Council Meeting

Okay, thank you very much.

We'll call the council meeting for March 15th to order and begin the meeting by acknowledging our friends and neighbors, the Esquimalt Nation and the Songhees Nation.

This evening we will hear from the public under public participation and question period portions of the agenda.

If you wish to provide comments by telephone, you can call 778-402-9227.

And when prompted, enter conference ID 165-773-854-pound.

You will be immediately muted once admitted to the meeting.

Please do not unmute until asked.

At the appropriate time in the agenda, I will announce the last four digits of your phone number, ask you to mute the live webcast to avoid feedback.

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

And if you can begin with by giving us your name and address, please.

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.

And public participation will come up quite quickly tonight.

So if you're thinking of calling in, this would be a good time to do so.

And I think at our next council meeting, we're going to be back to normal.

Is that the plan in terms of public attendance?

That means there'll be two people.

That's right.

That's so at the beginning of our first meeting in April.

And so with that, I would like a motion to approve the agenda, please.

So move.

Second.

All in favor.

And then we have minutes from March the 1st and January 25th.

Opposed.

That's carried.

Move adoption.

Thank you.

Moved by Councillor Kowalewich, seconded by Councillor Rogers.

Comments?

No.

All in favor.

Opposed.

That's carried.

Mayor's report.

I'd like to um give Councillor Lemmon's regrets.

She is not feeling well and so is not here tonight.

I'd like to mention our fire chief who completed the wounded warrior run last Sunday.

And we were all very proud of him that he did that.

It was a really nice event at the fire hall.

It was amazing to have Dr.

Henry there and part of it.

And she ran with them from Langford to View Royal, which really gave them a boost at the end.

So congratulations, Paul, and to all the runners.

And they raised a considerable amount of money as well for mental health issues.

And tonight we unfortunately have the last council meeting for two members of staff who've been here quite some time.

One being James Davison, our community planner, who's moving on to Esquimalt.

And so thank you, James, for your many years.

You've you've done some major issues with the town from Christie Point to different rezonings and um all sorts of policy work.

So thank you for your years, and you'll be missed.

And John Rosenberg, the our director, who's also his last council meeting.

And John, I just don't even know where to start with you.

Um, but you really will be missed.

And I mean, I I think I can speak from all of council that you have an amazing skill of um when council's off on a tangent of being able to tell us so politely that we're crazy.

And I mean, I really mean that nicely.

You do, you've really perfected the art of doing that.

But then the flip side of that is you also really have perfected the art of understanding what council wants.

And I and I can't tell you at times over the years what that's meant to us, right?

And I really mean that.

You um you sort of see through it and you you get it and run with it, even if you don't necessarily agree with it.

So you will be missed, and thank you for your years and many major projects that that you've done.

Thanks, Over.

I feel like we should ask you for a reference letter.

Well, you don't need one.

But good luck to you, and we'll probably see you about, I'm sure.

Yeah.

So moving on, we go right to public participation.

Do we have any callers on the line?

Your worship, we have no callers at this time.

Okay, thank you.

So I think we'll move right to 8.1A, which is the parks wayfinding strategy implementation.

Who's speaking to that one?

Thank you, Your Worship.

I will share my screen here.

You can see that.

Thank you for the nice words.

It's been an honor and a privilege to serve uh View Royal these last 10 years.

So I very much appreciate it.

So the purpose of this report is uh to align a plan for a first phase implementation of a parks wayfinding strategy, uh, aligning with council's financial plan uh C-124 item uh for 2022 to 2026.

So the background is staff staff presented a committee of the whole report uh late last year outlining um a strategy which really borrows heavily from the city of Victoria.

Uh not trying to reinvent the wheel here, um, but um really to create a plan that is repeatable and that is consistent and it is applicable to all parks across View Royal as as uh you know if if a pilot works, uh it will be able to be repeated across all of the parks in View Royal.

So as far as the budget information goes, there's $35,000 allocated uh per year and uh a nominal operational fee uh maintenance and replacement uh over the next five years.

City of Victoria has indicated that the signs are approximately 2,600 to 3600 to produce and designed to be modular so you don't have to replace the entire sign if something in the park changes, so uh fairly cost effective that way.

