Community Stewardship Eco-Corridors Greenspaces – Amendment
Motion 7 · Standing Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities, May 6, 2026
Summary
- Councillor Maloney's amendment added a requirement that the Vancouver Park Board also be consulted in the design and renewal of the skateboard facility, given the Park Board's recent experience renewing the China Creek park.
- The mover of the main motion indicated Park Board had already been involved in preliminary discussions and supported the addition.
Vote
Public comments
Read all 10 statements
Transcript
43 segments
Thanks for being here. We'll go to motion four, encouraging compact community-serving options to boost zero waste, which is to be moved and introduced by Councillor Fry. 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 to disclose?
Okay. Councillor Fry, you have up to two minutes to introduce your motion.
Yeah. Thanks, Chair. And in the last term, Before many of you were elected, I served on Metro's Zero Waste Committee and did a lot of work with National Zero Waste. And in this term, Councillor Kirby Young has taken up that mantle. And I think we all pride ourselves as a city on being a progressive environmental city and being thoughtful around waste reduction and, indeed, just even talking about stewardship in communities and how we manage waste in the context of stewardship, I think speaks to our intention as a community to reduce waste. But despite those best intentions, our region, Metro, has lagged in our... in our zero waste and our waste diversion and our recycling and composting. The rates in Metro are about 64%. And it's even worse in multi-unit residential buildings, especially in older neighborhoods, like the West End, for instance, and other neighborhoods where there's not access to... built-in waste management facilities that can accommodate a lot of the new streams for recycling that we're introducing. Many will know that we're introducing pink bin recycling for soft film plastics. And so what we see in other jurisdictions around the world... is that innovative solutions involve compact community-serving facilities that can enable better activation of waste stream diversion by making it convenient. Because at the end of the day, zero waste and waste stream diversion really relies, I hate to say it, but not so much on attention as on convenience. And if we can make it convenient for folks, we can do a lot better to... Recycle and divert waste from the stream. So the motion here before you is really to have staff Take a look at what we can do to further Expand on on community waste. I'm out of time.
Okay. Thanks council fry seconder, please Seconded by councillor domnado. Thank you. So we'll now hear from registered speakers for the motion Public speakers should state whether they're in support or opposition to the recommendations, and they may only speak once. I will also ask speakers if they're residents of Vancouver if it's not noted on the speakers list. And all speakers have up to three minutes. So our first speaker is Annette Riley.
Council. Chair. I'm Annette Riley. I am speaking in support of this. And I am indeed a resident of Vancouver. I think Councillor Fry just stated it pretty clearly. It's about convenience. I just wanted to give a little personal anecdote here. I'm a film worker. I'm an assistant director in the Directors Guild of Canada primarily. And as far as my film work, that means I have done days upon days upon days of production assistant work, which means I was in charge of the garbage bins. That's right. It's a tough job. Somebody's got to do it. Now, here's the thing. I don't know if any of you have been on film sets, but they are go, go, go, go, go. Everybody's running around like crazy. You've got technicians carrying heavy things, tools flying everywhere. We are doing our best to just get our days done. And what ends up happening on shows that do not have a sustainability plan is there will be one garbage bin. And people will want to throw something into that bin. And they'll stand there holding a pop can and won't know where to put it. You can see they have the intention that they want to do the right thing. They want to put it in the recycling. They want to participate. But if all you have is a garbage bin, then it goes in the garbage bin. So when we as film crew are able to supply our trio, our compost, our garbage bin, our organics bin, people do it. It's effortless. They know where to put it. So I think what we're getting at here and what I love about this motion is that it's building a system to make it easier for those who don't have the access. to do the right thing, which will then in turn only reflect positively on our system as a whole. Again, I don't think these people in these multi-unit buildings or those with disabilities that might not allow them to get to the certain recycling spaces, I don't think that's the issue. I don't think that's why they're not doing it. I think it's the convenience. So why not make it easy for people and just design the system to work. This motion here, it gets us closer to that. It's practical. It's equitable. And I'd say let's just build the system. Thank you.
Okay. Thank you. Next speaker, Speaker 2, Sean Miles.
Yes. Hello. Good afternoon, Chair Meisner and Council. My name is Sean Miles. I'm speaking today on behalf of Binners Project, an organization that supports people who collect recyclable materials, often referred to as binners, across Vancouver. We strongly support this motion. For decades, binners have been quietly doing the work of a circular economy long before it became policy language. Every day, people in our community divert thousands of containers from landfill, reduce litter, and contribute to a cleaner city. They do this work without formal infrastructure, often navigating barriers that make participation in recycling far more difficult than it needs to be. This motion recognizes something we see on the ground every day, that the design of our waste systems does not reflect the realities of how many Vancouver residents actually live, especially in dense, low-income communities like the Downtown Eastside. In the Downtown Eastside, many residents live in single-room occupancy hotels, aging apartments, or supportive housing where space for sorting, recycling, or storing refundables is extremely limited or non-existent. As your motion notes, this is a structural barrier. When there is nowhere to put recycling, it ends up in the garbage. When there is nowhere to return it, it ends up on the street. And when that happens, binners step in. But here's the issue. The current system relies on binners without supporting them. Right now, there are very few accessible, dignified, and safe places for people to bring collected materials, especially for those dependent upon public transportation. Many return depots are far away and not well connected by transit, which shows the system isn't built for people moving large volumes by foot or cart. Meanwhile, residents in dense neighborhoods often don't have convenient recycling options. For example, someone living in an SRO might not have space to store refundables, and the nearest depot could be several bus stops away. Without an easy way to recycle, bottles and cans end up in the trash or piles in alleys, where they're harder to recover and more likely to contribute to litter and dumping. This is where this motion has real potential. Community recycling hubs, small, accessible, neighborhood-based facilities could transform how recycling works in Vancouver. Not only would they make it easier for residents in multi-unit housing to participate in zero waste, but they could also create safer, more efficient systems for binners to contribute their labor. We see an opportunity here to formally recognize binners as part of the solution. With the right design, these hubs could provide accessible drop-off points for refundable and non-refundable materials, reduce the distance people need to travel to recycle, reduce litter in the streetscape, and create opportunities for income generation and community stewardship. Importantly, these hubs could be designed in partnership with people who already do this work, ensuring they are functional, inclusive, and grounded in lived experience. We also want to highlight the equity dimension. The Downtown Eastside is often discussed in terms of its challenges, but it is also one of the most resourceful community-driven neighborhoods in the city. Innards are a part of that ecosystem, yet residents here have some of the least access to zero-waste infrastructure. If Vancouver is serious about its Zero Waste 2040 goals, then access must come first. You cannot expect participation without providing the means.
