollars, your releasing dollars, sitting down on a cell block waiting for this.

Uh happy to tell you that uh the sheriffs have stepped up and taken care of that for us.

Yeah, that's certainly innovative and and uh nice to have that coordination and flexibility with the sheriffs.

Um, it certainly gets the work done.

Um, but it's it is interesting of all these individuals, um, and and again the natures of the offenses, um, after that bail hearing, or did they these individuals make bail, or were they actually remanded into into custody?

Because again, I'm I'm just wondering if uh uh there's a reluctance of of our crosshall centers to take remanded individuals.

I don't oh, sorry, sorry.

I don't doubt that that's certainly a um uh a concern and certainly a variable when they're making their decisions.

Um there's no doubt, and that's only evidenced by the amount of breach charges that they don't uh they don't follow through and we'll breach somebody, and unless it's uh basically a person's offense, uh you know, like people will come out on curfew, for instance, and oftentimes right now we'll go do curfew checks um as we should be, making sure that they're advice or adhering to um the conditions.

They're not home, we'll submit a charge, and uh the crown won't proceed with it right now.

And uh they're just saying it's not in the public interest at this point.

And for the longest time they were suggesting it was all based on COVID.

Right now it's um based on the fact that it's not in public interest, which is a pretty broad statement.

It's pretty uh it's commonly used, but uh they will proceed if the individual is breaking into a um you know a store late at night or committing another offense, but just not adhering to their conditions.

Uh, right now that doesn't seem to be much of an appetite, so very frustrating for us.

In fact, one more question.

Um, the um these past months, um, how have things been on the fentanyl issue?

Fentanyl, yeah.

It's it's alive and well.

That uh that that issue is not going anywhere, and uh it has absolutely brutalized uh families and communities, and it'll continue to do so.

And the nice thing is I I will give the courts credit that in some certain circumstances here.

I have seen some certainly some more severe um punishments had handed down.

That's certainly uh an aggravating factor when being sentenced in the courts right now because of the obvious uh devastation that that drug's uh causing in in all the communities.

Thank you.

Do we show anything?

Thank you.

Yeah, I have a couple.

Um we had a phone call with Brenda Butterworth Carr about dispatch, which I'll talk to you about at some point.

But but in that call, I asked her about the ongoing um issue with provincial resources.

And she suggested that it was back to the RCMP um to provide a matrix, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

And it just seems to be a never-ending issue, right?

I mean, that's it's I don't know how many years it is since we first started asking about it.

And they didn't like what you came up with.

And at that meeting we had, they suggested that they were going to provide something.

And in that phone call, she suggested that it was now back to the RCMP.

So maybe you could just talk to E Division and see.

Did you receive anything after that meeting?

No.

Nothing.

Neither did I.

No.

No.

And so uh yeah, it's unfortunate when you know if if someone promises you that they're going to provide you an alternative law option and they don't, it's it's frustrating.

See the AirCAP we'll get the resources from the province to release uh our provincial areas.

Um but the these types of relationships where the the blend is a muni under, muni over, you guys are a municipality under and 15,000, and then the the munis over um Langford and Callwood.

So the 90 10 to 73, and then you get Machosen and Highlands and uh the Malahat, and that ratio is determined by the province.

Um, well, they give the money to the RCMP, and we have to staff that, but uh we also have to staff the rest of the province, and so but our numbers don't don't jive with this particular relationship.

I can't speak to uh how they jive with the rest of the province, but I they don't jive with the ratios that um three municipalities here have been contributing.

So I share I share your frustration.

Yeah, we need to try and at least get a I did a frank discussion.

Yeah, yeah, sorry, I did ask, like they do, you know, and they have said, and to a degree it is it is true, but they haven't been able to articulate exactly what it is um in terms of helicopter, in terms of other resources that they provide.

That's great.

But give me a list so I can come back and show you.

Well, but that's what she suggested in this call was that they provide so many other assets that we we probably don't want to know because she and in fact she really did insinuate that at the end of the day they're probably providing more than they should be.

Right.

So but we still need a way to calculate that and Yeah, just g and you know, and I'm sure people would look at it with a reasonable lens if all of a sudden they came and said, you know, we are providing XYZ and you're yeah, you and I aren't are you're not aware of it, and uh I'm not completely aware of it, and it's like, okay, well that's that sounds like a fair partnership or relationship.

But it just it's is simple for me.

And I've asked, I don't know how many times, and I'll continue to ask, can somebody please provide me a list so that I can bring it to my mayor councils to show them this is the relationship that they're in?

Because the province obviously isn't providing that to you.

Right.

Yeah.

So I'll continue to worship that.

Yeah, no, so the other one the before Christmas we had that incident that started at Walkersway in Burnside, I think at the homeless camp there, and ended up in Esquimall with quite a song and dance.

Um so I guess I'm I mean I've gone on about that camp before, but it does seem to be a problem for us, right?

And if that sort of crime is originating out of that camp, then it's it's a bit of a worry.

Um, and I've definitely had residents who suggested that they've gone near that camp and been told in no uncertain terms, you know, to get the hell away from from that area.

And have you had recent complaints about that?

Um within the last three months.

Yeah, I think there's one fellow in there who's very unstable, is my understanding.

Um I just wonder once again, they're on there.

Sorry?

What's the exact address that they're on right now?

Well, it's not really Paul knows.

And it just it it seemed like that whole thing originated there.

I didn't know much about it other than it ended.

But the armored vehicle and things was called into a squamoult to deal with it.

So obviously they had weapons and yes, there is a concern there, yes.

So I just wonder if once again we should be reaching out to the MOT and providing them some information that these problems or some problems are emanating from that camp and and what will they do to disband it and and help us?

We haven't had a huge success uh currently with that.

No, um just because they say with COVID uh at this point here um if they're not harming anybody, they're right.

Yeah, that's uh that's that's what we've been receiving.

Yeah, yeah.

Maybe staff can think about that and just yeah.

Anyhow, that's all the questions I had.

Thank you.

Thanks, Todd.

Nothing to me.

Okay.

Anyone else want to talk about their tires too?

I've just got a quick question.

And well, maybe it's not quick.

I've got a question.

Um, you mentioned um providing counseling, some some sort of counseling service uh or program for young people who are struggling with men their mental well-being, you know, and and I think depression is is so hard to detect and and and kind of a deep dark secret um that a lot of people carry around is a you know a heavy burden.

Um but their peers may not know, their their family may not know, or they may not have a functioning family.

So how do you access the people that need help?

How do we act?

Like how do we identify them?

Well, yeah, how do they get to you?

So that's that's the the whole spirit behind this program that we're trying to work out with the three municipalities is that and uh I think it's gonna come to fruition is that while we have these kids, where where do these kids uh congregate?

Where do they go?

You know, are they uh video gamers or do they go to the skateboard park?

And the idea is, in fact, I got a uh a private sponsor here that wants to donate money to the municipalities and and he'll be basically the the food truck type of thing.

Do they you know what what what is it that where do they normally go?

Where do they normally hang out?

He'll he'll donate all the food.

So every three times a week or whatever it is we we establish, we'll put on food, and these kids will know that if they come down to the skateboard park, we got free hamburgers and hot dogs on at from three to six on Wednesdays or whatever.

And so that's kind of the spirit behind we draw them in, and while we're breaking bread and having a burger with them, um, you can kind of get to know some of these kids on a little more of a personal level, a non-threatening level.

