Bare-bones agenda marks last meeting of the summer
July 16, 2024 Edition
Event: Lions Bay Council Meeting
Time: Public meeting: 7 p.m.
Agenda: HERE
Video: Not available
Present at the council table were Councillors Neville Abbott and Michael Broughton. Councillor Marcus Reuter attended via phone and Councillor Jaime Cunliffe was online. Mayor Ken Berry was absent. Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Ross Blackwell joined the councillors at the table.
Two residents attended in person, and online viewers topped out at 11.
In the absence of Mayor Berry and as there was a technical difficulty with sound, Councillor Abbott took on the duties of Chair.
Prior to the adoption of the agenda, Councillor Marcus Reuter asked that Lions Bay Concert organizer Tamara Leger's request for a noise bylaw variance for two upcoming concert events be pulled out of correspondence, and considered as a resolution, as previous requests have been.
There was some back and forth between members of Council and CAO Ross Blackwell, who insisted that, despite historical precedent, addressing a noise variance as an issue through correspondence is also correct procedure. Reuter noted that this request should not have appeared as a piece of correspondence, but via a recommendation through staff. After discussion it was decided to add the item to the agenda. With this and a few other minor changes, the agenda was approved.
Public Participation:
Longtime resident and volunteer Tamara Leger reiterated that her request for a variance in the noise bylaw be considered as a resolution before Council. She noted that existing policies and procedures are in place to address requests like these. She spoke about the amount of work required to organize these events, only to have the process Council has followed for years suddenly modified. She thanked Council members for agreeing to add her request for a resolution to the evening's agenda.
Council Reports:
Councillor Michael Broughton offered an update on highway paving, noting he had recently met with Miller Capilano. He said they would not confirm a start date for the installation of quiet pavement, but anticipated work will commence within the next two to three weeks.
Leger's request for a variance in the noise bylaw was unanimously passed. It was decided that in future, ongoing events such as this one be granted a blanket year-long approval to accommodate minor date changes.
Emergency Reports: (included with the correspondence)
Fire Rescue Dispatch Report, June, 2024 (page 14)
12 incidents were reported, along with 20 usages of apparatus. 58 members attended incidents. Average turn-out time for the month was 7:42, average travel time was 6:37 and the average time on scene was 39:36.
Correspondence:
The list of correspondence began on page two of the agenda package.
General correspondence began with the Fire Dispatch Report, noted above.
Katherine Smuk wrote to give Council feedback and express her concern regarding the limitations on public parking in Kelvin Grove. (page 18)
CN Rail representatives wrote to ask Council to proclaim Rail Safety Week September 23-29, 2024. (page 20) A motion was passed unanimously to support this proclamation.
Resident correspondence began on page three, and this month included several letters that do not appear to be from village residents.
Kelvin Grove resident Timor Zombori wrote about his concerns regarding Parking Bylaw enforcement, and encroachment by a neighbour onto his property. (page 3)
Resident and Community Concert organizer Tamara Leger wrote asking for relaxation of the noise bylaw for music concerts to be held at the Village Hall on August 18 and October 5. (page 5)
Vancouver resident Wanda Wang wrote to protest the proposed relocation of parking from the Sunset Trailhead to the gravel pit. (page 8)
Lower Mainland resident Jamie Huang also wrote to register his concern regarding a proposed change in parking arrangements for hikers. (page 9)
Lions Bay resident David Heatherington wrote to ask Council for compensation for a kayak damaged by the collapse of the rack at the beach. This letter is a follow-up to one written by Heatherington on April 9 (pages 10 and 11). Abbott, citing a friendship with the concerned party, excused himself from the discussion. Councillor Jaime Cunliffe proposed that staff examine the circumstances and liability of the Village since the kayak rack indeed did collapse, and return a recommendation to Council. After discussion, this motion passed.
Resident Norma Rodgers asked that Council amend the 2022 Annual Report to better reflect the views of Council. (page 13) Reuter proposed that staff remove all comments from any member of Council from the 2022 report, and have the report authored by staff only. After discussion, the motion carried.
Public Questions and Comments:
Tamara Leger returned to the podium to ask Council to consider a motion that staff members hired by the Village be required to be on site in the office as part of the conditions of their employment.
Clearly upset, Leger stated that a member of staff member had "aggressed" her just prior to the meeting, in front of her son (also a volunteer). She said it's important for staff to know that Village bylaws exist to solve things amicably and that no volunteer should be subject to disrespect from staff.
"Bringing forward concerns to Council is already difficult," Leger said. "It's difficult to say I can't resolve this on my own. I really need your help."
She said that in this instance, her personal space was encroached, a finger wagged in her face and that she was threatened with banishment from the community hall.
She asked that respectful dialogue and training be put in place to ensure that staff supports volunteer work and the gathering of community.
In response, Reuter thanked Leger for "being brave and bringing this forward, and also for all the wonderful things Tamara does for our community, and for all the artists she brings in. We are deeply grateful."
No further comments were offered by Council or staff and the meeting adjourned. Council will not convene again over the summer, with a Committee of the Whole meeting set for September 3.
After the meeting, The Watershed contacted CAO Ross Blackwell for a response to Leger's concerns. He said he first became aware of the request last week while on vacation, and while he acknowledged that staff has handled noise bylaw relaxation requests in the past, "due to the time-sensitive nature of the request, it was included as correspondence to ensure it could be addressed at Tuesday's Council meeting."
Blackwell acknowledged that Leger's request came up in June, but noted that a recent departure has meant existing staff have "some challenges trying to plug those gaps," and added that he had spent half of his recent holiday time addressing work issues, including a long discussion with Leger.
When asked whether he threatened to ban Leger from the Village Office, Blackwell said that he didn't want to resort to that action, but "if she continues to speak to me in this way, and continues to impact front office staff in the way that she has, I may have to consider it."
"That said, I'm here to provide service to the community," he added. "At the end of the day, it's not about me. It's about providing the greatest good to the greatest number of people, and I'm not going to hold onto any sort of bad feeling with what transpired between she and I."
He said he considers the matter a "minor procedural issue."
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