January Council In Focus

A brief recap of Council meetings, as viewed from the gallery

Event: Lions Bay Council Meeting

Time: Public meeting: 7 p.m.

Agenda: HERE

Video: HERE

Present at the council table were Mayor Ken Berry and Councillors Neville Abbott, Jaime Cunliffe and Michael Broughton. Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Ross Blackwell also joined the table. Councillor Marcus Reuter was absent.

At this first regular council meeting of 2025, 14 residents sat in the gallery, with 20 attending online.

The public portion of the meeting was preceded by a closed element and opened at with the adoption of a 229-page agenda. After discussion, minutes from last year's regular meeting on July 16 remained tabled until they can be discussed in a closed session. Minutes from the December 10 regular meeting and the June 4 special meeting were both approved.

Matters Arising from the Minutes

Councillor Neville Abbott noted that back in December he had asked staff to return both the 'matters arising from the minutes' segment to the agenda, and an ongoing 'action log' for items that remain outstanding. Chief Administrative Officer Ross Blackwell said that while this had been the intention, many staff resources have been sequestered to deal with an overwhelming number of Freedom Of Information (FOI) requests, making it hard to meet regular commitments.

Councillor Jaime Cunliffe suggested that an education piece on the complexity of delivering FOIs go into the Village Update (VU), to help residents understand the amount of work required.

Mayor Ken Berry also asked that FOI requests be published, so that the information can be widely available. Blackwell noted that while some info cannot be publicly shared, the basics will be when time allows.

Public Participation

Resident Morgan Gatto led a substantial contingent of speakers expressing concerns about the Lions Bay Beach Park (LBBP) revitalization process. Gatto said he sensed a "strong disconnect" between public opinion and the planned changes. He said he felt that while the architect (Nick Bray, who spoke later at the meeting) did a nice presentation at the earlier Open House, that Bray hadn't been given clear instructions. Gatto called for further public consultation.

Tevian Goldstein voiced his concern that the new building will be seated on land currently leased from the Marina. He also noted that with the new design, kayakers would have to walk through the sitting area to get their craft into the water and expressed concern that the washroom doors would face the green space, putting people using the facilities at risk of being struck by flying objects. He said he'd like to see more covered seating, and a more effective covered area for meetings and celebration.

Larissa, who did not give her last name, said she shared the concerns of the previous speakers kayak storage and the postion of the building on land not owned by the Village. She added that she felt there had not been enough time for the public to look at the proposed changes and give feedback.

Delegations

Newly-appointed Bear Smart Committee (BSC) chair Norma Rodgers addressed council with the results of the BSC 2024 Annual Report, which she said details extensive education, outreach and plans for the upcoming year. Rodgers noted that the team communicates recommendations and requirements as outlined in the Lions Bay Bear Management PIan, following Bear Smart Community Status guidelines.

Plans for 2025 include:

• reporting on garbage container options

• arrange education at the school in March

• distribution of “What if I See a Bear?” postcard in April

• continuation of bear education notices in the Village Update, as well as distributing bear information articles in local media and online

• attend community events to educate residents

• continue working with the COS and Village Administration through the bear working group to maintain Bear Smart Community Status.

Rodgers reiterated the benefits of educating residents for the safety of people and bears, and the responsibilities to co-exist peacefully with the area’s wildlife, which means taking more care with garbage and food waste. She noted that the BSC enjoys the support of most Village residents, including the inconvenience of staggered garbage pick up times, and emphasized the importance of enforcing bylaws for those few non-compliant residents in order to reduce human-bear conflicts.

"The Bear Smart Committee is not political and has no power or influence, other than the single vote bear advocate Councillor Abbott brings to Council," Rodgers said.

Abbott thanked Rodgers on behalf of Council for her work with the committee, acknowledging the long hours the Bear Smart team has put in on behalf of local wildlife.

The second delegate was former Mayor Brenda Broughton, who voiced her concerns regarding the plans for the Lions Bay Beach Park. After providing each councillor with a written summary of her thoughts, she spoke to the importance of the grass playing field as one of only two flat play areas in the Village, and reiterated the point made earlier about leased land. She also advocated turning the washroom buildings 90 degrees, so that the doors be might be viewable by parents sitting on the beach.

Resident Russ Meiklejohn, an architect whose design was an element of one of the earlier plans for the LBBP rejuvination process, also spoke at the meeting. Meiklejohn spoke to the work that had been done in the past iteration, which he said was ready to go in 2023, but required review since it ran over budget. He asked whether anyone had checked if building on leased land meets criteria for the grants. He also said he does not like the material palette chosen for the new project. And after Blackwell confirmed that the current timeline is set to complete on May 31 of this year, Meiklejohn noted that the grant deadline is not until March 31, 2026, and that he'd like to see this as a positive, unifying project for the Village.

Interim Housing Needs Report to Council

After a previous appearance at a special meeting in December that was unable to proceed due to lack of quorum, consultant Eric White returned via Zoom to explain a background report on projected Lions Bay housing needs (page 71).

This report was generated in response to a change in legislation last fall regarding the responsibilities of municipalities to meet projected housing needs in the future. White noted the current report follows a more nuanced five-year report issued in 2021. The report projects that in order to meet Lions Bay's future housing needs, 137 more dwellings must be identified by next year, and a further 454 dwellings needed to meet a 20-year projected need.

