World Refugee Day, whereas the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution naming June 20th as World Refugee Day to celebrate and recognize the courage, strength, and contributions of refugees throughout the world.

And whereas the United Nations estimates that in 2025, over 117.3 million people worldwide, or one out of every 70 people, are forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, natural disaster, human rights violations, or events seriously disturbing public order, the most at any point in human history.

And whereas humanity is witnessing the highest levels of internally displaced people on record, and these figures continue to rise as more people flee each year, adding to the numbers of those who have been living in displacement and have not yet achieved a durable solution.

And whereas at least 4.4 million people worldwide are currently stateless, having been denied a nationality and lacking access to basic rights such as education, healthcare, employment, and the freedom of movement. And more than 8.4 million people globally are currently seeking asylum as they flee conflict, persecution, and instability.

And whereas Canada has a longstanding tradition of providing refuge to persons in need of protection and is a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the status of refugees and its 1967 protocol. In 2026, the international community will mark the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Refugee Convention.

Thank you. Thank you, everyone. And good morning. Like they said, my name is Katia Avalos. I'm the Community Engagement Director for the Multi-Agency Partnership of BC. Those figures are actually outdated. We now have over 100 members across the province of BC who are agencies or individuals that support and work with and for refugee claimants. World Refugee Day is a day to honor all refugees, and whether they've come to Canada as government-sponsored, privately-sponsored, or asylum seekers, all of them face very high barriers, and I know that the first years, having experienced them myself, are very hard. MAP's work focuses on asylum seekers and refugee claimants, and those statistics and the numbers that we hear a lot of the times in the media seem to be alarmist and a bit high. But the reality is that Canada only sees a very small proportion of asylum seekers compared to other countries around the world. And we're standing at a time where conflicts seem to be proliferating every single day. And the list of countries that Canada does not remove individuals to because of the humanitarian conditions of those countries keep growing. It's a very long list. Some of those countries have been there for decades. And we also know that a lot of those countries are the countries that produce most refugees, and many of them come to Canada to seek protection. Coming to Canada is a very complicated thing, and people make harrowing journeys. I'll give you an example. Somebody from Afghanistan who's fleeing the Taliban might in the past have been able to get a humanitarian visa to travel to Brazil. and then cross the entire American continent by foot, crossing jungles, rivers, deserts, dealing with human traffickers and gangs and cartels that prey on them. And so just having that image on your mind should make you think about the sacrifices and the complicated pathways that people make to come to Canada. And unfortunately, we're standing at a time when policies keep creating barriers for those individuals, whether they're arriving here by land or whether they're already in Canada, increased barriers to legal access to protection. And so that's very important that the city of Vancouver is doing this work at a time when, you know, the barriers keep increasing and supports seem to be lowering. So we would like to recognize and thank you for the work that you do, especially in the access without fear and to racism policies. Because, you know, these new laws are creating a population of individuals with precarious status or with no status. And the services and benefits that they're able to access are very small. And so having this policy that allows them to access services in the city of Vancouver is wonderful. and just a little bit about the work that we do. And when I say we, I mean the agencies that make up the MAP community. They're very incredibly dedicated individuals who work to make the lives of refugee claimants a little bit easier to give them support and comfort as they start new lives in a country that they're unfamiliar with. And so a lot of the time that work also comes with a lot of emotional and mental health costs for the staff that do the support and work alongside refugees. And so I'd also like to acknowledge the individuals and thank the individuals that do this work to support refugees at a time where it feels like the support that they have is dwindling away. And I would like to invite next my colleague, Sara Lopez, to say a few words as well.

Thank you. Good morning. Thank you, everyone here. Thank you, Council, for this proclamation. As a person with lived experience, I arrived in Canada in 2025 to seek refugee protection. no, 2012, sorry, to seek refugee protection. And unfortunately, I was sent to provincial jail by CBSA. So I was here a few years ago in this place speaking about how and why it was important to stop using provincial jails to incarcerate asylum seekers and immigrants in this country. thanks to the city council that approved that motion, now the whole country is not using provincial jails anymore. So thank you for your work, and I trust in exactly this access without fear and city, because I experience that. Thank you so much. And now I'm part of a community that support Katia works. I work on Kimbrace Community Society. We are based in East Vancouver, a very small organization that provides transitional housing for asylum seekers and refugee claimants, as well as a national program named My Refugee Claim, that is a public legal education for those that are seeking protection in Canada in partnership with the Immigration and Refugee Board. And they are presenting... the stage of what they will expect during the refugee hearing. And we are part of this job, supporting thousands of people from around the world, providing interpreters and information that is very needed. Thank you so much.

So one more thing to note is that, as Sarah said, there's individuals across this country who are facing these higher barriers. So we want to thank the work that Cambridge does on a national level to provide legal education and information for asylum seekers and refugee claimants. And I think that people tend to think of refugees as something that's happening now, something new. And we need to recognize that refugees have been coming to Canada for generations and they make They form part of Canadian history and have contributed to Canadian society for decades. So when we think of refugees today, just remember that in a few years or in a few decades, them and their children will be as Canadian as you and me and will have contributed with their lived experience, with their talents, with their great contributions to this country.

Good morning, good morning. Before we get into some of the opening remarks, I just want to open up with a song just to ground us in the journey that we've always been working on for the last five years. So this one is called Our Nature Song, and it speaks to the four stages of life, the four directions, the four seasonal rounds that we all... You know, understand, you know, we have the winter. We do a lot of thinking in the house community, a lot of transferring of knowledge. And then spring and summer comes. That's when we're going out to the broader communities to create stronger alliances and mutual respect and relationships. But we're also sharing the journey along with you. And we are committed to that journey to this day and for the many years moving forward.

Oh, hello.

Oh, hello. Hello. Ha-he-la-ha. Ha-ha-ha. Ha-he-la-ha-hey.

Oh, he-lo. He-lo. Oh, he-lo.

Ha, ha, ha, ha, hey, la, ha, ha, hey. Haa, haa, haa, haa, haa, haa, haa, haa, haa, haa, haa.

I am from the Musqueam Nation. I'm an elected councillor and I'm really pleased to be before you this morning. I wish to acknowledge that our communities are very much connected by strong blood ties. My grandmother comes from the TTsleil-Waututh First Nation. My paternal grandfather comes from the Squamish First Nation. My grandfathers come from the Musqueam Nation. That our people occupied and cared for this beautiful place that's now called Vancouver by following the laws, the ways, the policies, the respect for the land to care for this place in a way that ensured our continuity. So we're super pleased to be with you today.

Awesome. Thank you.

So often when we look at a canoe, it can mean many, many things for our people. It represents us today that we're on this journey together. And journeys aren't always A to B, linear. They're meandering. And sometimes you're against headwinds, a storm, big wakes, but it's how we all paddle together in that canoe that get us through that challenge and eventually to the end goal. It also is used to paddling together in sync. There's no lily dipping, we call it. We're actually in synchronized and we're able to paddle as one. If we're out of sync, you're paddling the weight of the entire canoe with all the people in it. But what we're doing is we're making strong progress, and that means we're in sync and we're able to overcome such barriers. But we also look at the people that are in the canoe. We often reflect, it's the nations, it's our partnership, it's the four governments all have a seat in that canoe. It also can represent all of the steering committee, the task force, all of the wonderful team of our nations, but also the City of Vancouver staff that helped move this report along. And it's to provide that vessel, that harmony, and that good spirit and good energy of the work that we're all doing. Some seats might be empty. It's not because we didn't have enough paddlers. It's because we're also honoring our ancestors. They're on the journey with us and helping us guide us. And in that spirit, you know, I, I think, uh, counselor young for mentioning Kaya Polano, you know, if we look at the journey that we've been on together with the city of Vancouver, it's been over five years ago and certain councils change and same with city counselors change. And, uh, There's a few of us that are on from the very beginning, and I'm one of them. And I learned so much from Kai Apolano. And I must say, he's still in this room. He's helping us guide. He's helping us go through this process. And he has one of his descendants here, his grandson, Connor Grant. So in a way, Howard is still here guiding us. And I wanted to just honor that and say that. This beautiful canoe graphic design was created by a Slow Tooth member, Olivia George, you know, and again, just to provide that cultural guidance of the journey that we're embarking on. So I just wanted to share a little bit of that. When we go, I know some of you have already seen this in some of our other presentations, but again, it's just a backgrounder. In September 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, known as UNDRIP. This declaration outlines the universal human rights as they apply to the unique situations of Indigenous peoples of the world. This document was developed through intense negotiations over a 25-year period at the United Nations. and represents minimum standards for the survival, dignity, and well-being of Indigenous peoples. UNDRIP addresses both individual and collective rights, covering cultural rights and identity, rights to education, health, employment, language, and the right of Indigenous peoples to remain distinct and pursue their own priorities in economic, social, and cultural well-being and development. UNDRIP does not create new rights, but rather recognizes rights that have always existed and that are inherent.

This slide highlights the city's early foundational work on UNDRIP. In 2022, the UNDRIP task force developed the city's strategic strategy, identifying 79 calls to action. I must say, it's also very special and unique to say that this, you know, was momentous for us. It was a trajectory. of it being the first in the world and known as the city of reconciliation. And that's always great to be reminded of the great successes that we have done together. The work laid the groundwork for a coordinated citywide approach to implementing UNDRIP. Working from the UNDRIP strategy, the task force developed the first five-year UNDRIP action plan. The action plan sequenced 32 priority actions for implementation between 2024 and 2028. This marked the transition from commitment and planning into structured implementation. The focus throughout has been always on co-development, mutual respect, relationship building, and accountability.

On this slide is our governance structure. What makes this distinct is not just what we are doing, it is how we are doing it. While councils from all four partners remain ultimately the decision makers for their respective offices and communities, we are working on a consensus-based model to implement shared goals that drive benefits for all communities. This model runs from the elected level all the way through operational staff. The intergovernmental table brings together elected representatives from all four partners, meeting quarterly to provide direction and oversight. The city is represented by Councillors Sarah Kirby-Young, Clausen, Zhao, and Orr, alongside two elected leaders from each of the Musqueam, Squamish, and TTsleil-Waututh nations, including colleagues joining us here today. Senior staff from all four partners form the steering committee, meeting monthly to translate intergovernmental table direction into coordinated work plans, manage reporting, and track outcomes. Doing the day-to-day work are 18 action groups, staff teams with technical... and operational expertise drawn from all four partners each focus on a specific action group and deliverables within the plan turning a commitment into concrete outputs And internally, the city maintains a robust corporate coordinated table focusing on efficiency and coordination. Senior staff champions and implementation leads from every department, including Vancouver Parks Board, Vancouver Public Library, and Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, meet quarterly to align on implementation and continuously strengthen our internal processes. This structure is what makes the sustained accountable progress possible.

The action groups involve Musqueam, Squamish, TTsleil-Waututh, and Vancouver staff from all departments and all areas of expertise. The action plan includes deliverables related to intergovernmental relations, education, economic development, housing, culture, environment, communications, and public safety. Each action group is coordinated by city staff, with nation staff being fully involved in the planning, development and implementation of each deliverable. Action groups meet regularly as required by their respective deliverables, including unique relationship building exercises like community walking tours and external expert guest speakers.

