Minutes of Committee of the Whole - City Council

Council Chambers, 4th Floor, City Hall

Wednesday, August 10, 2022 at 9:30 A.m. - 11:30 A.m.

4th Floor City Hall

Present:

• Mayor Danny Breen
• Councillor Maggie Burton
• Councillor Ron Ellsworth
• Councillor Sandy Hickman
• Councillor Jill Bruce
• Councillor Ophelia Ravencroft
• Councillor Jamie Korab
• Councillor Ian Froude
• Councillor Carl Ridgeley

Regrets:

• Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O'Leary
• Councillor Debbie Hanlon

Staff:

• Kevin Breen, City Manager
• Derek Coffey, Deputy City Manager of Finance & Administration
• Tanya Haywood, Deputy City Manager of Community Services
• Jason Sinyard, Deputy City Manager of Planning, Engineering & Regulatory Services
• Ken O'Brien, Chief Municipal Planner
• Karen Chafe, City Clerk
• Christine Carter, Legislative Assistant
• Amer Afridi, Manager - Transportation Engineering

Others

• Kelly Dyer

  Amer

  Lalita Thakal, Transportation Systems Engineer

  John Housing

  David Crowe, Manager of Roads 

  David Day, 

---

1.

Call to Order

Mayor Danny Breen called the meeting to order at 9:33 am.

2.

Approval of the Agenda

• Recommendation
  Moved By Councillor Korab
  Seconded By Councillor Bruce

  That the agenda be adopted as presented.

  
  

  For (8)

  Mayor Breen, Councillor Burton, Councillor Hickman, Councillor Korab, Councillor Froude, Councillor Ravencroft, Councillor Bruce, and Councillor Ridgeley

  
  
  
  MOTION CARRIED (8 to 0)

3.

Adoption of the Minutes

3.1

Approval of Minutes - July 13, 2022

• Recommendation
  Moved By Councillor Froude
  Seconded By Councillor Hickman

  That the minutes of July 13, 2022, be adopted as presented.

  
  

  For (8)

  Mayor Breen, Councillor Burton, Councillor Hickman, Councillor Korab, Councillor Froude, Councillor Ravencroft, Councillor Bruce, and Councillor Ridgeley

  
  
  
  MOTION CARRIED (8 to 0)

4.

Presentations/Delegations

4.1

Presentation from End Homelessness St. John's and HomeConnect

Ms. Simone Lilly, Manager of Community Investment of End Homelessness St. John's presented to Council on the work of organization and programs offered to clients and homeowners. Also in attendance from End Homelessness St. John's is Doug Pawson, Executive Director and Sherwin Flight, Landlord Engagement Lead.

End Homelessness St. John's is a systems planning organization leading the implementation of the St. John's Community Plan to end homelessness. They collaborate with stakeholders towards a vision in which every resident of St. John's has a place to call home.

The following recommendations from End Homelessness St. John’s were discussed by Council:

• Encourage municipal incentives to encourage private market Landlords to maintain their units and grow housing stock.
• Commit to participation in the Coordinated Access to Homes (CAH) and process and efforts
• Allocate vacant CSJ units to CAH to prioritize housing for individuals experiencing homelessness.
• Recommit CSJ annual investments into EHSJ at pre-existing levels of $100,000 per year.

 

Councillor Froude asked where the Landlord participation levels may go. Ms. Lilly noted that the HomeConnect program can handle approximately 75, as tenancy goes on, it is less work. They are also expecting more partnerships in the future, such as the current one with Newfoundland Power who are giving tenants home energy efficiency kits.

Councillor Froude also asked whether this program is elsewhere in the country, and whether the data can be compared against others for benchmarking purposes. Ms. Lilly advised that those other provinces are coming to End Homelessness St. John's to get our numbers. 

The impact of the City's contribution was questioned whether it impacts the level of Federal funding they receive. The Executive Director, Mr. Doug Pawson, advised Council that the Federal Government requires all community entities to have matching funding 50/50, including private funding. The City's annual commitment of $100,000 will help to continue the work with their community partners without impacting their Federal funding and it will allow them to plan accordingly.

Councillor Burton inquired as to how many Community Access to Homes are currently allocated from the City's units to the program, and how quickly could they fill them if these  units were renovated.  Ms. Lilly advised that there are no City units currently allocated to the Community Access to Home program directly from the City. There is always going to be a barrier, it is very challenging and affects the timeline, but filling units would be pretty quick. If the City had discussions with the province around the Canada Housing benefit program, there may be a bridge there to look at, but will need to look at the central housing waitlist, there could be something that could be done, but discussions would need to be held to make that a priority.

