[1. Opening Statement]
[00:00:05]
AND I WILL CALL OUR GOVERNANCE AND PRIORITIES COMMITTEE MEETING FOR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD, 2025 TO ORDER. FIRST, WE HAVE THE OPENING STATEMENT.
THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE ACKNOWLEDGES THAT WE ARE LOCATED IN CHIEF DRYGEESE TERRITORY.
FROM TIME IMMEMORIAL, IT HAS BEEN THE TRADITIONAL LAND OF THE YELLOWKNIVES DENE FIRST NATION.
WE RESPECT THE HISTORIES, LANGUAGES AND CULTURES OF ALL OTHER INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, INCLUDING THE NORTH SLAVE MÉTIS AND ALL FIRST NATIONS, METIS AND INUIT WHOSE PRESENCE CONTINUES TO ENRICH OUR VIBRANT COMMUNITY.
[2. Approval of the agenda.]
NEXT, WE HAVE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA. MR. VAN DINE, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE FOR THE AGENDA? NOTHING ELSE TO ADD, MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT, WE HAVE DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST IN THE GENERAL NATURE THEREOF. DOES ANY MEMBER HAVE A CONFLICT BEFORE US TODAY? SEEING NONE. NEXT, WE HAVE A MEMO REGARDING WHETHER TO PROCEED WITH THE NEXT PHASES OF THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE'S RECONCILIATION,[4. A memorandum regarding whether to direct Administration to commence engagement with Indigenous partners on the recommendations to advance Reconciliation set out in the “Walking Forward Together: Yellowknife’s Reconciliation Roadmap Report”]
ADVANCEMENT PLAN AND DIRECT ADMINISTRATION TO COMMENCE ENGAGEMENT WITH INDIGENOUS PARTNERS.AND I WILL NOT SAY TOO MUCH MORE. I'LL BE PASSING IT OVER TO MISS THISTLE IN A MOMENT TO INTRODUCE TANYA, I JUST WANTED TO TO BASICALLY TAKE A BEAT, AND DESCRIBE SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE ASKED TANYA TO DO.
SO YELLOWKNIFE'S BEEN ON A RECONCILIATION JOURNEY FOR A LITTLE WHILE.
AND AS WE WERE, I WAS TURNING MY MIND TO OUR WORK PLAN.
A NUMBER OF RECONCILIATION RELATED COMMITMENTS.
GOING BACK LAST FALL IT CAME TO ADMINISTRATIONS POINT OF VIEW CONCLUSION THAT THERE ARE SOME DOTS THAT WE COULD PROBABLY USE SOME HELP IN CONNECTING. AND SO WE WE UNDERTOOK AN INVESTMENT OF SOME OF SOME TIME AND RESOURCES TO TO INVITE MS. TOURANGEAU TO GIVE US SOME ADVICE. SO WE'RE VERY LOOKING FORWARD TO TODAY'S DISCUSSION AND PRESENTATION, BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT COMES VERY AT A VERY TIMELY POINT IN WHERE WE ARE IN YOUR AGENDA AND WHERE WE ARE IN THE WORK PLAN THAT WE WILL BE DISCUSSING LATER THIS MONTH.
SO WHEN WE COMMENCED THAT PROJECT AT THE TIME, TANYA WORKED WITH CAN DO SO THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR NATIVE DEVELOPMENT OFFICERS ON A PROJECT THAT WAS FUNDED BY FCM. SO WE'VE HAD A LONG RELATIONSHIP OF WORKING WITH MISS TOURANGEAU OVER THE PAST, I THINK SEVEN YEARS. AND WE ENGAGED WITH HER, AS MR. VAN DINE HAS INDICATED, TO REALLY GIVE US A LOOK INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF WHAT WE'VE DONE TO DATE WITH RESPECT TO OUR WORK TOWARDS RECONCILIATION AND SOME RECOMMENDATIONS AND HOW WE CAN MOVE FORWARD. THAT'S REALLY ALL I HAVE TO ADD.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THEN IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S OVER TO YOU, MS. TOURANGEAU. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU, STEVEN, AND THANK YOU, CARRIE. SECOND, OUR VOLUME IS WILDLY OUT OF WHACK.
I'LL GET YOU BACK ON A SECOND. YOU WERE VERY WELL HEARD.
LET'S PUT IT THAT WAY. OKAY. MAYBE GIVE IT ANOTHER GO NOW.
AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. PERFECT. OKAY. FIRE AWAY.
THANKS. I'M REALLY HAPPY TO BE JOINING THE MEETING TODAY.
SHARING ABOUT RECONCILIATION AND THE PLAN GOING FORWARD.
MY ENGLISH NAME IS TANYA TOURANGEAU. MY SPIRIT NAME IS EAGLE FEATHER WOMAN.
I'M ORIGINALLY FROM THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES.
I'M A PROUD DENE FIRST NATION WOMAN FROM SALT RIVER FIRST NATION.
AND I ALSO HAD THE PLEASURE OF LIVING IN YELLOWKNIFE FOR FOUR YEARS.
AND AS CARRIE SHARED, I'VE ALSO HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING WITH YELLOWKNIFE IN THEIR PARTNERSHIP WITH YELLOWKNIVES DENE FIRST NATION AND THEIR PARTNERSHIP BUILDING. AND ALSO IN THE CREATION OF THE JOINT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY.
BEYOND THAT, I'VE WORKED IN RECONCILIATION REALLY FOCUSED ON THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THOUGH I'VE WORKED IN INDIGENOUS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN OVER 20 YEARS. I'VE ALSO WORKED FOR THE GNWT IN CORPORATE HR AS THEIR TRAINING AND PROCEDURES OFFICER.
WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED AND WHAT THE GAPS ARE.
AND WHAT I SEE GOING FORWARD. AND WHEN I LOOKED AT THE POSSIBILITIES AND THE OPPORTUNITIES, I REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT OTHER CITIES OF RECONCILIATION ARE DOING IN CANADA AND HOW ARE THEY MAKING AN IMPACT
[00:05:10]
SPECIFICALLY WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ALSO COMMUNITY WELL-BEING.AND THE TWO MAIN EXAMPLES THAT I DREW FROM IS THE CITY OF VANCOUVER AND ALSO THE CITY OF SASKATOON.
THE CITY OF VANCOUVER REALLY ADOPTING UNDRIP AND BEING FORWARD IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP BUILDING.
AND I KNOW FROM MY WORK WITH FCM, THE FEDERATION OF CANADIAN MUNICIPALITIES, THAT BEFORE CHARLIE CLARK LEFT, THAT THERE'S FIRST NATIONS WHO BOUGHT LAND ALL SURROUNDING SASKATOON, WITH A REAL FORWARD THINKING OF THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH MUNICIPALITIES AND INDIGENOUS GOVERNMENTS IS SO IMPORTANT IN COMMUNITY WELL-BEING.
SO WITH THAT, I PRAISE THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE PAST, OF THEIR FORESIGHT IN GETTING YOU HERE TODAY TO CELEBRATE THE SUCCESSES THAT HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED.
AGAIN, THE THE PARTNERSHIPS WITH YKBFM, ALSO THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT HAVE BEEN BUILT.
AND I BELIEVE THAT THERE COULD BE A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO UTILIZE THE CEDI MODEL, THE COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE MODEL AND EXPAND IT WITH THE OTHER FIRST NATIONS IN IN NOT ONLY YOUR NEIGHBORS, BUT IN N.W.T.
ALSO THE MÉTIS AND THE INDIGENOUS WITHIN YELLOWKNIFE THEMSELVES.
AGAIN, SHARING ON THE ECONOMIC GROWTH SO FAR, THE VISIBILITY THAT YOU HAVE WITH RECONCILIATION, PARTICULARLY WITH THE POOL AND THE STARTING, THE FOUNDATION THAT HAS BEEN LAID FOR RECONCILIATION.
SORRY, I CROSSED THAT. MY SLIDE IS SLOW. WHERE THE WORK LIES AHEAD IS ONE REALLY ASSESSING THE LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT WHERE IT SITS RIGHT NOW AND EXPANDING THAT TO EMBRACE ALL OF THE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES SO THAT THEY SEE THEMSELVES WITHIN YELLOWKNIFE, PARTICULARLY ALSO DEVELOPING A CEREMONY GUIDE THAT COULD ASSIST US, THE CITY AS A WHOLE, BUT ALSO THE ORGANIZATIONS, THE BUSINESSES AND ALSO THE INTERACTIONS THAT YOU HAVE UNIQUELY AS A MUNICIPALITY.
