Rise and Report
Diana Johnstone was appointed as President and Mary Smith as Vice-President for the 2025 British Columbia 55+ Games, which will be hosted in Nanaimo. The former Visitor Information Centre at 2450 Northfield Road will be used as a Games Headquarters for planning and implementing the games.
Presentations
Andrew Thornton (Nanaimo Systems Planning Organization), Vicky Trill and Jane Ruston (United Way BC) provided Council with
an overview of the
2023 Nanaimo Homeless Point-in-Time Count.
The report shows a 18.9% increase in the number of individuals experiencing homelessness
in Nanaimo from 2020.Consent Items
- Council accepted an invitation to host the Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities (AVICC) conference at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in 2025. The event will be co-hosted with the Regional District of Nanaimo with costs for the City and RDN totaling $24,000 each. Going forward, Nanaimo will consider hosting the conference every two years and costs will be budgeted to reflect this.
- Council increased the 2024 budget for the 580 Fitzwilliam Renovation Project by $150,000, funded from the RCMP Contract Reserve.
- Council set the property tax due dates and rates. The first due date is the first business day in July, after which a penalty rate of 2% will be applied. The second due date is after the last business day in August, after which a penalty rate of 8% will be applied.
- Council endorsed using $619,936 in funding provided by the Province to support the City in meeting the legislative requirements of Housing Bills 44, 46 and 47.
- Council supported a grant application to the Local Government Development Approvals Program for the Development Approvals Business Analysis and Process Improvements Project.
- Council supported changes to the user rates for parks and open spaces, fee implementation dates and field classification changes. An amendment to the Fees and Charges Bylaw will be brought forward for Council endorsement.
- Council awarded an “in-kind” facility rental “other grant” to the Nanaimo Science & Sustainability Society to cover the costs of up to 105 hours for the use of outdoor City Park spaces.
- Council approved reallocating $6,000 in Culture & Event Project Grant funding to ACT Theatre (Canada Society dba Artists’ Collective Theatre).
- Geotechnical Guidelines Review was added as a topic for the May 13 Governance and Priorities Committee meeting.
- Staff will be preparing a transit-oriented areas designation bylaw and amendments to the off-street parking regulations bylaw in response to Provincial Bill 47 – Housing Statutes (Transit-Oriented Areas) Amendment Act.
- Council supported the recommendations in the report “Development Approval Process Review” and directed staff to work with the consultants to finalize the report and return to Council with a final draft.
- Council approved a number of amendments to the Council Procedure Bylaw resulting from changes the Province made to the Local Government Act (Section 464) which affect when a local government can hold a public hearing, along with other housekeeping amendments. Details regarding the changes can be found in the “Council Procedure Bylaw Amendments” report and attachments from the March 25, 2024 Governance and Priorities Committee meeting.
Delegations
Alan Clarke spoke regarding concerns with drug use at the temporary supportive housing site being built by BC Housing at 1300 Island Highway South.
Dan Brady spoke on behalf of the Nanaimo Hospitality Association regarding the Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT).
Dan Hula spoke regarding climate change and policy making.
Reports
Council approved a 60-year lease to the Provincial Rental Housing Corporation for City-owned land located at 1435 Cranberry Avenue to facilitate BC Housing’s construction of a non-market rental housing project.
A Development Variance Permit was issued for 4894 Blue Jay Trail, to allow for an addition to an existing dwelling.
Council provided consent to the adoption of “Regional District of Nanaimo Separate Waste Container Requirement Service Establishment Bylaw No. 1908, 2024”. This bylaw supports the RDN’s Solid Waste Management Plan’s goal of 90% waste diversion and is a step towards implementing the Mandatory Waste Source Separation Bylaw.
Council was provided with an update on the status of Council motions that are in progress and complete. In addition, Council rescinded six motions as outlined in
the staff report. Council then directed staff to:
- include background information and a decision point in the 2025 Council remuneration discussion related to the reimbursement of dependent care costs for members to attend official City of Nanaimo meetings; and,
- bring a report to the Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness exploring options for reimbursement for dependent expenses incurred by City of Nanaimo appointed committee members to attend scheduled committee meetings.
Bylaw Updates
“Housing Legacy Reserve Fund Establishing Bylaw Amendment Bylaw 2024 No. 7299.01” (to clarify the purpose for which the fund was established) was adopted.
“Online Accommodation Platform Reserve Fund Bylaw 2024 No. 7374” (to establish an Online Accommodation Platform Reserve Fund) was adopted.
Other Business