July 21 Council In Focus

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 Joe Chirkoff and Director of Operations Eric Villeneuve joined the table when invited. Gallery attendance topped out at 16 residents, both in person and online.

Council adopted the evening's agenda with a couple of minor additions.

Public Participation

In the opening session, longtime resident Marek Sredzki spoke about the work done at his property at 250 Oceanview Drive, and queried the negativity of other residents toward the land clearing. He pointed to a case where property was cleared of trees seven years ago without a public reaction, and noted that his property contains a botanical garden. He also said he purchased the land with the intent to offer Village residents a walkway between Kelvin Grove and Oceanview Road, which he said many Kelvin Grove residents have applauded.

Online, former Councillor Marcus Reuter spoke to the same issue from the opposing point of view. Referring to the petition signed by 44 residents that was recently presented to Council, he asked why the questions posed in the document had not yet been addressed by Council.

He listed the questions, including: "...that Council immediately issue a stop work order on the clear cut Rundle Creek property, that Council initiate a review of permits issued and that Council mandate the submission of comprehensive Geotechnical and Environmental Reports, verified by an independent QEP (Qualified Environmental Professional)."

Reuter cited planning consultant Steven Olmstead, who when speaking before Council in 2018, defined land alteration as including among other things “site clearing or removal of vegetation, landscaping, including planting and clearing, and tree removal.”

He noted the tree clearing had been done on a lot in what the 2017 Cordilleran Report defines as a known hazard area, and that the 30-metre riparian zone (creek-side area) —subject to provincial and federal legislation — had also been logged.

He asked if Council would initiate an independent review, as well as demand that the landowner obtain geo-tech and environmental studies to mitigate any risks to public safety.

Neither speaker received a response from Council.

Public Toilet Installation Up for Debate

Director of Operations Eric Villeneuve addressed members of Council regarding the siting of portable toilets at the corner of Crosscreek and Oceanview Roads. The site location was approved at an earlier meeting, but Villeneuve had been asked to appear to address Councillors' concerns about the chosen location. He said that he hoped a site visit held immediately prior to the evening's meeting had clarified any concerns regarding the installation of screening, which is intended to obscure the view of the portable toilets.

In the discussion that followed, other possible locations for the facilities were suggested, including near the Park 'N Ride beside the highway. Villeneuve noted that the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) has no appetite to place the toilets on their highway right-of-way, and that this project has been on the action log for 18 months. All present agreed that there is demand for facilities, as travellers regularly pull off the highway seeking washrooms, and not finding them, often relieve themselves along roadsides within the Village. Councillor Jaime Cunliffe suggested that while the current location is not ideal, the Village should move forward with this pilot project as planned, and continue to investigate other options, and that motion carried.

Annual Report Delivered

Chief Administrative Officer Ross Blackwell presented the 2025 Annual Report (page 22) to Council for information.

In the discussion that followed, Cunliffe brought up concerns addressed by resident Gail Craig (letter, page 211) regarding the timing of the Annual Report. Blackwell admitted that the report was indeed submitted after the province's June 30 deadline, the result he said, of having to wait for information provided by the RCMP and Lions Bay Fire Rescue (LBFR), both of which have undergone recent leadership changes. Financial Officer Joe Chirkoff confirmed that the Village will face no formal repercussions from the province for being late.

Municipal Elections Officers Appointed

Council appointed Blackwell as Chief Election Officer and Deputy Corporate Officer Kristal Kenna as Deputy Chief Election Officer for the 2026 General Local Election (page 89). Blackwell said that staff have been seeking election support since the last by-election, but have been unable to find anyone qualified who was free to take on the job, including past officials, since municipal elections are province-wide.

Second Quarter Accounts Payable Report Submitted

Chirkoff submitted the second quarter Accounts Payable Report (page 92) to Council for information. The discussion that followed also encompassed a report presented by Chirkoff comparing the budget against the actual money spent (page 103).

Abbott noted that there are a number of line items already at or over budget for the year and asked if there will be a budget increase request coming from staff. After discussion, it was decided to introduce possible budget changes at a Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting in early September, so that the current Council can hand over a balanced budget to the new Council. It was decided to hold a COW meeting prior to the first Council meeting in September.

Code of Conduct Bylaw

Berry also presented a new Code of Conduct bylaw for Council's consideration. In the discussion that followed, Councillors protested receiving the information with too little time before the upcoming meeting to give it thorough consideration. It was also noted that a standardized Code of Conduct may possibly be coming from the Union of BC Municipalities meetings this fall. In the discussion that followed, Berry emphasized the importance of generating such a bylaw, and made reference to Council spending "$85,000 in harassment investigation costs, with another $20,000 spent in the last six months." He did not clarify the source of these expenditures.

In the end, Council agreed to give the bylaw first reading and revisit it at a future meeting.

