All right, good morning, everyone. So welcome to the Standing Committee on City Finance and Services meeting as of Wednesday, February 4th, 2026. This meeting has been held in person and by electronic means. Council members and the public may participate by either method. Any member joining electronically are reminded to enable their video to confirm quorum. This meeting has been live streamed on City's website and YouTube. The meeting progress will be updated regularly on X at Van City Clerk. In case of emergency requiring evacuation, there are two Xs located beyond the glass doors to the left. If the glass doors are blocked, please use one of the four additional Xs in this council chamber. Do not use elevator. Use the stairs instead. If you require assistance, remain where you are and the security staff will get you to a safe location. A defibrillator is available at the end of the hallway outside of this council chamber. We acknowledge that we are on the unceded homelands of Musqueam, Squamish, and the TTsleil-Waututh people. We thank them for having care of this land and look forward to working with them in partnership as we continue to build this great city together. I also want to recognize the immense contributions of City of Vancouver's team members who work hard every day to help make our city an incredible place to live, work and play. Please note that there's a new public speaker podium has been installed on the left side of this public library. At this moment, podium heights cannot be adjusted by clerk, staff and the public speakers. Please adjust the podiums as needed using the control on your right-hand side. Clerk, may we have a roll call, please?

Present.

Present.

Present.

Thanks, Tina. Okay, so the first item on the agenda is a proclamation for the Lunar New Year.

Sorry. On Tuesday, February 17th, we will be celebrating Lunar New Year, one of the most significant annual festivals for Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and many other communities. This year welcomes the year of Fire Horse, beginning on February 17th, 2026, and is celebrated for 15 days. The horse is a symbol of vitality, speech, perseverance, and people born in the year of the horse are often described as hardworking. warm-hearted, and independent. As we usher the year of horse, we are happy to share that this year, Vancouver Spring Festival Parade will take place on February 22nd in Chinatown. I would also like to acknowledge the representatives today from the following organizations who are with us today. Ms. Helen Chen from the Chinese Trans-Benevolent Association of Vancouver. Mr. Frank Huang from CBA as well. Mr. Michael Wang from CBA. Mr. Fred Kuo from the Chinese Cultural Center of Greater Vancouver. Mr. Jackie Hui from Chinese Cultural Center of Greater Vancouver. Mr. Sari Lee from the Vancouver Chinatown Merchant Association. Ms. Queenie Cho from the Success. Mr. Raymond Chang from the Chinese Freemans Vancouver branch. Mr. Michael Chang from the Chinese Freemans Vancouver branch. as Mr. Norton Lee from Shangyan Benevolent Association of Canada, Mr. Raymond Tan from the Shangyan Benevolent Association of Canada. We deeply appreciate your contribution to Vancouver. So now let's get together for the proclamation.

Good morning, everyone. Before we read the proclamation, I do want to celebrate a little bit of Chinese history. I know we're celebrating the Lunar New Year, but the Chinese history as it relates to the city of Vancouver and this great province and this great country of ours. As we know, there was a time when the United States wanted to come up here. They had this concept called Manifest Destiny. And there was a railway that was built across our country to lay claim to what would be Canada. And if that railway wasn't built, you know, Western Canada, you can argue, would be part of the United States right now. What, you know, not a lot, like... Not everyone knows the fact that it was actually built mainly on the backs of hardworking Chinese laborers that came to our country pretty much through San Francisco from the gold rush and then came up to this great land of ours to work on that railway. And they worked at a fraction of what the locals were paid. They did the hardest jobs. A lot of them died. And then after, you know, we had the Exclusion Act that really precluded their families to come to this country. And I share this story with you because we want to honour... those individuals that built this country so we can enjoy what we have here today. And so with that, it is an honour to acknowledge the Lunar New Year. As Councillor Zhou mentioned, we are celebrating the Year of the Horse. And on behalf of all of our council and all of our elected officials and every single person that chooses to work at the City of Vancouver, you know, we're really happy to celebrate it with you today. So with that, do you want to go ahead?

And whereas Lunar New Year encompasses many traditions, including that of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean cultures, and is one of the most important celebrations of the year for many Vancouver residents.

And whereas Lunar New Year celebration has become an integral tradition in the city of Vancouver.

Now, therefore, I, Ken Sim, the mayor of the city of Vancouver, once again, on behalf of all of our elected officials and everyone who chooses to work at the city of Vancouver every single day, do hereby proclaim the week of February the 17th through the 24th, 2026, as Lunar New Year week in the city of Vancouver.

Oh, Helen, here we go.

Everyone can come up, but did anybody else want to say a few words? Fred?

Anyone?

Good morning, everyone.

Thank you very much.

Okay.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Thanks, thanks, thanks.

Thank you everyone.

All right. Thanks, everyone.

We don't have a quorum right now.

Okay, there we go. We have quorum now.

Okay, Brian, can you turn on your video? We have quorum.

Okay, so we have a second proclamation for the day, Ramadan. Today we gather to acknowledge and proclaim the observance of Ramadan as a sacred and spiritually significant month for Muslims around the world and within our own community. Ramadan is expected to begin the evening of Tuesday, February 17th, and concluding around March 19th, depending on the setting of the new moon. This period invites all who observe to strengthen their faith, practice self-discipline, and focus on generosity, empathy, and community building, values that resonate deeply with the spirit of public service and unity. Our city is enriched by the diverse faiths and the traditions of its residents. By recognizing Ramadan, we honor the contribution of our Muslim neighborhoods and affirm our commitment to inclusivity, respect, and shared understanding. So we will now do the second proclamation, Ramadan.

Everyone?

Hello, can we hear you?

And whereas Ramadan is a time of spiritual reflection, self-discipline, and community building, observed by Muslims worldwide as one of the five pillars of Islam.

And whereas the conclusion of Ramadan is marked by the holiday of Eid Al-Fitr, a celebration of fasting, feasting, family gathering and exchange of gifts.

Now, therefore, I, Ken Sim, the Mayor of the City of Vancouver, on behalf of all of our elected officials and everyone who chooses to work at the City of Vancouver every single day, do very humbly and proudly declare or proclaim February the 17th through March 19th, 2026 as Ramadan in the City of Vancouver.

Thank you.

All right, thanks everyone.

We have two...

item.

There we go. We ready?

Oh, it's on our screen.

I don't know what to do here.

What would a meeting be without tech problems?

Good morning, Chair, Mayor, and Council.

Thank you for the presentation. So, Council, are there any questions? I have Councillor Kerbion.

Okay. So just again for time, because I'm going to have to ask for really tight questions. I'm going to have to ask for a second round. Can I ask for a second round, Mayor? Because I can't get.

Yes. Second by Councillor Clausen. All those in favour of TEA?

Thanks. I'll come back on because Council limited for time, so concise answers super help us. Thank you.

The motion carries. Councillor Meiszner.

Yeah, thanks, Chair. I had some questions around Recommendation D, around streamlining development review. It mentions staff recommend temporarily de-emphasizing staff review of detailed architectural designs such as composition, window and door placement, and materials and detailing. Am I correct that...

This would also apply to multiplexes in Vancouver?

Okay. So are staff currently with multiplexes not considering the composition, window door placement, materials? There's no review of that?

Okay. That doesn't really answer my question. Are our staff looking at that or no? It's multiplexes.

Okay. Okay. How about six-story apartment buildings?

Okay. But this recommendation recommends de-emphasizing staff review of, as I mentioned, architectural design, door window placement. That's correct. So I'm just trying to get a sense of why and also how much time this will save and if it's worthwhile to move this recommendation.

Yeah, I understand the intention. I just want to get a sense of why we would do this to save time and how much time are we going to save and is it worthwhile? Because I have a concern about ugly buildings.

I understand the need to do that. I guess my question is really around the year of not enforcing the guidelines. Like, is it worthwhile to do that, to save two staff? I guess you're saying that it's two staff positions that work on this full-time?

Okay. Okay. Okay, thanks for that. I want to shift to Trout Lake. On the potential of units, there was a mention around refinements leading to additional 8,000 to 15,000 units beyond what was previously planned or possible. What is that number, that base number, if we weren't to make these refinements in terms of housing units that could be delivered with the current view cones?

That's right. Okay. Okay, thank you. And then on the engagement, I don't have a ton of time, but am I correct that What the public was engaged on at Trout Lake Park is not what we're seeing here today. That was developed after the public engagement.

So that was the refinements that were made post-engagement?

That's your time. Thanks. All right.

Did I miss something?

Council of War. That was exactly my question, if you could sort of give a little more color into that, a little more. So it was developed concurrently with the TOA, with the Bill 47 legislation, is that correct?

So the numbers that we received, 91% or 70% strongly disagree. That's with the other view cones. We don't have the updated numbers on... And the now new narrower. That's correct. That's correct. It could be even.

Greater.

Okay. And then can you walk me through that interaction with Bill 47, like how it interacts with our view cones? Does Bill 47 sort of completely trump anything that we do on our view cones? Do we have a say if we... Say if we go back to the drawing board and sort of do a different take on these view cones. Because we've seen that a little around like, you know, for FSR or for height of buildings, but I haven't really, you know, how does it interact with view cones here?

Okay, and then there was mention of current projects. I would assume that's Broadway Safeway project?

How that will affect the view cone. They would already sort of protrude into the old view cones.

So, I mean, we can't really go back to the old view cones, but we can...

What are the other projects that are in the pipeline?

I see. So you're trying to match the policy beforehand just to make the considerations of future... Yeah, the boundaries of the TOA and those sites are very clear.

