Hey, good morning everybody and uh welcome to the council meeting for Wednesday, June the 10th. I'd like to call this meeting to order. Uh we are gathering on lands that have been home to First Nation people from time immemorial. We acknowledge that what we now call Richmond Hill is on the treaty lands and territories of the Missagas of the Credit First Nation and the Missaga and Chippoa nations of the Williams Treaty. We also recognize that we're on part of the traditional territories of the Hodneson and the Huron Wendad. We would also like to acknowledge all First Nation Inuit and Matei people from across North America, also known as Turtle Island, who now reside in the city of Richmond Hill. We are committed to rebuilding constructive and cooperative relationships. So, with that being said, uh I'd like everybody to stand if you can for your for the national anthem. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Okay. Um so we have um a couple people signed up for public forum. Um Audrey Burella from Shared Tower, Inc. regarding the council decision uh in relation to the radio telecommunication broadcasting antenna system uh application for 1124 uh Elgen Mills Road East. So Audrey, welcome to council and you've got five minutes to address council. >> Thank you. Good morning. Good morning, mayor, council, and staff. This morning, I am here to ask you to revisit your motion to receive shared towers request for concurrence for telecommunication tower STC0773. I want to emphasize that we share your frustrations with the current process in place and the ambiguity and confusion that you are facing because of it. I completely understand and respect opinions that council members have shared because of that. I like you uh must work within protocols that I may not agree with or like. And I like you work within federal regulations that are beyond my control. And I like you work in a role that asks me to do everything that I can to facilitate healthy, safe, and connected communities. And because of that, I respectfully and strongly urge members to not misplace their frustration with the federal government onto our application. Shared Tower has fulfilled every requirement under the city of Richmond Hills protocol, every request that has been sent by staff, and every comment that has been received by members of the public. Uh, Mr. Mayor, may I distribute um to the clerk? I have copies of the uh city >> timer for a minute then. >> Copy of the Richmond Hill calls. Thank you. Thank you. On the slide here and before you uh you can see appendix 3, the public consultation protocol flowchart included in the city of Richmond Hills protocol. As you can see within several sections of the document, Richmond Hill has committed to providing a formal response, ratifying that response and providing that response to the proponent and the federal government. I understand uh that there has been some confusion regarding council's requirements and that has led to um delays uh that are outside of the protocol. As you can see, uh, council was obligated to ratify final comments on May 16th, nearly a month ago. But I empathize again that confusion around council's responsibility and misinformation regarding the implications of declining to provide official position has delayed this process beyond the limit set out. And I hope today we can begin to rectify this. I would like to respectfully assert that neglecting to follow the protocol the council of Richmond Hill has adopted is not only unfair to us as the proponent but unjust to community members that rely on their counselors to dutifully follow the protocols and procedures their counselors have put into place. Both proponents and residents should be able to trust that council members will uphold what they have committed to and their own protocols. As Cheyenne previously mentioned, this infrastructure is critical not only to education, economic development, and leisure, but above all emergency services. In regard to IED CPC, uh I would like to note that in May of this year, I said commenced consultation on amendments to the tower sighting process in order to reduce the regulatory burden placed on proponents and the administrative burden that is placed on municipalities. any further comments or frustrations with the federal government's process, I would highly encourage you to submit it directly to the federal government uh by July 16th. And I have put the information there of how you can direct that. But I would again like to remind you that Richmond Hill has adopted their own protocol beyond the federal government. And that is the protocol that I'm respectfully asking you to abide by. In previous weeks, there was a misunderstanding from staff regarding the implications of declining to take an official position. Uh, you were told that making a decision would have the same outcome as a decision of non-concurrence, but that is not true. Should council wish not to issue a letter of concurrence, council must issue a letter of non-concurrence. This is outlined in section 8 of the city of Richmond Hills protocol under dispute resolution, as well as several other parts of the protocol. And I have highlighted the applicable portions within the copies that you have received today. I've highlighted the applicable portions to illustrate that simply receiving the report is not an official position that can be forwarded to ISED. As discussed in previous meetings, council has two options under its own protocol, concurrence or non-concurrence. Should non-concurrence be issued, the city of Richmond Hill will still be a part of the impass process and will have to provide reasoning to the federal government as to why non-concurrence was issued. To summarize, Richmond Hill has adopted its own protocol. Shared Tower has followed that protocol and under that protocol an official position must be provided. I would like to request council issue a letter of concurrence. We have dutifully followed all requirements under the city of Richmond's protocol and I ask that you do the same. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Uh this is not a time that we're going to be discussing anything. So, but we appreciate you coming and and I will uh it's very interesting what you said. I'll I'll be happy to look into that a little bit further. Uh the next person that we have on our list is Joyce Fox um SFCT Richmond Hill regarding the decision the same decision. So hi Joyce. How are you? Welcome to uh virtually to council. >> Thank you. Good morning Mayor and Mayor West and council members. I am a resident of Richmond Hill and a volunteer. I wish to speak about shared tower's proposed radio communication tower STC0773 and review reasons to support a decision of non-concurrence. Quoting the staff report presented at the last council meeting section 7.7 items 3 and five. Item three quote the proposed antenna system does not impact the existing streetscape and any significant sighteline. End quote. Photos presented at the last council meeting taken from the exact location of the proposed tower shows the significant impact to streetscape and sight lines for homes within 100 meters. Item five, quote, the proposed antenna system appropriately balances the need to provide a high level of technical service to residents, surrounding properties, and users with the objectives of the city stated in the city's protocol. End quote. I was unable to find any such statement in the city's protocol. City protocol 6.1 public notification package. The pro the proponent did not provide required copies of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act status statement nor a copy of Transport Canada's aeronaut aeronautic aeronautical obstruction markings requirements which if unavailable the proponent must provide their expectation of Transport Canada's requirements and the report does not take into account municipal workers and buildings that appear to in the fall radius of the proposed tower. Inadequate public consultation. People who have purchased homes within the notification radius appear to have been denied notification. The notification package distributed by shared tower contained outofdate photos and incorrectly depicted the streetscape and sightelines for the proposed tower. The depictions and height of the proposed tower provided by share tower did not include additional height that would be added by a lightning rod and lighting requirements. ISAD specifically states that the height of the tower cannot be artificially lowered. This matters because the proponent can raise the height of the tower by 25% without the need for public consultation. Assuming a lightning rod of 3 meters, the tower could increase to 47.5 meters in height. Report and coverage maps provided were redacted by shared tower and questions not adequately answered. The landowner York Region has not adequately answered questions relating to appropriate insurance coverage and risk of litigation. 911 calls can be picked up by any carrier. Even when infrastructure is in place, it can fail. At the May 27th council meeting, Sher Tower presented a disturbing story about the flash deadly flash flooding in Nova Scotia. Reviewing the Canadian press report, it appears telecommunication infrastructure was in place. It just wasn't working. And some people didn't get emergency alerts because some phones aren't able to receive them. In a lawsuit, Telus customers alleged they made approximately 20 calls to 911. A recorded message advised they should hang up and try their call again later. A man died in In 2026. A Bellnt 911 outage lasted about 4 and a half hours. A Rogers outage lasted 26 hours, cutting 12 million people off from 911. Coverage maps provided on major telecom websites show no gap in coverage relating to 5G and 5G plus and antenna location websites currently show a combined total of 26 Bell Rogers transmitters receivers in close proximity to 1124 Elgen Bells. Lastly, Health Canada's statement in safety code 6 states, quote, "In the field where technology is advancing rapidly and where unexpected and unique exposure scenarios may occur, this code cannot cover all possible situations." End quote. From an earlier version of this document, quote, "Blind adherence to rules cannot substitute for the exercise of good judgment." End quote. Concerns brought forward regarding public consultation and land use provide reasons for council to consider a non-concurrence to this proposed tower site. Thank you, Mayor West and councilors for your time and consideration. >> Thank you very much, Joyce. Um, so we will now move on to our next u item which is uh council announcements. Anybody got council announcements? Uh, councelor Thompson. >> Well, thank you very much. Um, for those who may not be aware, the AHL championships for the Calder Cup are about to start and your Toronto Marlies are actually playing in the Calder Cup along with a Richmond Hill uh boy named uh uh Ryan Turberg. So, just want to congratulate them on making it to that uh that uh pinnacle in their careers and uh looking forward to seeing a celebration for Toronto in the very near near future. Thank you. >> Okay. I think you may be mixing up the Marlies with the Leafs, but we'll go with that anyway. So, >> okay. All right. Uh who's next? >> Oh, sorry. Um, regional local counselor depo's next. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, ju just again I'd like to remind residents that on June 20th they're having our our community barbecue at Richmond Green and uh registration still open for that event and you do have to register to uh to uh to be a part of the the free barbecue that's being offered. Of course, the day of the event, everyone is um entitled to come and it's it's open to all and we we hope to see as many people as possible. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you, Councelor Leu. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Good morning. Um last Friday um was the annual W3 barbecue. I just would like to thank um all our wonderful event staff and park staff for uh for helping out. Um very good turnout. And uh I would also like to thank God for uh holding up the rain until you we all left. So uh thank you so much and thank you all the volunteers, sponsors and event partners especially my assistant executive assistant Terrence um and everybody else who attended and also uh my uh my my my council members who attended. I understand that the mayor and deputy mayor has to go to the uh FCM. Um you you'll miss a great party, but anyways um hopefully um we'll have have fun in the future. Thank you. Thanks very much. Uh I'm not sure that it's God that does the weather. I think I think God delegates it to mother nature. >> Okay. Yeah. All right. All right. Next is Councelor Davidson. >> Good morning. Um I just want to say we have a third concert tomorrow at Lake Wilcox Park and it they're just beautiful. It's sunny and the sun starts to set and we're listening to music outside. It's a fantastic experience. Tomorrow u uh the performers are from Markham. So, please come to Oak Ridges Park tomorrow at 7 and don't forget your parking pass. Thank you. >> Great. >> Thank you very much. Uh, regional local counselor, Deputy Mayor Chan. >> Thank you very much, uh, Mr. Chair, Mr. Mayor. Um, yes, uh, Mayor and I, we were at the Federation of Canadian Parties annual conference uh, that was held um, basically um, uh, over the weekend and the day uh, before that. And at that particular FCM annual conference and I have to say is very um informative, educational and particular I would say valuable insights that gain in particular on workshops uh relating to and I think that's not only common to or unique to Richmond Hill but common um to all municipalities across Canada regardless of size and where they are um in particular on the housing affordability and purpose bill rentals specifically a municipal role that can play in it uh on transit oriented communities as subway would be coming in few years and then we certainly uh need to look at that topic uh transit oriented communities and the smart AI or artificial intelligence um utilization in a number of areas not just picking up where the potholes are but also using the data and um database for a lot of other things for service improvement as well as uh from economics development standpoint the kind of alliances strategically to try to help with advancing technology uh for improving safety. So all in all and I I honestly feel and um that based on my experience uh that particular annual conference that actually provide opportunity to not only solidify uh existing relationship building new connection so that um municipal colleagues across the country can exchange information on best practices as well as we uh can um work together to collaborate to the extent possible achieve better outcome. comes for our municipalities. Now I did mention that in previous meeting so happens on this particular subject on the telecommunication uh on the antenna system application not so much on the application. I did mention when I go to FCM, I will raise that issue and I did I spoke with the incoming FCM president uh because the John protocol is actually the template the city is using is the John protocol between federation and municipalities and then the Canadian wireless telecomation association. Now change the name to uh uh CTA, Canadian Telecommunication Association. Thank you for nodding. I I I got it right. So uh the president agreed that uh this uh issue uh will be brought up in the upcoming committee of FCM and it's good to share also the federal government taking notice because not only Richmond Hill all municipalities we need to uh tighten up uh what it is so that u not only clarify municipalities but also to general public as well as for applicants in the future uh what really the rules and the framework we are operating within. Um so thank you very much uh u Mr. Mayor for me to share that information and uh so the armor is going to the annual conference of the SCM. Thank you. >> Okay. Anybody else? Okay. I got a couple of things. Um so I um I just wanted to encourage everybody that wants to uh have a lot of fun. we're doing on Saturday uh at about 4 o'clock uh we're having the pride parade in uh New Market like we always do. Uh it is a lot of fun. I've been to that parade um a number of times right now and it it really has the energy level is like off the charts. So uh if anybody wants to come and uh have a really uh interesting afternoon uh come on out to New Market for that uh get there early because the uh it it does tend to be kind of congested and parking is is available but you need to find it. So, uh, anyway, hopefully we'll see you then. I know councelor Silivitz and I will certainly be there and I think councelor Tree and I'm not sure if other councelor Thompson is going to be there. So, uh, come and join us. It'll be a lot of fun. Um, I just also want to just touch on uh Federation of Canadian Municipalities Conference in Edmonton. Um, I was there for the last few days and it was a really good conference. One of the uh the things that I was kind of the highlight for me uh was uh being able to um attend a uh a meeting for elbows up for climate. And uh this was a a meeting that was uh convened by two um former mayors, one David Miller and one Valerie Plant from um Montreal. Um, and you know, it I got to tell you, it was really poignant sitting there beside the mayor of Jasper and the mayor of uh, Yellow Knife and talking to them about uh, some of the impacts of climate change. And uh, in particular, the mayor of Jasper pulls out this uh, box, a shoe box with a charred harmonica and a charred belt buckle and basically said, "That's all that's left of my house." And uh, like we're not facing the same kind of wildfire threat in Richmond Hill for sure. and and I certainly outlined that a number of times in the conference, but every uh municipality in uh Canada is facing their own threats. I would say that probably the biggest one for us is flooding and uh and and ice ice storms and uh severe winter events, but it's costing us all and it's going to cost us more in the future. And and I know that this council has done a lot and will continue to do more on making sure that we live in resilient communities. So when bad weather events happen, not if, but when. Um we're ready and we're protected. And uh I think that was the a very important takeaway from from this conference. So uh anyway, that was that was my week last week and um we'll uh we'll continue working hard for the for the uh people in in here in our community. So with that being said, the next item is emergency our time sensitive matters. Does anybody have anything on their mind that's an emergency? No. Okay. Adoption of agenda. I need a motion to adopt the agenda today. We've got an agenda before us uh with a bunch of items uh but all of them could be uh uh could go on consent if that was the wish of council. So I need a motion to adopt the agenda. Councelor Shu, councelor tree. All those in favor opposed. That carries. All right. uh the disclosures of punary interest or the general nature thereof. I think there were a couple of disclosures in the last um meeting, right? >> Yeah, you have to do it again. So, councelor Thompson, you what's the what's the item number again for the record? Okay. The community and cultural grant program. Okay. and councelor tree you have the same okay so you won't be uh voting or discussing that in council the uh anybody else can interest >> okay so adoption of previous council minutes uh we have a council meeting on May the 27th 2026 councelor Davidson looks like she wants to approve that okay and regional counselor Dalo looks like he wants to second it so all those in favor oppose That carries. I could see it in your eyes. That's That's how I knew. Uh, okay. Identification of items requiring separate discussion. Councelor Thompson. >> Yes. I'd like to uh pull item 15.3.2, the event strategy, please. >> Okay. Okay. Anybody else? Okay. Go ahead. >> Uh, I want extract 15.3 7.7. Okay. Okay. 3.1, please. >> Okay. Okay. All right. Is there anybody else? Okay. So, we've got those three items pulled. Um, I need a motion to adopt the rest. Councelor Davidson, Councelor Thompson, all those in favor. Oh, right. I forgot. I told you I would say this and I didn't. There's a memo on the audit committee report that was received by uh by or was received by us from staff late. I just want to be clear that as we do this, we're adopting the recommendations in that memo as well. Okay. So, everybody's okay with that. All right. Thank you. All right. Uh all those in favor then? Opposed? That carries? Thank you very much. Okay. We have no public hearings and uh we have a presentation uh by uh director LC uh from the infrastructure delivery uh to members of council and myself on receiving the Ontario public works association 2026 environmental awards. So over to you director Lebec. >> Thank you very much. I'm very pleased to be here today to present the Ontario Public Works Association Project of the Year Environment Award for the Mil Street Altameira Road Drainage Improvement Project. The Ontario Public Works Association has been advancing public works profession in Ontario for over 60 years. The OPWA awards were established to promote excellence in the management and administration of pro uh public works projects. The Mill Street and Ultima Road drainage improvement project was undertaken to address recurring flooding that had negatively affected residential properties, public safety, and quality of life within a constrained urban neighborhood. The project delivered a comprehensive and resilient solution through the installation of a large diameter inline storm water storage pipe, associated inlet controls, removal of aging infrastructure, and targeted roadway regrading. These improvements significantly enhance storm water conveyance, uh reduce flood risk to private properties, and strengthen the area's resilience to extreme weather and climate related impacts. The community was a key focus throughout the project, and residents were engaged early through feasibility studies and through consultation, and frequent communication was maintained during construction to coordinate access, manage traffic disruptions, minimize noise, dust, and inconvenience. So overall, the project exemplifies excellence of public works delivery by combining sound engineering, environmental stewardship, effective management, and response, responsive community engagement to deliver long-term benefits to the residents and the city. So with that, we would appreciate if come down and take a photo with the team. >> Yeah, if I may, just to make a couple of comments. Um, first of all, I'm very proud of us for being recognized in this way. I think this is great and quite honestly I know as mayor that we produce that kind of excellence in uh in almost every single engineering project that we do. Uh this one in particular uh is close to my heart because I was the ward four counselor when we started this whole process and I remember very clearly uh walking in in the area that was affected by this and and seeing