As far as the types of signs go, uh there they range uh we are proposing a quite a conservative uh cost estimate for these signs, uh anywhere from $3,500 uh for a park identification sign uh to $4,000 for a directory sign.

So staff suggests that we look at two parks to start, starting with Portage Park as a pilot program.

And if there is budget left over, which staff has is uh indicated that that uh again a conservative estimate is that the entirety of the portage park plan would cost roughly 27,000 to implement.

Uh and staff is recommending if there is money left over from that, that it goes towards uh starting uh a sign program for View Royal Park.

As far as feedback, a program for collecting public feedback on the signs should be run the first year to provide a learning experience for the town.

If anything should be changed, uh we can learn that lesson for future parks and uh in in future years uh install signs in a similar fashion, such that there's consistency across across the uh wayfinding program in View Royal.

Here we have the Portage Park implementation that we saw in in December of last year in uh the the CAL report.

Uh and as mentioned in that COW report, uh council might also want to consider a First Nations uh naming uh addition to some of those signs uh in consultation with uh Songhees and Esquimalt bands.

So there's a recommendation.

The recommendation is added that council adopt the View Royal Parks Sign Strategy so that was an addition to what was in the report um the council implement portage park signage signage pilot program uh public input be collected around that program six months after installation and uh that any remaining budget be spent on the view royal park sign program thank you thanks James questions for staff no questions councilor rogers?

Yeah.

One of the uh there was there was mention of um signing the um um the the Port Harsh Trail from the uh harbor to the inlet in there.

And I'm trying to get a sense.

I see that you have one sign or proposing one sign at the uh uh kayak access and um but no other signs along the way, and that's the problem.

This is the the route is complex.

Uh it's difficult for for paddlers um to to know and to take their kayak along that route, particularly when it comes to the ENN.

Um so uh you know I I I feel that that's um uh an issue uh in the presentation if we're wanting to include that.

Um secondly, I I I think the the signs, the the most informative and useful sign is the directory sign, and uh that's the sign I had anticipated that would be in the in the uh um the main entrances um which is four thousand dollars each as opposed to the uh directory post so the um uh I'm concerned about the the cost there and um I'm I guess my other question is when when we looked at this um did we assess any of the municipalities um for example Esquimalt and Saanich and and what they have for their um standardized signage um um criteria uh thank you through your worship um the sanit did is not as far ahead as View royal and and their their program.

When we took a look, it was it it was uh not as informative as the as the Victoria approach.

Uh so we decided to go with the Victoria approach and mimic that.

Ms.

Guemel.

So we we agreed to this a few months ago, right?

When staff brought this to us.

Yeah, yeah, I guess.

Oh we did.

Um yeah.

I I guess um uh that's all the questions I have for now, your worship.

Yeah, I mean is someone prepared to move the recommendation.

No.

I'd just like to table it for a year.

Okay.

Do you want to move it to put it on the floor?

Sure.

Thank you.

And I'll I'll second it.

Yeah, we can talk about it.

I I'm not, yeah.

Yeah.

So do you want to speak to it?

I I didn't expect this tonight.

I mean, and I'm not as probably as passionate, admittedly, as Councillor Rogers, or have even as much uh education or knowledge about this.

So I don't have too much to offer other than you know, I I trust staff's uh research and recommendations and want to hear input from uh my colleagues.

Okay.

Sure now.

Mine will be shorter.

I mean I'm happy with the plan.

It's what staff talked about.

I just think in terms of this uh it's gonna be a tough fiscal time in the next couple years.

I'm I just you know, look at spending 175,000 over the next five years or is is too much.

And you know, my preference is just to put it off for a year.

But I I believe it's already in the budget.

I believe we've already approved it in the budget.

So if that makes any difference to you.

And this is something the staff has been working on for quite some time.

And and we did, I I can't remember exactly what meeting this came to us, but it wasn't that long ago that staff brought it, and everybody was enthusiastic about it.

So I too am a little surprised.

Staff, do you remember what?

No, yeah, staff presented a report to the committee of the whole on December 14th.