Okay. I don't have much time, but there is You touched on the sort of difficulty of that Broadway TOA. I guess there's a ravine sort of cutting through it. Is that part of that? Correct.

And that's your time.

Okay, thanks for clarifying. Counselor Fry. Just riffing off this, and I know it seems incredibly repetitive and stuff, but just to get clarity, how much of this, and just focusing for the time being on the Trout Lake sort of panoramic view cone and How much of this is actually driven by the TOA legislation and how much is sort of anticipating opportunities that surround the, like, so how rigid is the TOA legislation from the province in driving the view cone conversation? I'm going to ask. Neil? Neil, to respond to that question. Thank you.

Okay, framing this another way then, if we were just strictly to go with the prescriptive TOA from the province, would this view cone analysis look different? if we were just strictly going with the provincial mandate?

So we are... Okay, tease that out a little bit.

Effectively, what you're saying is that this is a response and a massaging of the provincial push for transit-oriented development that would otherwise see even greater view cone incursions. And you're pushing back on that a little bit because I think...

Okay. That's a really important clarification because I think we're certainly kind of, I think a lot of the impression has been that this is all driven by the provincial mandate and it's not necessarily us pushing back on it. So I think that's important clarification and I appreciate that. Of course. Thank you for the question. When we look at view cones, and this is also sort of in your lane. Because, I mean, I appreciate the work that goes into it, but it's a very specific point from Trout Lake. I mean, it's a big park. There's a lot of great views, and I think that vista and panorama is what people appreciate, not necessarily standing on that southern tip of the lake. How do we kind of rationalize view cones in that context? And I get the...

Okay. Well, and I do appreciate the work. And I also want to mention that I appreciate the refinement of the Windermere view as was originally presented and giving it a little bit more kind of articulation of what these look like, because I think they are really important. And are you learning some... kind of lessons through how we articulate views and massings?

And the public who are paying very close attention to a lot of this stuff.

I'm going to jump back on in the second round because I'm out of time, but I have some other questions about the... The small changes stuff. Thank you, Councillor.

Okay, thanks, Councillor. Councillor Domenato.

Thank you, Chair. And following on the theme of Trout Lake, I'm curious if staff could comment. Previously, we talked about view cones in the context of Kiwi Park as an example. And in that context, there's a greater elevation for that park than there is with Trout Lake. Would that be a fair kind of characterization in terms of views to the mountains? Yes, Councillor. And just recognizing that, appreciating that the efforts here is to be an enabler of future housing and potential developments with some of the planning. Given the market conditions, I guess I'm asking about urgency. I'm just to be context. I've had several hundred emails. None of them are supportive of this. Obviously, the public engagement was not supportive, and there was different proposals presented.

How urgent is it to do this now versus maybe further community engagement? Can you give me some sense of that? Because I feel like we're a long ways off with a lot of development in the city.

Oh, I see. Our genuine mentor coming up.

I appreciate that clarity and recognizing, maybe not a question, a statement, is the TOA legislation was a blanket approach. It wasn't nuanced to different cities' geographies or anything like that. So I appreciate your working with that context. and i i think um my timer just changed i still had at least a minute and a half so i'm not sure what's going on but please just to flag i guess i guess for me clarity would be is um is could we uh refer just the um trout lake view cone piece back to staff for further community engagement in light of the feedback we've had so not necessarily everything wholesale because there's more in here than that but just and i don't i don't know how to do that in terms of language but would that be a possibility so that we could allow more time and more consideration for that piece yes counselor you could do that and we could provide the language to sever uh move forward other elements and sever that and and and have it referred back to staff for more work if that's council's will Okay, thank you. I just thought I'd ask that and Council can noodle on that. Thanks.

Thanks, Councillor. So I'll advance first-time speaker first, Councillor Clausen. But, yeah, Councillor Frey, please have yourself back.

Thanks, Chair.

This is, I realize that staff in front of us are from the planning department and not necessarily getting into the sort of psychosocial aspects of things. But I'm kind of curious, when I look at this policy, I realize that I was down at Trout Lake and I went to the beach and I've got the little mud on my shoes to kind of, to prove it. to take a look at it. And I realized it's an absolutely radiant, beautiful place, and so is some of the surroundings as well. Those views can be captured from various aspects, but clearly the policy centers on that beachfront. But I'm trying to get an understanding of... what the goal of the policy is. Is it to sort of strip away the fact that we are in an urban center and take away any reminders that built form and tall buildings are a part of being in a city? And again, I'm not trying to disparage that view at all. Or having reminders that we are in a very beautiful setting, i.e. the... views of the sisters, the views of Grouse and the North Shore. I'm curious what staff have sort of gleaned from diving into this issue and talking to community and getting a better sense of it.

And clearly with the TOA policy, and as has been mentioned, it's a blunt instrument. The eccentric circles are not always exact, and you've got the cut, for example, that makes that landscape, that terrain there, very uneven, some of it completely undevelopable from that standpoint as well.

Yeah, I'm still kind of grappling a little bit. I've only got about 20 seconds or so left. But the idea that we can get a clearer understanding of, I mean, clearly the view is a public good, a public benefit of being in this place. And it's a question of how much detail, because when you start talking about going up, bumping up against 20, you know, 10 to 20,000 potential homes in the neighborhood as a result of this over the long term, there are those trade-offs. So I'm over my time. So thanks, Josh.

Okay, thanks, Councillor. Councillor Corbett is not here, so I'm going to advance Councillor Frye.

Oh, yeah. Sorry, I thought Councillor Kirby Young was on the queue ahead of me.

So I wanted to ask a little bit, and I'm sorry, my bad, because I thought Kirby Young was on ahead of me. about the small changes and the incremental one, because I think it was an interesting conversation we had in the briefing that kind of just teased out a little bit of these, you know, they're, they're not so much about things like setbacks, but really just, I think the example was, was bricks, uh, turn around and, and, and, and small items. And I just thought maybe it would be helpful if you could just, is it possible to just kind of articulate what we're really talking about in some of these small changes and what it means for, uh, rapidity of achieving faster and more efficient development?

I see Jason stepping up, and there was a fantastic quote that one of you had about, like... Less constraints, better outcomes?

Yeah, no, I think it's important. And does this weave into the potential of like AI plan checking and the kind of stuff that we've been seeing coming out of Kelowna and that we're pulling out here? I'm going to say yes, but that's kind of like over the horizon, take a left.

Thank you. Thanks. All right, thanks, Councillor Frey. So seeing no one else on the queue, we will now hear from the right speaker for this report. Please note that this time podium heights cannot be adjusted by clerk. Staff, please adjust the podium as needed to speak into the microphone using the control on your bottom right-hand side and lower it to the minimum height once questions from the committee are complete. Public speakers should stay whether they are in support or in opposition of the recommendations and may only speak once. I will also ask speakers if they are residents of Vancouver if it is not noted on the speakers list. Public speakers speaking in person can use the...

Okay, so our first public speaker is Stephen Bohas.

Let's go ahead, Stephen.

I won't start your clock.

Okay.

Thank you. Thank you, Stephen.

Can we lower the podium, please?

All right, speaker number three is Luis Vegas.

First slide, please.

Thank you. Thank you, Luis. Speaker number four is Maladi Ma.

Please go ahead, Maladi.

Thank you. Thank you. Okay, speaker number five is Paisley Woodward.

Thank you, Paisley. All right. Speaker number six is Alison Wick.

There we go. Please go ahead.

Thanks. All right. Thanks, Alison. Speaker number seven is Claudia McAuliffe.

No.

Person or? No. All right, so I'm going to call speaker number seven and eight again. They are not in person, not on phone either, right?

All right, okay, thank you. Okay, so that's the end of our speakers list. Thank you everyone for speaking to the Standing Committee on City Finance and Services. Would someone like to move a motion?

Seconded by Councillor Domenato. All right, so committee members, is there any discussion? I saw Councillor Domenato.

Yeah, thanks, Chair. I'm looking to take maybe a brief five-minute recess because I would like, I was asking questions about postponing a decision on the Trout Lake View cones or deferring, and I just want to make sure that I can get the language right, and given that The disability recommendations are framed. I'm not sure how they can be severed out or how to do that appropriately, and I don't want to waste Council's time. So if we could take a five-minute recess so we can consult with staff.

Thank you. 11.13. Thanks.

Yeah, we have quorum. Councillor Dominato?

Thank you, Chair. Just given there's some interest in trying to move an amendment around the Trout Lake View cones, and we're waiting for some further feedback from legal staff about how to do that given the way the recommendations are structured, I'd like to suggest that we postpone continuation of this item until after lunch at 1 p.m. So that would give our legal team time to work on language, and then we can move on with the first, I think, the first member motion on the agenda.

