{"videoId":"https://video.isilive.ca/victoria/New%20Encoder_VCC_2026-05-14-09-30.mp4","source":"isilive_vtt","segments":[{"t":0,"text":"Seats please will get started on our Council meeting this"},{"t":3,"text":"evening. Tonight we are here in City Hall for Victoria"},{"t":9,"text":"Sea Council Thursday May the 14th. We do have a"},{"t":12,"text":"fuller Council than you might be seeing as we have"},{"t":14,"text":"two members who are joining us online Councillor Gardner and"},{"t":18,"text":"Councillor Kim are both with us online Councillor Coleman is"},{"t":21,"text":"not able to join us this evening. As you well"},{"t":25,"text":"know and as it states on some of our public"},{"t":27,"text":"documentations we like to ensure that City Hall here is"},{"t":32,"text":"a place where civil discourse respected inclusion is paramount. And"},{"t":36,"text":"so we ask each of us to help make City"},{"t":38,"text":"Hall a place where we are all welcome and valued"},{"t":41,"text":"and where speakers and listeners honour the protocols that guide"},{"t":44,"text":"our work and that no form of discrimination is tolerated."},{"t":49,"text":"This evening we have 13 folks who wish to address"},{"t":52,"text":"Council and then after that we do have a public"},{"t":55,"text":"hearing this evening unusually considering a heritage designation for a"},{"t":60,"text":"property in Jubilee. But before we begin we always begin"},{"t":64,"text":"our meetings together before we get to do any work"},{"t":66,"text":"together acknowledging that the lens that we are sitting on"},{"t":70,"text":"have been stewarded for many many many generations by the"},{"t":73,"text":"incredible La Quangan people known to us today is the"},{"t":76,"text":"Song He's Nation and the Kosaps of Nation. We are"},{"t":80,"text":"very blessed by the fact that the nations continue to"},{"t":82,"text":"be generous with their time and work with us in"},{"t":85,"text":"various programs, projects and dreams, where we try and learn"},{"t":90,"text":"from one another and listen to one another and enjoy"},{"t":93,"text":"the time that we spend with one another. Reflecting on"},{"t":97,"text":"the past, looking straight ahead in the challenges that are"},{"t":101,"text":"in front of all of us each day, and always"},{"t":103,"text":"with an eye to the effect of the decisions that"},{"t":105,"text":"we make for those who will come after us. And"},{"t":109,"text":"with that we continue to nurture their relationship, appreciate the"},{"t":114,"text":"relationship, and do all that we can to recognise it."},{"t":118,"text":"With that they have taught us to say a simple"},{"t":120,"text":"thank you and to say hi Tricasm, but we add"},{"t":122,"text":"to it in our slow learning. To say hi to"},{"t":126,"text":"Casiem Niquhia, which is to say thank you, but also"},{"t":128,"text":"to express our thanks and our respect for those people"},{"t":131,"text":"who choose to spend any moment of their days doing"},{"t":136,"text":"good work on behalf of all of the community. And"},{"t":140,"text":"certainly that is true for everyone I believe who is"},{"t":143,"text":"in this room tonight and everyone who resides in the"},{"t":146,"text":"city as they make the choices they make each day."},{"t":149,"text":"So I should cassiam the Aqua to you all. This"},{"t":154,"text":"evening we're going to start our evening with a musical"},{"t":156,"text":"performance. We have with us tonight Brayden Barber and Marlo"},{"t":161,"text":"Carris who are post - secondary students in the diploma"},{"t":163,"text":"of music performance program at the Victoria Conservatory of Music."},{"t":168,"text":"And so before we begin our work tonight, we will"},{"t":171,"text":"listen to both Bradenton and Marlow with a couple of"},{"t":175,"text":"pieces that will set the tone over to you too."},{"t":183,"text":"This is Marlo. We're playing two bits of music for"},{"t":187,"text":"you. First one will be a solo piano work by"},{"t":190,"text":"WC. And then after we'll be a poem by Aaron"},{"t":196,"text":"Copeland and text written by Emily Dickinson. I hope you"},{"t":200,"text":"guys enjoy."},{"t":543,"text":"Everyone. Now next up, as promised, will be"},{"t":553,"text":"The World Fields Dusty by Aaron Copeland. And the poems,"},{"t":557,"text":"The Music written by Amedicness."},{"t":584,"text":"When we. Swap. To a. Die."},{"t":597,"text":"Strong. Ti."},{"t":608,"text":"Race. But. For. His friends. And I. Have friends with."},{"t":620,"text":"The. Win. And."},{"t":630,"text":"Ministry. When. I. First. Comes. To the. Face of. Heart."},{"t":672,"text":"Ready. Have a good meeting. Well we could not have"},{"t":676,"text":"it after that. There you go. Thank you both, Brandon"},{"t":678,"text":"Marlow and I would be remiss if I didn't note"},{"t":680,"text":"that in fact Marlowe is the daughter of one of"},{"t":683,"text":"our senior planning staff. Thank you for joining us tonight."},{"t":688,"text":"That will move us on into the next item in"},{"t":690,"text":"our agenda and that would be a remarks from The"},{"t":692,"text":"Chair. I would only note tonight as I have earlier"},{"t":694,"text":"through our meetings during the day that today is a"},{"t":697,"text":"moose hide campaign day and you will see many folks"},{"t":699,"text":"walking around town today wearing a little square of moussite."},{"t":703,"text":"And this is of course part of a national campaign"},{"t":706,"text":"that was begun by indigenous men and boys leading the"},{"t":711,"text":"campaign some years ago now 15 years ago. Beginning a"},{"t":715,"text":"campaign to bring awareness to violence against remnant children. It's"},{"t":718,"text":"now become a very well - known and very well"},{"t":721,"text":"- supported campaign across the country. And we thank our"},{"t":724,"text":"indigenous partners for beginning that very important work. You will"},{"t":727,"text":"have seen, I'm sure earlier today, a walk that a"},{"t":731,"text":"number of community members undertook down near the legislature. And"},{"t":734,"text":"again an opportunity to bring awareness and education to these"},{"t":738,"text":"very critical issues. So you will have an opportunity to"},{"t":741,"text":"join in with that at your leisure. Uh, there are"},{"t":745,"text":"many places in Victoria and online to gather a little"},{"t":749,"text":"piece, a little square. You can get them here at"},{"t":751,"text":"City Hall for free. And so the next time that"},{"t":753,"text":"you're here, Drew ask for one to be given to"},{"t":756,"text":"you. That would take us on to the consideration of"},{"t":761,"text":"the rest of our agenda. The next step would be"},{"t":762,"text":"a consideration of any late items, but there are no"},{"t":765,"text":"late items to be added to the agenda tonight. And"},{"t":767,"text":"so that takes us on to looking for a motion"},{"t":770,"text":"to approve the published agenda. Thanks Councillor Dell and Second"},{"t":774,"text":"of by Councillor Lawton. Any discussion of the published agenda."},{"t":779,"text":"Not seeing any, and I will be checking periodically online"},{"t":781,"text":"to make sure that our colleagues online have a chance"},{"t":783,"text":"to join us. But seeing no comments, all those in"},{"t":786,"text":"favor of the published agenda. Anyone opposed? That is unanimous."},{"t":791,"text":"Thank you very much for that. We do as I"},{"t":794,"text":"mentioned earlier, I have 13 people who would like to"},{"t":796,"text":"address Council tonight on a variety of different issues. Just"},{"t":800,"text":"before we start, I will just remind folks, although I'm"},{"t":803,"text":"sure most of you remember this. There are three lights"},{"t":805,"text":"on the podium when you come up to the podium."},{"t":807,"text":"There's a green light, which is indicating you should start."},{"t":810,"text":"There's a yellow light which tells you that you have"},{"t":812,"text":"heavily one minute left, and then the red light when"},{"t":815,"text":"your time is up. You do have up to five"},{"t":817,"text":"minutes. You don't need to use them all, but you"},{"t":819,"text":"certainly are welcome to do so. Uh, after five minutes,"},{"t":822,"text":"uh, we will turn off your mic. So do try"},{"t":824,"text":"and time yourself, uh, accordingly. Uh, your role here is"},{"t":828,"text":"to address council so that we can learn from you"},{"t":831,"text":"and hear you and listen to you and connect with"},{"t":833,"text":"you after the fact. If in fact we have a"},{"t":836,"text":"desire or a need to follow up. We do have"},{"t":838,"text":"all of your contact information. Uh, it's important for you"},{"t":841,"text":"to address Council and not the audience, because this is"},{"t":843,"text":"your opportunity to help us learn. At the same time,"},{"t":847,"text":"audience, we will ask you to be respectful of the"},{"t":850,"text":"speakers and of the protocols that guide us in our"},{"t":854,"text":"work here tonight. And so that means I know you're"},{"t":856,"text":"going to be enthusiastic and excited about some of our"},{"t":858,"text":"speakers. Please try and restrain yourselves. Because at the same"},{"t":862,"text":"time, if there were speakers for whom you perhaps have"},{"t":865,"text":"a little less support, they will be uncomfortable. And we"},{"t":868,"text":"want to make sure that they have a chance to"},{"t":870,"text":"speak their minds as they need. So let us get"},{"t":874,"text":"started with all of our speakers tonight. And interestingly, the"},{"t":877,"text":"very first person up is a video. And this is"},{"t":879,"text":"in fact, uh, by Ed Pullman with regard to cycling."},{"t":883,"text":"And so staff, do you have this video ready to"},{"t":885,"text":"play? When you do. Throw it on. Victoria City Council."},{"t":895,"text":"It is a pleasure to address you tonight. Thank you"},{"t":897,"text":"very much for the opportunity. You boost volume there a"},{"t":900,"text":"little bit? I am here tonight to talk to you"},{"t":902,"text":"about how Victoria's bike lanes and benefit are region. A"},{"t":907,"text":"little bit about myself. I and Ascended resident for more"},{"t":910,"text":"Victoria resident. I live in the gorge Tilcombe area with"},{"t":914,"text":"my wife and two young children ages nine and four."},{"t":919,"text":"My nine year old is approaching his teenage years. Is"},{"t":922,"text":"adolescence. And my wife and I don't want to have"},{"t":925,"text":"to drive our children everywhere. Until they can drive themselves."},{"t":929,"text":"And we have no intention on buying them their own"},{"t":932,"text":"car because cars are extremely expensive. And we spend a"},{"t":935,"text":"lot of money on our mortgage and our essentials like"},{"t":938,"text":"food. I think a lot of families and young people"},{"t":941,"text":"are having this realization too. Uh, cars are expensive. And"},{"t":946,"text":"they are not the symbol status symbol of freedom that"},{"t":949,"text":"they were for a previous generation. In fact, it's quite"},{"t":952,"text":"the opposite. We see that with auto dependency. Uh, children"},{"t":956,"text":"actually have less freedom. They get less exercise. And we"},{"t":960,"text":"see more preventable injury and death among children. The more"},{"t":964,"text":"cars we have in society. Uh, this is clearly seen,"},{"t":967,"text":"uh, in statistics Canada. Um, numbers unintentional injuries are the"},{"t":972,"text":"leading cause of preventable death. With motor vehicle collisions being"},{"t":975,"text":"the primary cause of injury related mortality for children over"},{"t":979,"text":"the age of one. That is a simple fact. And"},{"t":988,"text":"we can see this motor dome world that we live"},{"t":991,"text":"in clearly represented in the fact that children do not"},{"t":995,"text":"have the freedom of mobility that they used to have."