Council Meeting

Good evening and welcome to the council meeting for the town of View Royal for January 20th, 2026.

And we'll start with a territorial acknowledgement that we recognize the Lekwungen speaking people known today as the Esquimalt Nation and the Songhees Nation, and that their historic connections continue to this day.

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

To provide comments virtually during the public participation or to ask questions during the question period, scan the QR code or use the link on the live webcast stream on the town's website.

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

Your comments will be read out loud at the appropriate time by a member of the webcast team.

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

Question period is open to any question and is limited to two minutes for each speaker, and you will be timed.

If 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.

Now would be appropriate if anybody wanted to pull anything out of the consent agenda to do so, and that will then become item 11.

And we'll start with the first one we pull out, uh naming it A, B, or C.

Uh, if no action is taken, the consent agenda has actions that uh Eleanor put down.

Uh, so it was uh uh the adoption uh or received would occur in accordance in brackets with the actions.

Uh Councillor Brown, you had an item you would like to pull out?

Yeah, um yeah, and from the consent agenda, items uh L and N, please.

L and N and not M, correct?

That's that's correct.

Uh and sorry, if you um if you allow me, I got a notice of motion on the agenda today as well that I'd like to get uh same same day consideration.

But perfect.

Thanks, Councillor Brown.

Yeah, we we can uh do discuss that when we do your your motion so we can motivate around that then.

Thanks for letting us know for that.

So uh L will become 11A, uh and N will become 11B.

Counselor Lemmon Um from the consent consent agenda O, please.

No, not O.

P.

P.

It's a lot of alphabet.

Okay, it's a lot of alphabet one go.

So uh P it is, and P will become 11Cone under P.

Uh Is it So you're looking P, yeah.

Is the email dated January 15th?

Is that the one you're looking for?

Yeah, the email dated January 15th.

Yeah.

January 15th, that's the one you're looking for.

So that's P.

Does do you have a different uh number?

Uh Counselor?

Paper.

You see the paper and the pageable?

Okay, so we're running off the paper.

Okay.

Oh.

Paper does not have Q.

So P is the letter with respect to 268 Talmud 4.

So it is still P.

Yep.

Yeah.

That's the one you're looking for.

Okay.

So P and uh paper.

Okay.

Uh so we're clear on that.

And she's pulling out item P.

I see that as both the same uh online and on the copy that I have.

It is the email dated January 15th, 2026 for two six eight Elmkin Road it's on the it's on the digital it's on online yeah question your worship yes uh so P which is with respect to two six eight Helmican uh is that something that we would be discussing when that matter comes up um um oh no, no, that's no sorry, no, I'm I'm wrong.

No.

I'm wrong.

Sorry.

Thank you.

Are there any other ones that we want to pull?

Seeking clarification, your worship.

Um, so you're saying that um those items that we'd heard um from the um and petitioners delegation of the committee of the whole that being from the West Shore budget um package and the library buggage package.

Um, leaving those in, we would be approving the budget packages as presented for consideration in 2026 budget.

Thank you.

And your microphone and uh are there going through three times?

Does.

Anybody want to pull a consent?

And the only reason I'm doing that is a significant consent agenda, so I don't want everybody to get the opportunity, but I'm not seeing any motion there.

I moved so your worship, I will pull H.

Is it H.

Oh no sorry.

Urban yes to the urban forest one.

So which Urban Forest strategy Holmes the same number.

Yeah it's uh H online and H on the paper.

So urban forest.

H H will become 11 uh D.

Okay.

Thank you.

Uh can with those changes and with the acknowledgement that Councillor Brown had uh wanted same day consideration for his uh notice of motion.

Can I get a mover and a seconder for the approval of the agenda, please?

So moved.

Seconded.

Moved by councillor Lemon, seconded by Councillor McKenzie.

All those in favor?

Any opposing none opposed motion carries?

And that brings us down to public participation period.

So we'll start in the room.

If anybody wants to address council on anything on the agenda, this is your opportunity to do so.

Please.

Just you press the silver button uh on the microphone so it turns red, and just start with your name and your street name.

Kelly Irish and it's uh Stancil Lane.

You don't have to give your number address.

Um I'm here to address the there was a proposal to consider vacation rentals for the period that was uh FIFA soccer period for a couple months.

And uh myself and my neighbor who's out of town wanted uh to put forward to you guys to allow short term rentals and issue licenses because we uh we conform to the BC um ways with living in the same dwelling as the suite that's legal uh to uh allow the people like in our in our case, we live right next door to the hospital.

We can see it, and it's a walking distance that's very short.

So we've been able to accommodate nurses, doctors, uh X-ray technicians.

Um prior to being any uh marketplace forum like Airbnb, we were dealing directly with the agencies.

Uh my father passed away like the day of COVID when he had a stroke.

Uh so uh for the last 10 years he didn't have the use of his right side of his body, and he was down bugging you guys to allow him to build an addition on the back of the house that would allow easy access, and it was all handicapped, uh supportive.

So when we lost him, uh my neighbor had already taken his house and renovated it and the existing suite.

I reminded him he had to get down here and pay the hundred dollars because it's a legal suite.

So he kept his suite active, and uh it was him that figured out that the nurses were needing spaces.

So we started off just with them, just through a single agency.

Um, my father, when he passed, we had the empty space.

We, of course, had to go through time to let uh you know the estate finish up, and so we uh right away we helped with the nurses as well.

And uh back then they would bunk up to to the you know, it was a better minute den, so we could have one person in, they'd move over to the master, and then second person would come in because we did it by the room, sort of uh unordinary as today's standard because the nurse agencies they like to keep them all separate now not shared spaces so with the agency that we were dealing with they went towards the Airbnb platform because it was easier for them to decipher spaces and transfer monies and all the stuff so we had to learn that platform to follow them which led us to getting uh tourists involved and people coming from all over the place but it was our target uh was the the hospital and uh I one thing I didn't mention too is people go in for back surgery or they could then then they get complications.

So and my place was all set up with the poles and the adjustable beds and stuff, so they could stay as long as they needed to to recover before they could safely travel home.

So uh to amend that for just the two months to allow us to get a business license because the registry audited us both of us and suggested we needed to come to you for the business license to find out it wasn't available.

So we're trying to make it available.

Um, the the hospital is very glad to have us.

And uh I have a nurse in there right now that does uh some uh mental stuff with the uh pediatrics, and uh even though she's there for four and a half months this particular stay directly through an agency.

Uh I I don't know how often these longer than three months options will come around.

And I just like us, even if it's not for the whole of View Royal, just if it was to draw a line within a circumference of the hospital, because we don't have the hotels to support them.

They come they arrive from different parts of Canada without a vehicle.

Uh in our case they can walk to work and back, which is perfect.

They they want closeness.

Sometimes they're stuck in a hotel and it's further away because we don't have the option for them.

It's more money and then they got expenses for transportation.

I'm working with Airbnb they suggested to me because I've been a super host seven consecutive terms in a row to to lose my ability to be a part of it would be uh the worst.

And they had just uh reached out to me to be a support for or a leader for the community that we are creating here, hopefully, to help people get into this or help show them how it's done, fathom them through the things that we've learned to make it uh easy upon them to do what I'm doing, especially in that general area.

But uh hopefully I'll open it up for everybody because uh they sent me some stuff to say that the issuance of the business license would align with the short-term rental accommodations act and be consistent with other capital regional municipalities such as Victoria Colwood and Langford.

I also went and attended the the town meeting that they had in Via uh the squimalt because they paid a consultant to put together uh a space for everybody that's concerned to come in and put their opinion forward whether they wanted or did not want short-term rentals in that area.

And I took pictures and stuff while I was there because uh you took little color dots and put I was gonna ask you to sum up sir because you're out of time.

Anyway it was a 99% of the people in that that showed up for that town meeting was that they paid the consultant to put forward was positive towards the short term rentals.

The traveling nurses and healthcare I went into this this uh FIFA thing.

Hopefully, it's just gonna be uh even if it's a trial and and then to proceed ahead with uh allowing business licenses to be uh put in place for guys like us.

The other uh there's a positive economic impact from these short-term rentals, which is too much to get into, and I will forward this email along with the other ones I sent in from agencies and stuff because it has the the the closest to 2026 is 2023 and 2024.

And you'll find if you take a look at it, the the benefits from short term rentals is huge.

It's like in the 2.5 million for BC, and there's uh 76 million in tax monies that that comes in from short-term rentals alone, and that's just the one platform at Airbnb, and I'll send that along.

It just came to me this morning, so you'll get it later.

And uh hopefully you'll take the time to have a look at it and see that this hopefully will be beneficial for our community as well.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Is there anybody else in the room that would like to address council?

Yeah, if there's nobody here, Carl, have we got anybody online that would like to address council?

Mayor Tobias, we have no messages on the board.