Okay, so we have a motion on the floor. So seconded by Councillor Kerbion. All those in favour say aye.

in Vancouver's history. Every match here will feel like the Super Bowl, and every match worldwide will be watched in homes, bars, and public spaces across this great city of ours. Although we're excited to host a free FIFA Fan Fest at the Peony, the centerpiece... Is the new P&E Amphitheater the biggest and best screen on site? Right now, general admission at the amphitheater is expected to have a modest ticket price. My motion asks the province to make general admission to the P&E Amphitheater free for World Cup broadcasts. It ensures families, youth, and residents of all incomes can participate. And I'll bring this up in a later motion of mine. There are a lot of families, individuals that are struggling with affordability challenges. And when you look at BC Place, there's going to be limited opportunities for fans to participate just by the sheer numbers of seats available versus everyone who wants to be there. And we want to make sure that individuals throughout this region have an opportunity regardless of socioeconomic, you know, places of where they're at, who, you know, will be able to celebrate these games and enjoy them and create lifelong memories. And so my motion also asks PAVCO and FIFA to make BC Place available on non-match days for public watch parties. But I will be moving an amendment to strike this part of the motion. If you never ask, you never know. And as mayor, I'm focused on affordability for all Vancouverites. This motion, the motion's purpose is about looking for different ways to bring more affordability to these games. However, with my conversations with FIFA over the last couple of weeks, it's become clear that due to security requirements for the tournament, watch parties at BC Place will not be possible. And our primary is to make sure that we pull off very successful games that are safe. And so it doesn't look like that will be in the cards. But we have had very promising conversations with the province about the P&E amphitheater. And so let's get this motion passed and make sure that World Cup is truly accessible for everyone in Vancouver.

Okay.

Councillor Dominato, that's you or that's the whole world? Okay. Councillor Frye.

I'm sorry, Chair. Point of information, I'm not following exactly what's changed. I got here a little bit late and the meeting had started.

Yeah, no, I followed that. I'm just curious, has the mayor's motion changed? I missed the entirety of it.

Yes, so thank you for the question, Councillor Fry. So the first part of the motion that requests the province and FIFA to see if we can... host viewing parties in BC place on non-game days. We are going to strike that because based on further conversations with FIFA, it's just not possible and to maintain, you know, the security infrastructure and the plan that's been in place for a while. And so... I'm always of the view. If you don't ask, you don't know for sure. And on the slate possibility that it was possible, we asked, but obviously with further conversations, it just won't be possible. So we're going to strike it out.

And thank you. Thank you. And thanks. And mayor, I see your amendment has come through as well. So I think that gives additional clarity. Sure. If I may, through you, I may through you, if I could ask another question of the mover. Sure. And just the, the, the, The new amended B, and I'm happy to support this amendment. I'm just curious, though, is this... asking the province for admission to the amphitheater, is this to insulate the P&E in the city of Vancouver from financial costs incurred? So just a procedure question.

Let's go to an amendment. I moved the amendment.

My screen isn't updating. I'm assuming I'm up. Yes. So I'd like to move an amendment to one that's on the screen, please.

Yeah, like I stated during my introduction and the response to Councillor Fry as well, basically, you know, we want to make these games as accessible to as many people as possible. And there are a lot of people that are dealing with affordability challenges. And these are such an incredible event, once in a lifetime in the city of Vancouver. We want to make sure that people have access to it. And so the first part of the, or my amendment strikes, so the first part, because after conversations with FIFA, it just doesn't seem like it's going to be possible to open up BC place on non-game days. because of all the security requirements and all the infrastructure that's been put into place. And so we acknowledge that and we support FIFA's decision. They've been great partners and they care about putting on a very safe games. And I'm always, I'm proud that we asked this because if you don't ask. you don't get and you don't know. And now we know, and at least we had an opportunity to have that conversation. The second clause still applies because this is really just a pricing issue. And like I said, there are a lot of people that are struggling with affordability challenges. Even with the small fee where some people may think it's a small fee, that could be a significant fee that excludes a lot of people in our city. And that, you know, we want to make sure that as many, you know, Vancouverites and residents and locals, regardless of where they are socioeconomically, have an opportunity to participate in these matches and these games.

Thank you.

Yeah, thanks very much, Chair, and thanks, Mayor Sim, for bringing this motion forward. I'm sort of looking at this from a few different angles. First of all, back in 2010, actually it was in January of 2010, in the weeks just prior to the 2010 Games arriving here, an associate of mine had a harebrained idea to have a website guide that listed all of the free activities one could do during the 2010 games here and for a website that was probably doing about maybe you know 400 or so page hits per day it was quite surprising to see it all of a sudden jump up to 5,000 and then a couple days later 10,000 per day and then a little bit after that, 50,000 per day, and then it peaking at about 150,000 per day. And it was partly thanks to some news coverage that we've got on Global News and their assignment editor, Clive Jackson, who was a big supporter of making sure that we could promote this. The website crashed one day, and I was in a panic to try and get it going again. But the fact was is that after the end of the Games, we had about 2.5 million page views, on this guide, which we dubbed Where to Be for Free. And what a lot of people will acknowledge is that the 150,000 or so people that started to come downtown, started going to the Richmond Oval, started going to all the BC Pavilion. going to the Surrey Live site, all of these activities made that to be the most, probably the best winter games in history. And it was because we thought about average folks who weren't able to get up onto the slopes, weren't able to go up to Whistler and watch the you know, the luge and what have you. Couldn't afford those tickets, but they could afford sometimes the few bucks in their pocket a day to just go out and be a part and feel like they're a part of something. And so this is why I'm so excited. about this and this opportunity for FIFA because it stands as a chance for Vancouver not only to be on the global and world stage again, but a chance to really show our best face, the fact that we are a safe, welcoming, diverse, incredible urban destination. I sort of tell this story to just illustrate that I think we have a really great opportunity here. And I remember because my phone used to light up and it would say VanOck on the phone, but it wasn't VanOck. It was VanOck forwarding calls from people who wanted to know where they could get to a certain venue or where to park, and it was going straight to my phone. And I remember one day a woman calling me saying, I'm coming in from Agassiz. I've got two kids. I'm going to be able to get to Surrey SkyTrain, and then I need to come down. I've got a $100 budget for a day. Where should I go? And I helped this, basically provided some advice. It was fun, but it was also just an indication of just how important it was for people to be able to do stuff when they don't have big budgets to do this. And so I think the FIFA Live site, I'm working for the P&E board, of course, and I know that that team at the P&E is working really hard to make this into a spectacular occasion as well. So excited to support this and really look forward to what's coming up in just a few months.

Yeah, thanks. Chair, I'm wondering if through you I could ask a question of the mover of the motion and amendment. Yeah, please go ahead. Yeah, so I'm just reading through the staff comments that talk about amphitheater ticketing is the only opportunity for the host committee to generate revenue to offset a proportion of event costs. So mechanically speaking, what does this look like when we're – I think the direction is to request that the province – fund the general admission. Is this the province paying the P&E? Is the P&E board expecting to generate revenue from the amphitheater to offset the cost of the new amphitheater construction?

Just really quickly to, and through you, Chair, the response is the P&E is not expecting that they will net out much revenue from the game day experiences where probably some of the revenue from the live site will come. And again, it's in partnership with the province. We'll be through things like parking, food and beverage sales and what have you. The actual cost associated with the ticketing is pretty nominal, all things considered. And again, I'm just It's not to say that we don't, you know, there aren't some dollars involved there, but it's my understanding that it's not something that the P&E is terribly worried about to have game day or sort of non-game day activities on there or sort of game day having free tickets for those ones.

Okay, if I may, in follow-up then. Oh, sorry, Mayor.

So just to be clear, it's just for the seven home games. We're not asking for this for the other games, the viewings or the concerts. I think that's fair game. And so... You know, when I look at this, you know, and not to put, you know, words into the province's mouth or whatever, but we do have, you know, the hotel fee that's being charged as an example. So they can reroute some of that. And, you know, like... On an average stay, let's say a $300 stay generates, let's say $7.50. And each one of those can sort of go towards, you know, funding, you know, a ticket for someone, you know, a kid who's a dreamer, who has no ability to go to a match. You know, I think that that would be worthwhile. And when you look at it from that perspective, it's not going to be costing the taxpayers of the city of Vancouver. or the province. It's going to be based on prosperity and the amount of attention that our city will get during the games and after the games. You know, I think some of that should go towards making sure that the residents of Vancouver, especially the ones that can't afford it, have an opportunity because we're, you know, this isn't City Hall's FIFA World Cup. This is the residents, every single Vancouverite, everyone in the region, everyone in the province. These are our FIFA games. And it won't feel like our FIFA games if people don't have opportunities because they can't afford to see it. And so that's one thing I'll fight for. And, you know, I think that's something we can really ask the province to do. I don't think it's a lot to ask for seven games.

No, I appreciate that, Mayor, and I will note that you've expressed that this isn't at a cost to the taxpayers of Vancouver, but we're asking the province, and that you've mentioned that this is specific to the seven home games, which isn't captured in this enactment clause, but given as you are the guy writing the letter, I'm confident that you will include that that is the specificity that we're talking about, not concerts or... Absolutely. All right. Thanks, Mayor. Thank you. Thanks, Chair, for indulging that. Thank you.

Can I please get a vote assist in favor? My interface isn't working.

Fry? Yeah. Appreciate the clarity from the mayor. And I think that just to his comments about making this accessible to folks who might otherwise not have an opportunity to really embrace and indulge this opportunity. I'm super supportive. So thank you, mayor, for bringing it forward. Thank you. Councillor Orr.

Yeah. Likewise. Happy to support. Remember the Olympics, you know, had sort of similar viewing opportunities and, you know, you know, the home ground program, you know, for people in the downtown east side to watch. I know soccer is an incredibly important game and everybody loves it. It's one of the most watched sports on the planet. So happy to support.

Thank you. Constable Meisner.

Yeah, just quickly, just want to add my voice of support to the mayor's motion. This is going to be an incredible time for our city, much like the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. I partake in many of those free viewing opportunities. and all the events that were happening around the city, and I'm really excited to see that energy back in Vancouver this summer, so I'm in full support of the motion.

Thank you. All right, no one else on the queue, so we're going to vote on this item, the motion as amended.