},{"t":998,"text":"So here's a graph from a family studies and student"},{"t":1001,"text":"at the United States. These numbers are taken from the"},{"t":1004,"text":"states, but I would expect that we have very similar"},{"t":1006,"text":"numbers up here in Canada. And I'd like you on"},{"t":1010,"text":"Council to reflect on your own childhood. How much freedom"},{"t":1014,"text":"you had to move around when you were young and"},{"t":1018,"text":"think about the current generation and how little freedom they"},{"t":1022,"text":"have. And I would like you to try to connect"},{"t":1025,"text":"the two. Why is that. And I can tell you"},{"t":1028,"text":"why. It's because we have way more cars, cars have"},{"t":1031,"text":"gotten bigger. They're faster and they're everywhere. So cars harm"},{"t":1039,"text":"children and impede their freedom. This is a simple fact."},{"t":1042,"text":"It is a fact of basic physics. Force equals mass"},{"t":1045,"text":"times times acceleration. We all learn this back in the"},{"t":1048,"text":"seventh or eighth grade. Uh, so how do we reduce"},{"t":1051,"text":"the death and injury of children from cars and give"},{"t":1054,"text":"them their freedom back and make parents less afraid of"},{"t":1057,"text":"giving their children the freedom that you had when you"},{"t":1060,"text":"were a child. And it's really simple. We build safer"},{"t":1064,"text":"streets. We put in traffic coming. We put in protected"},{"t":1067,"text":"bike lanes. We slow cars down. So that they can"},{"t":1071,"text":"do less harm to people when accidents and crashes happen."},{"t":1075,"text":"Because people make mistakes all the time, whether that's people"},{"t":1078,"text":"driving cars or whether that's peep vulnerable users. Mistakes happen."},{"t":1084,"text":"And we need to mitigate that harm. How do we"},{"t":1086,"text":"mitigate that harm? It's very simple. Drive slower. Here is"},{"t":1091,"text":"my son. Nine years old, cycling back from our swimming"},{"t":1095,"text":"lesson. Uh, crystal pool. Uh, so, um, this is, uh,"},{"t":1101,"text":"this is what our by group used to look like"},{"t":1103,"text":"before the implementation of the gorge road bike lanes. We"},{"t":1107,"text":"had a 7. 4 trip kilometer trip. To take essentially"},{"t":1112,"text":"safe road. So no liking on arterial roads without a"},{"t":1116,"text":"bike lane. I'm obviously not safe doing that with my"},{"t":1118,"text":"child. So we took a 7. 4 kilometer root. And"},{"t":1122,"text":"obviously a lot of the time we choose not to"},{"t":1123,"text":"bike because frankly we didn't have the time. We have"},{"t":1126,"text":"Saturday mornings, uh, 9 a. m. swimming classes. So not"},{"t":1131,"text":"really in a position to get up that extra early"},{"t":1134,"text":"bike this long distance. So usually I would either take"},{"t":1137,"text":"him in my cargo bike or drive him. Uh, with"},{"t":1141,"text":"the completion of the gorge road bike lane. This has"},{"t":1143,"text":"now been shortened to 4. 3 kilometers. So it's 3"},{"t":1146,"text":"kilometers less. And frankly, people aren't going to choose to"},{"t":1150,"text":"bike much if they're having to detour 3 kilometers. So"},{"t":1153,"text":"this safe by group provided by the leadership, um, at"},{"t":1156,"text":"the City Victoria, benefits everyone in the region, including San"},{"t":1159,"text":"Ed residents like myself. Uh, the last thing I want"},{"t":1162,"text":"to mention quickly is that, um, I've talked to a"},{"t":1165,"text":"lot of cyclists, novice and experience cyclists about this growing"},{"t":1168,"text":"bike network that we have and all the more people"},{"t":1170,"text":"trying to ride bikes. And one of the number one"},{"t":1172,"text":"challenges I hear is wayfinding. So being able to safely"},{"t":1176,"text":"get around and know how to get yourself around. For"},{"t":1178,"text":"example, we have a great safe route from Holtane to"},{"t":1181,"text":"downtown Via Cedar Hillcross Walnut Chambers and Princess. I can"},{"t":1184,"text":"tell you very few people know about it. Uh, finally"},{"t":1187,"text":"we need more direct investments, capital investments in wayfinding like"},{"t":1191,"text":"we see in Vancouver. Thank you for your time. Thank"},{"t":1196,"text":"you very much. Ed. Up next is Helen Boyd, who"},{"t":1200,"text":"is here in the room. Hello, Helen. Welcome. Yes, do"},{"t":1207,"text":"pull that down a little bit just so you. How's"},{"t":1209,"text":"that? Perfect. Okay. Whenever you're ready. I'm just waiting for"},{"t":1217,"text":"the slides. Oh, slides. Right. Yes. There's a presentation. Okay."},{"t":1225,"text":"Thank you everyone, Mayor and Council. The opportunity to present"},{"t":1229,"text":"to you on Climate Adaptation to heat waves in the"},{"t":1232,"text":"city of Victoria. My name is Helen Boyd. I'm a"},{"t":1235,"text":"registered nurse and mental health councillor and I'm a member"},{"t":1238,"text":"of the Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment, the"},{"t":1241,"text":"BC chapter. We're here to, I'm here tonight and with"},{"t":1244,"text":"members of our organisation in support of the motion. Strategies"},{"t":1248,"text":"and resources to require cooling 26 degree maximum in Victoria"},{"t":1253,"text":"rental buildings. You will remember these headlines of the heat"},{"t":1257,"text":"dome of 2021. In fact, it's 619 people that were"},{"t":1261,"text":"killed during the he - dome. And here in the"},{"t":1263,"text":"city of Victoria and greater Victoria 18 deaths occurred, according"},{"t":1269,"text":"to the BC Coroners, report. So this was an incredible"},{"t":1274,"text":"heat wave. And so tonight we're here to recommend a"},{"t":1277,"text":"public health recommendation of our maximum temperature of 26 degrees."},{"t":1282,"text":"In the 2021, he dome, people died because of the"},{"t":1286,"text":"temperature inside and not the temperature outside. And that is"},{"t":1290,"text":"according to Dr. Henderson of the BCCDC and her team."},{"t":1294,"text":"So what happened is indoor temperatures built up over consecutive"},{"t":1298,"text":"days, but there was not an opportunity for cooling down"},{"t":1301,"text":"at night. So I want to share with you that"},{"t":1305,"text":"susceptible populations are between the range of 26 and 31"},{"t":1309,"text":"degrees. That's where people are at risk. And at 31"},{"t":1312,"text":"degrees, we have to physically remove them to a cooler"},{"t":1316,"text":"place for them not to jeopardize their life. So who"},{"t":1320,"text":"are the people that risk older adults during the heat"},{"t":1323,"text":"dome also with chronic illness, who have mobility issues. So"},{"t":1331,"text":"for them, it is not easy to move to a"},{"t":1333,"text":"cooling station. People who live in poverty, those living with"},{"t":1336,"text":"mental illness or substance misuse. And those also who work"},{"t":1340,"text":"outdoors. There is a continuum between heat exhaustion to heat"},{"t":1345,"text":"stroke. And so you may have experienced heat exhaustion when"},{"t":1348,"text":"you exercise vigorously outdoors, but it's very insidious to move"},{"t":1353,"text":"from heat exhaustion to heat stroke. And that's what happened"},{"t":1356,"text":"during the heat dome. And I'll just share with you"},{"t":1358,"text":"a story of a woman who told me about her"},{"t":1360,"text":"78 year old husband who had chronic renal failure. During"},{"t":1365,"text":"the heat dome, she noticed that he became increasingly confused,"},{"t":1369,"text":"disoriented. And he actually had to hold on to furniture"},{"t":1373,"text":"to walk in his apartment that was in the blazing"},{"t":1375,"text":"sun. She quickly phoned 911. She went to the emergency"},{"t":1380,"text":"room. He went to the emergency room. And of course"},{"t":1383,"text":"was rehydrated with intravenous. But he was also hospitalized because"},{"t":1386,"text":"of his chronic renal failure. They wanted to make sure"},{"t":1389,"text":"he was okay. So that's an example of the health"},{"t":1393,"text":"care costs of not addressing this issue. And the healthcare"},{"t":1396,"text":"cost of hospitalization emergency room visits far exceeds any strategies"},{"t":1400,"text":"that we might take for cooling. So social vulnerabilities include"},{"t":1405,"text":"social isolation, poverty, lack of support, but we are able"},{"t":1409,"text":"to address no access to cooling and to change that."},{"t":1412,"text":"And I encourage us to do so. So I'm doing"},{"t":1416,"text":"my share. I do heat wave readiness workshops and community"},{"t":1419,"text":"in James Bay where I live where six deaths occurred."},{"t":1422,"text":"And I hear all the time about temperatures during the"},{"t":1425,"text":"hedome of 36, 38, 39 in their apartments. I commend"},{"t":1429,"text":"the city of Victoria for these extreme heat toolkits that"},{"t":1432,"text":"are available in community centres. They include in erythermometers for"},{"t":1437,"text":"core temperature, but also these nifty little endometers that people"},{"t":1441,"text":"can have in their apartments to measure temperature and know"},{"t":1445,"text":"to remove themselves when the temperature rises beyond 26. But"},{"t":1450,"text":"that's not enough. We need to manage indoor temperature. And"},{"t":1454,"text":"I commend new west again for adopting this bylaw very"},{"t":1458,"text":"recently. And what I like about it, um, and I"},{"t":1461,"text":"think that it's really commendable is that it's not prescriptive."},{"t":1464,"text":"So landlords can do the attaining the 26 degrees in"},{"t":1468,"text":"different ways. Installing thermal curtains, for instance, appropriate insulation can"},{"t":1472,"text":"bring down the temperature significantly. Awnings reflective window coverings. And"},{"t":1478,"text":"yes, all the way to electric heat pumps. And so"},{"t":1481,"text":"electric heat pumps, yes, they could cause, you know, expenses."},{"t":1485,"text":"But what's really commendable is in this motion is the"},{"t":1489,"text":"fact that there's a request to the ministry of housing"},{"t":1492,"text":"to make sure that it does not lead to renovictions"},{"t":1495,"text":"or increases in rent. Finally, the benefits of the motion"},{"t":1499,"text":"or fewer illnesses and deaths for equity, it's protecting the"},{"t":1503,"text":"renters and people at risk that I've mentioned. It reduces"},{"t":1506,"text":"the strain on health care in terms of economics, but"},{"t":1509,"text":"also on the workers themselves. And also in terms of"},{"t":1512,"text":"climate change, it aligns with municipal retrofits and heat pump"},{"t":1516,"text":"strategies. So thank you, uh, Council for the first step"},{"t":1520,"text":"today and look forward to working with you. Victoria can"},{"t":1524,"text":"really be a climate leader. And most importantly protect health"},{"t":1526,"text":"at the same time. Thank you. Thank you very much,"},{"t":1529,"text":"Helen. Up next is Charlene Constant. Charlene in the room."},{"t":1537,"text":"Oh yes, there you are. Come right up to the"},{"t":1542,"text":"podium. Pull it down a little so you can speak"},{"t":1546,"text":"right into it. Hello. Very good. Yes. Thank you. Whenever"},{"t":1549,"text":"you're ready. All right. So my name is Charlene Constant."