This is regular pre-council list of what I think are going to be the most important three items on our Council agenda on Monday* in no particular order, so you can decide if you want to tune in.

#1: Grant Allocations
We are making our awards of the Amateur Sports, Arts & Culture, Child Care, Community, Environmental, Heritage and Partnership grants for 2019. We had $710,000 in the budget for these grants, and $1.6 Million in requests. Tune in to see what the Grant Committees recommend, and see if Council agrees!

#2: Update on the City’s Snow and Ice Response Preparations
With winter upon us, we are receiving an update report on how the City responds to snow and ice removal. I have shared my concerns in the past that our response (plow and de-ice roads, but but rely on the neighbourliness of our residents and business owners to do the same for our sidewalks and bus stops) does not reflect the transportation priorities set out in our master transportation plan, or other policies in the City meant to support seniors or people with disabilities.

#3: Small Dog Off-Leash Area Trial in Moody Park
This is actually a pretty basic upgrade to park facilities, but few things are as conflict-inducing than off-leash parks. The need for a small dog area in Moody Park is not under dispute, but the design details and questions about where to locate it in the very constrained park have proved to be contentious in the past.  

*normal footnote: The funny thing about Council: it is almost impossible to predict what three items will rise to the top and get the most debate/ public feedback / media coverage. These are only my guesses, and I am only one of seven. For a full prediction of the entire Council agenda, go to the agenda!

This is regular pre-council list of what I think are going to be the most important three items on our Council agenda on Monday* in no particular order, so you can decide if you want to tune in. Honestly, I don’t see any specific item this week raising a rancorous debate – maybe there will be some good delegations? Anyway, here are my guesses.

#1: Five-Year Financial Plan (2018-2022) Amendment Bylaw No. 8062, 2018
This is the first sure sign that the Canada Games Pool project is moving ahead – and that it is going to cost the City a lot of money. The timing here is that the application window for the federal / provincial grant we would like to help pay for this project is closing in January, and we need to have proof that we can finance this project before that happens. So we need to include the updated finance plan in our 5-year Financial Plan, then go to the public for authorization for long-term borrowing. This amendment is the first step in this process.

#2: Code of Conduct for City Council
This should finally put an end to all of the swearing and back-stabbing at Council! Just kidding. This is more staff recognizing that we have not operated with a modern Code of Conduct for some time. This is something many Cities have adopted, partly because of increased expectations around respectful workplaces, and partly from observing examples from other cities (cough, Nanaimo, cough) where the municipal operations were hampered by poor conduct on the part of a few disruptive Council members.

#3: Recreational Cannabis: Nuisance Monitoring Program
With the legalization of cannabis, the City has recognized that our biggest hassle is likely to be nuisance complaints related to smoking in public places. There are both provincial and municipal laws that apply here, and enforcement of smoking has never been easy. Staff have a plan to track complaints and enforcement efforts in a systematic way to help us figure out methods to address it.

*normal footnote: The funny thing about Council: it is almost impossible to predict what three items will rise to the top and get the most debate/ public feedback / media coverage. These are only my guesses, and I am only one of seven. For a full prediction of the entire Council agenda, go to the agenda!

This is episode 7 (?) of my hopefully-regular pre-council list of what I think are going to be the most important three items on our Council agenda on Monday* in no particular order, so you can decide if you want to tune in.

#1: Queensborough Electrical Substation Loan Authorization Bylaws
We need to build a new substation in Queensborough. It has been in the long-term capital plan for the Electrical Utility for quite some time as load demand has been going up, and the fire on the Q’Bobo bridge last year that caused a protracted power outage in the neighbourhood demonstrated a surprising lack of resiliency in our grid over there. Substations are expensive, and we will need to borrow to pay for it (well, the Electrical Utility will need to borrow to pay for it, but we own the electrical utility), which will require a Bylaw and public approval.

#2: 2019 – 2023 Draft Financial Plan – Utilities
The budget process moves on, and it is time for us to talk about utility rates changes so the appropriate rate bylaws can be drafted. No surprise utility rates are going up, but once again the rates are increasing more than inflation for a variety of reasons. The water, sewer, and solid waste utilities operate somewhat separately from the City’s general revenue, and their increases are directly tied to the increasing cost of the service and the need to plan and finance infrastructure improvements. The Electrical Utility is a special case that makes us different than other cities, but it is still impacted by the increasing cost of wholesale electricity from BC Hydro. Expect a robust discussion here about efforts to keep utility rates in check.