Sorry to interrupt you, Sean. You are quite a bit over time. Apologies to interrupt you. My apologies. That's fine. Thanks for calling. We'll go to Speaker 3, Adam Hawk.
Hello, can you hear me?
Yes, please go ahead.
Hi, my name is Adam Hawk. I'm a longtime resident of the city of Vancouver. I'm calling today to speak in favor of the motion.
Vancouver has ambitious zero-waste goals, but many residents, especially those living in older apartments and dense neighborhoods, simply don't have the space or access to participate fully. When recycling rooms are cramped, inconvenient, or non-existent, even the most motivated residents face barriers. Now we see the consequences. what ends up in our landfills some of the most common and dangerous materials electronics batteries paints you know mercury containing items are all recyclable through specialized programs but for many apartment and condo residents these options are simply too complicated or inconvenient without storage space to safely hold these items or access to a car to transport them to distant depots they often end up in the garbage this creates real risk Lithium batteries and propane, like camping gas, can cause fires in collection trucks and facilities. Toxic materials can leach into the soil and water. And yet, all of this is preventable with better access and smarter design. This motion addresses that gap in a practical, forward-thinking way. By encouraging dedicated spaces for recycling and reuse in new buildings without penalizing floor area, we make these systems easier to include from the start. By supporting shared community scaled recycling facilities, we recognize that in dense neighborhoods, shared infrastructure is often the most effective solution. By piloting community recycling hubs in walkable areas, we bring safe, convenient options closer to residents, especially those in neighborhoods where current systems fall short. This is about safety, accessibility, and equity. It's about designing a system that works... for how people actually live. I urge you to support Councillor Fry's motion.
Councillor Montague, are you on the queue for something?
And it's Kinsale Phillip. Thank you. Thank you. Mayor, counselors, thank you. My name is Kinsale Phillip. I'm a law student at UBC's Allard Hall. You're on my own in support of Counselor Fry's motion. Some background. I grew up in New Westminster in a condo raised by two working parents, a white settler mother and a black Trinidadian immigrant father. We lived paycheck to paycheck. And my general position today is that Programs directly addressing socioeconomic injustice matter, and doing that can be achieved through the motion's resolutions. In my experience, for instance, the biggest little garden in town, Frasercide's past New Westminster initiative that provided opportunities to families without backyards to garden at a greatly reduced financial cost mattered to my family because it targeted the disadvantage we faced and provided a means to participate. Similarly, the recycling hubs mentioned in this motion do the same thing, but in the context of waste, for renters, for condo residents, and for everyone the city was never designed around. This year's pink bins are a step in the right direction, for sure. And at its heart, I believe that this motion is about equity, inclusion, and sharing. Vancouver's recycling system was built for single-family homes with driveways. Renters and condo residents feel the difference daily. Their peers have backyard composters and curbside green bins, and conversely, they come home to buildings with hardly any room to sort. Importantly for me, growing up, reading this disparity, the message sent was that waste-related policy decisions consider condos as almost second class. This motion zoning fix is sound. Minimum waste room areas in new buildings that are excluded from gross floor area calculations so developers cannot trade them away for rentable space. Every new condo could finally have room to recycle properly. Regarding other jurisdictions, I did my undergraduate studies in Toronto, and personally, the difference is measurable. Toronto mandates green bin organics collection in every apartment condo, and co-op on its waste collection network, which is about 400,000 units. Toronto ships free in-unit organics containers to every eligible household, and Toronto cites its reuse, composting, and food rescue programs in the lowest-income neighborhoods by design. The walkable hubs in this motion would close those gaps, especially for residents without adequate in-building facilities. In Toronto, I bought groceries at Karma Co-op, a member-owned cooperative founded in 1972 with a zero-waste ethos, reduced fees for students and shifts for members in lieu of dues. These are effective means to reduce one's own carbon footprint. Vancouver had something similar for nearly 50 years, the East End Food Co-op on Commercial Drive, which closed in 2022. We cannot keep losing community infrastructure like food co-ops that are certainly advancing the climate emergency action plan strategies of waste reduction and circular economy. Last week, I walked into the public washroom at Victoria Park and was pleasantly surprised to find soap in the dispenser. That small moment of working public infrastructure made my day. Every Vancouverite, including renters, seniors, condo kids, and people without cars should feel the same quiet pleasure in having access to participate in waste diversion. Please support Councillor Frye's motion. Thanks so much.