We're not we're not in their house doing this, we're just having a chat with them and and being a mentor or a friend to them and giving them a platform.

And then we also have the the counselor that's there that can work with them and identify um the issues that they have.

I mean it's a it's a such a small cog, uh it's such a small little program, but it's something.

I like that.

It's it's uh almost like the uh big brothers model.

100%.

It's exactly like the big brother, big sister model.

Yeah.

Um it just it's kind of that idea of how do you attract them in?

How do you how do you get these kids that unfortunately fall through the cracks and have tragic circumstances or consequences?

Yeah.

So that that's what we're gonna try to achieve.

Second question is do you always wear your vest?

Uh I do, yeah.

Yeah, when I when I'm out normal, I shouldn't say always, but the vast majority of the time I do, yeah.

Okay.

Yeah.

Thanks for coming.

Yeah, thank you very much.

Yeah, just a question actually to members of council, and and uh because I cannot remember.

I is Shoreline Community School still do they still have nights alive?

I don't think so.

Yeah, because that uh just as you're you're explaining the um um the whole rationale, that was a very good program for the young people um of that area, and and it was drawing a lot of the uh the First Nations as well, and uh they did provide food and it was sports activities, and it was a safe place for for them to congregate.

So you could be wrong about that, but I think with the the the parents board or whatever it was that used to run all that sort of folding that I think Knights and I folded with a they were older kids then.

It wasn't it wasn't a middle school, it was a junior high then, I think.

But but the kid, but it was for kids like age 11 age of 15 or something like that.

Yeah, it's it's too bad because uh before COVID, we actually um our First Nations uh program in the province there paid for a uh $25,000 canoe that a giant canoe with beautiful uh Aboriginal decaline on the side of it, First Nation decaline.

And we actually had a camping trip plan with the kids you're gonna cune out to uh an island with them and have a camping trip and do the same the same spirit of just kind of identifying some of the kids that uh we've been getting to know some of them because we've been playing floor hockey and shoreline and a whole bunch of that.

So you can kind of see the kids that are the ones that just aren't quite fitting in, and uh the ones that could just need a little bit of a little bit of mentorship.

And so, anyways, it's it's really unfortunate because we had that planned, we had a basketball tournament planned again.

We had we had a ton of community uh stuff planned but COVID to arrange in it.

Yeah, that's cool.

So maybe after this this COVID thing goes away, oh we should start actively looking at uh something working with PAC at the community and and the first nations for sure to see if we can start that again.

Good.

Yeah, thank you for reminding me.

Yeah.

Ron?

Sure.

One more quick one.

In terms of the COVID throwing a monkey wrench into things, uh we had the I'm sorry, I can't remember her name, but from the uh the old youth detention center, the the treatment now are now treatment center.

Uh the question was asked, do they have a lot of people being put you know, given the homeless situation, the drug situation, people going in there to you know sort of go through their program?

And she's was basically suggesting that wasn't happen.

The courts weren't putting very many people in there and I'm just you know for whatever reasons I'm just wondering if that's a resource you guys can use to sort of or I don't know what your impact is with the courts to get them to sort of push some of these people towards that yeah you know I tough I can't really speak to that I'm not sure where the who's being pushed where from the courts uh at this point here the courts were shut down for the longest time and then they were open only for research and they're trying to push through some significant trials and it's uh yeah it's it's it's been difficult thank you, Inspector.

Thank you.

Thanks, John.

Okay, thanks a lot.

I'll move receipt of the report.

Ums Carrie.

Yeah.

Good.

So we'll move right on to finance and amin.

And the first one up is um of the West Shore Parks and Rec funding strategy.

Did you want to speak to this, Don?

I certainly can if you wish your worship.

Members of council.

Sure, go ahead.

Okay.

Yeah, the purpose of the report really is to just provide council with an opportunity to consider a strategy to reduce the reliance on casino revenue for West Shore Parks and Recreation annual requisition for that service.

So as council, I'm sure is fully aware of the potential volatility of casino revenue, and it has in recent practice, even before COVID, limited the use of casino revenue to funding expenses of a capital or a one-time operational nature to better match the expenditures with the you know kind of source of the revenue.

But of course, West Shore Parks and Rec is an exception to that.

We have been funding the annual requisition from casino revenue, even revenue, even though the West Shore Parks and Requisition is a fairly you know stable and dependable expense, it's going to be there as long as the service is expected to be there.

In 2021, the anticipated requisition for West Shore Parks and Recreation is about $764,000, not including an extraordinary request as Council will recall.

Almost $1.7 million less than anticipated.

So while the casino revenue reserve does have enough to cover us for 2020 and certainly 2021, any you know draw on the casino revenue for West Shore Parks and REC does does reduce the availability of funds in the future.

So what we were thinking about asking council to consider is just improving the financial state sustainability and resilience, as is one of the strategic priorities, by considering a transition of funding for the West Shore Parks and Rec annual requisition to a more stable revenue source, such as taxation.

It could occur this transition over the course of several years to try to phase in this adjustment to taxation and reduce the impact or ease the impact of property owners.

And in the report, there's a couple of scenarios that we ran.

Certainly there are more scenarios that we could run if council has a desire, but it kind of gives you a bit the parameters to say that if we were to attribute and apply a 1% tax increase, for example, to the West Shore Parks and Recreation Reserve Parks and Recreation, the that requisition would be fully funded by taxation by the year 2030.

That's at a 1% per year tax increase.

The requisition would be fully funded by taxation by the year 2030.

If we cut that in half, then and apply just a half a percent of taxation to the West Shore Parks and Rec uh requisition, it would take us until the year 2044 to fully fund that requisition by taxation.

And that is just at our you know basic a basic 2% increase in the requisition and assuming minimal growth on the tax base.

There's an example there of what the financial plan would look like over the first five years of a plan that would see a 1% tax increase apply to the Whispers requisition.

Um, and that would mean that by 2025, if we were to use the 1% model, um over half of the requisition from West Shore Parks and Breck would come from taxation and the room and the balance of that would be from casino revenue until the twenty until 2030 when the when the requisition was fully funded by taxation.

So the recommendation is that council at least consider a strategy to uh transition the funding for West Shore Parks and Recreation from casino revenue to taxation.

Okay, thank you, Don.

Committee Dr.

Jerry, go ahead.

Um thank you, Don.

Uh maybe maybe you said this and I didn't get it, but if in the worst of all scenarios the casino were never to reopen, would these figures still apply?

No.

Yeah, the the the scenario the scenario really is to to to make a brief answer is that if the casino was to never reopen, the casino res revenue reserve would would dry up more quickly.

And and we would be forced to find another source of revenue for the West Shore Parks and Rec service.

Okay.

And and and really we you know we don't have another source other than taxation.

Right.

Okay, thank you.

Councillor Rogers.

Yes, uh, thank you very much for the report.

Uh it's it's bad news, but it's timely.

And um who knows um you know where the uh where the casino's going to be uh in this uh calendar year 2021, uh when you consider the full vaccination won't be until September uh in terms of the rollout.

And um uh as uh economics economists, the people of the money.

Um they were projecting, you know, the recovery um, you know, for for tourism and so forth um would be a slow climb.

And I suspect the the casino might be uh another example um as as much of the gambling was has been online.

So I would think that even if we were successful in in having a an opening in September, um it uh twenty two, twenty three might be uh a slow ramp up, certainly not the the amounts that we we would expect.

So it's um uh the um the projections and the and the report is is timely.