#3: Testing out the new ones!
This is the first real Council Meeting for a couple of new Councillors, Chinu Das and Nadine Nakagawa. They have both been inaugurated and through a bit of orientation training, but nothing like budget deliberations to really turn the heat on them. Fortunately, they both have a tonne of experience working on boards and are pretty will versed on how Council works. I’m not expecting any strangeness, though there are still sometimes unexpected procedural hi-jinks even for us experienced types!

*footnote: The funny thing about Council: it is almost impossible to predict what three items will rise to the top and get the most debate/ public feedback / media coverage. These are only my guesses, and I am only one of seven.  For a full prediction of the entire Council agenda, go to the agenda!

This is episode 5 of my hopefully-regular pre-council list of what I think are going to be the most important three items on our Council agenda on Monday* in no particular order, so you can decide if you want to tune in.

#1: Public Engagement Strategy Update
As I recently mentioned over on that other website, I am keenly interested in how the City improves it Public Engagement. The implementation of the Public Engagement Strategy has already seen some great results, but the medium- and long-term action items are yet to come, and this report will outline what staff will be working on to inform, consult, and include the citizens of New Westminster in our decision making.

#2: Q to Q Pilot Ferry Service – Update and Extension of Pilot
This report provides three things: an update on ridership and operation of this summer’s Pilot project, a proposal to extend to a modified winter schedule to determine how amenable people are to using this service for commuting, and the development of a longer-term business case for the service. The report looks like good news on all fronts, and we are getting a lot of feedback from the Port Royal neighbourhood about the desire for us to continue the pilot. However, we do need to assure the service we are providing is tailored for the needs of this community, not just a tourist attraction.

#3: Recognition of Retiring Council Members Bill Harper and Lorrie Williams
There is likely to be laughter and tears at this meeting, as two Councillors with a combined 29 years of service to this City are taking their last council bow. I have enjoyed sharing the table with Lorrie and Bill. I have often agreed and sometimes disagreed with each of them on some pretty substantial policy directions in the City, but have always respected that they had their hearts in the right place, and had real visions for the direction of the City. I have learned a tonne about the job, and about the City from each of them. Regardless of what happens on October 20th, it will be a very different council without them there.

*footnote: The funny thing about Council: it is almost impossible to predict what three items will rise to the top and get the most debate/ public feedback / media coverage, so these are only my guesses. For a full prediction of the entire Council agenda, go to the agenda!

This is episode 4 of my hopefully-regular pre-council list of what I think are going to be the most important three items on our Council agenda on Monday* in no particular order, so you can decide if you want to tune in.

#1: We are in Queensborough!
This isn’t an agenda item, but the traditional first meeting in September is held at the Queensborough Community Centre – the only time we take Council Meetings out of City Hall. Also unique in this meeting is that it is Public Hearing on a few items, but we are still going to have Public Delegations (usually Delegations are not permitted on a Public Hearing night- but the point of going to Q’Boro is to hear from the community, so the regular rules go out the window. If you are in Q’Boro, come out to the QCC for a 5:45 start, and if you have something to say, you can delegate at 7:00.

#2: Cannabis Regulation Bylaws:
We will be doing a Public Hearing on the zoning law changes required to get cannabis retail operations ready for application by the time the federal legalization occurs in October. It took quite a bit of work on Staff’s part to get this together on a tight timeline, especially as details of the legalization regime were trickling out of Ottawa and Victoria. We have had several workshops and lots of discussion around the Council table about this (the members of Council have had some pretty fundamental disagreements about how to approach this new regulatory regime). Happy to know we are ready for Public Hearing before the October 17th change in federal regulations. Even if we approve the Bylaws after this Public hearing, it doesn’t mean that the stores will open in October. Staff have developed a pretty streamlined process to get the first tranche of applications through all of the zoning and business regulations, but it will still take a bit of time once applications start arriving. If you have opinions about cannabis retail, you may want to read up on these Bylaws and come to the Public Hearing!