Um it borrows heavily from the city of Victoria's park signage strategy and both design.

Okay, Councillor Rogers.

Yeah, thank you.

Um I'm the one that uh brought this whole thing about having park signage, and um I'm um you know, it was about two years, three years ago.

And I think we'd allocated uh something in the neighborhood of you know five to ten thousand um you know to to do the pilot.

And at that time, um, you know, I was aware that uh there were groups that were offering to assist in and paying uh the signs, particularly on on the Portage Trail.

Uh SISKA, the uh Kayakis Association was willing to chip into it.

The four mile pub was willing to uh put in a signpost.

Um, and you know, so these those preliminary discussions that happened.

But um, you know, and I appreciate staff's uh research in this, but when um when I saw this of the presentation of the parts advisory committee, um I was um very concerned uh about the complexity and um the city of Victoria has indeed a Cadillac model.

And uh frankly I don't think we can afford it.

This is a hundred and eighty thousand when you consider uh that it's going to be over the uh period of years.

And um um if this is part signage, I'm not even sure that we're talking about trail signage in in this report.

And uh I would I agree with staff that we um should totally spend some time on the format of the uh the signs.

The staff did a great job in identifying the criteria that we should be assessing, and absolutely the First Nations component is very important in this whole process.

Um since December.

You know, I think the realities of a police building and all the other initiatives from climate action and an active transportation plan, we've got really important things to do.

And I think this is a nice to have, not a need to have, and I will oppose it.

Okay.

Well, I mean, I'm kind of stunned, um, given that you're the one who's pushed this for years and years and years and years.

Yep.

Kim, did you have something?

Your worship, I uh just wanted to point out that the entire initiative does originate with Councillor Rogers.

Yes.

In his suggestion that we have a wayfinding sign portage park that probably occurred three or four years ago.

And when we've come across this almost annually, we've struggled with the perspective that a single pilot project without a more global look at signage in general for our parks seemed to be at risk in terms of spending, and a more holistic approach should be taken.

And that has been the driver in researching what weightfindings should look like in view oil.

That is what drove the variety of different signs that we've identified in the program.

And they they researched other communities and found that Victoria has the best program.

And while the budget currently addresses one year, and and we do have in our financial plan additional spending in future years, council has committed to the first year only.

And so if if counselor Matson's concerned about the entire program, we have budget approval for the current year and appreciate council's consideration.

Thank you.

My guess is we're not going to get too far on it tonight.

I'm going to speak with Councillor Lemmon and I may ask that it be brought back to our next council meeting.

I thank staff for their work.

I think it's a valuable program.

I think it's worth doing.

I think, as you rightly point out, and the report points out that we're likely to not even spend the full amount this year.

It's being funded by casino revenue.

I I'm I'm surprised.

I mean, I I really um it's I don't think it's fair to staff, quite frankly, to give them a green light, green light, and then right at the end when there's a price tag attached to it, say no.

Okay.

But if I may worship when you ready?

No, go ahead.

Yeah.

No, I I I agree, your worship.

Um uh I'm um I'm hoping that we can um move this forward uh in a different direction.

Um if um we're able to um work on the design this year um for the parks and uh that we can anticipate what it would cost to sign the uh trails.

You know, we've got uh a number of parks ahead.

But it's not council's job, Councillor Rogers, to be designing the signs.

No, it's our jobs to adopt a program and uh and allot the funding so that it can happen.

Yeah, and and for that, your worship I would um you know recommend that we would have uh an ad hoc um citizen group and and working with staff uh so that indeed we could uh get something that's made for the town and and not um um you know the the the whole infrastructure that um the cities um uh we're we're modeling after is is I think far in excess of what um what really need and when I when I see a coal island you know they put a sign on coal island for 200 yeah, well, at any rate uh okay.

I'm gonna call the question.

So all in favor of the motion, those opposed.

Councillor Rogers and Madsen.

So the motion fails on a tie-in staff.

Maybe just make a notation that we'll bring it back to the next council meeting.

So moving along.

Um I suppose I yeah, anyhow.

We can we can sort that out.

