Good afternoon everyone. Welcome to the final council meeting of the 2022 2026 term. Um I'll start [clears throat] I'll start with a uh our territorial acknowledgement. We would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather, land on which we are broadcasting from today is the land traditionally cared for by the Hudnosoni, Anosnab and Chinatan people. We also acknowledge the enduring presence and deep traditional knowledge and philosophies of the indigenous people with whom we share this land today. [clears throat] Um, a moment of reflection. At the beginning of this council meeting, we paused to think about the needs of our community. May we show wisdom and compassion in all our decisions. Um, I would also just like to take a moment to um recognize because this is November 2nd. Um, and we won't have a council meeting. This is our last council meeting before November 11th, which is of course remembrance day. So, I just um Whoops. just uh just like to share a few thoughts on that. Um primarily to recognize the community efforts and projects that help us remember and honor those who have served and those who were lost have been lost in World War I, World War II, and ongoing conflicts that continue today. The city's remembrance reflection display which is in city hall began in the summer of 2022 as a collaboration between the city of water and the waterlue branch of the Royal Canadian Legion with the support of a grant from the Ontario Ministry of Seniors and Accessibility. Thei the city was able to provide yarn and supplies free of charge to seven community locations. Residents were invited to participate by knitting or crocheting poppies in honor of those who served. What began as a smaller display grew into the a wonderful community tribute. The display features more than 2,000 handmade poppies representing countless hours of work, generosity, and community spirit. Volunteers came together to attach each poppy to the display netting, creating a beautiful and meaningful tribute for Remembrance Day. And you can see that in our city hall. It's been hung there for just over a week, actually two weeks. In addition to this display, the city is proud to continue its Waterlue Remembers Veterans Banner project in Uptown Waterlue with the help of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 530, the KW Naval Association, Wing 404 RCA FA, and the KW Veterans Council. Pardon [clears throat] me. This year, 35 commemorative banners featuring the names and photographs of veterans with connections to Waterlue are being displayed throughout the uptown. Certainly encourage everyone to go for a walk and and observe and and reflect upon these the people in these banners. These banners provide a lasting and highly visible tribute to local veterans and recognize the service and sacrifice of those who helped protect our freedoms. We also extend this remembrance along the Spurline Trail where an additional 24 commemorative banners recognize local men and women who served during World War II. These include Waterlue men who lost their lives in the war as well as local nursing sisters whose contributions and service deserve to be remembered. [clears throat] Together, these projects reflect the many ways our community comes together to remember. Whether through a handmade poppy, a veteran's photograph and name displayed in Uptown, or a tribute along the Spurline Trail, each initiatives helps preserve the stories of those who served and ensures their contributions are not forgotten. Remembrance is more than just a moment each November. It's also about ensuring that the stories, service, and sacrifices of those who came before us are carried forward in future generations. Thank you to everyone who has helped to make these tributes possible. And please again take a moment to um to refle to visit the banners in Uptown and observe the the handmade poppies that are hanging and displayed in our city hall. And of course on Remembrance Day, um please join us at the Senate for the annual Remembrance Day service. So thank you for that. Um so moving on disclosure of pecuniary interest in the natur general nature thereof. Seeing none um approval of the minutes from September 28th and October 5th moved by councelor Wright seconded by councelor Row. All in favor? That is carried. Thank you. So, we do have a um a presentation today, the bike bicycle friendly community award presentation. Elellanena McMahon, who's the founder and board chair of Share the Road Coalition, is here um uh for a presentation and I guess a delegation. So, welcome Elanor. Heard you had a bit of a challenge getting here. Um but thank you for joining us today. >> Every trip to Waterl is a good one. [laughter] So, I'm very happy to be here. Good afternoon, Mayor McCabe, members of council, ladies and gentlemen, staff. My name is Ellanar McMahon. I'm the founder and board chair of the Share the Road Cycling Coalition. I'm joined by Alex Durk, who works with us on our team and manages the bicycle friendly community program. [snorts] It's a privilege to join you this afternoon to recognize an extraordinary achievement. And I thank council and you, mayor, for indulging me to offer a few moments of reflection. This is a 15-year journey, and there are people to thank and recognize. and thank you again for the opportunity to do so. On behalf of our board of directors and everyone involved in the bicycle friendly communities program, I am delighted to congratulate the city of Waterlue on becoming a platinum bicycle friendly community. This is an extraordinary achievement, the highest designation awarded through our program. And there is only one other city mayor that has achieved this now and it's Ottawa. So, you're in very elite company. This award recognizes communities that have demonstrated sustained leadership, innovation, and commitment to creating a city where people of all ages and abilities can choose cycling safely and confidently as part of daily life. Today, we celebrate that achievement, but we're also celebrating something much larger. We're celebrating a city that has consistently chosen to lead. In many ways, Waterlue has always been a city of firsts. 15 years ago, Waterlue hosted the very first Ontario Bike Summit. At a time when conversations about cycling as transportation were still emerging, then Mayor Brenda Howerin saw an opportunity and opened the door. The impact was significant. The discussions launched at that first summit helped lay the groundwork for Ontario's first cycling strategy in more than two decades. The Cyclon strategy released in 2013. Wateroo helped start that conversation and alongside Mayor Howerin was a newly elected counselor serving her first term, someone you all know very well, counselor Diane Freeman. Diane quickly distinguished herself as a champion for active transportation and safer communities. I often describe her as a triple threat counselor, engineer, and everyday commuter cyclist. Her leadership extended far beyond Waterlue. As a member of our board of directors, she's generously shared her expertise with cities across the province and helped advance cycling policy and infrastructure provincewide. I know I've sat beside Diane at meetings and all of you know in this community her record of public service, but also how determined she is. I I'm not sure what where the last person who said no to Diane is. They'll probably find that person. But she is determined and gracious and just a superb colleague. Today, that tradition of leadership continues under Mayor Dorothy McCabe and this council. Mayor McCabe, you've distinguished yourself by leading through example. You ride your bike, you show up, and you understand that great communities are built when residents have choices about how they get around. A perfect example of this was in 2024 when Waterl welcomed back the Ontario Bike Summit for its 15th anniversary. It allowed all of us to reflect on how far Ontario has come and on the important role Waterl has played in that progress. It was yet another example of Waterlue blazing a trail for others. The road to platinum began years ago when our organization brought the bicycle friendly communities program to Canada in 2010. Waterl was among its earliest champions. And in this it's important that I recognize Scott Nevin, a former employee of the city of Waterlue and a tremendous champion. He's retired now, but he left a lasting impact. Waterlue's first designation was silver. Over the years, the city steadily raised the bar, strengthening infrastructure, policies, planning, and community engagement. And the progress didn't hap by happened by accident. Platinum status is not achieved through a single project, a single budget, or a single council term. It is earned through years of steady commitment and a willingness to continually approve, and perhaps most importantly, through people. Today, I want to recognize the extraordinary staff who helped make this achievement possible. They're all very self-deprecating. They can kill me later, but it's important to recognize them. I want to extend warm wishes and thanks to Tim Anderson. Tim, your contributions to Waterlue and to active transportation across Ontario have left a lasting legacy. I understand that your retirement is on the horizon. You will be greatly missed. Thank you, Tim. I would also like to recognize the transportation team, Bob Henderson, Rahm Ormson, Christopher Deadman, Christopher Hodgson, Luis Finley, Rhonda Werner, and the many staff members whose work often happens behind the scenes. You are amongst the finest transportation professionals in Ontario and this city is lucky to have you. You can clap if you like. This award reflects your expertise, your professionalism, and your dedication to making Waterlue a safer, healthier, and more connected city. Ultimately, this award belongs to the people of Waterlue, to families, to the students, to seniors, to residents who choose cycling as a practical, affordable, and enjoyable way to move around your city. to the young people who come here from across Canada and around the world to study and build their futures. They are fortunate to call a community like Waterlue home. It's part of what makes you great. And what oppressed me most during our recent discussions about Waterlue's platinum designation was not the award itself. It was the conversation with staff about what comes next. No resting on the laurels. Not a conversation about we're there, we've arrived, we're at the top of the heap, we've done it. Not at all. Instead, the focus was on how Waterlue can continue to improve, innovate, and lead. In this regard, I would particularly like to recognize Christopher Hodgson and Luis Finley. Their commitment to continuous improvement in their willingness to share Waterlue's success with other cities exemplifies the spirit of this award. The bicycle friendly community program elevates and evaluates municipalities across what we call the six E. Engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, equity, and safety. evaluation and planning. Waterlue has demonstrated leadership in all of them. Yet, one of the most interesting conversations we had was about how to improve progress in education. Even a bicycle friendly platinum community like Waterlue understands something important. [snorts] Infrastructure creates opportunity. Education creates confidence. Both are essential. Like many communities across Ontario, Waterlue recognizes the need for highquality cycling skills education that is accessible, scalable, and available to people of all ages. That's why I'm particularly excited about the work we are undertaking with our partners at Bikeability in the United Kingdom. Since 2007, the Bikeability Trust, funded by the British government, has provided cycling education to more than six million children in the UK and [snorts] is widely recognized as a gold standard in cycling skills training. Happily, we're bringing this program to Ontario with our UK colleagues. And even happier, at least from our perspective, is that the city of Waterlue has put their hand up and explained a willingness to discuss how water could be one of our pilot communities. For a city that has consistently chosen to lead, this seems entirely fitting. We look forward to continuing these conversations and exploring how together we can equip future generations with the skills and confidence they need to ride safely and independently. As we often say, it takes a village. The progress we celebrate today is a result of years of collaboration amongst elected officials, staff, community organizations, advocates, and residents. Because at its heart, this is a word about people. It's about creating a city where a child can ride to school safely, where a student can travel independently, where a senior can remain active and connected, and where families have more choices about how they move around. To Mayor McCabe and council, thank you. Mayor McCabe, I know this is your last council meeting and I just want to say on a personal note what an absolute pleasure it's been working with you. Thank you for your leadership and support. To staff, thank you. To the residents of Waterlue, thank you for embracing a vision of what your city can be. And [snorts] to everyone who's contributed to this journey, from those who first hosted the first Ontario Bike Summit 15 years ago to those who we hope help shape the next chapter through Bikeability Ontario, this rec recognition belongs to you. Platinum is a remarkable achievement, but what makes it truly special is that it reflects a community that continues to learn, evolve, and lead. Water has spent the last 15 years showing others what is possible. There is reason to believe the next 15 will be just as influential, and we look forward to continuing our work with you. On behalf of our organizations, congratulations on this extraordinary achievement. Congratulations, Waterlue. Thanks for showing us all what leadership looks like. >> Thank you so much. Uh, Eleanor, that's a I think we should just end the council meeting on that high note. [laughter] Thank you very much. Um, I um I think we're we're going to get a picture taken, but thank you very much for your amazing words and your work and uh and certainly to councelor Freeman and other counselors who've been around the horseshoe much longer than I have um and and mayors who served before me and of course staff. Thank you very much for your contributions and kind of just continuing to move this forward sort of connection at a time and a lane at a time. It it really does take a lot of work especially in the in the face of some opposition sometimes but we know that this is really about building for the future and it's the right thing to do. So thank you very much and and as Elellanor said this this award is is uh is on behalf of all of the city of Wateroo but certainly staff are have played a key key role in this. So maybe we can start with the picture with council and then bring up some of the transportation staff. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you, mayor. It's fun to get an award. This is all right. Um, okay. So, the next item on the agenda, and thank you again, Eleanor, for and Alex for that uh wonderful words in in the in the recognition for us all. Um, so the next is our consent motion. I'm looking for if anyone has anything to pull from consent. No. Someone to move this. Moved by councelor Row, seconded by councelor Bodley. All in uh all in favor that is carried. Okay. Um there's no [clears throat] items removed from consent. So the first staff report is our susta 2026 sustainability and climate change update report. Now, before we get to the report, we have another um we have another award. Sorry, I just to where did I just put my notes for this? Of course, I did. Okay, we just we have another award for the city of Waterlue. Actually, we have two awards and so these are I want to present to our sustainability staff. Um there's two awards. So on October 15th, I went to um to the Clean 50 uh summit where I knew I was there to receive an award that that someone had nominated me for and I did that. But I was surprised at that point to learn that not only had I been uh I'd received a leadership award. The city of Wateroo had also been awarded two clean 50 recognitions. um and one of them is to recognize municipal leadership and the other is focused on climate focused project delivery. So these war awards recognize the complimentary roles that of leadership that sets out and enables climate priorities and the on the ground municipal initiatives that put those priorities into action. So these awards really are the culmination of staff work and leadership certainly over the past four years but also over the past number of years. So this is a recognition of the work of and leadership of Sa C Sydney Sandluck, Laura Math, uh Michelle Lee, Sandy Little, previous staff, Sandy Little, Anna Rustic, and Marie Cypriyani and people staff from other divisions as well because part of why we're being recognized for this award is because of how climate change has been been embedded across different divisions throughout the city. So the net zero award um is that we received was for demonstrating a credible organizational path or sorry an organizationwide path to eliminate corporate greenhouse gas emissions not only for just setting an aspirational target. So key factors in us being awarded this include a formal commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. We were the first municipality in the region to do that. Um measured progress. We have a way to report and measure this progress and we're going to get to that report next. Um practical emissions reduction work across operations. Um low this includes like low carbon retrofits of of uh recreation facilities, electric vehicles, reduced energy, um ice making practices, operational improvements. Of course, embedding climate action into all our core municipal decisions. And the because this is a replicable municipal model, our our approach connects facility renewals, fleet replacement, infrastructure investment, and day-to-day service direct delivery with our climate objectives rather than treating climate action as a separate initiative. Um, so the second award is the community resilience award. Um, [snorts] and this is because we've demonstrated that climate resilience was being built into everyday municipal decisions. Again, not being treated as a standalone environmental initiative. The work reflects the recognition reflects works work to help residents, neighborhoods, and city infrastructure withstand increasing climate risks such as extreme heat, heavy rainfall, and flooding. And this includes climate resilient storm water and asset management work, natural and neighborhood based resilience, investments in lowcarbon resilient growth, um integrated planning and funding and that's through our climate action reserve fund um and other funds where we've dedicated um money for climate action and climate resilience and of course mobility and climate resilience. So this is as as we just had the presentation about investments in trails, active transportation, e-mobility to give residents more transportation choices. So this recognizes the city's efforts to reduce climate change impact by strengthening communities against growing climate risk. Waterloo's work stood out because it connects policy, infrastructure, land use planning, municipal finance, and on the ground improvements into practical resilient approaches. So um the this is again a collective award of course and I as I said it it goes back um years, decades possibly because this is something that has continued to build um um beyond just the one term. So um so certainly council thank you very much for your continued support of investments in this direction. And I certainly hope that this will continue because this is one of, if not the most pressing issue that we face, um, as as Canadians, as global citizens, certainly as municipalities. So, um, so I hope that this continues. Um, so I'd like to just present both of these awards to, if we could have s, uh, sorry, Sandy, Sydney, Laura, and Michelle, um, join me and I'll present this to you. And certainly I don't know Tim or others from CMT if you wanted to join us. Thanks very much. [clears throat] Thank you very much everyone and congratulations again to staff for your for your work on this and to everyone who contributed to those awards. Um so now um the 2026 sustainability and climate change update report. So, over to you, Sydney or Laura, or Sydney and Laura. There we go. All right. Um, good afternoon, mayor, council, everyone here today. Uh, thank you so much for having us. Uh, my name is Sydney, um, senior sustainability officer at the city, and beside me is Laura Mat, our sustainability officer. Um, and we'll be talking about our sustainability and climate change update. So, do you mind just Thank you. All right. So, starting off with our corporate actions. Um, so with our corporate climate action plan, um, which outlines our target of corporate GHD emission reduction, 50% by the year 2030 and then net zero by 2050. Um, so we are now at about 90% of our actions from core cap are either in progress, complete and ongoing or complete. And then looking at our corporate adaptation plan. Um so about 86.4% of the actions this plan are completed or in progress. And if we switch over Thank you to our community climate action plan. Um so this is transform. This is our community regionwide plan. Uh again 50% reduction by 20 uh 30 and then 80% by 2050. So out of the 43 actions that the city of the city of Wateroo is responsible for um about 88% are in prog progress or completed as well. All right. So next up we will share an update on several key initiatives to highlight some of the progress that has been made since our last reporting. Uh so as directed by the core cap staff have reviewed all 23 neighborhood how-to guides and also the existing uh bimonthly newsletters to assess current sustainability and climate action content to identify opportunities to enhance that content and to develop a process for ongoing um updates and ensuring that that content continues to exist within those communications. as well. Staff refined and implemented the climate wise budget assessment pilot as part of the 2027 budget cycle. Through collaboration with all city departments, budget submissions were reviewed through a climate lens to identify any of those budget submissions that essentially support uh the city's climate objectives. These results will be used as a screening tool and also to help inform budget planning and to support decision making. And now another key priority for this team is strengthening environmental sustainability and climate action is a shared priority here at the city of Waterlue. We've taken several steps to continue to do this work, including over the past month, we had staff uh provided staff with an opportunity to uh participate in sustainable waterl regions uh climate cleanse or carbon cleanse and we were really uh exceptionally pleased to see so many staff participate in various actions. So trying new forms of active transportation or working to minimize their personal waste. Um, as of last check, the city of Waterlue was in sixth place out of 11 participating uh impact organizations. And as SWR is tallying the final results, we're really ready for a strong finish. Um, also in addition, staff is developing a bimonthly webinar series. So to help us plan the webinar series in the month of May, we launched a citywide staff survey to gain people's perspectives and priorities to engage staff and to make them aware of the upcoming initiative. Once again, we were very pleased to see the level of engagement. We had 74 responses from across the organization. So, all departments were represented. And we learned that the top three topics of interest are circular economy and waste are um also climate adaptation and resilience and innovation in sustainability. So, we're really excited to get that launched uh this coming January. In addition, we also learned that just 10% of respondents to the survey identified that they had a high level of sustainability and climate action uh ecumen. So we really see this as a great opportunity to enhance environmental literacy here at the city. >> Thank you Laura. Um so moving on to a little bit more about electrifying our fleet. Um so fleet services increased in 2025 our zero mission light duty and off-road assets to 33%. Um as well as in 2026 we were awarded funding through the electric vehicle charge on program. Um and this funding will support installation of um EV charging infrastructure including um a new level three charger at Waterlue Memorial Recreation Complex. And then additionally, um, as of 2026, the city now has acquired and operates three fully electric ice reserers, which is really exciting. Um, shout out and thank you to recreation services and police services staff for sending us these action shots. It's pretty cool. Um, and looking at a couple examples of community actions to spotlight. Um, so earlier this year, staff brought the draft urban forestry management strategy to council. um and currently working on the finalized strategy. And this draft strategy is designed to help protect and maintain the city's pres uh present urban tree canopy, currently 32.5% until 2050 and then to increase it to 35% uh by 2070. As well as another great highlight is the launch of the Uptown Community Improvement Plan, which included the new addition of the sustainability and climate resilience grant. Um, and then this uh this supports um commercial buildings with eligible uh projects up to 50% of the costs of the project up to $10,000 per uh project for eligible um improvements. I won't go into too much detail because we just had a wonderful presentation. Um but of course a really big highlight of this past year um was platinum bicycle friendly community um status. Um so very excited um and um a great progress for the city and pretty awesome that we get to share that with city of Waterlue as one of the first to achieve platinum. Um add additionally to our active transportation network there was a lot of advancements in the past year as well too. Um this includes adding to the infrastructure for all ages and abilities as well as new sidewalks um neighborhood bikeways and um multi-use trails as well. Um 2025 was also the third year of the use of the neurom mobility program which is now lime. Um and we continue to see waterlue as having the most trips uh for e- scooters um ebikes um for the program within the region. Perfect. So one key indicator of how to measure our progress is looking at our corporate greenhouse gas emission data. So providing an update for 2025. So in 2025, the city's corporate GSG emissions were approximately 34% less than 2010. Um which means a required reduction of approximately 1,363 uh tons of CO2 equivalent to reach our 50% uh by 2030 target. Additionally, despite the increase in the carbon density of the Ontario provincial electricity grid, which is due to an increase of the natural gas generation um in the system as nuclear power plants are being taken offline to be refurbished. Um despite all that, the city has still reduced its corporate absolute corporate GG emissions by 4% uh since the last progress report in uh 2023 data and continues to make significant strides towards its emission reduction targets and climate plan goals. So looking at um moving forward and accelerating our progress. So, as the electricity grid um is predicted to eventually become cleaner after the year 2030, we do still have to keep up our efforts to be well positioned and future ready. As city-owned facility related emissions are the largest fraction of our corporate GHD emissions, it is important to continue to implement um initiatives such as the green building policy for city-owned buildings as well as ongoing facility decarbonization. Additionally, um also decarbonizing our fleet of sorry, our fleet and also reducing fuel consumption, increasing the proportion of assets uh to zero emission were feasible and increasing our operational efficiency. And then lastly, just to continue, additionally, we must also strengthen our efforts in decarbonizing our community as part of our regional effort and continue to build a more climate resilient community. Um there's many initiatives such as the ones that are listed on the screen there, but really looking at levers