Okay, thank you, Carl.

Um, then we can move on to bylaws, and I think we have um the zoning bylaw 900 amendment, and that's for to the amend the zoning bylaw with respect to amending comprehensive development 26 on Island Helmcken, uh Helmcken and I Island Highway Comprehensive Development Zone.

And so uh was there staff presentation, Lynn, to go with this?

There was nothing we had it all uh in the last meeting.

So uh the staff recommendation is that we rescind second reading, and then what we're gonna do is amend it and then pull it back to um second reading as well as schedule a public hearing date.

Um so can I get a motion that the uh so we're gonna first rescind second reading uh and that the second reading of the zoning bylaw number nine hundred twenty fourteen amendment bylaw number eleven sixty twenty twenty five given on November fourth twenty twenty five be rescinded second uh we can go to vote all those in favor sure I have no idea what's included under I it's got cafe, medical clinic, neighborhood grocery, personal services establishment and retail.

And I have no idea what's included under the latter two.

Personal services establishment and retail.

So if somebody could just clarify that for me.

So personal service establishment means the use of a building in which services are provided that are specifically related to the clothing or body of a person or household pet.

But specifically excludes massage parlors and any and um unless it's for aesthetic care facility, uh tattoo parlors, brothels, escort services, those sorts of uses.

So it's uh for um essentially clothing or um body of a uh sorry uses that services that pertain to clothing or body of a person or household pet.

Okay.

And retail can be anything, except for cannabis.

So I can comment on the motion you can comment on it or you can make a motion within that even better than a comment counselor oh okay sure i'd like to just rescind i know we're just rescinding that's right not to rescinding but yeah uh let me just let let lean chime in if if uh council didn't want let's say two of those options is that possible uh not under this particular motion because council is rescinding second reading.

Right.

So after so i'm so what you can rescind second reading could but when you consider um amending second reading, that is when council can consider those other uses right so we'll get to rescind second reading and then we can talk about when yes.

Yeah.

So we got a mover and a seconder already.

All those in favor.

Any opposed?

Seeing none opposed.

And now we can amend uh so that um uh as it reads right now that zoning bylaw uh number 900 2014, amendment bylaw 1160 2025 be amended to reduce the minimum required floor area allocated to a cafe from 150 square meters to 74 square meters.

I'm assuming that you're going to say and now uh counselor, or do we want to pass this and then do an and so I'm just looking at what the the report is and so it the 13263 so it's got those three uses again cafe medical clinic neighborhood grocery personal service establishment and repail and the drop to 72 or 74 square meters.

So is that what the new second is yeah the mayor, the new second is to add the minimum.

Sorry.

The new second is to reduce the minimum required floor area for a coffee shop from 150 square meters down to 74 square meters as we discussed last week at the committee of the whole.

So could we also amend usage after that statement?

So that we if we didn't uh if a counselor wanted to put up the motion that we want to take out personal retail and and something else, then we could do it uh after we do the uh motion to amend the bylaw for square footage.

Um through mayor that through the mayor, yes.

Uh you can do it all at once.

Okay.

Let's uh break this up a little bit so we get through this part of it and that uh if we're happy and then we'll uh counselor mattson will get into the end and what you what you're proposing to council to get rid of that uh zoning by law number 92014 amended by law number 1160 be amended to reduce the minimum square footage uh uh area allocated for cafe use from 150 meters square to 74 meters square.

Can I get a mover and a seconder, please?

So moved.

Moved by Councillor Lemon, seconded by Councillor McKenzie.

All those in favor?

Uh any opposed?

Councilor Mattson's opposed.

Now uh if you want to make an amendment, Councilor Mattson, you could um what are the two usages or more that you would like to delete?

Uh the personal services establishment and retail.

Councilor Brown seconds the motion.

Your opportunity to motivate counselor Matson.

Sure.

I mean even with just Cafe, Medical Clinic, and Neighborhood Grocery, we're already sort of getting away from what we originally uh envisioned.

But the personal services and establishment and retail are really going far afield from what the community wanted and asked us for.

And so for that, for those reasons, I'd like to eliminate those.

And um and if we get and if we get one of some of the other three, we're we're way closer to what uh we'd asked for and not everything I wanted, but it's it's a lot better than you know potentially having retail in there that isn't isn't something that's gonna draw the community in.

Thank you.

Uh counselor, Council Brown.

Yeah, I agree with Councilor Mattson and make it more specific and and more to what we're actually looking for.

Thank you.

Uh Leanne.

Uh through the through the mayor, council may recall that um the applicant has agreed to register a section two nineteen covenant on title to secure at least a neighborhood grocery or medical clinic for for 10 years.

But uh that wouldn't interfere with us adjusting this uh bylaw, correct?

Um through the mayor, no, it it would not.

It just means that for at least for the first 10 years of this building, there would be there would have to be either a neighborhood grocery or a medical clinic on the ground floor in 10 years.

Um potentially there could be a hairdresser or um a small retail shop on the ground floor after 10 years, but at least for the first 10 years, council would be securing those uses.

So just to follow up on specifically that uh so in 10 years if it's a grocery store or a medical clinic and they want to come back they can come back to the council in the future and ask for it rather than just allowing them to put in whatever they like.

So we can see I just have a question for staff.

So we have a minimum space for the cafe.

We don't have a minimum space for the medical clinic but realistically how many of these could be in that space at once?

Like could there be three uh a cafe medical clinic and retail in in that space?

Um thro through the mayor, the the space is approximately it's just slightly slightly less than 6,000 square feet.

So supposedly there could be three ground floor commercial tenants.

However we've we've heard um through this application that um a um potential medical tenant is interested in the ground floor space and um would would I think prefer to have the entire space for that medical use um um but uh uh uh if a if a medical um practitioner can have a smaller space, then that is also possible.

So it could be a medical clinic, a small retail, and the coffee shop.

Thank you.

If I can comment then I think it's important to write this not based on particular interested parties right now.

You never know what's going to happen.

And so I would want to keep it open.

I don't think there's a need to remove any of those.

It leaves it open that there could be a third space if somebody else with a medical uh center came in.

So I just don't think it's necessary to remove it and it gives flexibility.

Thank you.

Uh other comments, Councilor Rod.

Thank you.

So Council Lemon had asked to uh pull um P from the consent agenda, which is related to this whole discussion.

And um so rather than having in the consent agenda, your worship, could we include this discussion from that correspondence committee?

Well, I think it's already pulled out.

So if you want to address that now, that's completely appropriate.

Great.

So I wonder, Steph, could you speak to um uh the correspondence here from a medical team that's uh seeming to suggest that this isn't gonna work um through the mayor?

I I I'm not quite sure.

It would be helpful if you could have a specific question.

It's just really hard for me just to speak directly to the correspondence in a corner.

The correspondence uh from um uh this doctor is uh suggesting that um uh the parking situation is um you know if the clinic were to provide six care practitioner rooms, four procedure rooms, they would be requiring 24 to 30 stalls.

So there's they're saying that the the um I guess that um to be able to provide adequate medical coverage for those 68,000 or what however residents that don't have a primary care.

Um they're they're saying that the parking calculations aren't going to work to be able to accommodate those individuals that need um drop off and uh easy access, mobility, and so forth.

So if he's got questions and concerns about this site, I wonder how the um how practical and how realistic um the ideas of a potential doctor coming in here.

Through the mayor, I I I can't comment on all, you know, medical tenants and um different medical practitioners depending on the type of services they provide, they have different needs.

Um if the um in terms of parking, the the parking, the current site has 29 parking spaces uh for the commercial uses.

If um if the entire uh ground floor commercial space was a medical clinic, a parking variance wouldn't be required.

They'd have sufficient amount of parking based on the parking requirement in the zoning bylaw.

Um based on um so I'm just looking at the report from last week that was on a committee of the whole, and in the staff report there is a table that does break down the the parking calculation for a cafe and a medical uh clinic.

And uh medical clinic um requires uh 26 parking spaces, and there are 29 parking spaces uh in on on site.

Um obviously, you know, pickup drop off sounds like perhaps some of their um patients might need that service, so maybe that's that's not exactly uh provided um in a convenient manner on the site.

Um but in terms of parking, uh the site has you know sufficient parking for um for the for a medical clinic.

A cafe would require five spaces.

Um so that tips them over.

I I g I guess your worship is maybe in support of um uh what Council McKenzie is saying that um from this letter uh it may be um um a potential medical that uh the um the owners have uh have secured, but it's um it may mean that we may have to keep some options open to um um in in cases no doctor takes any of the space up so even though we we have the those interests it seems like the uh well this is all and I guess this is the other thing this is all going to the public hearing and if the public is saying I don't see this happening I don't see this working you know if I don't have uh you know easy access into you know to a doctor's office I'm not using it so it um you know it I guess we'll just wait to see how it fair is with the public and if they do support um those other um options um that are provided in the proposed bylaw.