#3: Environmental Strategy and Action Plan Final Report:
It has been some time since the City updated its overarching environmental protection strategy. This solid piece of policy work has been in the works for a couple of years, and has seen public review and endorsement from the Environment Advisory Committee. It outlines our goals in emissions and energy reduction, ecological protection, resource protection and waste management. Implementation will take money and several years, but in Local Government, it is always good to have an endorsed strategy document that staff can point to in guiding their work, and a set of defined goals to know if we are hitting our targets.

*footnote: The funny thing about Council: it is almost impossible to predict what three items will rise to the top and get the most debate/ public feedback / media coverage, so these are only my guesses. For a full prediction of the entire Council agenda, go to the agenda!

This is episode 3 of my hopefully-regular pre-council list of what I think are going to be the most important three items on our Council agenda on Monday* in no particular order, so you can decide if you want to tune in.

#1: Building Bylaw Amendment Bylaw No. 8030, 2018
The City is making adjustments to its building bylaw to restrict some types of pile driving, after making the changes to the Construction Noise Bylaw. The impact on residents of the current building boom is something the City recognizes, and we are trying to balance the needs of new developments with the livability impacts of construction. We have already made some adjustments to the Construction noise Bylaw to reduce the number oh hours of allowable noise, and we are now looking at getting rid of the largest diesel-hammer pile drivers for future projects. These are the loudest pieces of construction equipment, and there are viable alternatives available. Some in the development community are not happy about this. We are having an Opportunity to be Heard about this. If you have an opinion, you can come out and let us know!

#2: Official Community Plan: Phase Two of the Infill Housing Program – Discussion of Scope of Work
Things are moving fast in the housing file, as the economics of housing across the region are shifting. This piece of policy work will help the City better support the building of more flexible housing forms in our Residential Ground Oriented and Townhouse/Rowhouse areas. This follows on the work to implement laneway and carriage home policies. The goal is to figure out what kind of “missing middle” we can support and the economics of the region can support, then develop guidelines to make it easier for that type of housing to be built. Staff are going to give us an outline of their proposed workplan to make this happen.

#3: Communities on the Move:
The local chapter of HUB has asked the City of New Westminster to endorse a Communities on the Move Declaration developed and promoted by the BC Alliance for Healthy Living. A premise being approached here is that people who engage in active transportation – transit, walking, cycling – have better health outcomes than those who rely on automobiles, and as communities invest in supporting active transportation, the province’s health agencies are the primary budget beneficiaries – we save our health agencies money by supporting healthier lifestyles for our residents. I’m going to ask Council to endorse this, and as the initiative reflects so many of our goals, I’m not going to expect it to me controversial. But hey, this my listicle, so I can promote anything I want!

*footnote: The funny thing about Council: it is almost impossible to predict what three items will rise to the top and get the most debate/ public feedback / media coverage, so these are only my guesses. For a full prediction of the entire Council agenda, go to the agenda!

This is episode 2 of my hopefully-regular pre-council list of what I think are going to be the most important three items on our Council agenda tomorrow* in no particular order, so you can decide if you want to tune in.

#1: TUP for 620 Third Ave
I have recused myself from discussion on this topic, because it is close enough to my house that there may be a perception of conflict of interest. Regardless, Monday will have an Opportunity to be Heard where the public can provide feedback directly to Council on this proposal to allow (on a temporary basis) supportive housing for youth recovering from addiction in this Brow of the Hill residential property.

#2: Recreational Cannabis: Summary of Consultation, Proposed Regulation Framework, and Next Steps
There has been a lot of conversation about cannabis regulation in the City, including a recent Council workshop. This report outlines the results of this work including a summary of public open houses and surveys, and outlines the regulatory framework staff is endorsing going forward, in preparation for Bylaws to be approved by Council at the end of the summer, in time to meet the October 17 date set by the Federal Government for legalization.

#3: Presentation from the Art Council:
The Arts Council of New West does a tonne of the heavy lifting on great events in the City, including their major role in organizing the three cool events this last weekend (Music by the River, Fridays on Front, and the New West Craft Summer Night Market that spanned the QtoQ this year. New West is a Fun City, and that Art Council are a major part of that. They are coming to Council to present their Strategic Plan for 2018-2021, and get Council updated on what they are doing! (this is a good day to update your summer even calendar!)

*footnote: The funny thing about Council: it is almost impossible to predict what three items will rise to the top and get the most debate/ public feedback / media coverage, so these are only my guesses. For a full prediction of the entire Council agenda, go to the agenda!