Council advanced a new deer-fence bylaw to a public hearing, setting clear limits on fence height, materials and design while leaving enforcement of existing fences largely complaint-driven. It also approved a $285,726 contract to replace a failed storm sewer beneath the E&N railway; interim pumping and response work had already cost about $100,000, and trail users may face a detour of roughly one or two weeks. Council ratified three resolutions from its May 11 Committee of the Whole meeting, including one on the 2026 Community Satisfaction Survey. No members of the public spoke during the public input period for the storm sewer and committee resolutions.
Generated from the recording's captions and the official minutes.
Council added a May 21, 2026 letter from the District of Central Saanich under Communications – For Council’s Information as item 9.1, and approved the agenda as amended.
Agreement
The agenda addition was approved without opposition.
Routine: add the District of Central Saanich’s letter to the agenda for Council’s information, renumber the agenda, and approve it with that change.
Official wording: That the letter from the District of Central Saanich, dated May 21, 2026, be added to the agenda under Communications - For Council's Information, as item 9.1, and that the agenda be renumbered accordingly and approved as amended.
The proposed zoning rules would allow deer fences in residential zones with six or fewer dwelling units, including front yards. Fences could be up to 2.5 metres high and must use durable metal woven-wire mesh with openings no larger than 5 by 10 centimetres; designs that could impale deer above 1.2 metres are barred. Staff said mesh helps prevent deer from pushing through or becoming entangled, while metal is more durable than plastic. Existing fences may not meet the new rules, but staff said they would not require every existing fence to be changed; enforcement would generally follow complaints unless Council directs otherwise. Council approved first and second readings and authorized staff to hold a public hearing.
Agreement
Councillors welcomed the long-awaited bylaw and described its requirements as clear and straightforward.
Council supported sending the proposal to a public hearing.
Give the proposed deer-fencing rules an initial review and authorize staff to schedule a public hearing at a future Council meeting.
Official wording: That Council give first and second readings to “Zoning Bylaw, 1992, No. 2050, Amendment Bylaw, 2026, No. 3183” to incorporate regulations for Deer Fencing and authorize staff to hold a Public Hearing at a later Council date.
Council approved a $285,726 construction contract, excluding goods and services tax and future change orders, to Allterra Construction Ltd. for a failed storm sewer main beneath the E&N railway that drains through the Esquimalt Graving Dock site. Staff said interim work since the failure—including bypass pumping and vacuum-truck response—had cost about $100,000; any claims for private-property damage are being handled through municipal insurance. The work will require coordination with the Capital Regional District for a trail permit and an all-ages-and-abilities detour. Staff estimated the trail disruption at about one week, possibly two, rather than months.
Agreement
The contract award was approved without opposition.
A councillor said the estimated trail disruption sounded manageable.
Hire Allterra Construction to replace the storm sewer pipe beneath the E&N Railway, for $285,726 before GST, with any future change orders kept within the approved sewer infrastructure budget.
Official wording: That Council award a construction contract to Allterra Construction Ltd. for $285,726 (excluding GST) and future change orders, within the approved budget funded from the Storm Sewer Infrastructure and Sanitary Sewer Infrastructure Programs, to replace a storm sewer main that crosses underneath the E&N Railway, as described in Staff Report EPW-26-004.
Council ratified three resolutions from the May 11 Committee of the Whole meeting. The listed resolutions included one concerning the 2026 Community Satisfaction Survey. The transcript records little discussion of the resolutions before the vote.
Ratify three Committee of the Whole recommendations: receive the citizen satisfaction survey and the draft development capacity study for information; and hire consultants and organize a workshop on small-scale multi-family housing options. Staff would bring Council a summary of workshop input and recommended bylaw or policy updates by July 2026, and make the workshop comments available to the public at an open house and online.
Official wording: That the resolutions from the May 11, 2026 Committee of the Whole meeting be ratified:
1. Community Satisfaction Survey 2026, Staff Report ADM-26-023
That the Committee of the Whole recommend that Council receive the Citizen Satisfaction Survey for information as outlined in Staff Report No. ADM-26-023.
2. Review of the Preliminary Results of the Development Capacity Study, Staff Report No. DEV-26-21
That the Committee of the Whole recommend that Council receive the Esquimalt Development Capacity Study: Draft Findings Report Version 1.2 for information.
3. Small-Scale Multi-Family Housing (SSMFH) Options Report Follow Up, Staff Report No. DEV-26 019
That the Committee of the Whole recommend that Council direct staff to proceed with hiring the necessary consultants and organizing a SSMUH workshop as outlined in this report and bring back a summary of input and recommended bylaw/policy updates for Council consideration no later than July 2026, and the comments made at the workshop be made available to the public at an open house and online.