to help um have the greatest impact on our community missions. Um looking for innovative solutions um such as ones that can be corporateled or corporate owned um but have a good um and a greater community impact. Um so strengthening these efforts um and sorry one of these examples is continue collaboration with community partners such as Waterl region community energy to advance resilient clean local energy generation and storage. And then lastly, um strengthening efforts towards initiatives that have the greatest return on investment and greater impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions um communitywide um and building enhanced resiliency will be essential to our vision of becoming a leader in sustainability and a future ready community. And that is everything um from us today. But thank you so much for listening um and having us here this afternoon. >> Thank you very much. very welltimed uh presentation. Thanks very much to you both uh for the work you've done in the time that you've been here. Um council, are there questions, comments? Go ahead, councelor Wright. >> Thank you through you, Mayor. I just want to applaud the team for um this very thorough and integrated approach to climate action and adaptation. Um it's really uh just so gratifying to see over this term of council to go from um the intention to do this work to having the the full strategy to now seeing uh all these different measures kind of uh ladder on top of each other. Um and I just also want to recognize how hard this work is to do because it's systems change work. uh it's it's a paradigm shift and usually this kind of energy transition takes anywhere from 50 to 75 years. Um so it's it's a lot of heavy lifting and so that intention has to be there from from the get-go and it takes steady champions and uh and people who are really passionate about the work. So, I just want to really salute staff for what they've accomplished um against the odds of a a grid that is increasingly um you know, not decarbonizing. Um and these are those sort of geopolitical and larger envelope factors that that make this work really difficult. Um just a couple of things that I wanted to ask about. One is um on page 73 it talks about green purchasing strategy and this is one of the um one of the items that uh we have not it's it's listed as a future action um and I just wondered whether we would consider swapping that out for sustainable procurement because there is already an existing framework for that through the Canadian collaboration for sustainable procurement which a lot of municipalities um have joined. The one thing I really love about this um sustainable procurement um um process is that it covers environmental, ethical, social, and indigenous procurement. Um and we could learn a lot from our municipal peers on that one that I think could could hit more than one of our our larger municipal goals. And then the other one is um on page 91 um do we actually know if there are still homes using oil for heating in in Waterl? Like I know I know that retrofit um program from the region targets obviously homes all across the region of Waterlue, but do do we have any sort of idea of where we're at in Waterlue specifically? I can I'll just jump in while give you a second to think. I mean the I don't know the answer to the if homes are still on oil but but the retrofit program is also targeted for homes that are on gas, right? Like that's the primary target is to move people um particularly to um through this process um off of gas uh into like heat pumps. So, I don't know if that gives you enough time to [laughter] to have thought of the answer, Sydney, but over to you or Laura. >> Yeah. Uh through the chair to counselor, right? Um so as far as knowing what those statistics are um we don't currently our team has access to that but staff can take that back to see if there is you know teams that do have access to that or if we can find it um through our community connections at the region who do look at the community um uh sorry energy sources and with that inventory so we can follow up to see what where we're at there. Um and then just to back to your first question with the um green procurement um we can staff will take that back to also look at aligning that with existing um policies especially with the sustainable uh procurement that you mentioned um so that you know we're using what is already existing and finding ways to kind of integrate that. But yeah, we'll take that back and see see where that fits. >> That sounds great. Um I just going back to the fuel oil one. um New York City ran a program that was really targeted at um determining which buildings had still had fuel oil. Um and so it it there might be some sort of incentive structure in order to tackle that along with our our regional partners. And then the other item I was just going to ask about um in on page 95 where it goes into the climate equity um items um one of the things that has emerged just you know in the last couple of years is University of Wateroo led um the creation of Canada's first social um vulnerability index and it's it's a mapping tool that allows you to geographically profile um which parts of the community are exper experiencing some forms of vulnerability and then it can help you prioritize uh interventions or or pro specific kinds of programming and so just thinking about that as a as a tool that um we could potentially u partner with the University of Wateroo on. Thank you councelor Wright. Um that was more of a comment I don't unless you had a response to that which is okay if you don't. I'm sure you're I'm sure you're look you have a number of different partners. So, um any other comments or questions? Sorry, councelor Hanra. Right. >> Thank you, mayor, through you. Uh thank you both for a great presentation. I always look forward to seeing how far we're making in the progress and I will echo councelor Wright's comments that you've done a tremendous job and we are making progress very very much. I've two questions of curiosity. I guess there are a number of initiatives that have not yet started yet. there isn't any and perhaps it's a bit premature um thought around timeline for when those may be initiated and going along with that there are a number that are in progress and as I read through them I keep thinking what else do we need to make sure we put in place so that these keep making the progress that we need them to make >> um through the chair to councelor Hamner. Um so that is a great question. Thank you. Um, as far as the actions specifically from our plans that need to be initiated, um, a lot of those are either just capacity restraints or just because it just other priorities have come in the, uh, past recent. So, they just haven't been able to fully dive into or, you know, really initiate that. but they're definitely on the radar and we do keep tabs of, you know, what we kind of need, what supports, if there's opportunity for funding or research that we can help move that along when when we're able to. Um, and then as far as the actions in progress, I think ultimately just continuing to have this momentum and just making sure that we, you know, keep this energy and the culture and really pushing um organizationwide to really push our goals. um whether it's specifically those actions but I think more holistically is really important um and a lot of those actions are really you know we've done the initiation and doing the research in the background or they're being implemented and they just need to be improved but I think what we need ultimately is just continue that momentum and acceleration throughout the organization to make sure that we we make sure that we keep moving along so that those don't get lost >> or slip if I might just another follow Because as I as I look look at it and I'm thinking to you know future years when we start doing budget pieces I think it'll be important for us to know what happens if we stop or pause things and sometimes the the uh return or the weight of pausing something could cause us more. So I think certainly I'll be curious to know that as we look at initiatives moving forward. I too don't want to see us lose the lose the momentum and capacity is often a thing that that can drive that whether it's people capacity or financial capacity to do it but great job so far. Thank you very much. >> Thank thank you councelor Hanmer. Are there other questions comments? I'll just pick up on councelor Hanmer's questions because a couple of you you asked a couple of the questions I was going to ask but just to pick up on your your final point there. Uh my question particularly is around carbon budgeting and the upcoming budget 2027, the one-year budget and then the three-year budget and and and what council may need to uh you know be aware of or think about um certainly in the in the weeks immediately following this um around like what is next? What's it going to cost? What what are the resources needed? How do we keep this momentum going forward? Um because the carbon budgeting thing is is I mean it's it's great that we're doing that but I you know it's it's still pretty new and certainly there'll be new counselors and and new leadership at the here right so like I think we'll probably need a reminder of of what carbon budgeting is why we've introduced this why where it's where we're going with it you know how we're how like the the reasoning you know about how we're making decisions based on on what this is providing. So, um I don't know if that's part of what is on your radar, but um I see you nodding, so maybe you could speak to that and just kind of sketch out for us what what your thinking is on that front. >> Yeah. Um excuse me. Sorry. Uh through the chair. Um yeah, so as far as the climate wise budget assessment pilot, um so like Laura mentioned, first year that we um implemented it for the 2027 budget. Um so we're not crossed the finish line yet. It has to be brought as part of the formal um budget uh report and um through that the projects will be identified with the designation um using the methodology to identify which ones are climate priority um which ones enable climate resiliency or GHG um saving measures. Um so that will be brought and then from that we'll be able to know after that process when we receive feedback from council from staff to see okay what what was helpful what worked um and then then we'll be able to know um a clear direction of you know what um the next budget cycles look like but I think something to keep in mind um when that comes about is kind of thinking about the future and um in terms of like corporate emissions and the restrictions and challenges that we have there for example from the provincial electricity grid but looking at those other opportunities. So again mentioned a lot about greenhouse gas um community emissions and looking at maybe there are opportunities to have greater impact um on the community side as well too. So something to keep in mind of specific projects that add to um increased resiliency and um GG reductions for community impact. >> Great. Thank you very much for that. And uh guess I'll just put my council colleagues on notice that uh that this is an important process coming forward and uh and uh and really part of the pathway forward I think to really continue to take action on and keep the momentum up but to really continue to take action on GHG remissions or emissions sorry. Any other comments or questions? Okay, seeing none, thanks so much for the report and the work of course. It's it's uh critically important. Um and uh and we appreciate again congratulations on the awards from clean clean 50 as well. Um so this is here for recommendation. Um is there someone prepared to move that councelor Roach? Moved by councelor Roach, seconded by councelor Ro or sorry councelor Vasic. We'll go with councelor Vasic. Um all in favor that is carried. Thank you very much. So the the next one is the free use of community space pilot policy. Trevor, Travis, sorry, Macllum and team coming up here. So there's a presentation over to you Travis. Smike. Okay, good. Uh before I get started, do I >> you can you can raise the podium if you if you want. I think it's over on your left hand side. Yeah. >> There you go. >> Is there another award to give out to me before I get started or [laughter] >> because this is a pilot project? Not yet. But maybe if it's successful. >> As long as it's not a participation award. I got enough of those at home. So, um, thank you, uh, for having us here today. I'm here to speak about the free space pilot policy. Um, this is something that originally came out of the, uh, indoor space community strategy, uh, when I was doing research for that, talking to staff, and some of what we heard from the public is that sometimes our spaces can be unaffordable and cost prohibitive to providing a program for the community. Um, we also look around and see that free and lowcost space offerings are increasing across municipalities. More and more are offering it. Uh, it was not that long ago that you wouldn't have seen it uh too often, but we're seeing our colleagues in uh for local examples uh Kitner and um Burlington pursuing uh their own free space regimes to provide community benefit. Um we've heard from groups that uh there's a high desire for it locally. um free access to space uh or lowcost space. So this is where we came up the idea to run a pilot to test the feasibility of it, gather some data and be able to come up with something more uh wholesome in the future if it goes well. Um currently we don't offer any free space directly to the public. We do offer discounted rental rates which are 50% of the cost uh through the facility rental discount program. Uh this only applies to affiliates. That uh includes all our affiliates, uh sports and recreation, uh neighborhoods, and in arts and creative industries. Um but it's hard to join uh our our list of affiliates because we can only have one per activity or program that's offered. Uh there's a lot of hoops you have to jump through. You have to be incorporated as a nonprofit and you have to meet a bunch of reporting requirements as well. So it's not something that like a grassroots or like average community