Well if we're doing it to amend it now to remove those then that is the way it will be presented to the public hearing.

Am I correct, Leanne?

If we remove the um uses that is what it will go to public hearing for retail and personal establishment.

Uh correct Mary Tabaya so if council um gives an amended second reading and removes the retail and personal service establishment from the zone then those two uses would be deleted removed and uh the bylaw that would be presented for public hearing would be one that does not include those two uses what we want forward with the motion on the floor right now, if you want to do a counter motion, we're not voting yet on it.

But if you're uh I'm not so sure that you know bringing that up is appropriate, Councilor Rogers, but it doesn't really apply to the amendment.

It applies directly to the the motion.

Yeah.

I I guess in a way it does apply to the amendment because it it you know we'd have to debate the probability of of the other other aspects.

Um and yet on the other hand, I understand where uh council match is coming from because if we take more things off, it generates a greater probability, perhaps, that the medical clinic and cafeteria, or sorry, the the the cafe medical clinic and and uh neighborhood groceries are are more likely.

So that's interesting council and if we take more things off that would potentially free up parking that might otherwise you know go be um occupied by somebody going to a hairdresser or or a physio or whatever.

Um but if if I could just ask, since we pulled that, uh I mean there's nothing read the letter.

Um there's there's nothing we can do about that.

Uh I'm are you corresponding, is staff corresponding with the potential tenants or is that all being done by the owner of the building through the through the property owner?

Um the uh so we've received correspondence from the the potential um medical tenant.

Um and um you know st we've we've staff have responded to inquiries and and that we've received, but uh okay it's um but again like it's just uh any any member of the public, we you know, if we receive an inquiry regarding um a particular building, we we resp respond to that.

Um and uh it's yeah, I yeah, I'm just not quite sure how you know essentially pertain to I get it.

It's fine.

It's fine.

And and and there's nothing we can do as a town or a council and you can't answer what I want to know, and that is has this person inferred that it was that the the uh parking available is not enough.

And if I can, our bylaw right now states that we have sufficient parking in there.

So if somebody's questioning that, we'd have to change our bylaw to do that.

Right now, uh, Leanne, if I'm reading it correctly, there is enough to support a clinic with our current bylaw, correct?

Yeah, correct.

That is correct.

I'm so out of that.

Yeah, so somebody else might have a concern about it, but the reality is we'd have to change our bylaws for it not to work or or get a variation.

Any other questions or comments on it?

Should we have a motion on the floor?

Motion on the floor is to remove the personal establishment or retail from the options that it could for use.

That is the motion.

No other comments, then we will put it to a vote.

We've got a mover, we have a seconder.

So all those in favor removing the uses of personal establishment and retail from uh from the space.

All those in favor.

All those opposed.

I count uh councillor Bolich and Councilor McKenzie opposed.

The rest are in favor.

Motion does pass.

Now we get into amending the bylaw so that uh so that the zoning bylaw um be amended, or we we actually just did the amendment uh for it.

Uh so we need second reading as amended, uh that the zoning bylaw number 900 2014, amendment bylaw 1160 2025 be given a second reading as amended.

Can I have a mover and a second?

Moved by counselor brown, seconded by Councilor Mattson, all those in favor?

Any opposed?

Seeing not opposed, motion carries, and that uh we schedule a public hearing that a public hearing for the zoning bylaw 900 2014, amendment bylaw 1160 2025 be scheduled for February 3rd, 2026.

Can I get a mover and a secondary, please?

Second, moved by Councillor Brown, seconded by Councillor Rogers.

All those in favor.

Any opposed?

Did I get all that right, Eleanor?

Okay.

So I passed.

Um Mayor's report.

I'll be uh brief.

Um if anyone didn't uh hear our prime minister speak at David House today, he probably um provided a uh era defining speech, I would say.

And regardless of your political background, I would encourage any resident or listener to review it because it speaks some truth.

Uh bit of an update on rail.

We're meeting now almost weekly with the Squamulton Song.

He's nation.

Uh, and uh they have started a pre-feasibility study in order to go to the federal government for funding uh in March.

That funding would provide a full ridership feasibility study uh uh with a cost estimate to the federal government.

So not only for the uh actually what needs to be replaced, what needs to be upgraded.

Um, so the plan is then the federal government will receive that by the end of March.

If they approve the funding for the follow-on study, that would probably start more detailed engineering, um, moving the rail around the squamalt nation and whatnot.

Uh, so just a little update on that.

On the RCMP building, that's been a lot in the news lately.

Uh, and I just wanted to uh we've already passed this, and I've just signed it tonight, but I wanted to speak to a success criteria I had added in to the charter, which I think I wrote with Scott and the CAO from Callwood, and that was as a result of a meeting that we had over the summertime where Colwood had some concerns that needed to be addressed.

Uh, item number 16 was success criteria, and you've all seen this because you've passed it.

Uh, you might not remember it though, that the relationship between Callwood, Langford, and View Royal is paramount, and the relationship to should take precedence over and above this project.

We um, as three municipalities do, we uh, and with the addition of Langford and Machosen, we have worked together to create, maintain, operate, and really fulfill uh the West Shore Parks and Recreation, uh, other things that we collaborate on, and I appreciate that the news has not been kind um to kind of conflate the issue because there's nothing that the news likes more than a little bit of intermunicipal uh disagreements.

Um I met with the the mayor of Colwood on Friday, and he has some more questions.

And I think, and from my perspective, the more questions on the largest investment we're going to make as a municipality in our history isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I think it strengthens all of us.

I know council was unanimously in favor of getting it on the on the go, as was Langford uh aside from one counselor.

Um but but I honestly do think there is space to receive questions um given that it's going to be council consent and providing an opportunity uh to answer those questions and make those answers public.

Scott had alluded to a second report coming out, and I just wanted to remind council that we had our validation report.

That's where we're looking for.

And you know, in a big hand small map way, the it is the process saying the people that are proposing to build this building said we can do it for this price, right?

That's as simple as a validation report gets.

We're going to get the answers to uh any and all of the questions that Callwood have.

And if we have any questions remaining about it, I would encourage you to uh get a hold of myself or or our CAO Scott and get answers to those questions because I would just want us to be shooting from the facts and all from the same sheet.

Um so if you have any questions at all, I'd encourage you to reach out to our CAO who has been in the project would not be where it is today without Scott's involvement.

And because he's working with the RCMP and uh uh particularly on a sensitive building, he's had to get a security clearance which takes time in order to process.

So he's really not only been our representative in the room, but he's been uh Callwood and Langford's represent uh representative in the room as well so i want scott, I wanna thank you for taking that on on behalf of three municipalities.

Um uh that cooperatively we're paying for his time during that period so uh so he wasn't taking time off work uh so that's all the updates i've got and i just wanted to introduce petitions and delegations that we've got uh advancing child and youth wellbeing across the west shore and souk region thank you guests good evening mayor and council i have to say it's particularly delightful to see you, Councillor brown, this evening after some recent scares.

So and i wish you all a happy new year and a good start to the year.

I'm cindy Andrew, and i'm the director of community partnerships for a regional collaborative network that I appreciate.

Some of you may have heard a bit about, but some of you may not.

And I hope we have time for questions at the end, and I'm happy to answer as many as you like.

But it basically is a re as the name would suggest, it's regional, as in West Shore Sooke.

It was initiated through the Sooke School District and Island Health and many other nonprofit youth and family serving agencies saying we know we need to do this work differently if we're going to keep up with the demands of our very fast growing region.

So related to the villages network and the priorities that it has was, of course, the role of the municipalities.

And spurred by a request from Mayor Kobayashi in Callwood, and followed up by uh then acting mayor or counselor Jeff Bateman, saying, How does how do we as counselors get more involved in this?

We know we have a rule a role to play.

So that led to what we call the municipal leaders advisory team.

And it brought together mayors from all of the regions, West Shore and Sooke.

And I appreciate Mayor Tobias, you're a busy man and you haven't been able to make the two meetings that we've had thus far.

But I know that Mayor Kobayashi and his CAO have been in touch accordingly with you and colleagues at your end.

What I'm excited to share is that you had a room full of mayors, a superintendent of the school district, and a medical health officer saying this is a good thing that we get in a room and we work together to figure out how do we better serve the needs of children, youth, and families, knowing that it's one of those scenarios of invest now or pay more later and play catch up, particularly as fast growing as we are.

A line beside that is a whole bunch of service providers, including the school district and others, saying, We do need to work differently.

We're trying to do that, but we know we can do better.

Then what we really need is a regional coordinator, that person that can be a bit of a hub with all of the spokes at a at a high level, at a strategic level, to work, for instance, with um with city planners and with other officials and representatives of organizations like I'm joined with here tonight.