Okay. Like many Vancouverites, I was deeply disappointed to learn that the celebration of lights would not return this year. You know, and this one's deeply personal. As a kid, I think everyone knows that my family struggled financially. I'm not sure, but I might be the only person on this council with lived experience of our family getting kicked out of multiple homes because we couldn't make rent. In fact, I went to five elementary schools in five years. because our family moved from place to place. And, you know, as an immigrant family, we struggled to make rent to feed the family, and we really looked forward to free community events, you know, like the P&E Parade, the Chinese Lunar New Year Parade with the fireworks and the lions. The free events were literally the only events that we could go to, and... Look, my parents would come up with reasons why we couldn't go to other events, you know, timing or we had family commitments or a whole bunch of other things. But you grow up and as an adult, you realize that, you know, my parents were proud. They just didn't want to say that we couldn't go to these events. And unfortunately, my family story is becoming an increasingly common story in our city, in our province, and in our country. And so at a time when major events are increasingly expensive, losing one of our few large free summer events is a real loss for the city. And once they're gone, they're incredibly hard to get back. I want to stress, think about the Peony Parade or the Santa Claus Parade. So my motion is simple. First, it approves up to $2 million for a one-night city-enabled fireworks event this August. This one-time event to ensure Vancouver still has a major free family-friendly fireworks celebration This summer, staff will pursue sponsors and partners for cost recovery without delaying delivery or limiting public access. Staff will report back by the end of Q1 with an event plan. Second, the motion urges the federal and provincial governments to reinstate and increase funding to bring back the celebration of light. This recognizes its cultural significance, its tourism and economic impact, and its importance as a free public experience. So we're bringing the fireworks back this summer, and we're working to bring the celebration of light back next year.

Yeah, thanks. I have a long history with this event, probably longer than any other, and back to the time when it was the Symphony of Fire, and I have served in different capacities over the years as marketing chair for the event, tried to support sponsorship. brought different partners on at different points in the day. And there's always been challenges and ebbs and flows in this event, but it always managed to sustain and hang on. It's such a very explicit example of what happens when senior levels of government pull their funding entirely. I think that in addition to being a beloved festival and a free event that's so iconically Vancouver, there is nothing like sitting and watching the fireworks with that spectacular view of English Bay. people don't necessarily realize the significant economic impact and that includes to different levels of government the local businesses people are spending hotels are full folks are coming down they're getting they're buying food in the local restaurants and the tax revenues support it when we start to lose those parts of our city it's it's very significant i will note that i think the mayor has mentioned previously in previous comments about this that We had funding set aside for the city's significant contribution to this event, which is some cash and in kind in terms of offsetting policing and other things. And so this isn't really a significant amount of incremental. It does put the onus on moving the sort of the. different partners stepping up and coming up with a sponsorship model that's sustainable. I will sort of drop here that I had some good conversations with other cultural partners, including one as recently as yesterday. I brought forward different events in the past also, like in my time at Park Board, such as starting the Symphony at Sunset with the when the summer infrastructure goes in, to look at sharing costs across a number of existing events who are looking to reduce some costs where they might be able to share stages or something runs over multiple days in a week. And so I'm looking forward to sort of contributing with community to some of those conversations. I'll also note I see an amendment coming up which speaks to, I can speak to that in more detail when it's tabled, but a lot of that work is already happening. This is about a laser focus for delivering this event in 2026 and delivering one night of fireworks in the height of summer for Vancouverites that love that. And I think people need to have a little bit of hope.

in times of affordability that some of our beloved Vancouver traditions are, that we are fighting for them and we're not quietly just sort of letting them slip away. So I wholeheartedly support it and I will be coming back to speak to the amendment that is coming. Thanks. Thanks, Councillor. Councillor Maloney.

Thanks. If I could be put on an amendment queue, please.

So please add yourself there. Okay. Please go ahead.

Thank you. I very much appreciate the intention behind the motion that's been brought and I very much agree with the underlying purpose. But this amendment expresses a slightly different vision that doesn't have to be an either or. It could be an as well or in addition to. But I believe it better supports the goal of creating a vibrant, fun Vancouver if we do have to choose between the two of them. and providing opportunities for ongoing stimulation of the local economy and supporting the breadth of arts and cultural activities in our city rather than just a one-off event. It's designed to give us more bang for our buck.

There are conflicting views about fireworks and in particular having to make a choice between investing in the celebration of light while the Canada Day fireworks are cancelled and choosing between one big event versus investing in the festivals, events and organisations that do so much to enrich our city, both culturally and financially. Vancouver currently has major events that are struggling and reinvesting in them right now would leverage the economic impact of homegrown festivals and events. Thank you.

Thank you. We need a seconder. Seconded by Councillor Orr. Okay, Councillor Kirby on the amendment. Yeah, thanks, Chair. I'm just going to preface this by, I know that we often hear from some of our new councillors, and I think Councillor Mulaney often says, and I appreciate the honesty in the statement that she's new here. There is a lot of this work that is already being done, so much of it. And again, I'm probably deeply connected to this coming from the tourism sector, but I myself moved a motion making it easier to host outdoor festivals and events. We have our FEST committee and our FEST work. We are maintaining our grants. We're looking at ways to work together already. There's an actual FEST committee of industry that have been meeting and talking about recommendations and in terms of how the city can do that work and support them. A lot of this work is driven in partnership. We have an ongoing relationship and we fund with the Vancouver Hotel. Destination Association, VHDA, as well as Destination Vancouver. There is a table and a partnership agreement that already exists with the city. This council has advanced funding to support that as one of the financial partners. And they utilize some of that hotel tax in order to stimulate new events that can come in and complement the calendar, to stimulate and look at how they can support existing events. to help leverage them up and sustain them. And so we see a lot of that work happening. It's things like, you know, everything from the Ferris wheel popping up to trying to incubate Lumiere and different events that happen at different times of the year. So the city is sort of deeply involved in and supportive of this work. A lot of this, I think, doesn't recognize the work that's already happening. It doesn't recognize the partnerships with Destination Vancouver, Vancouver Hotel, Destination Association. and others. And I think we've had different motions such as the street festival on Davie that we've been investing in thanks to Councillor Miser and resuscitating and doing that work, supporting Pride. So we've had a lot of different motions already, I think, in supporting and lifting up a number of these events. And we just need to keep doing that work with the existing structures that they have. So I'm not seeing anything new here. And for that reason, I will not be supporting it. Thank you. Thanks. Mayor Sim.

Yeah, really quickly. So, Councillor Maloney, thank you. And, you know, I see where the intent is coming from. Also, Councillor Kirby-Young, thank you for highlighting all the additional work that's happening behind the scenes on a bunch of other events that are, you know, going through this current economic crisis or environment as well. I just want to be very clear. We're talking about the fireworks, which is the largest community event in the province. It's free. It's family friendly. It's safe. And like I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of individuals that are dealing with affordability challenges. So events like this give access or accessible to people who wouldn't actually have access to other things. We are focused on saving this event. As I mentioned earlier, When these events go away, they're so hard to bring back. And so I think we really, the purpose of this motion is to provide focus on saving a fireworks celebration in the city of Vancouver that's free, family-friendly, and safe. And time is of the essence. And so with that, I will be respectfully not supporting the amendment to my motion. Thanks.

All right, Councillor Orr. Thanks. Yeah, I appreciate that there is a lot of work going on and there's a lot of organizations, you know, working behind the scenes in this. But what is new in this amendment is an influx of $2 million to support. these events and festivals. That is absolutely new. That is a lot of money. And as we heard from numerous speakers in festivals like Bard on the Beach and Mural Fest and other groups, when we tried to bring forward a hotel tax to support those festivals, which was ultimately struck and replaced, that this funding could go so far And for every dollar I think we heard, it's $10 in return back to the economy. So, I mean, that's $20 million in benefits that would arise from this amendment alone to support the arts.

Thanks, Councillor. Okay, before I advance the next speakers, I'm looking at the time. I need a motion to extend this meeting, just in case.

Complete this item. Okay, moved by Councillor Meiszner, seconded by Councillor Davenato. All those in favour, say aye. Opposed, say nay. Okay, thank you. The motion carries. Councillor Maloney.

Yeah, thank you, and thanks to Councillor... for running me through all those things. I reassure her that I am very much laser focused on what we do and don't do for arts and culture in this city. And as Councillor Orr mentioned, the new thing here is the $2 million. I was very careful to draft this to emphasise the benefit to... ..the ongoing benefit to our local businesses from attracting visitors to our city, but not just once, not just a one-off day, throughout the course of the season to make sure that there's an ongoing source of funds so that... Different people get the opportunity to engage in different events that might interest them. And we really do benefit so much from the unique festivals and events and cultural organisations. And they contribute so much to making Vancouver vibrant and interesting and wonderful and unique. So I'm regretting that I'm thinking that this won't be supported. However, I would really encourage council to consider doing it as well as a one-off contribution or investment in the Festival of Light. Thank you.

Councillor Claston.

Just really briefly, just first of all, the original motion, which is asking for an additional $600 million or so thousand dollars to top up a typical grant of over $1.4 million is, I think, appropriate. This event obviously looms large in the hearts of people of the city. We know that it generates a significant amount of economic activity around it. And so I'm going to be supporting the original motion. I do sort of take heed to Councillor Kirby Young's words around the fact that a lot of this work is happening right now. I think we just need to think of this exactly for what it is, which is an ability to bridge through 2026 to make sure that we can revive and strengthen a festival of lights for future years to come. Thanks.

Thanks. Councillor Meiszner.