The City of Vancouver released its first UNDRIP Annual Report in June 2025. That report showcased the progress during the first six months of the implementation from June to December 2024. Annual reporting provides Council and the public with a clear picture of what progress has been made, where the work is still underway. Today's report will be the first report that covers the full calendar year. of this implementation from January to December 2025.

Together, these reports support consistent public awareness, council oversight, and long-term alignment with UNDRIP commitments.

In the spring of 2024, all four councils endorsed the UNDRIP action plan for 2024 to 2028. 2025 marked the first full year of implementation, moving us from planning into practice. Action groups have made meaningful progress, completing draft frameworks, piloting new processes, developing new content and resources that embed UNDRIP principles into city work. In late 2025, action groups undertook a formal annual review of their action charters. This allowed groups to right-size the timelines, clarify outcomes, and ensure the work is achievable and well-sequenced. Importantly, progress is being built on stronger relationships and increased trust, allowing the city and Indigenous partners to work in co-development model and on shared deliverables. Overall, this year reflects a shift from commitment to sustained relationship-based implementation.

Reading the annual report is intended to be simple and clear. This report is intentionally aligned with last year's format, making it easier to track year-over-year progress. It provides a high-level progress overview and action group-specific updates on deliverables. For each action group, the report outlines what work has been completed to date and what the next steps are moving forward. Progress is assessed across very different... types of work using a five-stage progress indicator, recognizing that implementation looks different across policy, service delivery, and relationship-based work. The in-progress category has been refined further, now distinguishing between initial, mid-phase, and closing stages for greater transparency, clarity.

I also want to just, in case people are wondering, we are missing some of our relatives from the Squamish Nation. Just wanted to let you know that they send their regrets. They're in an all-day council, but they're here in spirit and commitment to this relationship.

Thank you, Auntie, for sharing those great words and updates. So here we have the progress indicator developed, lays out five progress stages based on where each action group falls within the process of collaboration and delivering outputs and outcomes. As you can see, the scale from stage one, laying the groundwork, including introductory relationships, development, internal inventory, and scoping, through various stages of planning, development, implementation to end-to-end of building on accomplishments and where we envision our teams collaboratively monitoring and improving upon successes. We have tried to emphasize through this progress indicator how crucial partnerships is to this work and our intention to follow through on our goals and build continuous improvement. into each output and outcome. The next slides, this is a great analytical slides for all of us, like graphics. This graphic shows status and deliverables across all action groups, reflecting the diversity of work areas. Some action groups, such as the very first one, capacity building, training, and governance are further along due to their earlier groundwork. Others are in scoping or sequencing phases, particularly where work depends on internal capacities, partner readiness, co-development timelines, broader system changes. Importantly, slower progress does not indicate lack of effort. It reflects deliberate pacing, relationship-based decision-making, the need to align with Indigenous partners rather than rushing deliverables. This view allows the task force to see where momentum is strong and where additional time, coordination, and support may be needed. Overall, the program is assessed at stage three, working together. Paddling together, signaling active collaboration and advanced from earlier stages of planning. Of the 88 total deliverables, 11 are complete, 33 are in progress, and four are in scoping. 25 deliverables have been intentionally sequenced for later, often to ensure proper alignment with the nation's and city initiatives. A smaller number of deliverables are in revision or partner review, paused due to capacity dependencies, or to redirect resources, for example, FIFA activities. referred directly to partners, specifically our partners at the VPD. Taken together, this reflects a realistic implementation approach, one that prioritizes careful consideration, relationship building, and collaboration over speed. This snapshot shows steady forward momentum on our shared goals. This bar graph represents the year-over-year progress from the first six months of implementation in 2024 to the first full year of implementation in 2025. Seven more deliverables were completed in 2025, nearly four times increase from the previous year.

The in-progress indicator stayed flat at 31, despite completing eight more items than the prior year. Our active in-progress pipeline did not shrink. New items entered the active queue from scoping stage, suggesting a sustained way of advancing work. Deliverables in scoping dropped from 24 to just 4, which means roughly 20 deliverables that were exploratory in 2024-2025 got assigned an active status in 2025-2026 as a sign of planning maturity. Some of the deliverables in scoping were resequenced or paused to maintain capacities among all partners.

We'd like to highlight some work to date that has already began impacting our city and our city outputs. You know, celebrating milestones and short wins and recognize them are always good to hear. And it shows the progress that we are all collectively doing.

We gained momentum on multiple MST-led housing projects, garnered learnings from mutually successful projects to improve future agreements with the local nations. We worked together to revise the staff training we need as City of Reconciliation. focused on practical, locally relevant training with offerings appropriate to staff in various role types. We began imagining how the city's Indigenous procurement policy can create new opportunities and shared prosperity. We continue to work together to protect the unique cultural heritage of the city, find ways to respectfully share with all residents and preserve it for future generations. We also collaborated on communication and storytelling to bring residents and visitors to Vancouver along with us on our work and our journey. I'll pass it on. Thank you. So moving forward.

Hello .. I just want to introduce, there's a couple of my advisory members that have come with me here. So we have Bernie Squamish, who actually runs Moccasin Mafia, and will be doing outreach during FIFA. We also have Anita McPhee. She has a law degree. She facilitates all of our urban indigenous engagement. She teaches lateral kindness. Real deadly warriors here. We have Marlene Jack from Chesilata Nation. She has been searching for her family since the 90s and has advanced the investigation this year with news hopefully coming out of some good news. Really big advocate and support for all of our work. And Amanda Nahaney from Squamish Nation. And she's also Nishka. And she's the person who got me working at the city of Vancouver. When I first had lunch with her, I said, where should I work? I was offered all these. She said, we need you to work at the city. You can do a really good job here. So I just want to thank you. And they can stand up here with me. um yeah so thank you so much for having me here today i just want to talk about the response report that we put out in 2022 it highlights key actions so our update highlights key actions that were undertaken to serve as the foundation for municipal implementation of the calls for justice and the red woman rising recommendations

Next slide, please. Okay, great. So the response report includes seven main recommendations, and underneath there, there's 38 sub-recommendations that we're going to be highlighting here. So many of the sub-recommendations have been complete, but all of the section won't be marked as complete until all of the recommendations in that section are completed. So last year, we noted that we would report like a full comprehensive report of all the recommendations. And due to staff capacity changes in the last year, we weren't able to advance that. But what we're doing is we're scoping a citywide database so that we can quarterly input reconciliation, UNDRIP, well, they're already doing UNDRIP, but MMAWG2S. And the reason why is because something like Sao U Center about moral... It might be reported in reconciliation and then in MMAWG2S. It's just a way to streamline that so that you could see what recommendations are actually aligning with all three reports.

Okay, so 4.1, this recommendation advances the development of a coordinated cross-departmental approach to implementing the calls for justice and the Red Woman Rising recommendations. The intent is to prove safety, accountability, and outcomes for Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit by embedding these commitments consistently across city departments. This also supports greater alignment between existing city frameworks, plans, and reporting processes. Current implementation efforts include ongoing coordination, pilot initiatives, and integration of related frameworks across departments. And a couple key actions underway include the SOWIS Center, which we talked about briefly, but it's an Aboriginal Land Trust Society-owned mixed-use development. Actually, Lindsay and I saw it the other day. It was really amazing. Hopefully we can show you guys some pictures soon. It's a 4,000 square foot center, which will deliver trauma-informed Indigenous healing services for families and survivors. And the city prepaid a 10-year lease for that place. So the city will, for next steps for this year, we will work in collaboration with Aboriginal Land Trust to identify and select an operator to run the Sawu Center. And that actually application is open right now for people to apply to run that center. It will support the transition from service delivery and ensure the space is Indigenous-led and responsive to the needs of survivors and families. And the other place is the Balmoral. It's on Hastings. I don't remember the address exactly, but it's close to the Carnegie Center, just kind of across the street there. And so significant process, and I have a picture of that in the next slide, but it's a really amazing space we went there. I just want to hang out there and kind of have a coffee and maybe do some work. So what we'll do for 2026 is we'll recruit and hire an Indigenous coordinator to lead programming and activation of this space with the focus on culturally safe, survivor-centered and community-driven approaches. It's for Indigenous people, but anybody in the community can come. So the impact on safety, that it creates culturally safe, Indigenous-led, survivor-centered spaces that support healing, connection, and access to service for MMIWG2S survivors, families, and the broader community. They even have garden, like little garden plots, so people can come and do gardening there. It's really amazing. And so early outcomes are increased visibility of Indigenous-led, survivor-focused priorities within city work. Here's a nice picture of the space right there. And up on the top, those little posters, you can see what's happening throughout the week and within the spaces. So that's a covered area. And so lots of activities go on this space. As you can see on the top right, there's a stage there for people to do performances. And especially young people who are starting out in their musical career could use that as a space to perform and to practice. There's a lot of spaces for people to sit around and visit and then do lots of activities. Come visit sometime if you like. I'll meet you there. Okay, so this is a really exciting one. This is actually a response to protocol for missing, murdered Indigenous women and girls. That was what we asked for. And so what we did is we developed and piloted a missing person alert protocol across 12 city departments. We implemented the pilot seven times, enabling prompt coordinated dissemination, which was initiated by the VPD. So when the VPD has a missing person alert that's ready for the public, it will go to us, and we will disseminate it across city departments, and all kinds of staff have it that are on the front line, and even staff that are not on the front line that want to participate. Go back to my notes because I'm freestyling. Okay. So what we will do for the next steps for 2026 is finalize a privacy impact assessment. And the reason why it's really important that we do that is because we don't want staff to compromise the privacy of somebody. So, for example, an alert goes out, it gets posted to social media, it never gets taken down, and now that person's privacy could be compromised in the future, future opportunities. So we are working on the privacy impact assessment and we will be doing training for staff on how to respond to the alert and launch the alert protocol this year. So the impact on safety is that it enables timely coordinated dissemination of missing person alerts across city departments. The reason why it's called Missing Person Alert, that's like the draft name. We're going to come up with a really good name, but we will search for, Indigenous people will search for any missing person. You don't have to be an Indigenous woman, girl, even though that we are the most missing and murdered in Canada, but we will look for anybody. And this alert has been activated with all populations. We found two people within hours of the alert. So city staff found two people within hours of the alert being disseminated. So it's working. It expands the reach of that critical information through frontline staff networks supporting faster community awareness. And one example is like the people at the Parks Board. I just did a presentation to them. So the people who are in the parks doing like gardening and all that type of stuff, they see people and they might not know that somebody is missing and they might see something that they think maybe, oh, like maybe that person needs help but not really sure. If they get the missing person alert, then there's instructions one, two, three, this is how you respond. Okay, let's go to the next slide. I could talk about that all day. Financial issues, capacity, sustainability, and accountability. This is in progress. So we streamlined the use of the handshake protocol within the honorarium policy when working with Indigenous partners. And we've got really good feedback from Indigenous people that they appreciate the protocol being implemented. And guidelines and resources were developed to support city staff to work in culturally appropriate ways with Indigenous partners by providing guidance for opening ceremonies, welcoming protocols, and local healing practices. So we're reducing barriers by reinforcing equitable and transparent recognition practices. So what we're doing is we're creating, for 2026, a step-by-step training guide outlining best practices for applying the handshake protocol and honorary policy consistently across departments. What we're finding is that people are still not sure exactly how to do this protocol because it's an Indigenous way of knowing that we're now using in this system. So the impact on safety, that it supports trust-building through respectful and consistent application of Indigenous protocols. It reduces barriers to participation by reinforcing equitable and transparent honorary and recognition practices. This is an example of one that could be reported across UNDRIP, reconciliation, and MMIWG2S. It was also reported in equity. So the final slide here is the strategic priorities and way forward. So reconciliation, UNDRIP, and the calls for justice are all important resources that city staff can access to further their professional development. Implementation of the response report recommendations applicable to the city in a coordinated citywide response will ensure impacts are felt intergenerationally by indigenous community and especially indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people. So the way forward includes finalizing and launching the Missing Person Alert Protocol and giving it a name, delivering staff training sessions on the Alert Protocol in collaboration with the BPD Missing Person Unit, and then delivering staff training sessions on the Urban Indigenous Engagement Framework, continuing to strengthen alignment between Reconciliation UNDRIP and MMIWG2S, and support staff with consistent application of MMIWG2S-related tools, protocols, and evaluation approaches. Miigwech, haichika. And I'll just give my advisory a chance to say something if you would like to share. Thank you so much. . To you all, respected people, my ancestral name is . I come from the Squamish and Nisga'a Nation. It feels extremely good in my heart to be here today, extremely honored to be a part of this team and to work on this . I get a little emotional. Murdered and Missing Indigenous Peoples Advisory. Thank you for allowing us to have our table, share our voice, share our concerns, but also share our expertise in this field that we are the experts that know how to find our people. We know how to work all these different systems and work through all these different barriers that are in our way. So We do this on behalf of our families, of our children, our grandchildren. And it's important to us that our communities are safe, but we want people who live in our communities and our territories to feel safe.