Thank you for speaking to Council. Speaker 6, Louise Swartz.
Yes, good afternoon, Mayor and Council, Chair and Council. Can you hear me?
Yes, please go ahead.
Great. Excellent. Thanks very much. I'm Louise Schwartz. I'm co-owner of Recycling Alternative and Terra Pharma Systems. I'm a resident of Vancouver, and I'm speaking in support. As many of you will know in chambers here, we've been recycling for over 30 years, a locally owned business. And as of February 2026, we're also the designated Recycle BC blue box collector for the city of Vancouver, over 2,400... multi-family buildings in the City of Vancouver, downtown, Mount Pleasant, Kitsilano and Fairview, all of those areas mentioned in this motion. And we can confirm from the front lines the significant challenges we're seeing in buildings related to lack of space for proper recycling amenities. And I'm going to share three primary trends that we're seeing that are of concern and why we think this motion should be supported. We hope some of these will be considered by Council as you look to vote. The trends are, first of all, in some of these older buildings, many of these older buildings were seeing such a lack of space that there's a resistance to have amenities for additional recycling. And so, for example, when we were delivering the pink totes all through January to these multifamilies, many of the buildings actually declined adding this stream because they simply felt they did not have the space to put them. And similarly, they don't have space for electronics, small appliances, textiles, light bulbs, batteries. And so all of those are ending up in the landfill for people who often, as residents in multifamily-dense neighborhoods, do not have cars. or the luxury of dropping these off at depots. So that's one reason to support this motion. Another relates to the work that Recycling Alternative does with numerous developers as we work with them to create their waste management plans for new development based on the guidelines of City of Vancouver garbage and recycling amenities. And again, in many cases here, because of the competition for valuable floor space that can generate revenue from parking spots or leasable residential retail, Often we see that the recycling rooms are getting downsized and downsized to just the bare essentials of recycling. And as a result, again, many materials that are banned from the landfill are actually not getting recycled, unfortunately. So we believe that these types of community hubs are going to be increasingly important as we continue to densify our neighbourhood. And lastly, one of the most concerning trends we're seeing is a trend towards buildings opting to replace and remove their source separation systems with multiple totes per stream for single streaming, meaning all recycling goes into one container. Of course, this reduces the amount of space they need, and the results are extremely poor diversion and recovery of recycling materials. plus a lot of contamination. So as we try to expand recycling streams, and it's only going to get more and more recycling that's required, and move towards Vancouver's 2040 zero-waste goals, we think we need to find solutions and options for citizens to have alternatives to divert this material. And the City of Vancouver already has an excellent program in place in multifamilies called the Zero Waste Ambassadors Program. And what we would recommend is not only...
I'm really sorry I had to cut you off. I know you're so passionate, but we are out of time.
Thank you. Thanks for calling. That's the end of our speaker's list. And council members, any discussion? Councillor Montague.
Yeah, thanks, Chair. I've circulated an amendment if you want to post to an amendment queue.
Okay, I'll take us to an amendment queue. Councillor Montague, please continue.
Thanks. So the amendment reflects what we received, what all council received in the staff feedback about this motion. And one of the things that I noted was that staff mentioned that there are many measures that are contemplated in the motion that are already in place for existing requirements and programs. Partnerships, and that includes recent bylaw changes that were suggested by staff around zero waste. So the city also supports returnant depots, including on both... private and city property so my amendment adds it generally keeps the same framework I don't think it actually changes a whole lot but it adds to the affirmation of the original motion acknowledges the existing measures that are in place and requests a memo from staff outlining these measures and it refers back to staff more information on clauses C to F, specifically what's already possible in the city's existing programs. So these report backs that were requested in the original motion appear to me to be, would take a significant amount of staff work. And I would like to see more information rather than report backs, more information regarding what is already possible. before we ask staff to come back with a bunch of recommendations and policy options and pilot projects.
Thanks, Councillor Montague. Seconder? Any seconder? Seconded by Councillor Kirby-Young. Thank you. Councillor Frye.
Yeah, I don't really support this amendment. I think where it really misses, I mean... With all due respect to the city property for the Express and Go on Arbutus Street, that's not a neighborhood that was explicitly mentioned in this... in this resolution as one of the neighborhoods that's actually struggling with access to recycling material. And with all due respect to the great pop-up events that we run at the city of Vancouver every few months or a couple of times a year in various neighborhoods around the city, it doesn't work for folks who live in small apartments. And that's who I hear from on the regular. And I'm sure Councillor Kirby Young must hear from them quite often as well through their role in Zero Waste. The reality is that there are not appropriate recycling facilities for lots of folks who live in older, dense neighborhoods like the West End, like the Downtown Eastside, like Commercial Drive, myriad of neighborhoods, older apartment buildings where there isn't the access. What's interesting to note that hasn't really been acknowledged in the staff comments or in Councillor Montague's amendment is that we actually calculate without, you know, as a general rule, we calculate waste space in the gross floor area of construction. So we're not even exempting There are ample opportunities to incentivize waste reduction, waste diversion, and fundamentally taking the opportunity to look at existing right-of-ways and opportunities that we have to create community waste spaces so that people don't have to leave recyclables in their 500-square-foot apartment waiting for the day that there might be a pop-up that they can make it to. that's frankly kind of not how reality works. Nobody's going to leave recyclables sitting around their 500-square-foot apartment waiting for a pop-up to dispose of it appropriately. They're going to throw it in the dumpster. That's the way reality works. So I don't think this is a helpful amendment, and I think it misses some of the point here, so I don't support it.
