Council Meeting

Good evening, View Royal, and welcome to the council meeting for the Town of View Royal for Tuesday, May 5th, 2026.

And this council recognizes the Lekwungen speaking people known today as the Esquimalt Nation and the Songhees Nation, and that their historic connections to these lands continue to this day.

This evening we'll hear from the public during the public participation and question periods of the agenda.

A reminder that if you wish to provide comments during the public participation or ask questions, please begin by indicating your name and your street name for the record.

You may then give us the benefit of your views.

To provide comments virtually during the public participation period or to ask questions during the question period.

And if you're at home, you can scan the QR code or use the link on the live webcast stream screen or under the town's website under live webcast.

Again, we ask you to just provide your name and your street name to begin your comments.

Your comment will be read aloud at the appropriate time by a member of our webcast team.

Public participation comments are limited to five minutes for each speaker and must be related to an item on the agenda.

And the question period is open to any questions and is limited to two minutes for each speaker.

This meeting will be recorded by participating in this webcast.

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

Can I get an approval of the agenda?

But just please first consider if you wish to move anything out of the consent agenda, and that's 10.

And if anything is moved out, it will become, I believe, uh number 11.

Anybody wish to move anything out of the consent item?

No. Uh Councilor Lemon.

Yes. Mayor Tobias, I would like to there's two letters I wanted to bring out and get to them by the wheelchairs.

By the way, sorry? Wiltshires.

Okay. All right. So that would be uh the um under consent agenda agenda B and E, please.

Actually, there's three.

So D, H and E. So we can move those down to if they're all related to the same thing.

So we call those 11A.

Excuse me.

Yes, Council Rogers. Sorry, uh the ones where those can land, isn't it just D and H?

I am I uh got no D E and H actually it's just named something different there.

Yeah uh okay uh any other considerations for the agenda?

Uh can I get a motion to approve the agenda as amended?

Uh councillor Brown and uh Councilor McKenzie seconds.

All those in favor?

Any opposing non-opposed motion carries, and that brings us right down to public participation period right off the bat.

Is there anybody in council that would like to address that?

Please make your way up and just start with your name and your um street name and uh you know how to activate the microphone.

My name is Diane and I live on Jedburgh.

Um, as you're aware, council has introduced an amnesty period where short-term rentals will not be monitored by ball by law enforcement during FIFA World Cup, but the bylaw disallowing any short-term rentals remain unchanged, which leaves residents with no lawful way to move forward, as the province requires registration tied to municipal compliance.

On the agenda tonight are two letters that I have put forward.

One letter is directed to the mayor regarding a comment he made at the end of the council meeting on April 21st, 2026.

The second email is a follow-up to the first confirming that there is no way for residents of View Royal to legally offer short-term accommodations during the amnesty period.

In addition to sending my letter to the mayor and council, I sent the same letter in a separate email to the mayor.

I would like to speak tonight about that email exchange along with the written responses I received from the Chief Administrative Officer Scott Somerville and other senior staff regarding short-term rentals and the amnesty period.

He stated that he was not in favor of supporting that.

In the email exchange, the mayor stated the situation has led to confusion for those seeking to be compliant, but this goes beyond confusion.

When there is no lawful way to comply, the issue isn't misunderstood, the system itself doesn't work.

He also stated the motion was that the town would not enforce our own bylaws over a given period and not that it would be a route to provincial compliance.

That is a core issue because it means this outcome was understood.

This is not just a situation where residents are unable to comply.

A decision was made to introduce an amnesty period without creating a lawful path to operate.

As outlined in my second letter, I asked staff for clarification about compliance for residents.

And I received response from senior staff.

These responses were clear and consistent.

The chief administrative officer Scott Somerville called it an unfortunate situation and said that staff understood that residents are currently unable to comply with provincial regulations.

This is not confusion.

This is a gap with no legal pathway.

Mr. Somerville referenced the January staff report.

After reviewing that port report, it became clear that there was an option to provide a legal pathway to allow short-term rentals during FIFA through zoning with conditions like principal residence parking and licensing to allow for an amnesty period that was legally sanctioned.

That option wasn't pursued, likely due to the time and process it would take to provide a legal avenue for such a short window of time.

That decision has led directly to where we are now.

Work is being done, but instead of a clear system, staff are dealing with ongoing calls and confusion from residents trying to understand how to comply.

Residents have been placed in a position of potential provincial noncompliance, not by accident but by design and as a direct result of decisions that were made.

Mayor Tobias said, I've stated before that I did not support the motion, and I do understand that.

But once a decision is made, it becomes a council decision.

Residents don't experience individual positions, they experience the outcome, and that outcome sits with council as a whole.

Mayor Tobias also stated that the argument just because another municipality has a bylaw or allows certain things does not my support automatically to make it a view royal mandate, in my opinion.

And again, I understand that perspective, but this isn't about copying other municipalities.

It's about broadening the scope and looking at why the province made its decisions.

The province created a framework that distinguished large-scale commercial operations from individual homeowners renting a suite in their own home.

Municipalities should be looking to each other and the province when making these decisions.

That's just good business.

There is a broader context that is important to consider.

Across Canada, there is a growing push to support local economies, buy Canadian products, and encourage travel within our own communities, something more people are choosing to do.

Short-term rentals support tourism, local business, and short-term workers, and are part of how residents participate in the economy and manage their own circumstances.

I want to be able to support those efforts by sharing my community and using my property responsibly while also supporting my family and planning for my future.

The provincial framework allows for that balance.

Councillor Brown has brought forward a motion to align with provincial parameters.

This approach is sensible, fair, and will create a clear and compliant path for residents.

In closing, there is a clear expectation that leadership reflects integrity through lawful, responsible decision making.

When this does not occur, it can leave residents feeling exposed and unheard.

When a situation is known and the outcome is clear, choosing not to act as a decision, and that decision carries consequences.

Mike Wilshire now of Erskine Lane.

I just want to make sure it's on the consent agenda that make it part, I can speak to this matter.

Yeah, yeah. All right.

I'm on Erskine Lane.

Guess what a question is about here or my comment.

I read in the uh Gold Stream Gazette uh, much to my lack of surprise but to disappointment, the decision to go ahead and to be putting bollards on the street where the uh partial cycling lane is.

I say partial cycling lane because you know it, it it stopped 60 meters shy of Watkiss Way, and it doesn't go all the way to the bottom either.

Um and I was trying to figure out why this was happening, uh why the cycling lane was put here in the way it was.