My English name is Anita McPhee and I'm Teltan. I'm from a remote community up in Telegraph Creek. I wanted to share how effective this process has been and how effective it's been being part of the MMIWG advisory group to the city of Vancouver, especially for someone like myself. who comes from a really remote community. If you had to drive there, it would take three days to get to Northern British Columbia. I had a nephew go missing once, and, you know, thanks to people like Skundal and our advisory team, you know, my nephew was found within two hours. I want to remind you that, you know, we're really grateful that the city supports us in looking for our people because we're highly vulnerable in the city of Vancouver. um our people come down from up north sometimes and they go missing sometimes for whatever circumstances that happens but it also when families go miss when have families have people who go missing they don't have the resources to find them sometimes they don't know where to go they don't know where to start and i'm so grateful that we have people like moccasin mafia and And I'm grateful that the city of Vancouver has invested in helping find our people and also the missing persons protocol, you know. So I'm really grateful. I just want to let you know that, you know, it works. And, you know, when it comes to looking for our people, thank you for that investment. Madhu.

I just want to say how to, my traditional name is Golgi Jad, which means Golden Spruce Roman. I come from a small village in Oaxaca. I also want to echo what our sisters have said. My hands go up to the city. I want to say since Moccasin Mafia has been around since COVID. I get very emotional because if it wasn't for the city trusting our team, we have rescued in over almost close to five years, 33 men and women from the downtown Eastside area down there. And we're going to be taking on like a... little bit different endeavor um june 11th with moccasin mafia slash vigil antis um we'll be out on the front lines again and without your support in supporting us and Just being there, it's been a real journey. And again, my hands go up to all of you for trusting the process with us and walking with us. And I want to acknowledge. our elder here and our brother here too for the kind words and but i want to say again because this is so important and to rachel um and michelle and also to pete you know who's been there with us many times on the front lines you know sometimes you feel like you're just bashing your head against the wall in that but um again i just want to say how to you again

Thank you so much for having us here.

Go ahead, you.

Thank you.

If the clock's not ticking, could I just have the podium?

Thank you very much.

Hello, I'm Michael Schwant. I'm a medical health officer for the community of Vancouver, working for Vancouver Coastal Health. I also live in Vancouver. Thank you for the opportunity to speak on this report by City of Vancouver staff. in support of the recommendations to Council. I've also submitted a letter to Council with a public health perspective on the report. As Council will know, Vancouver residents are experiencing increasing impacts of climate change, including more frequent extreme heat events and worsening wildfire smoke exposure. The Pacific Northwest heat dome of 2021 demonstrated the severity of these risks, tragically contributing to the deaths of 117 Vancouver residents. The vast majority of these deaths occurred inside homes, primarily among people who did not have access to air conditioning. Research has consistently demonstrated that high indoor temperatures contribute to serious health impacts, including heat-related illness, worsening chronic medical conditions, and death. These risks are particularly important for older adults, people with disabilities, and people who live alone. Public cooling centers and community outreach are important protective measures, but cannot fully compensate for unsafe temperatures inside the home where people live. Now, the proposed bylaw amendment addresses a significant practical barrier to safety during heat waves. Approximately half of Vancouver households are renters, and tenants often have limited control over conditions within their homes. Engagement and research conducted in partnership between Vancouver Coastal Health, the City of Vancouver, and the BC Center for Disease Control has identified that tenancy agreements can form significant barriers to the use of portable cooling devices. In some situations, tenancy agreements prevent residents from taking straightforward, evidence-based actions to reduce health risks during extreme heat events. To be specific, some of our neighbors risk eviction if they use air conditioning in their own homes. Now, there's also an important connection between extreme heat, air conditioning, and wildfire smoke. During periods when both of these hazards occur at the same time, air conditioning helps residents to maintain safe indoor temperatures while keeping closed windows against outdoor smoke. as recommended by public health guidance. So supporting access to indoor cooling also can contribute to protection from multiple climate-related health risks. The bylaw amendment recommended by staff links closely to local health data and experience on a life and death issue in our community. It's a practical measure to protect Vancouver residents, including senior citizens, and can support residents to take reasonable steps to protect their own health. The City of Vancouver has developed many important initiatives for climate resilience from a public health perspective, I encourage Council to adopt the proposed amendment as recommended by staff. I hope that these comments are helpful to you, and thank you very much for your time and your continued work to support the safety of Vancouver residents.

Good morning, Chair and Council. Thanks for this. My name is William Azaroff. I'm the CEO of Brightside Community Homes Foundation. I'm a resident of Vancouver. I'm speaking in support of this motion. This work is more timely than ever. Environment Canada has projected that 2026 is likely to be one of the hottest years on record. It's also, as was reported, the fifth anniversary of the 2021 heat dome, which led to 619 heat-related deaths in BC. The vast majority of these deaths were in people's own homes. And we know that the majority of the people who died were seniors, people living alone, and people with existing and previous health concerns. So it's clear that this is a lifesaving policy, especially for vulnerable people. Now, at Brightside... we have a strategy to become net zero by 2035. And one benefit of that is that it'll introduce cooling into all of our buildings. But in the meantime, because that's still several years away, to keep tenants safe, we encourage residents to get their own AC units. And when BC Hydro is running a program to deliver free AC units, we encouraged our residents to take advantage. In fact, I had staff lugging them up flights of stairs to be able to get them to residents who needed them. And to be fair, we did worry that on a hot day when everyone ran their AC at once, it might trip the breakers. But that, in fact, never happened. And the electrical loads of the buildings, including some very old buildings, maintained. We live in an era of climate change, and most of our buildings in Vancouver weren't built for it. And over the long term, we will need to upgrade all of our buildings to keep people safe and comfortable during extreme heat. But in the meantime, we need stopgap measures now in place to save lives this summer. We wouldn't accept a landlord who refused to allow heating in a building, and we're used to cold weather, and now we're in an age where we can't allow landlords to refuse to allow cooling in buildings during the summer. Seems like a pretty minimal ask for landlords to just allow AC units. They're not expected to provide them. This motion will literally save lives. So I want to thank First United and Amanda Burroughs for working on this report. I want to thank Councillors Maloney and Orr for bringing this forward and to city staff for their report back. I encourage everyone to support this policy. Thank you.

Hi, Council. My name is Caitlin Stockwell. I'm a Vancouver resident, climate advocate, and a person that benefits from cooling in my residence during hot summers. I'm speaking in support of the report back's recommendations to give effect to cooling rights for Vancouverites in a climate emergency, in particular by using the city's bylaw tools to remove barriers that prevent renters from cooling their homes. As Council is aware, and as we've all experienced, Vancouver is experiencing hotter summers, more frequent heat events, and longer periods of extreme temperatures. We've seen the real human cost incurred when people do not have access to cooling during extreme heat events. During the 2021 heat dome, 619 people died across British Columbia, including 117 Vancouver residents. 98% of those deaths occurred indoors, and most were in homes without adequate cooling systems, such as air conditioners. As identified in the report back, renters often face unique barriers to protecting themselves during heat events. The city's indoor heat study found that restrictive tenancy agreements and strata bylaws were among the most commonly reported barriers preventing people from cooling their homes. Over half of Vancouverites are renters, and we must address this. No one should be put at risk because a lease or building rule prevents them from keeping their home at a safe temperature. The report back provides practical recommendations to address this critical issue for health, safety, and for human rights by proposing amendments to city bylaws to prevent landlords from prohibiting or restricting tenants from using portable cooling devices and proposing enforcement options through fines. Requiring health and safety standards in tenant units is not a new concept. Landlords are required to install and keep smoke alarms in good working conditions. We require landlords to keep units at a minimum temperature to keep people warm. And as our climate changes, access to cooling is increasingly becoming part of the same conversation. i urge council to support the report backs recommendations and the recommendations of vancouver's medical health officer to support cooling and housing and promote the safety and well-being of vancouver residents thank you thank you very much our next speaker is sarah marsden in person

Morning, Chair and Council. My name is Sarah Marsden. I've been a lawyer for 20 years, and I'm the Director of Systems Change and Legal at First United. First United has been providing frontline services in Vancouver's downtown east side for over 140 years. I'm speaking today in support of the city staff recommendation to give effect to the right to cool by using the licensing bylaw and by advocating to the province to move forward on critical updates to provincial legislation to support safe indoor temperatures. This month marks the five-year anniversary of the 2021 heat dome, in which at least 619 people died. Most of the people who died were already our most vulnerable neighbors, elders, seniors, people with disabilities, and people who lived in poor neighborhoods, people who lived in SROs and social housing. 98% of those who died died indoors, many of them without access to functioning cooling equipment like air conditioners. These people should have been protected, and these deaths were preventable. Further studies from VCH and UBC have shown that tenants are most at risk and that landlords can and do refuse to allow cooling equipment to be used when it is necessary. Access to safe temperatures in one's home should not be a matter of landlord discretion. It should be a right. The 2021 heat dome was unprecedented when it happened, but events like this will become more and more common with climate change. Environment and Climate Change Canada says there's a 99% likelihood that this year will be hotter than every year on record prior to 2023. Clearly, the next heat dome is not a question of if, but when. And it could be as soon as this month. This council unanimously endorsed the right to cool and thermal safety in its November 2024 motion on advocating for climate resilient housing standards. And the bylaw recommended by staff today provides the most direct path to action within the city's current jurisdiction. To be clear, allowing access to cooling equipment is not a complete response to extreme heat or climate change. It is one critical first step that the city can take now in the greater context of regulations on maximum temperatures, which have already been recognized in the BC Building Code and which are increasingly being brought into law, including most recently in New Westminster. The greater context must also include environmentally sustainable solutions like heat pumps and retrofits, passive cooling, protecting urban tree canopy, and expanding green infrastructure. Responding to extreme heat and reducing carbon emissions will require deep and long-term change, but because the risk to life is imminent, that change has to start with the actions we can take right now. The 2021 Death Review Panel Report is dedicated to the surviving families, friends, and communities of those who died in the heat in their homes in 2021. And it says, may their memories endure in our actions to prevent similar deaths in the future. Council has the opportunity and the responsibility to take such action now. We implore you to move forward with this bylaw change and advocacy to the province as a matter of utmost urgency. Thank you.