So we have the committee of the whole recommendation.

So before we move the grants in aid, there's some clarifying information from the sexual assault center.

Um, so they're not in this list.

So I guess maybe at the moment we should move this as a block, and then if someone wants to move an amendment to add sexual assault center, that could happen.

Sure.

Okay, Councillor Kwalovich has seconded it.

So counselor Matson has moved it.

Second.

So it's on the floor as it is listed in our agenda there.

It's speaking to the uh the block, your worship.

Um in this list.

Um yeah, um, I'm I'm supposed to um explaining the uh 31,000 waiving the tax of the Highland Games, and I'm also opposed to uh the $2,000 for the climate action event.

Okay.

So does anyone I mean, I I'm not encouraging the amendment, but if someone is interested in making the amendment to include the oh so I can't remember how much it was four thousand.

And then the idea of that last year was because we did again write them last year and say this is going to be the last year that we fund you.

Well they asked for five last year we gave them two.

Um right because we're just getting into a steady ongoing but however I mean if you want to but I would certainly only do two I would move that we do the two and so you're moving an amendment that we add 2000 for the second assault center is what we funded the year before or whenever we're funded okay is there a second or for that?

A second for discussion.

Okay.

Just to uh appoint your worship and and I agreed that we did uh do two last year and that was uh during the pandemic times when uh we didn't have the casino on board uh we're helping us out.

Uh we do now and um uh I think um I think we had given five the year before, um which was a non-pandemic year.

So it was two then uh five then two, and now they're back up to five.

So um No, they asked for five every year.

And the idea of cutting them to two last year was actually to wean them off the funding.

Yeah.

That was that was why we did two, not because it was pandemic.

Okay.

Uh it might have been a factor in my mind.

Um but anyway, your worship, uh the uh the good news is that the province is indeed going to be weaning them off uh in the next budget year, so they uh they won't need to be coming back to us.

So um I'd be certainly happy to help them out with 3,000.

Okay well the amendment that's on the floor is for 2,000.

So if that's defeated then you can make another amendment for 3,000.

Okay.

Councillor Kwalowich just a question for Director Christensen or maybe one of my colleagues and I recall us having some uh reserve funds left over for this didn't we how much did we leave in just in case of situations like this?

A little extra money.

Well, we we put 10,000, but I think if we do this right now, we're just adding to the whole.

So that 89,586 will become 91,586, and we would keep the 10,000.

Okay.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Sure.

That's good.

Okay, so I'm gonna call the question then on the amendment, which is to add 2,000 for the sexual assault center.

All in favor of the amendment?

Opposed.

I wanted more.

Counselor Rogers is opposed, so that is carried.

I'm gonna call the question on the main motion.

All in favor, opposed.

Councilor Rogers is opposed.

That's carried.

Um, and then we have the number two recommendation, which just is the replying to Ian Brown.

Okay, moved by councillor Rogers.

Seconded by Councillor Mattson.

Yes.

All in favor, opposed, that's carried.

So we have minutes of WSPR from February the 10th.

Comments, questions?

Go ahead.

I have some speaking notes from our last board meeting, which was on March 10th, actually, I can give you because I seem to update uh people uh uh the the town as we move along kind of in real time as opposed to a month prior so we can confirm that uh there will be a $500 honorarium going towards an art project in the child care center if you recall, and the West Shore Parks and Rec uh staff will be handling that uh project to include First Nations art uh as well as some other local art that'll be handled by uh West Shore Parks and Rec with some input from each of the contributing municipalities.

We also were uh provided with a user group uh statistics report, and the numbers uh no surprise are up uh dramatically, and uh there's a uh increase in users for for all facilities, uh record numbers for the golf course.

So things are looking good there.

And the Friday night youth nights are back, and they've expanded it so that youth from the West Shore can now go swimming and then they can have access to the new sport court, and there's some uh video games and uh some time to spend with each other and some of the rec rooms there with uh some supervisors, and it's getting a lot of good uh feedback from the community.

So um a lot of good things happening.

Kid.

Any questions?

Councillor Rogers?

Yeah, thanks.