And the only reason, because I know la engineers are nothing if not logical, and the only reason I can come up with as to why they did it, uh or the main focus of it was for residents in the new rental units.

And with that many rental units, I suppose there might even be somewhere in the bylaws a mandate that there needs to be provision made for cyclists when you have that many residents living on a street.

It's a disappointment in in a number of ways, but as far as a cycling lane in and of itself, the fact that it's a does not go um, you know, almost a football, half a football feels length uh shy of Watkiss Way, it's to this layman, it sort of looks like there was a a lack of thought-out planning.

It would have been beneficial to a greater number of cyclists if it had gone all the way to the top.

The fact that it's and only in one direction, it's for people who are going uphill from the goose to Watkins Way.

So people going down just have to take their chances as if there was no, well, there is no bike lane on on the left on the right side of the road.

It's um also I think my wife who's a letter writer, and and uh I think her letter is included in the correspondence.

Um the parking issue in that area, it was always tight even before anything was built.

I would imagine, given the proximity that it's hospital uh uh employees parking there at times.

But for those of us who have lived there as as we have for four years, and for all these new residents and for people who have visitors, the the singular lack of of parking at times anywhere in the proximity is is probably frustrating for people at times.

And again, I don't know if it is some act of social engineering trying to coerce people to not have that car and to take their uh uh you know, try to take alternative methods of transportation.

But the fact is, you know, given our climate many times here, given there's a large number of older folks like myself, um, you know, I'm not gonna be cycling anytime in November to February.

So, and I imagine they say there are others in that same boat.

As far as putting the cycling lane there, I can see if the reason being that with all the new residents in the rental units, uh, there might be an obligation to do that.

But for the general pop uh population at large, you know, a cycling lane down Talcott would have made far more sense and would have far greater utility because it's a wider road, it's a better sight line road, it's a road with a far less significant grade to it.

But um, and there should have been a uh a cycling down Talcott 10, 15 years ago, or even to the point when when Talcott was made.

But uh I guess uh decisions were made and and we're having to live with it.

The fact that now money is going to be required to be spent uh and an ongoing basis to maintain these things, um makes you you wonder that um building uh the cycling lane there, uh wanting to serve the people who live there, and because of the tax uh revenue that is derived from from those units, you're wanting to give something back.

But part of that cost is is being negated if we're having to spend money on some ongoing basis to maintain these these bollards.

Um, as far as I can understand, at least it's not concrete ballers the way Councillor Rogers was was suggesting.

I don't know if that was tongue in cheek or not, the way I read the report at the time, but obviously it would have been a far greater expense.

But as far as putting bollards or uh concrete or otherwise, I would far more support something being put on Watkas Way because if we're walking from there to the uh complex at Eagle Creek, there's nothing uh like the feeling of vulnerability that you feel when uh there's absolutely nothing separating you from people driving 60, 65 kilometers an hour along Watkiss Way.

Umway, I I I digress off my my point about um the parking on on Erskine Lane and the and the cycling, but um I hopefully some of these matters, if the letters are are there, um something uh comments will be made uh with regard to that at some point.

So thank you very much.

Thank you, sir.

I think this brings us to um Carl, have we got anybody online that uh wanted to address council?

Uh Mayor Tobias, we have no messages on the board.

Okay, thank you, Carl.

Um that brings us to item four, which is bylaws and director of protected services, please.

Good evening, Mayor, members of council.

Uh, before you have a report uh titled Amendment to Animal Control Fees and Charges of Municipal Ticket Information By Laws.

The recommendation this evening is that the report dated April 2nd, 2026 from the Director of Protective Services titled Amendment to Animal Control Fees and Charges of Municipal Ticket Information Bylaws be Received.

You have some alternative options.

Option two is that council proceed only with the amendments to the fees and charges amendments.

Option three, the council maintain the current bylaws with no amendments.

Just a brief synopsis.

The purpose of the report was to seek council's consideration of amendments to the animal control bylaw 614, fees and charges by law 958, and municipal ticket information by law 643, and to outline the required bylaw readings and the adoption steps for council's consideration.

Just a little background.

At the December 2nd, 2025 council meeting, council resolved to amend the animal control bylaw number 614 to include an aggressive dog designation.

Following this direction, staff consulted with the Capitol Regional District Animal Control Service to review enforcement practices and recent fee updates.

Staff also completed a broader review of the bylaw and identified additional updates required to ensure consistency with current regulations and bylaws.

These proposed amendments represent a coordinated update to the town's animal control framework and are being advanced to three separate bylaws, each of which is presented for first, second, and third readings.

I'm open to any questions or comments.

Thank you very much.

Paul, any questions on any of the four items?

And just to remind council we've got four motions, one to receive the report, the animal control bylaw itself for second and third reading, fees and charges, and then the municipal tickets.

So uh any questions for go ahead, John.

Hi, yeah. Hello, and thank you very much for the report.

Uh, really well done.

Uh the uh the report with the red line um is extraordinary.

Very easy for me to follow along and and see uh what the numerous uh changes are.

It's it's quite extensive, and I think um I'm pleased to see that it enabled us to bring the whole thing up to date in uh in a considerable way.

Um, so we're I'm assuming we're consistent with the CRD.

Are we also consistent with other municipalities nearby?

Thank you, Counselor.

I I would be remiss if I didn't mention the work of uh Rob Kerry and Laura Busby, who who did the work on this bylaw with the CRD staff.

You're correct.

There are there are significant changes.

We we took the bylaw and looked at it in its totality and realized how out of date it was.

As far as I know, in talking with staff, this is um it's not identical to to bylaws in the region, but there is a consistent framework with our with our controlling agency, the CRD.

So I was actually pleased with the outcomes and I I appreciate the comments on the red lines.

It it a way to track it, so I'll pass that on to staff.

Any other questions?

Do we have a mover uh to receive the report?

Uh moved by counselor rogers.

Do I have a seconder?

Seconded by Councilor Mattson, all those in favor.

Any opposed, seeing none opposed, motion carries and for animal control bylaw number 614 2005, first second, and third reading.

Do we have a mover?

Move by counselor brown, seconded by counselor Rogers.

All those in favor.

Any opposed, seeing none opposed, and fees and charges bylaw number 958 2016, amendment bylaw one one six six.

Move first through third.

Uh Councilor Rogers moves first to third reading.

Do I have a seconder?

Seconded by Councilor Brown.

All those in favor.

Any opposed, seeing none opposed.

