Courtenay Council Meeting Highlights for April 24

April 30, 2024

This update covers highlights from the April 24, 2024 Council meeting. If there’s something from the meeting that you’d like more detail on, the full agenda, video, and minutes (when available) of each meeting are posted on the City of Courtenay website at www.courtenay.ca/councilmeetings 

Council respectfully acknowledged that the lands on which this meeting was conducted are the Unceded traditional territory of the K’ómoks First Nation.

Delegations

  • Enhancing Business Bylaws for Visually Impaired Access
    Julia Tait appeared before Council and requested amendments to City Bylaws to decrease barriers to painting stairs and entry ways to businesses increasing their visibility to the visually impaired. Additionally, the delegation requested the City paint the staircases of City-owned buildings and set maintenance standards to ensure their ongoing visibility.

  • 3120 Dove Creek Place
    Ronda Posegate (tenant) and Tristan Koehler (property owner) of 3120 Dove Creek Place, appeared before Council and spoke to a variety of concerning activities taking place at the dead end of Dove Creek Place including illegal activities, fireworks, street racing, public toileting, illegal dumping, animal harassment, and partying. The delegation requested Council consider moving two or three of the barriers to block the entrance to the cul-de-sac.

Staff Reports

  • Sidewalk Patio Policy DS-01
    Council adopted a Sidewalk Patio Policy DS-01 to establish a permanent patio program and directed staff to prepare the required Bylaw amendments to the "City of Courtenay Fees and Charges Bylaw No. 1673, 1992".

    Sidewalk patios are located on public sidewalks, parking stalls, and streets for the purpose of serving food and beverages to seated patrons in conjunction with an existing restaurant directly adjacent to the patio.

  • Short Term Rental Regulation Bill 35
    Council directed staff to prepare the amending bylaws to “Business Licensing Bylaw 2523, 2008”, “Zoning Bylaw No. 2500, 2007” and “Municipal Ticketing Information Bylaw No. 2435, 2006” to address the Province’s Bill 35 Short-Term Rental Accommodation Act.

  • BCAA’s Evolve - Proposed Electric Bike Share Program
    David Holzer, Business Development Manager, Evolve e-bike share, provided a brief presentation followed by a Q/A period.

    Council authorized staff to enter into a tri-part Memorandum of Agreement with the Comox Valley Regional District and the Town of Comox for the provision of an e-Bike Share Program.

    Council also delegated authority to the Director of Operations to determine the form and content of any service agreements or legal documents.

    Council denied a request to waive all fees and costs for the program and instead a full-cost recovery model will be applied.

  • Lush Valley Food Action Society Licence of Occupation and Management and Operating Grant Fee for Service Agreement

    Maurita Prato, Executive Director and Carley VanOsch, Urban Agriculture Manager of LUSH Valley Food Action Society were in attendance to answer questions.

    Council authorized staff to execute the five-year "Community Garden Management and Operating Grant Fee For Service Agreement" between the City of Courtenay and Lush Valley Food Action Society for the community garden at 721 Grant Avenue.

    Council approved a grant up to $5,500 from Gaming funds, to cover infrastructure improvements to the community garden area, subject to grant submission requirements as determined by staff.

External Reports

  • Letter from K’ómoks First Nation
    This letter is a request for support and partnership for the community celebration of National Indigenous People’s Day on June 21, 2024.

    Council approved a $25,000 grant to the K’ómoks First Nation in support of the 2024 National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration to be paid from the City’s Gaming Funds.

    And Council approved that $25,000 be allocated from the City’s Gaming Funds annually to provide long-term support to the K’ómoks First Nation for National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebrations.  
                                            
    Council also approved an ongoing in-kind contribution to K’ómoks First Nation for National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebrations in the form of transportation and parking management plans, signage, staff time, and traffic control for the event.

Internal Reports

  • Speed Display Devices - 2024 Deployment Schedule
    Council received "Briefing Note - Speed Display Devices - 2024 Deployment Schedule".

    Speed display devices (SDDs) are electronic devices that use radar to detect the speed of an approaching vehicle and display the speed on an LED message display. The intent of an SDD is to reduce the incidence of speeding by making drivers aware of their actual speed related to the posted speed limit.

    Primarily funded through grant share agreements with ICBC’s Road Improvement Program, the City owns and manages six (6) portable solar-powered pole-mounted SDDs and one (1) portable trailer-mounted SDD

  • 40km Speed Reduction Program - 2024 Implementation Plan
    Council received the “Briefing Note - 40km Speed Reduction Program - 2024 Implementation Plan". Staff have developed a preliminary roll out plan (5-year implementation plan) for a speed reduction initiative in several Courtenay neighbourhoods.

Council Resolutions

Unfinished Business

  • Community Priorities for RCMP Fiscal Year 2024-25
    Council approved a motion that Mayor Wells be requested to call a special Council meeting for the purpose of meeting with the Comox Valley RCMP detachment for the purpose of discussing community priorities for RCMP fiscal year 2024-25.

Bylaws

For First, Second and Third Reading

For Adoption

 

The meeting began adjourned at 7:46 p.m., the next meeting is Wednesday, May 8 and will be available on the City of Courtenay’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/CityofCourtenayBC/streams