Uh if I may go to the uh February um uh 10th um minutes.

Uh this is the first one, the after-school care changes and um that was very uh enlightening.

I had no idea that um the program involved um running um picking up 138 children from nine different schools each day.

And of course, the challenges with that is eliminating what one bus route that would be affecting Highlands.

Yeah, that's um uh I like like the the board, I I appreciate the complexities, but my goodness, it's uh the imbalance that's uh yeah uh that's there for uh the the poor parents that live in Highlands.

Has anything changed on that?

Is that a work in progress?

That that was uh that's a challenging topic.

Uh the you can imagine the discussions that come up around that, you know, questioning really the requirement or responsibility of a of a rec center to be providing transportation from schools is is a really you know multi-layered topic.

Of course, you you know there's there's different socioeconomic uh situations at play and all sorts of uh scenarios, but ultimately um we're working through it.

Uh I'm not sure if that's the type of program that will remain in perpetuity as we move forward.

Uh there's also uh fuel increases and and staff shortages.

So there's there's a host of issues right now with that.

Um I think you'll see it finish throughout the year here and then be reassessed.

I mean, there's obviously elections in the fall too, so anything can happen.

Yep.

Yep, sounds like a plan reinvested.

Thank you.

Good.

Thanks, Damien.

So I'm gonna call the question on receipt.

All in favor?

That's carried.

We have the minutes from the joint advisory committee of November 23rd.

Yeah, supposed to.

Is that right?

Okay, so you just need a motion to receive some moved.

I can't read it.

So moved and seconded.

All in favor, opposed that's carried.

We have 9.2 A and B for information.

Thank you.

Second.

Moved and seconded by councillors Rogers and Matson.

All in favor.

Opposed that's carried.

And we have probably the most important issue on the agenda tonight is short term rental regulation.

This year's Swan Song, James.

It is, yes.

Thank you, your worship.

Please be gentle.

We're gonna go out on a winning note on this one.

So the purpose of this report is to present uh an amendment bylaw to the zoning bylaw uh for first and second reading.

Uh the amendment provides better definitions, more comprehensive prohibition of short term rental.

We're now calling it short term rental as opposed to vacation rental to more accurately target the use.

Um so this report recommends waiving the public hearing for the the amendment bylaw, given that it does not uh change the intent of the bylaw.

So it's uh the November uh committee of the whole meeting staff presented a report uh which made uh the following recommendations to reinforce the town's prohibition on short term rentals.

So definition for principal dwelling unit, which describes a residential use as one's principal dwelling where they where they maintain a home, they they they uh receive mail, that sort of thing.

And the definition for short term rental, which better captures the short term non residential nature of what the town had previously described as a vacation rental.

So considering the acknowledged housing shortage, it seems prudent to reinforce the prohibition on short term rentals, uh, clearer definitions, associated regulation, and enforcement clarity.

So, as discussed, vacation rental is insufficient for uh for describing what's a short-term rental.

Uh and council's goal with this regulation has been to avoid the commercial rental of a residential dwelling, uh, and really such that the residential unit is removed from the town's inventory for a potential resident.

The amendment bylaw provides more comprehensive definitions for short term rental and related uses.

So we're proposing uh A that vacation rental be replaced with short-term rental in the general prohibitions, that vacation rental be removed from the transient accommodation definitions in the definition section, and uh added to the general prohibitions would be both short-term rental and a non-dwelling unit short-term rental.

So that would be rental of things like parking spaces, RVs, that sort of thing.

We have a list of the definitions here.

Again, the non-dwelling unit, short-term rental, principal dwelling unit describing someone's home, principal resident, the person who lives in a principal dwelling unit, as well as the short-term rental definition.

As they are also considered a dwelling unit in the zoning bylaw.

And this does not impact non-commercial residential occupations.

So things like house exchanges, house sitting, having house guests, those sorts of things.

Those aren't uh rented, they aren't commercial purposes.

In the future, council may consider permitting the rental of one's uh principal dwelling.

So if someone wanted to go on holiday and rent their entire house while they're away, uh that would be a good way of uh increasing income for someone without without removing a residential unit from the inventory.

