Open Council

12th Meeting of the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee

Open Council

12th Meeting of the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee

October 7, 2025, at 1:00 PM

Original link

The meeting is called to order at 1:01 PM; it being noted that Councillor S. Stevenson was in remote attendance.

1.   Disclosures of Pecuniary Interest

That it BE NOTED that no pecuniary interests were disclosed.

2.   Consent

2.1   Mayoral Direction 2024-001, City-Owned Parking Lot Redevelopment in Old East Village

2025-10-07 Staff Report - (2.1) Mayoral Direction 2024-001, City-owned Parking Lot

Moved by J. Morgan

Seconded by P. Van Meerbergen

That, on the recommendation of the Deputy City Manager, Housing and Community Growth, the following actions be taken with respect to Mayoral Direction 2024-001:

a)    the City-owned Parking Lot Redevelopment update provided in the report BE RECEIVED for information;

b)    the Civic Administration BE DIRECTED to take no further action on redevelopment at 641 Queens Avenue for housing;

c)    the Civic Administration BE DIRECTED to take no further action on a Request for Expression of Interest to solicit proposals from potential development partners to construct housing at 641 Queens Avenue; and

d)    the Civic Administration BE DIRECTED to implement a free parking pilot for the 641 Queens Avenue and 434 Elizabeth Street parking lots until the end of Q1 2027;

it being noted that the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee heard delegations from S. Merritt, F. Filice and K. Morrison, Executive Director, Old East Village Business Improvement Area with respect to this matter.

ADDITIONAL VOTES:

Moved by A. Hopkins

Seconded by P. Van Meerbergen

That the delegation requests from S. Merritt, F. Filice and K. Morrison, Executive Director, Old East Village Business Improvement Area BE APPROVED to be heard at this time.

Motion Passed (15 to 0)

Moved by J. Morgan

Seconded by P. Van Meerbergen

That part d) be approved:

d)    the Civic Administration BE DIRECTED to implement a free parking pilot for the 641 Queens Avenue and 434 Elizabeth Street parking lots until the end of Q1 2027.

Motion Passed (14 to 1)

Moved by J. Morgan

Seconded by P. Van Meerbergen

That the balance of the motion be approved:

That, on the recommendation of the Deputy City Manager, Housing and Community Growth, the following actions be taken with respect to Mayoral Direction 2024-001:

a)    the City-owned Parking Lot Redevelopment update provided in the report BE RECEIVED for information;

b)    the Civic Administration BE DIRECTED to take no further action on redevelopment at 641 Queens Avenue for housing;

c)    the Civic Administration BE DIRECTED to take no further action on a Request for Expression of Interest to solicit proposals from potential development partners to construct housing at 641 Queens Avenue; and

it being noted that the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee heard delegations from S. Merritt, F. Filice and K. Morrison, Executive Director, Old East Village Business Improvement Area with respect to this matter.

Motion Passed (15 to 0)

3.   Scheduled Items

3.1   Public Participation Meeting - Not to be heard before 1:05 PM - 2026 Water and Wastewater Rates

2025-10-07 Staff Report - 2026 Water and Wastewater Rates

Moved by P. Cuddy

Seconded by P. Van Meerbergen

That, on the recommendation of the Deputy City Manager, Environment & Infrastructure and the Deputy City Manager, Finance Supports, the following actions be taken with respect to the 2026 Water and Wastewater rates and charges:

a)    the proposed by-law, as appended to the staff report dated October 7, 2025 as Appendix “A”, to amend By-law WM-28 being “A by-law for regulation of wastewater and stormwater drainage systems in the City of London” BE INTRODUCED at the Municipal Council meeting to be held on October 14, 2025, to effect rates and charges increases of 2.4 percent effective January 1, 2026; and

b)    the proposed  by-law, as appended to the staff report dated October 7, 2025 as Appendix “B”, to amend By-law W-8 being “A by-law to provide for the Regulation of Water Supply in the City of London” BE INTRODUCED at the Municipal Council meeting to be held on October 14, 2025, to effect rates and charges increases of 2.2 percent effective January 1, 2026;

it being noted that no individuals spoke at the public participation meeting associated with this matter.

