Council in Focus

A brief recap of council meetings, as viewed from the gallery.

January 17, 2023 edition

Event: Lions Bay Council meeting

Time: 6:00 pm: closed session; open session commenced at 7:00 pm

Agenda & reading package: HERE

Video link: HERE

As evidenced by the confusing and somewhat heated opening minutes of the meeting, council still appears to be struggling to understand and implement the basic rules of order.

Once the agenda and minutes had been approved and adopted, Mayor Berry opened the session with a statement of welcome and a description of the activities undertaken by newly appointed acting Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Anthony Tobin. These included a review and drafting of a new council procedures bylaw. Addressing public response, the mayor stated that while council appreciates observations and suggestions for improvement in village processes and operations, letters that are considered defamatory cannot be received, posted or discussed in council. The Mayor attributes the stalled action on many fronts to the slow return of requested information from staff. He welcomed support from the new interim CAO on this front, noting that Mr. Tobin has been in this role for a mere nine days. And at 78 days into this new term, the mayor noted members of council are still trying to find the best way to work and communicate together. After thanking villagers for stepping forward to sit on various committees including the Beach Park, the mayor concluded his remarks.

The public participation element saw former mayor Karl Buhr speak out against proposed changes to the council procedures bylaw. He suggested that a red-lining of the existing bylaw would make the nature of the specific changes more evident.

On the technological front, it was noted by many gallery members that the microphone used to record the meeting appeared to be faulty, resulting in the often-unintelligible sound quality evident in the recording.

Unfinished business topics included discussion of highway maintenance concerning noise-reduction pavement, the Speculation and Vacancy Tax, First Nations Acknowledgements prior to council meetings, the Pesticide bylaw and various correspondence from villagers and others.

Reports began with a brief self-introduction from acting CAO Anthony Tobin, who noted his goal is to bring back into balance the power differential between administration and council. The status of the Beach Park volunteer group, which has now been distilled down to a smaller number, was also addressed. The Bear Smart Committee requested changes to the Waste Collection bylaw, to increase the power of bylaw officers beyond just issuing warnings to villagers in contravention, but was postponed until the waste collection contracts can be reassessed. And an update to the Village Emergency Program was also submitted, and can be read beginning on page 52 of the reading materials available with the agenda.

A new pesticide bylaw was given second and third reading, and enacted to bring Lions Bay's standards into line with provincial guidelines.

Correspondence is available to read beginning on page 83 of the materials accompanying the agenda. In response to many of the letters from villagers requesting information regarding the large number of in-camera meetings council has held, Councillor Broughton stated that while he recognized the frustration on the part of the community to get more information, council has to ensure they have accurate, carefully researched information before it can be disclosed to the community.

The next regular council meeting is scheduled for January 31, 2023 at 6:00 pm. As of this writing, the agenda and associated information package has not yet been posted.