Staff Changes Transparency Report (First Vote)
Motion 14 · Standing Committee of Council on Policy and Strategic Priorities, June 3, 2026
Vote
Public comments
Read all 7 statements
Transcript
36 segments
councillors cost an advisor if you put your cameras on so we can continue the meeting yes hi sorry about that thank you and to Okay, council, thanks for your patience. We're now on to motion five, which is more than zero integrity and accountability for staff and department changes. It is to be moved and introduced by Councillor Orr. Are there any conflicts of interest to disclose? Hearing none, Councillor Orr, you have two minutes to introduce your motion.
Thank you, Chair. On February 25th, 2025, the mayor spoke about the importance of transparency. Thanks. Transparency is incredibly important and not something that should be feared. He continued on. I mentioned how we cannot pick and choose when it comes to transparency and that we must support it everywhere. With that said, I call this motion more than zero because that's what this is really all about. The public deserves transparency. The public deserves more than zero information. about what has been happening in the city. And the city's been making significant changes to how it operates. Positions eliminated, layoffs, vacancy freezes, hours reduced, we're contracted out. And that used to be done in-house. And a lot of this... hasn't happened quietly without explicit council direction, without public disclosure, and frankly, without us having a clear picture and the full scope of it. I want to be fair. Budget pressures are real. 2026 has been a tough year financially for the city. And nobody up here thinks running a city the size of Vancouver is simple. But here's the thing. We're an elected body. Do you have one minute?
Okay. Mayor, can you please mute yourself, please?
We have an oversight responsibility, and right now I don't think we have the information we need to actually exercise that responsibility properly. Staff have been making consequential decisions about services, workers, about how the city functions. day-to-day, and council hasn't had a comprehensive accounting of it. Neither has the public. People who work for the city deserve to know what happened to their colleagues. Residents deserve to know what services have been cut or back or contracted out. And we as councillors deserve to be able to look at our constituents in the eye and explain what's been going on, not piece it together from media accounts and rumors. So what I'm asking for is straightforward, a public report. within 10 days laying out staffing and operational changes made since january 2024 that relates to budget targets positions eliminated layoffs vacancy freezes reclassifications contracting out all of it by the department with numbers with dates with the budget impact attached thanks thank you councillor can i have a seconder please
Councillor Maloney. We'll now hear from registered speakers for this item. To speakers, you're reminded to state whether you're in support or opposition and also to speak once. Also, if it's not noted, I will ask if you're a resident of Vancouver or not. Our first speaker is Laura Stannard. Welcome back, Laura. You know the drill.
I do. Thank you for having me. Still me, and I'm speaking, not surprisingly, in favor of this motion. I was one of 600-plus speakers who pleaded with you last November to not freeze my property tax. Our common sense questioned how services and staffing could not be affected by a property tax freeze. Recently, like this last week, I see my neighbors react with anger as promised sewer repairs on my street are delayed to, quote, unforeseen circumstances, unquote. They all believe it's all a result of your populist zero means zero motion. My brother, a small business owner, cannot get sensible, direct, or timely answers from engineering and building permit staff. City demands for his permits make no sense to him, and he is certain they are just revenue grabs to make up for budget shortfalls. Reduction of lifeguards, surely the most stupid of policies on a coastal city. The delay of community center renovations, the late opening of kids' school. All these and more are being blamed on the zero means zero policy. It doesn't matter if the blame is misplaced. Perception is everything. So it's time to come clean. Open the books. Even try opening your minds and eyes to what you look like to people struggling to survive in a city that is now notorious for being for billionaires. I know I do myself and I cause no favor by sounding so angry and bitter. But when trust and transparency disappear in a city, people get so angry. When 600 plus people speaking against a controversial, very controversial motion are dismissed as a colossal waste of time, civic democracy has come to an end. And that's my last for today. Thank you.
Thank you, Laura. Our speaker number two has withdrawn. We'll move to speaker number three, Chloe Leslie.
Hi there, can you hear me?
Yes, we can. Go ahead. Great.
Thanks. My name is Chloe. I'm a Vancouver resident, and I'm here to speak in support of this motion because I believe that accountability begins with transparency. Over the past few years, Vancouver residents have been asked to accept significant budget decisions. At the same time, city staff have experienced layoffs, restructuring, and changes to service delivery, yet the public has not received a complete report of what has actually been cut, reduced, outsourced, or reorganized. This motion does not direct new cuts. It does not reverse previous decisions. It simply asks for facts.
