August 30, 2022, at 4:00 PM
Present:
E. Holder, M. van Holst, S. Lewis, M. Salih, J. Helmer, M. Cassidy, M. Hamou, J. Morgan, S. Lehman, A. Hopkins, P. Van Meerbergen, S. Turner, E. Peloza, J. Fyfe-Millar, S. Hillier
Also Present:
K. Van Lammeren, B. Westlake-Power
Remote Attendance:
L. Livingstone, A. Barbon, B. Card, S. Corman, J. Dann, J. Davison, K. Dickins, A. Dunbar, S. Mathers, M. Schulthess, C. Smith
The meeting is called to order at 4:01 PM; it being noted that the following Members were in remote attendance: M. van Holst, M. Salih, J. Helmer, A. Hopkins, P. Van Meerbergen, S. Turner, E. Peloza and S. Hillier.
1. Disclosures of Pecuniary Interest
Councillor J. Helmer discloses a pecuniary interest with respect to Item 2.2, having to do with the Municipal Accommodation Tax and Short-term Accommodations, by indicating that he has rented home in past with AirBNB and may do so again in the future.
2. Consent
2.1 3rd Report of the Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Oppression Community Advisory Committee
Moved by M. Hamou
Seconded by E. Peloza
That the 3rd Report of the Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Oppression Community Advisory Committee, from its meeting held on August 11, 2022, BE RECEIVED.
Vote:
Yeas: M. van Holst M. Salih J. Helmer M. Cassidy J. Morgan A. Hopkins S. Turner S. Lewis S. Hillier E. Peloza P. Van Meerbergen S. Lehman Mayor E. Holder J. Fyfe-Millar,M. Hamou
Motion Passed (15 to 0)
2.2 Municipal Accommodation Tax - Amended By-law to Include Short-Term Accommodations
2022-08-30 Staff Report - MAT - Short-term Accommodations
Moved by M. van Holst
Seconded by P. Van Meerbergen
That, on the recommendation of the Deputy City Manager, Finance Supports, the proposed by-law as appended to the staff report dated August 30, 2022 as Appendix ‘A’, BE INTRODUCED at the Municipal Council meeting on September 6, 2022, with respect to the by-law entitled “A By-law to Impose a Municipal Accommodation Tax”.
Vote:
Yeas: Recuse: M. van Holst J. Helmer M. Salih M. Cassidy J. Morgan A. Hopkins S. Turner S. Lewis S. Hillier E. Peloza P. Van Meerbergen S. Lehman Mayor E. Holder J. Fyfe-Millar,M. Hamou
Motion Passed (14 to 0)
3. Scheduled Items
None.
4. Items for Direction
4.1 Allocation of Remaining London Community Recovery Network (LCRN) Funding
2022-08-30 Submission - Allocation of Remaining LCRN Funding
Moved by M. Cassidy
Seconded by J. Fyfe-Millar
That the Civic Administration, including (but not limited to) staff in Social and Health Development BE DIRECTED to work together with Community Partners to develop London Community Recovery Network (LCRN) business cases with a focus on addressing London’s social recovery, especially in mitigating the effects of homelessness, precarious employment, food insecurity, etc; it being noted that the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee received a communication dated August 25, 2022 from K. Pagniello, Executive Director, M. Laliberte, Staff Lawyer and T. Kiefer, Housing Support Worker, Neighbourhood Legal Services with respect to this matter.
Vote:
Yeas: M. van Holst M. Salih J. Helmer M. Cassidy J. Morgan A. Hopkins S. Turner S. Lewis S. Hillier E. Peloza P. Van Meerbergen S. Lehman Mayor E. Holder J. Fyfe-Millar,M. Hamou
Motion Passed (15 to 0)
5. Deferred Matters/Additional Business
None.
6. Adjournment
Moved by A. Hopkins
Seconded by S. Hillier
That the meeting BE ADJOURNED.
Motion Passed
The meeting adjourned at 4:12 PM.
Full Transcript
Transcript provided by Lillian Skinner’s London Council Archive. Note: This is an automated speech-to-text transcript and may contain errors. Speaker names are not identified.
View full transcript (8 minutes)
[0:00] Councillor Hummer. Thank you. I do have a pecuniary interest to declare an M2.2, which is really the short term accommodations, as I mentioned in the past. I have rented my home on Airbnb in the past and apparently we’ll do it again in the future. So I have a peuniary interest on those. Thank you. So let’s deal with these separately then. That’d be appropriate. Any other declarations of pecuniary interest? All right, on the consent agenda, 2.1, the third report of the diversity inclusion and anti-oppression community advisory committee. Do I have a mover, please?