What is also interesting is that uh since you provided this report and and uh the West Shore has given their five-year projections, um, I note that um in 2025 uh their uh request estimate isn't 827, it's 855.

So and uh so the increments in each of those years is more of 15 to 20,000, 30,000 uh increments by the the West Shore themselves, uh, which then you know does have even more of an impact and and uh ramifications for the percent uh increase that we should consider.

So thanks for the report, and and I think we should definitely be working on a number.

Yeah, I think what's ahead of us is is a forecast based on the casino reopening and this being a supplementary idea to gradually wean ourselves off the the casino revenue.

So just in the interest of any public or media that might be might be watching, we're not suggesting that the casino is never going to reopen and that this revenue is completely curtailed.

Um, but it's sort of a combination and council's interest in in pursuing that.

Counselor Matson, I think I know what you're gonna say.

Yeah, no, I mean, you know.

I don't have I mean, I think we're basically forced to do this.

One of my bigger concerns is just how much we're paying for for West Shore.

So I don't have an objection there.

And I'd like to know how many people like what's the per capita use of this for URL residents?

Because I I've got a feeling that you know it works out to about I don't know, $70 per person if you view everyone.

But the number of people using the facilities, and if you look at during the time of COVID, how many people are using it?

I really have a hard time with.

I mean, I I wasn't happy with I think I voted against approving their budget when it came through, but I really have a hard time with how much money we're spending there.

Uh and I'd really like to get a reality check in terms of how many residents are coming, what's the actual cost?

And I I don't have an answer in terms of what we would do after we get that uh information, but I think it'd be very helpful to have a better understanding of what the expenses are, what what number of people using it.

And I'm meaning to sound more like uh Lankford back in the old days, but I really have a problem with the three or three or four percent increase that they came up with last last year, and especially excluding the six hundred and seventy thousand dollars.

I I really think we're getting way off track here.

So if you if you want to do an audit of West Shore and what their value for money is, then then we can do that.

I mean, they the report that's on here is whether or not council is interested in giving staff direction as to presuming that the casino reopens, presuming that we continue to be, and seeing as we just signed a new agreement, members and owners of West Shore Parks and Rep, whether there's an appetite among council to start a gradual process of taking it off.

And I think I said yes, but I also think I'd like to reality check on what's actually happening there.

So I think that's with respect, Councillor Matson, is a whole different issue.

Not well, it's all budget related at the end of the day.

Well, I I don't think it is personally.

I think we it West Shore Um Parks and Wreck produces an annual report which will probably come to us relatively soon, and that'll show you the number of you rural residents that attend, etc.

etc.

etc.

I mean it's a well-loved community facility.

Um at any rate, I think it's a completely different discussion.

Move staff recommendations.

Well, the staff doesn't really have a recommendation other than other than it be received.

No.

Well, that the council approve a strategy.

So does the committee recommend council approve a strategy?

Right.

So what strategy are you approving in your motion?

The one percent.

To transition funding.

You're gonna do what well.

I mean, I'm not gonna support that.

Um, you know, I mean, we have no I don't think the staff's recommendation is the one percent.

The recommendation at the bottom is that the committee recommend council approve a strategy to transition funding for West Shore Parks and Rec from casino revenue to taxation.

So staff is asking, they have three ideas up at the top, and they're asking which one of those council would support.

So if you want to go 1%, I mean that that's fine, but I mean they've so I'm gonna say a few things about this.

First off, I don't have any problem with say doing that the 0.5%, which I think, especially given that we don't know the other budget challenges we're gonna have this year.

But I think it needs to be it's a fluid thing, right?

When we when we transitioned the library off, there were some years when we did more than the prescribed percentage because we had extra money.

It wasn't cast in stone.

So I think it's if council is signaling an interest in transitioning this from casino, that's great.

But I think it does need to be, you know, if we have a great tax increase this year, though we need to be able to look at things and massage them and have the flexibility to do things with it.

So just go ahead.

Happy with the concept, but we need to see the full budget before we can actually come up with the final number.

Right.

Yeah.

So that's so I think, you know, I mean, we could say the point what would what would council's preference be to say 0.5 or 0.75 to begin with and let staff work with that figure, and it can always be massaged at budget time.

I personally think to do the 1% and to tell our residents, you know, that all of a sudden we've decided this that in 10 years we're going to transfer it completely to taxation is I don't think it's palatable to the residents.

Yeah.

Yeah, I know I appreciate what you're saying, and absolutely recalling the way we did the library.

Um it it did fluctuate from from year to year.

Uh a little bit to staff's frustration, you know, that we we weren't consistent, but it uh I guess that's just the way the numbers were, and we did consider the the budgets each each time.

Um but I think um given that the casino is gonna have a real slow startup, I think, in in 2021, um probably would necessitate real look at the 0.75.

And I think once we got um the casino back and up and running again, we can then start looking to lower that.

But I I know it's um if we if maybe the motion would be between 0.5 and 0.75 based on um you know the the budget.

But um it you know, so why don't we do the 0.5 to begin with?

And if in budget we feel that we can bump it up, then we'll bump it up.

And we'll have a better, I mean we'll the casino fund is actually, you know, there's a fair amount of cash in there at the moment because we just deposited 2.6 million dollars into it, and there was 1.8 or something already in there.

So it's not like that money is evaporating.

Yeah, so the two point, yeah, right.

The two point went in.

Okay.

So I've so I think the direction you're getting, Don, is to prepare the budget with the idea of the point five, and then we'll take it from there.

Okay, very good, thank you.

Okay, thank you.

Yes.

So, and that was moved by councillor Lemmon, seconded by Councillor Rogers.

All in favor, opposed, it's carried.

Strategic plan update.

Staff.

Good afternoon, your worship.

Thank you.

So the um the report that you have in front of you is an update of the document.

Uh some of the changes that are incorporated in the document are a result of COVID and the changes that we made to budget, um, deferring the projects to a future year.

And um we've incorporated all the other changes that have been discussed by council.

Um we met last, I think in October, and council looked at it then just prior to the advisory committee getting it.

The um the report also includes an identification of those projects that are complete.

And um we would like to have a motions received.

Any questions?

Councilor Rogers?

Yes, thanks.

Uh yeah, uh the ones that did jump out of me were um the ones that were great, completed.

Um, but um if there were any other changes um to the document, um you know it's very difficult for me to see.

Could whether if there were other changes, do we have a copy back to us that we're what shows the red line we will do that in the future yeah okay council mattson tell it's time of covet but uh I I sat around I I I added up all the resources required and it's like 1.2 million dollars and and it's mainly studies so although we can't it's not for discussion right now because the motion received but I think we need to have a real reality check in terms of how much we should be parsing out to high paid consultants versus maybe delaying things and getting staff to do internally because that that's a there's a huge amount of money in in in studies.

And especially if we're having problems with casino dollars in the future.

Yep.

No, I don't disagree with you.

I mean they're all budget contingent, right?

So they would all be discussed.

The ones that aren't approved already would be discussed at budget, and we certainly have the option to postpone or do what we feel is necessary with them at that point.

I have another question.

Um on uh page one uh D, develop an active transportation master plan, and it says after the OCP is completed.

Um I wonder why we couldn't do it concurrently, because it would seem to me that the transportation plan would be very handy uh to consider um uh you know as as a fore uh foreground um getting it done before the OCP, not after.

So you know, in good in brackets that after the OCP is completed.