Okay. Thanks, Councillor Frye. Councillor Bligh?
Yeah, thanks very much. I felt compelled to come on because I actually live, I walk most evenings on the Greenway right by that Expresco. And it's quite interesting that this has even been identified because the other day after many, many months of walking that Greenway in the evening when people would typically walk, I noted one person that I've never seen anyone actually in front of that express recycling, and that's Arbutus and 16th. So it's not, while we have one there, I just don't think it's the neighborhood that needs it. And so it doesn't hold a lot of weight for me that we have one available when it's in a neighborhood that is where it's not really being used because it's not needed as much. So there's that point. And so I think, I appreciate that the city has made effort, but maybe that express and go facility could be better utilized elsewhere. I'm sure there's a few people that use it, but I also think there's precedent. When the hotel policy, there was an amendment that was moved forward and passed related to excluding, I think it was kitchen and administration area from the FSR. in terms of what is essentially billable square footage for the developer in terms of floor space ratio. And so I think there is precedent to recognize that we could look at this as a policy that would encourage just an accessible and well-used, well-designed area for recycling and waste disposal within new buildings. So I think we, again, I'm choosing my words carefully to not upset anybody, but that requesting a memo really does... really shelve this, in my opinion. It doesn't actually take any affirmative action. And so I think we've got to consider all the options on the table. And I think also it's an interesting conversation to actually get some data back on what the issues are with where the underserved communities and the older multi-unit residential buildings are one thing. New construction, new multi-unit residential buildings I personally haven't found a sort of, what am I trying to say? I have always found facilities to be very available in terms of recycling options, in terms of green bin organics, in terms of garbage, in terms of cardboard recycling. So I think there's precedent there. If we feel like we're moving away from that for some particular reason, I think it's worth looking at. But I just wanted to add those comments. I'm not supportive of the amendment because I think anytime there's a memo, it's basically shelving the work. So yeah, I'll leave it there.
Thanks. Councillor Maloney.
Thank you. I can't support this amendment. It really resonates with me. Councillor Fry's words about small apartments and that's the reality for a lot of families in Vancouver because we know that housing is expensive and especially on the downtown peninsula in the West End that I'm familiar with, lots of families are living in older buildings with one to two bedroom apartments, which is what they can afford with absolutely no spare space. And when people get something new, they have to get rid of the old thing straight away. And especially in the West End, I know that we had pop-up waste collection, very limited waste collection categories, you know, once every six months to a year. And the zero waste facilities in South Vancouver, and that's just... A lot of people don't even have cars, so getting to that facility is not super easy. So I'm lucky enough now to live in a strata that has generous spaces for recycling and green waste, and I would like to see more apartment dwellers have that access. because it makes it convenient and it makes you more likely to be able to appropriately dispose of or recycle waste.
Thanks. Okay, thank you. Councillor Kirby-Young.
Yeah, thanks so much to talk about on this topic. I've learned more about waste than I ever thought I would, and I still am, and I actually find it quite enjoyable. And so for those who don't know, I have the opportunity to share the Zero Waste Committee at Metro Vancouver. I will note in there, just maybe adding a layer of information here, is that the committee has, just as its big piece of work for the term, completed the provincially required... 10-year update to the solid waste management plan and it identifies a lot of sort of similar goals that are in here and I think that there's a lot of work we can do in partnership with Metro Vancouver I know we heard from Louise Schwartz who has been as you could tell she ran out of time because she is a wealth of knowledge on this topic That has been a great contributor. And it does identify the fact that we've got about a 65% recycling rate in the region. We're trying to strive to push that to 80%, 82%. We're actually doing really well in Canada and North America, one of the leaders. But there is room to grow in the multifamily sector. It's not simply around availability. That's part of it. But it's also about education. So we've identified that there's gaps, for example, within cultural communities, et cetera. And that's why Metro has embedded in its plan where we can work together, the importance of outreach and education sessions to cultural communities, things of that nature. I do think that it would be helpful to get the information from staff on exactly what is being done and what the gaps are so we could zero in the work when time is precious into what is still has yet to be addressed and is missing that can augment our strategy. For example, I think that the new buildings are fairly well covered because we have requirements around those. I'm often in friends' buildings in Olympic Village, other areas. where they're required within the building code and well serviced in terms of providing multiple options. You often see not just recycling, but third party, many, many, many property management companies have third parties such as clothing donations and other things, the ability to separate your bottles, your soft plastics. your paper, all of those things. I think maybe what the amendment doesn't do, or maybe what people are zeroing in on, is I think that things like the Arbutus reference are supposed to be examples. That's not an exhaustive list. For example, there's the return at Express Yaletown at 1387 Richard Street, which is a very small footprint in a city facility or city building, I believe. Again, part of a reference of some of the efforts