And finally, the municipal ticket information bylaw 643, amendment by law number 1167 2026.

Do I have a mover and a seconder, please?

Move by counselor Brown, seconded by Councillor Rogers to be consistent.

Or uh Councilor McKenzie.

It is all those in favor.

Any opposed? Thank you very much, Paul.

Outstanding. Thank you for your support. I'll pass it on to staff. Thank you.

And uh we turn to item uh 4B, and that is uh the financial plan by law.

We've got um uh that that's for adoption, and then we have had an administrative error on one of the tax rates bylaw, which we'll just have to rescind.

So again, three motions, but to introduce them and make them plain for public consumption.

Stephen, can you give us a bit of a intro?

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh, the financial plan bylaw before you is the product of months of uh work by staff and council on February 10th.

Uh the draft budget was presented forecasting an increase of 9.11% after refining the numbers with updated property assessments and new information staff arrived uh at a budgeted uh tax revenue increase of 7.05 percent, with which translates into approximately 167 dollars to the average residential property.

The biggest driver is uh protective services uh with 6.75 percent of the 7.05, uh, including the addition of four full-time firefighters and increased RCMP contract and dispatch costs.

And in terms of uh revenue, the town also continues its commitment to sustainable um sorry, financial sustainability using ongoing taxation revenue to fund recurring expenditures such as asset management and the transition to taxation funded West Shore Parks and Recreation while dealing with downward pressure on casino and other grant revenues.

So that's the the financial plan bylaw for you.

Thank you, Stephen.

Much appreciate that for clarity particularly for the public.

Can I get a motion to adopt bylaw 1168 moved by Councillor Mattson?

Seconded by Councillor Rogers.

Any comments discussion?

Councilor Lemond Yeah thank you.

I just want to point out that that in to keep the tax rate well below nine percent um which was what we started out close to we've we've had to make some hard choices and one of those is and and this one pains me I will I will support this but um much of what makes Bureau special is the look and feel of our boulevards of our streets um you you they're distinct and you know when you've entered View Royal and we've had to make some difficult choices in cutting the boulevard care budget.

I hope it's not reflected badly on us and on the streets um but uh it's one of the things that have had to be done in order to keep the tax rate down.

I am happy though that the budget includes a pocket of money for grapee.

Taggers will tag.

And I don't know if this pocket will this bunch of money will go far enough, but it's a good start.

And uh people are tired, I think, of seeing the the tagging on the bullet on the over uh overpass.

Thank you, Councillor Lemon. Counselor Brett.

Just a quick uh kudos to the finance director of finance and his staff.

Uh great job. Uh challenging year for sure, some of the downloads from the proud.

So um to me, you're a real magic, man.

So good job. Thank you to your you and your staff.

Thank you, Councillor Brown. Anybody else? Counselor Matz.

Sure. Yeah, I agree.

Many kudos to the to staff for their hard work and for us for going over those same numbers over and over again.

And while we got a big reduction in our boulevard maintenance budget, that was because we put out a contract with pretty much the same services and got somebody to apply for a lower rate than we were paying before.

So in theory, we should be getting pretty much the same services.

And so I'm delighted that we haven't reduced the quality that we've been asking for.

Thank you, Councillor Matzis.

I'm not sure if you're trying to evoke some response from Councillor Lemon, but I'll cut it at that.

Um the um uh I I think the financial uh bylaws, it's a tough time, I think for uh, as you've heard, all the municipalities going through kind of a rough time trying to keep costs under control.

One of the biggest cost drivers, of course, has been protective services, um e com 911 now being uh in the municipal amount, and these um are even harder because they don't give us a really good outlook for future budgets, unlike most government organizations do.

Um so with the stabilization of growth, um, what I'm looking forward in future years for future councils is that that growth will be a little bit more predictable, a little bit slower.

Because if we add for context, if we add one um uh RCMP constable, if our growth is greater than about 850 in population, that adds uh almost one percent on to our taxation.

So if it's two officers, then it's more than that.

Add a couple of um firemen, and now without doing anything else, we're at a four or five percent increase um with with e comm as well.

So hopefully with the stabilization of our immigration and foreign students.

Now that that's down to reasonable levels, it'll become a little bit more predictable for growth and for budgeting, and so that the people that are living here don't have to pay for the new growth.

Um, so I'm happy definitely with the work and the uh choices that council has made through that.

So we've got uh a mover and a secondary for the adoption of the financial plan.

I think we just need to put it to vote.

All those in favor.

Any opposed? So that passes bylaw 1168 for 2026, and then two uh motions.

Uh one is to receive the tax rates um uh report, and that's um uh item C.

So I can get a motion to receive.

Second. Moved by Councillor Mattson, seconded by Councilor Lemon.

All those in favor.

Any opposed, seeing none opposed, motion carries, and that um the second one is to rescind third reading amend uh to incorporate schedule a and then move uh first through third or or rescind third reading, amend third reading, and give a new third reading as amended.

So I rescend third reading.

Uh uh second, can we can we do this all in one motion?

Do we have to do them separately?

Separate, yeah.

Uh so we're uh rescinding moved by counselor rogers, seconded by counselor matts and all those in favor.

Any opposed, seeing none opposed.

Now we need one to amend third reading.

So moved.

Second by counselor rogers, second by counselor mattson.

Uh all those in favor.

Any opposed, seeing none opposed, and to give third new third reading as amended.

Same two movers.

Councilor Rogers, Councillor Mattson does a seconder.

All those in favor.

Any opposed? Seeing none opposed, that motion carries.

Um mayor's report.

I've got ill tidings this evening.

Um two important people for view royal have passed in uh in the past near while one is Jean Screech, the um former Mayor David Screech's wife.

Um uh has passed and I know uh was very close with members of council and just wanted to acknowledge uh you know her contribution to the town and support of uh David in the past as well as uh being a friend uh to the town and to staff.

So um thoughts go out to David's uh family and friends and uh and certainly for us at council.

The other one uh as well is the passing of uh councillor Lillian Szpak in uh Langford.

Uh she went uh suddenly on Saturday and uh ironically just had a meeting with her on Wednesday, and she was in fairly good health then.

Um ironically, she was going out to a council function on Saturday and uh was to pick up another counselor to go to it and uh succumbed to a sudden illness.

So um again uh I sent a letter of uh condolence to uh the mayor and council and and uh will do again for uh family, but quite unexpected.

And Lillian had been a counselor and involved in Langford for decades, hasn't she?