The question was also asked about whether there is a wait list now for the Community Access Housing. Ms. Lily advised that there is a waiting list, and it is about matching need and what is a suitable fit. It takes work to look at availability and the need that is there. The hope is that they can work together on this with the City of St. John's to create an innovative partnership that has been done elsewhere and that a percentage of available units can be allocated to the Community Access Housing program. 

The Deputy City Manager of Community Services, Tanya Haywood, asked if their organization has a current partnership with the Province with the HomeConnect program. Ms. Lily advised that there is a partnership with the Province in many capacities, and they are now doing their own inspection through that program, had rental subsides that are now converted to Canada Housing Benefit subsidies.

Ms. Haywood asked whether the funds for renovations could be available for the City to access if units were available to the program. Ms. Lily advised that the funding is for the Home Connect Program and that the City would not be able to access those funds.

In response to a question about the demand for units, Ms. Lily noted that the needs are always going to change and evolve. There are some families but it depends on what the opportunities are at the time, and the need.

Mayor Breen thanked the representatives for their presentation and for the work that they do. This is a partnership between many key stakeholders, community groups and all levels of government.  The City looks forward to working together on the challenges of ending homelessness.

5.

Finance & Administration - Councillor Ron Ellsworth

6.

Public Works - Councillor Sandy Hickman

7.

Community Services - Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O'Leary

8.

Special Events - Councillor Debbie Hanlon

9.

Housing - Councillor Ophelia Ravencroft

10.

Economic Development, Tourism & Immigration - Mayor Danny Breen

11.

Arts & Culture - Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O'Leary

12.

Governance & Strategic Priorities - Mayor Danny Breen

12.1

Emergency Continuity Management Advisory Group - Terms of Reference

The City of St. John’s Emergency and Continuity Management Policy was formally approved on November 29^th, 2021, and as a part of that policy, it was agreed to establish an internal Emergency Continuity Management Advisory Group.

Mr. David Day, Manager of Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity for the City of St. John's added that this is a sign of maturity in the emergency and business continuity program for the City. A lot of the structure and committee are in place, and now we are looking to the future of what we need and how we are going to get there.

Members of Council expressed support for the formation of the Advisory Group and asked how specific emergency issues would be dealt with. Mr. Day advised that how an issue is addressed is dependent on the specific issue and determinations would be made on whether or not sub-committees would need to be developed in such situations.  This internal committee will determine how these issues are approached. The City Manager added that one of the key goals is to reach out to stakeholders to see how we can more effectively meet the needs of those in the community.

• Recommendation
  Moved By Councillor Burton
  Seconded By Councillor Hickman

  That Council approve the Terms of Reference for the Emergency Continuity Management Advisory Group as presented.

  
  

  For (9)

  Mayor Breen, Councillor Burton, Councillor Hickman, Councillor Korab, Councillor Froude, Councillor Ellsworth, Councillor Ravencroft, Councillor Bruce, and Councillor Ridgeley

  
  
  
  MOTION CARRIED (9 to 0)

13.

Planning  - Councillor Ian Froude

13.1

Built Heritage Experts Panel Report - April 20, 2022 - Councillor Maggie Burton

Councillor Burton reviewed the background on the current proposal which will see the creation of 10 transitional housing units, along with programming and transitional spaces. Each unit will contain a small lounge and eating area, fully accessible washroom, bedroom, and outdoor space. The design is aiming to retain elements of the original building where possible (such as the roofline canopy over the second storey) and add a new elevator to connect the two buildings. Exterior renovations will include new windows, roof, and cladding. The garage at the rear of the building is in the process of being reconfigured and will act as an informal meeting space for community members.

The proposed front renovations and extension does meet the standards listed above. Therefore, it is recommended to approve the design as proposed except with a change from vertical siding to horizontal on the lower sides of the building (south and north elevation). As the applicants have incorporated suggestions from the Built Heritage Experts Panel, the application has not been referred back to the Panel for additional comments. Staff recommend that this revised design meets the intent of Heritage Area 3 design standards and therefore public consultation on the application is not recommended.

1.

716 Water Street, Renovations and Extension

• Recommendation
  Moved By Councillor Burton
  Seconded By Councillor Bruce

  That Council approve the deign of the renovations and extension at 716 Water Street as proposed, with the following exception:
  - that the horizontal cladding at the front of the building continue around the sides of the building.

  
  

  For (8)

  Mayor Breen, Councillor Burton, Councillor Hickman, Councillor Korab, Councillor Froude, Councillor Ellsworth, Councillor Bruce, and Councillor Ridgeley

  
  
  
  MOTION CARRIED (8 to 0)

13.2

20 George’s Pond Road, LUR Terms of Reference, REZ2000003

Councillor Froude presented the Decision Note on the proposal for 20 George's Pond Road.