the city is making. I think in recognition of this gap, that's a very well-used thing. facility you can go in and you can you know through an app simply sort of tap in and return your your bottles right there it's very easy and very convenient and it's meant to be in neighborhoods and there's been past motions as well from this council around i think it was councillor dominato and councillor classon if i recall around advancing some of those locations and making it easier and different motions Also perhaps back to last term around relaxing some of our regulations so it's easier to have these facilities and pop-ups and things like parking lots, et cetera, and looking at those when there are life safety concerns. For example, if people are putting things in bins and having smaller ones, So I think there's a number of things to build on here. Let's get the information, see how we've progressed in expanding some of those locations, what's working and what isn't from some of those efforts, and then zero in on moving it forward so we can up the ante. I don't think we want to duplicate the work that's doing. I don't think we want to misstate the issue. I don't think new buildings are the actual problem, and I think it is the older ones. And as I said, I think there's a number of ways to get there, some of which are articulated here. But let's try to give staff some to kind of laser focus in on the direction and say these are the pieces that we think we can really, we can zero in on and really move forward on. I know that there's, I can start listing some of the other locations. I used the L-Town one as an example, but there are others as well. and they are starting to grow. We've also installed a number at different metro sites in the region. I know those aren't Vancouver, but the reason I share that is that the technology is growing, and so partners like ReturnIt are actually looking themselves to roll out a number of those different locations, because you can roll up with your phone and your app, and I've tried them, and you just simply put in your code, put in your, drop your stuff or your bottles or whatever it might be, and you get your rebate right away. So I think that we can build on some of that work. We've got a good relationship with them. We've also installed those at the P&E, for example. So we've looked at levering different City of Vancouver partnerships to have those facilities. So let's just kind of get a little bit more laser focused on the lay of the land, and then we can focus on the strategies that will up those numbers, I think, particularly in the
older um multi-family buildings okay that's it for me right now thanks thank you uh counselor fry all this talk of laser focus really left me scratching my head because i think that was the the intent of the the motion and it gets watered down from laser focus to a memo uh through this amendment um You know, it's curious because, you know, all this talk of pop-up locations, but no articulation. I haven't heard from the mover of the amendment if he knows whether, when, where pop-up locations exist. But I will note that that particular descriptor was pulled from the staff notes, which actually begin with staff acknowledge that challenges persist in areas with older and space-constrained buildings. which is one of the considerations used to identify locations for pop-up events. But there is no metric to suggest how we're supporting those areas with older and space-constrained buildings with pop-up events. There's no number of pop-up events, locations of pop-up events. It's kind of a throwaway. And I think that, in essence, this is an abdication of any responsibility to address this in a meaningful way. Laser focus would be have staff report back, take the considerations that are applied here, which aren't binding. They're asking us to do the work, look at the partnerships. The Returned Express partnership in Yaletown is in a private building, is part of a CAC. It's not city-owned land. There are ample opportunities with city right-of-ways that we can incorporate to do things like many cities around the world are doing. It's not new. It's not rocket science. It's maybe not done here in Metro. It's maybe not done here in Vancouver, but it's certainly an opportunity that we could Do well to explore if we are serious about waste diversion and recycling.
Thanks, Councillor Frye. Seeing no one else on the queue to speak to the amendment, I'll now call the vote.
Yes, Mayor.
You're welcome.
Okay, that passes with Councillor Bligh in opposition, Councillor Frye in opposition, Councillor Orr in opposition, and Councillor Maloney in opposition. So now I'll go back to the main motion as amended. Councillor Frye, anything to add?
Thank you to the speakers who took the time to speak to this and thanks for folks who do take waste diversion seriously and all the Vancouverites who take the time to recycle and dispose of their wastes in appropriate manners.
Hoping that someday soon we'll be able to make it more convenient for folks, especially folks who live in older apartments and we get rid of this ridiculous expectation that you'll store your recyclables and your non-existent space in your 500 square foot apartment for some day when we might do a pop-up we can do better yes okay thank you counselor or
Thanks. Yeah. As somebody who lives in an apartment that was built in 2001, it doesn't have the capacity. We only have a room for bottles and paper. And so all these new bins, we have nowhere to put them.
We don't have organics. We probably are getting fined every day. I don't know how we were allowed to even get away with it. I started my own compost system on the roof. Not everybody has access to that or can do that, but this is how much I care about zero waste. And again, we could be leading the world here. We could be an example here. Other places around the world do this model, this Neighborhood Recycling Hub model. Singapore... Almost all of Europe does it. I think we're just fiddling with knobs. I just think we're not being bold. Yeah, not laser focused. I just don't know what we're doing here. A memo, I just don't think really cuts it. I really did support the original motion here. And it's unfortunate that we couldn't really be strong on this. So thanks.
Thank you. Okay. We'll now go to voting on the motion as amended. Please.
Yes, you can.