So next steps, staff recommends that council waive the public hearing uh as as this doesn't alter the intent of the zoning bylaw, it merely strengthens what the intent was previously.

And uh after first and second reading, um the waiving of the public hearing, date of third, excuse me, the waiving of the public hearing and the date of the third reading of the bylaw will be advertised in a local newspaper, town's website, and on the town's notice board.

So the recommendation uh is for first and second reading and the waiver of a public hearing.

Thank you.

Thanks, Jim.

I just I'm curious on do we need to define what short term actually is?

Like less than seven days, less than 14 days, or um, based on advice given to the town, um the the duration should not be an issue, the use should be the issue.

So uh it doesn't matter if someone's uh primary residence, principal dwelling or not.

I would still be there.

Moving away from uh time uh consideration and moving towards what is considered to be the principal resident.

Um if someone signed a lease and that's where they make their home, that's what we should be focused on.

The the duration of use is target as well as the definition of of renting a vacation place to someone's home.

Councilor Adjust.

Yeah, yeah, thank you.

I had the uh the same wondering and appreciate the uh the response on the short.

Uh thanks for the report, and and I appreciate staff uh catching this uh this issue uh for the town.

Uh it's uh um it is an important one.

Uh the last comment that um you had in the analysis and discussion, the last paragraph, and you uh um had just mentioned it.

You're saying that in the future the council may consider permitting uh the rental of one's principal dwellings if they go off on holidays.

Is it to say that one cannot do that right now?

That's correct.

Is that right?

Oh and so what um.

Yeah, I'm thinking of you.

Oh, I know anybody.

Yeah, I know.

So what would it take uh for us uh not in the future, but really soon uh to um clarify that for for residents because I certainly wasn't aware of that and and making it such that people could so what are you asking if someone wants to rent their own home for two or three months or something?

As staff has mentioned in the analysis and discussion that last paragraph, it says in the future, council may.

And uh so I think that might be something we'd want to just as we're taking care of uh this major issue uh today um with the bylaw, uh, that we probably want to take care of that little housekeeping aspect as well.

Except except what if you want to go on if you have three or four different groups coming in the four months that you're away?

I think we would define that.

Yeah, yeah.

So I mean there are some there are some issues that I definitely see.

Well, that's short term as opposed to someone there for a month with a tenancy agreement.

Well, I'm on vacation for two months and I have three gift from groups come in.

I mean, isn't that no, I get it.

Yeah, I thought and it's so it's probably some it probably would need some clarification, but not this evening.

Yeah.

But but I do have a I have a question too.

Okay, go ahead.

Yeah.

Okay.

So my neighbor has a you know, he doesn't rent it out, but he he has what could be a suite in his his basement, right?

You know, it's got a entrance.

So would he be allowed to rent that out on a short term?

It's not a secondary suite, but it's just a a spot.

So I and I'm not complaining, I'm just curious.

Now I'm under this under the change.

Yeah, thank you.

Uh to the chair.

According to uh what the the way that the the bylaw and the definitions are written, uh any part of his belonging that cannot be rented short term.

So uh the the short answer is no.

So his friends could come over and they could stay as you know as long as they want because they aren't paying rent and they're just guests, I'm assuming.

And if that's the case, the other question would be if his friend has a motorhome, can can you drive it in there and they're staying for a week, stay in the motorhome in his on his property.

This bylaw doesn't address the the motorhome living in a motorhome aspect.

If you're renting the motorhome, if it's your motorhome and you're renting it on your property, no.

Um off the top of my head, um, it is not technically permitted to live in a motorhome on a on a or accommodate in a motorhome in any aspect.

Um it's even a short term, like a you're I go read David's because the wife's throwing me out from my motorhome and I park in his driveway for a week.

I I couldn't do that.

Yeah, can I do that, David?

Sleeping in your car on a temporary basis.

Um there there's there might be some gray area in the regulation there, but um uh we do have we do have regulations for um the length of an R V that can be uh parked in a on a property and um but but you cannot um use a an R V or vehicle as as as a a living situation, no.

Counselor Kowalovich.