DEVELOPING A PARTNERSHIP TABLE, REALLY HAVING THE VOICES GET TOGETHER, MUCH LIKE WHAT GNWT HAS DEVELOPED AND BUILDING UPON THAT, EVEN EMBRACING WHAT GNWT IS, HAS ESTABLISHED SO FAR.
AND JUST LIKE EVERY MUNICIPALITY ACROSS CANADA, THE HOUSING IS AN ISSUE.
WHAT DO WE WHAT WHAT IS THERE A SOLUTION FOR? FOR THE HOMELESSNESS? WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT AND HOW CAN WE LEVERAGE OUR STRENGTHS TOGETHER WITH OUR PARTNERSHIPS TO ADDRESS THOSE SOLUTIONS? AND THERE'S MANY FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES, ADVOCACY, POLICY ENHANCEMENTS THAT YELLOWKNIFE COULD BE A PART OF, AND REALLY BE A LEADER IN FINDING GREAT SOLUTIONS TO REDUCE THE HOMELESSNESS POPULATION.
AND WITH THAT, DEVELOPING A SCORECARD WHERE GOING FORWARD, JUST LIKE LEADERSHIP HAS SET YOU UP FOR SUCCESS TODAY, THAT YOU'RE SETTING UP LEADERSHIP SUCCESS FOR TOMORROW AND HAVING A STANDARD REPORTING, THE SCORECARD OF RECONCILIATION THAT WILL OFFER A LEVEL OF TRANSPARENCY NOT ONLY TO YOUR LEADERSHIP, BUT TO YELLOWKNIFE RESIDENTS, TO FIRST NATION GOVERNMENTS, TO CANADA AS A WHOLE IN BEING WHAT SHOULD BE REPORTED ON, WHAT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AND WHAT YOU CAN ADVOCATE GOING FORWARD AND REALLY EMBRACING CULTURE. I'VE LIVED THERE FOR FOUR YEARS, WORKED RIGHT DOWNTOWN ABOVE INDEPENDENT. AND YOU, AS A FIRST NATION WOMAN FROM GNWT.
YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S THIS MARKETING TOWARDS TOURISM.
[00:10:02]
TOURISM IS SO IMPORTANT. AND OFTENTIMES MYSELF, EVEN WALKING DOWN THE STREETS THAT YOU WONDERED IF THERE WAS A MORE EMPHASIS ON ASIAN LANGUAGES THAN LOCAL LANGUAGES AND WHERE WHERE WE WERE BEING SEEN IN YELLOWKNIFE AND WHERE WAS THAT PRIORITY? AND SO I KNOW BECAUSE I'VE WORKED WITH YELLOWKNIFE AS WELL, THAT IT EXISTS.SO CELEBRATING THAT. SO PEOPLE WHO WALK THROUGH THE STREETS KNOW THAT, YES, YOU MAY SEE ASIAN LANGUAGES REPRESENTED AND THERE'S A REASON FOR THAT, BUT THERE'S ALSO THE BALANCE OF HONORING THE DINÉ LANGUAGE AS WELL.
AND THAT THERE'S A SENSE OF SAFETY THERE. THIS COMES FROM RIGHT ACROSS CANADA AND UNDRIP AND REALLY GOES INTO INTERGENERATIONAL HARM AND TRAUMA WHERE, YOU KNOW, JUST FIGHTING FOR UNDRIP.
I WORK WITH MANY CLIENTS AND THEY ASK, WHY DO WE NEED TO ADOPT UNDRIP? IT'S BECAUSE EVEN WHEN I WAS 20 YEARS OLD IN THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, AND I'M PROUD TO SAY I'M 51 NOW, BUT AT 20 YEARS OLD WITHIN MY FAMILY, THERE WAS DEEP SHAME IN BEING TREATY, THAT I COULD STILL HEAR MY ANCESTORS SAY, DON'T BE A SAVAGE, BECAUSE THAT WAS CAME WITH THE CONNECTION OF BEING IDENTIFIED AS TREATY.
SO CELEBRATING THE LOCAL INDIGENOUS POPULATION SO THAT WE CAN OVERCOME THAT SHAME AND SEE OURSELVES IN THE COMMUNITY, THAT IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE LIVE. WE CELEBRATE.
WE SPEND OUR DOLLAR IN THAT. THAT'S REALLY WHAT BRINGS INCREASED COMMUNITY WELL-BEING TOGETHER.
AND THESE ARE ALL NATURAL INTERSECTIONS RIGHT NOW WITH WHAT THE CITY HAS CONTROL OVER.