Statement Watch
Great. Thank you. My name is Liv Yu, and I am a longtime resident of Vancouver and professor at UBC with the Center for Climate Justice. I co-authored a report about the need for a right-to-cool framework in BC, as well as a report about cooling centers across Metro Vancouver. I currently co-lead a research project about how extreme and chronic heat hits harder for those who are already marginalized. I'm speaking on behalf of our research team in support of this motion to proactively protect residents from dangerous heat. What our research consistently shows is that heat in Vancouver is an indoor, chronic, and deeply unequal matter. It is not just outdoors, and it is not just a thing of the past of the 2021 heat dome. In our work on extreme and prolonged indoor heat in SROs in the downtown east side and low-income housing in other parts of the city, we found that indoor temperatures can exceed outdoor temperatures for weeks at a time, often not dropping below safe thresholds even overnight. This means that for many residents, especially those in older or poorly ventilated housing, there is no relief from heat. People are exposed not just for hours during heat waves, but for days and weeks on end. This kind of prolonged exposure significantly increases the risk of heat-related illness and death. This is why the first part of this motion, expanding access to cooling centers beyond declared extreme heat events, is so critical. Heat risk is not contained to the duration of a heat alert. Our data shows that dangerous indoor conditions begin earlier in the season and persist even after official heat warnings have ended. At the same time, our research on cooling center use across Vancouver shows challenges with access. Many described barriers such as limited hours, long travel distances, inaccessible or infrequent transit, and a lack of culturally appropriate or welcoming spaces. Some told us that they had to choose between enduring the heat at home or undertaking physically exhausting and sometimes unsafe journeys just to cool down. Additionally, when cooling centers aren't open extended hours consistently, people can't trust that if they make the journey to a cool space that it'll actually be open. Our research shows that in order to keep people safe, cooling spaces need to be more reliable and comfortable to meet users' needs. This is why this motion's focus on extended hours, cooling transit, and mobile outreach is so important. These are absolutely necessary to make cooling infrastructure actually usable for the people who need it most, as well as increasing people's trust in city services to actually be available when they are needed. We also found that many people rely on informal and community-led solutions, such as checking in on neighbors, sharing fans, and creating ad hoc cooling spaces. These efforts are vital, but they are currently under-resourced and unsustainable. When communities and community organizations respond to these events, they need stable, ongoing funding as proposed in this motion. Finally, the commitment to collect disaggregated data is key. Without it, there's no way to fully understand who's being left out of current systems, nor can we design effective and equitable responses that cover everyone. This motion reflects what the evidence has been telling us, that in order to protect... Sorry, Leif.
Statement Watch
Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. My name is Bharat Gupta. I'm a Vancouver resident living in a high-rise apartment in downtown Vancouver. I'm here in support of Motion 8, brought forward by Councillor Maloney. I moved to Vancouver from India in 2021. I took my oath as a Canadian citizen not long ago. I chose this city because of its natural beauty, its values, and its temperate weather. But I also know the heat. Growing up and living in India, I experienced extreme summers that are deadly. Not headlines, but lived reality. I volunteered with NGOs distributing water, rehydration stores, and cool spaces to daily wage workers, elderly, and the families without the means to protect themselves. I've seen what happens when a city isn't repaired. Honestly, I did not expect to carry those same worries here. We are in early May, and it is already noticeably warmer than historical averages for this time of the year. Like Councillor Maloney said, ECC projects to be one of the hottest years on record, consistent with the long-term planning of warming summers across British Columbia. As a renter and a high-rise, I know firsthand what Councillor Maloney's motion describes. Indoor temperatures in older buildings exceed health authority guidelines as early as June. And maybe this year, it'll be much earlier. And they stay dangerously high overnight because there's no ventilation and prevent the body from recovering. For seniors, people with disabilities, and families, engaging them to talk is not a comfort issue. It is a matter of survival. This summer, the world's eyes will be on Vancouver for FIFA 2006. While we celebrate this global moment, I urge the mayor and the council to ensure our most vulnerable residents are not left behind. of the measures uh called for in the motion extended us for cooling centers mobile outreach for those who can't come cooling kits and air conditioned transits are these bad practical life-saving steps i also want to speak to the power of community Many grassroots organizations in the city have the trust, the relationships, and the ideas to deliver meaningful heat relief, but they lack reliable funding and the permissions to act. The city can be a force multiplier. Partner with them. Fund them. Remove barriers so they can do what they do best. And finally, I fully support the motion's call to collect disaggregated data from heat relief services. We cannot fix what we cannot see. Better data means more equitable outcomes for everyone. Councillor Maloney has put forward a motion that is proactive, evidence-based, and compassionate. I respectfully urge this Council to vote in full support of it. Thank you for your time.
Statement Watch
Hi, John.
It's on now. Okay, great. Thanks. Yeah, good afternoon, everybody. I'm John Irwin. I'm speaking for myself. Basically, 20 temperature records were broken across BC last Sunday, some of them in our region, and it's only the start of May. Added to that, in 2021, 619 heat-related deaths occurred during the heat wave. that happened that year that we all know about was quite shocking because we never expected heat to do that in our city. And that took place from June 25th to July 1st that year. With hotter temperatures hitting our region much earlier, likely due to climate change, a UBC study found that longer summers are occurring... uh between the tropics and the polar uh circles by about six days longer per decade so they tracked it over decades and our summers are getting longer the heat period's getting longer um when i was on the park board we learned about um through presentations uh that there are areas where people are most vulnerable to heat, and they're, of course, concentrated in the downtown east side. These vulnerable residents require extra supports to maintain their health and lives during the recurring heat events. And, you know, I agree with the motion that cooling centers need to be added and their operation extended to periods that aren't quite extreme heat, just to make sure people don't overheat. The SRO residents often share one bathroom per floor. I know because I've canvassed in them many times at different levels for elections. And if you think about it, like myself, I don't have air conditioning. When I get hot during the heat waves, I'll pour a cold bath and I'll get in it for a bit and I cool down. They don't have that option, right? So they need these extra supports. Another thing I'd like to add is that, you know, incentives should be put in place for building owners to replace the rooftops with lighter, whiter, you know, finishes. Where does this idea come from? From Phoenix, Arizona, where they do that just regularly because we've really created a heat island paradise there for heat to just reflect off all the pavement. We also need to plant more street trees, but that's challenging. budgetary concerns and things like that. So there's many things we can do to improve the conditions of the people who are most vulnerable in our city. Thank you.