Since 2002. Um, and certainly working together with View Royal at CRD, the West Shore Parks and Rec and a number of other things that we've uh collaborated on.

So yeah, our thoughts go out with uh mayor and counsel for Langford, as well as her family.

Um brings us to petitions and delegations.

We have a Habitat for Humanities Victoria affordable home ownership program.

Looking forward to it.

Good evening, Mayor, Counselors.

Wonderful to be with you.

Thank you for your warm welcome.

My name is Carmen Rempel.

I'm the CEO at Habitat for Humanity Victoria.

And this is my colleague Krista Beckema, who's our CFO and Director of Government Relations.

Thank you for having us this evening.

Next slide, please.

Habitat for Humanity is a humble organization dedicated to providing safe and decent places for people to live.

We provide a hand up, not a handout, for folks who otherwise would not be able to afford to own a home.

Habitat has been raising up homes using donations and volunteer service across the globe for over 50 years.

It looks different everywhere that we go.

And then we've got um townhouse buildings and we have uh condo buildings and sky rises downtown Toronto.

So everywhere we go, we look a little bit different.

Next slide, please.

So focusing in on what habitat does in the greater Victoria area is we play a decidedly unique role in the affordable housing conversation.

We know all that you can't step outside, turn on the radio, open a newspaper without hearing about the affordable housing crisis.

We hear reports about brain drain, about how we're losing good talent and economic drivers uh to uh our friends out east, one province over as people are seeking an affordable place where they can purchase a home and raise a family.

Now, our province has gone to great lengths.

You felt the effects of that to incentivize affordable rental housing.

And that does meet a need.

And we're starting to see gains in that area as prices start to temper and come down.

But we realize that many people, talented, hardworking, essential workers are leaving our area not because they want affordable rent, but because they would like to purchase a home.

This is where Habitat for Humanity comes in, as we are provided to committing affordable homeownership opportunities for working class families who need a hand up.

And that's the place where we sit in that housing continuum.

Now, Krista will tell you more about how we do that, who exactly we serve, and how the program works.

Next slide, please.

Thank you, Carmen.

So many people know Habitat for Humanity is a builder and a developer, but what many people don't realize is we are also a lender.

And it's in fact our lending terms that make our homes affordable.

Our lending terms allow uh housing payments to be 30% of gross household income for families.

Next slide, please.

There are two key pieces on how the program is able to make homeownership affordable.

The first is we don't require a 5% down payment.

Saving that down payment in one of the most expensive rental markets in the country is an almost impossible ask.

Second, as previously mentioned, our lending terms keep these homes affordable.

Habitat homeowners qualify for a first position mortgage for what they can afford for up to 50% of the purchase price of the home.

And then Habitat provides a second position mortgage at 0% interest.

The Habitat mortgage is elastic, an elastic payment, and we adjust it annually with the family's income.

Habitat also ensures that its homes remain affordable in perpetuity as a lasting community asset.

We do this by registering both an option to purchase and a right of first refusal on each of our home, allowing us to repurchase the home when the family is ready to move on and serve another family in need.

We also partner with municipalities to register an affordable housing agreement on each property.

This agreement establishes the resale framework, including setting the purchase price and capping annual appreciation at 2%, ensuring long-term affordability for future homeowners.

Next slide, please.

So why affordable home ownership matters?

On a daily basis, we see firsthand the far-reaching benefits of affordable homeownership.

It provides families with stability, removes the constant fear of displacement, and relieves the financial pressure of housing costs that can take up too much of their income.

In many ways, it functions like affordable rental, but with the added benefits of stability, equity, and a long-term pathway to financial security.

With that stability, lives begin to change.

Adults are able to focus on career growth, children start to thrive in school, and overall family well-being improves.

One of my favorite stories that stands out since I've been at Habitat Victoria is a single mother who had fled domestic violence and was living in a one bedroom apartment with her two sons.

After becoming a habitat homeowner, her family gained the safety and stability they needed to rebuild their lives.

Years later, when she received an inheritance from a family member, her first call was to Habitat, asking to pay off her mortgage early so those funds could help another family.

She wanted to pay forward the opportunity she had been given.

She shared that something as simple as being able to host her child's birthday party in that tiny one-bedroom apartment was impossible.

Something that was once impossible was truly life-changing in her new habitat home.

While stories like this are powerful, the data shown here reinforces what we see every day.

A national study done by Habitat Canada found that over 70% of habitat families report improved mental and physical health.

41% of adults pursue further education, 44% improve their employment, and families become more active in their communities through volunteering.

The same Habitat Canada study further demonstrates that the benefits of affordable homeownership extend far beyond the individual families.

They strengthen the broader economy.

At a time when Canada faces productivity challenges and economic uncertainty, these impacts are significant.

The study shows that habitat homeowners earn nearly 30% more on average than if they had continued renting.

Habitats impact is also measurable.

The program injects approximately $35 million into Canada's economy each year.

Between 2019 and 2023, building and rehabilitating homes generated $311 million in economic activity and $40 million in tax revenue.

The message is clear.

Affordable homeownership doesn't just change lives, it strengthens communities and supports a more resilient, productive economy.

Next slide, please.

We hear from time to time that getting a habitat home is like winning a lottery.

I just want to take a few minutes to dispel this myth.

The habitat home ownership opportunity is like an affordable rental, but it's better.

Similar to a rental, only one family can occupy it at a time, but it's better than a rental for the following reasons.

While our families gain some financial stability and equity, it's not the same as market housing.

We cap the appreciation at 2%, which allows us to buy back that home and serve another family when they're ready to move in.

So in essence, the home acts like a community asset to serve multiple community members.

When we look at the many ways Habitat Home strengthens a community, I would actually argue a habitat home is a lottery win for the community.

And now I'll pass it back to Carmen to talk about the challenges we hear that municipalities municipalities have in creating affordable homeownership and how Habitat might be able to help.

So it's simple, right?

We understand that our program is not simple, but it is smart and it is solving a wicked problem.

Our problems within this, oh, uh next slide, please.

Um is that it requires community support to make it happen.

So creating affordable homeownership is a challenge.

We hear from our municipal partners who each try to tackle this problem in different ways.

And here's some common things that we hear.

We hear that there's not clear, consistent definition of affordability when it comes to homeownership or rentals.

We hear that different municipalities, as they take on this challenge, the administrative burden is really high and they don't know how to manage that themselves or the cost of that is too much.

And uh also ensuring that the inventory of affordable units remain affordable is a consistent challenge.