Well, you know, if we uh have delays in the OCP, we're gonna have delays in in uh getting the active transportation mass plan done.

And I don't see how one is is um you know the plan has to be done uh we has to wait for the OCP and we staff get it just the intention there is that any significant changes to the OCP that would drive other studies.

The OCP will be the main document, the driver.

They set the vision for our community, they establish what our neighborhoods look like, and so once that's completes, then that information would um dovetail with studies that are post-OCP development.

And I think we're doing a this almost goes to Councillor Mattson's point of all the studies.

I think there is a connectivity study which is planned to be done before that, which is somewhat more what you're talking about, uh sidewalks and trails and and how that's my recollection is that there is a connectivity study in here as well.

I'm just trying to see if I can find it.

And I I think you and I guess my point is that it's great, and I'm really excited that we're doing the connectivity uh study.

And um, if we feel that that connectivity study can be done um, you know, prior to the OCP, then I did I just hope that we could get some work and we don't have to wait for the OCP to be uh be done in in 2022.

Because it has uh the Active Transportation Master Plan.

Um, you know, that without that, um, it's gonna be very difficult to achieve uh the primary purpose of shifting the trans uh transport mode um with a target of 25% in in this plan's uh work schedule.

Yeah, well maybe staff can get back to us on that on the connectivity study and the active transportation study.

Sure.

But when we finish putting all those small lots in the harbor precinct, we're gonna have to do some major work to get more people in our own.

We certainly are.

That's right, yes, and the carriage houses, yeah.

That'll be fun.

Are there any other comments on the strategic plan?

Just it's and I raised this last time, I think, so but I'll race it again.

The the vision, which I pointed out isn't actually a vision, you that is to be redrafted at the time of the next when the next OCP comes up.

Am I right, Tim?

Yes.

We we you you made the comment last meeting that the vision should be more aspirational.

Correct.

And but there also needs to be some consistency between that vision and the vision that's described in our strategic plan.

And so the best timing for dealing with both of them would be when we work on the vision for the OCP.

Great.

Good.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

So we just need a motion to receive, please.

Submit.

Thank you.

By Councillor Lemmon, seconded by Councillor Roger.

Thank you, staff.

All in favor?

Proposed.

That's carried.

And we have our CAO updates.

Kim.

Thank you.

Just the highlights.

First of all, I think the uh the staff did a great job in terms of creativity with the archives group.

They um they formed a uh an advent calendar for the month of December, and I think that that creativity um helped keep them engaged.

Also in December, the Light Up View Royal Initiative was a great success.

Total of 43 nominations were received, and five addresses were selected by council to receive prizes for the best Christmas light displays in town in other efforts to keep the community engaged during COVID times.

During the month of December, there were six employees that got long service recognition.

Three have 10 years, tenure, two have 15, and one has received a 20-year service acknowledgement.

Year end, as usual, for the whole organization, has to deal with the transition from the current year to the new year.

And so the month of December is a very busy month in terms of records management.

During the first week in October, the auditors visited us.

They successfully completed their audit 100% remotely.

The staff made use of the Microsoft 365 capabilities, the same tools that we use here have been used with the audit, and it was a complete success.

The audit will be completed in early April, and so during the next few months, council or staff will be working on the development of financial statements as well as the development of the budget.

Speaking of budget, the 2024 financial plan process continues with senior management budget meetings as well as staff investing council initiatives.

A draft financial plan workshop is scheduled and is included in the report.

Development services are continuing to wait on the community climate action strategy grant application from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

In the meantime, they are working on the development of a request for proposals.

So once we have grant approval, we can uh engage the uh the public with respect to proposals to develop that strategy.

In addition to that, the uh staff have been working on the OCP.

Um they are currently scoping out council priorities for the upcoming review.

We can expect that in the near future, council will be engaged and the OCP review will begin after they have refined a request for proposals for engagement of consultants.

The COVID 19 situation has made 2020 a big challenge for everyone, and in particular our operations.

And yet our staff rose to the challenge and have done very well.

Managed to hire a development asset technology in December, and we have an engineering clerk started on January 4th of this year.

The C Discove pump station upgrade is doing well.

We've seen the project installation of the new valve chamber, new emergency generator, and a new electrical kiosk.

All of those items are on site, they're installed.

The project is potentially going to be complete in early 2021.

The off-site work at 1450 Glantana is underway, and that project will include a pathway through Portage Park East that will connect the Craigflower neighborhood to the remainder of Portage Park and the ENN Regional Trail.

The frontage works at West Park Lane is also multi-complete beyond some final boulevard landscaping.

Town staff are currently engaged with BC Transit to improve access to transit for that newly developed area.

The end of 2020 saw the completion of the Bowmat access change, something that members of council have been waiting for.

The changes to the pathway and the staircase are a great improvement, leading down to the new pad and picnic table where one can sit back, relax, and enjoy the view of the Iswimalt Harbor.

Many of the residents provided positive remarks to our staff during that construction.

And that concludes my report.

Thank you, Kim.

Councillor Lemmon.

A couple things.

One is I'd like to thank staff for we we we put in a last minute kind of request for for some support while doing the light up the royal um initiative and it was fun and people bought into it and it and it was it was just a bright a real bright spot in December and staff uh were terrific at being prompt at putting things on the website and getting things out to us and using social media and uh keeping us all appraise so thank you um second thing um congratulations to any who are in this room who may have been on that list of long service recipients um and I think some are one is and um third thing um just pre-COVID there the the mayor and I met with the um VRCC the climate group and there was a discussion about establishing a task force um to work with the town work with the community on climate issues is there any in in the climate action strategy that is being developed to be developed being developed um is there is there does it does the task force have presence and can it well the the strategy is yet to be developed, but certainly there's opportunity for engagement of that one.

Okay.

Uh yes, thank you.

Thank you.

Questions?

Councillor Rogers?

And um, yeah, to uh uh to Councillor Zeman's point, yeah.

I think the having a climate action um task force would be certainly worthy of um of implementing.

So hopefully we can work on the terms of reference for those folks.

Um, in with respect to the CA report, um, I'm again I'm um I congratulate staff for helping um acquire the uh Mooring Duffest books, uh Craigflower County Country.

Um these were um actually when Maureen passed away, these uh were all given to the Coal Island Society.

Um and uh so it's it's very very good that uh staff have been able to take that and make that uh book uh available to the public and already impressive that nine copies have been sold the um uh yeah the light up was was uh successful and um when I delivered uh you know two of the uh gifts the uh two why did you do two why did you I just wanted to no I did one hack all over them but the um uh the individuals were absolutely thrilled um the idea uh the one on on Kingham uh I gave it to the the the wife and and she was thrilled, but also a little worried that now the father, the husband would really go overboard next year uh so that's one.

And the folks on Prince Arbor Drive, they've been doing it for 15 years and uh they they uh were very, very appreciative for that thought.

So uh well done both to Jerry and and uh you guys for the yeah.

Yeah, thank you.

No, it was a good idea.

We'll we'll figure it out a bit earlier this year.

Yeah, that's right.

And I won't leave it to the last minute to drive around and look at them.

Um midnight.

Yeah, it was.

Uh the other the other thing too is that um uh and I'm glad I'm pleased the staff are preparing the RFP for the community action uh uh strategy.

Um will that RFP draft RPA come to uh council for comment?

It can if council requires it.

I think it's uh it's innovative enough that um it would be helpful to have a look and and uh give some thoughts to it.