Yeah, thanks, Chair. I won't be supporting the amendment either, but I'm strongly in support of the original motion to bring back the celebration of light this summer. As mentioned, this is the largest free event in the province, and it's worthwhile to do this. I've been coming to the show since I was a teenager. My family used to take the ferry over from... from the island to attend the fireworks, back when it was sponsored by Benson & Hedges, and it was called the Symphony of Fire. And I still attend to this day. So as mentioned, there's already funds allocated for this year, and this is just a small top-up to those funds. And this is going to bring back the celebration of light for one night this summer. a year that's really pivotal for our city with FIFA in town. It's right before the Pride Festival, which I'm happy to have supported and will be supporting again this year with bringing back the block party to Davie Street. But this will secure this marquee event, and I know that we can work hard to get sponsors interested for 2027 next year and bring it back in its full form as it used to be. I think this is a fantastic motion and I'm really excited to support it. Thanks.

Thanks, Councillor Meiszner. So seeing no one else on the queue, let's go to the vote on amendment.

Okay, so the amendment did not pass with Consular Joel, Kirby Andominato, Montague, Klassen, Meisner, and Mayor Seney in opposition. Consular Bly absent. Consular Fry abstain.

All right, so coming back to the main queue, Councillor Domenato.

Okay, Councillor Fry.

Microphone.

Thank you. Yeah, I don't support this motion, and I do appreciate the lamentation for the celebration of life, or I'm sorry, the celebration of light. It's a celebration of life for the celebration of light. I appreciate that it has been a beloved event since the time Councillor Meiszner was traversing the Georgia Strait to visit the Benson and Hedges. And it's a regional joy. I get that part. But the reality is that it was a business model that was not sustainable. And the reason it's not continued to fund is because they couldn't make it work for a variety of reasons. So I think, you know, including the lack of federal funding... But we need to recognize that we are in this austerity budget. And the reason I really don't support this and why I didn't support Councillor Maloney's amendment either is because we're talking about the allocation of $2 million at a time when this city has talked about a zero means zero austerity budget. We are letting go hundreds of city staff, the people who we like to say help make this place a great place. place to live, work, and play. And we allowed our staff to that extent, but we are at the same time denuding the funding for that. And I recognize also that there are other events in this city that are struggling and could use that funding support. that aren't receiving the kind of support. And fundamentally, where I disagree with this approach from the mayor is that there is no business plan here. There is no comprehension. We've tasked staff to come up with staff who are beleaguered and overworked, and we've been hearing nonstop that the budget constraints mean we can't get stuff done. We keep hearing that the inevitability of FIFA means that we have limited staff resources to get stuff done. Yet here we are... with this advancement of $2 million to come up with a last-minute plan to deliver fireworks, which I get, people love it, but at the same time, it deserves a little bit more thought than what I think the Roman satirists referred to as bread and circuses, because at the end of the day, this is on the eve of an election, and it's a great gimme, but we have... consistently heard from this council that we are in the dire need for austerity to deliver a zero percent budget. So the idea that as we're letting folks go from the city of Vancouver that we can magically come up with two million dollars to throw a fireworks show in the summertime that hasn't really been planned out, I don't think is responsible or consistent with what's been spoken about in these chambers. And I will add that the city of Vancouver continues to afford a great deal of fun family activities and our city remains a wonderful place to visit in the summertime. We have fantastic parks and beaches, and we have a vibrant tourist scene, and we have great shops and shopping districts. We have lots to enjoy in this city. $2 million for a fireworks show that hasn't been planned out is not the time, and certainly... I understand that Minister Bailey will be coming back with a very harsh budget that won't be a very popular one. So it doesn't sound like the province has got cash to throw at this anytime soon. If we really want to be serious about bringing back some kind of fireworks festival on the shores of English Bay in the future. It may or may not involve pyrotechnics, or maybe it could involve drones. Who knows? But it needs a little bit more thought. It needs a little bit more partnership that's confirmed rather than just sort of throwing it as a Hail Mary pass on the eve of an election. So a hard pass on this. Thanks. Thanks, Mayor Sim.

Yeah, I do want to clarify a couple of things and then get to the point of why we're doing this here. So first of all, the city of Vancouver's financial commitment has never wavered. Before senior levels of government and sponsors pulled their funding, we were already committed to $1.4 million in in-kind support. and that has been budgeted for so we're talking about a top up of about six hundred thousand dollars also um our administration has been um getting our financial house in order which includes over the last four years we've uh replenished the reserves um by 150 million dollars with the view when there are unique uh situations with extenuating circumstances we can react and still be financially stable

This council, you know, I know there are individuals that will say this is hard to do in an area where we're trying to, you know, make life more affordable by reducing property taxes that everyone bears, regardless if you're a renter, homeowner, business owner, what have you. When property taxes go up, guess what? You pay for that in your cup of coffee or the sandwich you get at the local restaurant or in your rent or in your property taxes in general. But as mayor, and I know a bunch of councillors here, have not voted down very pragmatic projects that would bring tens of millions of dollars of additional revenue to this city that are not taxes. We are being very prudent. Others will vote them down. And so that's the battle we're fighting. We are fighting. We choose to address this very unique situation.

The economic impact is pretty significant as well. Think of it's the largest event in the province and the effect that it has on restaurants, all the local shop owners, the taxi drivers, Uber drivers, you name it. And it's not just the gross economic impact and the tax revenues that actually go to the province and the federal government, not the city of Vancouver. I want to humanize it. If you own that little shop, you know what, that one day, and make or break your month or your summer. It is that significant. And I think that's what we should be fighting for. On top of that, we know we're going through an affordability challenge here. A lot of people in this city, this province, and this country are struggling with affordability challenges. They're struggling to put meals... on the table to feed their families. And I think it's okay that we have been fiscally prudent. We built up our reserves for a rainy day. Well, the day's raining today. And you know what? If it's $600,000 of the $150 million that we have been prudently putting away for that, this is exactly... why we do what we do. So when an event like this happens, the most iconic event in the summer, in my opinion, on an ongoing basis, and we're at the risk of losing it, and they're so hard to bring back, I think it's okay to choose this. And so I choose to support this to make sure that people can enjoy the summer in a... family-friendly, fun, safe way, regardless if, you know, or, you know, economics aren't going to be a roadblock for someone to enjoy the summer with their family on a special night. Thanks, Mayor. Okay, Councillor Kerbiel.

Yeah, thanks, Mayor. I feel like I'm in an episode of Christmas Carol with Scrooge, and I'm hoping that people will wake up and realize that this is just something that brings people joy. It makes them smile. It causes people to kind of... get excited about making plans. It brings all of our city together, a huge proportion, about 400,000 people coming from Vancouver and the surrounding region over the night, and having a shared collective amazing experience. And affordability is a very real issue. I mean, to the comment that the model just doesn't work, arts and culture in general doesn't work as a model, but we don't stop investing in it. We don't stop putting in the 13, $14 million in grants. We don't stop in terms of our affordable cultural spaces grants. They charge for tickets. This is free. And people need things to do in the city. They need highlights. The point of keeping property taxes low, which was, I think, well explained earlier by the mayor, is to support affordability. But people still need to have joy and things to do in their city. And so... To me, the argument sort of falls flat. To me, if you're arguing about affordability, because this is one of those things that allows a family to go and have a night out without costing anything. They can go into the local shop if they want, or they can go and they can take a picnic. You know, Councillor Fry mentioned shops as things to do. Those are not free. So I think that this is a good use of expenditure. There's an economic impact if you take away, if you want to go there and sort of go through all of the different tax revenue, all the small business revenues generated, but you cannot put a price on how beloved this event is. It has been going for a long, long time. So let's give a little bit of breathing room. Let's have one this summer and let's know that we did everything we can, just like we're trying to keep the white caps in Vancouver. These are quintessentially Vancouver things, and they are worth fighting for. Thank you.

Thanks. Councillor Orr.

Yeah, thanks. I was happy to support the mayor's previous motion, but I don't think I can support this. $2 million for one hour. If this was a single staff person working 40 hours a week, it would cost $4 billion. Noting that $1 billion would fix all of the city's private SROs. At $90,000 a year, $2 million is 22 staff positions we could keep. $2 million would allow things like the equity office, the renter's office, libraries to stay open seven days a week. The mayor had a chance to look at taxing the rich to pay for things like this, like exactly like this, but mocked it by asking if people would need a T4 to go to the pool. Council had a chance to keep property taxes at 0% for homes under $3 million, but chose not to. And I'll recognize Councillor Kirby Young's comments about Scrooge. Scrooge was someone who hoarded wealth at the expense of his working class employees. And that's exactly why so many are in this affordability crisis. So the mayor also said in regards to public grocery stores, we are in the business of filling potholes, not selling tomatoes. So wouldn't the same logic extend to being in the pyrotechnics business? So I welcome attempts to hold this event. I would hope they could find a philanthropist who could maybe chip in. But considering the financial reality of the city, I don't know any millionaires. So with that, I don't think I can support.

Thank you. Councillor Maloney.

Yeah, just briefly. I'm very, very supportive of creating and investing in opportunities to create joy and happiness and social connection in our city. And I am very focused on affordability as well, which is why I incorporated affordability into my amendment that unfortunately didn't pass. But if it comes down to a choice between spending $2 million... on one night of fireworks versus a city full of arts and culture festivals, events and organisations, I would choose to get more value for our limited budget. Thank you.

