The police chief reported higher demand on VicPD, driven largely by social-order calls, while property crime and violent offences were down year over year. Council heard about staffing vacancies, a new South Island police academy and the planned return of five officers and one civilian from the Vancouver Island integrated major crime unit. On rental cooling, the discussion focused on removing barriers to cooling devices and exploring passive options, with questions about costs, building constraints and tenant protections. The economic and employment land debate was more contested: Council amended the proposal to defer one Old Town policy change, but rejected a request for a public hearing before adopting the amended package, according to the transcript.
Generated from the recording's captions and the agenda (minutes not yet published by the council).
Chief Constable Fiona Wilson presented updates on public safety, downtown policing, staffing, operations and public trust. VicPD had answered 27,053 calls for service so far in 2026, up 8.7% year over year; social-order calls accounted for 9,159. Property crime was down about 2% and violent offences down 5.1%. Wilson said the City-funded foot patrol team had handled 1,077 calls in its first six months, half found while officers were walking, and that an eight-officer crime reduction unit was expected to be operational in the fall. She reported about 10% of established positions were vacant, described the first South Island police academy class planned for September, and said five officers and one civilian were expected to return from the major crime unit, with October 1 proposed as a target date. Councillors asked about downtown disorder, police data, officer wellness, school liaison officers and the consequences of leaving the major crime unit. Wilson said the city’s persistent street disorder required coordinated housing, health and social-service responses as well as enforcement.
Agreement
More accessible, understandable policing data would help Council and the public assess trends; Wilson said VicPD planned to improve its public dashboard and present a broader resource-allocation review.
The police response to street disorder cannot solve the problem on its own; Wilson and councillors pointed to the need for coordinated work across police, health, housing and community services.
Council members welcomed the new deputy chief and the planned South Island police academy.
Disagreement
A councillor pressed for a lasting response to people repeatedly returning to the same blocks after being moved; Wilson said enforcement alone could not resolve the problem without places for people to go.
A councillor asked whether the handling of school liaison officers involved improper pressure; Wilson said she could not comment on an ongoing Police Complaint Commissioner investigation and did not accept the premise of a pressure campaign based on what she knew.
A councillor questioned whether withdrawing from the integrated major crime unit risked weakening regional cooperation; Wilson said VicPD could handle its homicide investigations and would still assist other agencies in emergencies.
G.1 Report Back on Strategies and Resources to Require Cooling (26 degree maximum) in Victoria’s Rental Buildings (Verbal)
Staff outlined options for making rental homes safer during heat events. The City’s existing Rental Property Standards of Maintenance Bylaw covers heating but not cooling. Staff proposed reporting back on amendments to remove barriers to tenants using portable cooling devices and to require existing cooling systems to be maintained. They also described more complex options, including a 26°C limit for at least one room, which would need further work on electrical capacity, costs, enforcement and possible rent or tenancy impacts. Councillors raised questions about older buildings, strata rentals, heat-risk mapping and whether passive measures such as window film or exterior shading could help. The transcript records unanimous approval of the staff recommendation after amendments, including work on passive-first cooling options and continued monitoring of other jurisdictions.
Agreement
Indoor overheating is a health concern, and the City should explore practical ways to reduce risk in rental homes.
Removing barriers to cooling devices and maintaining cooling systems already in buildings were viewed as useful first steps.
Any new requirements need to account for older buildings, tenant protections, installation costs and technical limits.
Disagreement
Councillors differed over whether a landlord should have to maintain cooling equipment installed by a tenant and left behind; an amendment addressing this passed despite three councillors opposing it.
Councillors raised differing expectations about how quickly passive cooling options could be developed, while staff said the work would need to be explored and might take a separate, iterative process.
Staff proposed near-term steps to support economic activity while a broader employment-land planning process is developed. The package included allowing up to 5.5 floor-space ratio for non-residential development in the central business district, adding light-industrial or artisanal, laboratory and veterinary uses in the central business district and Old Town, a hotel revitalization tax exemption, and a clearer way to permit special events on private property. Staff said the Old Town zoning would not gain automatic height or density; higher-density proposals there would still require rezoning and review against heritage and design policies. After public concern about Old Town, Council amended the package to defer that Old Town policy change into later planning work. Council then rejected a proposal to hold a public hearing on the zoning changes, and the transcript records approval of the amended package. The hotel tax proposal drew questions about fairness and foregone revenue: staff described a hypothetical 150-room hotel for which an exemption could total $8.4 million over ten years, while saying the program aimed to spur development that otherwise would not proceed.
Agreement
Old Town remains subject to its heritage policies, design guidelines and case-by-case rezoning review; the proposal did not grant automatic height or density increases there.
Staff should communicate clearly about what the proposals do and do not change; Council added a direction to use the City’s usual media channels to clarify the facts.
Several councillors supported measures to encourage hotel development and make it easier to host suitable events on private property.
Disagreement
Councillors disagreed about whether the zoning changes warranted a public hearing. Some favoured one to give the public more time to weigh in; others said the Old Town policy change had been deferred and a hearing would not be necessary.
Councillors questioned whether a ten-year tax exemption for hotels was justified, whether the industry would build without it, and how much revenue might be delayed. Staff said the exemption was intended to close a viability gap and would apply to the added assessed value, not the existing value.
Some councillors favoured slowing the Old Town policy work because of public concern; others considered the existing heritage safeguards sufficient and wanted to move ahead.
H.1 Council Member Motion: Enforcement Against Derelict Buildings, Neglected Properties and Vacant Commercial Spaces
This request asks staff to report on enforcement options, recommendations and tools for derelict buildings, neglected properties and vacant commercial spaces. It was placed on the consent agenda and was not discussed in detail at this meeting. The chair later said it would return to a future Council meeting for final consideration.
Decisions
Victoria has not published the minutes for this meeting yet. Councils post minutes only after a later meeting adopts them, usually two to six weeks afterwards. We check weekly. We last checked Fri, Oct 2, 2026. Votes and decisions are taken only from the official minutes, so this section fills in once Victoria publishes them. Anything above about motions comes from the recording and is preliminary.