},{"t":1561,"text":"And I'm from Manitoba. I'm Swampy Cree. And I thought"},{"t":1565,"text":"I would just read a little. I guess, uh, some"},{"t":1571,"text":"pages from my journal. So I'll start by just things"},{"t":1578,"text":"that I've noticed. Um, being in the community, but also,"},{"t":1583,"text":"uh, being active in a virtual sense so that empowerment"},{"t":1587,"text":"can be something to be strive for instead of the"},{"t":1592,"text":"neglect that seems so apparent. By the oppression that's enforced."},{"t":1601,"text":"The level of harassment sometimes that resource centres that are"},{"t":1604,"text":"supposed to be helping the most vulnerable are being perpetrated"},{"t":1610,"text":"by staff members just by bumping into somebody. Well, that"},{"t":1614,"text":"gets somebody kicked out for the night and they really"},{"t":1617,"text":"needed that place for the night. But because that person"},{"t":1621,"text":"was careless and clumsy around the staff member and bumped"},{"t":1624,"text":"into that person, well, they had to find somewhere else."},{"t":1630,"text":"And. I just, uh, I think because I've been around"},{"t":1635,"text":"some of the resource centres, I bear witness what is"},{"t":1639,"text":"happening and it's, uh, there's still so much violence there"},{"t":1644,"text":"sometimes. The help is the good ones, but there's also"},{"t":1649,"text":"ones that are, um, enabling misconduct."},{"t":1659,"text":"Conduct not be fitting of a staff member when harassment"},{"t":1663,"text":"or. Shameful language where someone just asks you as a"},{"t":1670,"text":"washroom at a resource centre. Which one are you doing?"},{"t":1673,"text":"Number one or number two? This is what a staff"},{"t":1675,"text":"member is asking someone that wants to use the washroom."},{"t":1679,"text":"Remember. And I remember growing up and we didn't have"},{"t":1684,"text":"the signs of no one can use the washroom. We"},{"t":1687,"text":"didn't have those signs, but now it's like, it's become"},{"t":1693,"text":"the norm. And I don't find it really is normal"},{"t":1698,"text":"because before we were a lot more compassionate when we"},{"t":1702,"text":"were considering our neighbours. And now I walk around the"},{"t":1705,"text":"city and the city sometimes smells so much like. Bodily"},{"t":1713,"text":"fluids. And blood. And it hasn't been cleaned in a"},{"t":1719,"text":"while. And I don't know if this is the responsibility"},{"t":1722,"text":"of the business or the city. But walking on our"},{"t":1726,"text":"own city on clean sidewalks, um, we'll keep the illnesses"},{"t":1734,"text":"away. Because places are not safe to be yet. There"},{"t":1742,"text":"are. So many diseases that are contagious so easy too."},{"t":1752,"text":"To catch. And they're very invasive. They're very, and sometimes"},{"t":1757,"text":"they're even weaponized against people. Friends that'll be enemies, but"},{"t":1762,"text":"then, you know, they'll act out in defiance because for"},{"t":1767,"text":"some reason, I may not fit into the scheme of"},{"t":1775,"text":"things. I call them out on what they're doing wrong"},{"t":1780,"text":"and how that's arming somebody else. And it becomes this,"},{"t":1786,"text":"uh, until it gets addressed directly. And I, and I've"},{"t":1789,"text":"had to tell people directly, you are stalking me. Stop"},{"t":1793,"text":"it. You are harassing me. Stop it. So this is,"},{"t":1799,"text":"uh, what, uh, I go through and I just wanted"},{"t":1803,"text":"to share that with you as well so that maybe"},{"t":1806,"text":"less colonialism can be used against us while we're reaching"},{"t":1810,"text":"out for help. And more arts to be offered for"},{"t":1815,"text":"the homeless because each one will pick precisely where they"},{"t":1823,"text":"want to excel in. And develop that concept to get"},{"t":1827,"text":"out of the harm's way because it's been taught to"},{"t":1831,"text":"them since they were a child. Because their parents were"},{"t":1834,"text":"oppressed too. And so it passed from one generation to"},{"t":1839,"text":"the next. And now it's like, it's like I have"},{"t":1845,"text":"to rewire my mind because I'm investing in worry. Who"},{"t":1848,"text":"taught me that? Well, my mom still does that. But"},{"t":1852,"text":"it doesn't help anybody. And now it's just, okay, bye."},{"t":1858,"text":"Thank you, Charlene. Next up is Owen Haley. Is Owen"},{"t":1865,"text":"Haley with us tonight. There you go. Come on up,"},{"t":1874,"text":"Owen. Oh, just up to the podium, please. Owen, just"},{"t":1880,"text":"up to the podium, please. Odom. Just up to the"},{"t":1883,"text":"podium, please. Yeah. Yeah. That's where the mic is. This"},{"t":1889,"text":"is just for you guys to read. It's like my"},{"t":1891,"text":"resume or whatever. Okay. You can actually give that to"},{"t":1893,"text":"our stopperson. If you don't need it. If you don't"},{"t":1896,"text":"need it to speak to. Very good. Thank you. Thanks,"},{"t":1900,"text":"Becky. That's okay. Uh, basically just says, um, my family's"},{"t":1908,"text":"been Victoria for a long time. 1848, the Queen Victoria"},{"t":1913,"text":"gave us a table dining room table. We still have"},{"t":1917,"text":"that. Um, my mom has it. My father started shakes"},{"t":1921,"text":"by Haley back in 1848. Uh, he passed away 2012"},{"t":1926,"text":"when I took it over. And, uh, had the name"},{"t":1929,"text":"to the state. But I'm here to talk about, um,"},{"t":1933,"text":"homelessness and the problem with washrooms. And we have a"},{"t":1939,"text":"few, we have things that are happening to us that"},{"t":1942,"text":"it's inflicting upon you guys. Reasons why we're angry and"},{"t":1945,"text":"we lash out against the regular community. And I believe"},{"t":1949,"text":"washrooms storage and laundry are part of the issue and"},{"t":1955,"text":"could really help ease attention between the homeless people and"},{"t":1960,"text":"the regular community. So when you're homeless and you since"},{"t":1967,"text":"2023, for those people can't see it, 24, um, when"},{"t":1973,"text":"you're homeless and you have to use a washroom, you"},{"t":1975,"text":"can't use it in any regular place. And it comes"},{"t":1979,"text":"on you and you have to use it in a"},{"t":1980,"text":"bush or something. You come on there, you feel disgusting."},{"t":1984,"text":"You're angry. You're mad at the world and you lash"},{"t":1987,"text":"out at people. Um, it never works out well for,"},{"t":1990,"text":"for anyone. Should cleanliness goes out the window. Um, so"},{"t":1995,"text":"if there was a couple more washrooms put in, somewhere"},{"t":1998,"text":"around the Fernwood area, somewhere around Johnson and, or sorry,"},{"t":2002,"text":"uh, Cook and Paston area, uh, maybe one, just a"},{"t":2008,"text":"couple more washrooms. Urinals would be good a few years."},{"t":2011,"text":"We'd be good in a few, uh, actual washrooms would"},{"t":2014,"text":"be good. If you could figure out a way to"},{"t":2016,"text":"have showers at these washrooms, uh, would make a big"},{"t":2020,"text":"difference as well. Because I mean, besides, um, Crystal Poole,"},{"t":2026,"text":"there's no real washrooms showers. Being showered, being clean, it"},{"t":2032,"text":"makes you feel more human. So, you know, when you're"},{"t":2035,"text":"out there, you really feel like people are looking at"},{"t":2038,"text":"you and downgrading you. And, you know, they're looking at"},{"t":2041,"text":"you like you're the piece of nothing. And it really,"},{"t":2045,"text":"it really boosts the confidence to have a nice shower"},{"t":2048,"text":"and feels good about yourself again. So I thought maybe"},{"t":2051,"text":"if you could think about putting, you know, the homeless"},{"t":2054,"text":"people too, a lot of them want to work, but"},{"t":2056,"text":"they can't do a nine to five. So if you"},{"t":2058,"text":"could create these two to four hour shifts where, um,"},{"t":2062,"text":"they come in and they can literally just do a"},{"t":2066,"text":"two hour shift. Here's your 3540 bucks. There you go."},{"t":2070,"text":"Have a good day. You could put them in with"},{"t":2075,"text":"a security guard maybe. Or, you know, you could put"},{"t":2079,"text":"them in these washrooms to be a tendance and clean"},{"t":2081,"text":"them. Lots of little places where they could help when,"},{"t":2088,"text":"when, you know, instead of getting a 95 job, you"},{"t":2090,"text":"could just give them a little bit of a role"},{"t":2092,"text":"to do. Storage is a huge issue. We're throwing things"},{"t":2098,"text":"in bushes. We're leaving them outside areas and things are"},{"t":2101,"text":"getting stolen. We're blaming each other. And meanwhile, you forgot"},{"t":2106,"text":"the other bush that you were at. And it's really"},{"t":2108,"text":"hard. Creates a lot of hostility amongst us. And when"},{"t":2112,"text":"we get hostile, again, we last showed against, um, the"},{"t":2116,"text":"rest of the regular community. So we got the storage"},{"t":2121,"text":"laundry. All the Victoria needs a bit more laundry. I"},{"t":2124,"text":"talked to everyone from police officers to regular people on"},{"t":2128,"text":"the street. And if I was actually going to apply"},{"t":2131,"text":"for grant maybe by putting a laundromat downtown, I think"},{"t":2135,"text":"would be a really good idea. Um, everybody needs an"},{"t":2139,"text":"extra laundromat. And run the fall bay area. I was"},{"t":2144,"text":"thinking if you could get a bottle depot and a"},{"t":2146,"text":"recycling depot in there, uh, it could kind of minimize"},{"t":2149,"text":"the travel with some of the elderly. And you could"},{"t":2152,"text":"get homeless people working that. If you did a 24"},{"t":2155,"text":"hour bottle depot homeless people, we're up all night. We're"},{"t":2160,"text":"doing whatever all night long. So, you know, if we're"},{"t":2163,"text":"sitting in a bottle depot, throwing cans and just other"},{"t":2166,"text":"bins and packing them or whatever gives us something to"},{"t":2169,"text":"do, uh, I don't, this is definitely a big struggle"},{"t":2174,"text":"for us when you're idle. You're thinking of things you"},{"t":2176,"text":"can break into and people you can hurt. Cause you"},{"t":2179,"text":"need money to do whatever. Right. Not me personally. Um,"},{"t":2182,"text":"so these things, if we could ease, they would ease"},{"t":2186,"text":"attention. They would allow the police officers to have been"},{"t":2189,"text":"more breathing space because if we're, if the homeless people"},{"t":2192,"text":"in the community are less struggling less, they're not going"},{"t":2196,"text":"to lash out as much. And they're not going to"},{"t":2198,"text":"try to be robbing people. They're not going to be"},{"t":2201,"text":"felt, feel like they're so downgraded as human beings. Thank"},{"t":2207,"text":"you very much. Thank you everyone. Up next is Ted"},{"t":2217,"text":"Smith. Ted."},{"t":2235,"text":"Home Ted. Nice to see you again. Um, thank you."},{"t":2239,"text":"Um, thank you Mayor and Council for giving me this"},{"t":2241,"text":"opportunity to speak. My name's Ted Smith. I represent the"},{"t":2245,"text":"Victoria Canada's buyers club at 1625 Quader Street. I come"},{"t":2252,"text":"to you tonight to try and avoid a humanitarian crisis."