ducks swimming around in the backyard. So clearly there was an issue and and you know I think this speaks to what I was talking about earlier in council announcements that that infrastructure was built at a time and designed at a time where um you know we weren't having the big giant floods that we are expecting to have uh more frequently and it operated just fine. But as the the climate is changing and as the the storms that we're getting are becoming bigger and more frequent, this is the kind of infrastructure project that is absolutely protecting a like actual residents from harm and flooding and conveying that storm water in a way that that will not cause the kind of damage uh that we need to to have done. And and I would also say that I'm also really proud that in this term of council, this council has worked hard to get accelerated projects just like this and get them done and get them done more quickly so that when big storms happen, you know, we're not waiting in the capital plan to to fix that storm water pond. We're fixing it now so that when the storm comes, uh our community will be better protected. And I'm really proud of that. It's unfortunate for uh you guys that the great work that you did is buried in the ground and nobody can see it. But when a big storm comes uh you know and something doesn't happen, that's actually the goal here. So congratulations and congratulations to all of the uh folks in the audience. Um I said to them earlier that um they they are my favorite engineers. So Thanks. No problem. Come on up. You guys, >> would you like to hold this? >> Sure. >> Not that I didn't know that. Congratulations. Well done. >> Good job. Well done. Good job. Good work. Thank you very much. Thanks so much. Thank you guys. Okay. Um, so we have three items that we're going to be that have been separated. Uh, the first item is the community and cultural grant program. Uh, so that was pulled by councelor Leu. So over to you, councelor Leu. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. miraculously um you know over the course of the last five minutes the mayor answered my question so I don't have any more questions so I would like to just move the staff recommendations ask and you sh I'll receive my son >> okay any I need a seconder for that okay uh regional councelor depollo all those in favor opposed that carries thank you very much all right uh the next item is the um event strategy which was pulled. What's that? Oh, okay. You're right. Sorry. Good point. Uh, well, no, but that wasn't the item they had to >> Oh, it wasn't. My my m Okay. My my apologies. Okay. Come on back. >> You didn't get very far. Okay. The next item then is the event strategy. Uh, that was pulled by councelor Thompson. So, Councelor Thompson, I'll let you get settled back in your seat and you can uh begin when you're ready. >> Well, thank you very much uh through the chair. Uh last week I was uh rather vocal at the uh committee of the whole as I questioned why there was no sustainability focused event identified within the proposed event portfolio. you know, and that's despite sustainability being referenced uh throughout the strategy as an important objective. And obviously, there were people out in the community that uh that resonated with, and I appreciate those that wrote in to uh express their feelings about that as well. Uh but following that discussion, I met with staff to better understand the rationale and implementation framework behind the strategy. And one thing that I learned was uh that I had misunderstood the role of the events team. I had assumed it functioned as a centralized event delivery group for city events generally and staff clarified that the events team was established primarily to deliver cultural events while other program areas are responsible for delivering their own programming and events. So that discussion helped answer a number of my original questions and gave me a better understanding of how events are organized within the city. Uh however, it it also raised some broader questions for me regarding event delivery models and organizational responsibilities, but I view those as separate discussions that we maybe end up having on a on another day. So my focus actually remains on understanding how environmental sustainability as an objective identified through the strategy is intended to be reflected uh as the event strategy is implemented. So I want to be clear that I am not proposing that we delay approval of the strategy nor am I proposing that council direct a particular outcome today. Rather what I'm trying to do here is uh because I believe that there would be value in receiving a future report outlining sustainability uh focused programming and events that fit within the broader implementation of the strategy. And for that reason, I'm actually going to propose um that we add a clause to the original uh uh motion, which I'm going to ask the clerk to bring up on screen. Can I suggest we stop the clock and read the additional thing and then you'll continue? That'll be a more efficient use of your time, I think. So E is the part that you're adding that A, B, C, and D are the staff recommendations, >> right? And so I'm asking that we uh include E. Perhaps the clerk could read that out. >> Um thank you. Uh the councelor is proposing that in addition to the staff recommendations that the following clause be added to the motion that staff report back on how environmental sustainability as an objective identified throughout the event strategy will be reflected with the implementation of the strategy including opportunities for sustainability sustainability focused programming and events. >> Right. Thank you very much. So basically I don't see this uh as holding up the strategy. I think it allows it to move forward while also providing council with the additional information on an objective that is repeatedly identified in the document. So, I think the only question here that I would have for staff would be um if this was approved, when could this come back to council? Uh who would like to take a shot at that from staff? For you, uh Mr. Mayor, I would suggest your fall meeting cuz we're about to enter upon a council break, summer break. So, um, if we can get there sooner, uh, before you break, we certainly would have a look at that. But on the outside, we'd come to that very first meeting in September. >> Okay. Thank you very much. So, that said, uh I don't know if if uh council would want me to put something in there that says it's got to uh no later than say uh the the fall council session. >> You you I think you could put it in if you wanted, but I mean it's going to come back by then or earlier if possible. Um okay, it's up to you. >> Okay. So then, you know, I'm I'm fine with the way it reads right now. So that's uh that's my motion. Hopefully uh I can garner support from my colleagues. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you very much. And region local counselor D Paulo, do you want to second that? >> I do. >> Okay. And you can speak to it if you want. >> Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. Um I I support support the amendment here. I I I support all the other clauses and and I think it's it's important to move forward with the event strategy and I think there's a lot of work that needs to be done by our event staff and um they have to begin begin planning uh the transition from from council that events to um city events. I share some of the concerns of the mover of this motion. Um, and I even have uh some other concerns that that I this adequately addresses uh the the fact that we're going to have a staff report back and and another opportunity to uh to give more specific um direction to to staff as they move forward. I agree with the $50,000 allocation. I I think that should serve as a minimum. And I think a lot of the discussions are going to happen during the budget process about um how how we expand um current city- held staffs and how we uh current city- held events and and uh new city held events that are are going to to uh replace the very successful counselor events that that we've had in this term. Um so so many um of our residents have been engaged and and they've shown a shown a willingness to attend any event that's that's properly held and and hosted by the city. So, um I I think we need a little bit more more discussion specifically surrounding the uh the request that came forward, the the request that's articulated here, but but also um you know, continuing that that very um successful run of of bringing people particularly um to to Richmond Green and and um you know, we're we're seeing it this here. And um I think I think it's great that in this term of council, we'd be giving a little bit more direction and guidance to what uh what's going to happen from this as we go through this transition from council led events to city led events. Thanks. >> Okay. Thank you very much. Uh Council Davidson, >> thank you through you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, uh Councelor Thompson, for your um proposed amendment. This is the first I'm seeing it. So, um, can I can I have an explanation what D means, the operating 50,000, which I'm I have to admit I'm not completely versed on what the different reserve funds are for. And >> what what does D mean? It's >> okay. So, just to be clear, D was a part of the original uh motion, but that's a valid question though. So, uh who would like on staff to uh talk about that? Commissioner. >> Uh through you, Mr. Chair. So, uh, D means that, uh, we're going to propose it in the operating budget. Uh, council will still be in a position to approve or not approve that. Um, but the money won't come from tax rate. It will come from one of the reserve funds, the community vitality and economic enhancement reserve fund. Um, which is one of those reserves that was set up when when the hydro Richmond Hall hydro was sold out. >> Right. But if this is already through in the report, why is it in an amendment or am I misunderstood? >> It isn't not A, B, C, and B are part of the original motion. E is the is the part that >> Oh, I see. Okay. Um, right. So, um, through, Mr. Chair, like I have had the feeling in the three and a half years I've been here that the corporate approach from the city is environmental sustainability in everything we do. Can someone on staff explain our approach to it's not just about development and planning and tree canopy that that is our approach and in fact I did a quick read and I think we are striving to think green in everything we do. Is that accurate? >> Uh through you Mr. Chair. Uh yes I I think I I think we would all agree with you on that. um sustainability is incorporated into the corporate strategic plan and into our official plan. Uh we also have uh an environmental strategy itself as well as the climate resilient Richmond Hill strategy that you saw last week. We also have natural heritage programs. Uh in terms of the events, uh it is noted in the event strategy as uh councelor Thompson pointed out that um there is an objective to incorporate sustainability uh environmental initiatives into all of our events. Um so I I think we would agree with you on that. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um and you know I environment is a huge deal in Oakidge as we all would in would like more events surrounded around environment and I trusted I trust the report as written will give the counselor's input to ask for those things and I think the city has invested events to create events that people are interested in um through you Mr. Chair. So D speaking of events specifically, will the events group consider are green events and environment and climate change events something that was already going to be considered or is this new to the event staff? >> Uh through you Mr. Chair. So there's two different things. There's the events strategy and the the city events that are led by the cultural heritage team. And yes, we incorporate environmental strategy init environmental initiatives into those events uh to reach the broader crowds that are coming out to the big city events. Um but we also have within the city what what we refer to as program related events and they're run by uh the staff teams that have expert expertise in those uh sorts of programs. So we do uh have several environmental events. We have the healthy yards event. Uh we have the community in blooms gardening event. Uh the sustainability team every year runs a uh an Earth Day sustainability event. So there there are two different things and and yes we do have both. >> Thank you Mr. Chair. So how does amend how does E change the approach? How will this change the approach of what the event strategy was going to be before this this proposed amendment? uh through you Mr. Chair. So I I read the report not necessarily to change our approach but we would give a clear explan explanation to council uh to consider and uh make decisions or give us direction about whether there's anything you wanted us to change >> on the environment part >> on the on the sustainability part about >> the rest of the events >> that we're providing information specifically about. Okay. Uh, sorry, Mr. I I'm hesitant to put more weight on staff that'll come. I I'm not even quite clear in my own mind what we're going to get back in September, except add work to staff that will come back. I mean, I think it's clear that we're all interested in environmental sustainability events. I'm just not clear on what reporting back will bring us that we couldn't just ask you in an email tomorrow. I what is the substantive thing we're going to hear from a separate report after the summer? >> Uh through you, Mr. Chairman, my my understanding is you are just going to see one report that that clearly articulates everything that we are doing and will continue to do. >> And is that a large amount of work for staff or is that something that we can incorporate by the spring? It won't be I mean sorry by the fall it won't be a problem. >> Uh through you Mr. Chair. So uh writing a report's always extra work for us for sure. Uh but um we will be reiterating well well we'll be we'll be setting out things that we we are already doing. So um >> it's just a recap of what we're going to do. It doesn't change anything really. Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. Uh region local counselor Chan. >> Thank you Mr. Mayor. Uh just building on um my colleague uh councelor dear's uh question I I I I wonder with u maybe I I need some clarification uh because we talking about report back. So under the item C um I think almost every one of us most of us have make comments uh about the proposed new city events either move it sooner either have consider more uh resources uh available and so on and for the staff consideration um I just want to have um a bit better clarification understanding through Mr. chair uh from staff for commissioner would that be the comments um that has um shared last meeting um committee meeting would be also reflected in the report the upcoming including the features that in response to council Davidson's question uh or would there be a separate report uh if you want to do one more event that's going to cost you XY Z and we need to have additional five FTE E to order to do that through Mr. Chair >> through you Mr. Chair. So no that they're two separate things. E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E we I am interpreting to be a report specifically about uh environmental sustainability and how it is addressed through city events. Um the uh recommendation C will will we heard comments from council last week about the roster of events we were proposing. Uh what we heard loud and clear was there was a lot of uh interest in seeing them moved forward if possible and we will put those in the operating budget um as as we're we are planning them and and implementing them. >> So the report is specifically about environmental initiatives. Thank you for the answer and through Mr. Chair and that's why I thought it'll be we have um we have uh offer we meaning council members of our views on comments uh but there won't be a report but may or may not be reflected when staff come back for seeking um operating and capital budget uh for 27 and down the road. So, so basically that's what I'm hearing. That's but it's no report back and oh that's a great comment. We're going to do it. Oh no. Uh it's not um so we don't have the opportunity to get the feedback from staff other than we probably have to figure it out in the budget proposal. Yeah. N through you Mr. Chair. >> Um I think madam CEO >> uh through you Mr. U mayor. Uh for clarification, uh councelor Thompson's asking us to come back specifically on uh environmental sustainability and we will report back on um the uh events uh that we run throughout the corporation, whether they're uh an area of expertise like the Earth Day event or whether uh they're incorporated into our events uh planning already and how that will go. It's an FYI report to be received by council. It's information uh for you on the budget side. Uh now that we well once we get approval on the festival event strategy, staff will go away and uh come out with an operational plan uh for adding those new events that um were discussed last week and uh articulating through the budget process uh any additional dollars or resources that are required to add those events to the roster. So you will have an opportunity to speak to that during the budget committee. The whole process they'll be outlined for you. >> Mr. Chair, thank you for um city manager answer. But with somebody who will be so bold to say um maybe have to make an amendment uh to have staff include um a taste of the hill just for the sake of uh of uh not having the final thing uh planned out. uh which something I have um uh uh mentioned about to consider uh that may be considered but perhaps in the 2027 uh proposal that may not be part of it but hopefully uh I don't necessarily need the report I don't want staff to do extra work for the sake of doing work um but report back maybe in 2028 maybe an opportunity I hope that would be part of the kind of understanding when I vote on C yes you have mentioned comments But you might not see us coming back to say yeah it's good idea but maybe we can uh uh continue to explore from the south side but in fact maybe down the road 2028 2029 whatever may be something to consider. Um I I take it the nodding of the commission is the case. So if that's the case I'm not going to make an amendment at this point in time. Thank you Mr. Chair. >> Okay. Councelor Leu. >> Thank you Mr. Mayor. Um so are we speaking to the uh the whole motion or the whole thing right? Okay so okay I'll do it one by one then okay so B so A is easy um B be endorsed so endorsed means approved is it the same >> through you Mr. mayor. Well, I I mean I think the simple answer to that is it's approved, but I mean at some point in the future, like nothing is ever the same forever and you know something could change at some point in the future, but endorsing meaning this is the framework that we've agreed on and we're moving forward with it now and at some point in the future as things whatever changes we could always add something. That's what council does. that right? I mean that's my interpretation >> if I by Mr. I think your interpretation of that is very good because endorsement yes council if they pass this will be saying the strategy is what we believe in but it it's the implementation aspects the budgetary aspects so you know approval is slightly different and then someone could argue if you said approved well that means you have to put it in the budget well that's not necessarily true you can't impede council's future decision-making on this so endorsed is a much more appropriate word for a strategy >> thank you then I go to C then Um so everything has to go through the budgeting process. Um so if there are something that is not in this report during the budget process like deputy mayor said he wants to see the taste of the hill. Last week I heard people wants the Santa Claus parade back. Can we do that during the budgeting process or we have to stick with the existing staff report, Mr. Mayor? >> Um, okay. I have an answer to that too, but go ahead. >> Go ahead. >> Uh, I would certainly defer to you if go first. Um but um um what this means is that um hopefully if council endorses the strategy that's put in front of you um staff will prepare a budget uh based on what we know now what what was in that schedule uh for 2027's budget process. Correct. During the budget process, uh, which will be in the new term of council, right? The budget will be presented to that new slate of council members, there is always an opportunity through that budget process uh to, you know, question budget, make approvals. Just a reminder that it is a strong mayor budget. So, you will have the opportunity to speak to the mayor uh when we go forward uh with budget in 2027. Um I I don't know if that clouds it a little bit more, but there's a as as we stated, this is just a snapshot in time. There's always an opportunity. These are not library documents. There's always an opportunity to make amendments, add new things, have staff report back. There's always that. >> So, um okay, I'm a strong mayor because I go to the gym, not because I use the powers. Um, and I want to be clear that um, like I promise you I will not be using strong mayor powers to micromanage anything like I like and I think my past record has been clear, but the only thing I will say is that we need a strategy in my mind. This is just my opinion, but we need a strategy because let's face it, if we don't have a strategy, then any road will take you where you want to go, right? What we are trying to achieve here is the maximum efficiency, the maximum bang for the buck and the maximum quality of of events. If we start adding uh events willy-nilly at any point in time, we are not really achieving the maximum that we're trying to achieve. But having said that, if time goes on and we want a particular event that we don't have already in the city, there's nothing to stop us from agreeing as a council to say, you know what, we want type we want X. The the one thing I will I I've been talking to different counselors and I've noticed is that like the Santa Claus parade's a good example. Um I mean I've heard this too. Um, but I think that the strategy that we have for a holiday themed event is to have it at the Dave Barrow Square, which we don't know what that's going to look like yet cuz we don't have the Day Barrel Square yet. But when the time comes to have that, I don't see any reason at all to that we couldn't incorporate components of that event that look a lot like a parade into the event. And so I think we're being a little bit premature in in hypothesizing what we don't have when I think we need to concentrate on what we do have. But I respect what you're saying and I think there is like the short answer is there's a door open to that and it it has to do with us talking as a council and deciding whether we add that to the budget or whether we don't add that to the budget or we take something away from the budget so that there's room in the budget for that. I mean, those are all decisions that we make on a daily basis and we'll continue to do that despite, you know, the strong mayor thing. I mean, that's a legislated thing, but it's I'm not going to using the uh the power to, you know, to micromanage what council is looking for. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So, um my interpretation is all comments or new ideas, uh we should be proposing it during the budget process then. So not this is not the forum to to introduce new ideas. >> I I think it is actually the forum to introduce new ideas, but it's not the only forum to introduce new ideas. What I what I would urge council to do is unless there's something really egregious in this strategy that we don't like or we can't live with that we continue with the strategy if we agree on that. And if we um and and see how things pan out because like if you look at the staff report, there's a number of events that are going to be added that are going to be added over a number of years. My comment last week and I won't reiterate it again this week was to we got to get those things happening sooner. But once that starts to roll, if we see that there's a hole in the event strategy that we would like to see filled, there's no reason at that time or sometime just before that that we couldn't say, "Okay, you know what? We need to have this particular event happening in Richmond Hill and the amount of money and everything that it's going to cost is acceptable, so let's do it." >> Thank you. Um I'm not going to drag on this. Um um my only question um on C is so are this event policy reviewed every year because we have a budget process every year. So will this be reviewed every year starting next term? Three you Mr. Mayor. >> Uh through you Mr. Mayor. So every year we propose an operating budget that has a a specific roster of events in it. And um we there is some value in consistency and and and building on a on a roster that we have and not completely changing it up every year. That that requires a lot more resources and that's part of what what this is about actually. Um so um so yes you will you will see the roster every year and you would have opportunity to to debate that but but but we will propose what we've heard from all council members as comments about what you'd like to see within the resources that we have. >> Understood. Thank you. Okay. So I don't have any problem with D and Ye. Um I I'm still trying to understand you know the the purpose of of this motion. I I totally respect uh councelor Thompson's um initiative and advocating for the environmental sustainability. Um but I'm trying to understand so like the staff report we we receive every time. So in the future all the events will be having a column which is the relationship with environmental sustainability of this event. Is is that what it is? >> If I may, because I've had extensive conversations with councelor Thompson about this and and I don't want to put words in your mouth, councelor Thompson, but what we heard last week, I I I believe this is part of the issue is that what we heard last week is a sustainability event per se is not one of the events that's put on specifically by the events team. However, and this is important, the there there have been have always been sustainability events and they are we're looking at what sustainability events we're doing in the future and it's put on by the environmental sustainability group in the city now with the support of the events team of course, but that event and many many many other events we have in the city are not put on by the events team. they're put on by another specific team within the the city. The events team tends to put on events that are just fun. They they bring people together. There's really no specific um like deep scientific meaning like the Envirro event about the event. It's more about coming together, listening to a concert, you know, all that other stuff. And so the what I think councelor Thompson is looking for here is a report back on is the is what we're planning in the environment section which is not really a part of this strategy is it adequate to uh to satisfy council's need to have an environmental sustainability event. Um if it's if it's not we'll have a discussion at that time. Well, actually, if it is, we'll have a discussion at that time. But the it's actually the way we structured it is the environment sustainability event is not part of this strategy really. I mean, we do environmental sustainability in all of the events that we have and we'll continue to do that. But what we're looking for here is a specific environment uh focused event which will happen outside of the event strategy if we endorse this uh strategy the way it is. Did that confuse you or help? >> Hey, confused. Um, anyways, um, okay. So, I I I think the with all due respect, you know, the I think the elephant in the room is is, you know, Echo Fest. So, we're not So, okay. Councelor Thompson is not asking to have an ecoest. And according to the mayor, Eco Fest, this belongs to this event strategy. Am I correct? >> Uh I I through you, Mr. Chair. I I definitely can't speak for what uh Councelor Thompson is aiming to do, but what we're saying is you don't see a an enviral or sustainability event on the list of what we're calling city events. But nevertheless, we do staff do run on behalf of the city several environmental events there. There's I at least three of them. uh an Earth Day uh sustainability event, uh the Healthy Yards event, uh and uh there's another one that's not coming to my mind right now, but we do run environmental events, and that's what we're going to report on, both those environmental events and how we are incorporating environmental sustainability into the bigger events. None of them are the ecoest, if that answers your question. I'll ask for a second row. Thank you. No problem. Uh, councelor Silivitz. Go ahead. Oh, councelor. So, that's you're on mute. >> There you go. >> I have a bad voice, but can you hear me? >> Okay, guy. folks where uh councelor Thompson or sorry councelor Silus has the floor. >> Okay, >> go ahead. >> Um I respect what councelor Thompson is trying to do here and I understand his concerns given that his particular council le counselor event is the ecoest. Um but what concerns me here is firstly this is the first time I'm seeing this. it wasn't sent to us as a as prior so that we could have a discussion with councelor Thompson um uh regarding what it is that is said here in E. So I'm I I am as confused as a number of others. I'm concerned that what E is doing is parsing a document that is already very clear in what it wants to do. And it's also it comes very close to micromanaging what staff do. And I think we're all we all know that that's something we as a council that we as a council we try not to do. And I don't I'm not saying that that is what this this is intends to do. Um, I I like I said before, I understand councelor Thompson's concerns here, but I also know and am very happy with the manner in which staff include envirro events into envirro matters into all of our events. I I I'm perfectly happy with that. I think it's done very very well. But I understand why cons counselor Thompson as the ecoest counselor is concerned about this. Um but it leaves me that I I really feel I I honestly don't know where to go on this. But I'm fine with A through D, but I'm I'm concerned about E. Um I I am concerned that in a shortened year, an election year that staff are now being given another a task to bring forward another um staff report to us and that will happen according to the city manager prior to um prior to the end of um our summer break. Sorry. Um, so, so I just wanted to voice those that those are those are my concerns. The other thing I would just like to ask through you, Mr. Mayor, to our clerk who sits as our legislative director, if I may, through you to him, this is a strategy, not a policy. Can you, Mr. Clerk, um, on the record, can you please define what a strategy is and what a policy is? Um, thank you through the chair. I I I I I'm not sure I could provide a a reasonable definition short of actually having a dictionary in front of me here. Um, I think perhaps and and c I'll put it to the counselor this way. Maybe what you're asking me to say is when um when does something that council does sort of have the equivalency of a a final decision that um if uh that that to change it would require first a motion to reconsider. Uh I think that's what the council is going to u. So it would be my view that uh and my advice to council that a strategy is not one of those things that would require reconsideration. Um ex except in the the small case where if council suddenly next assuming council were to pass this suddenly council said next week no we don't want to pass this or endorse this a full reversal uh would be reconsideration. But a strategy itself like this is not binding council's hands uh to do something um whereas a policy or a bylaw is more binding uh and will require specific action to deviate from it. >> Thank you, Mr. Clerk. That I I that I that's basically what I what I meant. So um I may go to a second round. I I don't know. Um, I'm fine with A to D, but I may also ask that E be separated out, but not at this point. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh, I've got I think I've exhausted the speak. Oh, sorry, Council Shu. My my apologies. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, just want to clarify. Let me put in this way. So following the amendment, it doesn't mean that the city will add one additional event on the proposed list of the event. It it it doesn't mean that. >> No. >> Just want to clarif $50,000 from the reserve fund. There's no financial implication implication. Is it right? >> Madam C >> for you, uh, Mr. Chair, you're correct. Um, there is no additional event that will be added. This will be a report to be received by council explaining what it is that the city currently does in terms of environmental or sustainability programming andor specific events. And you know it will expand on what the vision is uh specifically for the event strategy as it pertains to environmental including environmental into the bigger uh events that we currently run on our slate like Canada Day and Ribfest and all those big community events. The $50,000 is not a financial impact at this point in time. Uh the report was to advise council that we will be coming forward in the 2027 budget process uh which will be discussed um and presented to the new term of council in 2027 on any budget implications of uh the roster that you've seen. Um, and we're telling you that right now that's a $50,000 uh ask that we'll incorporate into our budget ask administratively. I hope that clarifies. >> Okay. So that means the the additional clause E means only to incorporate the idea and of environmental sustainability into the city events into every single events such as by offering uh the organization a free booth to promote their initiative. something like that. >> If I may, I think that the what E is doing is it is not committing to anything. It's a request for information and once the information is received by us, as always, council can do whatever we choose to do with the information, including nothing. But, but I mean, it's at that time that a decision could be made. And just one more clarification that the $50,000 that's in D that was