If positions have been eliminated, council should know where.
If services have been paused or reduced, residents deserve to know which ones. If work previously performed by city staff is now being contracted out or replaced through automation, the public should be able to see both the costs and the consequences. Many affordability initiatives have been struck down by this council. We saw the strong social housing requirements in the downtown east side removed. We saw this council vote against a pilot for fare-free transit routes. And we saw the vote against restoring the city's living wage policy. Whether members agree or disagree with those decisions, residents deserve to understand the broader impacts these choices have on city services, workers, and communities. I believe good governance requires more than just approving a budget. It requires understanding the real-world consequences of that budget and being honest with the public about them. The information requested in this motion should already exist. Bringing it together in a public report is a reasonable and necessary step towards restoring trust and ensuring proper oversight. If we are confident in the decisions that have been made, then we should have no hesitation in disclosing them. Transparency is not something to fear. It is foundation of public accountability. I encourage council to support this motion. Thank you.
Thank you very much for calling in today. Our speaker number four is Nathan Davidovich.
Hello? Do you hear me?
Yes, we can hear you, Nathan. Go ahead. Okay.
Thank you very much, Chair and members of Council. My name is Nathan Davidovich, and I'm speaking in support of the motion by Councillor Ohl. I got involved in this controversy back in, I think it was December of 2024 and January 2025, when I suddenly found out that the 311 hours of service have been cut back. And there was no notice, there was no debate in council or anything, and I checked other cities across Canada. Of course, the Vancouver model is based on Toronto, and they have 24-7 service, and Montreal, of course, and Calgary, Winnipeg, and suddenly we... cut the hours of service by 25% without any report to council, without any debate or anything. And I was just wondering what's going on. Who is in charge of this city? And, you know, I spoke to City Hall Watch and he wrote an article about that because also TransLink cut the hours of bus information or transit information also about the same time. We used to have 24-7 transit information, but not anymore. And that's one item. And then I found out last month that the senior citizens planner, the city manager office, left Zoom to Richmond. And that's a cutback of service. I mean, the city has almost 20% senior citizens, and we need a senior planner to help us. So we have to get some of these positions back on and service to the public.
Otherwise, it should be discussed in public and not behind closed doors. So thank you very much for hearing me.
Thank you, Nathan. Our next speaker is speaker number five, Matthew Hay.
Welcome, Matthew. Thank you.
Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. I am here speaking again today because I am angry. My name is Matthew. I'm a Vancouver resident, and I strongly support Councillor Orr's motion to uphold this Council's stated values of transparency and accountability to the public. Last fall, this Council saw historic opposition to Council's direction to freeze property taxes. I was one of 600 opposed speakers and recall reading the results of the budget survey circulated the previous summer where the majority of residents preferred an increase to maintain current service levels. I also recall Councillor Montague without substantive merit or to my knowledge and apologies if incorrect, a formal training in statistics casting doubt on the methodology of that survey. Zero means zero freezes property taxes, but leads to increased user fees and bylaw fines. This is a fact. You cannot dispute the reality that user fees had to increase to make up for part of the lost revenue from property taxes. If you'd like, I invite you to dispute this claim directly once the speaker's list has closed. This effectively wiped out any savings from the property tax freeze for homeowners and also... ensured that non-homeowners are simply paying more. The mayor in this council talks a lot about the affordability crisis, and yet you have asked 55% of the residents of this city to pay more. Landlords are not freezing rent citywide in response to this change. The people have been speaking. 600 for the budget, 130 for the natural gas ban, twice, 100 for the DEOD rezoning. It is this majority council who have failed to listen. 1,000 people taking the time out of their day to use their voice. Talk about lived experience, Mayor Sim. As noted by Councillor Orr, in a February 25th, 2025 meeting, the mayor stated, quote, Transparency is incredibly important. This is something that shouldn't be feared. We talk about transparency all the time. If we support transparency, I think we support it everywhere. You can't pick and choose. And I agree with the mayor. In light of this statement, I look forward to seeing unanimous support for this motion. If opposed, what are you so afraid of?
If zero means zero is such a success, Surely, this will only prove just how successful it's been.
Back to basics. Back to community. Transparency is a basic guiding principle, and there can be no community without transparency and accountability. Thank you.
Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is speaker number six, Tessa Rowland.
Okay, she's withdrawn. Speaker number seven, Dr. Devyani Singh.