Hello, Mayor and Council. My name is Iona Bonamy, and my parents call me by my Chinese name, Tosi Wing. I'm speaking in support of the recommendations of the staff report, and I want to thank staff for doing the work to put this report together. I remember the 2021 heat dome very clearly. My kids were four and seven at the time, and we didn't have air conditioning in our home. As the temperatures soared to above 40 degrees and remained there one evening, I was seriously worried about the safety. of our kids. Our home just felt like an oven. Luckily, my parents had a basement that was much cooler than our home, so we packed up our kids at around 10 p.m. and went to my parents' place, and we slept on their basement floor for the next two nights. We were lucky we were able to find an alternative place to stay. Many people don't have that luxury. And often, older adults aren't able to determine their overheating until it's become a serious issue. That's why we lost over 100 people in this city in the 2021 heat dome, many of whom were seniors or people living alone. And as mentioned, we are marking the five-year anniversary of the heat dome this month, and we're about to have another record-breaking year in temperatures this summer, which means our most vulnerable populations, including infants and seniors, will be at risk of serious health issues. This pattern of increasing temperatures will not stop, and with our aging population, we need to do more to protect them. Ensuring landlords cannot restrict the use of portable air conditioning units is one easy way to do that. I would also argue that requiring new buildings to be all electric and to have heat pumps is also an important way to do that. That's not the focus of this report. I encourage you to please approve these recommendations to help protect the residents inside their homes.

Hello, it's Amanda Burrows, Executive Director of First United, a resident of Vancouver. I am a renter. I speak in support. I want to thank Council so much for continuing this important work, and certainly the city staff for such a thoughtful and incredible report. There's so much alignment here, and it truly brings me joy when we can find these moments with each other here. And especially when we're talking around safety. Because like many people, I will never forget the heat dome. And as everyone is respectfully mentioning today, 619 people died in BC. And I really want us to continue to honor those lives. And let's hold their loved ones in our thoughts today. And during that time, it was scary. I'm sure you remember where you were. I was on the front lines in the downtown east side. People were in house. They had nowhere to escape the heat. People living in SROs were even coming outside because their rooms were too hot. And I remember this moment when a man approached me and he was scared and sunburned asking for help. And I frankly felt pretty helpless. But I handed him a water bottle and a travel-size sunscreen and basically told him to hop on a bus to a library to keep cool. And at the same time, I was also lightheaded and dehydrated. My apartment had reached 38 degrees. I was a renter. I didn't have air conditioning. I also didn't want to leave my cat, like many of us, worried about our pets. But I also wanted to help our community. And really, in those moments, you realize that climate change isn't coming. It's here. And while we know climate change will affect everyone, it won't affect everyone equally. Housing isn't neutral either. During the heat dome and every summer, my apartment was hot. Eventually, I was able to speak with my landlord and install air conditioning. Super grateful for my landlords. But not every renter has that option. There's a power imbalance, as we know, between the landlord and tenant. And no renter should have to negotiate or be banned from our right to keep cool or fear eviction. That's why this report matters. And at First United, we're so excited to open our new building. We're proud that it will serve as a cooling center during extreme heat and clean air refuge during wildfire smoke events. We built it this way because we know these events are no longer rare. We also know that long term solutions will take time. Climate ready housing retrofits with heat pumps, more shading in our neighborhoods. But today, this is so fantastic. You have this opportunity here and now to take a practical step. At our five-year anniversary of the heat dome, which we will all remember and honor, we know what works. We know who is most vulnerable. We know which interventions save lives. I hope you will support the recommendations. I can't thank the staff enough for putting this forward. Thank you.

Hi. Yeah, my name is Josephine Schrott. I'm a senior program manager and policy analyst with a nonprofit called Ecotrust Canada. I'm also resident of the city of Vancouver and speaking in support of these recommendations. Our team at Ecotrust Canada works on energy efficiency retrofits. So we really see the impacts of heating and cooling systems in people's homes and that that can have on their health, quality of life, affordability. We have also researched this issue of overheating in depth as it's become very prominent and have reports with policy recommendations out on this. And one of those is the right to cool both at the municipal and provincial level. this in the report here. I'm also a renter. I live in a top floor unit in an old apartment building. And I mean, even yesterday morning, for example, it was 20 degrees outside. It was 27 degrees in my apartment, despite having closed blinds and run a window fan overnight. So I share that to say that this is not an issue that's just limited to heat waves. Either it affects people all the time in the summer or on any warm day. And we know that this is continuously getting worse with climate change so i too am lucky that i was finally able to install air conditioning. Otherwise, I just could not be in my apartment on warm days. And so I think prohibiting restrictions on cooling is a really good first step to ensure people are legally allowed to protect themselves in the heat. And as was mentioned, we also know that not everyone will be able to install cooling measures or afford to operate an air conditioner, especially if the building does overheat severely because it lacks shading and things like roof insulation and ventilation or has a lot of unshaded windows, things that we know make things overheat quickly. So I'm also really happy to see this pursuit of a charter update for a maximum temperature standard. And I'll just close with, as others have mentioned, I think we agree it's not acceptable for people to... freeze in their homes because of the lack of heating and so it's just as unacceptable that people are suffering severe and potentially long-term health damages or dying in their homes because of overheating so i'm so glad to see the city working to address that and i think this report and these recommendations are our great first step that i hope you all support thank you thank you very much uh and our final speaker is andy sacha

Hi, everyone. Thanks for letting me speak, and thank you so much to the Council for addressing this very, very important issue. I'm a family doctor. I've lived in Vancouver since 2010. I'm a member of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. I'm a parent. Climate change is a public health concern. It is real. It is here. Everyone's talking about the 2021 heat zone, which I also lived through, and have been able to protect myself and loved ones, and unfortunately, not everyone had that same access and that we know many, many people died. I think for all of us, preventable death is painful, and as someone who works every day to support many, many vulnerable patients, it's quite frankly heartbreaking and disheartening when there are practical solutions that we can do and that we can implement, even if they're not necessarily easy or what we have done in the past. and we don't do those things. And so I'm really grateful for these topics being discussed because the cost to life and wellness is real and it is here and it is spurred towards getting worse in the summers and it is quite dangerous. In addition to the human public health costs, there is a financial cost to our health systems. More ambulance call-outs, more emergency visits, more hospitalizations. These things are expensive. If you look outside of this, there's labor and productivity costs. The report from the Canadian Climate Institute in 2023 indicated that the province would spend $100 billion in additional costs in health care over the next decade and more than $12 billion in lives lost annually, specifically related to heat. So just again, this is something that is here and we can't deny it and we just must adapt. I think a lot about the people I support who are often quite isolated. Most of them are low-income. um and who has a disability with a loss of colon disease and indigenous people and folks who have a lot of barriers to add the seating to themselves in their rental housing and i think about the difference between heat-related death and very public and visceral experiences of the fires and the air and the flooding and someone dying quietly at home doesn't necessarily have the same impact But it does for that individual and their family, and it does for us as a culture and society. And so I just want to take a moment around that. Many of my patients feel that systemically they are not being cared for and considered the way that those of us with more financial access and more privilege do. And I really just want to, well, we can make our lives better for all of us in this city and not for those people in our home. So I really just want to say I don't want less for my neighbors than I do for myself. I hope that none of us want this. I'm thinking about the population of refugees arriving in these states and some of the cases by many refugee patients who are clearly living in very hostile, very uncomfortable circumstances, which are bad for their health.

Those online, if you're voting, please make sure your cameras are enabled.

Thank you.

All right. Hi, Council Mayor. I'm supporting this motion. My name is Mathieu Udon. I'm a resident of Vancouver. uh... i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i Has anyone ever had to wait four weeks for their first check? You have to hope that a free ride to the food bank, so you can get something for dinner, hopefully for lunch happens. You have to hope that sometimes, you know, you don't get a ticket from the police for doing this. You know, the same police force that was formed by our province, the primary purpose of giving an enforcement ticket. And the irony is I'm lost. I mean, those police officers are being paid over $100,000 a year to give struggling citizens like us and, you know, my friends and at one point myself who made under poverty wage take it to pay really almost $300 because you're not making that four-week cutoff for not being able to afford the $5. And further, you know, we're not even punishing higher-income drivers this way. We don't give them anywhere near as much for a parking ticket. So this is really part of enforcement on hoping you can get a ride under... The current fare price, which more and more people are forced to take, is very unfair to low-income earners. It's an asymmetrical policy. But one way I see we can easily correct that is with a low-income bus pass program in Vancouver. And I hope that council considers this and approves this motion. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. Hello, I'm a resident of Vancouver. I'm speaking in support of the motion. It's mostly a simple impact statement. Like many other low-income people, I cannot afford to use transit more than a few times per month. My husband does the same. We live in the West End, and he has a friend in East Vancouver. And a few times a year, he walks there or rides his bike. I can't do that because I have disabilities. Well, the province has some provisions for people with disabilities. Without family money and support, it's difficult to be recognized as a person with disabilities, even though they're very visible. I had to retire due to disabilities after age 60, but before age 65. My own income is fixed. I have less than $500 per month after housing, but I'm not on social assistance. I have to consider and reject the, as of July, $7 cost to go to, say, Broadway or Main Street or Commercial Drive. I've fallen through the cracks. Lots of people fall through the cracks of the provincial program. In addition, there are so many people who just cannot afford to ride the bus. I have a friend raising young children on her own and working precariously from home. Even if her children do not have to pay, she can't afford to. Often people say they cannot pay and they're allowed to ride a bus, but risk a terrible fine even with that permission. Vancouver is expensive. Many people can't afford to live in the city, but work here at minimum wage jobs in poverty, and they have no choice but to spend $201.55 of their scant income just to get to work. And these prices are increasing in July, putting transit out of the reach of many, many more people who are doing their best.