And so our program solves many of these challenges, and actually bringing our strengths to the table with these municipal challenges that are felt sort of across our 13 different municipalities we work in, there's actually real opportunity, uh opportunity here to leverage our strengths together and make things happen.

A next slide, please.

Uh, so we can. Here's ways that we can partner with different municipalities and have.

Um, we can bring our strength by managing any affordable housing inventory that exists.

We can track buyback the homes, ensure that they're sold to on to qualifying families, as Krista was speaking about, and this keeps the housing affordable in perpetuity without additional administrative burden on the different municipalities.

Next slide, please.

So this by this time I'm assuming you're on the edge of your seats.

Excited to find out how View Royal might participate in a habitat project.

How can you get in on the action?

Well, we have seen success when municipalities compel developers to create affordable units as a part of increased density bonusing.

In cases when municipalities have their own programs, we can outsource the management of those to habitat.

Of course, we're always open to grants that may exist from any sort of affordable pockets of money and programs.

Now, actually, the majority of habitat builds take place on gifted land.

Because of our relatively small scale, small one home duplex, fourplex projects, it doesn't require much land.

Our scale is small enough that often if there's a sliver of land that isn't big enough for a park and isn't big enough for a big project, it's big enough for a habitat home.

So next slide. Most recent one is actually our friends, the city of Langford, just down the road that we're speaking about spoken about earlier, just approved grant funding per door for a 16 unit stacked townhome project there, which we're excited for, which prioritized it, and we'll be running forward with that one first.

Next slide, please.

And so we'll just rotate through these pretty quickly, but these are recent partnership projects.

Next slide. So City of North Sanich compelled the developer in a subdivision proposal to make some land available.

So we were able to bring 10 units online.

Next slide. And then in smaller scale, this developer had a subdivision project, a small sliver of land on the side of it where we just were able to squeeze in one home.

Next slide. And etc.

Municipality to municipality, we see how we can take little bits of land and change homes for good.

Thank you very much.

Thank you. If you want to stick around, I'm sure the counselor may have some questions for you.

Let's start and just go around.

Councilor Brown, go ahead.

Would that be a consideration to build one of those homes on one of those lots?

Yes, certainly.

There'd be no reason not to.

What we're interested in is when we uh the highest return on investment, highest return on impact that we can have.

So our hope would be that if somebody's developing that property, so oftentimes they're compelled to make it affordable, so they would sell it to us at a reduced rate, not market rate.

Because we can go off and buy a market unit anywhere and sell it on.

So we'd really be looking for that uh incentive of making it um 20% below market or whatever the threshold is.

Roger.

Hi, thank you for this.

Um it's a beautiful concept, and I have a couple of questions.

Um, first, uh you spoke of uh when a uh uh dwelling owner, whatever the dwelling is, um chooses to move or sell they they're only allowed to they have they get very little equity to get their their principal plus two percent yeah they get their equity plus their two percent on the portion they finance with a a first position mortgage with uh and a retail lender yeah so does so does the project remain a habitat for humanity project in perpetuity it in it i mean it still they are in title as owners but because we register those options to purchase right of first refusal in a housing agreement it will always be recycled to be affordable and those prices will always be well below market and and appreciation will always be at that two percent that fixed rate okay yeah now I've heard that you are in perhaps it's early days I'm sure it's early days in discussions with the local community association um are you able to speak to that not at this time okay all right thank you uh thanks great brief um I just wanted I guess confirmation you so you look for gifted land uh as as an initial part you take care of the build uh and then you manage the life cycle of that property from then on in correct thank you council Roger thank you um so what kind of examples um uh when you say redevelopment through density bonusing so if we had a you know identity FSR 1.5, 2.5, whatever.

What kind of density bonusing on top of that would um uh enable a habitat housing?

Do you want to speak to it?

Um I wouldn't say, and I'll let Carmen uh correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there's a magic number.

It'll come down to again cost and what the what how best we can steward the funds.

So if you have a developer who's gonna be able to sell them, like sell units at a lower rate to us because they get some density bonus, that would be where it would come into play.

He's he's selling the units to you. Okay, thanks. So what's the difference between you and co-op housing?

Uh many things, the ownership structure, primarily, the legal entity.

So rather than uh a group of people owning a shared asset, there is one homeowner who owns a home and they're and they're registered on title for that home.

That's the primary difference.

Uh you uh the concept as a as a um of benefit when it comes to stability and then limited equity growth is similar, but the actual legal structuring is is quite different.

Thank you. Um I assume you um your residents, the people that you you know you rent to or buy or whatever, they're paying taxes.

That's correct.

Okay, that's an important point.

It's part of the economic driver.

Yes, it certainly helps the community.

Council Russell.

Oh, thank you. Thank you for your presentation.

We have a number of developments that are just going on with uh units that are being sold, but at this point, not all of them are being sold.

Um so what sort of incentives can the town give these individuals who have units they haven't sold so that they would then sell them to you at the below market cost, other than the fact that the prices are coming down because they aren't selling.

That's a phenomenal question that I would love to know the answer to.

I think that's a good discussion to have.

What could a municipality do to compel those developers to sweeten the deal so that it would be a good deal for Habitat to acquire some of those units?

We do recognize the current development landscape right now is favorable to us nonprofits that maybe have some money to spend to create affordable um opportunities.

We're calling it our vulture era, uh, as we can uh swoop in, and it could be a win-win for a developer looking to sell units, even if they're just selling them at they're trying to recoup costs as opposed to create a profit.

There might be uh alliance there as a as far as what the municipality could do, probably make introductions.

Thank you. Allison.

Thank you. Just to the point you just made there.

So um one avenue would be for the municipality to make the introduction to a developer.

Um, but do you outside of that also approach development projects directly?

Okay.

Yeah, that's correct.

We're uh a part of all the various associations and network groups, and uh we're out there flying our flag.

I don't see now, but at one time people that were buying those homes uh could actually help in the building if they could swing a hammer or happened to be a red silk carpenter or electrician or plumber.

Is that still the case?

That's correct.

We actually uh have done a lot of work in the last little while, and we just sent out an appeal uh to the public looking for skilled trades volunteers.

And yes, so those who participate in our program do give 500 volunteer service hours to Habitat as part of the hand up, not hand out, or participating in in their in their own success here.

Um, but we also are making a plea out to the community uh for folks that have time and skills to give, we will use them on our sites.

Happy to report that we in our recent appeal that we put out to the public, both to participate in our home building, but also in our recently announced critical repairs program where we're doing affordable critical repairs for folks to keep their home uh safe and decent.