group can do easily. Uh so access is very restricted for to benefit the community as a whole. So a couple of uh jurisdictional examples we have um Kitchener brought in their free space program uh during the COVID pandemic uh to give residents an option to gather in small groups outside of their homes. Um so they continued it after the pandemic ended. You can book um either meeting rooms or small court spaces in their community centers for up to 45 minutes for free. And as I mentioned, Burlington also offers uh a free space program. And under that uh you can book at a community hub uh for nonprofit or community-led freeto participate programs. So basically what they're doing there is providing free space to uh organizations with the return being that the program provided is of benefit to the community. So it helps them um kind of bridge some gaps that they might not be able to operationally provide themselves. So there's a few policy outcomes that can be uh realized through free space. Uh one of them is supporting community-led programs and activities. If we're reducing barriers for accessing free space, it allows more grassroots groups grassroots grassroots groups to get involved and uh provide community benefit. Uh we could see increasing uh usage rates of the most underused spaces in our facilities and we could increase access to spaces for low-income residents who might want to run a program but don't have the funding to be able to do that. So, a few uh considerations for adopting a free uh free use of space pilot. Uh lower usage rates in some rooms uh minimize the revenue impact to providing free space. Uh the rooms we identified to to launch with are around the 15% usage rate. Uh so that's of all available hours, they're booked about 15% of the time. So there's lots of room to grow there. So we're able to absorb that without uh creating a huge budgetary impact. um our facility model could not accommodate free space on sports surfaces. We know that now uh based on usage rates alone. Um it just wouldn't be able to accommodate anything significantly in that regard. Um without significantly displacing current user groups. Uh and this pilot is recommended to allow uh for information gathering and program feedback. So we're thinking throughout the pilot we'll be able to uh send a survey to anyone who uses it to get their thoughts on it. And there could also be an opportunity to take some of our findings to the public for engagement uh before proposing any sort of permanent uh program. Um but it will offer us the opportunity to scale up if it's successful. So we should consider a free space pilot uh a starting point to test the feasibility and uptake of any program. Uh what it could look like in the future might be very different. uh the number of rooms we offer could look different and the types of uh spaces we offer could be different. Uh the usage data could be recorded by staff to assess program success and support scaling up. Uh one of the first things we looked at when we considered uh a free space program was like how could it change some of the low usage rates that we're experiencing and we could come up with guesses but we don't know for sure. So part of this pilot is to see the impact directly on underused spaces and how that can change by making them free. Um and a pilot also allows flexibility to complement this project while still allowing uh free space to move forward in the interim. So it gives us a starting point and then also an opportunity to build on that through scaling up. So not every uh organization would be eligible for free space. they'd have to be either a registered nonprofit or operate like a nonprofit. Um, so this would include grassroots organizations. We're trying to keep the uh the barriers low in this. So we want to encourage uh community action at the grassroots level to provide programs. So you don't have to be a registered nonprofit, but you would at least have to not be seeking a profit. you'd have to have uh some core leadership for consistency there, but you don't necessarily have to meet like official status under the province or anything like that. Uh the organizations should should also uh be Waterlue based or serve Waterlue residents. So both of those don't necessarily have to be met, but at least one of them does. So if you are an organization that might be provincial, if you're running something Waterlue specific, uh you might qualify for the program. Um but ideally it would be Waterlue based and for Waterlue residents. Um any organization that qualifies for the facility rental discount uh does not is not eligible for it unless they are a neighborhood association. And the reason for that is almost their entire budgets come from uh city grants to the neighborhood associations. Like they don't have paid membership or many opportunities to raise funds. So, we see this as an opportunity to support them uh to uh create stronger communities in their neighborhoods. And all organizations must apply to be included in the program. Nothing's automatic. So, staff will review the application um confirm that they are providing some sort of service that's of community benefit and confirm that they aren't seeking a profit and fit uh our criteria. So for eligible programs um first and foremost the programs have to be free for residents or for attendees rather um fees can be charged only if they're to cover the cost of providing a program. So like if it's a let's say a paint program and you have to buy the brushes, you have to buy stationary or easels. You could recover some of that cost so you're not losing money but there can be no surplus collected um from any sort of fees. Uh programs and activities also have to be open to the general public. Um this doesn't apply if the free space booking is for a meeting because there could be privacy concerns if there's uh certain matters being discussed there. But it can't be for like a private closed off group that you know like a group of friends that want to book a space and no one else is invited kind of thing. It has to be something that people are generally allowed to attend. And the programming or services must provide community benefit through opportunities in either recreation, arts, culture or leisure or a gathering of community members. And also they can't conflict with city-run programs. So if we are running our yoga program uh at rim say we don't want to have another community program that's also the same running at the same time across the hall. uh for booking parameters. Um this is kind of what's going to also limit the impact on finance um and operations. Uh they cannot be made uh more than two months in advance for a free uh space booking or less than one week in advance of the requested date to give staff enough time to uh manage the booking. Uh the bookings can be up to two hours in length and there has to be at least a week between bookings. We're only allowing for um basic room setup options to limit the pressure on operations to kind of absorb this change and the increased uh traffic that they could be dealing with. And we're only requiring insurance if uh food is being served at the event. This is standard practice across all our rooms. It also helps uh keep cost down for user groups. And just because the the types of rooms we're talking about like meeting rooms are less of a risk than say sports surfaces that it's common practice to not charge for insurance. And uh it's expected that uh any any rooms that are used under this program as with all bookings be left in a clean and tidy state after. Um not just to minimize impact on operations but also for respect for a group that would be using it after. So, we're going to look at uh the pilot through a few different lenses to judge its efficacy by the end. Uh one of them, as I mentioned, will be a user survey for participating organizations. Um they'll be encouraged to complete it toward the end of the pilot. And the survey is going to focus on uh user attendance, um attendance levels, programs offered, and satisfaction with the program itself. Um staff are going to review the usage data to in and assess the impact of free space on underused spaces. Uh we're also going to record the uh the inind value of free space to be able to demonstrate uh the city's support for these uh community organizations and we're also going to look at refining the program uh depending on the findings. Uh the pilot may be recommended for permanency under similar or adjusted parameters. Uh we're looking to begin the program in January 2027. Uh the pilot's going to be promoted across multiple platform platforms and shared with community organizations especially those that work with other organizations. So there's some groups that through their work are connected to a bunch of different groups like the child and youth planning table for example and they're great uh sources to be able to kind of spread the word and share that because the direct work they do with so many different uh youth organizations. So, that's just one example, but there are many out there. Um, applications are going to be reviewed on a first come, first- serve basis. Uh, that goes for both eligibility for the program and the bookings of the rooms themselves. And we're looking for the pilot to run until at least January 2028. Um, it's intended to be a one-year pilot, but depending on uh schedules and agendas to get on, uh, the exact timeline could be altered, but that's the rough kind of period we're looking at. Uh, so I'll open up the floor for any questions. Thank you. >> Thanks very much, Travis, for that thorough um presentation. Council, are there questions here? >> Go ahead, councelor Row. >> Thank you through you, Merrick. Thank you so much for the presentation. I'm really excited about um this pilot because um this is something I hear about often is is uh the need for community space. I will apologize because I didn't send you my questions, but um if you'll bear with me, I would appreciate just a little bit more input. I'm so this is great and I'm also seeing gaps and I'm wondering um and obviously we can't hit everything at every time and this is a pilot and I totally understand that but um I'm wondering about the structure and in terms of um maybe who's not being caught in the communications or might not understand the systems. Um, so maybe like what I'm thinking are less formal community groups or um not not classified as organizations and maybe like how we can consider that maybe not in this pilot but going forward um for example I'm thinking of um a women's group at Herb West like that neighborhood and so they wouldn't be classified as um an organization. It's informal, but but they welcome the ladies from the neighborhood. So, if they wanted to um apply, is there space and consideration for that? Can Can I just before you answer because that was one of my main questions with this because it indicates that you have to well there's the preference it looks like is that you have to be a nonprofit. So, to me that that could put up too much of a barrier. So I think that's partly what you're getting at councelor Rose. So yeah, if you could expand on that. Thanks. >> Uh through Mayor to the counselor. Uh yeah, that's a great question and it is something we've considered and I'll call upon my colleague Pam to respond to that >> through the mayor to uh councelor row. I think one of the things that I can say is that as part of our conversations around implementation, we're working with our communications colleagues to uh talk about a a fairly broad-based communications plan. Uh, and so, uh, yes, Travis mentioned, uh, going through some of our existing channels, but we're also thinking about, uh, promotion through social media, through, um, yeah, and and other channels available to us. So, I'm thinking about your West example in particular. Um, absolutely. We'd be connecting through neighborhood associations, our connections uh with community centers, those doing community development. >> That's fantastic. Thank you. Oh, sorry, Beth. Go ahead. >> Um, I just want to jump in and say that um we're also thinking of organizations more broadly. So, it does not have to be formal. if there's a small group of people who tend to run the group, that'll do. Um, so, you know, and that's one of the things that I think doing a pilot will help us um have some flexibility with. So, if we're finding that, you know, our criteria might be too high of a barrier to get through, we're not intending to to we want people to use that space. And so, I think we'll be flexible in how we define that. We're trying to avoid um things like people renting it for an individual birthday party, but if you're running a program for the community, what a community group looks like, we can be pretty flexible on. >> Thank you. That's helpful. And I also have one more question. Um just in terms of the communications too, you're going to, as you said, reach out, uh which is great. And is there any consideration for languages too? Like I mean I know we do that through the city so I'm just putting it out there uh in the public >> through the mayor to councelor Row. Absolutely. We can take that into account as part of our communication strategy. >> Thank you councelor Row. Um, could one of you just speak? I know I kind of jumped in on councelor Rose's question, but just on the nonprofit piece, like I know I heard what Pam and Beth just said, but like having an official nonprofit, it just feels like that will be a barrier for for some groups. So that is like it's noted in here, but okay, you're shaking your head like it's okay. There's a lot of going to be a lot of flexibility around that. >> Yeah. So typically with um any others of our grant programs um run out of community neighborhood services, it's not for profofit or like a not for-profit. And I think um in this case, we're just looking for things to not be like individual rentals [clears throat] for private use. It's an it's a group of people who are doing something for the community um and want to to run a program that's open to the community. So, we, you know, we're not going to rent it out to for-profit organizations for free, but um as long as it's, you know, whether it's a formal not for profofit or a