Motion Passed (15 to 0)

ADDITIONAL VOTES:

Moved by P. Cuddy

Seconded by H. McAlister

Motion to open the public participation meeting.

Motion Passed (15 to 0)

Moved by S. Hillier

Seconded by A. Hopkins

Motion to close the public participation meeting.

Motion Passed (15 to 0)

4.   Items for Direction

None.

5.   Deferred Matters/Additional Business

None.

6.   Confidential (Provided to Members only.)

Moved by D. Ferreira

Seconded by S. Hillier

That the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee convenes In Closed session to consider the following:

6.1    Personal Matter/Identifiable Individual  

     

A personal matter pertaining to identifiable individuals, including municipal employees, with respect to the 2026 Mayor’s New Year’s Honour List.

Motion Passed (15 to 0)

The Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee convenes In Closed Session from 1:38 PM to 1:42 PM.

7.   Adjournment

Moved by D. Ferreira

Seconded by P. Van Meerbergen

That the meeting BE ADJOURNED.

Motion Passed

The meeting adjourned at 1:44 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 (58 minutes)

[18:40] All right, colleagues, I’m going to call the meeting to order it being 101 PM. So I’ll ask everyone to take their seats, please. And I will call the 12th meeting of the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee to order. I’d like to begin by acknowledging the city of London is situated on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabic, the Haudenosaunee, Lene Peiwach, and Adwander and Peoples. We honor and respect the history, languages, and culture of the diverse indigenous people who call this territory home. The city of London is currently home to many First Nations, Métis and Inuit people, and as representatives of the people of the city of London, we are grateful to have the opportunity to work and live in this territory.

[19:20] The city of London is also committed to making every effort to provide alternate formats and communications supports for meetings upon request. To make a request specific to this meeting, please contact SPPC at London.ca or phone 519-661-2489, extension 2425. Colleagues, I will begin by looking for any disclosures of pecanary interest. Seeing none, we will move along to the consent agenda. I will just note that Councillor Stevenson is with us virtually.

[19:58] All other members of council are in chambers. Councillor Truss, I was not currently with us. So we’re looking at the consent agenda. We do have actually three requests for delegation status on this item. I can confirm that Mr. Morrison from the old East Village BIA did make an attempt to submit a delegation request. It went awry, however, he did make the effort. I’ve seen the paper trail to confirm that. And so I’m hoping colleagues will. Someone perhaps would make a motion to accept all three delegations.

[20:36] Moved by Councillor Hopkins and seconded by Councillor van Mirbergen. So I will ask the clerk to open the votes to receive the delegations. And then we can go to the gallery and have them make their presentations. Trust the votes, yes. Kerry votes, yes. Stevenson votes, yes. Opposed in the vote, motion carries 15 to 0.

[21:12] Thank you and for those watching remotely. As you heard, Councillor Truss, I’ll now join the meeting as well. So our delegations are approved. So we have Ms. Merritt first, if you’d like to come to the microphone. And you have five minutes when you’re ready to go. Okay, thank you. So thank you very much for the opportunity to address the committee with respect to the future of the Old East Village Parking lot number two.

[21:47] I’m here to state that I support the recommendations that have been made by the staff support by in the staff report and also the letters that are attached to the report. I want to thank Michael Thompson-Sick and Melissa Campbell for meeting with us and for their helpful informed response to our comments about the report. The social and economic wellbeing of East London and Old East Village has always been impacted by the broader structural and economic factors, mostly beyond our control and to which residents, businesses and services with the assistance of immunosuppality have always responded to.

[22:31] Now we’ve got a bit of a history lesson. From the 1880s, East London was at the epicenter of London’s manufacturing and food production. And by the 70s, the impact of the gradual loss of manufacturing, the shift from rail to road transportation, the growth of suburbs and malls, all contributed to the hollowing out of our urban core neighbourhood, a phenomenon which is common across many cities in Canada. The early 1990s saw initial neighbourhood efforts to stem decline through a collaboration between the East London BIA, now known as the Old East Village BIA, area residents, London Police Services, the Palace Sea to the Alien Hall and the London Inter-Community Health Centre.