I am lucky because I don't have to leave my neighborhood to go to the bank or to the doctor or to the library, but many are not so lucky. Please have some compassion and consider your fellow Vancouverites who cannot afford to drive as you do, who have no choice but to take the bus, but also cannot afford to do so. Public transit is a public service. It is not expected to make a profit, particularly to the detriment of the lives of the poorest residents. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Amin. I'm here from Movement Metro Vancouver Transit Riders. I'm a South Vancouver resident, and I'm speaking in support of this motion. Thank you, Councillor Orr, for bringing this motion forward. This is something we've been organizing around for the past month, pushing to expand the BC bus program to all low-income people. Right now, people are really feeling the pressure. The cost of everything keeps going up, and there's a lot of folks... And for a lot of folks, there's nothing left to cut. So even a 5% fare increase, some people might not notice it, but for others, it's significant. And people aren't asking for a handout. They're not lazy. People are trying to get to work, take care of their families. And affordable transit is one of the simplest ways we can actually support people in doing that in our communities. The reality is that we're behind a lot of other major cities in Canada already have a broader low-income transit pass. And Vancouver is seen as a leader in a lot of way in urban policy. And when it comes to affordability, we're falling behind. The reduced fare pilot program was a good step. But we need to build on that. People need something consistent, something permanent. And I'm asking you to support this motion and take a real step toward making transit more affordable for Vancouverites. Thank you.

West End, and I would like to speak in favor of this motion today. I think it is absolutely unacceptable that we have one of the best transit cities in North America without actually having low-income people having the ability to afford taking the bus and the SkyTrain around our city. This affects their lives in many, many different ways, such as having to think about, hey, is me making this trip going to affect me financially? And this can apply in many different ways. People have to get all over the city for many different reasons. For example, if you are trying to get a job, you have to get all over the city to find job interviews and to go talk to potential employers. Taking a transit trip might mean thinking, hey, should I take this transit trip or should I eat dinner tonight or should I do my laundry, right? It is something that affects people in all sorts of different ways, and I think it is due time that we catch up with the rest of North America. I see my time. Thank you.

Good morning chair and members of council. My name is Laura standard and I'm speaking in support of this motion Even though I don't quite understand why these resolutions are again necessary since council already approved Translinks recommendation for city staff to take most of these actions two years ago The only reason I can come up with is that once again the needs of low-income people are not given much priority in this council. Don't you think it's shameful that we are the only major Canadian city that has not created more equitable access to public transit? I truly hope... You will rectify this oversight and support all these motions. I also hope that you'll ask TransLink to change the existing low-income disability pass to one which has the same look as other low-income passes. Why do we have to other people in the disability community, subjecting those with invisible disabilities to questioning and suspicions that they are cheating? In closing, I cannot imagine why you would not approve these rather modest resolutions. So again, I ask that you approve them again, this time with urgency and timelines. Thank you.

Thank you, Chair and Councillors. My name is Nathan Davidovich, and I'm supporting Councillor Shaw's motion. The big question is how we got to be the most expensive and the most unfair transit fares in BC and Canada. Well, 50% of the regional transit ridership is in the city of Vancouver. However, we have very little control over our transit system, especially since 2008. Prior to 2008, we had three city councillors on the TransLink board. We have zero now. There are other problems created by the late Vancouver councillor George Puhl, who was the chair of the GVRD and TransLink. Without solving these problems via a new TransLink Act, nothing much will be achieved. Since 2017, there have been many promises to fix TransLink, but nothing has been done. Bus service in Vancouver will continue to deteriorate, as it has since 1999, when TransLink took over from BC Transit. Transit ridership per capita will continue to decline. It was 100 in 2019, and it's down to 75 transit trips per person on the average in 2025. Your staff yesterday, when they gave you an update, they never gave you these figures. I wonder why. But nobody's talking about the bad transit plan like Transport 2050, which is an unambitious plan. Nobody except the city of Surrey. They managed to put this item on the agenda of the June 25th, 2026 Mayor's Council. Surrey has a report on bus service improvements. Vancouver doesn't have such a report. So how are you going to come to that meeting without any knowledge or any advocacy to get things improved? You know, well, the main problem in Vancouver is that we have very few politicians that are pro-transit. And unless we change that in the election, I presume in October, then nothing much will happen because the staff cannot advocate for us because they are inexperienced. And as the Vancouver, you know, the Victoria time commies call them amateurs. the transit staff. So, anyhow, thank you very much.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Matthew. I'm a Vancouver resident, and I support Councillor Orr's motion to bring about a low-income transit pass. My reasons for supporting this motion are pretty straightforward. First, senior TransLink staff and the Mayor's Council already signaled support for the initiative in a June 2024 meeting. I actually believe Councillor Kirby-Young was in attendance at that meeting. Second, the 2019 Metro Vancouver reduced fare pilot was considered highly successful and improved the quality of life for its participants. Unfortunately, its successes were not moved forward and implemented, but we have an opportunity to start that process today. Third, we also have historic precedent for Vancouver's ability to achieve province-wide transit improvements when previous city councillor Jean Swanson won free transit for kids under 12 across the whole province. Further, this will lead to numerous ancillary economic benefits from increased access to transit, reduced reliance on cars and the emissions they create, which also means lighter traffics for those who do use cars. decreased burden on our street infrastructure, and the benefits to individuals' health and quality of life as found in the 2019 pilot. Accessible and affordable transit improves the lives of everyone in our city, not just those who actively use the transit network. Lastly, many other Canadian cities already have a reduced fare transit pass. It's Vancouver that's behind the curve, and it's past time we catch up. The cost-benefit analysis is honestly so abundantly clear, I struggle to see how this council could reasonably oppose this motion. And respectfully, to ensure the work can actually begin expeditiously, reflective of the urgent need and the affordability crisis, I request council support this motion as written or with additional clauses rather than potentially diluted via strike-and-replace amendments. Thank you for your time. Let's make transit better for all.

My name is Nav Sharma. You've seen me before advocating for better transportation across Vancouver and Metro Vancouver. I'm in support of this motion. I'd like to share a story of my grandfather who qualifies for the BC Bus Pass program and also share some concerns just so it's out there. My grandfather, he worked in government, and he's very, very proficient at English. He can speak and write at government comms kind of level. He loves paperwork. But he applied for the BC Bus Pass program, and it was a process for him. It was a challenge for him to apply. That being said, with that access, he is able to access transit and he's able to get around the city very easily. When we talk about the fare increase that TransLink has proposed for July 1st, 5% fare increase, we know that there's fare elasticity. When fares go up a certain percentage, that ridership goes down. With better service, this can be mitigated so more people have better options for transit. We want to make sure that people are taking transit, not because transit is just available for them, but because it actually gets them where they need to go for work, school, medical appointments, and social. If we want transit to be good, we need to make sure it's funded. And right now, we still don't have a stable source of funding for transit. I wanted to share the quote that you may have heard before. A developed country is not where the poor have cars, but it is where the rich have access to public transportation and use it. Other systems, aside from the access to the low-income pass, need to change to make transportation in the city universally accessible to all. But I think that this is a very small, quick step that we can win today to make transit accessible for more people. We need this low-income pass today, but not forever. Thank you.

Hi, I'm calling. I'm a Vancouver resident urging you to support this motion for a low-income transit pass. Expanding access to public transit is win-win-win public policy. I think this is really about who has the right to the city. On July 1st, fares will go up again to $3.50 for a one-zone ticket. But for a three-zone monthly pass, that is going to be now $211, up from $201. For a Vancouver resident... who say worked in Surrey, that would represent an annual cost just to get to and from work of $2,500. And for someone earning the $18 an hour, $18.25 minimum wage for 40 hours per week, that would represent over 6% of their annual income. This is a punitive mobility tax on the working class. A low income pass for that worker would reduce their cost by over $2,000 per year. And for many others, this would make the difference between being able to buy groceries, or not. So it's a bare minimum, and I actually think the low-income pass could be expanded. If we extended eligibility for the $25 a month pass to 13- to 18-year-olds who currently pay concession rates, which will go up to $67 a month as of July 1st, It would give the right to the city to kids from working class and poor families and save parents of teenagers in Vancouver, regardless of household income, many hundreds of dollars a year. It would also create lifelong transit users, which is what we're trying to do. The truth is we need to expand fare-free public transit because it supports the public good. Accessible and fast public transit makes life more affordable. It makes our lives better and more convenient while reducing pollution. And including pollution that accelerates global warming. For those who only drive, investing in public transit makes your life better, too, by reducing congestion. So it's win-win-win policy. We need to stop nickel and diming the working class. And we need to finally properly tax the ultra-wealthy so we can invest in vital public services like fast and free or at least more affordable public transit. This month, FIFA officials, media, and the fans who can afford a ticket will be descending on the city. As spelled out in the city's contract with FIFA, holders of FIFA accreditation passes will also have access to fare-free public transit to and from games and celebration venues. Unfortunately, this council shot down a fare-free bus pilot proposed earlier this year, but it turns out that FIFA may be running a sort of fare-free transit pilot this month. So the right to the city must include those whose exploited labor fuels the accumulation of vast fortunes in this wealthy city. So I urge you to support a low-income transit pass and to advocate to the province and TransLink to make the funding possible. This is the least you can do. Please pass this motion. Thank you.

This is the least you can do. Please pass this motion. Thank you. Hello, is there any way that I can speak?

Hello, yes.

Yes, I would like to speak.

Thank you.

Okay, if I may speak.

Oh, okay. Or leave the computer. Yes, absolutely. Okay.

All right. Although I am a strong supporter of public transit, I'm compelled to speak against the resolution in its present form. To associate public transit with the impoverished, with the great mass of our cities, helpless and homeless, is the wrong way forward. TransLink should be the proud means of local travel for everyone who wishes to demonstrate awareness of climate change and its consequences. Being wealthy enough to drive a car should not be the measure of an enlightened citizen. I cringe when I see parents driving even their teenagers to school and fetching them later. I cringe again when I see people who can barely walk with the aid of a cane or other device emerge slowly from the driver's seat. And I think of how slowly their foot would reach the brake if a child were suddenly to chase a ball onto the street. I cannot but contrast this with what I've had the privilege of seeing in other countries where children under the age of 18 and all seniors travel free on public transit. I plead with you today to make transit the destination of those who care about their city and its air quality. To take TransLink should be a source of pride and not an admission that one has failed economically and has been unable to climb what is called the ladder of success. Thank you.

Thank you so much. My name is Lennox Johnston-Yu. I am a resident of Vancouver, and I am in support of this motion. I would like to, as my rationale, do some simple math with you. As we know, a three-zone monthly transit pass for an adult in Vancouver currently costs $201.55. With the projected increase that would come this July, that would come up to $211.65. Now, I work a job part-time as my only source of income. I have been a university student for the past four years, some of which I worked this job during, and have just recently graduated, losing access to the U-Pass. I take public transit to this job every shift and back home afterwards upwards of three times a week on a good week. Last month, I made $1,115.85. That means that the monthly three-zone transit pass, which I require to get to my job, makes up 19% of my monthly income. My rent makes up 71% of my income. 19 plus 71 is 90. 90% of all the money I have goes only to continuing to not be unhoused. The other $10 I have for everything else. That is $111. I'm allotted less money per month to feed myself than I spend to take the train. I won't waste your time by talking about the current grocery prices, but I'm sure you're all well aware that $111 is pennies at the grocery store right now. I urge you for a moment to think about how much money you make monthly. Ballpark it if you aren't exactly sure. Now imagine if you couldn't use 90% of it. Imagine how small your life would be, how hard it would be to even feed yourself. This is the reality that me and dozens of my peers face every single day. We're not the nebulous masses. We are real people who live in Vancouver. If the low-income transit pass was made available to me, the 19% that the current monthly transit pass takes up from my income would drop to only 2.5%. The 90% of my income that I spend on just not sleeping outdoors would drop to 73.5%. The 10% of my income, that $111, becomes 26.5%, which is $295. That's money for groceries, for dentist appointments, for necessary medication, phone bills, birthday gifts, tips for the waiter. loses more money on paying and training new transit cops to enforce the ever-tightening rules than it would if I were able to pay $25 a month instead of $211. So even from a simple math point of view, TransLink and the city of Vancouver still saves more money if I'm allowed to live instead of just survive. That extra $180 a month that I would get to keep, that's life-saving money. Maybe not for you, but for a lot of us. Thank you for your time.