in the original staff recommendation is coming not from the tax base. >> Okay, that sounds fair. Um Okay, that's all my comments in one. Thank you. >> Okay. Um All right. So I I'll make a few comments. Um I I think generally speaking this uh I I I I'm very happy to see this staff report coming and um I'm concentrating on the things that we have not the things that we don't have. And the if you look at the appendix in the staff report or wherever it is in the staff report, uh it outlines a number of different events that are going to be happening that I think are going to really um be good additions to our community and they're the kinds of events that are going to be put on really really well by the staff who who always does an excellent job in everything that they do. So, they're going to be quality events. They're going to be done in an efficient way, and they're going to be um uh you know, things that that our community will enjoy and will enrich our community. And and that's what I'm what I'm looking for. This all came about, as everybody knows, because we decided to um stop doing our our council events policies. There was a number of reasons for that. But one of the reasons that I started to understand more and more and more over the years is is our events that we've put on collectively in in uh on council have been really good. And what what's happened is they've become so good and so big and they've they've taken a great deal of resources that the city um if we were given those resources back to the city they could be doing an even better job and probably a more efficient job than we are doing right now. And I think that's in my mind that's why I supported the the the strategy at the very beginning. Um, I know that my team and myself uh spend an inordinate amount of time putting on events. And honestly, I I this is a pretty busy job. I I could probably use that time more effectively doing core things in my office than putting on an event, which I'm not great at, but um but the the event staff is they're professionals that that's what they do. Um the sustainability thing, like I get it. I I have always advocated for sustainability events. Um and and Councelor Thompson's Eco Fest, like all of our other events that we've had, is an excellent one. And it really does something that I think is important uh to me anyway. And uh I am proud of the work that that staff does on their EcoFest, sorry, on the different Eco Fest ecore related events that they have and we'll continue to do that. I actually think that there is room for us doing a more a larger focused ecoest because I think frankly the community wants to know the kinds of information that would be available uh during an eco fest like councelor Thompson's and like something that the the staff would do and the amended part the e is really just getting back some information like what does that look like what kinds of where what direction is the sustainability group doing are going in to create that type of festival. If council is happy with that, great, we're done. If the council is not happy with that, we can decide what action we would like to see taken so that we have a really premier uh environment focused event. Um, but that's going to be up to council at a later time. Uh, I said the other day, and I'll reiterate because it was in one of the letters again uh that we have on this agenda. I think it's really important that all of our events or at least as many as possible or practical have available booth space for not forprofits because that is something that our events collectively do for not for-profit groups in the community and it's been very valuable and I think that groups that participate in all of our councilled events will miss the opportunity if we don't make up for that opportunity in our city events and I I I have no reason to believe that won't happen. um and in fact it has to happen. Um so I think we are on the right track here and there's always going to be events that we would like to have but you know as the Rolling Stones you can't always get what you want but you can get what you need. And I think what we try to do is we're going to try to put together a a a menu of events that our our citizens are really going to love to make our community more dynamic. And I think I believe that the strategy laid out before us is a good one. And uh is it perfect? No. Is it going to be perfect in some period of time as conditions change and so on and so forth? Probably not. But at those times we can make adjustments. That's what council does. So um really what we're asking for right now is to um endorse a direction and get staff to work. And if we uh believe that that direction is a good place to get going from and not a good place to start, but a good place to build on what we're already doing, then I think we should approve this. If it's if that's not the way a counselor feels, will then vote against it. But I think that we are on the right track here and I think our community will appreciate it. >> Okay. Yep. We do have councelor Davidson wanted a round two. Go ahead. >> Thank you. through you, Mr. Chair. Uh, again, I apologize. This is the first time I've seen it. I'm still a little confused. Um, is is E suggesting that we implement events with sustainability in mind or are we suggesting the events are about sustainability? >> Thank you. Uh, Mr. mayor through the the the the mayor. E is not suggesting that anything happened other than staff report back. There is if E is adopted all staff will do is will report back. There is nothing else that's happening as a result of the it's it's the the clause is that staff report back. That's it. >> Thank you, M. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Although it's to me it implies that we are asking that sustainability be part of every event. That's what I how I read it. I don't know. I I I I feel like it's adding a layer and we can definitely advocate for environmental related events. I certainly get no feeling from staff that they're not open to that. But I feel like having a special clause about that might muddy the waters in that. Oh, well, does a Santa Claus parade tick any boxes regarding um sustainability? And I understand we're not asking staff to decide on that now, but by putting this in, we're emphasizing that we want events to be seen through the lens of sustainability. So, we are actually advocating for something that changes the event policy. Um, my other question is for and and I feel like this staff is open to events that are green, so I don't think we need E. Um, and I just wanted to ask about um C. Does that exclude staff's ability to use sponsorship? Because at some point we're talking about the sponsors that have supported community um counselor events could maybe help support bigger city events. If we say it's going to be in the budget, does that mean we can't do fundraising for city events? >> Uh through you, Mr. Chair. So, no, that's not what we're implying at all. We have uh we need to request a certain amount of money to run an event uh so that we have it there, but we will continue to do the best that possible to recover all that money through sponsorships. It's just that we need to have something in case we don't get the sponsorships. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And and finally, I do respect councelor Thompson's thinking here. Is there any way that a less laborious briefing note could lay out this rather than have a whole report? I'm I I don't know the work involved with either, but if we can get similar information without a huge without a huge deal and we could probably get it faster, is that possible that one of us requested briefing note on on e uh through you uh Mr. Mayor. Yes. Uh we can do a briefing note or an email uh to council with how we're going to be dealing with sustainability and the environmental things. Our uh director of recreation and culture and our manager of cultural services who's in charge of events is sitting in the audience. Um and not to put uh Mr. Diversio on the spot, but he does have a vision for incorporating the environmental components into those bigger city events. So, we're reaching audiences of tens of thousands of people um in in what we're doing. And at the graces of council, perhaps Dan, I can ask that you maybe speak to what that vision is on the environmental uh scope. We also have uh the planning staff here that are responsible for uh Earth Day uh implementation of which event services will support them. So we're at the ta they are at the table uh to be of assistance uh through this. So >> yeah, thank you through you uh Mr. Chair to the council. Um yeah, we definitely uh incorporate and have for several years uh sustainable and environmental aspects to all of our city events. standard practice across the um the industry and so we'll continue to do that. I think um also through our uh sorry I'm just need a second I think through the work that we do with our um with our peers uh corporately we can continue to uh leverage the events that they're working on and support their efforts as well. >> Thank you. Um I'm I'm my last comment is going to be you know I if we did have a briefing note if this was defeated we got a briefing note which I could request or or we or or councelor Thompson could request it's completely plausible the counselor can come back in September and make suggestions to improve the events cause uh policy with a separate motion. Is that right? >> Well go ahead. >> Uh through through you Mr. Mayor, just in consulting with the actual staff that run that sustainability event, which is uh Ruth and Maria's section, uh they are saying they could do a briefing note to council in a shorter uh period of time, uh to let you know what the vision and the plans are for that uh Earth Day sustainability event uh going forward. and we could likely tap into uh uh Donald and Dan to, you know, let you know what the environmental components are in the events they're doing if that's your wishes opposed to a staff report. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. Um I've got regional local counselor depalo. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um so I support what uh what's what's on the floor. It really just is a request from staff. They identified in their in the strategy that um sustainability is important, but there's there's no specifics in there. And uh the the request is just that that staff give us a breakdown of what they're currently doing uh what they intend to be doing uh um to to see if if it's adequately addressing uh an an environmentally sensitive uh initiative within the new strategy going forward. So, it is just a strategy and there's nothing preventing council from u uh directing specifically what what what events were going to happen. Um the the new council as it when it comes in, it's a good time to engage with with with residents and then the in the new council term in that first new budget, we're going to we're going to decide what based on the strategy uh what what events we're going to have and endorse. there's nothing preventing um you know the will of the majority of council from continuing with a very successful event that's running currently or or um you know there's discontinuing or or we we will be as a council giving direction. The only thing that can trump that is the mayor superpowers but he he's made a commitment to us there to to um you know operate by majority. So, um, anything can and will happen from today forward. But, uh, you know, we're making an allocation of 50,000. Uh, that's a new allocation from a from a reserve fund that specifically is meant for this very purpose and that's why it was created uh for for this type of of of use. So, um, you know, I'm comfortable with that allocation. Plus, there's a lot more resources. We we've we started this process because the counselor events were were d um were draining draining a a lot of costs and resources and staff resources and overtime um to to assist with these nine nine councilled events and that's now going to be transferred uh and used and and then we're also freeing up sponsorship. Uh so now instead of nine people harassing potential sponsors within the city, the the city itself is going to do a coordinated effort and get a very serious professional sponsorship effort out there um to to replace the funds that we've been raising and to to just to do this in in a more fair way. as we go forward, it'll be the majority of council will council that decides what events we hold and and and have for our residents instead of individual counselors uh you know dictating to staff. That's that's the part that was problematic. So very comfortable that we we we're going to have the same amount of of resources now now directed to to enhance these things. And it's up to council to to decide through the budget process um what what types of events we we want to have going forward. And so you know I'm very comfortable with adopting this. There's this certain things that that have to start happening with with this with this endorsement. uh you know, council saying this is this is how we want to go forward. And basically that endorsement is eliminating uh counselor special events accounts and and um preparing to um administer citywide uh and city administered events. But um I could, you know, I could pitch council next year to if uh whether I'm in the audience or up here uh to have a Joe Depala uh barbecue again because it's been successful. If if the majority of council agrees, we we could do that. And you know, the city can offer a sponsorship package where you know, if you um if you if you raise money and you want to be a title sponsor for an event, you can be the title sponsor. And u so you know there's there's there's so many things that could happen. We're not tying our hands in any way, but we're moving moving the ball forward to from a from a system that was potentially very problematic administered individually by counselors to a to a to a a wholesome uh event strategy that um recognizes the success of councilled events and and looks to to expand on that and and have even better offerings for for our residents in the future. >> Thank you. Uh, regional local counselor Chan. >> Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. Um, I listen carefully to my colleagues comments and um, I said it last Wednesday. I said it again. I say um, staff really have done lots of work. I mean, I can see that I I think I mentioned about the 31 pages does not mean that only 31 hours. I something along that line to say that. So, thank you for that. in particular. I like all those graphics um that really show what happens. If I walk back a bit, I believe it might be traced back to when councelor Thompson and Council Thompson correct me if I'm wrong. um that raised our table and members motion to look at high level if I remember those wording high level of how this uh whole things about the uh council le events were happening and fast forward now we are at the end of the term from 2023 2026 um so we're looking at this report and we're talking about preserving um the uh events um team which have been doing excellent Excellent work as um elaborate or um um other council members mentioned about for the council le events. It's a tremendous success. which is great really making good use of the great talents and the staff in the events team under the manager and the director and the commissioner here now but is the more we talk I'm a bit more unclear and help me understand if I look at the appendix A of the 31page report that there's a list of what the current some year maybe eight and in a here might be 10 of events and then look at the staff report itself. The one proposed new event on page six of report is 22027 of the maple seal festival in the spring. Am I here to understand that I think our next budget committ will be coming up on June 23rd. Now mind you that meeting was only set the direction and framework for the 2027 budget. So help me understand that the critical urgency if I may say so of having this with our capable event staff have been doing those eight to 10 events on a yearly basis. um and that might not actually have budget implication other than one single event if this is adopted or B is to come in with the budget to say hey we need more money we need more resources for doing one extra event is that the situation for the chair >> uh through you Mr. here. So, uh, the list that's in appendix A is the list of city events that we held this year. Um, the list that's in the staff report is a proposed phase in of new events that will be we will be adding over years that we asked for comments on. So, we've heard lots of comments from uh various council members about the phase in that we were proposing within the staff resources that we have. Um and we will be making slight adjustments to that based on what we've heard and we'll come forward with uh something that uh we believe is an appropriate mix of what we proposed and what we heard back um through the budget process. >> Thank you um through Mr. Mayor for the answer. Excuse me. Sorry. Um but what I'm hearing is that because those other events are as the commissioner just confirmed are the events we have been already doing every single year. So to me um that for the next term council when they look at the budget 2027 I know it's a mayoral budget but then there should be no surprises. should be the same. Oh, other than inflation rate increases blah blah blah. There should be no really surprises other than that one proposed uh new event in 2027 should this be adopted. Uh so that's the situation. Okay. So because we we talk so much about budget budget budget really we talk about one new proposed event in 2027 and maybe more in 2028. um because assuming that 2027 event will be also repeated uh in 2028. So I got it. It's kind of phase in and grow I got it. So but that's I'm trying to really be clear and so that I can at the end make informed decision. Now the other aspect is interesting. We talk so much about council le event. What about community group event? uh we already have quite a number of them like in September there's a um um something of the event relating to celebrating moon festival and there are also other events uh with other agricultural group or business association also doing events in fact on the appendix B which I like is the opportunities where we can grow so council members I guess for next term we can try to encourage or in some way support Um well we cannot sponsor but we can support other community groups that come in um now that because the our event staff would have co and unco um perhaps I'm not suggesting we have more time but but shift the energy and the planning to support other council events to support other community groups uh in in so far as appendix speed. I think that's a part I just want to highlight uh we haven't talked about it. I think that is the opportunity. I think my time is up and um I I I I I I'm still a little bit unclear why we are rushing this in particular when council members still have questions and it's not going to take effect until next term. Thank you. >> Okay. Um councelor Celitz, is that a new hand or an old hand? >> Okay, go ahead. >> Second round. Thank you. So I asked Google AI, what is the difference between a policy and a strategy? And this is the reason why I I'm hooking on to that word. A strategy is a dynamic road map or game plan designed to achieve a specific long-term goal. A policy is a fixed set of guiding rules, principles and boundaries that dictate how decisions are made and actions are carried out along the way. I think that's very very important. That's one of the reasons why I am making a point of this being a strategy not a policy. So in other words, this is a living document. Nothing is set in stone. Um, and I believe that I think I've said this before, um, our city staff do an excellent job of bringing um, sustainability, climate change, everything to do everything to do with that um, into into other events that we that that we hold. Um, because this is a strategy, it can help us guide staff and it can help us the strategy in itself will help guide members of council. So what I would suggest with all respect to councelor Thompson is that perhaps e should be asking for a briefing note to come back to members of council so that we can um it gives staff the opportunity to give us some more information and it gives us the opportunity to continue to ask staff questions as opposed to it being regimental and brought back to council. Those are my comments. Okay. Uh, councelor Leu. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, with all due respect, um, I would like if you I don't know if councelor Thompson would like to respond because I I I might have some amendment or referral to make. So, I would like to reserve um to be the last one to speak on the second round. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> All right. Anybody else then? Go ahead. >> Well, thank you very much. Um, I've listened to everything that uh everybody has has commented here and I do have a few comments. I will try and put this in the perspective that it was intended. Um, so right from the the get-go, um, I I support the work that's gone into the strategy. You know what I wasn't satisfied with was that council had actually received the complete explanation regarding how sustainability was intended to be reflected because the report was very clear in talking about how this was a priority and given the discussions that we've seen here today it appears I was correct. You know, I I clearly was just trying to identify there was a gap in the report. So, I'm not advocating to have Eco Family Fest continue. That was never the case. I was never trying to criticize staff in any way, shape, or form. But, you know, now the way this has gone out, it it you know, I'm sorry. it almost looks like staff are going to be viewed in a bad light because of the way this has played out. That was never the intention. All I was trying to do was suggest that we do need a discussion that clearly identifies how sustainability is going to be handled moving forward because the report didn't provide it. And I think that there's uh worthwhile for us to have a report that comes back that we can actually have a wholesome discussion instead of doing it on the fly here in council chambers right now. So I stand by the motion that I put in in here. Anybody can reserve and say, "Well, then I I'd like to vote on each item separately or just have E voted on separately." That's your choice. I'm going to leave my comments there. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. >> Okay. Anybody else? >> Okay. Okay. I have a couple of things uh just to wrap up. So, um there's a couple of things that were said here that I think maybe is is misunderstood by a couple of members of council. Tastes of the Hill was brought up and that was an event that we had a long time ago. And um I think what need what we also need to understand is that in the uh the new proposed event strategy and I find this it's a welcome addition is there will be a commitment by staff to to have more support for community-led events not cityled events. So that's things like um like the um winter carnival for example. I mean that's that's it's not a city-led event. It is a community-led event. And I believe that there's a real capacity in our in our community to be having more events. And uh you know, Tastes of the Hill, sorry, not Taste of the Hill, um uh Uptown Asian Festival is another example of that. And uh and like that event is awesome and it requires very little uh community resources to run it. if we were able to support an event like that, not I mean not specifically that one, but event like that, that event would be bigger and better and and all it takes is is just a little push to get that to where we are. So, I think we're also concentrating on all of the events that take place that the city runs. But in a in in many cities, there's tons of events that happen that have nothing to do with the city except that it's being taking place in the city. if we can support those events, we're going to get more events and they're going to be good quality and they're going to be different than the ones that we are offering as a city. And I think that's we're overlooking that, but that's a really important point. Um the second thing is sponsorship. I truly believe that by consolidating all of these events into this policy, we're going to find that we uh there are more sponsorship opportunities for our the staff that's dedicated to getting sponsorship and that will help to defay costs and I think that's a very good thing. The third thing that I think is misunderstood, we haven't talked about it much, but it was re referenced in one of the letters. this gala that we're proposing. One of the things that we we will have a shortage of is at any of our events that have a little money left over at the end that we donate to charity. Uh that will not exist anymore because we've canceled councilled events. This gala is to fill that gap. Um it won't be the event that every single person in the city will go to, but it will be an event that serves an important purpose. It will be a good event. It'll be something that a lot of cities have, but it'll also be an event that we can raise money um and and probably more money than we are in our councilled events to be able to do small things and lots of them and perhaps even raising money for a city project that over a few years we can raise enough money and it won't cost the taxpayer a penny to be able to do something special with the money. And so I mean again I I I gotta be honest with you. I'm a little disappointed to hear all this negativity uh from my members of c my fellow members of council here because I think there is a lot more good here than there is not good. And so what I would really like to see is um us to understand the result of what this is. If we want to make some tweaks to this result as the results start coming in, absolutely. That is what we do as council. But this gets the staff going in a modified direction to build on all of the stuff that we've been able to do in the city. And frankly, we could do more and this policy is the is the strategy to get us to that that place in my view. Just one final thing. E, I don't see E as a big deal. I mean, all we're asking for is more information here. Council can decide when the report, memo, whatever you want to call it, comes back and we then decide uh what do we do with that information. Do we do nothing? Do we do something? Whatever. And anything in between. All we're asking for is information. I don't think it's an ownorous task for staff to come up with information that they're probably already working on. They just need to communicate it in a memo, in a staff report, whatever you want to do. You can scroll it on a napkin as far as I'm concerned, but just get the information to us and then we can now make a decision as a council as to what we want to do with that information. So, that would be uh those would be my comments. Councelor Leu. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um I'll be very quick. Um I honestly I don't think E is an issue but I don't see the relationship um that E related to A to D but thank you so much councelor Thompson for explanation. Um so we're asking for a staff report back and we already and well eventually I think we're going to approve this event policy and and and where is that staff reports going to go? So there's going to be new information. How are we going to are we going to incorporate this into the already approved policy or how is that reports? >> Miss Mr. Clerk, do you want to start with that? >> Thank you. Um perhaps I can start from a sort of a legislative procedural perspective. Any staff report that comes back related to the environmental sustainability matters in the event strategy does not preclude council endorsing the strategy today. It's a strategy. So it's a roadmap. It's a highlevel document. It's not a thou shalt, thou shalt not document. So if council were to receive this report and they wanted a little more emphasis on environmental sustainability, they could do so without actually impacting today's decision on the strategy. >> All right. Thank you very much. Um so okay, so staff is asking for comments. You know, I kind of agree with uh deputy mayor. Um, not that I don't see the rush, but last time I remember I made a motion to refer it to next term, got voted down. Um, >> and thank you, Mr. Deputy Mayor. Um, and I understand, you know, we have to move forward, but I just have to say out loud, um, that, you know, appreciate appreciate staff works, but next term is a new term of council. new council might have new directions. The this policy might easily just gone. So, I'm just going to say it out loud. Um I'm not going to make a referral motion. I respect, you know, um the mayor's comments and uh and also um um the staff work, but um I'm just going to put a caution uh out there. And uh also, you're asking for comments on C. My comments is um I think you know next term of council we should rethink um counselor or council event um counselor should be able to allow one event. That's my comment. Okay, I'm not pushing it but that's my comment. I have to say it out loud. And um and uh and my last comment, my last word um on this topic before we vote is I have nothing against city-led event, great work, lots of work. And it brings the community together, but counselor event, it brings the neighbors together. And there's a difference between this. Thank you. Okay, I think we've exhausted our speakers list. Um, all right. So, we have a motion A through E, uh, in front of us. We are ready to vote on that. All those in favor? Opposed? That carries unanimously, I believe. Is anyone opposed? Okay. So, it does not it does not. All right. That's fine. All right. So the next item on the agenda is uh 15.3.7 uh and that was pulled by councelor uh tree. >> Okay. Thank you so much Mr. Chair and Mr. Mayor as well. So I do have one question following up from last week's meeting. So as one of the residents mentioned also uh uh our for what counselor Scott mentioned when the car exit as right away to the a muse and that entry really tight turn along the uh a muse to shop. So how we going to prevent that kind of issues because when the car get out from property it's right in front is the left turn right turn line to shop B. So we just see any maybe better solutions any approaches we can just prevent future collisions >> through to the chair to the counselor if I understand your question. uh we're really diving into the specific details of turning movements for a development that hasn't fully been designed yet. So what was stated last week at committee of the whole is that after or following this approval, the consultant prepares their significantly more detailed design to the extent to which all of these uh items that you're mentioning are fully evaluated to ensure uh public safety from the motorists to pedestrians. Um there is a right turning lane that uh you referenced uh and a driveway that the development uh uh shows on the drawings. The existing driveway for the current property is also within that right turning lane as well. So it's through the site plan process where all these final uh details are sorted out and evaluated for the benefit of the public and the surrounding neighbors. >> Perfect. I just want to put that one in our report. So this topic maybe will not be missed or in the future design. So there are going to be some details coming when we go into the implementation stage. Thank you so much. I don't have further questions. >> Okay. And you're going to move the staff recommendation. >> Sure. I'll move. >> Okay. I need a seconder. Councelor Thompson. All those in favor opposed. Okay. Go ahead. >> Um thank you very much and and thank you councelor tree for raising that question. Um and I and I understand that you know this is type of stuff that gets flushed out at site plan approval. What I found interesting is that last week it was already flushed out that um they will be extending the boulevard in the in the middle. Um which would that would be the type of stuff that would normally come up during site plan approval. So I'm just I'm just wondering um you know when that type of thing can be established now why the the whole thing with the right turn couldn't also have been established with the the region at the same time. I mean, I I understand right now it's it's not a a huge deal if it's only one driveway and only, you know, one family that uses it, but if it's going to be the same driveway and now it's going to be uh multiple, that becomes a different scenario. So, I'm just it's more curiosity why we can get some information that would normally come at site plan, but we can't get a little more wholesome information to the chair or the counselor. At the time that the report comes forward, uh what staff's role is to review the traffic impact study that is submitted by the developer. Those comments are contained within the staff report. Uh however from that point forward staff still works with the uh proponents their consultants and sometimes more information comes to light to which staff provided those responses uh last week at the committee of the whole. So whether it's the widening or the extension of the uh the median and other alterations uh it's a continuous process. So at the time that the report was written, the information that was available at the time was contained within that report. And further to questions, there was some information available while there's other information uh that may not necessarily be available at the time. Um thank you for the response and you know like I said last week, it's not something that makes us all feel warm and fuzzy. It would it's more a comment that I'm making. was certainly would have been much more advantageous for the public and council to have that type of information if it could have been available, but I understand the logistics of what you're having to work within. Thank you. >> Okay. Uh all those in favor opposed that carries. Thank you very much. Uh we now I guess we we've approved all the bylaws, right, Mr. Clerk? No. Okay. So, we need a motion to approve bylaw 81 through 84. Sorry, 181. Right. Councelor Regional Councelor Depalo, Councelor Thompson. All those in favor? Opposed? That carries. Thank you. Uh, we need a motion to approve the confirmatory bylaw. Uh, Councelor Tree, Councelor Shu. All those in favor? Opposed? That carries. And, uh, a motion to adjurnn. Councelor Thompson, Councelor Shu, all those in favor.