[23:15] In 2000, the Ontario Professional Planner Institute collaborated with the above groups and the newly formed a community association plus the Western Fair to mobilise the neighbourhood to create a road map for the renewal of the village. That road map called Re-establishing Value, a plan for the Old East Village was adopted by Council as a community improvement plan for the area. With the help of the municipality, a great plan, a mobilised neighbourhood and ongoing applied research contributions of Western’s human research analysis lab hill, the years between 2000 and 2018, saw major advancements and a renaissance in our village.

[24:00] Our business and residential districts actually became a model for how municipalities can facilitate urban core renewal. Then things began to falter. First with the closure of Lorna Avenue School in 2016 and then with an escalated impact of mental health, drug addiction and homelessness issues. The homeless pandemic between 2020 and ‘23 exacerbated these issues and saw the vacancy rates, which are now improving by the way, dropped from under 5% in 2018 to 46% in 2023.

[24:37] So we find ourselves organising again to collaboratively address issues, build upon strengths and support another renewal in the business districts. And we see great signs of renewal with the potential for new business spaces and housing developments, but we’ve got a way to go yet. And in transigent and unrepresentative, deficiency-focused narrative has been the bane of the oldest village throughout its history of decline and renewal.

[25:11] And the real story of the village is one of historical resilience, a willingness and capacity to act and a creative community that has always had the ability to foster renewal by building on the gifts, skills and capacities of the area. And the people who live, work and are served there. With more housing and commercial space to come, new businesses moving into the CIP area, the success of the McCormick’s area plan and the potential for the business district to reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of London with our new housing, now is not the time for us to lose the parking lots.

[25:49] We need the use of the parking lots to be considered within a broader context of renewal, perhaps a review of a community improvement plan. And it’s interesting to see that as we speak, one of the aspects of community improvement plan, building gateway signage, gateway entrance features to the oldest village, identified in 2003 is actually now happening in the oldest village. So these things take time. We have an ebb and flow. I respectfully request that the committee votes in support of the report’s recommendations.

[26:24] And I look forward to working with everybody as we all collaborate together in the renewal of the area. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. Thank you, Ms. Merritt. And we will next invite our next delegate, Mr. Felicie to the microphone. And Frank, you’ll have five minutes when you’re ready to go. I’m sure you want to start by saying I agree with everything she said, just to keep things happy at home. I’ve got a lot of recording in my hotel here. And then she’ll have it on the record forever that you agree with everything she said.

[27:02] And the time is yours. So when you’re ready, go ahead. Thank you. Felt compelled to come here today because I think this is, I would say a crucial vote in terms of oldest village moving forward once again. And I’m here to support the recommendation brought to you today to preserve the municipal parking lot number two in the oldest village. We, I thank you for the opportunity that you gave us in order to speak with Michael and Melissa so that we could give them some feedback.

[27:40] So that happened in September, September sometime. We had a good discussion through which we were able to express the value of the parking lot to the success of the main street, provide a context for the importance and for that importance and touch upon the challenges that are currently being faced. Those challenges have been well documented and frequently expressed. I understand, realize that solutions aren’t easy but I must say that it is encouraging to hear of the proposed 60 mini shelter project bought forward as part of the solution just very recently.

[28:16] So it’s that kind of thinking that I think is really gonna be helpful. And I think that the parking lot is part of our solution too in the sense that it is a building block that increases our chances of being successful and what I think is a rebalancing of the uses on our main street so all can succeed. It will help us to retain our small businesses and attract new ones. It will help us to retain our cultural institutions such as banking house, play works, the palace theater and the Eolian Hall.

[28:51] Play works such a wonderful gem of a institution to have from the beautiful building to the state of the art heating and cooling system that it has and to the wonderful projects that they do. For example, what they’re doing now with the gateway feature. And I think that, correct me if I’m wrong but I think Oleis Village is the only community in London that has numerous ceramic installations that really enhance the streetscape. So, and I think too, the other really important thing for me is that the parking lot in many ways will help us to build the connectivity with the positive things that are occurring such as at the college, the Kellogg site and the area that houses the mini breweries, the climbing center and other small businesses near Boyle Park.

[29:42] And I think that connectivity can be assisted by the rapid transit line that is currently under construction. So I think there’s a lot of good basic stuff that’s happening that we can use to catapult ourselves to revitalization number two in Eolian Hall-Dise Village. I just wanna say that I go to our main street a lot and I have to tell you that businesses on the main street are very kind and they’re patient. And I see them providing drinks, talking to people, making people feel welcome.

