Council Meeting

Okay, thank you very much.

We'll call the meeting to order at 7 o'clock.

And I'll begin by acknowledging our friends and neighbors, the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations.

There's there's blue with new business, but both of those items are in our iPads, so as long as you've updated it's all there.

And this meeting is being held under the auspices of Ministerial Order M192 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The public will be able to participate during the public participation, which is right up at the beginning of the agenda, and we will get there very quickly.

And you can also participate during question period.

Public participation at the beginning is for anything that's on the agenda tonight.

And question period, you can ask a question about anything.

Um, the number is on your screen 793 225 828.

Oh, sorry.

You're supposed to dial 778 4002-9227 and then enter the conference ID, which is 793-225-828 pound.

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

I'll ask you to mute the live webcast to avoid feedback.

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

And if you can begin by giving us your name and address for the record, please.

If you're providing comments through the chat feature, that feature is open.

Not at all.

We need to update this little blurb.

So the chat feature is not actually in use anymore except for public hearings.

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.

Thank you.

And so with that, I need a motion to approve the agenda as amended.

So second.

Thank you.

It's moved by Councillor Mattson, seconded by Councillor Rogers.

All in favor, opposed, that's carried.

We have A, B, and C for minutes from May the 11th, May 4th, and April 27th.

Thank you.

Moved by Councillor Rogers.

Seconded by Councillor Mattson.

All in favor, opposed, that's carried.

I don't have anything under Mayor's report tonight.

There's no petitions and delegations, so we are right at public participation.

Staff, do we have any callers on the line?

Mayor Screech, we do have one caller with the last four digits, 5605.

Okay, thank you.

So caller with the last four digits, 5605.

This is your opportunity to speak if you'd like to speak to an item on the agenda tonight.

Caller with the last four digits 5605.

Remember to press star six to unmute yourself, and then this is your opportunity to speak.

My name is Sorry.

I'm my name is Jackie.

Well, that's fine.

I'm from Pheasant Meadows Co-op and I'm just um listening into the meeting.

Oh, okay.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thanks.

So and there's no other callers on the line staff.

No, Mayor Screech, not at this time.

Okay, thank you.

So then we're gonna move right down to the committee of the whole recommendations.

I move one to start you.

Thank you.

Except I had sent a revised number two.

Did you?

Yeah.

Did everyone see that?

No.

Well, you should have, because I sent it by email yesterday morning.

Um, let me see if I can find it here again.

Um so I I changed it to um the council right to the minister expressing concern that COVID-19 related delays in the courts, along with COVID-related issues in our prisoner holding facilities, are resulting in difficulties that have a direct impact on our community communities.

Um, and I thought that was a little better than council trying to wade into the whole issue of whether Crown Council is proceeding with a number of charges.

Agreed.

Yeah.

Okay.

So they're gonna ignore either of those.

Well, they probably will, but it could start a discussion.

I think our concerns, you know, that the courts are so backlogged, and that's resulting in prisoners back, like even that fellow in Thick West who set that fire, he's already back out.

Not even on bail, just on a promise to appear.

Anyhow, Sarah.

Thank you, your worship.

Uh, if the change is to be accepted, would you also like that last sentence about and that this letter be sent to all municipalities in the capital region left in?

I think so.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Yeah.

So is everyone okay with that?

Absolutely.

Do we need do we need a new motion?

Well, I think we can we can move them all with that amendment.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So he's all already.

So who moved that?

I moved.

Somebody there is a couple of things.

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

Okay.

All in favor, opposed, that's carried.

Well, they can't.

We are gonna be done with this quickly, aren't we?

So next we have 9.1 A, which is the Salvation Army flags.

I'll move receipt.

Okay, thank you.

Is there a seconder for moving receipt?

Second.

Okay, so receipts moved by Councillor Mattson and seconded by Councilor Rogers.

And I I'm presuming receipt would just mean we would send a nice letter back saying thank you, but we're not really interested at this point in time.

Yes, okay.

I, you know, it's uh just a comment on this.

Um, they were asking for I think 32 signs throughout V oil, and I wouldn't mind um if there were you know 10 in in some strategic locations, but um, I mean, is that an option for us to consider a limited number?

Um, because it's during the Christmas uh season.

So yeah.

I think it's a I mean I have difficulty with it on it.

I mean, it is a religious organization as much as they do a lot of good work.

So where do you draw the line?

If one would do one, then the rest will come.

Exactly.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So I think we're probably better just to stick with our snowman Christmas banners.

Yeah, yeah.

Okay.

Everyone's good with that.

All in favor, posed, that's carried, and then there's item B, which is the Spectrum Community School looking for a little bit of help for their grad.

So it's are they going to have a get together function this year in the days of COVID?

Well, it certainly sounds like they're trying to organize something, right?

I mean, I think we should give them a thousand dollars.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

I guess um, you know, yeah, we're already over budget by by a thousand dollars.

Yeah.

And um that uh that would put us over too.

Um but but keep in mind that we did at the end of budget session, we did say to staff, shall we make a pool of funds for requests that we get throughout the year?

And we were assured that they could be come out of surgeon surplus or contingency.

So I wouldn't worry about being a little bit over budget.

This is a good cause or something.

But I I guess what I'm um they haven't given a budget as to what they plan to spend, and um you know maybe it's really super low-key because of the uh the covert circumstances.

Who knows what uh what that's gonna be um for the students?

So I'm not sure about uh a thousand.

Um I was thinking more about five hundred.

Well, we gave them 750 in 2016 and 2017, and we gave them a thousand in 2018 and 2019.

Yeah, and we skipped last year.

So if you want to look at it that way, it is 500 a year.