Hi, can you hear me? Yes, we can hear you. Go ahead.
all right thank you good afternoon mayor and council uh i'm dr deviani singh i'm a climate scientist and a renter in the city and i'm here to speak strongly in favor of motion five good governance requires transparency right now this council is making decisions behind closed doors that affect every vancouverite without public disclosure and without a full accounting to the people who elected you Motion 5 simply asks, show us your work. Because as it stands, these undemocratic decisions are being made under the guise of budget targets. You voted down cooling kits when we know we're expecting multiple heat waves and heat domes this summer. You decided to cut lifeguards at busy beaches during a FIFA event expecting many more tourists. And you cut the city's climate and sustainability department in the middle of a climate crisis. Meanwhile, Environment Canada has already forecast that 2026 could be the hottest year on record in B.C., We know what a heat dome can do. In 2021, it killed 619 people in this province, 117 of them in this city. 98% of the deaths happened indoors. Most were renters living in old, unretrofitted buildings where tens of thousands of my neighbors live today. Five years later, this council is setting us up for a repeat. You got millions from the Restrofit program that gave renters in older buildings actual physical cooling infrastructure that owners could afford to install. These cuts disproportionately affect renters and the working class. The public does not even know the full scope of what has been cut and who else may be affected. Councillor Orr speaks for Vancouver when he says, we want to know. We, the citizens of Vancouver, deserve to know the full nature of what has been cut, reduced, outsourced, or restructured, and why. I urge Council to vote yes on Motion 5. Bring the information into the light. Vote no, and we will know that there is something to hide. Thank you.
Thank you for calling in today. Our next speaker is speaker number eight, Den Haslip.
Hello. My name is Dan Haslip. I've been an uninvited guest and resident of Hastings Sunrise neighborhood for the past 14 years. I'm calling today to speak in favor of this motion because I'm exhausted by the pattern of mishandling the future of this city at the behest of corporate interests and lack of transparency from our majority party elected council members. Seven months ago, I tuned in to watch as a staggering 631 speakers representing thousands of residents of Vancouver voiced strong opposition to a shocking and historically lean budget report. A chorus of homeowners repeated over and over again that they were very much in favor of paying an increase in property tax, as well as business owners, frontline workers, and union representatives who gave detailed thoughts and concerns about the ramifications these budget cuts or freezes would have on this city. But as we all know, our voices were dismissed and voted over in passing the budget unchanged. So I have to ask, what would the intended outcome of city council meetings be if a record number of residents, some of which representing vital professions that keep the city running, call into voice opposition and concern about anything, let alone a yearly budget, and the majority of the council still votes it through? I'm tired of witnessing the repetitive and predictable seven to four voting block of this council that continues to strike down motions put forward by the same few council members. Council members who are having to react quickly as information is given out, not with transparency, but slowly leaked out in crumbs. Vital and research-based motions around things like housing, harm reduction, and social programs. While our beaches go without lifeguards and cost of living supports decrease in favor of an inflated and evidently unhelpful police budget. Speaking of rewarding council members who listen to their constituents, yesterday I saw the news that once again the majority of this council had voted to let the current mayor receive no sanctions for what the Integrity Commission has once again found to be misconduct against a fellow council member, surely an indication the scales are well balanced with the best of intentions. I am sincerely wondering, what are you hoping to accomplish here? cannot be to instill a sense of confidence in residents that our opinions matter in the slightest. How can we be assured that elected members cannot just conduct business that suits their interests at the extreme detriment to this city? I want to see accountability. I want democratic processes, and I want to see when the people of this city unite to demand better that our elected officials are listening and not just counting down the minutes until they can clock out, turn off their background AI bots, and leave us in the dust. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Speaker. Our next speaker is Speaker Number 9, Stephanie Allen.
