Notes of the Council meeting 13 May 2025. For the full content please view the video accessible on the town website.
These notes are an overview. The meeting and agenda, in its entirety, can be found on the Town website.
Questions from the public:
Raman Kashyap: the lighting in our town is often excessive and invasive, is there something in the new bylaws that will reduce the lighting to an appropriate level and usage. Mayor Ektvedt mentioned that there will be a consultation based on the draft of the new bylaws and that she feels that it has been addressed in a progressive way. Mr Kashyap indicated that he had read the last draft and that the only mention of lighting reduction was in the discretionary bylaws, which would not be applicable if a neighbor shines his light into your house and property. DG indicated that changes to the newest version of the bylaws were not in red but that updates had been made and citizens can review them. Citizens are invited to review the new bylaws and provide their feedback.
The mayor indicated that the Nuisance bylaw will be revisited but was not part of the mandate.
SPVM Report – none
Reports on Town Activities
Mayor Ektvedt: There will be a public consultation (legal requirement) on 31 May at AVH which will be live-streamed and recorded and citizens are invited to come and share their input. Following this consultation, we move into the final steps to finalize and adopt the new bylaws. The mayor reviewed the financial figures for the year 2024, which will be detailed in the News and Views. Please refer to the News and Views summary for the figures.
Councillor Brown: The rescue squad contributed with 360 hours in the month of April. Seven members received first responders training. They hosted the visit of the Beaver Scouts which also included a CPR demonstration. They participated in a missing person search in Saint-Sauveur. Finally, they welcomed a new volunteer Natasha Drouin (daughter of Nick and Cindy).
Councillor Lowensteyn: There will be a Youth Games evening organized by Junior Council on 30 May at the Red Barn. There will also be an Environmental Advisory Committee event organized by Susan Hawker on the 24th May about invasive species.
Councillor Bissada: The lunch and learn program has been suspended for the summer due to health reasons and may be resumed in September or October. The next Senior Rendez-vous is on 12 June and you can contact Claudia Thierry for reservations. The new Bertold Park installations including new benches has been completed and citizens are invited to visit. A reminder that on the 1st July there will be a Fun Family Fair from 11:00-15:00. Mayor Ektvedt added that there is more to come, as it is planned that if all goes well, in July there will be a place in Bertold Park to store small watercraft like Kayaks.
Minutes: the minutes of the last council meeting were approved.
Correspondence: None
Administration
The new bylaw 911-31 relating to parking has been adopted. Installation of parking restriction signs: From August 15 to May 30, parking will be prohibited from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday, on the following street sections: on the West side of Somerset Street, between Lakeshore Road and Victoria Street; on the North side of Westchester Street, between Cambridge and Devon Streets; on the South side of Victoria Street, between St-Andrews and Victoria Streets.
The Terms of Reference for the Junior council were approved. The policy for Emergency Preparedness was approved. For the PRAC, councillor Chartrand stepped down from the committee and was replaced by councillor Brown. The particular directive concerning the use of another language than the official language, was approved.
The new grid for the remuneration of the election officers for the 2 November election was approved ($120,000 max). Director Urban Planning working conditions where remuneration and vacations are based on years of service was approved ($22,750). Authorization to sign a letter of agreement with the White-Collar Union to close a grievance case, was approved ($7K max budget).
Finance
Expenses for the month of April: $633,825. The auditors report for 2024 was tabled.
Parks Recreation and Environment – none
Public Works and Town Infrastructures
The Lakeshore East, Morgan and Victoria asphalt patching was approved ($50K max.). This is the continuation of the project started a few years ago. The Asphalt crack sealing was approved ($40K max). The budget for the mandatory management of contaminated soils for the rehabilitation of the Surrey drainage project, was approved ($10K max.).
Town Planning
Bylaw Reform items:
The latest draft of the new bylaws that are part of the bylaw reform (now posted on the website) were approved: bylaws number 1108, 1109, 1110. 1111, 1112, 1113, 1114, 1115. The demolition bylaw 1116 will be approved in June.
To be noted: For the Minor Exemption bylaw 1115, Councillor Thompson voted against it with the following concerns: the wording of the bylaw opens the floodgates to abuse by shoddy developers who simply don’t abide to bylaws and then go and ask for a minor derogation. He mentioned that the answer used was that 90% of municipalities have such bylaws, however that does not eliminate the concern and risk of abuse by certain developers to abuse the bylaw to circumvent bylaws.
Councillor Bissada also noted that although she voted in favor of the Zoning bylaws 1110, she was very disappointed that the multi-generational housing was not allowed and included as an option in the zoning bylaws.
Minor Exemption request for 294 Lorraine. Despite of the fact that TPAC was favourable to the minor exemption, in view of the facts leading to serious prejudice, the request does not meet the acceptable criteria and would undermine the spirit of the regulations. Council therefore voted against the recommendation and the exemption was not approved by majority. To be noted: councillor Brown did not vote against the resolution due to the practical implications for the home owner and the town.
Citizens Services and Community affairs
The Rescue Squad truck that was acquired is not equipped with the necessary equipment which is essential to its function. The amount of $38,333 was approved.
Excellence support program: An amount of $800 (4x$200) was approved for the following people: Chelsea Chantier (Swimming), Max Chantier (Swimming), Zi Han Peng (Badminton), Moira Semiuk (Equestrian games).
Second question period:
Farzad Shodjai: 1) It is noted that this year the transfer tax revenues were decreased and he asked how the estimates are done at budget time. The mayor explained the factors including the budget, market, previous year numbers etc. She also noted that large dollar sales such as property in the Industrial Park or Lakeshore, can skew the numbers substantially due to their single large value. Mr Shodjai suggested a methodology where the numbers of the last 5 years would be used (instead of 1 year) and if in these numbers there is a “peak” number (one that is much larger), that one excludes that number as it does not follow the general trend and is impacted by an exceptional sale.
2) The second question related to the minor exemption and the reasons why the example occurring today may be avoided by using a certificate of location when the foundation is poured. If at that point something is wrong it is probable that what is built on top of the foundation is also problematic. This applies to new constructions.
Monika Schweizer: relating to the management of possible contaminated substances found during the Surrey drainage project, what are the substances that were found?
The DG answered that no substances had been found yet, however it is a legal obligation to have a traceability and management of contaminated materials for such projects. It is however normal to find certain substances when digging occurs such as backfill remains including concrete, asphalt and other, which are classified as contaminated material.
Closing of the meeting – The meeting was adjourned.