[30:25] So I think the businesses there really do deserve the support. And I think that by preserving this parking lot that will help with supporting them. In closing, I would suggest that the retention of this parking lot increases the likelihood that conditions can be created that will make public realm and Eolian Hall-Dise Village a welcoming place for many kinds of different projects. And it is my hope that you could support the recommendation to retain this asset for us. Thank you.

[30:59] Thank you, sir. And we will invite our third delegate, Mr. Morrison, if you’d like to come to the microphone. And when you’re ready, you’ve got five minutes. I totally do not need the five minutes, Mr. Chair, because of what has been said before me. And I also want to thank you for allowing me to speak today. I want to thank Heather from the Clerk’s Department because she’s the one that finally got me on the right track. I found an email on your website that apparently hasn’t been used for about a year and a half. So I appreciate that. Anyways, as most of you know, I am with the Eolian Hall-Dise Village BIA.

[31:35] And I just want to keep my message brief today, but I want to extend a great big thank you to those that have been involved from the city with this process. And I’ve had a number of conversations and Sarah had mentioned about the department and the staff. So I’m not going to repeat that. But also I want to thank Scott May just for taking the time that he has to work with us with this recommendation. This process has been one of two collaboration. It’s between the city staff, our community partners, as well as the Eolian Hall-Dise Village BIA.

[32:12] And we sincerely appreciate the thoughtful dialogue that took place. The decision before you here today is a very important one. And not only for this particular property, but also for the future direction of our community. And at this crucial and critical time, your leadership as elected officials carries a significant weight. The choices made here will directly influence the pace and the success of our revitalization efforts in the Eolian Hall-Dise Village. Our community has worked tirelessly to strengthen itself through investment, creativity, and perseverance.

[32:47] And even as we continue to navigate the very real challenges of the ongoing street crisis, these are very difficult times for our small business property owners and, yes, even our residents. The recommendation before you strikes the right balance. It recognizes the importance of revitalization and while understanding that now is not the right time to proceed with the redevelopment on this particular site. And as we said from the beginning, we’re not saying not never, but we’re just saying not now. We believe that decisions in moments like this from our elected representatives help shape the confidence, confidence in the process, confidence in City Hall, and the shared belief that progress is possible when timing and collaboration align.

[33:31] And again, I want to thank you. And I look forward to a continued partnership. I think we’re moving slowly, but we’re moving in the right direction. So thank you. And thanks again for the opportunity to speak today. And thank you for coming to speak to us today, all three of you. It is appreciated. And that concludes our delegations. Mayor Morgan, you indicated you wanted to move the staff recommendation. Do we have a seconder for that? Councillor van Mirbergen. So that’s been moved and seconded, and that’s on the floor and now open for debate, looking for any speakers.

[34:07] Councillor Stevenson. Thank you very much. And thanks to the delegates who came to speak today. There’s a lot of people, including myself very happy to see this report today. I’m grateful to council for having supported the referral that was done when this idea was first brought forward to give an opportunity for input and for further reflection. There’s a lot of reasons why we don’t believe this was a good area for this kind of development. We get to look at this area as to what it could and will be, and not just what it is right now.

[34:43] We also have issues as we know even downtown right now in terms of getting financing or doing office to residential conversions with massive vandalism and theft of HVAC and wiring and stuff like that. So even to be considering construction in that area is another reason for concern. So this is going to reduce some of the stress and uncertainty for businesses and people who live in the area. The parking is also very much appreciated. I think this is going to remove one small barrier for people who want to come and support the great businesses and organizations that are currently still in Old East Village.

[35:28] And it also, by just doing daytime parking and leaving the overnight, it still ensures that residents of apartment buildings in the nearby area pay for parking for their overnight. So I think this is a really great report to get back. I think there’s going to bring a lot of relief and some appreciation from the area. So it’s very much appreciated. I’m looking forward to having committee and council support on this. I also wanted to thank Mr. Mathers and staff for allowing some opportunity to provide feedback on this and to bring forward a report that’s really welcome news for this really incredible area and for the businesses there.