Hopefully we don't slow the process down once we get the end of them.

We'll we'll speed it up even faster than midnight.

No, yeah, not at all.

Um just let me see.

I yeah, I think that's that's about it.

Thank you very much.

Okay, Councillor Mattson.

Yes, thank you.

Uh many months ago we talked about having perhaps uh at this presentation that in your report, just highlight a member of staff, especially you know, someone who's one of the unsung heroes that we don't get to see and work with.

So just get it give us an idea over time a little bit to know some of our staff better that we don't for people we don't normally see.

If we don't want to not necessarily call, but uh you know, others would be quite good to actually see what they do and just get to know a bit about them.

The other thing I think would be interesting is we've spent a lot of money on sort of you know uh GIS and and and you've you've noted that there's the uh on page seven on this report.

If we could if maybe sometimes get a online presentation, just people show us how some of the systems work.

I'll talk to staff to see what we can work it out.

Okay, thank you.

Nothing, nope.

I just need a motion to receive.

Similar.

Second, removed by councillor Rogers, seconded by Councillor Matson.

Thanks, Kim.

All in favor, proposed.

That's carried.

The new business was just mine.

I think the last two years we've contributed a thousand dollars to the wounded warrior run.

Um, and I thought this year, especially given that our fire chief is running in it, that it would that it would be appropriate for us to to do that again.

Sure.

So I'm just looking for a motion to approve that.

If it's I'm quite sure we have a thousand dollars that we can squeeze out of somewhere.

Absolutely.

Yes.

Okay, so moved by counselor matts and seconded by counselor lemon.

Um, I was also wondering if we should take out a life insurance policy.

I was thinking don't come back, don't come back wounded.

It's gonna be one or two.

The members have talked about that we're gonna do.

Yeah, so everyone's good with that.

We'll do a thousand dollars.

Okay, all in favor, opposed.

So now we have to go into our open.

That's carried.

Thank you.

It was correspondence, your worship.

Um email.

Oh, right, right.

Sorry.

Yeah.

So that's the West Shore Parks and REC budget.

Is that just to receive it?

Are they is it receipt or are they looking for approval?

I don't know.

There is a information that suggests the committee, your worship, uh, make a recommendation to council um for approval, and then this is the normal process uh that it would then go forward to the budget for inclusion in that process.

Right.

Yeah, I certainly read through it and I I was quite comfortable.

I'm I'm surprised how well they've managed after years of a flatline budget um because of all the owner problems that they've managed to keep the the increase minimal so is anyone prepared to council rogers yeah actually I I do have concerns about the the budget um it's it's not only the um 1975 or the 3.9 percent increase, but uh there is also on top of that uh the six ninety almost yeah six ninety six hundred and ninety thousand um for the pool.

That's uh I if I gather it's a it's a separate and additional cost.

Um but that that was authorized with our COVID relief money.

Yes, yes, that's right.

But it it it's it's still an expenditure and a cost outlay for the um for the town.

The um I I am impressed uh with the funding and the grants that they've received in in a in the variety of ways, but um I'm having a really hard time approving a 3.9 percent tax increase um because that will have uh obviously a an impact on on the um on the casino side and uh the limited funds that we have there.

Um and considering that the library was able to achieve a zero percent tax increase.

Kim, are you able to remember how many years that the increase has been zero at West Shore Parks?

Four or five?

Four or five yeah.

So I think it's important to remember that that we've been having zero increases because Langford would not approve any new budgets, so that we had to keep on doing them at the because our constitution says that it can't exceed the previous years.

So I do think it's important, and and our rep can probably speak to it more, but um I I would go so far as to say it'd be a disastrous start to our new relationship at West Shore Parks and REC, which we've just managed to get signed off on and to get the owner's approval for VROL not to approve their budget.

Anyone else?

Sure.

Councilor Matson.

So your earlier comments about concern about the budget and I I think by voting along with John if he's gonna not support a 3.97 we're just sending a message back to the board that we need to sharpen their pencils, especially during this time of COVID and uh to reduce revenues.

Would you be interested in understanding how the budget actually works, maybe before just coming to that conclusion?

Kim?

I'd been there for five years, so I kind of know.

Thank you, Your Worship.

Um, the director of finance advised me that the view royal increase of the requisition is 1.4 percent, not including the special requisition.

And so while the total increase of the requisition has gone up by 3.9, our share is much less as a result of the differences in changes in assessments and the like.

So and I understand that view rules requisition might be different than the the out the average for everyone, but I so I still feel the same.

It's 3.97 or whatever it is, is high.

2020 view royals being asked for 753,874 dollars.

Um that was 2020, and 2021 is um 764054.

So it's an increase of ten thousand one hundred and eighty dollars after zero increases for multiple years.

So motion to approve the budget.

Seconded by moved by counselor koala, seconded by councillor Lemon.

Do you want to speak to it?

Sure.

Uh I mean I can just communicate in the before uh counselor matts and your comments about comparisons with people using the facility.

I don't think we're appropriate under that area in the agenda, but now they are, so I can comment on it.

I think that argument could be made for anything.

Um, um saying that uh nobody uses the police, so we should uh lessen their funding, would be the same argument we're making there.

So just because people don't use the facility, I mean we still have to um upkeep it.

Uh it's been an extraordinary year in 2020, obviously.

Uh lost a lot of revenues from summer programs that they usually recoup costs on.

Uh, they have trimmed their staff, they have worked very diligently, I can assure you, uh, to cut costs uh in every single area.

I mean, we made it a really challenging decision to keep the pool closed for as long as we did.

The hockey rinks closed, we received federal funding for that, which is ongoing.

Um we should see increased revenues with the new child care uh spaces that'll be opening up in 2022.

That's due to a federal grant that uh was provided to West Shore Quarks and Rec that's uh being constructed as we speak.

So uh I would urge you just to uh be patient with this one.

Uh it is a minimal, very uh very minor increase for View Royal.

I know you said on the board, um, but um I think it's uh a fair increase for us.

Okay, thank you.

Jerry, you got the other thing?

No, no, okay.

I agree, Councillor Rogers.

Yes, um, thank you.

I did not um uh well, I looked at the overall increase of 3.9 percent.

Um I did not see the page with the uh that a shared view of VOs increase would just be ten thousand dollars, one point four percent.

So um from that I do agree, and and I think your worship you make a valid point that um we have and I had forgotten that we had years of of a zero percent increase where um infrastructure was not uh was was failing over the years.

So I I think it's uh it's an appropriate.

I will support the motion.

Yeah, thank you.

Counselor Mattson.

No.

Okay.

I mean, just for me to um be very brief.

I mean, it that organization needs investment.

Um there's just no doubt about it.

They're aging facilities.

Um, and we need to, if we're gonna be part owners, and and the the annual reports clearly show it's it's actually kind of amazing when the users, you know, we own about 15% of it, and about 15% of the users are View Royal people.

Langford owns just over 50%, and about 50% of the users are Langford people.

And it really does break down according to to what we own, and that's that's what we pay for.

And it's um our residents love it, even if they don't use it in huge numbers.

I mean, when the senior center is open, many, many of our residents use the senior center.

So I think we're lucky to have it.

I take my hat off to the staff at West Shore because I think they've done a remarkable job compared to other recreational facilities in our region where they're going to their councils with massive deficits that are having to be made up.

And West Shore saw the issues and they acted quickly.

And I think we owe them a lot of gratitude and credit for their work.