very informal grassroots organization, that's what we'll be looking for, okay, in our eligibility criteria. >> Thank you, uh, Councelor Hammer. Thank you, Mayor Through you. Um, thank you for this policy coming forward. I'm really excited about it uh coming through and having been on the cash grants committee for a while it would have been really helpful to have in certain circumstances this particular policy in place. So I'm glad to see it coming forward. Uh my first is a comment then I do have a question. U having lived in the not for-p profofit world for my entire career language means a whole lot in terms of looking at the groups that you want to have involved. So just a suggestion and when I look at the definitions that you've got on page 103, it's almost describing three different layers of individuals or or groups really and I'm wondering if you might want to give some consideration to the first definition to just be community groups lose the organization because as soon as you put that word in that require that in embeds some more formality than than I think what you're intending because Beth you were saying it exactly that way. You want those that are doing things that are open to the broader public. Um somewhat organized but not to the formal structure. And then you've got the neighborhood associations which tend to be a little bit more rigid. Some are incorporated, some are not. And then not for profofits which have to be incorporated, not for-profit charities. And that was my other point too. Uh are you going to include charities in that definition as well? Because not all not forprofits are charities. Um but charities are. So just as another another group and then my my question really for just getting us to this point what kind of community engagement have we had and um and then what's going to happen as the pilot goes out in terms of the evaluation or further input um through your mayor to the counselor. Uh so in designing the pilot project here we haven't done any um public engagement yet. We wanted something to base a better direction on before we're able to take that public. So part of this process is kind of engaging the public as we go to kind of gauge their engagement with the uh the pilot itself and their experiences. So I kind of think of the whole period as a public engagement piece but through the surveys and everything we're looking to connect with people and hear what they have to say and how we can improve it if it was to become permanent >> permanent. So, similar to councelor Rose's comment about those those voices that we might not have heard from, I think the strategy to get the information out is important and it sounds like you've got a good plan going. So, thank you. I'm glad to see this. >> Thanks very much, councelor Ro or sorry, councelor Hanmer. My goodness, uh, councelor Freeman. >> Um, [snorts] through Mayor McCabe, thank you. Um, I'm also really excited about this. I kind of see this as the next step of the work that we've been doing with neighborhoods. And I I I know that in my ward, neighborhoods have been always tasked and had a difficult time finding community space within neighborhoods to to meet even to organize themselves. Um, so I I think just building on councelor Hanmer's comments, I I do think that um definitions really matter and I just um for me making it more simplistic um is easier and and you know I'm I'm willing to allow some interpretation by staff if if the birthday party happens by an accident. You know what [snorts] I mean? Like I just I feel like um I'd rather it be more open. Um, can you can you confirm if this is going to be outlined at the neighborhood summit that I think is happening Wednesday night >> through your mayor to the counselor. Um, we were thinking of perhaps uh bringing it up there pending uh if it was approved at council today, but if not, we were prepared to uh as part of the advertising release it through the uh neighborhood's newsletter uh so all the neighborhood groups would be aware that it's uh initiated. >> Yeah. I mean, in in my ward, I think there's really only one neighborhood that would is considered incorporated and all the rest are a lot more like neighborhood connectors. And so, um, I again, that's where I think this language really matters because the they're not incorporated. Um, so I I think like I think on the communications front, I'm looking at at our communications team like that there there's a there's a real opportunity here to um to look pretty like I just think this is a really important project. >> Thank you, Councelor Freeman. Any other comments or questions about this? Councelor Wright. >> Thank you through you, Mayor. Um again, I I also applaud that this is coming forward. Um just one question um first off about if there's an age restriction like do you have to be 18 uh to take advantage of this >> through you mayor to the counselor? Um actually we have looked into this. We heard when we were engaging with the child and youth planning table that there's an interest from uh younger people to have access to spaces. They often don't they're not working with big budgets, but they're putting on great programs like math competitions uh for their fellow students. So, uh we're actually happy to say that when we looked into this, it looks like we can offer it to anyone over the age of 16. Uh that's as low as we can go, unfortunately, but we do want to give uh youth the opportunity to be able to uh benefit from this program. So, >> that's really interesting. So, thank you. Thank you for that. And the other question I had is just about um indigenous groups in the community have been asking about um free use of municipal facilities and other um municipally operated spaces. And I'm just wondering what sort of um consultation or um um information was collected um in in putting this together and what you may have heard. >> Um through you uh mayor to the counselor. Uh thank you for the question. I'll I'll defer that to my colleague Pam who it's better position to answer. >> Through you mayor to counselor right. So, as Travis noted, given the very pilot and preliminary nature of this program, there wasn't consultation. Um, but I do so I'll just highlight here that uh this program uh really complements an existing program that exists through the city, the indigenous community's use of space. Um and through that program, any um qualifying indigenous uh cultural or ceremonial event does could be eligible for a fee waiver of all the rental related fees. And so um staff on our ready team are available to answer any questions about this. There's information on our website uh that can outline what is included um the types of spaces and in fact my understanding is that there's more spaces more types of spaces and a broader range of spaces available through the indigenous communities use of space program. So again I would encourage folks to connect with the ready team. >> Okay. Thanks for that. And so what I'm hearing is basically that we we because this is a pilot, we have time to kind of understand what is working and why and and evolve and and uh integrate what we learn into this uh strategy going forward. Okay. Thanks. >> Thank you very much uh councelor Ro. >> Thank you through you mayor. Um that just prompted another question for me um about when you're monitoring and you're gathering the information and doing the surveys. Is there any way to determine who isn't making it? Like who who's trying but maybe they're the time is booked or um they're just not being successful so that we can see those gaps as well. >> Through your mayor to the counselor. Uh yes, we're hoping to keep track of all uh the requests that aren't successful too. and for whatever reason if they're deemed ineligible for the program itself, um we're looking at ways to be able to kind of remedy that. Like if it's, you know, you need a little bit more leadership in your community group or whatever before we can move forward with that or we need to see more on how you're going to have community benefit um associated with your program. Um, but it is something that we're looking to track and so that way if if it becomes apparent over time that there's a gap or some sort of like unintended barrier, then we'd be able to address that when it comes time to uh consider making this a permanent program. Thank you. >> Go ahead, Beth. >> Thank you. Um, I just wanted to also note that while this program, um, if approved today, will be implemented, staff are also working on a sports and recreation action plan, which is a long a medium to long-term strategy for how the city will respond to the changes in our community and community needs around um, sport and recreation. And so part of that will involve looking at how we allocate our facilities. Um, and so I think some of these bigger questions you're asking are questions that we will partially look at and get information in this pilot, but we'll be asking ourselves much bigger strategic questions and doing much more comprehensive um, public engagement about through that project. >> Great. Thanks for that additional information, Beth, and thanks for that question. Um, any other comments or questions here from uh from council? Um, just a question for me. I'm just curious like you you indicated that people can use the room but and they can they can cover costs but they can't sell anything but I'm just curious like and I I mean I and and I get that but if this is really some grassroots groups that are trying to you know kind of really start something like you know like to raise money like they're doing bake sales or something like that right to raise money for I don't know to send some kids to camp or whatever it is. Um or to pay for math tutoring or whatever. Like why are we not allow like what would our objection be? Or can just walk me through why we wouldn't allow groups to raise revenue for their own like to actually maybe kind of give themselves a bit of support throughout their own organization. >> Thank you, mayor. Um, so when we're talking about limiting uh the income they can make from it, what we're trying to avoid is a situation where somebody books something under the free space, like let's say it's a yoga class, they're charging 20 bucks a person to attend the class and then they've eliminated that bottom line of paying for the rent for it and then walking away with all of it as profit. So something like a bake sale, I don't think we would be looking at that as a problem under that. We just want to avoid a situation where somebody is using this uh program to increase their own bottom line rather than kind of pass those savings down to the community. So, this is just our way of uh ensuring that because we're offering free space that that benefit is being passed on to the community too by lowcost and low barrier uh programs. So, it's not it's not a hard rule in all instances, but it is an option for us to investigate if we hear uh that it sounds like there's wrongdoing going on. >> Okay. which which is which is good and which is what I hope would hope had hoped you would say because I totally understand you don't want someone taking advantage of the of the system but I also on the other hand because we really are trying to target some very grassroots organizations that sometimes they need like a room like this in order to uh raise a bit of revenue to support their own operation and I think there would be like I would you know you know that should absolutely be allowed in in certain circ circumstances. So happy to hear you uh you um your response on that front. Okay. Um so looks like that's all the questions. Thank you so much Travis uh Pam and uh and and Beth and everyone else who's contributed to this. I hope this uh I hope this pilot um will be successful and we'll learn a lot from it and uh because we certainly do get a lot of questions from from groups around it. I know space is always a pre at a premium in in our city facilities. Absolutely. So with that, there's two recommendations here. Council moved by councelor Hanmer, seconded by councelor Row. All in favor? Okay, that is passed. Thanks for I guess you're you you get to announce you get to work on this on Wednesday at the neighborhood summit which is always a great summit if anyone uh has the opportunity to go. Thank you very much. [clears throat] Okay, so moving on to the rest of the agenda here. There is no consideration no consideration of notice of motus notice of motion given at a previous meeting. There are no notices of motion. There's no correspondence or community. Is there any no unfinished business council? Are there any questions of staff? I have one question. It's a bylaw related question. Um, just can we can we ask staff to look at our um I guess actually I'm looking at you clerk. Can we look at can we look at the bylaws around election signs because the delay and I I'm going to ask the same question at the region tomorrow because the delay in um taking down signs that are improperly placed is um like we we start with a compliance and education and that's typically how we do by or by law enforcement and I get it like but this is different. It's a very timelmited um event that we're in when we're in an election. And so can you take back going forward that if there's a sign that's improperly placed it's removed and the the campaign is notified ra or I mean because the the the rules that you provide us are very clear like there's like it's if you're if you're if you're putting your sign in the wrong place it's because you're like you're doing it deliberately quite frankly because they're so clear right. Um, I mean, that's at least my interpretation of it, but it's it's pretty hard to misunderstand where the signs are supposed to go, but it's also really annoying when you see signs in places where they're not supposed to be. It just the delay in that, especially when you're looking at advance polls that are coming and then there's, you know, the actual deadline of election day. Can those timelines be tightened up or just removed? And it's like you you've been told when you get your information package there's there's no there's zero strikes and you're out. It's just like your signs being taken. Um through the mayor we we can certainly