Hi there. I'm a consultant and small business owner in Vancouver, and I support this motion. I encourage Council to approve it with the goal of providing transparency to the public about the impacts of the zero-mean-zero budget. It's really important for the public to understand how public policy is impacting them directly and indirectly. And it's just as important to honor the service and work of the people who lost their jobs to no fault of their own in order to make the zero mean zero happen. We don't treat people this way. There are many outstanding questions that remain for taxpayers in Vancouver. Have positions been lost that might have been worth the tax increase to us? What city services have changed, modified, or been eliminated? How were decisions made? And can we have confidence that jobs were not cut out of a political motivation? Vancouver homeowners have a duty to contribute to civic infrastructure, services, and amenities. Taxes are not the enemy that they're made out to be by those who may have forgotten the important kindergarten lesson of sharing with our neighbors. Having worked with dozens of city employees over the years in my staff and executive roles at BC Housing, or when I was advocating for a community land trust, I met many dedicated, driven, and thoughtful frontline workers who took their responsibilities seriously and maintained a congenial, caring demeanor while navigating challenging work. COB staff who recently lost their jobs and those who are currently in their jobs anxious about whether they are next deserve to understand the full impact of what zero means zero budget has had on their work and the communities they serve. And the public deserves a council who conducts their duties with accountability, transparency, and care. Thank you.
Thank you very much for calling in this afternoon. Our next speaker is speaker number 10, Amanda Thompson.
Not here. Speaker number 11, Adriana Cumming-Tyker.
Also not here. Okay, council, that concludes our speaker list for this item. We'll now move into debate and decision on motion number five. If you have any comments, please add yourselves to the queue.
Councillor Fry, go ahead.
Yeah, I appreciate... Councillor Orr bringing this motion forward. You know, I got to share with Councillor Orr earlier this year how unusual it was to have a budget presented with such a lean lack of detail. and how in the past we would receive volumes of material with detailed line item budgets and an understanding of where the money is being spent, where the money is coming from, where the money is going. It's important. It's important to our role as a matter of good governance to have that level of transparency. And it's important as a matter of accountability that the public know that we are doing our due diligence in the stewardship of where the money goes. And we weren't afforded that opportunity when we were presented with what was described as a notional budget at the time to vote on or not support, as the case may be. But we do still have that responsibility to the public to demonstrate how we are stewarding the funds of the city. And I think it is prudent to deliver on that commitment, that honor that we have, that responsibility that we have to the public, that we should be transparent and clear about how the money is being spent, where the fees are being accrued in order to offset the budget complications. And that's our job. And that is the responsibility that we have. So thank you, Councillor, for bringing this forward and to the speakers who spoke to this motion.
Thank you, Councillor Frey. Seeing no other councillors on the queue, we'll move to a vote.
Chair, this is Councillor Klassen. Please have a vote assist in opposition, please. Thanks.
Yes, noted, Councillor Klassen. I'll also take a vote assist in opposition, please.
Hi, Chair. Councillor Meiszner. Oh, sorry. Sorry, Mayor. No, go ahead.
Okay, in opposition. Thank you.
Yes, noted. Thank you.
Statement Watch
I do. Thank you for having me. Still me, and I'm speaking, not surprisingly, in favor of this motion. I was one of 600-plus speakers who pleaded with you last November to not freeze my property tax. Our common sense questioned how services and staffing could not be affected by a property tax freeze. Recently, like this last week, I see my neighbors react with anger as promised sewer repairs on my street are delayed to, quote, unforeseen circumstances, unquote. They all believe it's all a result of your populist zero means zero motion. My brother, a small business owner, cannot get sensible, direct, or timely answers from engineering and building permit staff. City demands for his permits make no sense to him, and he is certain they are just revenue grabs to make up for budget shortfalls. Reduction of lifeguards, surely the most stupid of policies on a coastal city. The delay of community center renovations, the late opening of kids' school. All these and more are being blamed on the zero means zero policy. It doesn't matter if the blame is misplaced. Perception is everything. So it's time to come clean. Open the books. Even try opening your minds and eyes to what you look like to people struggling to survive in a city that is now notorious for being for billionaires. I know I do myself and I cause no favor by sounding so angry and bitter. But when trust and transparency disappear in a city, people get so angry. When 600 plus people speaking against a controversial, very controversial motion are dismissed as a colossal waste of time, civic democracy has come to an end. And that's my last for today. Thank you.
Statement Watch
Thanks. My name is Chloe. I'm a Vancouver resident, and I'm here to speak in support of this motion because I believe that accountability begins with transparency. Over the past few years, Vancouver residents have been asked to accept significant budget decisions. At the same time, city staff have experienced layoffs, restructuring, and changes to service delivery, yet the public has not received a complete report of what has actually been cut, reduced, outsourced, or reorganized. This motion does not direct new cuts. It does not reverse previous decisions. It simply asks for facts.
If positions have been eliminated, council should know where.