So the loss of revenue.

It's a very valid point.

So I'm going to call the question.

All in favor?

Opposed.

Councillor Mattson's opposed.

That's carried.

So now we have to go into our regular council meeting.

Okay.

So we're gonna suspend the committee of the whole meeting and reconvene at seven.

Okay, thank you, Sam.

So we'll call the meeting back to order.

This is a continuation of this afternoon's meeting.

So I'm not gonna read the entire statement out, but basically for any public wanting to call in tonight, you'll be able to under public participation, which will come immediately after petitions and delegations.

And you're going to call 778-402-9227 and then enter conference ID 158-096-514 Pound.

And all that information is on your computer screen if you're watching the live screen.

And then at the appropriate time in the agenda, I will announce the last four digits of your phone number, and then you'll be able to give us the benefit of your views.

And there is question period, there's a chat function as well where if you put your name and address in this webcast you were consenting to being recorded and the recording will be available on the town's website for future access thank you.

And so the very first thing up we have is under petitions and delegations, we have D law from 275 Kerwood about the development application are you there Mrs.

Law oh hi everybody it's the uh it's Janice Law here I hope you've got oh hi okay go ahead uh just this uh quick short presentation it's a bit of a follow-up from the previous two uh development applications.

I just wanted to uh touch space with everybody and and uh get a little bit of feedback so I'm just gonna share a presentation real quickly here okay thank you so hopefully you can see that on the screen now 275 Kurwitz we can great so this is just uh uh review um with counselors obviously regarding this development uh permit application counselor rogers and lemmon were kind enough to come down to the site and uh and review sort of the ideas and the proposals that we had in place, and kind enough to give us some recommendations on possible changes or modifications to the plan.

So I'm just gonna show you a couple of slides here, and it'll be relatively quick uh presentation, and I'm just looking for a little bit of feedback comments at the end of it.

Um obviously the proposal is to build a retaining wall within the 15-meter setback to the ocean, um, which is the majority of the presentation that you're going to see.

And then the second component of it was the replacement of the dock and the ramp that was destroyed in a storm many years ago.

I haven't really shown a whole lot about that, but there is a slide at the very end that that just will refresh everybody on what we're planning on doing there.

I haven't heard a lot of um complaints about the dock, so I didn't go into detail on that.

So the next slide, if you can see it, is a view from the ocean.

This was taken actually in a kayak and back towards the lot.

It just shows the existing boathouse dock and then the new construction of the house in the background.

The next slide shows if you can see the blue area, that's the proposed retaining wall.

If you were to be looking from the ocean, it obviously goes down in behind the boathouse as well, but it's a bit of a representation from the water, so you can see what would be affected if you're out there in your kayak or your boat taking a look back towards the property.

We've proposed to reduce the size of the existing boathouse by removing the two ends of the boathouse on the right and the left.

Was that there was it was the project was a little bit bigger over sighting from the water.

So we proposed to do that.

I had the architect go ahead and do some 3D renderings so that we had a little better idea of what the project would look like.

I think the previous presentations that we had had more engineering type drawings, and sometimes they're pretty hard to follow.

So this is a picture of uh the rendering from the ocean with the sides of the boathouse removed.

The next slide is just again a different uh perspective of the of the 3D rendering.

Um, and that's sort of the stairs as they come down the bank.

The previous presentations we had a fair amount of boulders and concrete.

So what we're sort of proposing in this design is to um is to rock to face the retaining walls with rock, which is sort of um consistent with what we're seeing with the neighboring properties as well.

Again, there's another view, 3D rendering of the of the stairs going up the side of the boathouse.

And there's a there's an overhead shot of the stairs coming down.

As you can see, the brown area that would be planted with native species.

We've had uh environmentalists come in and give us um suggestions on what we should plant into those areas.

So obviously we'll be following what the environmentalists say.

We've got a quite detailed report on removing the invasive species and and putting back in native species related to that.

So, in a summary uh for the 15-meter work, uh, basically, what we're looking at here is um we'll I'll I'll show you the height of the retaining walls uh on the next slide coming up.

Um the stair treads are anticipated to be pressure treated supported by steel I-beam stringers on concrete piling.

Um, this was a change from the non-permeable concrete stairs that we had.

We felt that you know would provide maybe a little bit more of water penetration through through the uh through the pressure-treated stairs over top of the concrete.

Um the retaining walls are proposed to be faced with stone, um, similar again to what we see with the neighboring properties.

Obviously, the native plants, the environmentalist has given us details on exactly what they would like to see planted in that, and that's within our proposals that we've done in the last two submissions.

So that would be the same.

Railings on the stairs, they're not required by building code simply because they're not more than 24 inches from the ground.

But we've had a couple of comments that you know the possibility for safety reasons that we may want to add some railings.

So I think what we'll do is we'll just decide that after the structure's built.

See if that's going to be something we need to add.

And then obviously the existing boathouse is reduced inside by removing the two sections on the end.

This is an overview of the height of the retaining walls.

I believe it was four feet was the height, the regulations as far as the code goes or the bylaws go.

So there will be we will need variances if we build this for the seven foot wall and the five foot walls within design.

So but it gives you a little bit of an understanding of how high those walls are within that 3D rendering.

And then this is just a reminder of what the dock and gangway details were.

It's a 40-foot dock, it meets the View Royal guidelines for new dock construction.

It's been approved by Transfer Canada, Department of National Defense, as well as uh underwater environmental studies.

So I don't think anybody previously had any issues with that dock design, but that's just a reminder of what it is.

And that's it.

Okay, thank you.

So questions from council or comments?

What are you looking for?

I think they're just looking for a I mean, if if I mean obviously we can't give it approval, but they're looking for a yes that looks much better.

Please work with staff, and then it'll come forward to a future council meeting.

Just my brief comment is I don't think this is gets can get much further away from the natural look than what I see here with all the rock stone and cement walls.

So I'm not all that enthusiastic.

Yeah, what did what are you looking at there?

Actually, when the presentation.

Okay, nope, well that's fine.

Um John?

Yes, um, you know, I I had uh and Jerry we both visited the uh the the uh site and and talked about it.

Um one of the things that um that they've addressed is the the boulders, you know, the placement of boulders throughout the uh the site and and I I really felt that that was um uh you know uh funny much more artificial.

And and I think you know they've done a good job on on the rock wall facing here because it is consistent with the rock walls, uh the next door neighbor, Mr.

Saladana.

And um I think we're uh they're going to be able to achieve a lot more in terms of the native plantings.

Um they removed the the concrete stairs and and put in uh the the stairs that they got there.

I have no problems with the uh the heights that they they've got, the seven feet, the five feet.

Um I know those would probably require uh variances, but I I think they're it's uh defensible and and um uh one of the things about the five uh if you look at uh figure five the five foot and the two foot are basically behind uh the boathouse so those are aren't um you you can't see those and and the one of the things that the uh mr mrs law did convince me of is that the uh the second wall was necessary there was an issue of slope stability and this will uh address that i guess question for me and and it sort of follows up on what counselor matts and um does we the the area that we see that is the brown.

Um so there's the area sort of to the left of the stairs and the area to the right of the stairs.

So is any of that being left in its natural state with replanted natural vegetation, or is it all going to be sort of a manicured area?

Well, the existing bank is full of blackberries and non native species.

So the environmentalist has put together a pretty detailed plan on what native species he wants planted back into that area.