},{"t":2258,"text":"That is unfolding in the streets victory right now. Her"},{"t":2263,"text":"club has been in existence here for 30 years. And"},{"t":2267,"text":"over that time we've prodded ourselves and providing the highest"},{"t":2271,"text":"quality products to patients that we possibly could under whatever"},{"t":2275,"text":"circumstances. But now that is threatened and we have patience"},{"t":2285,"text":"that are afraid that if we're shut down. That they"},{"t":2288,"text":"will have to take the maid program that they've already"},{"t":2291,"text":"signed up to in some cases, but they've kept going"},{"t":2294,"text":"because they've got the quality of life. They've not expected"},{"t":2297,"text":"from us. Or others that will just commit suicide because"},{"t":2301,"text":"this is, uh, the only alternative to the prescription drugs"},{"t":2305,"text":"that they found that gives them life worth living. And"},{"t":2310,"text":"just others that will die without the medicines that we"},{"t":2312,"text":"provide. That's something that's unbearable. The federal medical marijuana programs"},{"t":2321,"text":"are unconstitutional and inadequate. And they have been from the"},{"t":2324,"text":"very beginning. Time and time again, the city's even written"},{"t":2329,"text":"in support of us to that effect. To both health"},{"t":2332,"text":"Canada and the solicitor general only to be ignored time"},{"t":2336,"text":"and time again. We've been to court many times. We've"},{"t":2340,"text":"won every time, including at the Supreme Court of Canada"},{"t":2343,"text":"where we made edibles and extracts legal for patients. But"},{"t":2346,"text":"health Canada replied with a 10 milligram limit, which is"},{"t":2349,"text":"completely inadequate for people trying to fight cancer or deal"},{"t":2353,"text":"with chronic pain and not take opioids or other painkillers"},{"t":2357,"text":"to live equality of life. The federal program also doesn't"},{"t":2365,"text":"allow restorefront medical access, something that is critical, especially to"},{"t":2370,"text":"new patients, cancer patients in the elderly that are just"},{"t":2373,"text":"learning to use cannabis as medicine. But also the poor"},{"t":2377,"text":"in the homeless that don't have credit cards and homes"},{"t":2381,"text":"and doctors that will necessarily sign them up to their"},{"t":2383,"text":"programs. Recently, we've gone through not only our fourth rate"},{"t":2390,"text":"since legalization, um, but you may have heard that as"},{"t":2393,"text":"of last week, uh, the landlord is facing civil forfeiture"},{"t":2398,"text":"for his building. Uh, that we've been in and facing"},{"t":2402,"text":"proceeds of crime charges. And at the same time, our"},{"t":2406,"text":"vice president and my girlfriend claim the clain as a"},{"t":2409,"text":"lean against her home from fines from previous raids where"},{"t":2413,"text":"we were on Johnson Street. And in those, in that"},{"t":2416,"text":"case, the landlord never had civil forfeiture against him. And"},{"t":2419,"text":"it seems very extreme that now the province would come"},{"t":2423,"text":"down with such, uh, heavy - handed measures when after"},{"t":2428,"text":"the last raid, three years ago, we filed lawsuit and"},{"t":2433,"text":"an injunction and for judicial review and thought that our"},{"t":2437,"text":"political efforts had quelled the provinces urged to shut down"},{"t":2442,"text":"a club despite the potential suffering that may occur as"},{"t":2448,"text":"a result."},{"t":2459,"text":"We are now faced with a very scary situation. That"},{"t":2464,"text":"we are pleading our city's help to face. Not only"},{"t":2469,"text":"with advocating to the province to withhold on any further"},{"t":2472,"text":"enforcement actions until we get a judicial review. We just"},{"t":2476,"text":"want our day in court. We want to argue that"},{"t":2479,"text":"health candleness programs continue to violate the charter of rights"},{"t":2482,"text":"and freedoms. Continue to prevent the access to the medicines"},{"t":2486,"text":"that our patients need, not only here in Victoria, but"},{"t":2489,"text":"across the country. And so we just ask for that"},{"t":2493,"text":"day in court, uh, in the meantime, there will be"},{"t":2495,"text":"maybe facing an eviction, which could end us, uh, in"},{"t":2499,"text":"serious trouble if the city doesn't provide us with help."},{"t":2503,"text":"So we're even asking if the city, uh, if it"},{"t":2505,"text":"comes to that, we'll give us a refuge in a"},{"t":2508,"text":"building. The old, the recently purchased Urbana building has some"},{"t":2513,"text":"space. There's two locations there. Um, the one that's further"},{"t":2518,"text":"back on the lot, uh, maybe made wheelchair accessible, I"},{"t":2521,"text":"think. And we might be able to move in there"},{"t":2523,"text":"and continue to exist. And under the sanctuary of our"},{"t":2528,"text":"local government. And so you'll be hearing from our members"},{"t":2531,"text":"and myself in the weeks coming up pleading for, oh,"},{"t":2537,"text":"thank you for your time. Thank you, sir."},{"t":2568,"text":"Sir, if you could take your seat, please, so we"},{"t":2570,"text":"don't have to remove you. Sorry for the disruption. Thank"},{"t":2575,"text":"you, Ted. Up next is Jacob Haas. This Jacob with"},{"t":2579,"text":"us tonight. We won the war on marijuana. Yet the"},{"t":2583,"text":"government is still served. Please, please take your seat outside"},{"t":2587,"text":"or remove yourself so we don't have to. Is Jacob"},{"t":2591,"text":"with us tonight. Jacob. Jacob. Very good. Jacob, why don't"},{"t":2597,"text":"you just pause for a beat? Sure. We'll let our"},{"t":2599,"text":"guests depart and then we'll get you started in a"},{"t":2602,"text":"minute."},{"t":2653,"text":"I think we're good. When you're ready, Jacob, go ahead."},{"t":2658,"text":"Um, hi. My name is Jacob. I live on Glasgow"},{"t":2662,"text":"Street by Topaz Park. And yeah, I have two kids."},{"t":2670,"text":"One's a two year old and one's a six year"},{"t":2672,"text":"old. And the other kids on the street, young kids,"},{"t":2679,"text":"and, um. I reached out to the city about installing"},{"t":2683,"text":"some speed bumps. And things were going quite well. Um,"},{"t":2691,"text":"I was informed that in 2021, there was like a"},{"t":2695,"text":"speed assessment. Like the overall volume of traffic is acceptable"},{"t":2699,"text":"for that type of road, but that there was, um,"},{"t":2703,"text":"enough people speeding that it put us on a list"},{"t":2706,"text":"to get speed bumps. And, uh, that was exciting. And,"},{"t":2713,"text":"um, like, uh, one of the speed bump guys was"},{"t":2719,"text":"on the street. Drawing where they were going to go"},{"t":2721,"text":"in. And I said, Hey, there's like a construction project"},{"t":2725,"text":"that's happening. So no, I didn't know about that. And"},{"t":2731,"text":"essentially what happened was, you know, as that project was"},{"t":2734,"text":"wrapping up, um, well, actually, it's still going on. It's"},{"t":2738,"text":"taking a long time, but, um, it looked like it"},{"t":2740,"text":"was wrapping up and I reached out back to the"},{"t":2742,"text":"city, the speed bump team. And they said, you know"},{"t":2744,"text":"what? There's two other projects that are meant to happen."},{"t":2748,"text":"Undergrad, like the sewer and. What I forget the other"},{"t":2752,"text":"underground pipe. And so we're going to, uh, we're going"},{"t":2756,"text":"to delay the speed bumps. And, um. That was, uh,"},{"t":2767,"text":"disappointed here. And I said, well, you know, what are"},{"t":2771,"text":"we supposed to do? Like the city's identified a problem."},{"t":2775,"text":"That people are speeding. We have children on the street."},{"t":2778,"text":"So he's known about it since 2021. And I could"},{"t":2781,"text":"imagine that like if we did another assessment, it would"},{"t":2784,"text":"be worse because people are driving faster. That was COVID."},{"t":2790,"text":"And it's frustrating and disappointing. And, um, like, like we,"},{"t":2797,"text":"we really just, we, we don't want our kids to"},{"t":2800,"text":"get hit. By car. And I joke that I would"},{"t":2809,"text":"shed one tier. But like, that's all we want. And"},{"t":2815,"text":"it's, it's the seat. Like the city's complicated. I understand"},{"t":2818,"text":"that. There's a lot of projects. Those projects could have"},{"t":2822,"text":"been coordinated. I was told that, but they weren't because"},{"t":2825,"text":"of the complex nature of different budgets and bureaucracy. And"},{"t":2830,"text":"so like, and there's no, even firm time for when"},{"t":2833,"text":"those projects are going to happen. So I'm saying, you"},{"t":2836,"text":"know, and I was told there's no interim solution. You"},{"t":2839,"text":"have to wait. I have an email stating that. And"},{"t":2843,"text":"I'm saying just put in three speed bumps. It costs"},{"t":2846,"text":"2, 100 dollars the speed bump. I'm watching the project."},{"t":2854,"text":"You know, I was also told, you know, oh, if"},{"t":2856,"text":"we put them in. And then they'll get torn up,"},{"t":2860,"text":"a taxpayer is going to come and say, Hey, why'd"},{"t":2862,"text":"you do that? What a waste of money. What are"},{"t":2863,"text":"we supposed to say to them? And it's like the"},{"t":2866,"text":"answer is so obvious. There are people speeding. We want"},{"t":2869,"text":"to protect children. It costs a bit of money to"},{"t":2873,"text":"do that. Um, so my request is, if there's nothing"},{"t":2880,"text":"in the interim and the firm time for when those"},{"t":2883,"text":"are going to be the two other projects they're going"},{"t":2886,"text":"to be done, then just put the speed bumps in."},{"t":2890,"text":"Please. That's all I have. Thank you, Jacob. Thank you."},{"t":2896,"text":"Appreciate it. Next up is Verna Stone. Is Bruno with"},{"t":2901,"text":"us tonight? Great. Please pull that mic down a little."},{"t":2909,"text":"Yes. Thank you. Um, the title seems like I want"},{"t":2913,"text":"to create rat habitat, which is quite the opposite. Anyways,"},{"t":2916,"text":"good evening, Mayor and Council. I'm a senior on a"},{"t":2921,"text":"fixed income attempting to grow as much food as possible."},{"t":2924,"text":"And I take advantage of Victoria's get growing in the"},{"t":2927,"text":"city program. In recent years, rats have become a serious"},{"t":2931,"text":"problem. They've eaten my apples even before they're ripe. They"},{"t":2935,"text":"will eat half an apple and move on to eat"},{"t":2937,"text":"the half of another. They have eaten my tomatoes, peaches,"},{"t":2940,"text":"figs, and even dug into the ground and eaten my"},{"t":2943,"text":"beautiful golden beets that were ready to be picked. I've"},{"t":2947,"text":"used the spring - loaded traps and killed many. It"},{"t":2949,"text":"is not a pleasant task. However, even when I have"},{"t":2953,"text":"string embedded in the bait, many traps have been sprung,"},{"t":2956,"text":"bait eaten and no rats caught. I feel I am"},{"t":2960,"text":"creating smarter and smarter rats. I had the traps in"},{"t":2966,"text":"my apple tree and came home one day to find"},{"t":2969,"text":"a younger rat caught dangling by one arm. He had"},{"t":2973,"text":"obviously died a painful and slow death. And that was"},{"t":2976,"text":"so distressing. Then something even more distressing happened. I inadvertently"},{"t":2981,"text":"caught a bird. So I am done with traps. A"},{"t":2985,"text":"very kind and helpful city gardener pointed out that the"},{"t":2988,"text":"IV growing on the rock in front of the building"},{"t":2990,"text":"I live in. Is a haven for rats. She pulled"},{"t":2994,"text":"the Ivy apart and showed me several nests. My amazing"},{"t":2999,"text":"and wonderful landlord helped me remove three truckloads of Ivy."