And I'll I'll quickly pass it over to my colleagues.

One online, Dr.

Wen, who's the medical health officer for Island Health, and Dr.

Shelly Cook, who's the executive director of the Social Planning Council in our community.

Next slide.

Sorry, I forgot to say the next slide part.

Apologies.

It's hard to, I forget sometimes.

My husband likes to remind me that people can't read my mind, so my brain brain goes faster than it probably should.

This bold initiative really isn't that innovative in that it is a model that has been used in other jurisdictions, and in fact, in this province, and but certainly across the country.

It is about an investment in a person to provide that regional coordination that helps get things done, much like I've heard you allude to, Ms.

Scott's role with RCMP.

So, this dedicated coordinator role we know is critical to helping move things along and connecting with all of the key players that we all need on board to make these changes.

Click or ding or slide forward, please.

We're not gonna spend time on this, but there is no shortage of data that says while many of our kids are doing well, there are reasons to be concerned, and there's a definite call to action from multiple players, including the school district and medical health officer and many others, to say we need to invest now and we need to invest to address some of what we're seeing that's going on with our young people, including but certainly not limited to their mental health.

Next slide.

Prepared organization.

We have this regional network.

The network is representative of about 70 organizations who serve children, youth, and families, who know kids, who again are saying to us all, we need to do this work differently, we need to do it together.

This investment in this coordinator role would be help would be very helpful.

I'm going to step aside shortly, but I do want to be remiss to not mention that as we're coming to you, as we have to all of the other mayors and counselors across this uh West Shore Sooke region with an ask to share in this regional role.

And if Doug was here, he'd sorry, Mayor Kobiashi would say, you know, it's peanuts for what we're gonna get out of it.

Um is also the school district saying, we believe in this, we need it, we'll put 15k a year towards us for three years.

Um, and we have a backbone organization that is is working with us to help support this work moving forward.

Next slide, and then I think this is where I'm gonna pass it over.

She I might, and I I do want to give a set.

I'm sorry, I forgot to mention, I'm already off script, but um, in your agenda package tonight is a very impressive business case.

This was prompted by discussions with the chief public health officer for Island Health, her team, as well as Mayor Kobayashi and their CAO to say, bring a business case, help us understand why this role matters.

So that is before you tonight.

All of the other mayors and councils that we've spoken to have now put motions on the floor to bring this ask into their budgeting exercise, should you be curious about that.

With one exception, and I think probably we're not surprised, is that uh Al Wickham's director with um JDF, sorry, WandaFuca Electoral Association, said, We believe in this, this is innovative, you go, but we don't have the couple of bucks to throw in the Katie.

So without further ado, I'm gonna ask you to forward the slide and pass it over to Melissa Wen, who's joining us tonight remotely.

Melissa.

Thank you so much, Cindy.

Hi there, my name is Dr.

Melissa, I'm the medical health officer for the West Shore communities.

Um, so as Cindy has already stated, the MLAP presents a valuable opportunity to build on the foundation and amplify strategic collaboration with key partners across the region for local youth and families, and increasing their well-being and their health outcomes.

Um we know that investing in youth through this strategic regional collaboration is a very smart investment.

Research has shown that investments in children and youth yield the highest social returns, and many youth programs pay for themselves down the line through improved economic potential and reduced spending on services.

Beyond cost avoidance, these investments also lay groundwork for long term economic and social benefits.

And when youth are supported to thrive, they are better equipped to contribute meaningfully to their communities and strengthen the region's future workforce, civic engagement, and overall resilience, something that I think is well laid out as an objective as part of View Royal's official community plan.

Next slide, and I'm going to pass it over to Dr.

As Cindy had mentioned, my name is Dr.

Shelley Cook.

Shelley Cook.

Thank you so much.

I am the executive director of Community Social Planning Council.

We are a long-standing organization that has been serving this community for over 90 years.

I'll speak to a little bit more about our work in a moment.

So complex issues like ensuring children and youth are thriving are best addressed on a regional basis that recognizes the dynamic interconnected nature of the world we live in.

And what happens in View Royal doesn't stay in View Royal.

So, this is really the role that Community Social Planning, next slide, please, we'll be providing as the backbone organization to help lead this work and bringing all the important partners that Cindy had addressed together.

So, this involves good administrative support, as I mentioned, pulling in new and existing partners to help secure funding, ensuring there's a strong evaluation framework, including a clear return on investment so that we know for every dollar that we're spending now, we can save seven in the long run.

Certainly, next uh next slide.

So, Community Social Planning Council advocates equity and a better quality of life through community based research and analysis, informing policy, engaging citizens, and through service delivery.

Some of our work has included the point in time count.

We did the housing needs report for Callwood, we deliver the rent bank for this region, we uh provide the low income transit program.

So we are deeply embedded within the community.

And this is the nature of the work that we do on an ongoing basis is both bringing people together, ensuring that those important partners are at the table, and then ensuring that there's funding and evaluation to support the work, the important work that we're doing.

CS Community Social Planning Council, next slide, please, will bring the full weight of the organization to this role.

So it's not just simply about one person who's going to be sort of working uh with the community.

This is really about how, as an organization, we can help leverage our expertise, our ability um to to conduct research, to deliver services, to help our community to really inform the work that's happening in in uh to advance the needs of children youth and families in the region um so i think that really sort of sums up uh really the points i wanted to make and so we're happy to certainly entertain any questions that you have about the initiative and 26 seconds thank you very much yeah thank you you did well and crammed in there yeah there are some questions counselor thank you very much.

Necessary, interesting.

We're in a different school district.

Our our children our our students are all in a different school school district.

Will they have the same access and opportunities that those in the Suk school district would?

Yeah, great, great question.

And you're right, although there may be some of your young people who make their way over to schools on the West on Calwater Langford.

But that aside, um this is about building infrastructure and services to support children, youth, and families across our our region.

It isn't about what school they go to or their street address.

Good.

Thank you.

Other questions?

Councillor McKenzie and then Councillor Rogers.

Thank you for your presentation.

I have a question for you specifically relating to your request for support for funding towards this uh coordinator position.

So out of curiosity, other people positions employed at the village initiative, how are they funded?

We don't really have employees.

I actually have to give credit to Suk School District, who in hiring me as a contractor on a very part-time basis also recognizes that this investment in working with community partners is pivotal, in fact, critical to supporting young people across our jurisdiction.

And so, and I do want to give a shout out to both United Way and the Victoria Foundation that have stepped up and provided funding along with Island Health and CRD occasionally, with bits and pieces that we put together.

And I I stretched dollars from here to, you know, Timbuktu.

Um, but this has been a very loosely organic network, which I think in itself speaks volumes.

You have it led by stewards of organizations.

So Dr.

Shelley Shelley, who is uh uh chief um operating officer, sorry, executive director of intercultural association, the associate superintendent of the school district, uh senior management from public health, uh executive director of Boys and Girls Club as they were formerly known, etc.

These are people who have come together on their own time in their own dimes to help support this work of this village.

And what we're saying, and and you know, I'm I'm privileged to basically be a day a week to support the work of the village.

Um, but I have to say that it's not enough.

And when the mayors got together and said, We like this idea, we we can do more, it's like it became clear we need a mechanism, and that mechanism can't be relying on senior leaders who have stewarded the organization to actually then, for instance, connect with city planners across the uh the seven municipalities about priorities and how we can address some common ones from a regional perspective.

So long answer to a quick question, but hopefully helpful.

No, thank you.

That's very helpful.

Yes, uh, thank you very much.

Um it's yes, certainly sounds like a a West Shore approach, and um uh and to be able to reach out to the youth and the families, I can see that the school counselors would be a major player in this because they see what's happening day to day and uh and and certainly a key resource for that coordinator to coordinate with.

My concern is that we don't have many kids in the West Shore in School District 62.

I can't think uh, what, 15?

You know, they're all in in the school elementary schools in V Royal, they all go to Shoreline, they all go to Squamalt, they're all in school district 61.

Where is this service available?

Isn't is there an equivalent service for those our youth, our children and our families that are going to be core orientated?

Um great question.

Again, this isn't school system dependent.

This is about where connecting with kids, where they're at and families.

And so for whether a young person that lives in View Royal goes to school and in Colwood or down the road here, the access to services that are more proximal to home, the drop in centers, I mean, hence you're a partner, a very valued partner in so many important collaborative efforts, including West Shore Parks and Rec, knowing the value of recreation as a proactive investment in healthy communities.

Okay.

Kids have been telling us, and not just kids from Colwood or Langford, but you know, the youth through the through various mechanisms.

So keep in mind many of the service providers around the village network connect with kids who live in View Royal, right?

They connect with kids who live in Victoria.

The challenge is for historically too long, we have a dearth of services and supports that are meeting the needs of young people and their families who live West Shore Sooke, right?