Councillor Clausen? Just really briefly, I just, again, happy to support this and, you know, a vision for a city that is not austere, that has the opportunity to bring to life and to be able to showcase a marquee event like this and And I appreciate that there was a really strong visceral reaction from the public when they learned that this event potentially would not continue on. This is a chance for us to bridge and try and work with the community to try and make sure that we can keep this event going for years to come. And people that visit our city have a chance to have a great time as they have for the last several years with Festival of Light. So happy to support this. Thanks.

Thanks. All right. Seeing no one else on the queue, let's go to the vote for this motion. Councillor, please register your vote. We are voting for the original motion from Mayor Sim.

The motion passed with Councillor Frye or Anne Maloney in opposition and Councillor Bligh absent. Thank you. That completes item two on the agenda. We're going to come back at 1 p.m. for the previous report on the remaining motions.

my mic on yeah thank you um do we have quorum chair okay okay so i think okay because i think there may be some other counselors interested in this um I'm just, thank you. I am going to move to the recommendation, and recommendations have been moved and seconded. I am going to move an amendment that would effectively strike recommendations A and B. So just give me a moment. I'll send this to council. And appreciating this is... I appreciate our staff helping with this and Councillor Orr has also been involved in this discussion around trying to find the right language to address the concerns raised by the public. So maybe I'll just wait until that comes up and I'll speak to it.

Just at a high level, I think Council heard the speakers today. We've all received correspondence and also this was daylighted by staff in the engagement. There were some significant reservations around changes to the existing view cones from Trout Lake. Now, that being said, I do think that looking at some of the correspondence we received, I think there is probably some blanket of... not wanting to see any change at all. And I think that may not have been, for some of the members of the public who've written us or maybe participated in the engagement, contextualized enough for them around that we're, as we heard from Shaft, trying to balance providing new housing opportunities in the city with the provincial TOA legislation, with preserving kind of livability. And again, this being a unique, it's one of the largest, I think, east side parks with that view to the mountains. And so what's proposed here is a strike and replace of A and B to allow for further public engagement, but to really kind of consider the housing and view benefits and drawbacks and the trade-offs. And so subsequently, so effectively it's sort of pausing. any changes to those specific view cones at this time, but everything else within the report would go forward. So I hope that's clear, but it is really just to be responsive to some of the concerns that we've heard. Thanks.

Councillor Kerbiel.

Yeah, thanks, Chair, and thanks for the proposed revised direction on this one. I have been broadly supportive of housing and modernizing our regulations in general. and recognizing as the city is growing and growing up that that has required some amendments to view cones to ensure that we are balancing between what makes Vancouver Vancouver and livability and delivering the housing. I will say, and this might be telling back to some of my embedded park service background, that Trout Lake is very special and it's very unique. The east side doesn't have... A lot. They have to travel to go to beaches. They're not as close to Stanley Park. And I think that Trout Lake and the area does deserve a special review and consideration relative to how the other view cone modernizations are examined because it does provide that sort of unparalleled opportunity for the expense of you it provides respite and it's really sort of a natural oasis in the heart of the city and a chance to breathe you've got the farmers market going there you've got the community center you've got dogs off leash you've got people walking kids you got the playground there's a lot going on there but The one thing that is really special, I think, is just the expansive feeling of it and just having that gem right in the heart of the Eastside. So I think this is a thoughtful thing to do and that staff sort of recognize that not all view cones are created the same. And there's a special context to this one and recognize that we heard some pretty resounding feedback from the public there. So looking to strike a good balance on this one. And I think it's okay to pause and review what our options are. Thanks.

Okay, thanks, Councillor. Okay, seeing no one else on the queue, so let's go to the vote for this amendment. Councillor, please register your vote on the voting panel.

So the amendment passed unanimously with Councillor Bligh, Councillor Meisler, and Mayor Sin absent. Thank you. Going back to the main queue, Councillor Domenato.

Thanks, Chair. I don't have anything further at this time.

Thank you. Thank you. All right. No one else on the queue. So let's go to the votes for the report as amended. Councillor, please register your vote.

Please go ahead.

Yeah, this motion addresses the ongoing issue of organic waste from large commercial businesses such as grocery stores and wholesalers continuing to be sent to landfill despite existing diversion requirements. When organic material breaks down in landfills... It produces methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas, making organic waste reduction one of the most immediate ways to cut near-term emissions. Importantly, this motion builds on work already completed through initiatives led by the Vancouver Economic Commission and research from Simon Fraser's Food Systems Lab. Rather than asking staff to start from scratch, it directs staff to summarize feasible options and clarify the city's role within existing capacity and jurisdiction. The focus is on upstream waste prevention, accountability, and emissions reductions. Overall, the motion aligns with existing work with Vancouver's climate emergency action plan targets in a practical and achievable way.

Yeah, thanks, Chair. I have the pleasure, first of all, I'm grateful to Councillor Orr and Councillor Fry for continuing to shine a spotlight on this issue. I have the privilege of serving as the Chair at Metro Vancouver's Zero Waste Committee, and there is a significant piece of work underway right now with respects to updating our solid waste management plan. It's required every 10 years. It's a requirement by the province. And... Even just at our meeting last week or the week before, we've got another one on Thursday. We continue to discuss organics waste, and it is showing up as a consistent component of our waste stream. What I want to see is us get to good solutions here. And so I'm going to suggest a different pathway towards getting to that. And if you want to move us to an amendment, Chair, and then I can speak to it.

Yeah, and that is really recognizing that a lot of the work that is proposed falls under the mandate and the jurisdiction of Metro Vancouver. And then some of the work that's proposed requires provincial legislative changes with respects to regulations around waste disposal. And so I think that that is a great forum for some of the conversations and work to happen. At Thursday's meeting, we're actually going to be seeing and discussing a draft of the upcoming... a new proposed solid waste management plan. There's about 20 actions that are in there with respects to food waste and management. And then in addition to really recognizing the scope of the problem, and there are some folks that sit on a number of advisory committees. We have a public technical advisory committee, including representatives that are passionate about food waste, and that's something that they have been driving in the plan. And one of the things also recognized is the importance of regional collaboration, recognizing that a lot of producers are crossing boundaries in terms of customer service, where if delivery trucks are going, that type of thing. The points were made with respects to the danger of methane and the issues in the landfill. Metro's doing some good work with respects to methane capture at the landfill. Those components are recognized in terms of the need to do more. What I don't want to see is us putting things in place that tackle the problem at a lower level of ambition. Then we could do if we did it regionally and I'm kind of reminded of the analogy when Ride hailing Licensing was coming in and Vancouver decided to kind of go to loan and develop a license And we knew it was going to be an issue with the region and then the following week Sure enough all the other mayors pushed back And we had to take a different tack and do an inter-municipal business license And I think what we need here is really sort of regional approach and guidelines one of the things that is also contemplated is in that plan is opportunities for regional, cross-regional collaboration, recognizing that we want to bring everybody in the region along with the 22 municipalities. And I think that that's really where we will get the biggest impact and bang for our buck. And I think about things like the plastic ban, where that makes the most sense is when we saw provincial legislation coming in, right? And again, a lot of these things do cross over some jurisdictions. where we could have sort of a consistent ban around plastics and sort of move our culture away from that sort of single-use disposable mentality. So I think that I'm fully aligned with the goals of this work. I'm pretty deeply immersed in it right now, given where we are in that trajectory at Metro. But I think that's where the opportunity is to have the conversation. So it's referring the work to Metro, and it's also directing City of Vancouver staff to engage with Metro on opportunities for cross-collaboration amongst the region with exactly the same aspirations that movers of the ocean have, which is to reduce organics waste and the harm of related gases amongst other impacts. Thank you.

Yeah, thanks. I think this certainly keeps the spirit alive of the motion, and I know you've done a lot of work on this with Metro, and I've seen you at different food recovery events, the one with the Food Recovery Network. I know you've done a lot of work on this. I would prefer maybe that this was like an add-on to the motion in terms of sort of... redirecting our staff, you know, to keep those priorities alive. But, you know, in the spirit of sort of moving things along or at least getting this to the attention, even to the higher levels of government, I think, is definitely a workable outcome. So appreciate it. Thanks.

This motion addresses declining voter turnout and barriers to participation in Vancouver's municipal elections. Council has set a goal of reaching 60% voter turnout, and this motion proposes practical steps to move forward towards that target. The motion focuses on improving access to voting by reducing transportation barriers. It directs staff to work with TransLink to explore a mobile vote bus modeled on Calgary's program and to examine fare-free transit on voting days for the 2026 election. The motion also directs staff to prepare a report on implementing a ranked-choice ballot for the 2030 mayoral election. Responding to concerns that first passed the post-elections can result in winners without majority support. Together, these measures aim to increase participation and strengthen confidence in Vancouver's democratic process.

Yeah, thank you, Chair. Through you to our Deputy City Manager or City Manager, I just want to ask a couple of clarifying questions just related to the motion. Particularly in previous elections, we've had special voting opportunities afforded through specific sites, care facilities, hospital campuses, social service centers, shelters, mental health and substance abuse facilities. And we also piloted a homebound voting program so that individuals could register in advance and then people would come to their home to help them vote. While we haven't had a report yet for the 2026 civic election, could staff comment on whether those programs would be going ahead and be expanded as?

Okay, thank you. So what I'm hearing, there is fair to say that initiatives that we had in 2022 would likely be continued and potentially enhanced or expanded. Again, I'm referencing the special voting opportunities as well as the mobile homebound voting program. So I appreciate that. Thank you, Chair. Those are my questions.

