December 9 Council In Focus

Final Council meeting of 2025 brief and bird friendly

The final regular Council meeting of the year opened with three Council members present in person, Councillor Jaime Cunliffe sending her regrets, and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Ross Blackwell attending online. The evening's gallery totalled five, both in person and on line.

Mayor Ken Berry opened the public part of the meeting by noting he had nothing to report out from the closed portion.

Public Participation

Norma Rodgers spoke on behalf of the Bear Smart committee, asking Council to consider including bear-proof structures in the building bylaw for new construction in the Village. "Many forested communities require that new or substantially renovated homes have wildlife-proof structures to store garbage and green waste," she said. "New construction rules could stipulate that when Lions Bay residents are building, their new garage be insulated and finished to bear-proof standards, or that they install a bear-proof metal shed or metal bin on a concrete pad. Every small rule change can contribute to improved safety for bears and people in Lions Bay."

Delegations

Bird Friendly Lions Bay member Charlie Bradbury was invited by Council to speak about the municipality's Bird Friendly designation and how this could relate to the draft Building Bylaw. Bradbury asked that Council consider adding a recommendation that bird-friendly materials be used in construction. She said that evidence shows breaking up reflective surfaces reduces bird strikes, and that options to do so are available at all budget levels. She said that Lions Bay is a community of leaders, and that this is an opportunity to "future-proof" the community. "Wouldn't it be great if 'the little Village that could' would lead the way in Canada?"

Bird Friendly member Penny Nelson, speaking as a second person to the delegation, asked that Council also consider adding bird-friendly lighting requirements to the Building Bylaw.

Fees Bylaw adopted, draft building bylaw referred to staff

Blackwell brought forward a Draft Building Bylaw (#649, 2025) for third reading. The bylaw (page 14) is intended to replace the existing Building Bylaw (#234) which was put in place in 1994, and is outdated. Blackwell noted that building bylaws establish a local regulatory framework that governs the construction, alteration, repair, and demolition of buildings and structures within the Village. He said the bylaw defines permitting processes, inspection protocols, and compliance requirements that collectively safeguard public health, safety and welfare.

Discussion included the value of tabling the third reading to reconsider the wording, however Councillor Neville Abbott's motion to table the bylaw was defeated. Instead, a motion was made to refer the bylaw to staff, which passed, meaning the bylaw will be reviewed before third reading is proposed in January.

Blackwell introduced a new amendment (page 76) to the Fees Bylaw (#497) which he said has been updated in response to community feedback and an internal review that identified unintended discrepancies in the recently updated fee structure. The bylaw passed, and a plan was made for Councillor Michael Broughton to return in January with suggestions for public input, either in the form of a task force or committee.

Staff Reports

• Blackwell brought forward a Development Variance Permit (DVP) requesting permission to increase the height of a flat roof from 7.5 metres to 8.7 metres, for the property located at 242 Panorama Place. As no concerns from neighbours had been noted, the DVP was approved.

• Staff recommended that Council endorse the 'optional bear cart' element of the draft Solid Waste and Recycling Collection Bylaw (#455) amendment (#652). This would mean residents would be given the option to purchase a bear-proof cart if they are unable to meet the existing time slots. Broughton noted his concerns that green waste is being restricted in the new amendment. Director of Operations Karl Buhr said that the collection company has made the restriction of green waste non-negotiable, as making multiple trips to the Village has been cost-prohibitive. Buhr said that residents with extra green waste will be allowed to bring it to the Works Yard for disposal. The motion was defeated, which meant the bylaw itself was defeated. A decision was made to discuss the issue further in the closed portion of the meeting at the end of the evening.

• Blackwell presented a report titled Community Amenity Contributions Zoning Bylaw (page 128), which he said addresses technical planning and legal analysis of the minimum lot sizes for single family residential properties in the Village. He recommended establishing a uniform minimum parcel size of 700 square metres, (100 metres smaller than the existing minimum). Abbott said such a decision is a pivotal element of an Official Community Plan (OCP) update, and added he would like to seek resident input before a decision is made. Blackwell noted that in this case, input can be received via a public hearing, and the motion passed.

• Director of Operations Karl Buhr brought forward a report with further information on the Snow Removal Policy (page 133) in which he explained that the written policy puts the current practical policy into words, and is not a means to provide special or preferential treatment to any one street over another. Abbott asked that 'as resources permit' be removed from the policy, or at least made to apply to all streets and not just those designated as tertiary. He pointed out that in larger municipalities, this statement has been used to justify the lack of clearing of side-streets. After discussion, the report was received for information.

Emergency Services

Fire Rescue Dispatch Report (included with correspondence on page 147):

In November, Lions Bay Fire Rescue (LBFR) attended nine incidents, with 16 uses of apparatus and 67 members attending. Average turn-out time for the month was 8:23 minutes, average travel time was 7:43 and the average time on scene was 84:32.

Correspondence

A preponderance of public correspondence this month (beginning on page 142) addressed concerns about the Professional Reliance Act put forward by the province earlier this year. Letters from the mayor of the District of Saanich (page 151), the CAO of Radium Hot Springs (page 153), and the mayor of the City of Quesnel (page 157) all spoke at length about opposition to the new Act.

Others included:

• A letter from the Union of BC Municipalities regarding the endorsement of a resolution regarding Emergency Water Treatment Plants (page 145). Abbott wants to take this to the next Infrastructure Committee meeting to find a way to offer assistance to the province and keep the ball rolling.

• A letter from the Union of BC Municipalities regarding the denial of endorsement of a resolution strengthening Emergency Management Capacity (page 143).

• A letter from Mayor Sid Tobias of the Town of View Royal, who is seeking a judicial review of provincial housing laws (page 160). Blackwell noted that the province retains the statutory authority to complete this legislation, so any statement made would be purely political in nature.

There was no resident correspondence presented in the evening's agenda.

Other Matters

• Minutes from the Council meeting on December 2 were not only adopted, but lauded for their clarity by Councillor Abbott.

• On the Action Log list of unfinished items (page 108), Council agree to strike the Wayfinding signage program (#311), which has been on hold for two years, and to follow up on a proposed local trail race (#339).

  
  
  
  

There being no further public questions or comment, the decision was made for Council members to return to a closed session and the open part of the meeting adjourned.

The next regular meeting of Council is not yet noted on the website calendar, but should be scheduled for January 6, 2026, with the public part of the meeting beginning at 7 p.m.

The Watershed welcomes your thoughts. Leave your comments below, or email us at editor@lionsbaywatershed.ca 

Like what you're reading? For as little as $5/month, you can support local independent journalism by subscribing to The Watershed HERE.