Hi, City Council. I want to grab the motions for the transit and also the housing. I sometimes I fear that when I get on the bus, I'm going to be mocked by a bus driver and saying, do you have the fare or anything like that? Yes, I'm on a disability, but you know, I just really, I don't know. I'm just, just stuck for words right now. I'm just, it's unfair. It's unfair for anybody, any child, any mother. It's unfair that the, transit system that think they're working for themselves, but they're working for the public. And, you know, if people are disability or anything like that, running to the bus, but the bus people don't have time to wait for the average elderly person or somebody that's in the walker or anything like that. It's on the stop. It's got to go. Go, go, go, go, go. They're running on their time, not on our time. Why is that? You know, we got, it's very hard. Rent's hard. You know, I'm on a disability. It's very hard. BC Housing has to change. The whole system has to change for anything to get going.

You know, if we're stuck on stop, one, everything, and we're going in reverse, we got to go forward. We can't go in reverse. Reverse gives you nothing. That's all I have to say. Thank you for hearing me.

Hello.

Okay. So, yeah, I'm a Vancouver resident, and I support this motion. First, I do just want to thank everyone for listening to us speak. I'm so sorry. Many of us on the phone. I would be there in person, but I'd actually rather not spend $6 on transit to and from City Hall, unfortunately. So thanks for listening to us all on the phone and accommodating all of those hiccups that we might be able to change if we got this motion passed. Not only do people like myself and so many others deserve to be able to afford transit in this city, but also because of the people I know, the people I see. I know that so many people, if they could afford, they'd pay for their transit instead of skipping fares and still riding. So it seems to me like if we could get this motion passed, it would just be that more people would actually be paying, you know? Wherever this money ends up getting directed, we just have more people actually putting their money forward instead of writing without paying it. In my experience and what I see, it doesn't necessarily mean... more people paying less money, but it would actually just mean more people paying for the transit that they're already using. So it seems to me like this would be, you know, a win-win for everyone. And yeah, I hope that all the councillors can seriously consider passing this motion because it would be really amazing for so many of us in the city to just be able to, you know, get around and actually experience the city in an affordable way. Yeah. Thank you so much.

Hello, can you hear me?

This is Margie.

Okay, thank you. Hi, Mayor and Council. I apologize for the frames in the background, but my name is Margie Sanderson. I'm the Director of Organizing at Vision Zero Vancouver. I'm a resident of Vancouver, and I'm calling to support this motion. I want to speak to, yesterday at Council, Councillor Kirby Young was asking about how the city can reduce congestion and, like, what can the city be doing to reduce traffic congestion for drivers and making it easy for people to get around.

means other than a car is really vital to this. We know there's simply not enough space in the city for all of us to drive. We don't have the road space for it. So if you want to drive and you want less traffic, the quickest way to get us there is to get other people out of their cars voluntarily via programs exactly like this, making transit more affordable, making it easier for more people to make this choice more of the time. Right now, especially with fares rising,

family member, multiple adults, or teenage children. The costs can be pretty high and it's out of reach for some people. So I think that this motion is a very straightforward and small step to get us towards making transit more accessible for all. And I hope that council will support it. Thank you.

Awesome. Thank you so much. And I apologize so much for missing my time earlier. That's my bad. My name is Prabh Deol. I am a resident of... Vancouver. I'm also a homeowner in Vancouver. I've lived here since 2015, and I am fully in support of a low-income transit pass for folks who are making less than $40,000 a year in this city. Through my work at Reframing South Vancouver at South Vancouver Neighborhood House before I was let go due to funding cuts, I found that so many folks who accessed our programs at the Neighborhood House were low-income earners. However, it wasn't because these folks weren't working hard. It's just that they were working many different gigs and trying to string together enough income to support their families, to support their parents, to support folks back home in their home countries, while still only making low incomes here in the city. And on top of all that, they were most often accessing transit and paying full price to go to and fro from their jobs. using the bus and the SkyTrain. And so, therefore, I truly believe that providing a low-income transit pass is so beneficial to people who are trying to just survive in the city and trying to economically ascend so that they can be more comfortable, so that they don't have to live paycheck to paycheck, so that they don't have to live precariously. These are the folks who are cleaning our homes. They are serving us in restaurants. They are raising our children they are uh building our developments like these are the folks who do so much of the essential work that's required for the rest of us especially for white collar workers to sit and think and do the larger planning work and so it only makes sense that we provide a low-income transit class so that they also can have an equal opportunity to make more money in the future uh and economically ascend um yeah and as well like when i was a student in at ubc like it was so important for me to have access to a low uh what do you call it an accessible transit pass that's offered through the university but then once i was out of university and then i was just um trying to find a job, trying to get from here and there. And I didn't qualify for the U-Pass any longer. I really did struggle trying to move around the city paying regular rates, even though I was someone who was university educated. I just was still in the process of like making a career.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, counsel. My name is Caitlin Stockwell. I'm a Vancouver resident, a transit user, and I'm speaking in support of this motion to explore options and advocate for low-income transit paths for Vancouverites. Access to transit shouldn't be a luxury. It's how people get to work, access education, attend medical appointments, visit family, and participate in community life. No one should be denied transit because they can't afford it. However, despite being one of the most expensive cities to live in, Vancouver is the only major Canadian city without a discounted transit program for low-income youth and working-age adults. Cities like Kamloops, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, and Halifax offer discount paths for low-income residents. In Edmonton, the Ride Transit program is funded through a partnership between the City of Edmonton and the Government of Alberta and offers a reduced monthly pass starting at $35 to low-income residents. Vancouver has previous experience stepping up to the plate to address transit accessibility and inequities. In 2019, the city launched a one-year reduced fare transit pilot to provide free or discounted transit to up to 100 low-income residents. The pilot program was a success and showed an increase in use of transit by the participants and increased participants' quality of life. When transit is more affordable, more people use it. Increased ridership helps support the viability of our transit system and reduces emissions and congestion. It also helps clear the roads for people who do need cars and emergency vehicles. This is a timely motion because on July 1st, transit users will see a 5% fare hike. This will add approximately $120 per person each year for those purchasing transit passes. I encourage Council to support this motion and to advocate for affordable transit options for low-income residents in Vancouver and outside of Vancouver. Thank you.

Yeah, thanks, Chair. Actually, Councillor Maloney just sort of, she used the word Metro Vancouver when she just spoke right now, so I've put forward an amendment that sort of addresses that.

Well, thank you very much, counsel.

Just myself.

Well, thank you very much for allowing me to address council today. My name is Stephen Menon. I use he, him pronouns. I'm a resident of Vancouver and speaking in support of the motion. I joined council today as a member and on behalf of the city's 2SLGBTQ advisory committee. The board of Vancouver Pride met with our advisory committee in our last standing meeting to express challenges they are currently facing, in particular financial challenges. be able to maintain the current scope of Pride and with current financial pressures even facing reduction in scope of what is currently planned. The amount currently needed for the organization is stated at $75,000. A quote from a fellow committee member, my reading of this motion and the recommendations contained therein is that VPS special funding should be approved. Through my 15 years working in queer communities, including being a current member of the community board, Pride and queer nonprofit organizations across Canada are facing similar experiences and challenges. Global companies that have offices based in Canada are reducing their funding for DEI efforts across the board. In addition to that, Canadian companies are reducing their funding to areas and places where their brand or employee safety may be at risk.

Vancouver Pride generates over $30 million in economic impact for the city. Toronto Pride generates over $300 million in economic impact to the city of Toronto. And prides across the country generate over a billion dollars in economic impact to the city. Beyond the money that Vancouver Pride provides to the city, it also is a marquee event to really showcase our inclusion as a city. Personally, I've had the opportunity of organizing, marching, walking, speaking, and dancing in over 10 prides across Canada, from Vancouver, Toronto, to Ottawa.

Yeah. I've experienced pride from leading a bank's first donation to Pride Ottawa. I have walked with TD in Toronto Pride Parade and Vancouver Pride Parade. I have experienced World Pride Transform Toronto Pride, and I've also, when I first moved to Vancouver 10 years ago, organized the first human rights event, the Canadian International Council, for three years in Pride. So with that experience in mind, my call to action to the city of Vancouver and to Pride is that Pride should be a time of remembrance and mourning, a time for learning and relearning, a time for solidarity and bridge building, a time for dialogue, debate, and protest, a time to celebrate and find moments of joy. Pride in 2027 should be a statement to the world about what Vancouver represents. Thank you very much, and happy Pride Month.

All right, well, thank you very much to Council for bringing this forward and considering for Vancouver Pride. It's...

It's been stated quite well by Stephen here that we are facing challenges. And I, as a resident of Vancouver, as a volunteer here in Vancouver with an organization that's been around for 48 years, we didn't realize or did we realize that pride is still sitting on the edge. That edge means that there are no guarantees. It's not a sure thing. When we lose funding from our sponsors because of clawbacks, those clawbacks represent a shove back in the closet idea. And that shove back in the closet is not what we're all about. We want to be out loud and proud. Hence this year's theme. being unapologetically queer. What does that mean? That means coming out and really celebrating who you are, not having to apologize for who you are. But guess what happens when funds get cut? We don't get that sponsorship. When we don't get it, it means fewer programs, less likelihood of individuals being able to participate in large-scale events, and those large-scale events are free for the public to be able to attend. So it's so important that that funding that is going to be considered It's going to help out with things like the volunteers, with safety and security, with being able to ensure that we have an office that's able to be around to provide outreach and a source of safety, a hub for safety for individuals, that we're able to continue to do that. And it's so disheartening that we have to actually almost come with our hand out. at a time when people are stepping up and saying, how can we help out? It's not happening. Changes around the world, changes within our own backyards are holding us back, and we want to ensure that every person has the opportunity to be themselves, to be able to celebrate. When we have 250,000 to 300,000 individuals take part in Pride celebrations during Pride Month here in Vancouver, it's because of the hard work done by volunteers and by a handful of staff members. As it was stated, the economic impact of $30 million, estimated just last year, $30 million. That benefits every small business, every mom-and-pop operation, even the large corporate stores, and then those who do support us. they see a bump in what they're receiving back because the community recognizes its partners and the community supports its partners. So in so saying that, this city as a partner will have an excellent opportunity to show Vancouver that you're in it for the long haul to overcome whatever challenges that there may be. Thank you.