talk to our municipal enforcement team. I I think that we had a brief window at the beginning where there was a grace period for waterlue but I I think that ended early in September. Where it gets confusing is that a lot of our complaints were on regional roads and I think the region had a different process. But um I can speak with um with our MEES team and perhaps they could coordinate with the region >> that would be helpful. >> I don't I don't know that the bylaw needs changed but I think it's more the enforcement. >> Okay. Okay. Thank you for taking that back. And as I said I will raise that at the region tomorrow as well because it's you know it's it's inappropriate, it's annoying and it's unnecessary. So, okay. Um, anything else from anyone? Nope. Okay. So, we're at new business. Um, so council, are there this is an opportunity for some of our council members if they who are departing either by their choice or other people's choices to say a few words. Um, but I but if there's someone else who has just a okay like I would I I'll defer to the people who are staying to say their comments and we'll keep I don't know if other comments to the end. Okay. Councelor Hammer. >> My goodness, Mayor, now you're putting really putting me on the spot. I'm not sure which way I'm gonna go go [laughter] with this. I did just want to uh I had the privilege of being at the I don't know what annual it is for Hockey Helps the Homeless. I think probably 16 or 17 on uh Friday morning. And again, 16 teams uh raising funds. And I learned while I was there that the Waterlue Hockey Helps the Homeless is considered number one in the nation because of the volunteers that we have. So a shout out to the organizers and a shout out to the teams that were participating. U so I just wanted to make sure everybody knew that. I don't know what they ended up raising. I didn't hear the final numbers, but it was uh well organized. City staff were having a blast as they were helping them out. So I think it went went very well. So thank you. >> Thank you very much uh councelor Hanmer. Um, anyone else? Oh, councelor Bassik, I have actual like new business. Yeah, not comments. Okay. Um, well, uh, I got to go to the, um, Nicole Armony opening of their day, their new daycare. The name of the daycare, I now forget. So, probably I should find that and send that to Rook for the minutes. Um, but it's really lovely. It's on Bridgeport, and I my kid and I have been um, watching it. Well, the youngest, she's more excited than the 11-year-old uh about the progress for the daycare. And they, interestingly, I learned at the opening that they have designed it in a way that matches kind of like the strawberry type houses of the neighborhoods. So, it was a really uh thoughtful design as well. Uh and uh the kids uh while they do have some safety concerns uh about it being on Bridgeport, uh as usual, children love cars and construction vehicles. So, it's also a great source of uh enjoyment. So, just a congratulations to them and I'm sure they worked very closely with city staff, too. So, to uh thank city staff for their work on making that such an important contribution to our city. And new daycare, I know you like those, too. >> New daycarees are always welcome. Anyone else who has comments or questions? Okay, seeing none, then we'll go to I guess the like final remarks. I don't know. Councelor Bodley, did did you do you want Pardon? I was I was going to go in order of the ward numbers if that's if you're okay with that. Councelor Bodley kicking it off. Okay. [clears throat and cough] Okay. uh was crying earlier. So, I'm going to see if I not cry. And I think I got something to uh and I knocked my speech down, clerk, from 10 minutes. I don't know if it's going to be five, but I'll do my best here. Uh I want to start by saying I want to start by saying that my kids inspired me to do this, and I want them to know that I love them. it. God damn it. Uh, [clears throat] and I want to say thanks to my friends and family for all their support on my first day here eight years ago. Uh, I talked about how surreal it was and I felt the weight and the privilege and the honor of being here. And I really did try to hold that feeling through every single council meeting I had. And so when I'm leaving something or transitioning, I really like to think of all the things that I'm going to miss about it. And there's plenty of things I'm going to miss from being on council. >> [cough] >> No way. Okay, they fall into four categories. First thing I'm going to miss as residents. We did not always agree. That is not possible and it should not be the goal. But that said, I always listened and I always did my best. One goal for me was to demystify council. I tried really hard to share with residents what the city was doing, how it operated, what my thought process was. And I'm really going to miss those sometimes very lengthy and difficult conversations. I love them even when they were challenging. And I wanted to impart on residents that us on council just regular people. Uh we are not special. We're all approachable. You can just come talk to us. And I hope residents take that away from my time on council. And [clears throat] I want to say thanks to the residents of war too for trusting me with this role for the past eight years. Uh next, I'm going to miss my colleagues on council. We did not always agree. That is not possible. It should not be the goal. Uh and that weight, the honor that I talked about earlier, there is a kinship that comes from being chosen to represent our community that only those of us who are privileged enough to have been selected here can really fully understand. Uh I've learned a lot from all of you and we're always going to share that bond of having been on council together. And something that was instilled in me from my first term on council is that we can disagree but once a decision has been made that becomes our decision a city of water decision and we move forward together. Residents and staff notice when councils dig in their heels and are dysfunctional and I truly hope that the next council continues that similar approach. Next thing I'm going to miss is staff. uh we did not always agree that is not possible and that should not be the goal. Uh I'm going to look back on my time on council with pride over many things that we accomplished in my eight years. Uh lots of things I'm really proud of. Not going to attempt to list them all, but uh while I am proud, I understand that there is no such thing as an individual accomplishment on council. Of course, not possible without resident input, without council decision-making, but most importantly, not remotely possible without staff. And I wanted to address something that I deem to be a troubling question on the vote compass platform, which simply stated, "Municipal employees are paid too much. Agree or disagree?" And so, just ignoring the fact that that's factually inaccurate, the question in and of itself is just way off the mark. I want to assure residents that city of Waterlue staff are experts. They are hardworking public servants. They care a lot. They bring their work home with them. They deal with an incredible amount of stress and challenges. And they do so with incredible poise and grace. And I have seen it countless times. Way too many staff for me to list, past and present. But I want you to know that I learned a lot from all of you. And I deeply value the work you do for the city. We are privileged to have such amazing and incredible staff that are the backbone of our city and don't get enough credit. [clears throat] The last thing I'm going to talk about, the last thing I'm going to miss is having and being able to use the outside voice that comes along with being able to sit here. This is the real privilege of being on council. And uh as a now former counselor, I understand that very soon, if not already, less and less folks are going to care what I have to say. And so given that, I'm going to reflect on a few final things for my last time here. The first thing I want to say is engagement is not agreement. This does not mean that the city or council should not engage with residents. Quite the opposite. As I stated earlier, engaging with residents has been among the most rewarding experiences in my time on council. What it means is that regardless of the amount of effort the city and council puts into engaging, it is inevitable that some residents will disagree and that is okay. Doesn't mean we didn't listen when we were making decision. It just means engagement is not agreement. And I hope the next council will continue to engage in good faith and be mindful of who is not in the room when they are making decisions, not only listening to those loudest and angriest folks. Second thing that I want to advocate for here is that new neighbors are good. Actually, I believe as a community residents need to understand that the city is a living growing organism. When I moved to Waterl 26 years ago, it is unrecognizable from today. [clears throat] If you ask people 26 years ago if they love living here, they would have said yes. And if you ask them 26 years from now, they're going to say yes then, too. And I want to talk about the housing spectrum. Uh there we have this continuum. It's a valuable tool for us. It focuses on how we can move people from unhoused and temporarily housed to permanent housing. But one thing I struggle with is that we still talk about that continuum continuum once we get to permanent housing, which sort of inadvertently gives this goal of market ownership as the goal. And uh that inadvertently others residents in our community who either on their own accord or by circumstance are renters, who live in subsidized housing, who are in town homes or apartments. And I really hope that we recognize that those living in different circumstances than ourselves are not lesser than in any way at all. They are our kids' friends. They run businesses in our community. They volunteer. They are our neighbors. And the very last thing I would like to talk about is taxes. I would suggest to residents that if you were to look at the city budget, you would find yourself represented in that budget in many ways. And there would also likely be services you are not currently using and maybe will never use. But the budget necessarily has to meet the needs of all residents. And the city does a really good job of putting policies in place to keep taxes as low as they can while still meeting these needs. Two things that we often hear get coded for cutting taxes are fiscal responsibility and affordability. And the truth about a fis about fiscal responsibility is that fiscal responsibility means paying for the things that the city wants and needs. It means having strong reserves to make sure there are buffers in place when challenges emerge. It means making sure that we're not putting today's challenges on future generations of residents. Fiscal responsibility is not cutting taxes or services. And affordability, when we talk about affordability, I would say affordability for who? We are a privileged to live in a very wealthy community. And our property taxes help pay for services for everyone, not just our wealthiest residents. And yet those are the residents we hear from with the greatest frequency. So, I would encourage us to collectively think about this when we think about forthcoming budgets and property tax increases. When folks are talking about affordability, are they talking about affordability that prevents lower-income residents from accessing services? Are they talking about cutting arts and culture? Are they talking about cutting funding to parks that are enjoyed by everyone in the community? Affordability for who? Uh, that was not super polished, but it felt good for the last time. Uh so I just want to end by echoing that I will miss this and I thank you again to residents and I give the best of wishes to the next council in navigating all of these challenges that we collectively face and I leave here eternally grateful for the opportunity. Thank you. >> Thank you very much Royce. Um I was going to start to applaud. I thought that was very polished and very well spoken. And it's certainly something in my four years with you that I've come to expect that it's you're analytical, you're compassionate, you're very well researched, you say what's on your mind, and you say it uh in a way that uh that um lands with the rest of us here. So, thank you very much for your service. Um and one of the other things I I said to you often, I really really you're an excellent counselor. um particularly because you would continually door knock, you know, pick an issue that you were passionate about or wanting to move through through, you know, move from either war or or was citywide and you were door-nocking constantly to to hear from residents um uh on their thoughts and you and you represented them extremely well. And I and I particularly hear your point about engagement is not agreement. um because uh we certainly um all need to learn that lesson. But thank you so much, Royce, for for what you've done and what you will continue to do for our community. It's been fantastic. Um councelor, we'll go to ward three. Councelor >> Roach, [laughter] >> remember to turn your mic on. >> Okay, there you go. Um yeah, Royce set the bar very high and uh and uh uh thank you mayor and thank you colleagues. Uh when I was elected in uh 2022, I brought you know I was in business for about 30 years and I brought a lot of experience and lifetime of being involved in this community and I thought I knew a few things about leadership. Uh but uh what I discovered was that municipal government has a way of teaching you uh something new every single day. It it also teaches you to develop thick skin. I often say that I'm 130 pounds with 100 pounds of thick skin. And if you can laugh at yourself in politics, that's usually a good thing because there's always someone else waiting to laugh at you. Um, but beneath my thick skin is a soft heart. And I hope that's what people remember. Uh, because ultim ultimately this job is about uh people. I took some notes as I as Royce was talking here so I wouldn't forget things here. Um, uh, you