},{"t":3004,"text":"And I'm now planting the rock up with native species,"},{"t":3007,"text":"sedums and knicknic and all the things that are good"},{"t":3010,"text":"for our environment and the birds and bees and butterflies"},{"t":3013,"text":"here. At the neighbouring apartment, the Aedra at 1249 -"},{"t":3018,"text":"4 Street, there is an IV condo tower of rat"},{"t":3021,"text":"habitat. A very strong rat smell can be detected. This"},{"t":3025,"text":"mound of IV is over 15 feet tall. The Ivy"},{"t":3028,"text":"encroaches on the fencing of the property at 1080 MOSS,"},{"t":3031,"text":"my neighbour at this address, Virachach is very elderly and"},{"t":3035,"text":"hardly able to remove this invasive destructive IV on the"},{"t":3038,"text":"other side of her fence. It should not be her"},{"t":3040,"text":"problem to deal with. I have written a letter to"},{"t":3043,"text":"owner and manager who I don't even know it is."},{"t":3045,"text":"I just sent it to the building. Um, telling him"},{"t":3049,"text":"of the IV problem and indicating I am willing to"},{"t":3053,"text":"help cut it down. I have had no response. When"},{"t":3056,"text":"I contacted the city about rats and invasive species on"},{"t":3059,"text":"private land, I was told not her problem. I feel"},{"t":3064,"text":"that in due of the recent Hantavirus outbreak, the city"},{"t":3067,"text":"should be very concerned about the proliferation of rats in"},{"t":3070,"text":"the city. Destroying their habitat is a good beginning. Ivy"},{"t":3075,"text":"is so destructive in so many ways. It's weakens and"},{"t":3080,"text":"kills trees. They will be more susceptible to be blown"},{"t":3082,"text":"down in windstorms and we will be getting more of"},{"t":3085,"text":"those because we're in a L ninho situation. And they"},{"t":3088,"text":"can call falling trees can cause fires and kill people"},{"t":3092,"text":"and destroy property. Anyways, IV decreases the local biodiversity. And"},{"t":3100,"text":"it's, it's not good. It's not good stuff. So, so"},{"t":3103,"text":"anyways encouraging owners of private land to keep IV under"},{"t":3108,"text":"control would be a very proactive approach to discouraging rats."},{"t":3117,"text":"I have a great appreciation for the intelligence of rats."},{"t":3120,"text":"However, rats are known vectors for disease. The city needs"},{"t":3124,"text":"to develop a serious plan to keep them in check."},{"t":3127,"text":"As I previously stated, removing their IV habitat is a"},{"t":3129,"text":"good beginning. Find out what has been most effective in"},{"t":3133,"text":"other areas plagued by rats, creating and protecting habitat for"},{"t":3137,"text":"owls and other species who use rodents as a food"},{"t":3140,"text":"source is also a natural and cost - effective way"},{"t":3143,"text":"to deal with this problem. Anyways, thank you. And, uh,"},{"t":3147,"text":"I hope someone will get on the RAT problem. Thank"},{"t":3150,"text":"you. And the IV problem. Thanks very much, Bruno. Up"},{"t":3154,"text":"next is Ashley Lawson. Welcome."},{"t":3164,"text":"Thank you. Do pull up that mic. I will just"},{"t":3169,"text":"pull you up my notes. There you go. All right."},{"t":3173,"text":"Well, thank you Mayor and Council for the opportunity to"},{"t":3176,"text":"speak with you today. I am here to voice my"},{"t":3178,"text":"support for the motion brought forward by Councillor's Dell Thompson"},{"t":3183,"text":"and Caradona on beginning to explore strategies and resources to"},{"t":3187,"text":"require cooling in Victoria rental buildings, as well as to"},{"t":3191,"text":"share some additional considerations for the Council. I'm aware you"},{"t":3196,"text":"had a very fullsome discussion on this topic earlier today."},{"t":3199,"text":"So I will try not to repeat any previously touched"},{"t":3201,"text":"on topics. I personally have lived in rental properties my"},{"t":3206,"text":"entire adult life. Over the past 10 years and seven"},{"t":3210,"text":"properties. I have never lived in a rental unit that"},{"t":3214,"text":"provided cooling. But I have lived in multiple that prohibited"},{"t":3219,"text":"AC units. I've been fortunate to call Victoria home for"},{"t":3222,"text":"the past four years while completing my medical degree at"},{"t":3225,"text":"the island medical program. My current apartment building in Sanich"},{"t":3230,"text":"does not have centralized cooling and was previously a 55"},{"t":3234,"text":"plus building. So this is an element of concern as"},{"t":3236,"text":"many of my neighbours have various financial, physical and medical"},{"t":3241,"text":"constraints that puts them at elevated risk of extreme heat"},{"t":3244,"text":"related harms. During the 2021 heat dome, I was working"},{"t":3249,"text":"out at emergency shelter in Vancouver's downtown east side. So"},{"t":3252,"text":"I have firsthand experience with the damage that extreme heat"},{"t":3255,"text":"can do to those that are vulnerable to it. And"},{"t":3259,"text":"the lack of adequate cooling during this period did lead"},{"t":3262,"text":"to those deaths as previously touched on. And all of"},{"t":3265,"text":"those occurred indoors, in homes, in buildings and spaces that"},{"t":3271,"text":"did not have the means to provide cooling or to"},{"t":3273,"text":"people who did not have the means to relocate to"},{"t":3276,"text":"cooler areas. While it saddens me to know that many"},{"t":3280,"text":"of those deaths could have been prevented, I am very"},{"t":3283,"text":"glad and grateful to the Council for bringing forward emotion"},{"t":3287,"text":"to begin the process of putting protections in place to"},{"t":3290,"text":"prevent something like this from happening again. As the items"},{"t":3294,"text":"raised in the motion, um, I agree that seeking advice"},{"t":3297,"text":"from other communities such as new West that have forged"},{"t":3302,"text":"similar paths is a great place to start. Restricting the"},{"t":3305,"text":"prohibition of cooling equipment, um, stopping landlords for betting them"},{"t":3309,"text":"would be a great first step, but it would only"},{"t":3312,"text":"protect a select portion of renters who have the financial"},{"t":3314,"text":"and physical means to procure and install AC units. And"},{"t":3319,"text":"many of our vulnerable community members would not fit that"},{"t":3321,"text":"description. Um, relating to the BC building code of 2024"},{"t":3327,"text":"that added that temperature cap of 26 degrees. That applies"},{"t":3331,"text":"to new builds beyond 2024, looking around Victoria. We don't"},{"t":3336,"text":"see many new builds going on at the moment. So"},{"t":3339,"text":"one option that I didn't hear discussed could be to"},{"t":3342,"text":"investigate whether the provincial government could expand the building code"},{"t":3346,"text":"to any existing buildings that are seeking additional building permits"},{"t":3350,"text":"to then adhere to the updated 2024 code. And thereby"},{"t":3355,"text":"be required to provide cooling. If they're already invested in"},{"t":3358,"text":"building, they might as well invest in their residence. Um,"},{"t":3364,"text":"in regards to the bylaw, to adapt the rental property"},{"t":3367,"text":"standards of maintenance act similar to kind of what New"},{"t":3370,"text":"West is doing, that is an interesting prospect. But as"},{"t":3376,"text":"of February, 2026, there are many residential spaces that are"},{"t":3379,"text":"not covered by the residential TENSEA Act. To my understanding,"},{"t":3383,"text":"therefore they're not expressly covered by the rental property standards"},{"t":3386,"text":"of maintenance by law here in Victoria. This would include"},{"t":3389,"text":"transitional housing, emergency shelters, rehabilitative housing, and assisted living. So"},{"t":3396,"text":"as you begin your exploration and drafting of methods to"},{"t":3399,"text":"protect our community, I urge you to carefully consider the"},{"t":3403,"text":"manner in which you choose to do so to best"},{"t":3406,"text":"encompass all residents, not just those with financial means and"},{"t":3410,"text":"not just those covered by the RTA. You have the"},{"t":3412,"text":"opportunity today as you start along with path to lay"},{"t":3416,"text":"a comprehensive groundwork that can avoid the need for further"},{"t":3419,"text":"revisions and duplication of effort. I know change takes a"},{"t":3425,"text":"while, but climate change will not wait until all ducks"},{"t":3429,"text":"are in a row. The temperature fluctuations are going to"},{"t":3432,"text":"continue increasing. And as it currently stands, many residences don't"},{"t":3436,"text":"have adequate climate resilience measures. I'm grateful to hear of"},{"t":3439,"text":"your unanimous passing of today's motion. I'm glad the first"},{"t":3443,"text":"initial steps can begin to be taken to protect the"},{"t":3446,"text":"health and safety of its citizens and prevent needless loss"},{"t":3449,"text":"of life due to extreme heat. Thank you very much."},{"t":3452,"text":"I look forward to your port in July. Thank you"},{"t":3454,"text":"very much, Ashley. Up next is Harland Bird. And I"},{"t":3459,"text":"believe Harland is on the phone. Is that correct? Is"},{"t":3462,"text":"Harland ready to go on the phone. Yep. Okay. Yeah,"},{"t":3467,"text":"we can hear you. Go ahead whenever you're ready. Fantastic."},{"t":3471,"text":"Uh, I apologise for not being able to be there"},{"t":3473,"text":"in person. Uh, but I also wanted to, uh, call"},{"t":3478,"text":"in and support this motion to expore strategies and resources"},{"t":3481,"text":"to acquire cooling. And Victoria's rental buildings on behalf of"},{"t":3486,"text":"the Victoria Tenants Union or Vic TU, which I represent."},{"t":3491,"text":"It's now five years. Since high summer heat caused the"},{"t":3495,"text":"death of about two dozen people in greater Victor Victoria"},{"t":3498,"text":"and many more across DC with most of these deaths"},{"t":3501,"text":"occurring in homes and multi - unit buildings without adequate"},{"t":3504,"text":"cooling system, according to the BCE chief corner. And yet"},{"t":3508,"text":"there's still no legal requirement for rental homes built prior"},{"t":3511,"text":"to 2024 to include spaces that do not exceed 26"},{"t":3515,"text":"degrees Celsius. Um, as Councillor's know generally considered to be"},{"t":3519,"text":"the maximum safe ambient indoor temperature. This is a major"},{"t":3523,"text":"lapse of government's responsibility to safeguard the lives and well"},{"t":3527,"text":"- being of their constituents. And with spring and summer"},{"t":3530,"text":"heat continuing to rise, heat protections for tenants are urgently"},{"t":3534,"text":"needed. So big to you calls for a timely enactment"},{"t":3537,"text":"of a bylaw or by laws that require at least"},{"t":3540,"text":"one room in every rental unit in the city for"},{"t":3544,"text":"exceeding 26 degrees. And which prohibit landlords from preventing tenants"},{"t":3548,"text":"from further protecting themselves from unsafe temperatures by installing air"},{"t":3552,"text":"conditioning unit. To be clear, however, it must be the"},{"t":3556,"text":"landlord's responsibility to install the necessary cooling systems and to"},{"t":3560,"text":"maintain at least one room at 26 degrees or cooler."