Welcome back. It's not a time to go backwards, okay? We're not all fit in a closet. A woman says, if you want to be a woman, open up that door in your mind and explore opportunities. So I did that. I did that since I was a child. My father wanted me to be someone else. I wasn't, was. Now I am who I am. I'm proud to play on my rollerblades. I'm proud to go into the march myself. Okay? I don't have to sign up.

I don't have to sign up. Sign up for what? To be yourself? You shouldn't have to do that. You know? So please support us as a community instead of going backwards. Let's go forward. Okay? Fuck what Trump says. Okay? It takes one person to rule the whole world? Now come on. You gotta be a stupid politician to believe that. Okay, I've been running for mayor since 2018. I won't stop until I get my chair. Okay, we got to have a breakthrough instead of going backwards. Some communities, we're 20, 30 years behind schedule. You know, like pride, I'm proud to be waking up and not putting on my skates or putting on my lipstick or putting my dress on. You know, be proud of yourself. So please, City Council, pass this motion because we need this motion. We need the funds. We need to support Roller Girl. We need to support our fellow mates here. Okay? To be proud and stand up and be proud to be City Council. Thank you. Because, you know, I would love to be in your seat and pass all these motions that should be passed instead of stepped on and pushed in the closet. Thank you. That's my two minutes.

Okay. Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Michael Cook. I'm a resident of Myron Manor at 75 East 8th Avenue with my wife and two children, and I am speaking on behalf of the Myron Manor Collective, which includes almost 40 members. We support the proposed motion, but I am here to argue that it does not go far enough in protecting our members nor other Vancouver renters who are facing displacement because of the predatory practices of real estate speculators. We request that the motion be strengthened with the following amendments. One, regarding the hotel development policy section 3.2.2.1, which states applications for rezoning will be considered, quote, where no purpose-built rental residential housing will be displaced. This is an important common sense protection that is immediately nullified by subsection D, stating that protection applies citywide except, quote, in areas that have recently approved community plans. That is a very dangerous loophole created by an unelected planning department in a perfunctory seven-page document which puts tens of thousands of tenants at risk. The motion should move to eliminate this subsection D loophole which subverts the very community plans it cites. Two, the motion should include stronger language preventing predatory real estate speculation. I won't speak to our specific speculator, but it should include language requiring council to prevent displacement for the purpose of increasing land values without building homes. Three, the motion should include language clarifying that the hotel room supply crisis does not exist. The current spike in hotel vacancies is widely evidenced in local and world news. Even if vacancies were limited, tourists looking for hotels is not a crisis. Citizens, permanent residents, immigrants, refugees, children, and First Nations elders displaced from their homes is a crisis. The motion should resolve. City Council will not remedy macroeconomic constraints on tourism by destroying neighborhoods which are advertised to visitors for their vibrant diversity. For these reasons, the proposed motion is insufficient in its stated aim of protecting us and my children. The city can only protect us from displacement by not displacing us. If we lose our home, my wife and I may have to quit our jobs and leave the region with our two children. She's a chef, and I teach metal fabrication at BCIT. Displacing my children is not good for the economy, despite real estate speculators' claims. Although this motion resolves to direct staff to recommend right of first refusal provisions for us, first refusal of what? A 300-square-foot micro-bachelor? It's ironic the council has a performative recognition of World Refugee Day while aggressively displacing so many of its own residents, including refugees. Ironic and shameful, in fact. Shame. Shame.

Hi, good afternoon. Still Laura Stannard, and I'm speaking in support of this motion, and I also want to support the previous speaker's amendments, which I think are extremely important and need to be listened to. Perhaps if you hadn't closed the renter's office three years ago, you would have more understanding of the struggles of tenants and the loopholes that developers are now using to avoid incurring cost and responsibility for housing losses. One of the ways a developer can avoid TRPP is to submit an application for hotel development. Given the state of development construction interest rates and the fact that Vancouver is already on track to meet its hotel targets, Developers could find it profitable to wait until the existing tenants have been evicted before submitting a new application for permanent housing or flipping the property now that it's vacant of tenants and the land value and status is more desirable. For most of my working life, I worked with people who were homeless or at risk of homelessness. I would see tenants finally find a seemingly affordable rental, only to lose it within months as a new landlord would proceed with renovation plans. Those residents are not covered by TRPP.

I urge you to support these motions, and I thank Councillor Orr for bringing them forward. Thank you.

Good afternoon. I'm a consultant and small business owner in Vancouver. I've worked with City of Vancouver staff on tenant relocation at Rodden Lodge in my previous job at BC Housing. I've also helped nonprofit housing providers in developing more robust tenant relocation policies for projects that were receiving provincial funding. I'm really happy to support this motion and the amendments brought forward by the first speaker when we think about tenants facing displacement without protections currently under the tenant relocation policy. When I did my master's research on civic-led community displacement under the Urban Renewal Program of the late 50s to early 70s in Vancouver, I read many firsthand accounts of people who experienced significant trauma from being forced from their homes and communities. I also read the city's archive documents about how officials of that time felt about people who resided in the homes being cleared out for capital interests. Their legacies, along with their names and their choices at that time, are clear and documented in research like mine and works by others. Over and over when examining these public records, it's evident that those in power, that their primary concerns were the interests of investors. Displaced communities full of hardworking people who just wanted a safe and secure home to raise their families and to stay in the communities they relied on were given no thought by those in power. The current policies represent progress from the days of urban renewal where renters were not given a single consideration, then only owners were compensated. And, you know, anytime I've presented this research to audiences, usually we ask, you know, have you ever lived in a home you've loved? And what did you love about it? And 10 times out of 10, people always say it's the people. It's the things that they got to do with their friends and family that really stand out. That's probably true for all of you who have lived in a place you've loved. And if you've ever had to leave that place, you know that that brings with it significant grief and negative impact. So when we're thinking about people being moved against their will to make way for more powerful interests that have had this historical support of politicians and bureaucracies, we know that nobody wants to experience this and nobody ever should. So I encourage council. to be different than their predecessors and approve this motion to make sure that there are no exceptions in the application of the current policies and making sure that renters in Vancouver are protected from being displaced from their homes and communities. Thank you.

Hello. I am a VFX worker residing in Vancouver proper, and I just want to express my support for the motion as well as the amendments brought forth by the first speaker. I very much support those very good points made by them. I'll keep it very short and speed of that. I do think that. I think there should be. focus more on the people that live here as opposed to making a profit out of just making a profit out of them since I think that these people should have a place to live and have a community and not be forced out and potentially forced out of a province that they've or city that they've lived in their entire lives and raised their loved ones within and made a community that's That's all I will say. I will also say that I hope that this motion gets passed. I think it would be quite good and helpful for people, especially many of those people who are facing rental insecurity.

My name is Stephen Bowes. I'm a Vancouver resident and a renter, and I'd like to speak in strong support of this motion. And thank you, Councillor, for bringing it forward and Councillor Fry for seconding it. It's much needed. The TRPP is very much insufficient. The renter's office was insufficient. And I will have some examples here. The first slide is of 2224 Alberta Street, a rental building, and this building was approved at a rezoning, which sees a change in use to commercial and retail and will not allow return of any renters. So this is a demo eviction. Next slide. This was approved also. It's a change in use to institutional uses at VGH Hospital Foundation. And it is also a dumb eviction. There weren't any additional supports for tenants. Next slide.

This was a rezoning approved at council. And it's actually an interesting one because some of the tenants qualify to return, but some of them don't. Because to return, you would have to qualify for social housing. And I think Councillor Fry brought this up during the public hearing at that time. And it's another example of insufficient protections. Next slide. Here, these are the Donacana apartment buildings here, and that is at 124-144 East 6th. This is another demo eviction for hotel use. None of the tenants can return, and it's a prime example of large corporations buying land that has a residential building for the purpose of essentially building a hotel here, and that would result in the demo eviction of all the tenants without any additional supports. And I'll just point out that these large corporations can buy tons of land in an industrial area, but they choose to buy the lands that have mature rental buildings on them. Next slide.

What council can do, I really support the amendments that brought forward, suggested by the first speaker. You could amend the Broadway plan. You could amend the ODP. And essentially, one of the amendments that you can do is consider excluding rental sites for conversion to other uses. So if a site has a rental building on it, you can't make a hotel. can't make an office or commercial space, it has to stay as residential. That way, lease tenants can return under the TRPP. Next slide. The city also has rental stock, such as the Mount Pleasant Community Center, and there are rental units there. And if there is a situation where renters are being dumb evicted and they cannot return, can the city of Vancouver not... Provide the housing you surely it can at the same rates of the same area. So that's possible next slide and I will also mention a lot of tenants are being demo evicted this was approved at 14th of April on consent another item was also approved at 360 and these tenants need to be taken care of so Please protect tenants. I've been evicted myself and and there's so much more you can do. Thank you

Yes, can you hear me?

Great. Yes, I'm a resident of Vancouver and also a representative of the United Hero Local 40. We support the motion and also support the amendments raised by the first speaker. We do not want to see hotel development displace tenants in existing affordable housing, and it should not be allowed by the city. As we've said before many times, we don't believe Vancouver suffers from a hotel room crisis, but an affordability crisis and a severe lack of deeply affordable housing. We want to see the city do more to support tenants at risk of demoviction, and we think more should be done here. So, yes, we support this and the amendments. Thank you.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. My name is Dr. Brendan Yao. I'm a medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health. Happy to be here to speak in support of this motion. I'd just like to begin by establishing the fact that these types of suicide deaths are preventable tragedies. As mentioned, they impact the individual involved. their loved ones, first responders, health care workers, bystanders, and really our community at large. Suicide prevention fencing or means prevention are an established evidence-based approach to preventing suicide. They're a critical life-saving infrastructure for people experiencing momentary acute mental health crises. And we don't really have to look far to find evidence for their efficacy, although there is international evidence of their success. The City of Vancouver has demonstrated their leadership in this space by the installation of fencing on Ironworkers Memorial Bridge in 2015 and Broad Bridge in 2017. Of note, there have been no suicide deaths on these bridges since the installation of this infrastructure. And Granville Bridge is a logical location for the installation of this infrastructure in Vancouver. Currently, Granville Bridge has the second highest number of suicide deaths of any Vancouver Bridge, averaging around 2.6 deaths every year. And for individuals who do make it to the hospital, my Vancouver General Hospital Trauma Services colleagues are responsible for providing the immediate resuscitation, surgical intervention, and intensive care for those with often catastrophic injuries. Among those who survive, many face lifelong disability and significant long-term trauma as well. I'd like to note that my colleagues at the VGH Trauma Service has written a letter of support for this motion as well. I'd like to summarize by saying that the installation of fencing on Granville Bridge would save lives and would be a highly worthwhile investment. Our team at VCH looks forward to our continued collaboration with the City of Vancouver on this topic. Thank you.

Good afternoon, everyone. And I think maybe Stacey Ashton is the speaker ahead of me, but I might be wrong.

