Summer is surely over not when the riverfront fireworks happen, not when the rains fall on the PNE, and not on some strange astronomical even in last September, but when New West Council gets back to work after more than a month off. We had a fairly concise Agenda after a full slate of Delegations (see the video to enjoy), ending with a bit of a weird surprise, but first here’s the summary:
The following items were Moved on Consent:
Licence Agreement (NEW327-11367F-001) with Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
The City has delegated authority for the Province to maintain the integrity of the dikes along the Fraser River. Some of these dikes (and the lands and waters around them where maintenance has to happen) belong to the Port. We need a license agreement with the Port to do that work on their land. This is that agreement. Yes the cost is nominal (<$1,000/yr), but there is something uniquely Canadian about the Province downloading the cost of dike maintenance to local governments, and the federal government charging the City for access to the dikes on their land to do that maintenance.
Licence Agreement Amendment with BC Transportation Financing Authority for Construction of a Multi-Use Path in Grimston Park
The pedestrian overpass over Stewardson built by the Ministry of Transportation a few years ago (after asking us to pay for it, which we politely declined) was built in a way that doesn’t quite fit the park it is attached to, and requires folks walk across a grass slope, or go the long way around, to connect to most destinations in the West End. HUB pointed this out when the original design was proposed by the Ministry, but they went ahead with the design they had. This little pathway will fix that gap, but we need permission from the Ministry through a licence agreement to build it, because it’s their land.
Erosion and Sediment Control Bylaw No. 8600, 2026
The City’s Erosion and Sediment Control Bylaw is designed to prevent dirt from excavations and construction from fouling the streets (creating nuisance), sediment form filling our storm sewers (creating environmental impact and maintenance costs), and excavations from failing (creating safety hazards). This modernization gets us up to date with environmental standards, best management practices in the industry, and stronger tools to protect our watercourses.
Subdivision and Development Control Bylaw No. 7142, 2007,Amendment Bylaw No. 8602, 2026
This Bylaw regulates how the City does subdivision of properties and the development of properties, hence the name. We have traditionally required cash-up-front for things like Development Cost Charges and Works and Service Agreements, and this can, for some smaller developers, be a challenge, as the moment that cash is required by the city is the very moment they are most cash-poor. They can afford to finance and develop, but the cash flow at the moment of approval is a challenge. This pilot program will permit surety bonds in place of cash, which gives the City the same certainty, but reduces the burden for small developers.
Easement Agreement for Encroachment on Westminster Pier Park (1 Sixth Street)
The eastern Expansion of Pier Park requires a new Public Toilet space, and there is a complex land ownership deal with the park being on a City Owned Property and on an Air Space parcel on top of a privately-owned parkade, and the toilets straddle the property lines, we need to set up an encroachment agreement so the facilities can be on two properties at once and allow the free movement of people and their waste between the two. Yes, this is an agreement with ourselves.
Steel and Oak Brewing Company, 1319 Third Avenue – Application for Special Event Area Endorsement
Local brewery Steel & Oak hold occasional events in their back parking lot (such as their annual Anniversary Party) and seek Special Event Permits from the province to do so. This license change would allow them to do what they have already been doing without having to go get that Special Event Permit every time. This is a decision for the Liquor Control Board, but they consider whether the City endorses this, and by this resolution, the City endorses it, as S&O have not created any problems with the events they have held on site.
Budget 2027 Outlook and Schedule
This report is a preview of the budget process for the upcoming year. This process will be delayed a bit compared to the last couple of years by the Election, as it is best practice that the Council approving the budget take the more active role in developing it, and that will be the next Council, not this one.
The main info here: staff are recommending we continue with 10-year capital and operational planning; CPI inflation (which is not the same index that reflects our inflationary pressure) is projected to be over 3% this year as the economy is growing and fuel prices are high, we have collective agreements with our employees which means those numbers are predictable, and development is a bit softer than previously expected, which reduces projected revenue a bit. We have also completed a Budget Survey (as we did last year) to gauge public opinion on service delivery levels and tax implications.
2027 Permissive Property Tax: Exempt Properties – Review of Application Results
Every year we have a report on permissive property tax exemptions, and generally approve the existing ones, while not providing new ones. There are good non-profit organizations doing work in the City seeking property tax exemption, but our policy has been that support from the City should come through the transparent and accountable community grant process, not through tax exemptions on real property, as a measure of fairness.
The following items were then Removed from Consent for discussion.
Proposed 2027 Community Services Rates – Community Services Fees and Charges Bylaw No.8529, 2025 Amendment Bylaw No. 8589, 2026 for First, Second & Third Readings
We have several Bylaws that regulate fees in the City, this one is for Community Services fees- things like fees for the Anvil theatre, Filming, and some Bylaws. Most of these Bylaws will be updated after the October election as part of the broader Budget process, but this category includes annual business license fees for which notices need to be sent out before the new Council will be able to make changes. This inflation-only increase is being done now to get it in under the wire. There are no big changes proposed here except increases at 2025 CPI Inflation rate (2%).
809-811 Carnarvon and 60-70 Eighth Street – Consideration of Land Sale and Housing Agreement Bylaw for First, Second and Third Readings
The Development of a housing and hotel project at Eighth and Carnarvon was given three readings back in June. The project includes 24 units of non-market (“affordable”) rentals, and to secure that, we need a Housing Agreement assuring they stay non-market rental for 60 years or the life of the building (whichever is longer). They also need a license to build on a span above Blackie Street, which requires a process that starts with a Title to Highway Bylaw, so that the currently untitled road be given title and a Parcel Identification Number. Here we are giving the first three readings of these two bylaws.
