Council heard that a three-month, federally funded youth safety program reached more than 17,000 young people and directly served over 5,000, while staff said a fuller implementation update is due in July. Heritage designation for 1784 Denman Street and funding and award applications passed through the consent agenda without discussion; the heritage matter is expected to return for bylaw readings and a public hearing. The most contested issue was whether to delay work on cooling protections in rental buildings: a postponement was defeated, then Council unanimously directed staff to explore options. Staff expect to report preliminary findings in July, with councillors raising questions about cost, tenant protections, legal authority, passive cooling and the electrical grid.
Generated from the recording's captions and the official minutes.
Council approved the consent agenda, which included the April 9 and April 16 meeting minutes, heritage designation for 1784 Denman Street, and endorsement of funding and award applications. The heritage and funding matters are expected to return at future Council meetings for further consideration.
Approve the April 9 and April 16 meeting minutes; advance the heritage designation process for 1784 Denman Street, including preparing a bylaw and setting a public hearing; and support four City funding applications and an award application for Victoria 2050.
Official wording: That the following Consent Agenda items be approved:
F.1 Minutes from the Committee of the Whole meeting held April 9, 2026
That the minutes from the Committee of the Whole meeting held April 9, 2026 be approved.
F.2 Minutes from the Committee of the Whole meeting held April 16, 2026
That the minutes from the Committee of the Whole meeting held April 16, 2026 be approved.
H.1 1784 Denman Street: Heritage Designation Application No. 000219 (North Jubilee)
That Council:
1. Approve the heritage statement of significance for the property located at 1784 Denman Street;
2. Instruct the Director of Planning and Development to prepare a Heritage Designation Bylaw that would designate the property as a Municipal Heritage Site, as outlined in the staff report dated December 17, 2024 for 1784 Denman Street; and,
3. That first and second readings of the Heritage Designation Bylaw for 1784 Denman Street be considered by Council and a Public Hearing date be set.
I.1 Endorsement of Funding and Award Applications
That Council:
1. Endorse funding applications to support the following City projects:
a. The Crystal Garden Climate Resiliency and Indoor Temperature Control Project, up to $1,000,000 through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Local Leadership for Climate Adaptation initiation (Adaptation in Action program)
b. The Disaster and Climate Risk and Resilience Assessment Project, up to $115,000 through the Local Leadership for Climate Adaptation initiative (Climate-Ready Plans & Processes program)
c. The Disaster Resilience through Innovative Chiller Project, up to $700,000 through the Province of BC’s Disaster Resilience and Innovation Funding Program
d. Bowker Creek Restoration and Flood Mitigation - Daylighting Doncaster Green Project, up to $2,300,000 through the Province of BC’s Disaster Resilience and Innovation Funding Program
2. Endorse an application to the 2026 UBCM Community Excellence Awards for Victoria 2050, the City’s Official Community Plan.
Staff reported on SPARC, a three-month youth safety program funded by a $750,000 federal grant and delivered with 16 community organisations. From January to April, the program directly served more than 5,000 people under 30 and reached over 12,000 more through outreach and activities; staff also reported support for more than 200 workers and volunteers. Projects included counselling, employment help, cultural and recreation activities, late-night outreach and recovery support. Councillors asked about longer-term funding, who was reached and how services can continue after the grant ends. Staff said they would provide an age-group breakdown and a comprehensive one-year plan update in July; a final SPARC report is expected by the end of June. In broader questions, staff said the 34-space Bridge Street pathway shelter had begun referrals and that all 20 units at Johnson Street Manor recovery housing were occupied.
Agreement
Councillors praised the program's prevention work and the partnerships built among service providers.
Staff will continue to pursue funding opportunities and report on the Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan in July.
The heritage designation application for the exterior of the property at 1784 Denman Street was approved as part of the consent agenda, without separate discussion. The chair said it would return to Council for preliminary bylaw readings and, later, a public hearing.
Agreement
The application proceeded through the consent agenda without an item being pulled for discussion.
Further Council consideration, including preliminary bylaw readings and a public hearing, is expected.
Council approved the staff report through the consent agenda. It concerned Council endorsement of four funding applications to support future capital projects and legislative compliance, as well as one corporate award application. The chair said the matter would return at a future Council meeting.
Agreement
The report proceeded through the consent agenda without separate discussion.
J.1 Council Member Motion: Strategies and Resources to Require Cooling (26 degree maximum) in Victoria’s Rental Buildings
The motion asks staff to examine ways to protect renters from dangerous indoor heat, including tools to stop landlords from prohibiting cooling equipment. Its sponsors pointed to the 2021 heat dome, when 619 heat-related deaths were identified across British Columbia, and to the risk facing older rental buildings that lack cooling. A councillor moved to postpone the matter to June 11, arguing that Council needed more local data and analysis first; that motion failed. Council then unanimously directed staff to explore available municipal tools. Debate highlighted the need to weigh health protection against retrofit costs, rent increases and renovictions, legal limits, enforcement demands and electrical capacity. Councillors also raised passive measures such as window films and exterior shade, possible support through the City's rental-building retrofit tax program, and whether the work should consider rented strata units. Staff said preliminary findings could come in July and that more analysis and engagement may be needed.
Agreement
Councillors agreed that extreme heat poses a serious health risk and that the City should examine ways to protect residents.
Councillors and staff treated the motion as the start of an exploratory process, not an immediate new cooling requirement.
Staff indicated that an early report could outline other jurisdictions' approaches, municipal tools and possible next steps.
Disagreement
A councillor sought a delay to obtain more Victoria-specific data and assess the scope and legal and financial consequences before giving direction; other councillors argued that staff could continue their research under the proposed direction. The postponement motion was defeated.
Councillors differed in emphasis over how to balance urgent health protections with retrofit costs, potential effects on rents and affordable housing, enforcement resources and electrical-grid limits.
Some councillors favoured examining passive cooling and retrofit incentives as practical options; others cautioned against settling on a solution before staff's analysis.
Ask staff to look at ways Victoria could stop landlords from banning cooling equipment and possibly require rental homes to have cooling or passive measures that keep at least one room at or below the recommended 26°C. Staff would also consult New Westminster about its cooling bylaw, ask the provincial housing minister to clarify protections against renovictions or above-standard rent increases related to upgrades, and report verbally to Council by July 2, 2026.
Official wording: That Victoria City Council direct staff to:
1) Explore the tools available for the City to adopt a bylaw, or modify an existing bylaw, that restricts landlords from prohibiting cooling equipment, and/or requires existing rental units to have a heat pump, or other cooling equipment or passive means, that prevents at least one room of the unit from exceeding the standard recommendation of 26 C (79 F);
2) Liaise the City of New Westminster to understand how their cooling bylaw is designed.
3) Write a letter to the Minister of Housing to request clarification and confirmation that these upgrades would not trigger legal renovictions or a rent increase above the standard rent control level .
4) Provide a verbal report back to Council by July 2, 2026