},{"t":3564,"text":"Simply allowing tenants to expend their own resources installing air"},{"t":3568,"text":"conditioning must not be sufficient to discharge this responsibility and"},{"t":3572,"text":"will result in the preventable death and injury of tenants"},{"t":3575,"text":"due to Heathstroke. And tenants cannot be expected to pay"},{"t":3580,"text":"more than they already are for the quote unquote luxury"},{"t":3583,"text":"of being safe in their homes. Rents and Victoria are"},{"t":3587,"text":"already far too high with a recent Canadian Centre for"},{"t":3590,"text":"POLLE TE's reporting that this city is a third most"},{"t":3593,"text":"unaffordable in the country for renters, just behind Vancouver and"},{"t":3596,"text":"Toronto. And moreover, thousands of former and would - B"},{"t":3600,"text":"tenants are already languishing on the city streets. Because they"},{"t":3603,"text":"can't afford a home. Allowing landlords to raise rents to"},{"t":3607,"text":"pay for cooling systems will only cast Bill More tenants"},{"t":3610,"text":"out onto the street where they are hardly safer than"},{"t":3613,"text":"they would be in an overheated home. This means that"},{"t":3617,"text":"great care must be taken to ensure that landlords do"},{"t":3620,"text":"not evict tenants in the name of renovations to install"},{"t":3622,"text":"cooling systems as the absence of vacancy control and BC"},{"t":3625,"text":"typically translates such displacement into higher rents. And landlords do"},{"t":3630,"text":"not pass on the cost of installing cooling systems. The"},{"t":3634,"text":"tenants, for example, through the additional rent increases for capital"},{"t":3637,"text":"expenditures, loot poll, which allows above guideline rent increases to"},{"t":3640,"text":"pass on repair and maintenance expenses to tenants. This will"},{"t":3645,"text":"not be easier straightforward. Uh, the VICU is well aware"},{"t":3649,"text":"that implementing this legislation will be challenging. But these challenges"},{"t":3653,"text":"simply must be faced and overcome. Tenants who comprise majority"},{"t":3657,"text":"of Victoria's population need homes to live in, not slow"},{"t":3661,"text":"cookers. So just to summarize, the Victoria Tending Union support"},{"t":3666,"text":"for any legislation resulting from this motion is contingent upon"},{"t":3670,"text":"three considerations. First, it must mandate one safe room parental"},{"t":3674,"text":"unit, not per building. Uh, second, it must be the"},{"t":3678,"text":"landlord's responsibility to provide and install the necessary cooling systems,"},{"t":3682,"text":"not the tenants. And third, great effort must be made"},{"t":3686,"text":"to prevent landlords from either evicting tenants in the name"},{"t":3688,"text":"of renovations to install cooling systems or to pass on"},{"t":3692,"text":"the cost of installing those cooling systems. Lieutenants. And we"},{"t":3695,"text":"think this should include calling on the provincial government to"},{"t":3698,"text":"institute vacancy control and additional rent increases for capital expenditures."},{"t":3704,"text":"So we applaud Council for a passing this motion this"},{"t":3707,"text":"morning, uh, and for finally taking a step towards preventing"},{"t":3711,"text":"a repeat of the rash of heat deaths, the tenants"},{"t":3713,"text":"suffered in 2021. And we urge you to do everything"},{"t":3716,"text":"necessary to bring a heat protection flylaw for tenants into"},{"t":3719,"text":"existence as US Minister has recently done. Thank you very"},{"t":3723,"text":"much. Thank you very much, Harland. Up next is Shannon"},{"t":3727,"text":"Houston. Shannon with us. Oh, Shannon is a video that's"},{"t":3730,"text":"correct. When you're ready to play that stuff, please go"},{"t":3733,"text":"ahead. Hi, I'm Dr. Shannon Houston, a family physician here"},{"t":3740,"text":"in Victoria and a volunteer with the Canadian Association of"},{"t":3743,"text":"Physicians for the Environment. Can we boost the volume? Speaking"},{"t":3746,"text":"in support of the motion before you today to require"},{"t":3747,"text":"cooling in Victoria's rental buildings. Every day in my practice,"},{"t":3752,"text":"I see patients whose health is already at risk. Elderly"},{"t":3755,"text":"patients with respiratory disease, chronic illness or mental health conditions"},{"t":3759,"text":"that worsen with heat and smoke. With this summer forecasted"},{"t":3763,"text":"to be one of the hottest on record and wildfire"},{"t":3765,"text":"season looming, I'm deeply concerned. Our city's high proportion of"},{"t":3769,"text":"seniors means we must act now to prevent another tragedy,"},{"t":3772,"text":"like the 2021 heat dome. We're 619 British Columbians died."},{"t":3777,"text":"98 percent of them indoors and most over the age"},{"t":3780,"text":"of 70. This motion's about fairness and survival. Extreme heat"},{"t":3785,"text":"exacerbates respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Triggers dehydration and kidney injury."},{"t":3790,"text":"And worsens stress, anxiety, and cognitive impairment. The people most"},{"t":3794,"text":"vulnerable to extreme heat, including those without cooling options, those"},{"t":3798,"text":"with disabilities, or taking medication that increase heat sensitivity. Place"},{"t":3802,"text":"at 1. 3 times higher odds of hospitalization during heat"},{"t":3805,"text":"waves. For my patients with schizophrenia, the risk is three"},{"t":3809,"text":"times higher than the average British Columbian. Older adults, those"},{"t":3813,"text":"are pre - existing conditions such as hard along disease"},{"t":3816,"text":"and people who are socially isolated are at the greatest"},{"t":3818,"text":"risk. No one should die in their home because they"},{"t":3821,"text":"can't escape the heat. Victoria has a chance to lead."},{"t":3825,"text":"Newest Minster recently passed a very similar motion, requiring landlord's"},{"t":3829,"text":"ensure that at least one room in each home stay"},{"t":3831,"text":"at or below 26 degrees Celsius. This motion asks for"},{"t":3835,"text":"a staff report to explore the same here. A modest"},{"t":3838,"text":"life - saving step. He pumps, which reduce heat, cool,"},{"t":3843,"text":"and filter the air can be part of that solution."},{"t":3846,"text":"But we need standards to ensure no renter is left"},{"t":3848,"text":"behind. The community charter and the local government act give"},{"t":3852,"text":"you the authority to regulate rental housing for public health."},{"t":3855,"text":"The residential tenancy act unfortunately doesn't specify maximum indoor temperatures,"},{"t":3860,"text":"but you can. And you have the moral obligation to"},{"t":3863,"text":"do so because climate change won't wait. This isn't about"},{"t":3866,"text":"comfort, but about health and equity. Low - income tenants,"},{"t":3870,"text":"seniors, and people with disabilities often have the fewest options"},{"t":3873,"text":"to cool their homes. A 26 - degree cap is"},{"t":3876,"text":"necessary to protect lives. Our energy to support this motion."},{"t":3880,"text":"My patients are counting on you. Let's make sure no"},{"t":3882,"text":"one in Victoria. Suffers or dies because their home is"},{"t":3886,"text":"too hot to survive. Thank you. Thank you, Shannon. Up"},{"t":3890,"text":"next we have another video, I believe Ken Johnson. Hello."},{"t":3899,"text":"I am Ken Johnson. And I am speaking to you"},{"t":3902,"text":"on behalf of the friends of Centennial Square. A group"},{"t":3907,"text":"dedicated to the revitalization. Of Centennial Square. For many years,"},{"t":3913,"text":"Victoria has contemplated a fine new building, ordering centennial square."},{"t":3919,"text":"And encompassing the site of the single - story building"},{"t":3922,"text":"at the corner of Fisgard and Douglas and the existing"},{"t":3926,"text":"city - owned parking lot. Many proponents speak of the"},{"t":3930,"text":"main branch of the greater Victoria Public Library. Being a"},{"t":3934,"text":"prime occupant. Parking for the new structure would be underground."},{"t":3940,"text":"And restaurants, childcare, and a senior centre are contemplated. Expanded"},{"t":3946,"text":"office space for a growing city staff and an additional"},{"t":3950,"text":"residential component. Are also possibilities. Today, library dreams may seem"},{"t":3958,"text":"far off. But. Our current budgetary restrictions may preclude any"},{"t":3964,"text":"positive action. Planning could and should be instigated. The greater"},{"t":3971,"text":"Victoria Public Library annular report states that the library is"},{"t":3976,"text":"more than a building. It is a vibrant hub, where"},{"t":3980,"text":"curiosity thrives, and meaningful connections blossom. A place to connect."},{"t":3987,"text":"Discover, and imagine. So, while we imagine new buildings, are"},{"t":3994,"text":"there steps the city could take to turn centennial square"},{"t":3997,"text":"into such a hub. The friends of Centennial Square wish"},{"t":4002,"text":"to suggest the city permit immediate installation. Of a little"},{"t":4007,"text":"free library within this square. Every neighbourhood within greater Victor"},{"t":4013,"text":"Victoria is a number of little free libraries. It was"},{"t":4017,"text":"recently reported that over 800 have been installed. But a"},{"t":4022,"text":"closer review of the little free library map indicates that"},{"t":4026,"text":"our few within the downtown core. A little free library"},{"t":4031,"text":"is open 24 hours a day, 365 days of the"},{"t":4035,"text":"year, and users do not need identification. A fixed address"},{"t":4041,"text":"or an email address to borrow a book. We previously"},{"t":4045,"text":"had a little re - library in the square. It"},{"t":4048,"text":"was relocated for reasons cited as vandalism. During a tie"},{"t":4052,"text":"when camping was allowed in the square. A library box"},{"t":4057,"text":"was moved to the front of the crystal garden. But"},{"t":4061,"text":"it has not been seen since 2022. The city has"},{"t":4064,"text":"now increased security in the fuck square threefold. We are"},{"t":4069,"text":"sure the city has the resilience to adapt and change"},{"t":4073,"text":"and stand up to such senseless vandalism. The foreman placement"},{"t":4079,"text":"of our little free libraries is indicative of the magitative"},{"t":4083,"text":"and creative skills. Of our citizens. They can be large"},{"t":4088,"text":"and small, colourful, and simple. Some reflecting an avatar of"},{"t":4092,"text":"the nearby building, and some adding multiple divisions. And adjacent"},{"t":4098,"text":"seating areas. A little free library could be freestanding. Or"},{"t":4103,"text":"could be firmly attached to the convenience surfaces of nearby"},{"t":4107,"text":"walls. The intense presence of bylaw and security services should"},{"t":4113,"text":"alleviate any concerns of vandalism. Victoria place making network. States"},{"t":4120,"text":"that little free libraries help create an inclusive, inviting public"},{"t":4125,"text":"space. Where neighbours and strangers. And meet each other to"},{"t":4129,"text":"share books, ideas, or just small talk. We are sure"},{"t":4134,"text":"you would agree. That Centennial Square could be such as"},{"t":4138,"text":"public space. So how do we move this request forward."},{"t":4143,"text":"Which department should we contact. PERC. Facility services, planning. The"},{"t":4150,"text":"friends of Centennial Square can supply the unit. What design."},{"t":4154,"text":"We can consult with whichever department is appropriate. And city"},{"t":4159,"text":"public works can install, but we need help and direction."},{"t":4164,"text":"Please have someone contact us. At friendsofcentennial Square at Gmail."},{"t":4170,"text":"com. Thank you very much. Thank you, Ken."},{"t":4179,"text":"Up next is Janie Rollins, but I do not see"},{"t":4182,"text":"Janie here. Oh, you're hiding, you're hiding! There you go."