And um a good example is you know, we have a foundry that is downtown that frankly is over, you know, the the wait list, it's it's far beyond what they're able to keep up with.

And we have young people from View Royal, from Colwood, from Langford, from Port Renfrew, from Sooke trying to access services there.

And we were very successful, and probably I'll let you know that we wrote the strongest application that the government and foundry headquarters ever received to host a foundry to serve West Shore Soup kids, which means View Royal kids and Families.

Okay, second question.

So um I had a look at your business case, and the the funding and the breakdown of what you're asking from each municipality was based on 50% population.

Based on population.

But in number nine, section number nine of your funding, it actually talks about 50% population, 50% property assessment.

And those so those are two different calculations.

They are, and that's a that's a miss um a missed opportunity in terms of our iterations of our draft.

It's 100% based on population.

This was informed by other CAOs weighing in to say this is how you got to slice it, Cindy, because this is not the world I know.

This is why we're here having these conversations and why we sit down with with mayors and and staff.

Um so population based, and so 11,000 is is the con is the request before um view royal at this point.

And the reason I ask is that we are all our discussions with the RCP building is 50% population, 50% assassinate, property assessment.

So that might be a you know maybe a different point of view, but I would like to see what that number would add up to be.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Council Rogers, any other questions?

Okay.

Uh normally we don't um create a motion at the end of a delegation, but I think um there's two ways to approach this.

One is others have through budget deliberations, and another one, I think uh is through our grant and aid program that could be multi-year for the amount that you're looking for.

So I know our staff has uh information about that.

I'm not sure how it will mesh with your timing.

I think it's uh it might.

So there there is that opportunity as well.

But um now what will happen is uh if a counselor wants to raise it later, they can uh and and suggest a motion to go.

But the grant and aid application would be evaluated by council independently and it'll be free for you to uh put in an application for as well.

Does that make sense?

It does, and just to share and discussions with other councils through my experience and attending all of these meetings, um there was a comment made, and I'm I'm forgiving me, I can't remember the counselor's name with the District of Highlands, who said, you know, this isn't a grant and aid kind of request.

This isn't a one-off kind of this is this is about doing work differently, and this really does um require a different lens and a different investment.

And we are looking for three years purposely, like you know, one year, which is often the typical grant and aid kind of request, uh, um, does certainly doesn't cut it.

I think three years is the is the minimum.

And uh so you have agencies standing by committed.

Public health has mobilized people to be part of helping support this work.

Shelley's or uh sorry, community Social Planning council, the school district.

So I guess that's my plug to say it isn't a grant and aid kind of request.

It really deserves a motion towards the budget review exercise in my humble opinion.

Great.

No, thank you.

Thank you.

That's um that's good, well justified.

Uh if there are no other questions, thank you so much for coming out and uh bringing it uh to be alive and um um love the energy that you guys are putting together for it because I I agree with everything that you had to say and that you end up paying for the services that you don't provide one way or another down the road.

And not only that, it's just a wonderful opportunity, another outlet for our youth.

So thank you.

And I think that brings us down to staff reports.

This next one for request for decision for 309 View Royal Avenue driveway request.

Thank you, Mary Tobias.

Ivan Leoung, Director of Engineering.

The purpose of this report is to seek a decision from council regarding the 309 View Royal Avenue request for second driveway access.

So, in short, our subdivision development services bylaw for corner property states that the driveway should be on the minor road.

So it basically says that you can't have two driveways.

And so we've been administering it that way until this application came.

So the gentleman here who's in the in the crowd right now is just doing their due diligence.

They're thinking about maybe putting in a um a detached garden, uh detached garage, the garden suite above.

Um be facing Best Boro.

So they're asking if we could put a second driveway in.

Um that's the reason why we're coming forward to council because it's not in our subdivision development servicing bylaw.

Uh the recommendation is is that um, and my my typical policy is to go by the bylaw for a recommendation.

However, there are some aspects of this project or this property that um that may consider having a second driveway and maybe a benefit to the community.

So the first one is that uh there's a lot of mature trees along Bestboro, and so by or by uh View Royal Avenue, and by having the the applicant widen their initial driveway or provide a path to their existing driveway, would probably destroy all of those trees.

So there's an urban forests context to providing two driveways in there.

And then the second reason why is uh having two driveways is to encourage uh users to drive to park within the property.

Um Shane here has petitioned to uh many of the neighboring residents who have been in support with a second driveway because it would eliminate or mitigate uh the potential for entreep parking in that area.

Um having the driveway on Bestboro is is actually rather favorable.

It's a straight road, no sightline issues, there's not a lot of vegetation that would block or impact safety.

Um, so while the recommendation is that one driveway be permitted on the property, um, staff is also in support with the alternative option was is that a second driveway access be permitted from the 309 Viewer Avenue property to Best Boro Avenue if the property develops a detached garage with a suite above.

So the uh initiation of a second driveway would only be conditional to uh development should it occur.

Uh my understanding is that um it's still in this preliminary um application phase.

You don't have a building permit application.

And what uh what the homeowner is asking for right now is just a decision so he can move forward with his application.

Uh but that said, I'm happy to take questions.

The the property owner is here too, if um if you wish to ask him questions.

Uh, but yeah, thank you.

So just to be clear, Ivan, part of this rationale is for the second driveway, is that they're doing their due diligence to get the information but the intent would be to put in a garage with a suite on top of that garage correct uh yes that was what was brought forward to us um as a as a pretty much a uh an idea and and if they put the um second driveway in the proposed position they wouldn't have a need to widen the current driveway which would affect the tree line uh mayor tress that is correct um there is another option where that existing driveway could be eliminated.

However, that does um increase the chances of on-sheet parking happening.

Um, but you're correct in the sense that should a should a second driveway in Bessbro be built, that's that existing driveway will remain uh the same.

And it is a corner lot, correct?

On uh Best Boro and View Royal.

That's correct.

Okay.

Thank you.

Uh questions?

Uh start with you, Councilor Matts.

And then Councilor.

From your report, I sort of got the feeling that you thought the better option was to put it on Besbro and get rid of the one on View Royal Avenue.

Did I miss read that?

Uh Mayor Tobias, that's certainly an option.

Um the and based in the report, there is a line in there that says a staff's in support of either option.

So it could be to uh have a driveway on Bestboro and remove the driveway on View Royal, uh, which is in line with the staff recommendation that only one driveway access be permitted.

Another question I had was just in terms of a precedent setting in terms of other people coming out to demand their second driveway.

Uh uh Mayor Tobias, it's a great question by Councillor Matson.

And um uh our answer to that is there are no there's no precedence.

We take this on a case by case basis.

Probably 99 out of a hundred times, I would probably say no.

Uh and simply because there is uh the the urban forest canopy is very, very important to view royal, especially in the hardware precinct, there is a drive to um to have two driveways here to eliminate the need to widen the existing driveway and affect the trees.

My only other thought is maybe we need to have a a look at this, especially given our rezoning of all the properties in town to allow four houses at a minimum.

I so I any just uh a thought that something we'll need to look at in the future.

Thank you, Councillor Matson.

Councillor Rosen.

Yeah, this uh you know very familiar with the the house and um and the property, you know, this is one property that has an enormous amount of on-street parking potential.

No trees have to be removed on Besborough.

The uh, you know, where there's a lot of cars parking on Besborough already, there would be uh the availability of on-street parking for um access to that secondary suite.

So that's um um yeah, I I I'm I'm opposed to two garages or two uh um uh driveways.

Um the one of the the other challenges is not only um the message that it's gonna be okay, just come in council and they'll approve it.

Um the uh the other message is that when um if this lot would be totally redeveloped into a four-unit, now it's a four-unit with two driveways.

Can you take any driveway out if they're going to uh you know make a four-unit um um development here?

You could?

Would that be a condition of it?

Hmm.

I would be interested in that actually being in writing.

So a future staff and a future council would remember that.

Yeah.

So it's um, unless there were those kind of conditions that um uh the um the f uh uh future owner would just say yahoo, two driveways works for me, and uh then capitalize on that without anyone else being aware and and uh being in detail on a covenant or on the the property title or something like that.

So I I think we'd have to cover the basis pretty well.

But um I I appreciate the the the existing driveway, the existing carport is very limited.

Uh and just a question uh Ivan, the cost for connecting up to Peaceborough Avenue would be covered by uh the folks that are uh uh building it.

Uh Mayor Tobias, that's correct, it'd be 100% covered by them.

Council.

Uroil Avenue is comparatively a a busy street, and backing in and out of there is going to be more problematic than backing in and out of Bessboro.

I'm I'm perfectly fine with a driveway in Bestboro.

It's a it's a neighborhood street, it's um it's it just it makes sense to me.

So any other questions, comments, uh comments now.