Um, we had a phenomenal response.

And I now have uh rather lengthy list of certified red seal carpenters, electricians, plumbers, roofers who are ready to come lend a hand.

And so one of the reasons why that our program can be successful is because we're still a charity.

At the end of the day, we're still using donated funds and volunteer labor to do this work, a large portion of it anyway.

It's part of the magic.

Quick comment. Uh I love the fact you have two restores, which raises funds, and people can take your gently used furniture to donate, which is great because that gives you funds and it keeps a lot of stuff out of the landfill.

So I really appreciate that.

Uh I quite often go there if I did a piece of wood or something small or my gently used furniture that I don't need anymore.

So uh I've always loved Habitat for Humanity.

So it's a great program, awesome program.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Counselor, and I appreciate the shout out.

Um 2.9 million pounds were diverted from landfill last year because of our restores.

That's awesome. That's amazing.

Just one more quick question.

So if a developer has uh a unit that he can't sell, and uh he's decides to sell it for 20% under what he was trying or market.

Does given that you're a charity, do you give him a tax receipt or can you do that?

There's there's rules around that.

You have to look at the specifics.

It depends how much below the fair market value.

I can't I can't remember off the top of my head the exact number, but there is I think 20% probably allows you for a tax receipt for that, but I don't want to say that for sure because I'd have to go look at the regulations.

But there is the ability to tax receipt when people gift us or partially gift us um uh uh land or buildings.

So in you you've been in operation what since uh 2000.

The charity was registered in 1990, or the society was registered in 1990, but their first home was built in 2000.

Yeah.

So since then, um, and I've noticed that from 2000 to 2020, you've done 34 homes, and uh lo and behold, next year you'll have something like uh 26 homes.

So in two years, that's quite amazing.

Uh what has evolved?

What changed for you?

Um, what have you learned that has made uh this it more easier or more challenging?

I'd say uh a couple of things.

The biggest thing is the way we structure our our home purchases.

Um we've changed our mortgage model.

Initially, we weren't allowed to have our families get first position mortgages from a retail lender.

So we were the hundred, we were the full mortgage lender at zero percent interest.

So you can imagine that's uh not sustainable and really limits how fast you can move.

So in our most recent builds, we've been able to get that first position mortgage, which has helped us recoup the money a lot faster.

I'd say that's the biggest change to help us build faster.

Thanks again for an excellent brief.

And I'm sure we'll be in contact as well.

And uh yeah, you just uh answered a lot of our questions and gave us a whole lot to think about.

Thank you so much.

Thank you. So I think this brings us down to nine, which is correspondence.

You'll see a uh letter from myself and uh uh Barb Desjardin without our mayor hats on as uh directors and co-chair for the in and rail uh corridor, and it's just requesting that council have a motion for staff to essentially brief the oncoming council and make the uh uh corridor initiative a strategic priority just to put on the radar for the next council.

So that's the only ask it is no money involved, no nothing, just that we're concerned with the turnover of council that it will get lost in the shuffle and no longer.

I'm happy to make that motion.

Uh moved by counselor Matson and seconded by counselor Lemon.

Any questions or uh councillor McKenzie?

So would that just take a the form of a report or how would that actually be it would just be like when the next council was to meet and we go through a strategic priorities list somewhere on there would be council.

Do you want to see this as a strategic priority?

And the role I would think would be mainly advocacy because most of the funding is uh provincial or federal at that level.

So just to get when we do our strategic orientation and say what are your strategic priorities, it's simply kind of on uh on the list to consider.

Councilor Rogers.

Yeah, it's certainly supported.

And um, I'm assuming that um the designs and studies, the feasibility studies, design studies, all those ones that are currently in the works uh will also be available to uh forthcoming counselors for their review.

Yeah, so there's one study that just got finished, and that's uh kind of a very high-level ridership study.

Like uh yeah, uh are we ready to go to the next phase, a more detailed design?

That will help inform uh like what's the magnitude of ask to because it it's a different animal that the railway is already there.

We know we got to divert around to Squamalt Nation, but how much of the infrastructure is reusable, trestles, all of that stuff.

So the number they came up with was actually quite reasonable for the federal government.

And I can't completely remember it now, but I think it's in line with the bus on the shoulder project to Langford, although this actually gets you to Langford and back, as opposed to the six-mile bridge where it stops and and converts lands.

So that will be released.

There'll be a press release coming out shortly.

Um the current process is that um uh uh a previous mayor uh in his wisdom led a bit of a charge to uh put some money away for the event that just should happen.

So that money is compounded.

So to do that next study, um CRD had accumulated about 1.7 million dollars in initial investment over time in intro compounding interest, so we can use that money now to do that detailed design on uh what the rest of the costing actually looks like.

That will sweeten the opportunities with the federal government to say, here's our shovel ready project for the next level of funding.

So and that will be a done through the island corridor, the reconciliation corridor folks as well as CRD.

So that you remember.

To consider it doesn't commit them in any way to do it if they feel there's no requirements. Councilor Metz.

Yeah, I just wanted to express my appreciation for how far this has progressed in the last during this term.

It's it's it's pretty amazing because the one of our previous previous premiers said it was dead and it wouldn't nothing would ever happen and province didn't want to support it.

And so given where we currently are, uh it's pretty amazing, and I'm really delighted to see that we've gone as far as we have.

So thank you for your your work on this.

Thanks, Councilor Matz.

And I and I um it's really, you know, the process of doing things, we talk about building houses like Habitat for Humanity and the way I guess I grew up in Nova Scotia and literally barn raising on a weekend was you get a lot of problem solved when you're working together on the same thing.

And uh one of the things that I think I've benefited personally from was increasing our um good working relationship with the Squamalt Nation, as well as uh the township of Esquimalt.

Um being able to work closely with Chief Jerome and Barb on this, that's for different reasons passionate for for all of them um has I think brought us uh closer together so uh Barb I think we'll continue until summer as co-chair I'm a director at large with the ICF now so I'm not bound by my position so I carry on that term for another um year and a half I guess after that if I move with bouncing off of Council Matson's point um you know indeed uh progress has that progress been understood and more better appreciated by transit in the province are they still we'll wait and see.

Um no that that's a fair question Councilor Rogers and and it's a struggle because I think the provincial government saw this initiative as somewhat in competition with their bus on the shoulder project.