I'm just wondering what type of uh literature or case law or or any kind of uh legal ease that you came across in regards to implementing the bylaw for not being able to rent out someone's home, their whole home when they leave.

And I'm just wondering and and I'm just inquiring because I know that there's people that do this and you know all over Canada and the world and and and View Royal.

And I'm wondering just how you think, for example, this would stand up uh to higher levels of uh of law other than a local government um lens.

Uh thank you.

Through the chair.

Uh I mean, as far as this holding up uh uh to legal challenge, I that the uh a municipality has the right under the local government act to regulate land use.

I mean, and this is a a land use issue.

Um so it it it is to my understanding um entirely the municipality's choice as to whether they want to permit this.

And uh municipalities across BC and across Canada have uh made their own choices.

And um council up to this point has indicated to us that that um this vacation rental would be would be uh uh what is now short-term rental, be continued to be a a prohibited use.

Um much as council has has indicated today that they might be interested in permitting uh primary residence rental.

Uh the the main identified issue here today has been uh the supply of rental accommodation.

So accommodation to maintain dwelling units for uh principal residents for primary residential use.

There are other issues.

Um counselor Matson touched on the the notion of uh it being a dis disturbance to neighbors, and and that would have to have more exploration as far as uh the type of residence that that this would be accepted in, say not not necessarily uh a detached house or single family house but perhaps a a a an apartment use uh the I believe the town would have to put place a certain amount of thought towards where they would want this to happen uh and and specific zoning for for those places what about house swaps yeah, which happened, I think, more and more.

Yeah I I I I think it was in uh house house exchange I I mentioned house swap house exchange.

That wouldn't be considered a uh commercial use.

So there's really no exchange of money.

Councillor Rogers.

Yeah, thank you.

And uh to the bigger topic of uh today and and um you know the millions of uh individuals that are refugees um uh and that they will be making their way to Canada and uh to the West Coast.

Um I I see the the good news about this, you know, prohibiting short term rentals that would allow accommodation uh for those that are critically in need of accommodation.

Um this would not be a barrier for anybody who wanted to open a home for a refugee that was coming from Ukraine or anywhere.

Thank you through the chair.

No, it it would not.

It would not be a barrier.

Um, you know, if if someone was was was um renting to a refugee family, uh potentially uh the town does have a choice as to whether they want to uh enforce the bylaw or not.

Uh so that is always an option uh to to not enforce if if uh if the circumstance warrants.

Nice on compassionate grounds.

Yeah, okay, thank you.

I'll move staff recommendation.

Okay, thank you very much.

So staff's recommendation is moved, seconded by counselor Rogers.

Yes, so we'll call the question on that and then we'll do the bylaws.

So all in favor.

Opposed, that's carried, and then we've got first, second, and third of bylaw 1092.

I'll move first, second, and third.

Okay.

Second by Councillor Matson, seconded by Councillor Rogers.

Uh sorry.

Everyone's good.

Okay.

James?

Uh it was first and second reading and waiving the public hearing.

Sorry.

We can't give it third reading tonight.

Oh, okay.

It does say first, second, and third on our agenda, but that's okay.

Apologies.

No, that's all right.

So we'll do first and second and wave the public hearing.

Okay.

So that's moved and seconded.

All in favor.

Opposed.

That's carried.

Next up we have the Red Cross relief.

And I think we asked for this to be on here because there seemed to be a desire from council to send some funds to the Red Cross, especially while the federal government is matching.

Yeah.

So I guess the question is how much?

Were we talking about 10?

I'll move 10,000.

Second.

Okay.

So we've got 10,000 on the floor.

So I guess staff.

How would you like us to do this, Director Christensen?

Because we don't want to completely blow our budget of we're moving 10,000 for the Red Cross, which according to the budget, that would completely eradicate the pot that we created.

Okay.

Um so should we say move 10,000 being funded from surplus or something?

Would that make it easier?

And just keep it completely separate from the grants.

Your worship, uh that would that would certainly do the trick.

Um I it would be helpful to have the words like increase the grant and aid budget to include 10,000 for the Red Cross, and then identifying the source of funding as either casino uh casino reserve or surplus would be appropriate.