[0:32] Moved by Councillor I’m moved, seconded by Councillor Ploza. Any comments or discussion? Then let’s call the question. Just working through a technical difficulty, colleagues, we’ll be with you shortly.
[1:30] Closing the vote, the motion’s passed, 15 to zero. 0.2 is the municipal accommodation tax amended by-law, pulled separately, due to a pecuniary interest issue. I’ll look for a mover and a seconder, please move by. Councillor van holst, seconded by Councillor van Merbergen. Any comments or questions? Councillor van holst, go ahead, please. Thank you, Your Worship. See, we’re just correcting previous version of this, but I wanted to ask what we expect if we do have our anticipating a certain amount, how much would we London be generating for the municipal accommodation tax once this is being applied to the short-term accommodations?
[2:21] I suspect there may be some variables, but let’s ask Ms. Barbone for some clarity. Thank you, sir, the chair. I’m sorry, I don’t have that number handy. Certainly, it’s dependent upon the number of licenses that are brought forward once this goes through. I know there was an estimate in previous reports, but I don’t have that handy to be able to confirm what that number was estimated to be at this time. Thank you, Councillor, any other questions? I do not have them. Thanks for much, any other comments or questions? Dean, none, let’s call the question.
[3:20] Councillor Turner. Through Your Worship, my subscribe seems to be wonky. I’ll call you. - Yes. Thanks for watching. Closing the vote, the motion’s passed 14 to zero with one recused. Schedule of items and one item for direction, allocation of remaining London Community Recovery Network funding with an added communication that will be in your package from representatives of neighborhood legal services.
[3:57] You have seen the motion put forward. I’ll look for a mover, please. Councillor Cassidy, do you have a seconder? I see Councillor Fyfe Miller. Comments or questions? Councillor Cuss. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And the motion pretty much speaks to it, so it speaks for itself as the does the letter. I would note to committee members that this is really just advice or suggestion, a friendly suggestion that we will be giving to the next council that takes office on November 14th.
[4:37] We are lame duck, unfortunately, and so we can’t direct this funding as of now. It’s not technically budgeted money. It was sort of earmarked and set aside, but not budgeted per se. So this will be a decision that will be made by the council of the day, starting November 14th. However, it gives staff an indication as well of the direction that we’re suggesting. And in the past, business cases came forward to us directly from different organizations, whereas the direction here is that city staff actively work with community organizations.
[5:19] And as we saw, you know, what’s happened recently with the hunger strike and things that took place in the city, things work better when groups’ organizations come together and work together. So this is the spirit of this direction, that civic administration work directly with the community. So they come forward with collaborative and cooperative approaches to how can we address some of the problems that London’s facing. Thanks very much. I think you’ve articulated that clearly that this is not incumbent.
[5:52] In fact, we do not have the authorities of council to provide direction on the remaining funds, but certainly it would be up to the following council to do so. So with that, any other comments or questions? This has been duly moved and seconded. I see none, so with that, we will call the question. Councillor Sallie, Councillor Palosa.
[6:40] Emmanuel Yay. Emmanuel Yay as well, mine didn’t come out. Thank you both. Opposing the vote, the motion’s passed, 15 to zero. Thank you very much. Edward matters nor additional business. Our colleague says this is our way when we have all council together. This gives me an opportunity to say thank you to staff for the work that they continue to do, particularly over this summer, I would like to ask Ms. Livingston to pass on to senior staff who I know of at our request to pass on to their staffs, our sincere appreciation.
[7:18] And a particular shout out for the most recent event we had with regard to the United Way. As encouraging as it was to be asked to participate, both in singing with the group for United Way Fundraiser, that’s a lie, they did not ask me, so they do a wisdom. And the second part of that was that the tractor pole, which was really a fire truck and a large tanker truck. And I was not asked to participate on that as well. Again, wisdom prevailed. But I thought it showed great spirit. And this was at the A.J. Tyler yard works.
[7:54] And again, for everyone who participated, thank you for supporting the United Way. There’ll be more opportunities to do that in the future. But to staff, thank you very much for all your involvement in that. And a special shout out to Jack Davis and our MC and she kept things going and did the countdown and was quite eloquent, actually. So it was a lot of good fun and we appreciated it. So with that, let’s look for a motion to adjourn. No one wants to leave. This is nice. I see Councillor Hopkins seconded by Councillor Hillier.
[8:27] With that, can we do a show of hands, Clerk? So we need you to shine, we need to raise your hand, please. That motion’s carried. Thanks very much, colleagues. Meeting is adjourned. We will see you at the next committee meetings council before.