know, this job is about people. The senior worried about property taxes, the parent asking for safer school crossings, the resident who wants to pick up the phone and listen and and talk to you. Um, I can't mention everybody here, all the city staff, but I just want to say a few thank yous and talk about the real power at city hall. And I couldn't leave without thanking Linda Vaneker, our constituency coordinator. Um, we all know the mayor's chair of the meetings, the CEO runs the administration, and council makes the decisions, but let's be honest, Linda's the one that keeps us in line. Thank you, Linda. and having dealt with counselors for for for us anyway for four years. Um you've either deserved you either deserve a medal, a raise or a very long vacation, which I know you're good at taking vacations, Linda. [sighs] You've done so much for us. Thank you. Um but one thing Tanya and I, my wife Tanya and I will never forget is um our the gracious support we received from staff and counselors uh two years into this term when our son passed away. So, thank you very much. And um I also want to thank our CEO Tim Anderson and the senior leadership uh team sitting directly behind me. For four years, you've always had my back. Like literally, you've had my back. [laughter] To the mayor and my fellow counselors, thank you um for the discussions, the teamwork, and yes, even the disagreements. You know, I came here believing in, you know, as Royce mentioned, affordability, fiscal responsibility, questioning how we spend the taxpayers money. And, uh, those beliefs didn't always put me in the majority. Sometimes I was a caucus of one, and that was meant for very short meetings. Um, but, uh, seriously, I never confused uh, disagreement with disrespect. We can see things differently, challenge each other's ideas, and respect the person around the horseshoe. So I believe our city is stronger when when different voices are heard. There is one thing that there's one part of this four years that I'll always carry with particular pride. In 2022, I became the first person of color ever elected in the 200-y year history of Wateroo. And as a son, my my father's from Trinidad, my mother's from Germany. I understand what opportunity can mean to a family. And I hope my election helped open the door a little wider for people who never imagined they could be here. 35% of the citizens of Waterlue uh identify as racialized. We don't see that around the table. We don't see that in our staff here at city of Wateroo. Hopefully things can change. I'm proud to be the first, but I hope I certainly hope I'm not the last because every young person in Waterlue deserves to know that there's a place for them at the table at the horseshoe. Um, to Tanya, my family, and everyone who supported me, thank you so much. Public service asks a lot of the people who stand beside us, too. And to the people of Ward 3. I've lived in Lakeshore since 1972. So, I've raised my family there. I've grew up there, volunteered there, built my life there. Um, representing my neighbors has been one of my greatest honors and I congratulate uh my opponent Victoria Robertson and sincerely wish her every success. Ward, when w 3 succeeds, Waterlue succeeds. So, I leave this council table with no regrets. I asked the questions I believe needed asking. I voted my conscience and I always try to remember whom I was to serve while I'm here. So my time as a counselor is coming to an end, but my commitment to Waterlue is not. I was a W3 resident long before I became a counselor roach. I never really got used to the name counselor. This guy's the worst, Tim. H but and I'll be a W3 resident long after. So to my colleagues, I leave you this. Stand by your convictions. respect those who disagree with you and never forget what an extraordinary privilege it is to represent the the citizens of Wateroo. Thank you for that privilege of serving alongside you and uh allowing me to be a small part of Water's history. It's truly been an honor. Thank you. >> Thank you very much uh councelor Roach uh for those words. [laughter] it uh I I was saying to you earlier today I remember your remarks in 2022 at the end of it was that there were you ended with something like there's no problem in Waterlue that can't be fixed by Waterlue and uh and I think you you really um exemplified that in your time on on council and and brought ideas and and your passion and your interest your best interests of Waterlue and particularly W three to the table. Um, and we know that your commitment to the city, as you expressed from, you know, living in Ward 3 since 1972, runs really deep and you've been a huge um, hugely impactful on like uh, the hockey associations and baseball and, you know, many many ways you've contributed over the years in of course in addition to your past four years as counselor. So, and thank you. you were it was always amusing to have you with your clever play on words. So we are [laughter] your very quick wit as well that probably most people didn't get to see but we uh we received many emails to that effect but so thank you councelor Roach as well. Uh w five councelor Vasic. [clears throat] I'm gonna be so chill. No crying. [sighs and gasps] I couldn't get through it actually practicing without crying. So, we'll see. Um, a few weeks back, my youngest came home from school and she asked, "Mommy, did you feel something in your heart today?" And so, I replied, "I did." Uh, [clears throat] and she said, "Well, that was me. I was thinking about you, Mommy. Did you know that everyone is connected by an invisible string?" This imagery is a conduit for teaching rules to manage an overcrowded classroom of four and 5-year-olds. But its lessons about our interconnectedness will have longerlasting effects. Perhaps it is true that all we really need to know we learn in kindergarten. Uh Robin Wall Kimmeer is a mother, scientist, professor and enrolled member of the citizen Pawatami nation. In her book, The Service Berry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, [clears throat] uh she makes the case for gift economies, which are complimentary to circular and doughnut economies. Um and relationships are at the gift economy's core with sustenance and mutual flourishing, relying on interdependence, gratitude, and ongoing reciprocity. The economic unit in a gift economy is as she explains we rather than I. She contrasts gifts gift economies with a transactional economy where goods and services are exchanged directly for money. It's not that interconnectedness or the Wii is abandoned in the in the transactional model but that it becomes secondary to the project of I which is expressed as the accumulation of wealth for myself and my family. It follows then that if our broader dominant frameworks are transactional, our politics will be too. In exchange for votes, promises are asked, sometimes demanded of us. An eye for an I. What then can we learn from Wall Kimmer's work to cultivate a politics of we sorry. [snorts] So, hearkening back to the invisible heartstring, um, we can view ourselves as interconnected with not only those with whom our strings are firm and visible, but also those who we will never meet and those who are often forgotten and left out. And by that, I of course mean those who lack access to resources such as time, money, or social capital to have their voices heard, considered, and seriously prioritized. We can also practice gratitude that moves beyond thank yous to what W Kimmera refers to as a recognition of indebtedness that can stop you in your tracks. indebtedness to the land which has been stewarded stewarded for time immemorial by indigenous peoples stolen by settlers like me and those who came before me in the pursuit of the transactional eye and from which I have benefited immensely and an indebtedness to others which compels me at this point to share my deep gratitude for of course Matt and my kids who have endured a lot my extended family and friends uh city staff so many city staff and especially uh for us in the elected officials office um the elected officials office staff [clears throat] uh my current past Hey Josh uh and future council colleagues and comm community community members for when it has gone well and also for when it hasn't. [clears throat] In the spirit of a gift economy, I've purchased and planted a service berry tree in my backyard to honor the last eight years of citybuilding work that I've been grateful to play a small part in. [snorts] Um, while planting a tree on private property might seem contradictory to the message of prioritizing the collective, if I can manage to keep it alive, its abundance will be a source of reciprocity. Last week, my oldest, who is a true nature lover and an has an instinctive empathy and drive to connect with others, independently checked in on our veggie garden, bringing me a harvest ready hot pepper with a report that a few more were nearly ready to be picked. His excitement was palpable. In considering the status of the whole plant, he was also practicing patience. The garden nourishes him and in time the service berry tree will as well. In turn, their gifts strengthen his innate capacity to nourish and nurture others. The hot pepper sits on our kitchen window ledge, [snorts] and I catch glimpses of it while doing the dishes, and it reminds me of both my kids' joy, curiosity, and burgeoning independence. This in turn builds my capacity to nourish and nurture others. It's always worth planting a garden even when we may not see the fruits of our labor. And that's what we're tasked with on council to tend to today's needs and those of the future. But such aims which are rooted in a gift economy are jeopard jeopardized in a transactional one. Nevertheless, for those who wish to continue down the path of relationships, where our interconnectedness, reciprocity, and gratitude guide the way forward, the good news is that the daunting task of beginning a gift economy is behind us. Cities are already similar to gift economies. And to keep this momentum, it is incumbent to remember that in spite of alarmist messages otherwise, investment in the city's core services as well as service enhancements are a fiscally conservative approach with perennial financial and social returns. Austerity is not. Austerity bears cost by those we just never have to face. And so to plant one last seed, I will leave you with Robin Wall Kimmeer's words. Libraries, parks, trails, and cultural lands landscapes we regard as public goods. They are what we call common resources meant to be shared and cared for by the people who use them. They become possible when we pull our excess dollars in the form of taxes for the common good. We grumble about paying taxes, but in essence, this legal obligation is an investment in collective care in the comments. Thank you. >> Thank you very much, uh, Councelor Bassik. That was, uh, those were beautiful words and you've been, um, at least in my opinion, one of the social conscience the the conscience of the council. Um, certainly in the past four years, I don't know about the the previous four years. Um and um you have had profoundly deep thoughts and contributions that you've brought to uh to this horseshoe and you know and to the your work across council. Um certainly every every meeting that I've been in with you um absolutely and you keep that at your core and it's it's it's been really helpful as a centering um as a way to center the conversation sometimes. So, thank you for that. I really appreciate it. And I didn't catch the name of the book. >> Oh, I have it in my back. >> Okay. Okay. I think maybe we we could if you could share that with us all because it sounds like a really impactful book. So, thanks for thanks for painting that picture for us. And uh you know, I've said to different people, one of the great things about the city of Water Council is like how deeply impressive each of you are, you know, with PhDs and CEOs of organizations and you know the backgrounds that you have, but uh but that expertise and the deep deep care that you have for the community that you've brought here has been just tremendous. Anyway, maybe someone else would like to read my remarks. [laughter] I'm not even talking about myself, but uh anyway. Okay. Well, it's my turn, unfortunately. So, um [snorts] um I'll see how well I can get through this, but Sandra, you may not. Who's acting mayor? You might need to [laughter] Just joking. >> One of us will >> Yeah, one of us will help you out. Anyway, thank you uh councelor Bodley, councelor Roach, and uh and and Vasik for what you've shared. It's been really really impactful. Um, so to colle my colleagues Tim, Felipea, Ron, Kevin, Michelle, and all the staff, as [snorts] we end this council term, I want to express my sincere thanks and appreciation for the collaboration, mutual respect, and the hard work we have shared over the past four years. Of [snorts] course, I wish I could continue in my role. Leading and serving alongside you all has been a privilege. [snorts] And while we have not always agreed, we disagreed well and we disagreed for a purpose. [snorts] I value our thoughtful debates, the professionalism, the shared commitment to making decisions that are in the best interest of Waterlue residents and our organizations. [snorts] Together, we have advanced important work for our community in a remarkably short period of time. meaningful action on climate, award-winning action on climate change, strengthening the city's commitment to [snorts] environmental sustainability, including carbon budgeting, which I'm particularly um, you know, nerd alert, I'm particularly excited about, housing initiatives working to increase the supply and types of homes needed in our growing community, especially affordable and accessible housing. And I've said, you know, for the past two years, what the work we've done together on 2025 University Avenue, and I mean together in the very broadest sense is really a model for municipalities across across Canada. It's it's tremendous. It's a tremendous achievement in a very short period of time. So, thank you for that. >> [snorts] >> uh continue progress to a new to uh support a new hospital for the region of water which is of course an essential