November 18 Council In Focus

Council decries online abuse: Police notified

The second regular meeting of Council got off to an unusual start when Chief Administrative Officer Ross Blackwell delivered a statement on behalf of Council.

The statement decried online harassment and threats made to three councillors, noted the damage done by such actions and said a report has been made to police.

No further comment on the subject was made, and regular meeting routines resumed.

Council members were all present in person except Mayor Ken Berry, who chaired the meeting online. Two people were present in person and the gallery topped out at 21 online.

Public Participation

Lions Bay resident and architect Russ Meiklejohn said he was making himself available for questions regarding the Development Variance Permit (DVP) application for 210 Lions Bay Avenue, and it was agreed he would remain until the issue arose on the agenda.

Unfinished Business

Two Zoning and Development Bylaw (No. 520) amendments were offered for third reading. The amendment addressing setbacks (No. 650) was put forward, and after a brief discussion regarding the special nature of Brunswick Beach, the bylaw was successfully given third reading.

The amendment addressing short-term rentals (STR, No. 641) was also offered for third reading. Discussion addressed concerns raised by residents in letters and in person at the Public Hearing. Blackwell noted that any elements where there was no legal ability for enforcement in the original bylaw were amended. He reminded Council that STRs are currently legal under existing bylaws.

Feedback from local residents included letters (beginning on page 19 of the evening's agenda) from Leslie Nolin, Ingrid and Andrew Wray, Penny Nelson, and Brian Hedberg.

Councillor Michael Broughton asked how STR fees are determined, and Blackwell suggested that while fees haven't been changed, they are extraordinarily high, and were perhaps intended as punitive. He suggested Council consider whether STRs are welcome at all, rather accepting them, only to impose punishingly high fees. Councillor Neville Abbott said that if the residents are concerned about the existence of STRs, the issue may need to be readdressed.

Broughton asked that staff provide more information to residents with regard to Public Hearings, as many people came to the most recent ones with questions when they should have come with comments. Abbott asked for changes to "clunky" wording, after which third reading was granted.

Draft Building Bylaw (No. 649, page 27) was brought forward for second and third reading. Discussion arose regarding requests made by the Bird Friendly group to include bird-friendly building materials. Blackwell said the Building Official did extensive research with a number of local communities, and learned from them that the provision of bird-friendly glass can be cost-prohibitive.

In order to facilitate further discussion between Bird Friendly member Charlie Bradbury and staff to clarify the current Bird-Friendly commitments, only second reading was granted. Bradbury was also invited to speak before Council.

Draft Subdivision Servicing Bylaw (No. 651, page 85) ensures any properties that are subdivided meet local and provincial engineering requirements. Blackwell noted that zoning bylaws set the minimum lot size and servicing requirements for any subdivision to occur. The motion carried.

As a follow up to last week's special meetings regarding a response to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) changes to the glass sponge and rockfish marine refuges in Howe Sound, Blackwell said West Vancouver staff agreed with concerns raised by Lions Bay, although they do not plan to send an official response. It was decided that the letter be signed by the Acting Mayor and sent to DFO on behalf of Council.

Staff Reports

The 2026 Budget (page 194) was presented by Financial Officer Joe Chirkoff, who congratulated Council on their commitment to the process "We are six months ahead of where we were for the last three years," he said, before asking for first and second readings of the budget, which were granted.

Chirkoff also presented Council with the Accounts Payable Third Quarter (page 225) documentation, which was received for information.

A Tree Application for 405 Bayview Road (page 232) was approved for a five-year period, with a five-year renewal subject to conditions noted on the application.

Council was asked to approve a Development Variance Permit application (page 244) for a home at 210 Lions Bay Avenue, in accordance with the plans attached to the report (page 244). As noted, architect Russ Meiklejohn stepped to the podium to answer questions. Council members were told that all neighbours within the required limits were notified of the work on the home, and while no written responses were received, Meiklejohn met with neighbour Ed Langford (senior). Meiklejohn said Langford's concerns were addressed. He asked that a definition of the word 'slope' (when applying to a roof) be entered into the bylaw when it is next updated. The motion carried.

Emergency Services

Fire Rescue Dispatch Report (included with correspondence on page 264):

In October, Lions Bay Fire Rescue (LBFR) attended 14 incidents, with 29 uses of apparatus and 83 members attending. Average turn-out time for the month was 9:55, average travel time was 11:50 and the average time on scene was 39:26 minutes.

Correspondence

Public correspondence (beginning on page 262) opened with a letter from Children and Family Development Minister Jodie Wickens proclaiming November as Adoption and Permanency Awareness Month.

Others included:

• Metro Vancouver Chair Mike Hurley, with a report on Population Projections (page 268) Abbott said the numbers presented for Lions Bay are absurdly high, and that he would like Council to provide a response in future, and not let the numbers slide by unchallenged.

• A collection of urban planners, architects and academics writing to ask for restraint in implementing the Professional Reliance Act (Bill M216) (page 270)

• MLA Jeremy Valeriote, looking for mayoral opinions on the above-noted Bill M216. (page 273)

In the absence of resident correspondence this month is a response from Councillor McLaughlin to a letter from Greg Banta regarding garbage day etiquette (page 275).

Other Matters

• On the Action Log list of unfinished items (page 193), Item 341 regarding support for the updating of bylaws was marked as complete, since it was addressed with the budget planning.

• A proposed calendar of Council and Committee meetings for 2026 was approved. (page 260)

  
  
  
  

There were no public questions. The next regular meeting of Council is scheduled for December 2, with the open portion of the meeting beginning at 7 p.m.

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