Okay, great. Well, good afternoon, Honourable Chair, Members of Council. My name is Tom Lancaster. I'm the Director with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. I'm also the General Manager of Granville Island. I know most of you, if not all of you, through happy times when we're celebrating arts and culture on the island. amongst the millions of people who show up every year. This is definitely a different topic. I'm also an extremely proud resident of Vancouver and representative of numerous organizations on Granville Island and around Falls Creek. But first, I would like to say thank you for standing in public office during these times when it isn't always easy to do so. I thank you also for taking on the job of difficult decision-making at a time when the world is becoming more and more complex. I would also like to pass on a sincere thank you to Councillor Dominato for this motion, Stacey Ashton for her tireless advocacy to save people's lives, and to other members of this council who have either reached out to me personally or have been clearly on the record to prioritize the installation of means prevention fencing on the Granville Bridge. We all know who you are, and we thank you. I won't spend any more of my time speaking about the severe tragedy of human beings' loss of life. One of our fellow Vancouverites on the Granville Bridge, making their decision to take their own life in a time of extreme distress, as we all know, is preventable. I also won't repeat the trigger warnings of the word suicide, as we can't talk about preventing it without naming it as such. I'm assuming, though, that we are all on the same page that any one of us would do whatever we could to save just one human life, let alone prevent needless deaths for decades into the future. While we all know this is a priority, where it stands amongst other capital spending priorities may be a cause for debate. I do understand that. Here is some perspective, though, that I hope may assist in this discussion around these priorities. As you all likely know, Granville Island is one of the most visited places in all of Canada. It is usually the first place that Vancouverites bring visiting guests. It is beloved and cherished by local folks. It is the heart of arts and culture in our city. Last year, we welcomed just under 11 million visitors to the island. Tens of thousands of people every day wandering our public spaces in and around and underneath the Granville Bridge. More than half of those visiting are children and families. There's also 3,100 people working full-time on Granville Island. in our businesses, nonprofits, and theaters. Prioritizing committing the capital for this fencing is not about pulling on hard strings. It is fundamentally an issue of public safety, supporting small business, protecting workers, and protecting the public, which is our public.

I would just like to say there's a massive constituency of people who will look upon this council's commitment to means-preventing infrastructure, specifically fencing on the bridge, with great support and gratitude.

Thank you very much for Councillor Dominato for bringing forward this motion. I'm really happy to be able to speak to this and to have this in front of Council again. I'm not happy about why, but I also know that the reality of suicide bridge barriers is, it's a hard one to grapple with. As the lead of the Crisis Centre of BC, we work in suicide prevention every day, right? It's a very constant thing for us and for many people, and gladly so. Suicide is not something you think about every day. What we know from the front line is why barriers work. They work because when a person is experiencing a suicidal crisis, clear thinking is gone. The desire to escape that current situation is very much a pressure on the mind, and it overwhelms that hope for a better future. People talk about feeling like they are a burden, that the world would be a better place without them. And when people come out of a suicidal crisis, they look back at those thoughts and they don't make any sense at all anymore because they weren't rational thoughts. They weren't real thoughts that made sense. And that's why these kinds of barriers at known suicide locations make a difference. They buy us time for this person to have their thoughts interrupted when they're not making any sense and then make a different decision. And what we know is that most people who make a suicide attempt do not go on to die by suicide. 90% of folks never attempt again. They go and find their happy lives. It matters. It means that these bridge barriers can be the difference between a life that ends and a life that continues. The barrier does not solve every pain in a person's life, obviously, but it can interrupt the moment when that pain becomes fatal.

When we lose somebody from suicide, we lose the life that could have been. And this is what is so painful for the survivors, is knowing that person every minute after that is not there for all of the events that happen and the life that comes after. The thought of if only there had been a way to stop them is a constant thought in your mind. And we know in the case of Bridges that there was a way. The Granville Street Bridge is a known location of concern. We acknowledge the need for barriers, and we've made that contingent on other governments, but we really just need to make it happen. The question before council isn't whether suicide prevention barriers are necessary. The question is whether we can treat them with the urgency that a life-saving institution life-saving infrastructure deserves. And I'm so glad to see this motion come forward so we can move ahead with that.

Good afternoon. My name is Emma, and I'm only in the ninth grade at West Point Gray Academy, and I live next to the Granville Street Bridge, and I'm highly in favor of this motion. Today, I'm speaking not only for myself, but for families in my building, residents along Beach Crescent, people on Granville Island, and everyone who's been forced to witness these tragedies that happened on the bridge due to the absence of suicide barriers. This bridge has caused years of trauma for me, beginning when I was only 12 years old. I saw a man sitting on the edge of the bridge, moments away from ending his life. I stood there crying, later trying to understand what could bring someone to that point, with my mom struggling to explain it to me. No child should ever have to witness that, but it didn't end there. Over the years, I've watched people sit on that edge again and again. I've seen people jump, and I've seen a dead woman in my driveway. And on May 12th, I watched a woman hanging from the bridge. She was there for eight hours. That night, I laid in my bed, trying to fall asleep as quickly as possible because I was terrified of hearing a body hit the floor. Those images don't leave you. They steal your sense of safety, and they change the way that you feel in your own home. I can barely live with my blinds open anymore because I'm afraid of what I might see outside my window. And yet, despite years of warnings and preventable deaths and years of residents speaking up, suicide barriers continue to be ignored because of cost. So my question is, since when do we put a price tag on human life? Since when does money take precedence over saving lives? Because these barriers create time for intervention and give people in crisis the chance to get home safely. They protect families from unimaginable loss. And every life saved means a family does not lose someone they love. They protect communities like mine. They protect residents, workers, and children from witnessing trauma that can stay with them forever. And we already know that they work. After suicide prevention barriers were installed in the Burrard Bridge, fatalities stopped. We have evidence. We know that these barriers save lives. So why does it come down to cost? Recently, I received a response from Prime Minister Mark Carney's office, informing me that my concerns have been forwarded to the Minister of Health and the Minister of Public Safety. These issues are being taken seriously and could receive federal support, but we need action and immediate action. Every delay in the construction of these barriers means another opportunity for tragedy, another life lost, another family shattered, and another young person forced to witness something they should never have to see. The question is no longer whether these barriers work or if they're needed. The question is, how many more people have to die before we decide that their lives are worth protecting? Thank you.

Speaker two has disconnected, unfortunately.

And what that means is saying that this is a priority unequivocally.

I'll turn it back to Councillor Domenato.

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.

Hi there, can you hear me?

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 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.

Hello? Do you hear me?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. Thank you, Chair. Councillors and Mayor online, good to see everybody. Yes, I'm speaking in full support of this motion. I had the honour to work with Margaret Burrell, who was the Executive Director of the Persons with Disabilities Society in BC. And I was reflecting back on when I first came to Vancouver and how... Our buses, remember our buses had those steps up, you know, and women with strollers had to fold their strollers and struggle up there. And one of my history, a part of my history in Edmonton was I was the liaison to the People with Disabilities Committee there under a city councillor that we worked with at Edmonton City Hall. we were talking to them about the idea of low-floor buses, and they had just come in in Edmonton, and they were so thrilled because they said, now we can move around the city like we never could before. They'd have to wait for a handy-dark type system like we have here, and then they didn't. So I think we've made a lot of strides, but having said that, on my bicycle commute to Burnaby to work at a college I work at out there... I noticed that in Shaughnessy, there's still curb cuts that aren't there. And I know there's a lot of work to do. I know the city's hard to manage, but they're not there. And that's in a city that used to have two people in wheelchairs where you folks are sitting, right? Sam Sullivan and Tim Lewis. So we do have work to do still. Another thing I found out doing research for people with disabilities regarding transit is some systems in North America actually have symbols for routes. not just numbers. And the interesting thing about this is just like the low floor buses, which were great for me when I had my two twin boys in a stroller and I was getting them onto the bus, I could do that because it was a low floor bus and it was fully accessible. Just as with that, the symbol on the buses, and I know we had a whole go around about TransLink and who's got the authority and I fully understand that, but I'm just underlying the idea of how... Helping people who have cognitive and physical disabilities helps us all, is really what I'm saying. Because these symbol buses, people can look at them, they see the symbol. I think they do this in San Francisco. And you can tell, oh yeah, that's the one that goes to the mission. Because you don't need to see the number, you see the symbol, and your mind goes, I know where I'm going. So yeah, I fully support the motion. I think it's time that we did this. And clearly the committee thinks it should happen as well. Thanks for your time. Take care.

I am of this motion. I want to thank the city's Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee for making the recommendation for the city to observe the National Accessibility Week and Councillor Maloney for bringing it forward to council. I've been an urban and transportation planner for nearly 20 years. Over this time, I've had the opportunity to engage with many accessibility advisory and advocacy groups, including the city's Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee, to get their input on various projects. Through these meetings and discussions, I've gained a deeper understanding of the structural, physical, and attitudinal barriers people with accessibility needs that prevent them from being able to fully participate in their community.

That's why it's important for us to formally observe the National Accessibility Week, to raise public awareness and to encourage people to learn about different accessibility needs, including those that are visible and those that are invisible. Of course, it's also important to provide adequate resources to implement the Accessibility Strategy and Action Plan, So I hope Council will also place that higher on their priority list moving forward. As I understand it, due to the budget cuts, there have been fewer resources available. I'll end my remarks with something that an instructor of an accessibility course that I took years ago said and has remained with me to this day. While many of us may not have a disability today, that will not necessarily be the case over the course of our lives. due to age or other factors, all of us have the potential to have accessibility challenges in the future. We're simply, as they said, temporarily able-bodied. With that, thank you for your time, and I hope you will approve this motion.

Thank you. So my name is Sherry Rashears. I'm a resident of Vancouver and active member of the Inclusive Education Working Group with Vancouver DPAC. and a volunteer with Dyslexia BC and today I'm speaking as an individual in support of this motion. This motion is an important step towards raising awareness about the barriers that people with disabilities face and also taking action to remove them. I want to acknowledge the important work already being done by the accessibility committee at the city and this motion builds on that work. The Accessible BC Act defines disability as, quote, the inability to participate fully and equally in society as a result of the interaction of an impairment and a barrier. So what matters is not so much the diagnosis itself, but the barriers that people encounter. So, like, in other words, people are not excluded because of their impairments alone, but they're excluded because systems fail to consider their needs. When many people think of a disability, they usually picture something physical. But actually, 70% to 80% of disabilities are invisible, and this includes such things as anxiety and other mental health challenges, autism, and dyslexia. So here's a couple of examples from members of the dyslexia BC community of systemic barriers that they have faced in the past. In one case, a person with severe dyslexia was at a busy border crossing and became overwhelmed by the number of signs. and they accidentally entered the wrong line. And they realized their mistake, but the border agent was not sympathetic and proceeded to process them and ask questions about procedures that did not apply to them. And this left the person, like, really confused and distressed. So this wasn't a failure on their part. It was a failure of design. In another case, a teen with dyslexia applied for a summer job. They asked if they could bring their parents to the interview and take notes for them. But the employer said, quote, you're an adult. You need to act like an adult. This person ended up being hired, but they didn't receive a single shift all summer. So experiences like this happen every day, and these barriers are frequently rooted in assumptions about what people should be able to do, particularly when disabilities are invisible. so this is why this motion matters raising awareness is not just symbolic it's essential for change to happen recognizing national accessibility week as an official observance signals that the city is committed to both awareness and action and so it needs to be followed by meaningful steps to remove barriers for people with both visible and invisible disabilities so i encourage council to support this motion thank you

You do, and we don't have any comments other than to thank Council for considering this application.