• Recommendation
  Moved By Councillor Froude
  Seconded By Councillor Korab

  That Council consider a rezoning from the Rural (RUR) Zone to the Residential 3 (R3), Apartment 2 (A2) and Commercial Mixed Use (CM) Zone at 20 George’s Pond Road; and request that the Minister of Municipal and Provincial Affairs consider an amendment to the St. John’s Urban Region Regional Plan to redesignate the proposed development area from the Rural designation to the Urban Development designation.
  
  Further, that Council approve the attached draft terms of reference for a Land Use Report (LUR). Upon receiving a satisfactory Land Use Report, that Council refer the application to a public meeting chaired by an independent facilitator for public input and feedback.

  
  

  For (8)

  Mayor Breen, Councillor Burton, Councillor Hickman, Councillor Korab, Councillor Froude, Councillor Ellsworth, Councillor Bruce, and Councillor Ridgeley

  
  
  
  MOTION CARRIED (8 to 0)

14.

Development - Councillor Jamie Korab

15.

Transportation and Regulatory Services - Councillor Maggie Burton

15.1

Traffic Calming Policy Update

Mayor Breen advised Council that today’s review of the Traffic Calming policy should be to hear what is being recommended by  Staff, hold a discussion on the recommendations with the intent to provide  feedback for staff’s consideration and revision of the policy document which will subsequently be brought forth to a future Committee of the Whole meeting.

Councillor Burton began by noting that there are some significant changes being proposed for Council, i.e. scoring and ranking, eligibility, target speeds versus volume of traffic, land use in the area, changes to screening out of streets – 2-year vs 5 year re-evaluation, a maximum of 10 projects in any one year, whether the process is done on a first come-first served or do we have objective safety improvements - ranked on danger concerns. The Staff focus to remain based on a resident driven basis, or does Council want to look at safety measures and remove politics from the process.

Councillor Burton encouraged Council to look at how streets are added to the list for consideration, i.e.  a survey driven public engagement focus process or based on technical and statistical data including the highest number of pedestrian-collisions that merit further focus. There is also a roads rehab program that addresses issues that that City sees as a concern.

Mr. Amer Afridi, Manager of Transportation Engineering, gave an overview to Council on the evolution of traffic calming throughout the City, referencing the Traffic Calming Policy 2011, the Jurisdictional Review conducted, Council Recommendations from March 2021, the Public Engagement and Stakeholder Consultations and he presented the Updated Traffic Calming Policy.

Members of Council shared their feedback on Staff’s latest proposal as outlined below:

Councillor Korab: agreement with the change for re-evaluation from 2 years to 5 years, and allowance to review case by case of new developments, etc.

• asked for clarification on the change regarding posted speed limits for collector roads and expressed that he does not agree with the +5kms for the collector roads.
• expressed concern about the criteria for calming evaluation i.e., sidewalks on both sides, which would leave out a number of streets that may merit traffic calming. He reviewed with Council several streets that have never qualified for traffic calming and asked that there be a review of the conditions. Alternatives could be considered to increase safety such as raised crosswalks, more signage and lighting.
• He also noted that he is not supportive of the increase from 5500 to 8,000 vehicles, and that it needs to be easier to get streets on the list.
• Asking residents to collect petition signatures from at least 25% of residents is too onerous, and he does not feel that there needs to be a survey conducted for temporary measures to be put in place.
• The 50%+1 is too high and may not be achievable. There has to be more outreach and engagement process for neighbourhoods if left to residents to respond.
• Minor arterials were not covered, and do not qualify. LeMarchant and Waterford Bridge Road, do not qualify, but there are cars doing excessive speeds, and if they are outside the policy there needs to be more action to curb speeding. Whether it is having the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary doing more photo radar or installing more speed signs, etc., we need to do more for the residents of those streets.
• Does not agree with petition number thresholds and feels that if there is a petition presented then the issue should be assessed for traffic calming. The City could hire more staff to deal with these issues; as traffic calming is the biggest complaint that he receives from residents.
• Asks that the speed limit be lowered on some residential streets, and that staff look at that aspect.

 

Councillor Froude:

• Not in agreement with the petition to be signed by 25% of residents As some areas are very transient, it is a high threshold, feels that even if one resident comes forward, it should be evaluated.
• Does not feel it is necessary to conduct a survey of residents prior to the temporary installation and prior to the permanent installation. We have capable staff to make those decisions. Would be valuable after the temporary installation to have public feedback. If there are concerns, they can be addressed.
• Safety issue, speeds too high, that is justification enough, stick to that. Pine Bud Avenue, temporary speed bumps were put in place, analysis was speeds are too high, residents wanted them removed, etc.
• Specific question for response from Staff is that a resident reached out and asked if a street gains points when they do not have sidewalks if they are not on the sidewalk clearing route in the winter. Should they get points for that in the assessment, look to Staff to respond to this point.
• Collector roads, residential streets – questions the +5km as well. Feels that the metric should be 30kms per hour on residential streets.
• Staff to respond as to why streets lose points for adjacent land use. For example, adding points as there is a school and taking points away as it is near a school.
• Concern about the 25% threshold – who decides what households are in the threshold?