Statement Watch
Counselors, my name is Suki Sahota, and I live in East Vancouver. This motion is fundamentally about protecting lives. We know that extreme heat is no longer a rare event. It is becoming a defining feature of our summers. Projections show that this year will be amongst the hottest on record, continuing a clear and dangerous trend. And we also know that heat is not just uncomfortable, it is deadly. And what's especially concerning is that many residents, particularly seniors, low-income individuals, and those in older buildings, are facing indoor temperatures that exceed safe levels, often even overnight. For them, there is no relief throughout the summer. And right now, our system is largely reactive. Cooling centers and supports are often tied to extreme heat alerts, but people are getting sick before those thresholds are even reached. And this motion moves us towards a more proactive, preventative approach. It addresses real barriers, limited hours, lack of transportation, and unequal access to cooling spaces. It expands what we already know works, longer hours, mobile cooling, better outreach, and sustained funding for supports like cooling kits. But this is also about equity. The people most affected by extreme heat are often those with the fewest resources to adapt. If we are serious about climate justice, this is where we act. And importantly, this is a smart investment. Preventing heat-related illness reduces pressure on emergency services and healthcare systems. It saves both lives and public dollars. At its core, this motion is about climate. dignity no one in our city should be left without a safe space to cool down during increasingly dangerous summers i urge all on council to support this motion thank you thank you um next speaker is bobby lee taylor thank you I am Bobbie Lee Taylor, a longtime Vancouver West End resident, and I'm speaking in support of this motion. In Vancouver's Heat Study 2021-2023, a team of health and climate professionals from Vancouver Coastal Health, the BC Centre for Disease Control, and the City of Vancouver identified indoor temperature as a data gap, with their primary call to action as introduce or expand programs that facilitate passive and active cooling options in existing buildings through information and financial support. Further, in the 2025 study, Staying Cool, Experiences and Challenges Using Cooling Centers in Metro Vancouver, its primary recommendation was... explore the right to cool for residents in existing buildings. And it further states there has been progress on mandating cooling within buildings. The BC Building Code was changed in 2024 to ensure that there's at least one cool space that doesn't exceed 26 degrees Celsius in new buildings. And the City of Vancouver is mandating mechanical cooling in all new buildings from 2025 onward. But nothing is said about the existing buildings where 99 deaths occurred in Vancouver in June 2021. I participated in these important studies, and I also understand the predictions are for a hot, dry weather this year. Water restrictions are already in place. Finally, the recommendations of the 2022 BC Coroner Service Report state in part, ensuring vulnerable populations are identified and supported during extreme heat events, implement prevention and longer-term risk mitigation strategies. So I ask you, my esteemed mayor and city council, in light of the removal of funding for the cool kits and the air cleaner programs, How do you reconcile that action against these recommendations made to prevent the loss of more lives, our human capital? Please support this motion. Thank you.
Statement Watch
Hello. My name is Dawn Lessoway, and I am a Vancouver resident. Today I'm speaking to you from the unceded territories of the Hong Kong Minim speaking people. I am speaking today in support of Councillor Maloney's proposal that money for cool kits and air cleaner programs being reinstated and that measures to ensure cool spaces are available outside of extreme heat events. I'm also phoning to demonstrate to my students that being part of a program like this where I can speak to city council is an important part of democracy. We were hoping to be speaking during the school day. And my students have three comments. They're wondering how the counselors sit for so long. They wonder where the mayor is sitting and how come their recess is longer than theirs. And they wanted me to pass on a joke so that you can focus better on the issues at hand by taking a bit of a break. And the joke is, why don't bakeries let their employees shave? And the answer is because they need their whiskers. I think the previous speakers in front of me have spoken extremely well, but I would like to add one more component to the conversation, and that's the forest fires that are occurring around the province and indeed around the world. Small particulate matter entering the lungs causes cancer and huge costs to our health care system. We not only need cooling spaces, but we need clean air filtration to protect all members of our society. And as people have pointed out, older buildings, including the building my mother lives in, do not have this infrastructure, including the electrical ability to run such systems. I would like to reinstate and promote funding for cool kits and add on even more protective measures such as the cooling centers outside of extreme heat events, trans-link buses, and clean air kits. If night times and evenings are hot, this is when most deaths occur, and we all know better than that. I would like you to know that the sensors on my porch held up, sent me an alert that yesterday they were at 28 degrees Celsius for four straight hours, and it's only the beginning of May. In conclusion, Councillor Maloney has my trust and support with this motion, and I would like to see other caring councillors step up to the plate as well. Thank you for your time.
Statement Watch
Hi, can you guys hear me?
Yes, please go ahead.
All right, so good evening. I know it's been a long day. With regards to this motion, I do not have a position, so you can classify it as other. It's a mixed bag because while I agree with the intentions of saving lives, especially with especially with um there's still a lot of older buildings where um where the cooling isn't adequate for safe living or even safe to be indoors i am concerned about this thing being a license to hunt puts the football or puts the responsibility of other things that would address the more fundamental causes of these incidents. For example, many buildings aren't adequately equipped with the electrical wiring to power air conditioners. While I do know the finances dictate especially whether it's going to be getting torn down for a taller denser building it could affect whether the building owner is willing to retrofit the electrical electrical outlets and the systems um i think that there are measures that could be done with not just portable, not just portable cooling inside the units, but also with different blinds and other measures, although the installations are pretty hit or miss. Also, I think the city, while it doesn't look related on the surface, and I don't know how much power the city has, but I think the city could flex even more muscles on enforcing certain bylaws related to heat and indoor safety. So not really sure I'm making much sense. So I can't really say I agree with the motion, I support the motion or oppose the motion. But I am just concerned about the unintended consequences here either way. But thank you for letting me speak.