Go ahead, Council McKenzie.

Thank you.

So I think there seems to be more positives than negatives in not following the bylaw in this case.

You know, in terms of positives, we're potentially protecting trees and we're also potentially avoiding parking on the street.

And then for the negatives, really, there was just the uh addition of a new culvert.

I had to Google that term when I was looking at.

Um, I don't really see what the negative of having an additional uh driveway is, and it's more convenient for uh the applicant.

So for that reason, I would actually I guess I could raise a motion to you might have to help me with the wording, but that an additional or two driveway accesses be permitted, with one being on Bestboro Avenue.

Yeah.

Yeah, Mary Tobias, it's um uh through Councilor McKenzie.

The uh option number two may be written that supports your motion.

Let me read that then.

Okay, yes.

Option two then.

Uh and you're seconding, Councillor Brown.

Thank you.

Um uh Council McKenzie, do you want to motivate?

You have done a little bit, but uh you're good, Councilor Brown?

No, what my colleagues have said it makes sense, especially Councilor Lemmon, it makes total sense to me.

So I think it's the way to go.

Yeah.

Yeah, I I'm I'm I don't have a problem with this if it saves some uh trees and uh and provides potentially the homeowners some opportunity for a suite and a garage, which is always required when you own an golden car.

So yeah, completely happy with that.

I propose an amendment.

Uh yes, you can.

So and and further that um um if and when the um the property is uh totally redeveloped with a new house or houses units, uh, that um uh the second driveway uh be removed, be it View Roll Avenue or Best Borough, but it would go down back to one.

So I'm just trying to to shorten it up a bit, Councilor Rogers, to make it make sense.

Are you is your motion to put a covenant on the second driveway?

Whatever staff thinks is the most effective so that future staffs and future counselors are going to not forget the uh the commitment um by this council and this uh the staff okay uh do you have a seconder councilor mattson you're seconded and it's over to you councilor rogers to motivate me council yeah it's um I I see the merit on the current situation because the the the property the difficulty in the property um the front door for the main house is is gonna serve as one and then then the they put proposed the back this is an old house it won't be here in 50 years and so um I would hate to see the um you know us and and even what staff may uh future staff may do but uh I think it's um um the the rule of thumb for one driveway is is pretty obvious we want one driveway because we don't want a whole bunch of driveways going in in and out of uh um uh dwellings so it's um I I think it uh allows the flexibility for the current owners and also um ensures that it goes back to a um um you know the standard uh once this difficulty is remedied with a new dwelling councillor rogers Council Matts yeah just uh to ensure that it happens because I know uh on Besbro many years ago uh council of the day allowed a second driveway to go in uh on one of those very small lots on governor's point uh because of the of health conditions of the uh of the wife of the owner so we gave the approval they put it in and within six months the people had moved out and they still have the two driveways so having a um policy in place or a covenant in place, however, staff thinks it's most effective to ensure that it's gone, I think would make me feel a lot better.

Okay, thank you.

Uh so we got a mover and a seconder.

Anyone else want to speak to it?

Uh sure, Council McKenzie.

So the way that this motion is written, if they do not develop a detached garage with suite above, they would not be permitted to have a second driveway, correct?

Yeah, that is correct.

And that it would uh have a also a covenant on it.

But but it would go down to one and that would be recorded.

Okay, so that's the motion on the floor.

We've got a mover and a second or all those in favor of the amendment.

The motion carries.

All those opposed.

So that's for the amendment.

Now we go back to the original motion.

And that is to allow a second driveway.

We've got a mover and a seconder.

So all those in favor of a second driveway as amended.

All those in favor.

Any as amended?

Any opposed?

Seeing none opposed, that motion carries.

Thanks, Ar.

Thank you.

And you're fine to leave if you want to.

It may be riveting for you.

You might feel uncomfortable leaving, but uh yeah, you're okay.

Yeah.

Sure.

Uh so I think that downs to request for decision early transportation project commencements for 2026.

Ivan, they've bundled you to be all of your stuff in one place now.

Yeah, I've taken too many steps today, so it's good for me to just stay up here.

So uh but thank you, Ivan Young, Director of Engineering, still here.

I also have uh Ben Luberzo, our direct deputy director of engineering here, uh that knows more about the details um about these.

But generally speaking, um the requests for decision are for two key operational projects.

Uh one is for uh our um bridge rehabilitation project and one is for a traffic signal renewal project.

They're both fairly important uh assets that we have.

And um they were supposed to be done last year, however, there were some unforeseen circumstances that prevented us from doing so.

Uh for example, the Craigflower Bridge expansion, uh when the initial budget was based on a order of magnitude cost estimate that was the it was an estimate that we're that we brought forward the council to the best of our abilities, but upon doing a class A B estimate, which is almost an exact uh cost estimate, it was uh quite a bit different, subs uh quite a bit larger.

And so uh in part I showed Sanich, it was decided to postpone that work to 2026.

Um, for the Highland South Bridge repairs, uh, it was basically shelf ready.

However, um the we're prevented from doing it because of the environmental fish window.

So essentially, if it were to do worse within the fish window, it's actually kind of illegal to do that.

So uh we had to postpone that as well.

Um, the traffic signal renewal program, uh, it is shelf ready as well.

Um, it has been uh awarded per se, but they could not start in the work uh until 2026.

So again, shelf ready, but not done.

Um staff is recommending a carry forward and to have the work started right away, partly because it is shelf ready.

So we want to get this done so that when it comes to the new budget season, that we have boots running ready to go with the next slew of projects.

One being for uh let me see here.

For the Highland Self Bridge, uh, we're actually recommending to amalgamate the 2026 and the 2027 works together.

Uh it would actually make economic sense because we only have to mobilize once to actually get cost savings.

And based on the cost that the redone cost estimates for those two projects, there's actually it's actually cost less for us to do it that way to do it in one go.

So we're recommending to do that.

Um for the crackflower Bridge program, our project let me just go to here the works are shelf ready uh um new information that's caused the budget escalation from the original to go from fifty thousand dollars to 120 000 so there is a uh financial impact to doing the works uh but overall when you combine those the the bridge rehabilitation project uh program you've emalgated all of those bridge projects together it's actually less cost than what we initially brought forward to council last year so there is no financial impacts really.

It's uh we're actually better off.

Um for the traffic signal renewal program, um, basically just a straight carry forward uh because the the the the contract's already been committed and so there's no change there.

So the recommendation before you is that council pre approve the following capital renewal projects for the 2026-2030 financial plan.

Bridge rehabilitation project carry forward remaining 2025 budget and move ahead a portion of the planned 2027 work to 2026, establishing a 2026 budget of $225,000 to complete the Craig Clower Bridge and Highland Bridge self repairs.

And traffic signal renewal project C 186 carrying forward the remaining 2025 budget to increased the 2026 budget to 138,020 to complete the 2025 traffic signal renewals.

So the reason why um the traffic signal renewal project is increasing is because every year we're doing a traffic signal project.

So technically speaking, this year we'd be we would be doing two projects.

That's it.

Happy to take questions.

Thank you, Mayor Tobias.

Thank you.

I have questions.

Council Matson.

Yeah, I've just I don't maybe my timing's up, but the Craig Flower Bridge seems to be a relatively new bridge, and I'm just curious as why it's falling apart and needs repairs.

So that's one question.

And the other one, in terms of the the Highland bridge, I mean, I remember years ago, I think Dick Cheek's pictures over there somewhere, the second one in or third one in, uh somehow talked the council of the day into allowing Highlands to incorporate into View Roll.

And we did it under the strict requirements that it would never cost us any money, and it was just a paperwork exercise.

I'm just wondering if we can give it back because it's gonna cost us nothing for money in the future.

Um yeah Mayor Tobias for the the last question uh I I wish that was the case.

I don't think asset management was a thing back then.

So uh life cycle costs was certainly something that uh wasn't brought to the table.

Um so that's certainly our asset that we need to um that we need to maintain and replace.

But that's it I'll I'll pass it on to Ben with respect to Craig Flower Bridge.

Yeah absolutely so Craig Flower Bridge was uh construction was completed about 10 years ago.

Uh I've explained this uh scenario to many people.

So even though it's a young structure uh we want to give it the best leg forward.

And so what happens with these sophisticated structures is they do uh they age and they move in sort of a particular breaking in phase.

So call it maybe the juvenile phase of the asset.

And that's what we're discovering with the bridge.

So after it's constructed, we now have recognize some cracking that's that's showing itself through thermal expansion, not to get into any of those details.

So by us getting in there and actually sealing up the deck and also treating the expansion joints ahead of time, we're gonna be saving ourselves a lot of cost, potential cost down the road uh by preventing the the deck from going untreated and the more uh significant structural members from deteriorating too quickly.

Thank you.

A couple of questions.