Yeah, thank you. I appreciate all the speakers that came and made such informative presentations today and I also appreciate the movers of this motion. I think it is an important issue and I'll be voting in support of it. I think it is very overwhelming for people as well. It's not just physical accessibility barriers. Regarding the 2022 election, there were 138 people on the ballot, the most by far of any city in Canada. And I think it is very difficult. It seems overwhelming and incomprehensible to voters. And I really feel as though we do need to have a look at reforming our electoral system. to make it as accessible as possible just in concept, let alone in physical barriers and accessibility barriers to get people along to exercise their democratic rights. Thanks.

Thanks, Chair. Just a couple of brief comments with respect to the motion. I appreciate the spirit of which it's brought forward. I'm an active transit user, as many people know around here, and as many also know, TransLink and Transit have had a very challenging time over the last number of years in terms of sustaining the service that we have in the Lower Mainland. And that when we do have, in the case someone referenced the New Year's Eve, that we have free transit that night, and that is largely to address safety and make sure that people get home safe and aren't drinking and driving, and I think that's a valid point. But I would say, just briefly, as, you know, a cursory review of some of the research out there and evidence that making transit free on Election Day doesn't actually, there isn't evidence that it actually increases voter turnout. Secondly, our voting and polling stations will be greatly expanded from what was offered in the by-election because we'll be leveraging all of the elementary and secondary school sites or most many of them throughout the city. So that makes them usually within walking distance of people's homes and where they're living. And then as I noted, we have a history of having the special voting opportunities at the sites that I referenced earlier to address equity and make sure anyone who may have a barrier to voting has the opportunity to do so, as well as the homebound voting program. which people were able to sign up for and people would come in home and help someone vote if necessary. So just on that basis, I can't support the motion the way it's articulated, but I think that we've heard from staff that they will be looking at all different provisions to make sure that people have the ability to vote. So thank you.

Yeah, you know, I just want to reflect back to the conversations that we had around these chambers in the wake of the by-election that saw our two newest colleagues elected and that there were, you know, frustrations around access to polls and people felt that the system had sort of broken down. So in the spirit of that, I think that... Movements to improve access for voters should be welcomed by all of us. And I think that, you know, we're constantly learning. And I think the vote bus has been a proven kind of solution that has worked in other jurisdictions. And I think it's worth exploring for here. As to the ranked choice ballot for mayor, I think that's an incredibly interesting idea. And I reflected this to Councillor Orr, and I sort of lapsed on preparing any kind of amendment that could actually appropriately direct this as well as a UBCM motion, because I think it is the kind of conversation that could be more broadly addressed. for local governments across the province because, of course, the ability to achieve something like a ranked choice ballot ultimately would lie with the province to amend the Vancouver Charter and the Local Government Act Community Charter, as the case may be. That being said, I think this is a reasonable approach and probably even a better approach to have staff report back a year and a half from now, which is quite a ways away, about what that would look like, and I believe at that point staff would be able to prepare some compelling evidence and the opportunity for us to then take it to Union of BC Municipalities and request of the province to appropriately amend the Local Government Act or the local elections or the Vancouver Charter as the case may be necessary. So I support the spirit of this. I think it's a good approach, and I know that everyone around these council chambers is looking for ways to enhance a democratic participation. And I think these are some pretty reasonable asks to that extent.

Thanks, everyone. That completes motion four on the agenda. The next motion is motion five, bus to move, prioritizing transit trouble spots for snow and ice removal. It is moved and introduced by Councillor Maloney. Before we begin this agenda item, if anyone believes they have a conflict of interest, now is the time to declare it. Does anyone have a conflict of interest to disclose?

Abbott, Alberni, Alexander, Alma, Arbutus, Arlington Beach, Beattie, Bidwell, Blenheim. These are the first 10 of 113 arterial roads that are designated as first snow clearance priority by the city. In addition to these 113 arterials, most of which are actually minor streets on the downtown peninsula, priority routes include around 28 residential streets in Sunrise, 18 residential streets in Point Grey and a long list of other major roads, emergency access routes, bridges and viaducts, school routes and key pedestrian pathways. All of these are, on their own, important transportation pathways for our city, but they can't all be first priority. As the old adage goes, when everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. That's why this motion asks staff to report back with proposed revisions to the city's snow and ice treatment policy to reflect the fact that on snowy days, every transit rider wants their bus to move and that the importance of getting the most people moving as soon as possible should be reflected in our policy. In the interim, it also asks staff to take interim steps to work with TransLink to step up snow clearance on bus routes and do whatever is possible with the existing resources to solve known pain points. We can and must avoid another transit snowmageddon. Too many students, families and essential workers depend on transit to allow it to fail in ice and snow. When we say something is a first priority, let's mean it. Let's be smart and deliberate when assigning snow clearance priorities and take action to move the modes that move the most people and are the most vulnerable to disruption.

All right, thank you. Do we have a seconder? Seconded by Councillor Orr. We will now hear from the rightist speaker for this motion. Public speakers should state whether they are in support or in opposition of the recommendations, and they may only speak once. I will also ask speakers if they are residents of Vancouver, if it is not noted on the speakers' list. Public speakers speaking in person can use the new podium on the left side of the chamber. Please adjust the podium to a comfortable height for speaking into the microphone by using the control on the bottom right-hand corner. Our first registered speaker is Nathan Davidovich.

Thanks, Nathan.

We can hear you.

Okay, thank you. Speaker number four is Amin Chandi.

All right, thank you. Speaker number five is Dennis Agar.

Thank you. All right, so this is the end of our speaker's list, and thank you, everyone, for speaking to the Standing Committee on City Finance and Services. Committee members, is there any discussion? I saw Councillor Kirby on.

Yeah, thanks, Chair. I wonder if I could ask a point of information through you to the City Manager.

Sure.

Yeah, and I just want to sort of confirm and clarify with respects to what our current practices and so nice Protocol and responses, and I know that you know right on the city website it identifies major roads and bus routes I know this motion talking specifically about problem bus routes But can you speak to what's currently in our snow nice treatment protocol? And if we engage with Coast Mountain bus around clearing when we have major snow incidents I

Okay, thanks for that. I just want to follow up and provide a couple of comments because transit is critical for people getting around, and particularly in snow incidents, and you don't want people to be cut off. I just want to acknowledge that there's a dimension to this conversation that has not been covered. It's not just about clearing. It's actually about the equipment and the tires that TransLink uses, and that has, even if the city of Vancouver has cleared... And even if we have more snow falling, we know that with trolley buses and with the type of equipment, that's actually what contributes a lot of time to getting stuck. There was an interesting article in November just last year that identified that to address that specific problem, 70% of TransLink 1600 buses are going to be equipped with winter tires this season. In order to strengthen the resiliency of the bus fleet for winter weather, it says it's going to equip up to 1,100 buses with winter grade tires, which is pretty significant, doubling the amount that they were able to do in 2024. And that means that over 70% of the fleet will be equipped with those. These are Michelin D grip tires. They provide deeper tread patterns for improved traction in snow, ice, and rain. There's a number of other mechanisms that they are taking so that the fleet performs better in snowy and also rainy winter weather. That's things like new dual-drive articulated buses that perform better in the snow. And the other winter protocols include things like, as I said, they're already coordinating, and I quote here, with municipality on the snow clearing of priority bus routes. spreading anti-icing solutions on overhead trolley wires, and using brass cutters on some of the trolley buses to prevent ice buildup on the wires. So, I mean, I could go on, but there's a lot of other initiatives that contribute to buses getting stuck besides the city's snow protocol, which already has that. Council went through a pretty substantive in the last few years ago review of the policy, and this was identified as an issue, and that's why... as were pedestrians, which were not previously accommodated, and the fact that sometimes pedestrians couldn't even get to the stops because we hadn't cleared some of the priority areas, and that's why we really anchored pedestrians in the updated snow protocol as well. So I think... It's a very valid concern. I think that there's a lot of work that is already being done here. And so from that perspective, totally agree with the goal. I'm confident that we don't have a gap in this area and that the problem is not just the cities for clearing. It's also translates in terms of how it runs the fleet, when it runs trolleybuses, what it runs, what kind of tires it has, and all these steps are being taken. So in my view, it's redundant. Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Kerby. Councillor Maloney.

Hi, thank you. I appreciate, I just want to say thank you to Movement Transit Advocates very much for their help and support in bringing this issue to my attention and developing this motion and for their very important reminders about our slow progress implementing bus lanes.

There are essential workers who rely on cars or bicycles are unlikely to have snow tyres in our region. and they should have a reliable alternative to using their vehicle in potentially unsafe conditions. I'm on the council liaison for the Older Persons and Elders Advisory Committee and the Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee, and I've talked with my own elderly neighbours about how much they rely on transit during snow events and how snow clearing policy can contribute to isolation and inaccessibility during snow and ice events. Municipal snow clearing policy has clear winners and losers. The groups in our city who are more likely to rely on transit are people who can't drive and can't afford to drive. Groups more likely to use the bus are seniors and disabled folks, lower income, younger, female or new to Vancouver. I don't agree that this is redundant and I think that's... that we've got nothing to lose considering the city manager has brought to our attention ongoing discussions with the Coastal Mountain Bus Company that this is a very low resource initiative that we could take to ensure that buses don't lose traction during snow events. And I guess we've seen in the past the major issues that can come about and I guess we'll see it again, during the next snow event, whether our systems are doing the job and whether voting no to this motion was the right thing to do. I guess time will tell.