If services have been paused or reduced, residents deserve to know which ones. If work previously performed by city staff is now being contracted out or replaced through automation, the public should be able to see both the costs and the consequences. Many affordability initiatives have been struck down by this council. We saw the strong social housing requirements in the downtown east side removed. We saw this council vote against a pilot for fare-free transit routes. And we saw the vote against restoring the city's living wage policy. Whether members agree or disagree with those decisions, residents deserve to understand the broader impacts these choices have on city services, workers, and communities. I believe good governance requires more than just approving a budget. It requires understanding the real-world consequences of that budget and being honest with the public about them. The information requested in this motion should already exist. Bringing it together in a public report is a reasonable and necessary step towards restoring trust and ensuring proper oversight. If we are confident in the decisions that have been made, then we should have no hesitation in disclosing them. Transparency is not something to fear. It is foundation of public accountability. I encourage council to support this motion. Thank you.
Statement Watch
Thank you very much, Chair and members of Council. My name is Nathan Davidovich, and I'm speaking in support of the motion by Councillor Ohl. I got involved in this controversy back in, I think it was December of 2024 and January 2025, when I suddenly found out that the 311 hours of service have been cut back. And there was no notice, there was no debate in council or anything, and I checked other cities across Canada. Of course, the Vancouver model is based on Toronto, and they have 24-7 service, and Montreal, of course, and Calgary, Winnipeg, and suddenly we... cut the hours of service by 25% without any report to council, without any debate or anything. And I was just wondering what's going on. Who is in charge of this city? And, you know, I spoke to City Hall Watch and he wrote an article about that because also TransLink cut the hours of bus information or transit information also about the same time. We used to have 24-7 transit information, but not anymore. And that's one item. And then I found out last month that the senior citizens planner, the city manager office, left Zoom to Richmond. And that's a cutback of service. I mean, the city has almost 20% senior citizens, and we need a senior planner to help us. So we have to get some of these positions back on and service to the public. Otherwise, it should be discussed in public and not behind closed doors. So thank you very much for hearing me.
Statement Watch
Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. I am here speaking again today because I am angry. My name is Matthew. I'm a Vancouver resident, and I strongly support Councillor Orr's motion to uphold this Council's stated values of transparency and accountability to the public. Last fall, this Council saw historic opposition to Council's direction to freeze property taxes. I was one of 600 opposed speakers and recall reading the results of the budget survey circulated the previous summer where the majority of residents preferred an increase to maintain current service levels. I also recall Councillor Montague without substantive merit or to my knowledge and apologies if incorrect, a formal training in statistics casting doubt on the methodology of that survey. Zero means zero freezes property taxes, but leads to increased user fees and bylaw fines. This is a fact. You cannot dispute the reality that user fees had to increase to make up for part of the lost revenue from property taxes. If you'd like, I invite you to dispute this claim directly once the speaker's list has closed. This effectively wiped out any savings from the property tax freeze for homeowners and also... ensured that non-homeowners are simply paying more. The mayor in this council talks a lot about the affordability crisis, and yet you have asked 55% of the residents of this city to pay more. Landlords are not freezing rent citywide in response to this change. The people have been speaking. 600 for the budget, 130 for the natural gas ban, twice, 100 for the DEOD rezoning. It is this majority council who have failed to listen. 1,000 people taking the time out of their day to use their voice. Talk about lived experience, Mayor Sim. As noted by Councillor Orr, in a February 25th, 2025 meeting, the mayor stated, quote, Transparency is incredibly important. This is something that shouldn't be feared. We talk about transparency all the time. If we support transparency, I think we support it everywhere. You can't pick and choose. And I agree with the mayor. In light of this statement, I look forward to seeing unanimous support for this motion. If opposed, what are you so afraid of? If zero means zero is such a success, Surely, this will only prove just how successful it's been. Back to basics. Back to community. Transparency is a basic guiding principle, and there can be no community without transparency and accountability. Thank you.