Council Lemon, then Council Rudd.

Um the Highlands Bridge.

I've been sitting here and I didn't want to, and it was when Councillor Matson said when we when we um took on the Highlands, and I thought, oh, up there.

Is it the bridge that's way up and over?

Is it Mackenzie Creek?

Is that the bridge we're talking about?

So th through the mirror, forgive me, I don't remember what the name of the waterway is, but there are two significant bridges on Highland Road within Thetis Lake Park.

Right.

So this is the southern of those two bridges, which is the older of the two bridges.

Okay.

Good.

Thank you.

Second question on Craig Plower Bridge, which is it, yeah, I was at that opening.

That doesn't seem long ago at all.

Are we going to annoy people like people are going to be annoyed next month with the Bay Street Bridge?

Are we going to be shutting down lanes and and and and holding up traffic and redirecting traffic and be annoying?

So through the mayor, uh relative to the Bay Street Bridge, this is very quick work.

So we expect it to take uh maybe a month at most, and uh it'll be done outside of peak hour traffic.

So um there is one tricky area on the sandwich side where they're gonna have to single lane traffic because of the median in the middle, but otherwise the bridge is actually wide enough that we can pretty much keep traffic moving, and we always try to avoid working or shutting down lanes within the morning and the afternoon peak hours.

So really only only sandwich will be annoying.

I don't know the motorists understand the the boundary there, so we might hear it, they might hear it.

But either way, it it'll be uh fairly routine in terms of uh impacts to to traffic.

Thanks.

Jerry, Council Rogers, please.

Thank you.

Um on the traffic signal renewal, um, so we're halfway through this and just finishing it off in 2026.

Is that the idea?

Yeah, uh, Mayor Tobias, I would say 90 percent of the work is done in the sense that it took a while to get the design up.

Uh this is, you know, once the budget was approved in in May, kind of thing, we had to spend some time designing and then awarding.

And so uh everything that's been done, including the award, it's just as we did we didn't have time to put boots on the ground.

So uh should council decide to move forward with the staff recommendation, then it could be is pretty much shelf writing could be done fairly soon.

Great, thank you.

Just uh um so an explanation are you simply we renewing or putting in new traffic lights or uh actually involve uh changing of the signalization coordination?

Uh Mayor Tobias is the signal cabinets.

They're aging out.

So we uh especially with all that's happening in the call and interchange area, it's very important to make sure we have uh reliable uh signal cabinets.

Second.

Moving a second or any other comments?

Don't think we need a whole lot of motivation.

Ivan, you've done a good good job uh explaining.

All those in favor?

Any opposed?

Anything non-opposed, much curious.

Thanks, Ivan.

And I think you've got the next one as well, right?

Thank you, Mayor Tobias.

Yes.

Um, so this is the Chancellor Park Playground Equipment Award.

Um council will recall that uh this um was tabled at the at last week's committee at the whole meeting.

Um I believe it was at tie three three.

So now that we have seven council or a mayor and seven six council here, I think that was one reason why it was it was tabled.

I'll just go over I'll explain things in two phases.

I'll I'll briefly explain the project again.

Um and then the second half, I'll explain to uh mayor and council uh the um additional conversations I've had with the playground designer on what we can do to fit the playground equipment within the existing space to the best possible and the financial implications, sort of financial savings, I should say.

Uh so council will recall uh last week that um staff brought forward three options based on a budget of $300,000, of which $125,000 is grant funded for the playground equipment.

Staff recommended option one, which is the Smart Play Venti with a Wii go round.

And so the um the WIGO round is a specialized spinner product that is 100% accessible for folks living in wheelchairs.

The caretakers can be there with them.

And that's it right there.

So uh council will notice in the bottom right corner of the slide that the addition of a spinner and playground equipment will require an expansion of the playground area.

Uh the expansion has been specifically designed to uh make sure there's still enough room in the park for others to play, that's um, or others to read, uh, with picnic tables nearby and benches.

And also it is to is to make sure that it's not um impacting uh neighboring residents.

So you'll notice that there's still the space uh to there's a property to the east of this playground, and there is a space there that's still maintained green space for the purposes of uh not um not shifting the play area closer to that residence.

Um also because Habitat was the one that installed the swing in the first place.

Uh they have since confirmed that uh they can save costs by just keeping that swing there.

Uh next slide, Carl.

And this is the second option, which is the uh treetops, uh smart play treats treetops.

Um same idea in that uh it has a a spinner that's not like the Wii go round, it's a cheaper version.

Um however, a person that lives in a wheelchair uh is unable to just roll into it.

Uh the swing is also relocated to the south due to the size of that playground structure.

Uh next slide.

This final one is called the Smart Play Volo, it's the newest one.

Um I won't go into too much detail here because it is quite a bit over budget.

Uh 325,261, and that's even excluding um the need to expand the playground.

Uh next slide.

And this was the financial implications of the recommended option, the playground equipment being 267,000 approximately, and then uh $70,000 to do the playground area expansion, which includes an element of contingency.

So with this uh recommended option, there would have been a requirement to amend the financial plan to cover the additional $37,000 um in the budget.

Next slide.

And this the recommendation was the to uh go with option one and that the financial plan uh be amended to have a total project budget of 337,025 NEV GST.

So council through deliberation, um, from what what I understood, there were concerns about uh the expansion of playground being too much, and that what uh what we wanted to do was to better balance the Playground area, still leave a lot more room for green space uh for folks that um don't need to use the playground to use the the the park space as they please.

And the metric that was given back to staff was essentially what can we do to install the playground equipment in the existing area uh to the best of my ability, to the best of the ability and so my answer at that time was that we could probably get done there might have to be some expansions a little bit to make sure that there's safe space and so I brought forward that to the playground designer and uh the quick answer is that's exactly how it would be um for option one still would be the better option in the sense of space savings so doing some quick math and some quick uh looking at the design uh there would be an 80% reduction expansion in one side and a 50% in another.

So it would basically be a uh if I was to say encroachment deeper into the park would only go by about one meter.

And then to the side will be about three meters, but that was because of the slide that goes there.

Um so it's quite substantially a lot less space.

I would say in total, probably 80% less uh area being used for the playground space.

Um, the Volo came into better play based in that situation because the Volo is a better standalone product for accessibility.

Um also based on the cost estimate we received, it would still fall within existing budget.

So by going with the reduction in the playground in the playground equipment, uh the town would be saving about 95 to 100,000.

So that would put both of those options within our existing budget.

So that's for consideration, should council wish to consider the alternative option of going forward with uh the the smaller space.

Um thank you.

Um but that's it happy to take questions.

Ivan uh quick question uh the uh point that I brought up is if uh council's looking at any of the pictures there um in back of their uh the park it it goes down in quite a significant bank uh not usable for kind of playing or whatever it becomes a mudslide in the in the winter is it possible to move seeing how we're redoing everything, move it closer to the goose and I'm gonna say this for a couple of reasons.

One for accessibility.

It would give people potentially pushing a wheelchair and it's not always hard and dry in the summer.

Uh it would be closer to the uh the thing you can't see here is there's a paved parking lot and then there's an access to the goose and then you'd follow along the goose to get to the there's still a significant amount of lawn that you have to get into the playground.

Is it possible to move the whole thing closer to the goose for that reason?

And the other reason is a lot of families go there as well and somebody wants to kick a ball well that's now out of the picture because you've got some really structured stuff around.

Um, so for those families that just want to go hang out, kick a ball, play frisbee or whatever, it still gives them opportunity to do that.

And it's not completely broken up by the basketball/slash hockey thing as well as this.

Uh yeah, thank you, Mayor Tobias.

Carl, if you can go to the first slide, please.

Thank you.

Uh I'll like to point your attention to the uh snippet to the far right.

And you may notice that there are some uh yellow lines.

I'll just point them.

So those lines are important because uh shifting the paragon closer to the goose is not possible simply because that portion of the land belongs to the the uh this the capital regional district or the BC Transportation Finance Authority.

And generally speaking, they don't allow any structures whatsoever on their property.

So, how do we get a way of putting the other structure on their prime?

Mayor Tobias has a very good question.

I have a feeling that um as soon as we start doing other things to the park, they're going to request us to remove that.

Could nudge it a little bit within the yellow lines.

Uh Mayor Tobias, um, we certainly could, and uh I'd like council to consider that most accessible parks have a surrounding path around it, like a Eugene's asphalt um that goes around to improve accessibility for those living in wheelchairs.

So that space is set aside for in the event that that may be something that may be brought up as part of a parks and trails master plan, that there is room to install that there.

Or we could go to CRD and say, hey, do you mind us doing this?

Mayor Tobias, I wish I had a crystal ball that can say yes, that can get done.

Um generally speaking, they've been pretty hard on uh physical assets.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Yeah, my only concern here, folks, was not about accessibility, it was about getting to the accessible um uh playground.