Okay.

So then we'll have the motion moved by Councillor Madsen to increase the grant allocation by 10,000 for the Red Cross relief fund for the Ukraine.

Um and I would just presume we would just fund that from casino like the rest of them.

Yeah.

Okay.

So that's moving seconded.

I think it's important to send it relatively soon to take advantage of the matching funds because that was a time limited um and I think we should also publicize it a little bit the fact that we've done that.

I know that's not really your department but I think we should put it out there on social media.

Almost the town of you royal has contributed 10,000 almost like a challenge to our neighbors.

Yeah a little bit yeah speaking of challenge um staff mentioned this last week, but uh I'd like to through the town donate my April's uh town stipend to this scene.

So increase it by whatever that amount is and okay.

Well, so let's finish this motion on the floor.

Okay, so all in favor.

Opposed.

That's correct.

So what are you saying?

You'd like to donate your your stipend.

My April, whatever our April pay is whatever we referred to.

Um the town donate it, I guess on my behalf and just take the money out that they would go and then add it to the amount the town gives to the Red Cross.

Okay, well, I think that's a very noble gesture.

I think probably you should make those arrangements with staff offline.

But yeah, absolutely.

Well, you can handle that, can't you?

Kim is nodding his head.

Yes, it should be something that um personal is not a business item up.

Right.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But I was also wanted to just put out a challenge there too for various counselors throughout the uh C D.

Well, you should do that yourself.

Well, you're not really on social media, but you that's exactly the sort of thing you could do yourself on social media is challenge other counselors to do the same thirty-four people on the new ones are going into social media.

Imagine if 90 mayors and councillors did that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Anyhow, no, I do think that's a great gesture, Councillor Matson.

I I really do.

And I think the town donating the 10,000 is also a great gesture.

And yeah, God is just so terrible watching what's happening over there on a daily basis.

It just rips your your heart out to see it.

Yeah, go ahead.

Yeah, and just so um while we're on the topic and just so it's on the record, uh as as my colleagues know I've been communicating with the Ukrainian Cultural Center and continue to do so.

So I'll I'll update them of this uh tonight as well and continue to uh liaise with them as uh as uh refugees do make their way to Greater Victoria and ultimately uh in View royal, and we'll see where we can uh assist as as needed.

Great.

Yeah.

I was there at the rally on Sunday, and it was extremely well organized and and well attended.

I look forward to next weekend.

Excellent.

Thank you.

Excellent.

Good.

So moving on, we have item 14, which is um work.

Oh, hang on, I missed question period.

Yeah.

So I was I was about to give the warning for question period.

So we're now at question period um all of a sudden.

So maybe we'll pause and just give people a chance to dial in.

778-402-9227.

That's seven seven eight four zero two nine two seven.

And when prompted, enter conference ID 165-773-854 pound.

So we'll pause there just for one six five seven seven three eight five.

And um if anyone would like to call in with a question, they have the opportunity to do so.

Is there anybody on?

I don't know.

There's a there's there's seems to be a few people that watch us.

Um Tara says there's one.

One right now.

I guess it depends what's on the agenda.

Scotty Jerry is watching.

Yeah, I think that's probably true.

Yeah.

We could ask Councillor Councillor Lemmon or former Mayor Hill.

Do you have a question?

Screaming at the telephone.

Do we have any callers on the line staff at all?

Your worship, we have no callers this evening.

Okay, thank you.

So I think we'll move along and we just need the rising report on item number 14.

If somebody'd like to move that.

Moved by Councillor Rogers, seconded by second by Councilor Mattson.

Second abye.

Good thing, because I've already had two meetings.

All in favor.

Opposed, that's carried.

And Sarah, if you can read the closed meeting.

There's a need to have a meeting close to the public in persons other than the immediate members of council, officers, employees of the town, and those identified under section 91, subsection two of the community charter shall be excluded on the basis of section 90, subsection one I, legal and K municipal service.

Okay, thank you.

Moved by Councillor Rogers, seconded by Councillor Madsen.

All in favor, opposed, that's carried.

And let us know when you're ready for in camera.