Statement Watch
all right thank you good afternoon mayor and council uh i'm dr deviani singh i'm a climate scientist and a renter in the city and i'm here to speak strongly in favor of motion five good governance requires transparency right now this council is making decisions behind closed doors that affect every vancouverite without public disclosure and without a full accounting to the people who elected you Motion 5 simply asks, show us your work. Because as it stands, these undemocratic decisions are being made under the guise of budget targets. You voted down cooling kits when we know we're expecting multiple heat waves and heat domes this summer. You decided to cut lifeguards at busy beaches during a FIFA event expecting many more tourists. And you cut the city's climate and sustainability department in the middle of a climate crisis. Meanwhile, Environment Canada has already forecast that 2026 could be the hottest year on record in B.C., We know what a heat dome can do. In 2021, it killed 619 people in this province, 117 of them in this city. 98% of the deaths happened indoors. Most were renters living in old, unretrofitted buildings where tens of thousands of my neighbors live today. Five years later, this council is setting us up for a repeat. You got millions from the Restrofit program that gave renters in older buildings actual physical cooling infrastructure that owners could afford to install. These cuts disproportionately affect renters and the working class. The public does not even know the full scope of what has been cut and who else may be affected. Councillor Orr speaks for Vancouver when he says, we want to know. We, the citizens of Vancouver, deserve to know the full nature of what has been cut, reduced, outsourced, or restructured, and why. I urge Council to vote yes on Motion 5. Bring the information into the light. Vote no, and we will know that there is something to hide. Thank you.
Statement Watch
Hello. My name is Dan Haslip. I've been an uninvited guest and resident of Hastings Sunrise neighborhood for the past 14 years. I'm calling today to speak in favor of this motion because I'm exhausted by the pattern of mishandling the future of this city at the behest of corporate interests and lack of transparency from our majority party elected council members. Seven months ago, I tuned in to watch as a staggering 631 speakers representing thousands of residents of Vancouver voiced strong opposition to a shocking and historically lean budget report. A chorus of homeowners repeated over and over again that they were very much in favor of paying an increase in property tax, as well as business owners, frontline workers, and union representatives who gave detailed thoughts and concerns about the ramifications these budget cuts or freezes would have on this city. But as we all know, our voices were dismissed and voted over in passing the budget unchanged. So I have to ask, what would the intended outcome of city council meetings be if a record number of residents, some of which representing vital professions that keep the city running, call into voice opposition and concern about anything, let alone a yearly budget, and the majority of the council still votes it through? I'm tired of witnessing the repetitive and predictable seven to four voting block of this council that continues to strike down motions put forward by the same few council members. Council members who are having to react quickly as information is given out, not with transparency, but slowly leaked out in crumbs. Vital and research-based motions around things like housing, harm reduction, and social programs. While our beaches go without lifeguards and cost of living supports decrease in favor of an inflated and evidently unhelpful police budget. Speaking of rewarding council members who listen to their constituents, yesterday I saw the news that once again the majority of this council had voted to let the current mayor receive no sanctions for what the Integrity Commission has once again found to be misconduct against a fellow council member, surely an indication the scales are well balanced with the best of intentions. I am sincerely wondering, what are you hoping to accomplish here? cannot be to instill a sense of confidence in residents that our opinions matter in the slightest. How can we be assured that elected members cannot just conduct business that suits their interests at the extreme detriment to this city? I want to see accountability. I want democratic processes, and I want to see when the people of this city unite to demand better that our elected officials are listening and not just counting down the minutes until they can clock out, turn off their background AI bots, and leave us in the dust. Thank you very much.
Statement Watch
Hi there. I'm a consultant and small business owner in Vancouver, and I support this motion. I encourage Council to approve it with the goal of providing transparency to the public about the impacts of the zero-mean-zero budget. It's really important for the public to understand how public policy is impacting them directly and indirectly. And it's just as important to honor the service and work of the people who lost their jobs to no fault of their own in order to make the zero mean zero happen. We don't treat people this way. There are many outstanding questions that remain for taxpayers in Vancouver. Have positions been lost that might have been worth the tax increase to us? What city services have changed, modified, or been eliminated? How were decisions made? And can we have confidence that jobs were not cut out of a political motivation? Vancouver homeowners have a duty to contribute to civic infrastructure, services, and amenities. Taxes are not the enemy that they're made out to be by those who may have forgotten the important kindergarten lesson of sharing with our neighbors. Having worked with dozens of city employees over the years in my staff and executive roles at BC Housing, or when I was advocating for a community land trust, I met many dedicated, driven, and thoughtful frontline workers who took their responsibilities seriously and maintained a congenial, caring demeanor while navigating challenging work. COB staff who recently lost their jobs and those who are currently in their jobs anxious about whether they are next deserve to understand the full impact of what zero means zero budget has had on their work and the communities they serve. And the public deserves a council who conducts their duties with accountability, transparency, and care. Thank you.