That and that's we've got more than 10 percent of the people of View Royal living in probably a kilometer of the hospital right now.

Right.

And we probably have the least amount of park space and and i'm all for accessibility playgrounds what i see every day when i'm going by there is there's uh i don't know what you call it a jungle gym but uh uh some rings on it and it's not just kids that are using it it's people that are working out that are doing pull ups on it or stretching out or whatever i to be honest with you i'm really concerned about both the quality of the playground equipment i just see this as an operational nightmare going forward and replacing netting and plastic and all of the other things.

And what is there now may not be as CSA approved, but it has lasted a long time.

People are still using it.

And not just kids are using it as well.

I can't see so many adults getting anything out of interacting with it.

But when I look at what's being proposed, it's like just for kids.

As well as it really eating up real estate where I used to see people just go hang out for a picnic.

It's now just turned into kind of a kids themed park, which is great.

But on some very rare real estate for people that live in apartments that want to get sun on their face for a day and go out on a nice summer day, we've just just be conscious of that.

We've taken on a lot of that away from now.

And I know there's plans for Little Road that are years down, but Irksken Lane is open now right all of those apartments are are open now as well as the other one that uh uh is on the corner of uh a spire that's on the corner of burnside and helmkin that's uh renting now as well so that's hundreds of more people with less green space to go out and just hang out yeah uh let's start with uh counselor matsen and then counselor McKenzie and then Rutherford so one of the things we talked about last week was it last week?

Yeah.

Was the the we go around and the fact that looking at this thing, it's gonna be a it's gonna be disaster in terms of either damage or or just cleaning up.

And I can just see in the evening the people who will be staying in in the in that little place, sitting around having a beer or doing whatever kids do nowadays.

Um it's just the wrong structure for something that's open to the goose with so many people around it.

I just whatever we do, I think with the week the we go round just has to go.

Thank you, Counselor Watson.

Council Mackenzie.

So kind of to the to the contrary, I in the interim between the committee of the whole and and now I did go and and watch the videos, the manufacturer's videos on each of the equipment.

And the we go round really seems to be the one only one to cater to individuals in wheelchairs who can go there and use it independently from a carer.

Um I think we received this grant in order to make an accessible park.

And this location is the perfect place for it given the proximity to the hospital.

And so I think we should go all out on this.

We should make it a destination, um, really be a leader in the making accessible park.

I think if we do that, it will be popular and maybe deter some of the concerns that uh Councillor Mattson had.

Um I think if it's well used, that people won't loiter around and and use it for other purposes.

Thanks, Councilman Kenzie.

Councillor Roderick.

Yes, thank you.

You know, looking at the big picture of the map from the air, it it does seem like there is a other green space available for those that want to sit and read the book or something like that.

The uh given that the um the regal round is for handicapped individuals, uh wheelchairs and so forth, is it going to be a hard surface uh pathway to that structure uh so that they don't get stuck in the muddy grass?

Uh Mayor Tobias, that's correct.

It'll be hardscaped.

Um and then there will be um select rubber surfacing as well.

Okay.

Um I noticed there's a few benches right now will there be more benches for parents to be able to sit around and and watch their children on the uh playground structure uh mayor to bias is not part of this plan however we recognize that there will likely be a need for more so um whether it's through the recommendations of the parks and trails master plan or through ops that's something that we can certainly look into and provide in the future.

And thank you yes I concur with counselor uh McKenzie any other comments?

Councilor Lemon I concur with Councillor McKenzie.

I I think if we're um if we're developing an accessible park, we need to make it accessible and available and a place that children will want to go.

And I look at that thing and I don't see people hanging out at night.

I see children from uh Denise Place or whose parents are in Denise Place, but children who are getting treatment, um, children who live in the neighborhood making their way there and having something that is theirs.

And just across the overpass, like just feet away, there's the McClennon McClennon Trail.

Is that what it's called, John?

Jenny's place.

No, no, right across the there's a trail into P Royal Park, which is which is, you know, it's acres and acres to lay out a blanket and have a picnic.

You got your microphone on Councilman.

Any other comments?

Don.

Oh, sorry.

Don.

Yeah, it's interesting what uh Councillor McKenzie says, uh making it a uh uh place to go to.

Um and I'm thinking about the Sarah Beckett Park in in Langford by the soccer stadium there.

Um you know, Sarah Beckett of course got killed.

Uh RCP constable got killed in the car crash, so I'm not a drunk ran into her.

But anyway, uh I have grandchildren and I don't even know how they knew about it, but they said, let's go to Sarah Beckett Park.

So little kids, and they're they're six and five, I think, at the time I took them there, and and they always want to go to Sarah Beckett Park because it is they they recognize it.

And that's not that close from from Atkins Road to Sarabeka Park.

But uh I like that comment about making it a destination park for young kids.

Uh just sorry.

Um I also think that there's only like one other place in this that has that we go round.

Like it's not a common piece of equipment.

But that wasn't sorry, that wasn't my main point.

Um I do agree though, like it would with mayor to bias if we could move it.

And I know you said that that would probably not be favorable, but I wonder given the accessibility side of it, like could we not I think it's worth the ask still, like to the CRD to see if we could move it up no uh merit of bias I I wouldn't recommend that um I kind of know the answer already but I don't want to make any assumptions I just know that through previous discussion especially with the uh the Waucas Park um the new Waukes Park they basically just drew a line in the sand and said thou shalt not put anything I think it actually says no playground equipment in in that agreement so it'd be very difficult to come across that same win simply because it might be precedent setting in their minds.

Um, however, should it be council's wish, uh, we can certainly make that ask and then come back to council.

And just a question before we go to councillor Quelowich about this.

Now part of this plan will be some access point, like a path that would be wheelchair accessible to the goose, because the goose is connected by uh asphalt pass to the parking lot.

But is that included in the plan?

Uh Mayor Tobias, yes, that's included in the plan.

We've already talked to the BC Um Transportation Finance Authority about it, and they are on board with that.

Well, because that gets pretty soupy, that would be unaccessible without a path or half year.

Counselor Quowicz.

Yeah, that's actually what I was going to talk about.

I uh I have some some issues with the location itself of this, if it's going to be uh a destination park for people uh that have wheelchairs and perhaps are slower uh moving for various reasons.

And I really don't think this is probably the ideal location to be quite honest with you.

The Galloping Goose has a history of high-speed collisions with cyclists, uh uh e-scooters that are not regulated through the Motor Vehicle Act.

Uh I would I would recommend that if we're going to build a destination park, that it be somewhere that has a parking lot that doesn't cross a busy thoroughfare of uh people that are moving at high rates of speed.

Well, I'm gonna move staff recommendation.

Second.

You're allowed to motivate Councilor Lemon and uh followed by Council McKenzie.

I I think I have indeed last week um I'd be very proud to have this as a destination park.

Council McKenzie your opportunity to you don't have to I think I've said all so far thank you.

Councilor Rogers very good point.

You know the um considering the speed of um um cyclists and other vehicle, yeah, whatever, bikes and so on.

Is is that would that be a potential risk that we're exposing um handicapped children uh to uh that would be uh wanting to access the park?

Is there any way that we can uh ensure their safety as they go excitedly to this playground?

Um Mayor Tobias, we can probably work with the capital regional district about additional signage, uh potentially additional pavement markings on the goose to provide better uh information to those um traveling on the Gallup and Goose that there is an accessible park nearby.

Uh certainly something that we can we can look at.

Councilor Matsu.

Yeah, I you know, I hadn't thought of that, Damien, but you know, um, I walk along the goose every day with my dog, and I constantly get people on bikes zooming past, which my dog has a tendency to want to go jump at them.

But there's they're inconsiderate enough not to, you know, on the left, a bell, nothing.

And a 10 speed, you don't hear them at all.

Uh an e-bike, you can hear them, but they go so quickly, uh, they're they're silent.

And I just think it if we're bringing a lot of children into that area or people on wheelchairs right along the goose, it's you know, I don't like what we're doing here for other reasons.

I think, but but I think that's a significant enough reason to we should consider, you know, if we're gonna do a park and it's gonna uh for that purpose, it should be in a place that's better suited.

Thank you.

Uh Councillor McKenzie.

Is this a question already?

Uh okay.

No, I think we're good.

Um so anybody else, first timers happen to get a chance to speak.

Uh Councilor Quatsch.

Technically, I think it could be still my first time because we're now we're supporting the motion.

So, anyways, I'll continue to carry on.

The um I feel pretty strongly about this.

I think uh I think my colleague should really think on this one before you put your hand up here in the next few moments.

And signage is is one thing I can tell you.

I travel on the goose every day.

I have a public safety background.

Uh I think we already are at a level of negligence with the basketball court and the hockey asphalt there, to be quite honest with you.