Both Councillors Abbott and Cunliffe protested the scope of the report, with Cunliffe noting that the village with its limited water availability has more in common with local electoral districts (which are exempt from this requirement) than it does with urban areas. Abbott called the report's numbers farcical, as Lions Bay does not have the water or sewage capacity to add these kind of numbers. He also pointed to the conflict between the Metro 2050 Report, which calls for densification along transit corridors, and this report's parameters.

Blackwell noted that the requirement is more "notional" than practical, and that in any case, current bylaws that allow for secondary suites meet the standard required. He said while the Village doesn't have to meet the numbers, it is required to rewrite a zoning bylaw to show how this would work.

Beach Park Revitalization Report

An update on the LBBP project (beginning on page 124) was presented to Council by CAO Blackwell, who introduced architect Nick Bray to offer details. Bray said the feedback he received from the Open House evening was very valuable.

He summarized the project details, including a suggestion that memorial plaques for Erin Moore and Lori Beck be installed in the appropriate locations. Bray said the Lori Beck pavilion can be readily and economically rejuvenated by renewing the timber structure. He discussed affixing logs on the beach, which would allow for additional sand to be installed, reducing the fall risk from the grassy bank.

Bray suggested removing the kayak storage from the scope of the project, equating it to the jetty, another element of the project which had earlier been removed. He said that without doing so, the cost of making the requested changes could be prohibitively expensive to the rest of the project.

Bray then acknowledged work is needed to deal with with tree roots and the relocation of the current septic tank, and said he was open to changing location of the building. He said that the covered area is intended as a valuable community resource for such activities as yoga, school activities, and picnics and that the concession space is intended for use during large events.

He said the structure is intended to last for generations, and is created with robust, fire resistant materials. The building is made from concrete blocks which are low maintenance and provide space for local artwork, along with engineered wood. The roof is made from a wood-look metal, which he says is low maintenance and fire resistant.

Bray noted that the orientation of the building is designed according to internationally acceptable standards, which he says have the intent of improving safety by having lines of natural surveillance.

The wide-ranging discussion that followed Bray's presentation looked at concerns raised by the public, whether a Translink grant will be applicable, timelines, and the possibility of once again changing the scope of the project.

Blackwell noted that to keep to the existing timeline, a decision to go forward with the project is required immediately. Council was given three choices: to approve the project as it stands, to approve with minor changes or to not approve until changes are agreed-upon. He also noted that the concern about building on land leased from the Marina has to be dealt with in a closed session.

After lengthy discussion, it was decided to defer further discussion to the next meeting.

Budget Discussion

Financial Officer Joe Chirkoff once again presented the 2025 Budget (found on page 27 of the evening's agenda) for a second reading. Blackwell noted that the primary purpose of the second reading is to keep the process moving forward, while still allowing time for changes before the final reading.

Discussion was primarily let by Abbott, as a member of the Infrastructure Committee (IC), with an eye to the major expenditures required. The priorities as seen by the IC (and found on page 155) include the $1.3 million replacement of the Bayview watermain from Alberta Creek to the store, followed by a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) operation rework at $95,000, and an adjustment to Village water pH adjustment at $100,000.

The Climate Action Committee recommendations included a heat pump renovation in the Village Hall (page 165), which Council supported.

After a detailed discussion of options available, it was decided to defer further discussion to the next Committee of the Whole meeting, when all the 2024 actual figures will finally be available.

Other Business

Council voted to support a tree application on behalf of the residents of 145 Panorama Place (page 165), as presented by the Trees, Views and Landscapes Committee.

Two bylaws set for third reading including the Water Bylaw No. 633 and the associated Notice-Enforcement Bylaw No. 640 were tabled.

Correspondence

The list of correspondence begins on page 208 of the agenda package. This quarter, responsibility for addressing the correspondence falls to Councillor Abbott.

• General correspondence began with a letter from the province noting that Nominations are open for the Order of British Columbia and Medal of Good Citizenship (page 209).

• Metro Vancouver sent three letters. The first (page 210) addressed updates in the civic Walkability Index of this region. The second (page 212) invited comments on Metro 2050 proposed growth strategy. The final letter (page 223) addressed the results of a recent study regarding the Economic Impact of Industrial Lands in Metro Vancouver.

• Deidre Sims of the BC Epilepsy Society made a request (page 214) for a proclamation announcing International Purple Day on March 26 in Lions Bay, to celebrate Epilepsy Awareness. Council agreed to support this request.

• The city of Surrey sent the Fire Rescue Dispatch Report  (page 217) for the month of December, which noted 18 call-outs, with along with 29 usages of apparatus and 89 members attending. (This includes response to the Battani Creek landslide).

• The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association wrote about concerns regarding local government construction costs and procurement practices (page 222).

• Gurveen Randhawa of CBC wrote with info regarding CBC News expansion through the addition of new journalists in local areas (page 225).

  
  

The first of two items of resident correspondence is on page 226, from resident Charlie Bradbury requesting that no change be made to Bylaw 455, which pertains to garbage and recycling collection, as she feels the current system is very effective.

Resident Penny Nelson wrote (page 228) regarding the 'Seven Core Values of Public Participation' with regard to the current Beach Park consultation process.

No questions were offered during the final comment period, and after more than three hours duration, the meeting moved back into closed before the final adjournment.

The next meeting of Council is a Committee of the Whole scheduled for February 4, and the first full regular Council meeting is set for February 18 at 7 p.m.

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