Statement Watch
Yes. All right. Good evening. My name is Katie Hawking. I live in Vancouver and volunteer with and coordinate the X Community Bus, which is a community-run warming and cooling bus. And one of the grassroots initiatives this motion suggests could benefit from reliable ongoing funding. I absolutely support this motion because what I've witnessed this past year is clear. A community-run mobile warming and cooling bus that quite literally meets people where they're at works. A mobile cooling bus matters because the folks most at risk often can't make it to a community center or designated cooling space. They need responsive, flexible solutions. I want to urge council to think about their responsibility to ensure there are as many preventative measures in place as possible to avoid a repeat of the 434 deaths in Vancouver during the 2021 heat dome, when the majority of victims were elderly, low-income, isolated women who couldn't access cooling centers or air conditioning. What I can say from my experience with the cooling bus is that we know this model works because it's built on the meaningful involvement of community members. specifically people with lived experience of living outdoors in encampments, and to use substances who actually know their neighbors, who actually know the neighborhoods they work in. The workers on the X bus know where to look for their most isolated neighbors. They know what spots their friends and neighbors hang out in, and they go find them and remind them to drink water, to have a freezie, or to sit in the shade. Community-designed and led solutions are not quick or easy to implement. They take more time, more energy, and more trust. But they are far more effective than top-down approaches that miss the mark, go underused, operate at inconvenient hours, like not overnight, when the risk doesn't disappear, as this motion acknowledges, and ultimately waste time and money. LAST SUMMER THE EX-BEST PARTNERED WITH ORGANIZATIONS TO DISTRIBUTE COOLING KITS. LOSING THAT PROGRAM THIS YEAR WOULD BE DEVASTATING. REUSABLE WATER BOTTLES AND INSTANT COOL PACKS ARE ABSOLUTE LIFELINES ON EXTREME HEAT DAYS AND DEFINITELY STOPPED QUITE A FEW ER VISITS FOR HEAT STROKE. I'M ASKING YOU TO SUPPORT THIS MOTION AND COMMIT TO SUSTAINED INCLUDING COOLING KITS AND MOBILE SUPPORTS AND FOR THE COMMUNITY DESIGN SOLUTIONS THAT ARE ALREADY WORKING.
Statement Watch
Hello, Mayor and Council. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Claire, and I'm a resident of Vancouver, and I'm also a board member of Women Transforming Cities, who work to make our cities places where everyone can belong, participate, and thrive. I'm calling in today in support of the motion proactively protecting residents from dangerous heat. First of all, I want to recognize there's been many positive steps towards heat preparedness already taken by this Council, including passing motions on expanding tree canopy as advocating for climate-resilient housing standards and ensuring that tenants cannot be prevented from installing air conditioning. The momentum of this work must continue to ensure that our city is doing everything within its power to protect the lives of the most vulnerable, as we head into what is set to be another exceptionally hot summer. Five years ago, we witnessed the devastating tragedy of the heat dome that claimed hundreds of lives. It is undeniable that the majority of these deaths would have been preventable with more climate resilience and responsive infrastructure and policy. While in the long view, I would love to see some really big and bold climate action, what I appreciate about this motion is that it proposes a number of very simple, practical, and easy-to-implement actions that could have an outside impact on the most vulnerable people's experience of extreme heat this year. I know that this council don't want to see a repeat of what happened in 2021 and will make the right proactive decision today to take steps that could save lives this summer. Thank you for your time.
Statement Watch
Thank you, Chair Meisner and committee members and folks on the phone. My name is John Irwin. I'm a resident. I'm speaking for myself. As Alleyside dwellers for all of our 31 years when we've lived in Vancouver and we've lived with extra noise and high particulate emissions from waste removal vehicles, I was just coming to me. I don't want to take up too much time. It just came to me. that some good things we've done as a city have added to that, like the composting waste, the food waste stream, and more recycling. So that adds to the picture, right? They also add to the CO2 emissions of the city. Numerous trucks roll up and down the lanes to pick up waste from one or two residences per block, usually one or two units, apartment blocks per block. In a former time, many neighborhoods had less of this kind of traffic because there was less density, actually, I'd argue. Perhaps the city could explore different zones for different waste removal firms so the firms could compete for the zones and then go through and pick up the waste once a week instead of every day, literally. And we could look at doing this mainly in the densely populated areas of the city because... We know that the single-family zones are serviced by city trucks, right? So anyway, thanks for your time, and good luck with the rest of your evening.
Statement Watch
Good evening. I know it's heading into the homestretch, so I'm not going to take too much of your time. Can you hear me clearly? I'm outside before I'm heading on a drive. Okay, I take it that I am speaking clearly enough. While I appreciate the intentions of collecting more data on garbage truck collection trends, I cannot in good spirit support this motion because I am concerned about the potential downstream effects of having more data to justify and request for even more densification on top of the ODP, although THANKS, STANLEY.
THAT COMPLETES OUR SPEAKER'S LIST.