Thank you. Councillor Warr. Yeah, thanks. I think this motion recognises something that transit riders experience, that not all first priority routes are equal. and that when a bus gets stuck on a known trouble spot, that the ripple effects are citywide, and the people who pay the price are often essential workers, and those with the fewest alternatives. I remember just last year in school, I was learning about a study out of Sweden that talked about snow removal and its implications on equity, and the researchers discovered there was a significant sort of compromise with equity in that a lot of women and single mothers, you know, who take their kids to school and who, you know, go to groceries and they use sort of side streets that are often plowed and they actually... switch to prioritize these other routes first. And I always find that was very fascinating. But I think this is a practical evidence-based improvement to our snow and ice policy. And I think this is about fairness, efficiency, and making sure our public systems work for the people who need them most. So I will support.

All right, so seeing no one else on the queue, I'm going to call the vote. So clerk, please take us to the voting screen. And counsel, please register your vote on this motion.

All right, so the motion did not pass with Councillor Zhou, Kirby Yang, Dominardo, Montague, Colasso, and the mayor's team in opposition. Councillor Bligh, Councillor Fry, and Councillor Meiszner absent. Thank you. That completes motion five. Before we move to the motion six, I want to take a five-minute recess so we can switch the chair so I can introduce the motion. Let's come back at 2.50. I know the speaker has been waiting for a long time. Bear with us for just five minutes.

Or I'll just advance. Okay, perfect. Thanks, Vice Chair. So today I'm bringing forward this motion with Councillor Kirby on together to help ensure that this iconic Lunar New Year gala in Chinatown can go ahead in 2026. For decades, the Chinese Benevolent Association, or CBA, has led this Lunar New Year gala, making it one of Vancouver's signature cultural traditions with deep historical roots in Chinatown. And the gala is always on the same day of the Lunar New Year parade, so people can enjoy staying in Chinatown for the entire day, which is really good for the business in Chinatown. I've had the privilege of attending this gala many times, both before and after I became a city Councillor. I've seen firsthand how important this gala is to the families, seniors, youth, small businesses, and the broader community. It's more than just a dinner event. It's a gathering point that brings people together and keeps Chinatown vibrant. This year, as we all know, the unexpected closure of Flota Restaurant has generated additional costs, including temporary venue setup, equipment and furniture rentals, food preparations, staffing, security, cleaning, utilities, and added permitting and coordination requirements. Without this one-time support from the city, there's a real risk that this gala could be canceled this year, which would have cultural, economic, and reputational impact for Chinatown and for the city as a whole. This request also comes from the unanimous support from the Chinatown Advisory Committee, which also reflects how important this event is to the community. I also want to flag there's a small typo in the Resolution B of this motion. The end date should be February 24, 2026, not 2006. I will table an amendment later on to correct that typo. So with that, I hope to get support from the council members.

show yeah thanks vice chair so I just want to put forward that amendment to correct the table if you want me to the amendment queue we can move into the amendment queue then yes very good one moment I'll just add you here okay go ahead counselor yeah we're straightforward just replace 2006 with 2026 all right may have a seconder

Council Frye. Okay. All right. Thanks very much.

Councillor, is there any... I guess we'll just call the vote now. I've got Councillor Kirby on here.

Yeah, thanks, Chair. I just want to echo Councillor Zhou's eloquent comments earlier in introducing the motion. I'm very pleased to co-submit this with him and honored to support the community for the Lunar New Year. It is a really special time of the year. And just it's sort of called joyful chaos. There's people everywhere. You've got your lion dancers. Everybody's excited to be there and celebrate and share the moment together and to not have it go ahead. And I know how important it is to have it in Chinatown for everybody and to not have it go ahead, I think, would be a real miss. So sometimes there are exigent circumstances where the city can step up and help. to get it through a hurdle. I think that we'll be in a much better situation next year when we have a new operator, I hope. And I'm very optimistic about that in operating the space. But meantime, I don't think we want to miss 2026 and the ability to celebrate Year of the Horse together. And so it's going to be a good time and it's coming up very soon. So looking forward to doing it. And I just want to extend my appreciation to all of the organizing organizations. We had a lot of them that are involved in the parade and the dinner. We had folks here this morning for the proclamation for Lunar New Year. But I know a lot of the six organizations and their boards and volunteers put a lot of their own time and heart and effort into making sure that we all get to participate and enjoy this celebration. And as I often say, it's a very full day, but when you go down and you see the parade, it's not just for... Chinese Canadians that it's not just for some Vancouverites it's for all Vancouverites and you can see how excited people are when you walk along the parade route to be down there and to be part of it and I know there's a lot of seniors that will spend the day and there's a real energy in Chinatown so I'm looking forward to celebrating and grateful to the community for finding a way forward that we could make this happen for this year. Thank you.

Thanks Councillor. Mayor Sim.

First of all, I do want to thank Councillor Zhou and Councillor Perpignan for moving this motion.

This is deeply personal, and it's something that I'm glad that it sounds like this has support. Look, the parade obviously is a pretty big deal. We have hundreds of thousands of people that show up to it to celebrate. You know, they're... not just their Chinese heritage, it draws in people from all different communities, people that are very proud of their Canadian heritage, and they celebrate the Chinese culture. The reason there's a deeply personal aspect to it is it represents tradition. It represents families, friends, communities, the intergenerational sort of... blending of you know different generations and friendship and I know quite a few of my uncles they still go and you know we're talking about individuals that were my dad's friends my dad's no longer with us but you know Uncle David and Uncle Peter, they're in their late 90s and they still go. And so while we may, like most people may think that this is just, you know, maybe it may not happen this year because of unforeseen circumstances, there are a lot of individuals where, let's just face it, there may not be too many of these left for them. And it's a really big deal. And, you know, Chinatown was on the brink. just not too long ago. And there's been a lot of work put into Chinatown to the point now where just recently a Wall Street Journal article, and I quote, said, Chinatown is a place alive again. And so let's keep that momentum going. Let's celebrate the community and let's make this happen. So obviously I'll be supporting it.

Is this the amendment queue? I guess we're speaking sort of... We're generally just speaking in support. Yeah, no, I'm happy to support this event. I know it means so much to the community, and I've never been to the gala, but I look forward to attending this year, and I've heard it's quite a lot of fun, and I can't wait to come and show my respect. Thank you.

Thanks, Councillor. Councillor Shou.

Yes, I just want to close out this motion. Honoured to be able to submit with Councillor Kerbion together, also on behalf of the Chinatown Advisory Committee. And also, I just want to thank all the speakers today. Thanks for supporting the motion. I know some of you have been waiting for a long time just to speak. I think I'm pretty touched today. These people, they don't speak perfect English, as you do, but they all live in this city. They all work really hard, and they all contribute, pay tax. to this city. They are contributing different perspective, economy, culture, education, all the perspective. Traditionally, I think the Chinese voice has been ignored by all three levels of government. But today, let me tell you, if you speak out, the government will listen. So I think that will be a first step that participate in politics, participate in policymaking, so we have a representation of your voice. I also want to reiterate this motion is about continuity, community, and responsibility. The Lunar New York Gala is not simply just an annual event on the calendar. It's a living tradition that connects generations, supports small businesses, brings visitors into Chinatown, and reinforces Vancouver's identity as a truly multicultural city. For decades, the Lunar New Gala, led by the Chinese Benevolent Association, has become one of our city's most signature cultural gatherings. What we are responding to today is unique and unexpected disruption. The closure of floated restaurants. The single change has created cascadia effects. from venue operations to catering logistics to equipment rentals, staffing, security, cleaning, and permitting. They are not cost for the organizers normally carry. They are not the result of poor planning, but they are extraordinary circumstances. This is why this motion is deliberately framed as a target and a one-time support. We are not setting a precedent for ongoing event funding. We are helping a long-standing community partner to bridge a difficult transition year. We often speak about revitalizing Chinatown, supporting cultural heritage, and strengthening diversity. This motion is a concrete opportunity to do exactly that in a practical, time-limited, and fiscally responsible way. As we enter the year of horse, approving this motion sends a clear message. Council stands with the community, values cultural community, and understand the real impact the sudden change will make to this community. And we'll try our best to make all the possible way to support this event. So with that, I hope to get your support for those motion. And I hope to see everyone at the Chinatown Parade, the Lunar New Year Parade, and the Lunar New Year Gala. Thanks.

Thanks very much counselor Joe, okay, so we will now call the vote or can you take us to the voting screen and Community members, please register your vote on the voting panel This is on the amendment and then we'll go to the main queue for the amended motion I'm sorry, I have to do it

Okay, so that passes unanimously with Councillor Bligh absent. Okay.

One more vote to go. Okay, we will now go back to the main queue.

And unless there's nobody to speak on this, very good. We will now call the vote.

And that passes unanimously with Rebecca, Councillor Bligh absent. Thanks very much, everyone. That was successful.

Okay. Very good. That completes motion six. Standing committee portion of the meeting is now complete. Maybe we'll just take a moment before we move back into council.

I think I have the mic, so I can go ahead.

Great. Thank you very much. We're now going to convene in council to deal with the recommendations and actions from today's Standing Committee on City Finance and Services meeting. Can we please get a roll call?

Present.

Great. Thank you very much. We need a motion to adopt the committee's recommendations for reports one and two and council members' motions one through six. Councillor Zhou, thank you. Seconded, I think that was Councillor Domenato. Sorry. Thank you. All those in favour, say aye. All those opposed say nay. Great. The motion carries unanimously. Unless there's any urgent business, I can ask for a motion to adjourn. Councillor Kirby Young, seconder. Councillor Claston, thank you. All those in favour say yay. All those opposed say nay. Great. The motion carries unanimously. This meeting is adjourned. Thank you very much, everyone.