But so the rock, so when you pull out all the invasive species and everything, the the natural rock that that exists within that area now is going to remain, and you're gonna augment it with native plantings.

Correct.

So you're referring to this portion here.

Is that right?

Well, the all of this, like this and and yeah.

Um I I think uh Mr.

Law just need we're look referring to figure five, aren't we?

What figure you want?

Um I'm on figure two.

Yeah, figure two, right.

So I I if Mr.

Law, we're looking at figure two, and and it's the it's the um the east side.

There there looks to be a and I I think this is just an architectural rendering for the the rock face, the natural rock face.

I think that's what um what that's intended, because it is just natural rock.

Yeah, that's not just okay.

Yeah, no, that answered my question.

If if that area is, I mean, I I think the retaining walls are much improved, and I and I'm fine with that on the staircase, but I'm hoping that the other area is basically going to be natural with re-augmented native plantings.

Yeah.

Yeah, like I say, there's a there's quite a detailed environmentalist um planting schedule that for the the native species to go back into those areas.

Okay.

Thank you.

On my left.

Um, yeah, I I I think um Mr.

and Mrs.

Law took on board counsel's um impression or opinion that uh their first concepts were too imposing, too big, too much, and kind of didn't necessarily fit in.

So I think they've I think they are really striving here to intentionally blend in with the neighborhood and have very similar similar um treatment to their neighbors.

Um would show that this is actually a bigger space than it is.

And it's it's really quite a narrow lot.

And it's not, you know, it's it's not all that imposing and um uh showy.

Um yeah, I think I think that they are, you know, certainly they just want to get this done and they want to get this done in a way that will um work for everybody and uh I'm comfortable with it.

Thank you.

So just before I go to Councillor Kowalowich, if there is any public who's wishing to call in under public participation, this would be the time to do so because we're gonna be there in in a couple of minutes.

So this would be the time to call in.

Counselor Kowalowicz.

Thank you, Mr.

and Mrs.

Law, for uh all your hard work so far in trying to get this accomplished.

I'll be deferring all my comments until which time I see a report by staff with your new uh land use application, environmental application.

At that time, I'll be uh referring to staff's recommendation and make a decision at that point.

Thank you.

Okay, so thank you.

So I think you're hearing basic um you know general encouragement to work with staff, and then it'll come forward through the regular process to us.

Um so I hope that helps and um we'll look forward to talking to you again.

Thanks very much.

Excellent.

Thank you, everybody, for the opportunity.

Thanks.

So next up we have public participation staff.

Are there any callers on the line?

Your worship, we do have one caller with the last four four digits six nine zero zero.

Okay, thank you.

So caller with the last four digits six nine zero zero.

This is your opportunity to speak to us.

If you could give us your name and address for the record, please.

Don't forget to press star six to unmute yourself.

Are you there, callers with the net last four digits 6900?

Your worship, the the caller's phone number is sh is displaying a little bit differently for me.

I am wondering whether the last four digits are actually six three six nine.

Okay.

We only do have the one caller, so if you are a caller and wish to speak, I I believe we're referring to you, if you're on the phone.

Is there a caller on the line with the last four digits 6369?

Is there anybody out there?

If this is your opportunity to speak, you just need to press star six to unmute yourself.

Okay, so I think we're going to carry on.

Just last chance if you want to press star six to unmute yourself if you want to speak to us under public participation.

Okay.

Um is there anyone on the chat function staff?

We do not have anybody on the chat feature tonight.

Thank you, right?

Okay, so we are gonna move.

There's nothing under parks, and so I'm gonna hand the chair to planning and development for counselor Madsen.

Uh thank you.

Um nothing under the chair's report.

And I will move things along to staff.

Uh I gather we have a presentation, staff presentation on 250 Helmican Road.

And counselor, I'm going to recuse myself.

That's in my neighborhood.

Okay.

We'd have fun if it was John's neighborhood.

Are you coming back, Jerry?

Are you just going?

She can't stand it.

So who will who in staff is taking care of this?

Jeff Chell.

Jeff?

Thanks, Jeff.

Where are you going?

Thank you, Chair.

Jeff Chao, Senior Planner.

Um, I am sharing my presentation.

I'm not sure if it's live.

Is it live?

Yeah.

Okay, thank you.

I will uh start the presentation now.

So this is an application for 250 Helmcken Road.

Uh the purpose is to rezone the site from C1 Community Commercial to RM3 mixed residential for the purpose of uh constructing a small apartment building with 10 units.

The uh subject properties are located at the corner of Helmcken and Eltham.

And as you've seen this photo, it is a 1960s house on the property.

Concept is to show the applicant's intent for the property, and a development permit would be applied for after rezoning to approve the form and character of the development.

This is a site plan of the property showing Helmcken Road at the bottom of the page and Eltham on the left.

The entrance to the building, pedestrian entrance would be from Helmcken Road.

And this shows kind of the main kind of ground level where there's a number of units.

Marking as well.

This slide shows the underbuilding parking area.

And you can sort of see in the yellow the two stairwells that provide access to the building.

These elevations show what the building would look like from Elton and from Helmcken.

As you can see, it's a three-story building with kind of a standard kind of apartment building look, but it's actually only three stories in Elton and would be four from the rear rear of the property where it's where the grade is lower.

On the Helmcken for Helmcken frontage, you see on the right hand side the property at 298 Island Highway.

And this shows the proposed building there.

This shows kind of how the relationship of the buildings as you uh you move from kind of a lower density area to the left towards the higher density building on the right uh this is the site data summary uh if there's any questions about that uh but the uh in terms of the official community plan context the property is designated uh neighborhood mixed use as are a number of properties at the intersection um across the street on Eltham the three uh three houses there are designated mixed residential so interestingly uh all those six um smaller properties on Eltham are uh are actually, zone C1 commercial, although only one of them is is used for a uh medical clinic use.

The rest are still residential at this time.

So Eltham Road is also the uh the kind of the one of the main access to the Lions Cove and the townhouse development that you see here.

This site is adjacent to the Helmcken uh Harbor Helmcken Community Corridor, which is intended to be kind of a little mixed-use uh corridor of higher density.

And so this would provide uh some uh kind of a transition to the single-family neighborhood to the uh to the north, and uh take advantage of its proximity to uh to the commercial development, future development along this corridor, and transit access on Helmcken and the Island Highway.

The rezoning would be considered in consideration of the official community plan policies.

The relevant ones here include the mixed use lands designation of which supports commercial uses, townhouses and apartments.

Place-based community development, housing amenity contributions, affordability through design, innovative approaches, and adequate and appropriate infrastructure.

So this project is a little bit interesting because it is intended to be a rental type project.

It is not intended to be a high-end kind of rental.

It is designed to be affordable rental, and they do that by you know, for example, in a building like this, not constructing an elevator which has construction and kind of maintenance costs, instead, it would be a walk-up.

This is considered to be an innovative approaches that kind of help provide a rental project that is that that kind of supports more kind of working, the working uh people.

The proposed land use, the uh the RM3 zone is consistent with land use designation in terms of the density and the floor space ratio and and the height.

Um, in this case, uh, if the rental tenure for this site is considered to be an important part of the consideration of this proposal, a housing agreement would be a tool that would secure the uh its its um tenure as as rental.

In terms of transportation impact and site servicing, um in this case uh I'll uh the uh traffic review has been requested to determine if a transportation impact isn't needed.

In this case, there's only 10 units on on Eltham at that uh street that already consider, you know, provides access to a number of other uh other uh residences on that street.