Well done.

Or we could give the same as last year.

Yeah.

I I'm happy to support a thousand.

Okay, so thousands moved by Councillor Mattson, seconded by Councillor Lemmon.

I'll move a thousand.

All in favor.

Opposed.

That's carried.

And then we have the nine point two letters, which are really all no, we missed C.

Oh, sorry.

Oh, right, because C is on the new business.

Yeah.

So why isn't it?

Oh yeah, okay.

Yeah.

So three we have for action from Mr.

Saney.

So Councillor Lemon, you clearly want to speak to this.

Well, I I don't have a lot to say, except Mr's Mr.

Seney is is um clearly being affected and troubled by the uh loud loud motorcycles going past his window.

And and um he tells me that you know some of his neighbors had put in double glazing and and have actually moved because of of the of the um the noise.

So I you know what to do.

One one thing he pointed out was that Kelowna, which has had has you know probably a lot more, um they have put up signs that simply say noise watch.

And you know, but are they effective?

Perhaps, you know.

I think it they just give an indication that that um it's it's it's a it's a it's not a loud noise zone.

I I don't know.

I I I you know he's he's he's um he's a good citizen and um they're all good people in there and and um and they're they're struggling with this.

And I know enforcement is tricky.

You know, you can't we can't have someone stationed there all the time waiting for a loud motorcycle.

But certainly on Sundays, it's it, you know, I'm I live close enough to it, I don't feel affected, but certainly conversation is it you know is is not possible when there's the streams of motorcycles in Harley's mostly um going through.

I I think um if we simply pass this on to the RCP and and um um and ask when the circumstances you know they they um they hear a loud vehicle then pull them over check them out and so i uh i think it's um it it's just part of the um um you know the peace and tranquility that um if the if the constable can help out not that he's gonna drop everything else but he's just he may be just driving around doing patrol and there's some individual with a nasty vehicle well then pull them over.

Could be a hell's Angels.

Well, staff have forwarded it to the RCMP already.

Well, then that's about as much action as we we can take.

And and we did talk.

I know we talked to Superintendent Preston last year about it.

Um yeah.

Okay.

I mean, I don't know that signs, you know.

I mean, we've put up so many signs.

Um we do.

You know, and I don't honestly know that a sign saying it would make any difference.

It may encourage the noisy people to kind of just test our patience.

Okay, I'll I'll move that.

We receive the letter and send a note off to the individual advising that we forwarded his concerns to the RCMP.

Second.

Okay, so that's moved by Councillor Mattson, seconded by Councillor Kowalewich.

Okay, all in favor, opposed, that's carried.

So then we have 9.2 A, B, and C.

See it's moved by Councillor Rogers.

Move receipt.

Thank you.

Seconded by Councillor Matson.

Comments?

Thoughts?

No.

They're taking away our funding for the um yeah.

For the carbon neutral program.

I I I wonder what uh the NEA what's the financial implications for the town.

Do we know?

Kim, do you know what the financial implications are for the town of that one?

I don't offhand no.

No.

It's a modest amount, something less than $10,000, I expect.

Right.

Yeah.

Okay.

Maybe teach them enough by carbon offsets.

It's because that was originally a BC liberal program, right?

So that's why it's been chopped, I'm sure.

Um for all the COVID costs.

Okay, all in favor?

Opposed, that's carried.

Nothing under bylaws.

We have new business Councillor Mattson pooling council income to pay for two additional counselors.

So should we make the decision to add two additional counselors?

Given that we're in dire financial times and the casino might not be open.

I'm moving that.

Should we do add two additional counselors that all of council income be put together in one big pot and then reallocated amongst five counselors?

Or six counselors and the mayor.

So are you actually wanting to put that on the floor right now as a motion?

Yes.

Okay.

So just so I can tell my friends I put it on the floor like they asked me to, and nobody seconded it.

Okay, so counselor Madsen is moving that in the event that we increase council to seven, that the pay would be rejigged so that there'd be no increase in overall gross salary.

That's it exactly.

I'd have to make comment, but I'd have to second the digital.

Yeah, so don't don't second.

Because I'm probably gonna rule it out of order if I'm pushed, because it's not even a thing yet.

Why don't we debate when it's at the uh yeah, exactly?

I mean, if you're serious about that motion, I think the time to make it would be when we make the decision to go to seven.

Yeah.

And maybe cooler heads will prevail if we don't.

Okay.

Well, nobody's seconded anyway.

So I'm just happy he was on side with with seven.

Should I hear eight?

Do I hear nine?

Okay, so we're gonna agitate it for another time.

We're gonna carry on to that and we're going to go to question period.

And so we'll just pause there for 30 seconds just to give people the opportunity to call in if they would like to.

The numbers on the screen.

778-402-9227.

I might explain to those listening that meetings are usually much longer.

I don't know there's that many.

Okay, I will put I will after.

Are there any callers on the line staff for question period?

Uh Mayor Screech, we still just have the one caller with the last four digits, 5605 on the line from before.

Thank you.

So we're gonna close the meeting.

That was a very fast council meeting to those of you who may be watching.

Um they're not usually that quick, but we are closing the meeting there and going in camera.

So I'm gonna ask Director Jones for a in camera resolution, please.

Thank you, your worship.

There's a need to have a meeting closed to the public and persons other than the immediate members of council, officers, and employees of the town, and those identified under section 91, subsection two of the community charter shall be excluded on the basis of set of section 90, subsection 1e, land.

Okay, it's moved by councillor Lemon.

Councilor Lemon.

Seconded by Councillor Rogers.

All in favor, opposed, that's carried, and then just a motion to terminate.

So second.

Thank you.