investment in our in the health and well-being of residents now and [snorts] in the future. Our partnership with the accelerator center and the provincial government to launch a new medtech hub to create and utilize Canadian innovation in this new hospital will [snorts] be I think gamechanging going forward. our investments in fire service to help ensure that waterlue remains a state a safe, responsive and resilient community. We know that was a decision that was long overdue. It took great courage I think to to make the to invest in the fire master plan. Um, but it was one of those necessary decisions that we didn't shy away from. Improved accessibility [clears throat] and improved and approved facility accessibility accessibility design standards across the city, which we just approved, has been really, really a really important step forward for people in our community to remove barriers at the design stage to make city-owned buildings and outdoor spaces more accessible, usable for people with disabilities. that might not be as well known, but I think it's is it's deeply important. Um, we've done much needed upgrades and retrofits at our recreation centers, helped protect valuable community assets while improving accessibility, inclusivity, [snorts] energy performance, and the experience of our residents who use them. And of course, we supported staff in their work, hiring responsibly in res in response to the myriad of provincial legislative changes that that were forced upon us and we had to react to. Looking ahead, there are still significant opportunities for the next council to build on this work. And that includes hopefully [snorts] advancing a new recreation center to serve Waterlue's west side, supporting the redevelopment of the public library and the continued stewardship of the Carnegie Library, [snorts] realizing the import the potential of the Laurel Greenway as an important community and and environmental asset. continuing to make necessary investments in our core services or core infrastructure. Sorry, that one's for you, Ron. Imagining the new possibilities at the William Street pumping station. That is so exciting what is possible there. [snorts] taking ownership of and responsibility for the Laurel Creek Nature Reserve, the former GRCA lands um are you know it's it's exciting what we what can be possible with that reconciliation must remain an active and continuing commitment. [snorts] The city should continue working with our indigenous advisor, six nations leadership and local first nations leaders with humility, with purpose and with a willingness to learn. We must continue to expand affordable and attainable housing options so Waterlue can remain a city where people regardless of their age, their stage, their stage of life, their income or their ability, they can live, thrive and belong here. There are of course also challenges ahead. The ongoing and unnecessary trade war that has created uncertainty for local workers, businesses, institutions, individuals and families. Its impacts will extend beyond indiv individual businesses and may be felt throughout our entire local economy, our charitable sector and our community services. I the next council must be mindful of how the city can work collaboratively with other other governments, community partners, our post-secondary [snorts] institutions and neighboring municipalities to support the sectors that is that we need including charitable nonprofit business and educ and technology organizations. [snorts] Municipal government cannot resolve every external economic challenge. However, the council and the city can be constructive partners. We can listen, convene, advocate, invest wisely, [snorts] help create the conditions in which residents, businesses, and community organizations can adapt and succeed. These priorities require a council that understands the value of the work the city does every day. >> [snorts] >> Investments in infrastructure, housing, recreation, public safety, climate action, reconciliation, and community services and more should not be seen merely as costs. They are investments in Waterlue's quality of life, resilience, prosperity, and fairness now and for generations to come. I hope the next council will value collaboration while also remaining independent and critical in its thinking. Collaboration with local and regional partners is essential. Of course, however, council must focus on water's own challenges, responsibilities, and opportunities. You must listen [snorts] closely to the professional advice of staff, consider the evidence, ask difficult questions, and collaborate where it serves Waterlue, keeping the best interests of Waterlue residents and the corporation at the center of every decision made. Finally, I encourage all of us to and especially the next council to remember that residents are not merely taxpayers. They are neighbors. They are volunteers. They are entrepreneurs. Their students, their workers, their parents, their seniors, their newcomers, and their community builders. Citizens are the reason this city exists and they are partners in its future. And to re refer to them simply as taxpayers does a grave disservice to every one of us. Thank you to city staff for your remarkable work and dedication to the community. I'm proud of what we've accomplished together. Grateful for the opportunity of served with you. Council, going forward, I wish you robust discussions, respectful and agreeable disagreements, a clear vision for the future, and every success in the term ahead. At my inauguration, my mom read um John O'Donovan. Sorry, I'm an ugly crier. [laughter] John O'Donn's poem on leadership. I'm not going to read the whole thing, but the final lines speak to me particularly. [snorts] May you have a mind that loves frontiers so that you can evoke the bright fields that lie beyond the view of the regular eye. May you have friends to mirror your blind spots and lead may leadership be for you a true adventure of growth. I'm [snorts] happy to say with your support and with staff support, the past term has been very much an adventure of growth. So, thank you so much. With that, um, let me see if I can read what's on the paper here. [snorts] Um, with that, I'll look for an enactment of the bylaws. [laughter] >> Sorry, Mayor McCabe. >> Oh, yes. >> Some of us that are staying, we might like to say >> Oh, sorry. Really? Okay. for our colleagues [laughter] if that's okay. >> I don't know if we can take much more. >> Um, sure. Okay. Did you want to see speak, councelor Freeman, or >> I really I really would. >> Okay, go ahead. chance. Um, so I remember Royce's um opening talking about his children encouraging him to run and how he leaned into that and um and how much that motivated him and the work that he did here. And I think not only your children can be proud of the work you did, Royce, but all of us here are thankful for for your honesty in how you leaned into that. I remember when Jen first got elected and I'm sure that the the very first thing I ever remember was I am so jazzed to be here. And that was like I that enthusiasm is infectious. And and at at the times when things are difficult, having enthusiasm can help you get through it. Um, I will always every time I go near a parade float, it will be with the heart of Tanya and and Hans because there's there's not a time that I showed up at that float that the two of you weren't there and that stupid chicken had. [laughter] Um, yeah. But I mean, like, these are the we things that that bring memories. Um, and I'm really glad, Mayor McCabe, that you leaned into the words of your mom because when you just now when you when you reminded us of your mom reading that poem, um, I I've had the privilege of serving with a number of mayors and and while they all loved the job they did, you were so excited. Every day you got up to be the mayor of Wateroo. I don't know what medication you were on, but it too was infectious. And and and the citizens of Waterlue have have really benefited from your excitement to serve as their water their mayor and you've done a good job for four years. the the remarks that I made in 2022, I said, "Democracy is about people." And the people who have served with me since 2006, have taught me so much and challenged me to be a better decision maker and a better person. Knowledge can be empowering when shared. And isn't that what we all want for our community? I have learned so much from all of you and it will continue to to rise to the surface in the coming years of that I'm certain and I'm certainly someone who has taken time to have breakfast, lunch and dinner with former colleagues of council because I want to hear what you hear. I want to learn from your observations of changes that you see happening at city hall. JFK wrote a book was called courage in politics. Political courage involves making principled often unpopular decisions that prioritize the public good or long-term convictions over personal ambition. party loyalty or immediate political survival. And I would say that this council has without a doubt shown political courage in virtually all the decisions we've made over the time we've been together. For some of you, it's been four years. For others of you, it's been eight. And and the city is a better place for it. One of the things we did was move to a three-year budgeting cycle. And so when COVID hit, this city was really wellprepared to invest to build and to and to build the pavilion and add on to the the rec center. And we could have made the decision to pull back from that. And we didn't. We took we were courageous in our decision to continue to spend that money and make jobs for people here in this city. And whatever wherever life takes all of us, I hope we will continue to be courageous in our decision making. >> Thank you, Councelor Freeman. As always, extremely well spoken. Um, are there any other people who want to make any comments? Councelor, um, Henry, >> thank you. Thank you. Not to not to belabor things, but I think it it is really important and building on some of the comments that have been made. Connections are really important and and Jen, you said it very beautifully that that this isn't a goodbye. This is just the next step that we're going. And it's the connections, the things that we've been through and the things that we're going to be learning from each other as we go forward. That's what's going to keep us going. Hans, you said it very well, too. You've lived here for a very long time and are still going to be here past your time on council. And that's what gives me some satisfaction and and uh pause that we've got colleagues that we can turn to to say what's really going on, what else is happening, how can we keep moving forward? So, we will still be connected as we move forward and and going forward. Mayor, your excitement is crazy. absolutely crazy. Uh in a good way. In a good way because I think you've been able to drive us to make decisions that we might not have otherwise done and take some risks that we might not otherwise have done. Royce, we've shared an office the last eight years. It's been it's been comforting to know that my colleagues are are there each time and I'm going to have to get used to two new roommates and that will be a difference for me. But I do appreciate the the wisdom and and excitement that you brought to the job every day as well. So to my colleagues, as you move on to your next journey, as I said before, this is not goodbye. This is just the next step and I look forward to being part of your next step as we move forward and thank you for your service. >> Thank you very much, councelor Hanmer. Okay. Okay. Councelor Row. >> Thank you through you, Mayor. I fear I will not be as eloquent as my colleagues. Um but I just wanted to say when I think back um over these four years, I feel so grateful um for the experience and for the people um that I've had the opportunity to work alongside. I really feel like for my first um entry into politics um that I hit the jackpot. Um I really did and that that as everyone is saying like how we work together um respectfully we could have difference of differences of opinions. Um I know for me it was a steep learning curve and I've leaned on everyone and and have continued to do so for input and guidance and everyone has been so gracious and um it really it really has been um an incredible four years and I thank you all for that. Um, and mayor, it has been a privilege to serve under your leadership. I've learned so much from you and I'm grateful for your support, your energy, your vision for Waterlue, and your deep commitment to community. So, thank you. Um, I will carry this experience forward with me and continue to advocate for the people and priorities that make Waterlue such an incredible city. Thank you. >> Thank you, Councelor Ro. I appreciate those comments. Okay, are we ready to move to the enactment of the bylaws or are you going [laughter] to >> I think it's all been said. So, >> okay. All right. Okay. Um [snorts] so thank you everyone for sharing those uh for sharing those just wait just wait for sharing those thoughts. It was uh it was um [laughter] you already you've already moved it. Anyway, thank you everyone for the kind words that we shared with each other. It has been really um an adventure and uh and a journey and uh I can't let this opportunity go by with also thanking Tim Anderson. I know Tim doesn't like attention being drawn to him, but just this little bit. You're going to have to put up with just this little bit, Tim. You've been um you've been absolutely um so very helpful. You've been consistent and calm and unflapable and uh and gracious with your wisdom and your time. And I um respect the leadership style you have in them and the support that you give counsel. The wisdom and advice from your years of experience have been truly invaluable. So, thank you very much, Tim. [snorts] Okay, so enactment of bylaws moved by councelor Bodley, seconded by I'm going to go with councelor Vassik. Okay, councelor Bassik. Yeah. [laughter] Um, all in favor? [snorts] Okay. Adjournment moved by councelor Roach, seconded by councelor Freeman. All in favor? That is adjourned. Thank you everyone for an amazing council term.