Right? Competition for funding resources from the federal government uh shared uh things I think they're realizing now the importance of just having another corridor out there like we're maxed out at the old island highway or maxed out at the highway um you can add another lane but you're still out of bus that gets stopped somewhere right in the process.

So it's not going to solve all the problems but just going to be another opportunity.

So I think uh transit and um and transportation now want a seat at the table as non-voting members.

So that that that will help.

And hopefully on June 22nd, we have the CRD transportation discussion.

The last time it was the elephant in the room, no one talked about it.

So now I hope we can get that elephant out in the floor.

And there's also been a move that you saw the correspondence says did I that they're looking and they haven't decided on the community yet, but they're looking for another represent representative for the uh transfer or the uh transportation uh what is it uh commission for BC Transit.

Uh so uh I've made motions that View Royal has never had a seat at the table, and it would be nice that they do, seeing how they're in the middle.

Um and I'm not sure the relationship, and we'll find out a bit more about what the vision is with the CRD Transportation Service, and will they take over the BC transit um uh kind of commission that makes decisions about things.

So uh I hope for the latter.

Um, but that's great.

So I think we've got a mover in a seconder.

All those in favor of uh strategic priority, all those opposed, none opposed.

And uh the other bit is uh the report for the hotel development working group 2026.

Council Rogers, did you want to speak to that?

Well, um yeah, I it's nice to get the report.

That's uh a long time coming, but um yeah, I I thank um staff for uh being um active partners in in that discussion.

And and I I gather there's a um uh staff report coming uh on ways and means that we can improve our situation.

And indeed, uh if you look on pages 24 and 25, uh those are some very interesting strategic methods that uh I'm sure staff will be uh um advising us on.

So there we are.

It's good reading.

Thanks. Uh councilor Rogers, can you do you want to give a motion to receive?

Move receive. Uh second or uh seconded by councilor Matson.

All those in favor.

Any opposing none opposed motion carries consent agenda.

So can I get a motion for the consent agenda with the exception of D E and H.

Moved by Councillor Brown, seconded by Councilor Rogers.

All those in favor.

Any opposed motion carries.

I'll put it over to you, Councilor Lemon.

We'll move down to uh what the three that we pulled out, which is now 11, and that was around the Erskine Lane parking and hand it over to you.

Right, thank you.

And really, I I just I I wanted because there was three letters um of a recent issue, it I suspect uh had had they were they aware that this issue was coming up, um, some of these people might have come and spoken and and uh been influential.

Um so mostly I wanted these letters to receive the light of day.

Um I you know a previous speaker said, you know, with some when council votes, you know, public doesn't know who voted against.

It's just a council vote.

I did vote against, but um I and and largely because residents of Erskine that I spoke to said we don't see bikes, we don't see bikes there.

One person said, I've never seen a bike there.

Um, what I do see is a real need for parking.

I also I am not convinced that all of the cars parking along Erskine are Erskine residents or visitors.

I do believe, and I you know, I I do have this on you know some so good faith uh that there's um it's impossible to park at the hospital and there is overflow and you will see people leaving their cars and walking across the uh the CRD walkway uh so one day perhaps we um maybe it's this council um we lobbied the C the uh the uh Bhaw Island Health Board to get creative with their space you know to us it would it would look like a parking a parquade or something but get creative with their space because they do have new developments coming on there's going to be a you know peats and maternity there all new buildings um and uh that will simply mean more people fighting for constrained space so that's what I have to say uh yeah um I think we heard back that m most of the parking was on site but there there was uh some anecdotal evidence that it could have to do with the hospital as well happy to entertain that is there any other comments on sure the issue council yeah I mean just to do with the hospital we've had ongoing concerns this with the park and ride that was filled up with the hospital employees for years and I think so that's an ongoing issue that they don't have enough parking for their staff.

But more to the point in terms of the parking on Erskine Lane, it's one of those things we it thought was a really good idea.

And I still like cycle lanes.

I'm a I'm a cyclist.

But in that instant, maybe we should take a second look at this sometime in the future to see what the reality is just in terms of you know the use use of cycle lanes.

Anyways, you know as uh I think uh Diane would say the uh road to hell is paved in good intentions and so maybe this wasn't the best idea but um anyways I I don't know if we should do anything immediately but we really should take a look at this uh in the future to see whether it's needed.

Bike lanes and off leash dog parks are the things that'll always get you so the the only comment I'm I'm gonna have to say about this is that there's a lesson learned for us.

Um and we see that that is the largest multifamily development on Vancouver Island.

Those four apartment buildings the largest right the fact that we didn't get parking right doesn't surprise me right with a uh with the pressure to build as much as you can uh for market rental um because nobody makes a lot of money off park spaces um that's not all built out yet that lane is not built out yet right and that really concerns me because we think we've got parking problems now um uh we're we're gonna have a whole lot more with the rest of that stuff being built out.

So I think we've really got to pay attention uh in the future when things come to us and developers are requesting that they reduce the parking for amenity to see bonusing, it ends up costing the town money anyway, that we don't get it.

Um you know, I I am indifferent to whether it's parking or a bike lane, but I will say this much that part of View Royal is now the densest part of View Royal that's ever existed, right?

There is more people living in uh that will be once a spire is up and Irkskin is built out.

There will be more people living within a mile or two of the hospital than there will be in the rest of View Royal, right?

That's how dense it is.

And everywhere else that has much less traffic, we're putting in bike lanes yet into the most dense part of View Royal.

We're saying we don't need a bike lane there.

And that bike lane isn't just for people in Erskine Lane, that's for everybody else coming down Watkiss Way and Aspire and Eagle Creek and everywhere else going to the goose, right?

So it's not just those folks.

So yeah, my two points to sum up is um uh I I think we we need to be flexible on it, but we're not done building out.

So, how much parking is adequate parking just for that street if that's where it's coming from?

The other thing is too, is that lane just doesn't serve as Irkskin Lane.

I appreciate there's some history there, but it would be a conduit, a safe conduit for the population to get to the um the trail and and back again.

Council Rogers, you had a point.

Yeah, thank you.

Um this um the whole um Erskine Lane development was a long time in discussions.

Um and uh the new development was uh well, first off, the um uh uh there was the the struggle in the starting, and it was just an FSR 1.5.