},{"t":4186,"text":"One up, Janie. Nice to see you here. Nice to"},{"t":4189,"text":"see you again. And I'm always quick into the point,"},{"t":4195,"text":"as always. We know we need more, and I'm talking"},{"t":4200,"text":"rental housing and low - income rental housing. And there's"},{"t":4206,"text":"no it's or butts about what we need it. To"},{"t":4210,"text":"help the people so that they can go from the"},{"t":4214,"text":"street into the shelter, into low - income. Unless, of"},{"t":4219,"text":"course, they happen to be well - educated and can"},{"t":4224,"text":"get themselves a good job. Sometimes this happens, and having"},{"t":4229,"text":"worked in a shelter for all of those years in"},{"t":4232,"text":"my life, there was a few tenants like that. So"},{"t":4235,"text":"I want to make sure that people don't have to,"},{"t":4239,"text":"and get them off the street as soon as possible."},{"t":4242,"text":"And I would like, if possible, all of the shelters"},{"t":4246,"text":"to be, we were very firm. Ours is the second"},{"t":4249,"text":"oldest shelter in the country. So, uh, people would fight"},{"t":4254,"text":"to get into our shelter, even though it only had"},{"t":4257,"text":"17 beds, you know. But we were a dry shelter,"},{"t":4262,"text":"so we had a lot of people who were on"},{"t":4265,"text":"drugs. But they found it was very difficult to go"},{"t":4269,"text":"off when they're surrounded by it. That's why I convinced"},{"t":4274,"text":"the youth sheltered to have the top floor drug -"},{"t":4277,"text":"free. But we need more dry shelters. Because as part"},{"t":4284,"text":"of the transition. And we need to be more positive"},{"t":4289,"text":"about the people on the street. I keep hearing negative"},{"t":4293,"text":"stuff all the time. Go on job! You know? And"},{"t":4298,"text":"the presumption that they're all there, because of taking drugs."},{"t":4303,"text":"This is not the case. Many never, ever touched drugs"},{"t":4309,"text":"until they were on the street. And it was a"},{"t":4312,"text":"means of coping. Unfortunately, they became addicted. And so this"},{"t":4318,"text":"makes it more and more difficult for them. And I"},{"t":4321,"text":"wish people would really understand this more. And I would"},{"t":4325,"text":"just like to see more and more help. So that"},{"t":4329,"text":"we can get the people on with their lives. And"},{"t":4333,"text":"the understand that people, everybody has a right. To have"},{"t":4337,"text":"a wonderful future. And if it isn't right there at"},{"t":4342,"text":"this moment, let's help them get it. And go on"},{"t":4345,"text":"that way. Some people are able to do it themselves."},{"t":4349,"text":"But most that are on the street have run into"},{"t":4353,"text":"difficulties in their lives. And so they're going through a"},{"t":4357,"text":"stage, which is very difficult and hard to get. In"},{"t":4361,"text":"a positive direction. So I just want more dry shelters,"},{"t":4367,"text":"and I want more low - income housing. Possibly, and"},{"t":4372,"text":"I don't know if you can do this, check the"},{"t":4374,"text":"income, because sometimes people could be in low - income"},{"t":4377,"text":"housing. And then to get a job, and then they"},{"t":4379,"text":"get a promotion. So I don't know if you check"},{"t":4383,"text":"this, but they might be eligible to move out of"},{"t":4387,"text":"there and open a space for somebody who needs it."},{"t":4391,"text":"And we do need more rental housing anyway. And I'd"},{"t":4396,"text":"like to mention one other thing, because I do care"},{"t":4398,"text":"about all people. I have some of my relatives that"},{"t":4403,"text":"have left. Victoria. Because they couldn't afford to buy a"},{"t":4409,"text":"house here. And they wanted to have children. And they"},{"t":4413,"text":"couldn't do both. And they've moved to Alberta. And they"},{"t":4421,"text":"found a house. So what was going for one million"},{"t":4424,"text":"hundred thousand here. In Victoria. In Calgary was 450, 000."},{"t":4430,"text":"And they found a place outside 20 minutes outside, 150,"},{"t":4434,"text":"000. They say it's a dump, but it gives them"},{"t":4438,"text":"the belief that they can have a child and go"},{"t":4441,"text":"on with their life. So I'd like to thank everybody"},{"t":4444,"text":"here for listening to me. And I liked all the"},{"t":4447,"text":"other people that spoke as well. I thought they were"},{"t":4449,"text":"very, very informative. Thank you very much. Thank you, Janie."},{"t":4455,"text":"Although I missed Janie in my peering, I don't see"},{"t":4457,"text":"Diana. No, she can't make it this evening. Okay, that's"},{"t":4461,"text":"great. Good to know. Thanks very much, Janie. Uh, we'll"},{"t":4463,"text":"put her on the list for next time. Uh, that"},{"t":4466,"text":"does then conclude our speakers for addressing Council this evening."},{"t":4470,"text":"And so we will now move on to the second"},{"t":4472,"text":"part of our meeting, which is The Public Hearing. We"},{"t":4476,"text":"don't do these very often, so I'm going to go"},{"t":4477,"text":"through a little bit of information for folks. So public"},{"t":4480,"text":"hearings these days can be, you can participate in them"},{"t":4484,"text":"in five different ways. You can watch the meeting live,"},{"t":4487,"text":"um, which is online at Victoria. ca Council meetings. You"},{"t":4490,"text":"can submit written comments either by email to publicarings at"},{"t":4494,"text":"Victoria. ca or by regular mail to legislativeservices, or you"},{"t":4498,"text":"can just drop off your litter at City Hall. You"},{"t":4501,"text":"can submit a pre - recorded video to public hearings"},{"t":4503,"text":"at Victoria. ca, and you can also call us during"},{"t":4507,"text":"the discussion. And speak with us live via telephone, and"},{"t":4510,"text":"we'll give the numbers up for that shortly. And of"},{"t":4513,"text":"course you can be here tonight and attend in person."},{"t":4517,"text":"Just as a reminder again, our public hearing process has"},{"t":4520,"text":"five different parts. First city stuff give us a brief"},{"t":4523,"text":"overview of what the application actually is. And, uh, what"},{"t":4526,"text":"are the material factors that Council should consider. And then"},{"t":4529,"text":"the applicant has the opportunity to make a presentation of"},{"t":4533,"text":"up to 15 minutes if they so choose. The public"},{"t":4535,"text":"then has a chance to ask questions of the applicant."},{"t":4538,"text":"Uh, the applicant doesn't answer directly. I take notes of"},{"t":4541,"text":"those questions. And then when all of the questions have"},{"t":4543,"text":"been asked, then I will ask those of the applicant."},{"t":4546,"text":"Finally, Council has a chance to ask questions of both"},{"t":4549,"text":"the applicant and the staff before making their final decision"},{"t":4553,"text":"after deliberating. So those are the five parts of the"},{"t":4555,"text":"hearing process. So this is, as it notes on the"},{"t":4560,"text":"Council Agenda, the Heritage Designation Application for the property at"},{"t":4563,"text":"1527 Red Vern Street. So first of all, I'm going"},{"t":4567,"text":"to turn to our able staff, who I will hope"},{"t":4570,"text":"will begin by identifying themselves for the public who will"},{"t":4573,"text":"then give us a brief summary of the application and"},{"t":4576,"text":"the matters that Council should consider. PENICH and good evening"},{"t":4579,"text":"through the mirror. Uh, my name is Crystal Stevenau. I'm"},{"t":4582,"text":"the senior Heritage Planner for Development Services. Um, so this"},{"t":4586,"text":"is an owner initiated Heritage designation application for the property"},{"t":4590,"text":"at 1527 Redfern Street for the purposes of designating the"},{"t":4595,"text":"property as a municipal Heritage site and protecting the exterior"},{"t":4599,"text":"of the house. The local government act requires a public"},{"t":4602,"text":"hearing for Heritage designation bylaws and the matters for Council's"},{"t":4606,"text":"consideration this evening are whether there is sufficient Heritage Value"},{"t":4610,"text":"and character to merit and approve the Heritage designation. Thank"},{"t":4614,"text":"you for that, Steven. Is the applicant here present? Yes,"},{"t":4618,"text":"you are. Do you wish to make a presentation. You're"},{"t":4622,"text":"sorry, can you say that again? You do. Come on"},{"t":4624,"text":"up then. If you're going to make a presentation, you've"},{"t":4626,"text":"got 15 minutes. That's okay. You have up to 15"},{"t":4631,"text":"minutes. How about that? And, uh, do you have a"},{"t":4636,"text":"presentation that staff have for you or are you going"},{"t":4638,"text":"to? No, I just want to speak a few words."},{"t":4640,"text":"Very good. What were you? Um, I'd like to thank"},{"t":4643,"text":"the opportunity for being here, um, for mayor and council."},{"t":4646,"text":"My name is Debbie Campbell. I have lived at 1527"},{"t":4650,"text":"Redfordn Street for almost 27 years. And it is very"},{"t":4654,"text":"much my home. And, um, I fell in love with"},{"t":4657,"text":"it because it wasn't older home. Um, a little brief"},{"t":4662,"text":"story. I grew up in Newfoundland and Labrador. And my"},{"t":4666,"text":"parents are 90 and they keep asking me when I'm"},{"t":4668,"text":"going to get a real house, a new house. But"},{"t":4675,"text":"getting the heritage designation is really important to me for"},{"t":4679,"text":"a number of reasons. One is self - study neighbourhood"},{"t":4684,"text":"is a very unique, almost little secret within greater Victoria."},{"t":4689,"text":"There's only several streets. Um, I had the privilege of"},{"t":4693,"text":"raising both of my young men, my adult son's there."},{"t":4698,"text":"Of course, I'm very proud of. Um, and I had"},{"t":4701,"text":"the wonderful opportunity of learning the history of my home."},{"t":4706,"text":"And it is an incredible history. Um, at one point"},{"t":4710,"text":"in time, it was part of Oak Bay. It is"},{"t":4712,"text":"on original co - sailids land. It was part of"},{"t":4717,"text":"the PEMERSON farms. These lots were sold in Toronto. And"},{"t":4723,"text":"throughout Canada. And people bought them site on the scene."},{"t":4727,"text":"Oat by Avenue was one of the first places that"},{"t":4730,"text":"public transportation in the city of Victoria. Everything developed this"},{"t":4739,"text":"house is this bill with love. And I would love"},{"t":4743,"text":"to see it go back to its former glory. Um,"},{"t":4747,"text":"everything from the plaster within the house is all handmade"},{"t":4751,"text":"to the stained glass. Um, it was risen at one"},{"t":4756,"text":"point in time for a duplex, which has been a"},{"t":4757,"text":"rental and has been provided a rental for Victoria residents"},{"t":4761,"text":"for many, many years. I think it also, um, I"},{"t":4767,"text":"hope will be benefit to the neighbourhood association. Because if"},{"t":4771,"text":"you take a walk within those few streets, you'll see"},{"t":4774,"text":"many houses like mine. And when I first became this"},{"t":4778,"text":"process, um, in talking to the Association, we didn't know"},{"t":4782,"text":"anything about the history of it. And, um, it was,"},{"t":4788,"text":"it was built as the last street in South Jubilee."