2025 Consolidation of Public Compensation for Council Members
This report adds to the public reporting of how much members of Council get paid and what their expenses are. The majority of the expenses are attending regional events such as UBCM and Lower Mainland Local Government Association, and are reported in more detail in our annual SOFI.
We then had one motion from the ACEDAC:
Arts, Culture and Economic Development Advisory Committee Structure Recommendation
THAT the Arts, Culture and Economic Development Advisory Committee recommend that Council consider the following motion:
WHEREAS the City is currently undertaking an Arts Strategy review and developing a new Economic Development Strategy, and the implementation of each strategy will be strengthened with dedicated advisory committee attention and subject matter expertise;
WHEREAS both the Arts and Culture sector and the local economy are experiencing significant growth, as reflected by the increase in business licenses increased from 3,580 in 2021 to 4,675 in 2025, alongside a renewed focus on supporting a vibrant Arts and Culture sector;
WHEREAS Arts and Culture play a vital role in strengthening Economic Development, making ongoing collaboration between the two advisory bodies beneficial despite the need for separate areas of focus;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT staff review the resourcing requirements and implications of separating the Arts, Culture and Economic Development Advisory Committee into two advisory committees, one focused on Arts and Culture and one focused on Economic Development, with each committee meeting independently and participating in at least two joint meetings annually to address matters of shared interest and collaboration, and report back.
This was approved by all of Councils a referral to the next Council. We are not going to strike a new committee with two months left in the term, as the new Council will no doubt want to create and/or modify the current advisory committee structures based on its strategic plan.
And we had one Motion from Council:
Support for Rotary Tower Building Maintenance
Submitted by Councillor Nakagawa
WHEREAS Rotary Tower, (New Westminster Rotary Senior Citizens Housing Society) provides affordable housing for over one hundred seniors in our community; and
WHEREAS the building needs significant upgrades to ensure it stays livable into the future; and
WHEREAS the percentage of people who are homeless and housing insecure over the age of 55 is growing in large part due to a reduction in the number of affordable housing units available across Metro Vancouver;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City of New Westminster support Rotary Tower’s work with and proposals to BC Housing for funding to ensure that this affordable housing option remains viable for seniors; and
THAT staff report back to Council about potential options for funding and partnership support for Rotary Tower’s building maintenance needs through the Affordable Housing fund.
This motion came from work some members of Council have been doing with the New West Rotary Club, who are having some challenges with capital costs related to one of the older affordable housing projects in the City. Of course, we are happy to advocate on their behalf to senior governments for capital funding support, but this also raises a question about our own Affordable Housing Reserve Fund, and how that may be applied on existing affordable housing. We will be expecting a report beck from staff on that latter question in an upcoming meeting.
We had three quick Bylaws for Adoption:
Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 7925, 2017, Amendment Bylaw (Transit Oriented Development Area Extensions and Regional Planning) No. 8574, 2026
This Bylaw that adjusts the boundaries of the Transit Oriented Development Areas mandated by the province to git New Westminster’s geography a little better, was adopted by Council.
Zoning Bylaw No. 6680, 2001, Amendment Bylaw (Electrical Vehicle Charging Service Station) No. 8581, 2026
This Bylaw that supports the rezoning of a property in Queensborough for an EV charging station business was adopted by Council.
Housing Agreement Amendment Bylaw (612 Seventh Avenue) No. 8596, 2026
This Bylaw that adapts the Housing Agreement for the new tower Uptown so they can have a “visitor suite” for the use of residents was adopted by Council.
And finally, we (sort of, but not really) had one item of New Business:
Emergency Motion re: Ethics Commissioner
Councillor Fontaine
This motion was added to the agenda at the beginning of the meeting, not through our typical Notice of Motion process, which is unfortunate, because of the nature of the motion. I am not writing out the motion here, because I would want legal advice before doing so, as it makes some slightly veiled allegations about a person who works for the City.
Section 90 of the Community Charter (specifically Sections 90 [1](a) & (c)) permits that discussion of employee relations that relate directly to individuals be done in camera, for a variety of legal and liability reasons that protect the City from breaking the law or being exposed to lawsuits. This motion clearly identified an individual who works for the City, so it should be closed. However, there are sections of this motion that may be discussed in the open, and areas that may not be. To make this more difficult to manage as a surprise motion at Council, the discussion of what should be in open and what should be in closed is, in itself, a closed discussion (Section 90 [1] (n)) as is any legal advice we may seek to that end (Section 90 [1] (i)).
Once Council realized there might be Community Charter concerns here, we went in camera to discuss, and returned from Closed with a motion to defer this Motion until legal advice could be sought. Of course if the Councillor had followed the regular Notice of Motion process, or even given his Council colleagues and staff a few minutes of notice before he sprung this clearly inflammatory motion, that legal advice could have been sought and this business could have been dealt with appropriately. I don’t know why he chose the path he did, and as we limited the discussion of the motion, it was never made clear what made this an “emergency.” Regardless, we will deal with this in a follow up Council meeting and hopefully all will become clear.