[36:13] It’s been a good process. I think people felt heard. There was an opportunity to get back exactly what this area was looking for and in a reasonably quick time too. So to have this was a concern to a lot of people and just knowing that now this idea has been put to bed and people can move forward with one less worry or concern is very much appreciated. So thanks to all involved. Thanks to the people who rode in and spoke and looking forward to having this one behind us. Thank you, Councilor Stevenson, Councilor McAllister.

[36:51] Thank you and through the chair. I’ll be brief with this. I’m supportive of the staff recommendation and just echo that I’m very appreciative of everyone involved in this. I think it’s a great example in terms of the feedback between city hall and the residents and the businesses. Having a BIA on an older main street as well, I understand the constraints of parking. I only have a few little lots as well and I often hear from the businesses how important it is to have places for their patrons to park. And I think this will go a long way in terms of helping revitalize with oldies to ensure that people have a place that they can park and go to the businesses and the only in the palace.

[37:31] There’s a lot of great cultural treasures along that stretch as well that I’m sure Londoners would appreciate a place to park and be able to frequent them. So thank you and I’m supportive of this. Thank you, Councilor McAllister. Mayor Morgan. Yes, let me echo my, thanks to staff for their work on this as well. I’m obviously moved it and very supportive of the direction. I also want to thank Mr. Morrison for his engagements with me on this. When we set the direction to take a look at city owned parking lots for opportunities, frankly, and I said this at a previous debate, the options on this lot were underwhelming.

[38:07] It was a minimal amount of housing for what could be a significant impact on the businesses in the area. And so I’m happy to drop this location. I think when we think about that program, the potential at locations on Rideau Street where there’s multiple parties interested in high density residential developments, like that’s the real potential of unleashing our land opportunities with our parking, getting more parking, getting more housing at the same time. Here, a small story building was probably going to have more negative impacts on the businesses than it was going to create actual housing. So happy to move past this and on to the next thing.

[38:40] Happy to support the parking pilot as well. Certainly know that anything we can do to support the businesses in that area who continue to be open and welcoming customers and looking for people to come down and shop in their shops and eat at the restaurants. I know that that will be helpful and certainly happy to support that through Q1 of 2027. So good report from staff. Very supportive of it. I look forward to the next steps on the other parking lots when we get to that. Councilor Ferreira.

[39:12] Thank you, Deputy Mayor, through you. I don’t have any issues with this report either. I do have some questions, I guess, on the parking pilot itself. And I’m not saying I don’t support that, I just wanted to ask. With our, I guess, the core area on street parking that we have right now with inclusion of municipal lot one and two, I was wondering if I could just get a reminder on when the end date for that program is from staff. Mr. Mathers. Through your chair.

[39:45] So I didn’t quite catch that, was that at the end of the proposed program or if the current program for the downtown? Councilor. Thank you. (buzzing) It’s not me. Sorry, through you. The current one that we have right now, from my understanding, from my memory, we had the free on street parking for one hour within the core area and municipal lot one and two. So I’m just wondering when the end date is, I can’t seem to remember myself when that program is supposed to be ended. Mr. Mathers.

[40:22] Through the chair. I’ll just have to pull that for the report, but I can send you that for Councilor Ferrera. Thank you. Okay, the reason I’m asking is I just wanted to know if there’s any overlap between municipal lot one and two and that program that we have currently right now, doesn’t mean that I’m not gonna support this motion or the recommendation the way it is. But I am inquiring for the on street parking, I guess, for the future. So I’m just gonna end it there. I will support the report as it is. Thank you, Councilor Ferrera.

[40:56] Councilor Frank. Thank you. And I appreciate the engagement from the community on this. I am gonna ask if we could split this separately, as I’d like to vote against D, as I’m generally not supportive with free parking pilots, no offense to you folks, but just being consistent with my votes, that folks who are using parking should pay for it in the same way we’re not offering free bus passes or bus tickets to people who are going to oldies village. I feel like we should be consistent fairness for people who are using different modes of transit. But generally, A, B and C, I’ll be supportive of mostly because of the words I’ve heard today from the community.

[41:29] Generally, I don’t support keeping parking lots as parking lots because I think they could be much better use, but I know that you folks really want it. So I will be supporting A through C today as well. Thank you, Councilor Frank. So we can certainly separate D. I’m just gonna check and see right now if anyone else wants any other clauses pulled separately. Seeing none. So I’ll look for other speakers before we call the vote. Councilor Trussa. Thank you very much.