Mayor and Council Reports

• Councillor Neville Abbott made a motion to address community concern pertaining to noise disturbance from frequent Helijet/Fortis helicopter flights over the Municipality. The motion carried to write a letter to Fortis asking them to consider altering the flight path.

• Abbott offered Council a report on matters pertaining to land clearing

  and a Temporary Access Permit in Kelvin Grove (page 183). Discussion included reference as to whether land that may have been considered Community Use (protected land within the Village set aside for community use) was affected by the clearing, There was also discussion of an extension that had been applied for by the resident to maintain the temporary access to the property. Villeneuve clarified that the original permit expired after a three-day extension and that a new permit, which expires in November, has been granted.

• Councillor Michael Broughton asked staff for an update regarding use of the newly upgraded Beach Park. Councillor Ron McLaughlin confirmed that resident watercraft storage is proceeding as planned.

• Abbott attempted to make a budget clarification regarding the General Civil infrastructure Request For Proposal, but Blackwell and Villeneuve confirmed that they have these operational matters well in hand.

• Broughton asked about evacuation plans in light of the recent fire at 100 Kelvin Grove Road. After discussion it was decided to hold an Emergency Planning Committee meeting with Emergency Planning Coordinator Mary Brown before the end of this Council's term.

• A series of issues brought forward by Abbott from the most recent COW meeting were primarily resolved through discussion. In the end, Council agreed to a motion to direct the Infrastructure Committee to review the Staff Infrastructure Reserve report from the July 7 COW meeting, and report back to Council. It was also agreed that staff would appoint a Steering Committee (with the support of the Climate Action Committee) for the upcoming Natural Asset Inventory and Climate Adaption Plan process.

• Mayor Ken Berry offered a report to council on the topic of Communication Governance (page 157), and made a motion to have Council communicate information to the public only through "Official Village Distribution Sources”. As the website and some widely-shared emails penned by Councillor Ron McLaughlin were the subject of debate, McLaughlin recused himself from the vote, and left the meeting. After a heated exchange, Berry's motion was defeated.

Goose Poop Protocol

Councillor Michael Broughton asked that Council direct staff to develop a comprehensive Canada Goose Management Plan for Lions Bay beach and park areas, (page 171). He asked that staff report back to Council within 90 days with a draft management plan, cost estimates, and recommended next steps. Discussion addressed that this request has been made of staff in the past, when they had been unable to comply, but nevertheless, the motion passed.

Other Items of Note

• The minutes from the regular Council meeting held July 7 (page 6) were approved with a few minor changes.

• After discussion, the proposed Indemnification Bylaw (No. 666, page 13) was adopted.

• In response to a question from resident, Abbott asked staff to bring forward a policy on the possibility of adding a youth category to the annual Citizen of the Year Award.

• With regard to the recent installation of noise monitoring software on the highway, Abbott asked who would have access to the data. Villeneuve said he has an upcoming meeting scheduled with the operators, and will be able to provide more answers after that.

• Regarding the status of the water metering project, Villeneuve said he expects a signed contract for the water meter hardware provider by the end of the week, and is still evaluating bids from companies for the installation part of the project.

• Villeneuve had no updates to offer on the status of pink bins for recycling small metal, and noted that the contracts for a new solid waste provider had not yet been awarded.

• After discussion, it was agreed the draft version of the 2025 Local Government Climate Action Program Report (page 114) was ready for submission by July 31. Abbott pointed to the associated emissions graphs, and noted that after several years of reduced emissions, the increased numbers this year reflect that the recently-acquired F150 pickup has caused gasoline usage to go up. He said he would like to bring a review of alternative options back to Council in an upcoming meeting.

• A request to increase the budget of the Village storage facility by $30,000 (page 139) was voted down.

• Council discussed changes to the meeting calendar during the 2026 election period, and agreed to address any changes needed in September.

  
  

Correspondence

Public correspondence (beginning on page 187) opened with a letter from Tara Fagenello from the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs regarding updates on the

progress of Codes of Conduct Amendments and Parental Leave Amendments.

Others included:

• Mayor Michael Goetz of Merritt regarding animal welfare pertaining to the release of pigeons (page 201).

• Chair of Central Okanagan Regional District Loyal Wooldridge regarding LGCAP funding (page 449).

• Lake Cowichan Mayor Tim McGonigle regarding the Elect Respect campaign (page 204).

  
  

Resident correspondence opened with a letter from former Councillor Norm Barmeier regarding the tenor of the recent Infrastructure Reserve Requirements report. (page 206).

Others included:

• Emilie Montgomery regarding an email sent by Councillor Ron McLaughlin (page 208).

• Gail Craig regarding timing of the release of the 2025 Annual Report (page 211).

There were no further public comments, and so a successful motion was made to adjourn the meeting just short of three hours after it began.

The next regular meeting of Council is scheduled for September 7, with the open portion of the meeting beginning at 7 p.m.

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