Imagine if it had been 2.5 imagine if it'd been you know eight ten stories as opposed to what there is now and um we had the uh the longest debates in the transportation study done for that that uh street and granted there is is uh Mary Tobias is saying there's there is number seven number nine number ten and um all of them having different tra uh transportation studies and one of the studies said uh oh no no you don't need any any light at the intersection well obviously you do and um and what was also critically important as a give to the community to number 14 Risk and Lane and let's not forget Stone Ridge the good folks that live on the other side they need um as much um uh traffic light to get across the street be walk this way so they can get to the bus um bus stops so um the the discussion of um parking we did give an uh staff dire um recommendations and the transportation study we did look and we did amend even though there's an awful lot of bike parking there um bicycling parking um there's the lane that walks down to uh to the um regional bus loop um and the the convenience of the shopping convenience galloping goose i mean this is one place that may be as really dense as what uh the mayor is saying but it has all the walkable services and um I think there's still the net number of parking there that uh what number 14 had.

It's just a lot more competition.

The fact remains children under 14 are not allowed to ride electric bikes.

And how do they get up the hill when they're cycling home?

It may be not used as much as you think, but uh does that mean that we should take away all the cycle lanes in Victoria?

Should we take away all the sidewalks because people aren't walking along in there?

There is in the active transportation plan, a bike lane is being proposed for Talcott as well.

But that would mean that the parking on Talcott would disappear.

So it's um uh I I think you know, you we um we have to acknowledge that the density is is there.

Uh, we have to give them alternate modes to um safely get up and go home and and you know, even with e-bikes going up the hill.

The um one of the things you worship with the Ruskin being so busy, we had given some idea about uh a lane connecting into Watkas Way.

And hopefully, hopefully the next council would enable that to happen.

But that requires uh some initiative to purchase property.

So at this moment I'm fully in support of um of Bollards to protect the cyclists going up the hill.

My one last comment is we need to make sure that to prevent these sort of parking issues being worse than they would will be with density for for projects, uh we need to remove the ability for the developer to just simply purchase spots, parking spots.

Because right now they can just there's a certain percentage they can just give us money for, and we don't we don't have a say, so we'll need to give have a look at that to see make sure that council has the final say in any decision to sell parking spots.

Uh Scott, I'll bring you into that part.

What's the best way to address that from our lessons learned for parking there?

We're uh council is looking I think for to provide some direction for planning and development that um uh we not entertain um money in lieu of parking and that parking is adequate because there's a a general and growing belief that there's an abundance of parking um and I'm not sure so sure if council and the public agree with that uh thank you Mr.

Mayor I would say probably amending either our policy or a bylaw that um delegates uh the the trade of valuable parking for valuable cash um should be put on an upcoming agenda um so I can certainly talk to the director of development services and see what what's in place right now prepare a report saying this is how much we get in in exchange for a parking spot but it could be due to this density that uh that policy uh is now outdated yeah it probably won't fix this problem that we've got but certainly with the other developments that we've got um that are lined up for that street it may offer a little bit more relief so that now we don't have those three extra buildings contributing to the overflow of parking as much as possible so kind of learn on the go.

Do we need a motion for that Scott? Are you just making a note to bring that up for um a future session?

Um I'll I'll uh I'll bring that up Leanne's on vacation right now but uh I'll have a chat with her when she's back.

You can pass a motion if you like but uh we'll we'll have the conversation either way.

Second.

So uh moved and seconded for a uh a review of uh parking exemptions for new developments uh cash and loo as well as adequacy I think of of parking uh all in favor any opposed none opposed motion carries thank you for the motion uh I think that brings us down to question period if folks had a question about anything and it doesn't have to be on the agenda and we'll start in chambers first and please start with your name and your address at the podium if you have a question for council if there are no questions going once twice three times uh Carl have we got any questions that have been submitted online uh mayor Tavaius we've had no uh messages sent this evening Carl was joking uh didn't think I I heard him uh earlier when he said um uh that I'm always the one that's joking and he's the straight guy so one of these days we're gonna switch it up and he'll be the joker and I'll be the straight guy.

Um so we're down to 14 which is the motions and notices of motion and so this is an opportunity simply to read your motion in, no motivation, no anything.

And for Councilor Brown and counselor rogers, these will be considered at our next meeting on May 19th.

So you're just reading it in for council's benefit staffs and the public.

Go ahead, Councilor Brown.

Yeah, sorry. My notion motions that the town of V Royal amended short-term rental regulations to align with provincial requirements.

Thank you, Councillor Brown. And Councilor Roger.

Thank you. Um first uh that the speed limit on Atkins Road from the City of Langford border to and including Brydon Road be amended to 30K.

Thank you. And you have another?

Yes, and uh the second being uh that information regarding the changes to the role of the official community plan under British Columbia's Bill 44 be incorporated into the draft OCP and that this information be provided at open houses during the OCP reading and at the OCP public hearing.

Thank you, Councilor Rogers.

Um and again, we don't debate, discuss or vote on them or anything like that.

Uh that'll be the next one to give everybody an opportunity to research those, and now we're down to chairman.

Uh counselor Matsy.

Yeah, uh I'm not sure the best way of doing this, but I was hoping to get a reality check legally wise, based on what we heard this evening in terms of the short-term rentals be saying we're not going to enforce our bylaw when the prop province could then find the individual.

So when we have a discussion at the next meeting, I wonder if staff could advise us about that and the liability of the town, as well as whether it would be appropriate to just cancel our uh amnesty to remove any potential for liability.

So I thank you, Councilor Mattson.

I'll turn to you, Scott.

Is that uh um would be available at our meeting on the 19th staff's uh feedback on that?

Uh there's a there's a few issues there.

There's um information on the provincial fines, which would be levied, um, which was sent to council at the end of April.

So we have that information at hand.

Um, and then uh legal advice would be considered in a closed meeting.

So some of that we already have counselor matts, and some of that would be uh a meeting at the end of our normal meeting.

Okay, yeah. Councilor Brown.

Just so you can't motivate council.

However, um that sounds like little case.

However, so the umage uh debated this for four hours the other day, and uh they had a whole bunch of things in addition, like uh more strict relations, stricter than the province.

And there's a group gathering their friends together to take Saanich to court because they've they think they've overstepped their bounds by uh overriding the provincial government by creating even more uh they went from uh limiting to 30 days then a uh a motion to make it 90 days and someone trying to make a motion for 81 days and it was tiring it was unright i'm I'm not gonna go on forever however caution that we don't do more regulating than what the province already has thank you councillor brown okay uh let's move to if I can get a motion to adjourn please so moved by councillor matts and second by council McKenzie all those in favor any opposed seeing none opposed motion carries thank you folks for joining us this evening and those online thanks girl