[42:01] And through the chair, I particularly want to thank our delegates today. And I know all three of you have worked very hard on this over the years and I’ve had conversations with some of you. As you know, I did not start out as a proponent of this and I share many of the same concerns that Councilor Frank just put on the table. Under the circumstances, and I think you had a heavy burden here to convince me on this, and you did. And in particular, the historical analysis that we heard today, I thought was very helpful ‘cause it reminds me of a lot of things from past times.

[42:44] It’s an example, I think, of a positive approach to problem solving and it’s refreshing. It’s really refreshing to sit here and hear such a positive approach. Even though I have very serious qualms about extending free parking and due respect to Councilor Frank who I agree with on this, I’m gonna support the whole package. And the reason I’m gonna support the whole package is I think you’ve satisfied a burden that this is part of an overall program.

[43:19] And I like the way, I really like the way you’ve spoken about the parking lot as just not just some other place where somebody can make money, but an integral part of the overall fabric of what you’re trying to do with this neighborhood. So please don’t take this as an indication that I’m going to be supporting this type of free parking a lot, but in this case, you’ve made a very compelling argument, so I’m gonna support the whole package. And again, thank you all for coming out.

[43:53] And with that, I’ll just turn it back to the chair. Thank you, Councilor Trussow, Councilor Palosa. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just wanna thank our guests in the gallery. I actually like all four of you. So thank you for coming out and speaking, and it’s lovely to see you here. I appreciate the conversations offline as well that we’ve had. I know we haven’t always agreed on this as Kevin smiles. I’m still interested when the future time comes that it is appropriate to look at development of these sites. I do believe it is a good area for investment in housing and new neighbors.

[44:26] I can appreciate that the BIA and residents feel that now is not the time, but excited to see when this does come back in years to come that it is time. Also glad that City staff and that overnight parking would still be paid from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. So thank you for that, appreciating that this intention isn’t to help the businesses and residents not overnight stays and that it won’t be used for a storage line vehicle surplus that stays there that it really is supposed to have an economic impact in the neighborhood and to our guest surprise, especially the one in the middle, I’ll be supporting everything before us today.

[45:09] Thank you, Councillor Ploza. I have no Councillor Pervault. Thank you, very happy to see this. I will be of course supporting all four cases. So for ABCD and what’s in front of us. I think this is great for both residents and the businesses. The businesses are really excited about it. And I just want to actually Mr. Morrison, and if he can maybe give us that feedback because both residents. Councillor, we’re not engaging in Q&A with our delegates. That’s, this is not a PPM that we’ve had their delegations.

[45:44] You can take your questions to Mr. Morrison offline. You’re not engaging in a Q&A with the gallery at the meeting. Okay, so thank you for that. So I’ll just make a comment. It was, I already had this communication with Mr. Morrison anyways prior, but I just want to see about or hear it from him instead of me, the positive signals in this area. You know, parking lot to some months ago or maybe over a year ago, people were saying whatever the Council decides, it’s full of individuals who are homeless, lots of issues, et cetera, et cetera.

[46:18] This has been changing. We still have work to do absolutely. The decisions we’ve made are on the right path. Hopefully they’ll be moving faster. But of all I wanted is to hear it from Mr. Morrison, that positiveness is there. And I really think the excitement from the business’s business decision, if it’s passed, is very, very, very positive. Thank you all. Thank you, Councilor. Any other speakers before I call the vote? We will deal with part D first and then the balance of the recommendations. So I will ask the clerk to open the vote on part D, the implementation of the free parking pilot.

[47:17] Colleagues, some of you may have E-scribe stalling. If you refresh your screen, the vote in progress should show, and then you can cast your ballot. Ready vote, yes.

[47:57] Councillor McAlister. Vote yes, there’s no vote on my note. Councillor Per bevel. Voting yes. Councillor Van Merebergen. Vote yes. Closing the vote, motion carries 14 to one. And now I will ask the clerk to open the vote on the balance of the report.