 

Councillor Bruce:

• Felt that the survey process was feedback enough and agreed with other councillors that a petition was not necessary.
• asked if it was possible for access to the list a couple of times per year, especially before summer.

 

Mayor Breen:

• Regarding the 25% threshold, Mayor Breen suggested that the 25% of households petitioning for traffic calming remain, the temporary traffic calming measures are installed, then residents are surveyed to gauge feedback. If resident feedback is in support, the Staff would permanently install the appropriate and acceptable measures for traffic calming.

Councillor Burton:

• Highlighted Bannerman Road as an anomaly that merits attention but not necessarily meeting the proposed criteria for traffic calming, particularly during the summer months when there is a lot of pedestrian traffic.
• Speed limit reductions should be considered
• Adding metrics for winter walkability
• Common routes used by children – walking to and from school – acknowledge how children get to and from their area schools, and make it a higher priority
• Consider areas that have high potential that have risk factors – posted speed versus desired speed
• More conversation around other concerns, broader concerns

 

Councillor Hickman:

 

• suggested that this should be a separate item on the next Committee of the Whole agenda for a greater discussion.
• traffic calming is not just speed bumps and he would like to know more on how it can be achieved. He is surprised with the suggestion for less engagement with residents, noting that the City should be receiving more feedback and pass it along to Staff. Would like to see this taken somewhat away from the political level. Speed limits should be reviewed with it being questioned why speed limits on cul-de-sacs are the same as main roads.

Motorists are encouraged to use residential streets as short cuts which is exacerbated by speed limits which are not reduced.

Councillor Ridgeley:

• felt that for local roads, it is concerning that the number of vehicles, using the 900 thresholds for a street, is a little bit high. For an example, Donovan’s road in the Goulds, it does not meet the criteria. During the winter months, it is not generally a big issue, traffic is at a minimum, but from June to August, the street in the Goulds is quite busy, but does not qualify as a local road due to the 900 vehicles per day. He asked that that Staff look at reducing the 900 vpd, as each street has its' own application.

The Deputy City Manager of Planning, Engineering and Regulatory Services added that staff will address any unsafe situations on city streets on the basis of objective traffic data and technical considerations in an effort to remove the politics which is not a clear indicator of whether or not traffic calming is merited.  Concern was also expressed about the use of public funding to implement traffic calming on streets where there is minimal feedback from the public before traffic calming is imposed.  The low response rate of those filling out surveys should not be sufficient enough to merit traffic calming.  Low response rates often result in complaints from other residents once traffic calming has been imposed.

15.2

Pedestrian Signal Operations recall

Councillor Burton presented the Decision Note which provides an overview of the city’s pedestrian signals, including the Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS), and their operation strategies.

Councillor Burton advised that as recommended in the Decision Note, feedback will be sought from the Inclusion Advisory Committee.

Councillor Froude called for a friendly amendment to the recommendation, which would add the Sustainable and Active Mobility Advisory Committee to the working group.

• Recommendation
  Moved By Councillor Burton
  Seconded By Councillor Froude

  That Council provide direction to staff to operate Pedestrian Signals on recall in pedestrian core area and any expansion of pedestrian recall will be carried out by working group formed with Inclusion Advisory Committee and the Sustainable and Active Mobility Advisory Committee.

  
  

  For (7)

  Mayor Breen, Councillor Burton, Councillor Hickman, Councillor Froude, Councillor Ellsworth, Councillor Bruce, and Councillor Ridgeley

  
  
  
  MOTION CARRIED (7 to 0)

16.

Sustainability - Councillor Maggie Burton & Councillor Ian Froude

17.

Other Business

17.1

Youth Engagement Working Group Report - July 26, 2022 - Councillor Jill Bruce

Councillor Bruce presented the Youth Engagement Report and gave an overview of the concept for a 2022 Youth Forum to be held this Fall.

1.

Youth Forum

• Recommendation
  Moved By Councillor Bruce
  Seconded By Councillor Froude

  That Council approve the YEWG to start working on a youth forum for Fall 2022 and provide direction on whether they would like to see one or more in-person events and/or virtual events as outlined.

  
  

  For (7)

  Mayor Breen, Councillor Burton, Councillor Hickman, Councillor Froude, Councillor Ellsworth, Councillor Bruce, and Councillor Ridgeley

  
  
  
  MOTION CARRIED (7 to 0)

18.

Adjournment

There being no further business the meeting adjourned at 11:40 am.