},{"t":4793,"text":"It was built in 1921. And one of the most"},{"t":4797,"text":"amazing parts and history is parallel. Is that particular area"},{"t":4806,"text":"in a time when women couldn't own homes. And they"},{"t":4815,"text":"were single mums and they were single women. They were"},{"t":4818,"text":"to the royal Jubilee hospital. That was me. I worked"},{"t":4822,"text":"as a social worker there for 30 years. And I"},{"t":4825,"text":"raised my two sons there as a single mum. And"},{"t":4830,"text":"I don't know if I can really express the importance"},{"t":4833,"text":"of that. And how very unusual it was. I've also"},{"t":4840,"text":"had the privilege. Of through a mutual acquaintance of meeting"},{"t":4848,"text":"somebody that grew up in that home. And it was"},{"t":4851,"text":"only a few months ago. I picked up an order"},{"t":4853,"text":"at thrifties. With my address. And she said, do you"},{"t":4857,"text":"live there. And, um, I knew of her. She told"},{"t":4862,"text":"me about her childhood in that home. She told me"},{"t":4864,"text":"about the playground. She told me everything her father built."},{"t":4868,"text":"She asked me of the staying glass still there. Is"},{"t":4872,"text":"that covered still there. I've welcomed her to come and"},{"t":4876,"text":"see it. It is, um, it's part of history. And"},{"t":4881,"text":"I want to keep it part of history. And I"},{"t":4884,"text":"know that in Victoria and Oak Bay, you know, in"},{"t":4889,"text":"so many places, people have very strong opinions about when"},{"t":4894,"text":"somebody purchases a house and does a tear down. And"},{"t":4897,"text":"I respect that when everybody gets that permit. They can"},{"t":4901,"text":"build whatever's approved. But I want to keep my house"},{"t":4905,"text":"the way it's always meant to be. And that's a"},{"t":4909,"text":"Heritage Hulk. So I'd like to thank you all for"},{"t":4912,"text":"the opportunity of speaking. Um, yeah, thank you very much."},{"t":4915,"text":"Thank you very much, Ms. Gamble. Are there any members"},{"t":4920,"text":"of the public here in the gallery who have any"},{"t":4923,"text":"questions about this application. Ella ask for a second time"},{"t":4932,"text":"if there is anyone here in the gallery who have"},{"t":4935,"text":"any questions about this application. And before I ask for"},{"t":4941,"text":"a third and final time, I'm going to go to"},{"t":4943,"text":"our staff and ask if the one on the phone"},{"t":4946,"text":"who is called in to ask any questions. No callers,"},{"t":4951,"text":"Mayor. So we have, um, adopted a hybrid model since"},{"t":4955,"text":"COVID where we give an opportunity for anyone who may"},{"t":4958,"text":"be watching to take a few minutes to call in"},{"t":4960,"text":"and ask questions. And so right now we're going to"},{"t":4963,"text":"take a five minute break and during that time, I'm"},{"t":4966,"text":"going to suggest if there is anyone who's listening or"},{"t":4968,"text":"watching who does have a question about this application, they"},{"t":4971,"text":"can phone in at 778 698 240 with the participation"},{"t":4976,"text":"code of 155 1794 followed by the number sign. We"},{"t":4982,"text":"will, as I say, break for five minutes. And at"},{"t":4985,"text":"the end of that time, we'll check to see if"},{"t":4986,"text":"anyone has phoned in with a question. And if not,"},{"t":4989,"text":"then we'll proceed with the next stage. So I have"},{"t":4991,"text":"754. So we'll reconvene at 759."},{"t":5017,"text":"Not seeing anyone indicating that, then I'm going to call"},{"t":5020,"text":"the public portion of this public hearing closed and go"},{"t":5023,"text":"then to the fourth part of our process, which is"},{"t":5025,"text":"to ask Council if they have any questions for our"},{"t":5029,"text":"staff or the applicant about this application. We do have"},{"t":5033,"text":"a quorum despite what you see because I have a"},{"t":5035,"text":"number of people online. Any questions from Council? Not seeing"},{"t":5039,"text":"any questions from Council. Okay. Then the last thing up"},{"t":5042,"text":"is for us to consider the merits of the application"},{"t":5045,"text":"itself. So we'll look first for someone to move third"},{"t":5048,"text":"reading of the Heritage Designation Application for 1527 Redford Street."},{"t":5054,"text":"Thanks Council Cardona. Is your second account Sir Hammond? Either"},{"t":5057,"text":"Caradona or Hammond wish to comment on the application? No."},{"t":5060,"text":"Yes? No? It's up to you. You're the mover. You"},{"t":5063,"text":"can do what, as you like. Thanks, Samir. I'm happy"},{"t":5066,"text":"to support Heritage Designation for 1527 Redfern. It was a"},{"t":5069,"text":"very compelling story. It's a charming home. It's maybe not"},{"t":5073,"text":"the oldest home that we will have designated. But I"},{"t":5076,"text":"think it's old enough and it's craftsmen ship. I think"},{"t":5080,"text":"align with the spirit and intent of our bylaws. So"},{"t":5083,"text":"I think it's very easily supportable. PERIMEREN is the secondary,"},{"t":5088,"text":"anything to add? Nothing to add? Any other members of"},{"t":5091,"text":"Council wish to speak? Just check online of both of"},{"t":5095,"text":"our councillors with us. Nope. All right, then for third"},{"t":5098,"text":"reading. Yes, go ahead. Councillor Lawton, absolutely. Feel free. Thanks"},{"t":5103,"text":"to you, Mayor. Just a quick last minute. Thing here,"},{"t":5106,"text":"I just actually want to thank the proponent for bringing"},{"t":5108,"text":"this forward. It's not always easy to go through the"},{"t":5111,"text":"process of Heritage designation. But I feel that it's vitally"},{"t":5114,"text":"important for our city to preserve our history. I'm on"},{"t":5120,"text":"the Heritage Committees for the city. And I think that"},{"t":5124,"text":"both of those, particularly the Victoria Heritage Foundation really supports"},{"t":5129,"text":"this work. And I just want to thank. You for"},{"t":5135,"text":"doing this and bringing it forward and your words too"},{"t":5137,"text":"and how meaningful that is. Thank you, Councillor. Well, we"},{"t":5143,"text":"only have one application, so I might as well speak."},{"t":5145,"text":"And of course, I got to speak as a token"},{"t":5147,"text":"South Jubilee resident. Which is one of the things that's"},{"t":5150,"text":"interesting is we talk a lot about James Bay as"},{"t":5152,"text":"a Heritage neighbourhood and some of the other areas, but"},{"t":5154,"text":"South Jubilee, I live there as well. And not a"},{"t":5157,"text":"lot of people go there because it is quite small,"},{"t":5159,"text":"as you mentioned. There's actually a lot of really old"},{"t":5162,"text":"and beautiful Heritage Homes in South Jubilee. And I don't"},{"t":5165,"text":"know the exact history of the neighbourhood. I believe my"},{"t":5167,"text":"house is from 1907. And there, I believe, from the"},{"t":5170,"text":"lady to 1800s. And it's kind of underappreciated as a"},{"t":5173,"text":"neighbourhood, as a heritage neighbourhood, um, with some really beautiful"},{"t":5176,"text":"home. So it's nice to actually, I'm not sure if"},{"t":5179,"text":"we have any heritage homes. I can't think of any"},{"t":5181,"text":"off the top of my head, although the couple designations,"},{"t":5184,"text":"but it's nice to kind of recognise the history of"},{"t":5186,"text":"that particular neighbourhood as well. And, um, yeah, so I"},{"t":5190,"text":"definitely support this. And it's going to be cool to"},{"t":5191,"text":"see it. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor. Councillor Gardner online."},{"t":5204,"text":"Council Gardner, we can't hear you. If you're speaking. Councillor"},{"t":5209,"text":"Gardner, we can't hear you actually. And from our side,"},{"t":5218,"text":"uh, it looks like you can, you do have volume"},{"t":5221,"text":"from our side. So is there something on your side"},{"t":5223,"text":"that you can adjust. Nope, still can't hear you."},{"t":5234,"text":"Nope, still can't hear you. This rotor is there anything"},{"t":5242,"text":"we can do from this side. No. Okay. So Councillor"},{"t":5245,"text":"Gardner, we're not able to unmute you from this side."},{"t":5248,"text":"And so I'm going to presume, uh, I'm going to"},{"t":5250,"text":"presume greatly that your likely speaking in favor, uh, and"},{"t":5255,"text":"so see if you can't, uh, rejig something from your"},{"t":5258,"text":"end. I'm going to just check in and see if"},{"t":5261,"text":"Councillor Kim has anything to offer. Oh, no mayor. Thank"},{"t":5266,"text":"you. Okay. Thank you very much, Councillor Thompson. Anything you'd"},{"t":5269,"text":"like to say. Seeing as we're waiting for Councillor Gardner,"},{"t":5274,"text":"I will just pipe in to add my thanks to"},{"t":5276,"text":"the applicant for actually coming in. And speaking to us,"},{"t":5280,"text":"um, we always rely on staff to provide the technical"},{"t":5284,"text":"information that we need to make, uh, decision under the,"},{"t":5287,"text":"uh, statutes and bylaws. Uh, but, uh, with all due"},{"t":5293,"text":"respect to staff, those, those are valuable contributions. But I"},{"t":5297,"text":"did find the applicants narrative, uh, uh, interesting and, uh,"},{"t":5303,"text":"warm and memorable. And, uh, it's nice to have, uh,"},{"t":5307,"text":"that addition to, uh, to our more technical conversations. So"},{"t":5311,"text":"thanks again. Thank you Councillor Thompson. I'm just going to"},{"t":5314,"text":"relay a message from Councillor Gardner, who's noting that South"},{"t":5317,"text":"Jubilee is about to host a session on the history"},{"t":5320,"text":"of their neighbourhood shortly. And the details for that session"},{"t":5324,"text":"can be located on their website on the South Jubilee"},{"t":5327,"text":"neighbourhood Association website. Thank you for that Councillor Gardner for"},{"t":5331,"text":"sharing that. I would just echo the fact that this"},{"t":5335,"text":"is a wonderful proposal. It seems that based upon what"},{"t":5339,"text":"we were advised, we should consider. And that is the"},{"t":5341,"text":"merit of whether or not this house has sufficient heritage"},{"t":5345,"text":"features to be designated. It certainly sounds as if it"},{"t":5347,"text":"does. And certainly based on the materials provided, there is"},{"t":5351,"text":"ample evidence to be persuaded of that nature. And so"},{"t":5354,"text":"I will be supporting this as well. Uh, Council Gurdner,"},{"t":5358,"text":"one last time. Have you managed to, uh, resolve your"},{"t":5361,"text":"sound from your side. It does not look like it."},{"t":5366,"text":"So there you go. Uh, I have conveyed your message"},{"t":5369,"text":"through, uh, the, uh, note that you sent to me"},{"t":5371,"text":"by phone. And so I think what we'll do is"},{"t":5373,"text":"we'll move on from there. Hi everyone who has indicated"},{"t":5376,"text":"and is able to speak has done so. And so"},{"t":5378,"text":"I will at this point call for the vote on"},{"t":5381,"text":"third reading of the Heritage designation by Law for 1527"},{"t":5385,"text":"Redford, all those in favor. Is anyone opposed? That is"},{"t":5391,"text":"unanimous. Could I also then have a motion to adopt"},{"t":5394,"text":"the Heritage designation for the same address? Thanks Council Cardona."},{"t":5399,"text":"Second by Councillor Thompson. Carrot on our Thompson. Any further"},{"t":5403,"text":"comments. Not seeing anyone from anyone else on adoption. Not"},{"t":5408,"text":"seeing anybody else. Okay. All those in favor. Anyone opposed."},{"t":5414,"text":"That is unanimous. Congratulations. That does take us to the"},{"t":5420,"text":"end of our agenda this evening. There is no material"},{"t":5423,"text":"required to be considered enclosed tonight. So I would look"},{"t":5425,"text":"for motion to adjourn. Thanks Councillor Thompson. Second by Council"},{"t":5429,"text":"Hammend. All those in favor. Anyone opposed. That is unanimous."},{"t":5434,"text":"Thank you very much. And thank you for coming this"},{"t":5435,"text":"evening. That concludes our meeting for the evening."}],"words":12481,"fetchedAt":"2026-10-03T05:40:33.825Z"}