[49:05] Closing the vote, motion carries 15 to zero. Thank you, colleagues. So that concludes our consent agenda. Moving on, the next section of our agenda is the scheduled items. We have one item, the public participation meeting, not to be heard before 105. We are well past that, so we’re good to go with respect to the water and wastewater rates charges. So I’m gonna look for a motion to open the public participation meeting, moved by Councillors Cuddy and seconded by Councillor McAlister.

[49:40] And I will ask the clerk to open the vote. Councillor McAlister.

[50:19] I mean, yes, it says vote in progress, but when I try to open it, it glitches out. Closing the vote, motion carries 15 to zero. Okay, so the public participation meeting is open. I will look to see if there’s anyone in the gallery who wants to address the committee. That’s the clerk to check online, register it online. So I’m gonna look for a motion to close the public participation meeting, moved by Councillor Hill.

[51:07] You’re in seconded by Councillor Hopkins. Councillor Tracao, closing the vote, motion carries 15 to zero.

[51:54] That concludes the public participation meeting portion. I’m going to look to see if someone wants to put the staff recommendation on the floor. Councillor Cuddy, seconded by Councillor Palosa. So that’s on the floor, and I will look for any speakers to that, so Frank. Thank you, and through the chair to staff, I’m just wanting to confirm at the lake here on Water Board meeting, last week we did make an adjustment. I’m wondering if that, I don’t think it’s reflected in here based on what I read, but we went from 5% to 4.5% and I’m wondering if that would then just get recalculated for next year.

[52:40] Let’s check with Mr. Murray or Ms. Ramaloo. I’m not sure which one Mr. Murray’s gonna answer that one. Thank you through you, Mr. Chair, yes, that’s correct. So if the impacts material enough of that change and that would obviously impact the city’s personal water costs, so we would determine the approximate financial impact of that and then determine whether that’s material enough to warrant another adjustment to these fees and charges post budget in early 2026 or whether it’s something we would just flow through in the 2027 rates and charges.

[53:17] Councillor Frank, you’re satisfied with that. I’m seeing thumbs up. I’m looking for any other speakers, seeing Councillor Hopkins. Yeah, through you Mr. Chair, I just wanna thank staff for the report. I found it very interesting and lots of great information as we go into the budget. Also the trends of water consumption going down that obviously growth continues to go up. So just really it’s very mindful of where we are going as a city and as we are growing and then also the challenges in the future as we undertake the growth in the city and the advocacy of course with the provincial government to help us out with development charges.

[54:05] So thanks again to staff. Thank you, Councillor Hopkins. I have no one else on the speakers list. Just before I ask the clerk to open the vote, if committee will indulge me, I just wanna take a very quick moment to recognize that we have had a great news story that our new water reservoir is nearing its completion. So congratulations to Ms. Ramlu and her team and the contractors working on that, almost doubling our reservoir capacity to 88 million liters of water when it’s all said and done.

[54:44] And we’re running on time and on budget, which is always great. So as we look at the water and wastewater rates and we think about where that kind of money goes, I just thought it was a good opportunity to congratulate the team on getting to that point where we’re pretty soon gonna be leak testing the new facility and be able to fill it up and have a good reservoir for our growing city’s needs. So thank you for the work on that. And with no one else on the speakers list, I’m gonna ask the clerk to open the vote. Councillor Van Merebergen.

[55:34] Yes. Building the vote, motion carries 15 to zero. Thank you colleagues. That concludes our scheduled items. We have no items for direction. We have no deferred matters or additional business. We do have one confidential matter that is related to personal matter identifiable individual. And that is with respect to the mayor’s 2026 New Year’s Honors list. So I’m gonna look for a motion to go in camera. Moved by Councillor Ferrer and seconded by Councillor Hillier.

[56:08] And we will open the vote on that. Building the vote, motion carries 15 to zero. Colleagues.

[56:40] So those who are not okay, our online streams are back up, chambers are open, the media is back in the room.

[58:25] So we are back in public session. And I will go to Vice Chair Raman to report out. Thank you, I’m happy to report that progress is made for the items we went in camera for. Thank you Vice Chair Raman. That concludes the business of the committee other than looking for a motion to adjourn. Councillor Ferrera and Councillor Van Merebergen. We can do this one by hand folks. All those in favor? Motion carries. And we are adjourned. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon everyone.