Uh further investigation is is uh required on the condition of the storm drain uh fronting the development.

Uh a small road education at the corner is is required, and that's basically to round the corner.

So in the future, if a sidewalk were to wrap around or or additional space was needed, um that is available to the town.

And uh the servicing in this study indicates there is sufficient downstream sewer capacity, but uh this particular property and number of other ones are serviced by a connected to this to the uh main sewer mine at Maine and Helmcken by a stat right away on the back of 29 along the property line at 298 Island Highway.

So uh the study should uh double check to make sure the the condition and capacity is suitable to accommodate this development and future development on the two other properties on Elsom.

The community managed community policy uh target is $3,500 a unit.

Uh for 10 units that would be a $35,000 contribution.

Um and that would be secured in a covenant, and that money could be put towards things like the uh the addition to the town's contribution to the uh CRD Regional housing trust Fund.

That's one of the policies in the OCP.

In terms of public engagement, the applicant indicates that after the uh community hole meeting, they would prepare a public notice and uh and start to communicate with with the greater uh the greater community, the greater neighborhood.

The next steps is the traffic review to determine if a TIA is is needed, uh confirm some of the service and capacity on the um the adjacent uh sewer right-of-way on the neighboring property, and determine the capacity and suitability of the the existing storm drain on Helmcken.

If provision of rental housing expected to be a key factor, again a recommendation is to um is to enact a housing agreement uh in concert with the rezoning, and that is the recommendation.

That concludes the presentation.

If there's any questions, uh understand the applicant is online if there are any questions that staff can't answer.

Colleagues, uh, any questions before you go to comments?

Not right now.

I think.

Sorry.

You have a question?

Yes.

Okay.

Uh Stephana, uh the uh the parking of um 11 parking stalls, how many would be for visitor?

Um through the chair, uh the the proposal meets the zoning bylaw parking requirements.

Uh there is no visitor parking requirement in the zoning bylaw.

Uh the applicant has indicated one op possibility they could do is uh there are 11 spaces proposed.

And if the you assign one per unit, that would leave one available for visitors.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Staff, we'd we talk a fair bit about spot zoning from time to time.

And so I'm sort of curious on this because it does seem to me that it's a bit of a spot zoning, and to do one what is now a residential lot with that type of higher density residential use.

So I guess I'm curious on your thoughts about that, whether you look at it as a spot zoning.

Um through the chair here.

Uh the this particular what's unique in this situation is that all of Eltham Road, the the six um house type properties on Eltham Road are part of an area that was indicated for uh certainly higher density and and for change.

Uh this would not be a spot zoning in that the neighboring properties uh are expected to be redeveloped in the future, as are these single family uh dwellings across the street on Eltham.

So it's actually part of the uh part of the equation.

So again, because of its location close to the harbor Helmcken corridor, it is a uh it's an area where we intend to see more density.

It's not like a it's not a standalone development.

Okay, thank you.

It's very uh it's it's very interesting this uh this rezoning discussion.

And this is not meant to be derogatory, but piecemealing somewhat uh in in that neighborhood.

Um although hearing uh acting director Chow uh speak about you know the potential plans for that neighborhood is is thought provoking.

Uh but I'll uh I'll stop there.

Thanks.

Comments, David?

Um, I don't think I have any comments right now.

I I do I I have conc well, I mean, I have, yeah, a couple of things.

I'm not sure about the general principle of a three-story walk up.

Frankly, there's things about that that bother me in terms of the quality maybe that it presents.

I understand the affordable argument, but it it still concerns me.

Um I do have concerns about the spot zoning element.

I'd feel a whole lot more comfortable if we were doing one side of that street or two or three parcels as opposed to the one right on the corner that's so high profile.

So I'm not I'm I'm very torn.

I I understand some of the arguments about it, but I I have a lot of reservations as well.

And uh this is now my comment period.

Okay.

The one thing uh that that I will say is that I think you know I feel almost a duty to that neighborhood to let the initial development uh mature somewhat even.

We don't know the impacts of the six stories next door.

Is it six, right?

Six with the commercial on the bottom.

And you know, that's that's a very large impact on that neighborhood.

There hasn't been a significant development there like that for a long time.

Um it's gonna be a big change from a standalone restaurant to begin with.

I'm just I'm just worried about overloading it right now and not seeing I'm not totally ruling it out, but I'm just I'm just kind of thinking about that impact as well.

Thank you.

John?

Yeah.

Uh yeah, I I appreciate um the application and and to see this because it it helps me um tease out the issues um you know as as mentioned here, the uh the impacts on on the residents of Eltham, the um and uh the coinciding impacts, if you like, of uh the six-story development that's uh coming for public hearing pretty soon.

But I do have a number of uh concerns of this.

Um three-story walk-up um basically is precluding the disabled, and I really take an exception to that.

Um the uh it's it's um I know we have a seniors complex there, but there are other seniors that may not want to be in Lions Cove, but they also are not going to be able to walk up uh uh though they uh the three flights of stairs.

Uh you know, elevators are now an issue for uh getting in furniture in and out of uh of a uh of a building.

Um I moved my my mother-in-law, and boy, did we need that elevator from the second floor.

Um I I'm concerned uh Elton is is a packed street already, uh, and to simply have one visitor parking spot for the 10 units uh is asking for trouble.

Um I'm surprised that the FSR is going from 1.5 to 9.97.

Here is an area that um calls and has all the advantages of a density uh where people would be able to uh bike, walk, trail, all that kind of stuff.

And it no, this is the kind of thing where you would want uh that the uh the higher FSR.

Um and uh you know way back months ago when um Wayne Pye had this uh advised me he had this this uh property.

Um I was chatting with him in Canadian Tire and I said, Boy, I sure hope you work with that six-story or six uh the complex, the residential commercial next door.

Because I would love to see a comprehensive development proposal, uh working with the doctors and the the other areas so that we could have something not piecemeal, not spot zoning, but comprehensive that um uh we could um really uh get some amenities in.

So um I think this is um you know, I've I've got a lot a lot of other concerns.

I think five what 500 square feet is too small for a one bedroom.

Um, yep.

Um a lot of concerns back to the drawing board.

Okay, thank you.

Um as for me, I really have a hard time with this as an individual lot on that street.

I mean, if you just look at the parking, could you I mean if three people come and visit their on Elton where there's no parking left anywhere?

I mean, it's it's it's sort of a nightmare ready to happen in terms of just the parking issue.

But um I have the same feelings that I've heard from other people, you know, it's a three-story walk-up, you're not, there's no elevators, um, the small size of the units, um, just and you know, sort of density of that project by itself while we're doing another project.

I I just don't, yeah, I just can't support this project on us on that lot by itself.

I mean, what I really would like to see, it's and I don't know how we would go about doing it, is sort of a look at the whole area to see what we would like in Altham, other than we know it's uh the way that zoning is, but what would it look like?

And and the whole issues of parking, where where people are gonna go?

I mean you can't park on Hamilton, can't park on Island Highway.

So there's lots of issues around before I that I think we as a council or committee need to make decisions on before we can ever proceed with even this individual lot.

I'll move move received of the report.

Second.

Against carried.

Um so just feeling from the committee, I it sounds the need to go back to the drawing board and come up with something.

I think there's a lot of concerns being raised.

Yeah, okay.

All right.

So I guess staff, you've heard our our concerns, and I guess the proponent has certainly heard them.