Three new faces join Abbott on Council After a long evening of counting, unofficial municipal election results are in, and the Village of Lions Bay has a new council. Chief Electoral Officer Ross Blackwell reported that ballots counted this evening included those cast today, as well as ballots from the advanced voting that took place on October 7, along with any mail-in votes received. Blackwell tells The Watershed the preliminary results* are: Mayoral Candidates Ron McLaugh

Beach Park Costs: Under budget or overrun? Tuesday's meeting came with the shortest agenda of the year at 39 pages. Councillors Neville Abbott, Michael Broughton and Ron McLaughlin, along with Mayor Ken Berry were all present at the table, Councillor Jaime Cunliffe and Chief Administrative Officer Ross Blackwell joined the meeting online. Financial Officer Joe Chirkoff and Emergency Program Coordinator Mary Brown sat in the gallery, and joined the table later in the meeting.

Reports look to the future Members of Council all appeared in person for the penultimate meeting of this term, apart from Mayor Ken Berry, who chaired the meeting via Zoom. Prior to the adoption of the agenda there was considerable discussion, after which a number of new items were added. The agenda can be found HERE. Sixteen residents attended in person and online. Director of Operations (DOO) Eric Villeneuve, Finance Officer Joe Chirkoff and Fire Chief Lorenzo De Arcangelis

Big changes in store for garbage collection File photo of a typical clip-style 240 litre bear-resistant disposal bin. Planned changes to garbage collection in the Village are drawing negative feedback from some residents. In a recent letter to Council (and copied to The Watershed), Bear Smart team member Norma Rodgers expressed outrage that a new garbage collection contract for the Village had been signed without consultation with residents. At the September 1 Council meeting

Blackwell shares thoughts Lions Bay residents are being asked to participate in a provincially-mandated review of the Village's Official Community Plan (OCP). The current version of the plan (downloadable HERE) was enshrined as a bylaw in 2009, with an addition to outline greenhouse gas emissions targets in 2010 and a second to clarify the Village's regional context statement in 2016. The regional context statement was updated again in 2022 to reflect the Village's rural desi

Residents protest waste removal plan in double-header meetings September is the last full month of this Council term as municipal elections fall on Saturday, October 17 this year. The return to the Council table for the first time since the summer break meant a busy evening for Councillors and residents alike, with a Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting scheduled just prior to the evening's regular Council meeting. Committee of the Whole The first meeting of the evening began

First OCP event in the books: will you take part? Editor's note: Watershed reader Alison Gerlach states that Modus informed her that a paper version of the survey will be available at the office, for those who would prefer it to the digital version, which can now be found HERE. Lions Bay residents attend OCP event at Village Hall on August 22. Photo by kc dyer. Residents recently gathered to share their thoughts about a new, fully-funded reassessment of the Official Communit

Official Community Plan update awaits your say The last comprehensive update to Lions Bay's Official Community Plan (OCP) was 17 years ago in 2009. According to Chief Administrative Officer Ross Blackwell, the OCP has had several "relatively minor" amendments since then, but much of the existing plan for the Village features priorities that are nearly two decades old. "Much of the current OCP reflects the legislative, planning, environmental, demographic, and community contex

Packed agenda for final meeting before summer break Council members gathered for the final scheduled meeting of the summer on Tuesday night were faced with a surprisingly hefty 212-page agenda. At the end of one of the first truly hot days of July, Councillors Neville Abbott, Jaime Cunliffe and Michael Broughton were present at the table with Mayor Ken Berry and Chief Administrative Officer Ross Blackwell. Councillor Ron McLaughlin joined the meeting online. Financial Officer

Safety, bylaws and 'eye-poppingly' high costs on July agenda The only Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting scheduled for July in Lions Bay arrived with a packed agenda addressing issues from public safety in emergencies to the high costs of future infrastructure replacements. COW meetings are discussion-focused gatherings intended to allow Councillors to take a deeper look at complex issues without making any formal decisions. All councillors were present at the table, apart

Zoning and Development Bylaw Paused In the second of two events on Tuesday last week, Council members gathered for the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. All members were present at the table except Councillor Jaime Cunliffe, who attended online. The agenda can be found HERE. Twenty residents attended in person and online. Mayor Ken Berry opened proceedings by thanking donors Victoria Rogers and Kim Mailey and the LB Arts Committee for their hard work on the new art installation at

Hearing Addresses Amendments Public sentiment toward proposed amendments to the Village's Zoning and Development Bylaw was overwhelmingly opposed at last Tuesday's public hearing. The hearing began Tuesday night in Council Chambers at 8 p.m., after an adjournment paused the regular Council meeting. There were 13 people present in the online gallery, with five residents attending in person. The formal notice announcing the hearing stated that proposed amendments to the bylaw w

Clear-cut concerns continue All members of Council were present in person for Tuesday's Council meeting, with Chief Administrative Officer Ross Blackwell joining the table. After a heated discussion before the meeting began regarding which items would be included in the agenda, Council moved into a closed session. When Council returned to an open session, Mayor Ken Berry announced that Council had endorsed the Lions Bay Arts Council's choice of art wrap for the Beach Park was

Some residents worried about speed, focus of changes A public hearing scheduled to address changes to the zoning bylaw that addresses lot size is being met with concern from a number of local residents. As noted by staff in the May 22 Village Update, the proposed amendments to the bylaw in question, Zoning and Development Bylaw No.520, 2017, would revise three sections of the zone governing all single-family properties in the Village in order to establish a minimum parcel are

Audit, many strategic priorities complete With all Council members present at the table, and a comparatively small gallery of 12 attendees on line and in person, the final Council meeting of May took place on Tuesday evening. Chief Administrative Officer Ross Blackwell joined Council members at the table, and Financial Officer Joe Chirkoff was present in the gallery. The evening's agenda, which was approved with a few minor additions, can be found HERE. MNP's Cory Vanderhors