BUT I REALLY TRY TO THINK ABOUT WHAT WOULD BE NOT THE LIGHTEST LIFT FOR THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE, BUT WOULD BE WOULD BE WITHIN THE CAPACITY. WHAT'S REASONABLE, BUT WHAT WOULD ALSO SET YELLOWKNIFE AS A LEADER, ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, CONSIDERING THAT YELLOWKNIFE IS UNIQUE, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES IS UNIQUE, THAT IT'S THE ONE PLACE IN CANADA THAT'S STILL REALLY CONNECTED TO INDIGENOUS CULTURE THAT YOU CAN HOLD ON TO WHETHER YOU YOU APPRECIATE IT OR NOT. THE TERRITORIAL STATUS THAT THERE'S NO PARTY SYSTEM, THAT THERE'S CONSENSUS, THAT THERE'S STILL RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND CONNECTION TO FAMILY AND REALLY HONORING THAT CONNECTION TO PLACE.
THE PART I'M GOING TO FOCUS ON IN RECONCILIATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS REALLY THINKING ABOUT HOW WE CAN SHIFT THE IDEA OF RECONCILIATION IN BUSINESS LICENSING AND PROCUREMENT.
AND THERE'S A WAY THAT WE COULD PHASE THIS IN SO IT DOESN'T HALT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, BUT IT ACTUALLY ENCOURAGES IT, AND IT PROVIDES A GAP FOR ORGANIZATIONS WHO WANT TO TAKE THE ROAD TOWARDS RECONCILIATION BUT ARE UNSURE.
AND IT COULD BE AS SIMPLE AS DEVELOPING FRAMEWORKS FOR BUSINESSES, IDENTIFYING ALSO WHAT THEIR CAPACITY IS PROVIDING TEMPLATES OF ENGAGEMENT WITH INDIGENOUS PARTNERS HIRING FROM THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION RETAINING THOSE EMPLOYEES. WHAT DOES CULTURAL SAFETY LOOK LIKE TO A BRAND NEW COMPANY TO YELLOWKNIFE? I RECENTLY I SHARED A CBC ARTICLE WITH CARRIE.
THERE WAS THERE WAS AN INTERESTING ARTICLE ABOUT FOREIGN INVESTMENT THAT CONSULTANTS WERE SELLING, THE POSSIBILITY OF NEWCOMERS COMING TO CANADA WITH OPENING UP A BUSINESS IN YELLOWKNIFE SPECIFICALLY WITH A MINIMUM OF $200 $200,000 INVESTMENT. AND IT GOT ME THINKING THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A GREAT MARKETING FOR YELLOWKNIFE AND THE INDIGENOUS PARTNERS.
BUT HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT NEW CANADIANS COME TO CANADA PREPARED AND COME TO YELLOWKNIFE TO DO BUSINESS, PREPARED TO REALLY EMBRACE THE STRENGTHS OF INDIGENOUS PARTNERS AND NOT JUST CONTINUE TO REPEAT THE HARMS OF COLONIZATION.
[00:15:12]
NOW, WITH THIS VISION, I THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE TEN YEAR GOALS AT A GLANCE.AND WHERE COULD THIS SET UP YELLOWKNIFE GOING FORWARD AND UNDERSTANDING THAT THESE ARE SUGGESTIONS AND POSSIBILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT I SEE. I REALLY BELIEVE THAT THE NEXT STEP IS ENGAGING YOUR INDIGENOUS PARTNERS, THE RIGHTS HOLDERS, THE ORGANIZATIONS AND VALIDATING US THESE POTENTIAL GOALS.
THEY MAY EVEN SEE MORE. THEY MAY BE WORKING ON OTHER PROJECTS ON THEIR OWN.
MAYBE THERE'S A WAY THAT WE CAN LIFT EACH OTHER UP TOGETHER.
AND SO THE NEXT PHASE IS REALLY CONNECTING WITH EVERYONE, SHARING THIS REPORT WITH THEM, SHARING WHAT I SEE IN OTHER CITIES WHAT OTHER CITIES HAVE ACHIEVED, POTENTIALLY DEVELOPING A THREE YEAR PLAN, A ONE YEAR PLAN TOGETHER, IDENTIFYING WHY A RECONCILIATION SCORECARD MATTERS AND HAVING THE INDIGENOUS PARTNERS HAVE A VOICE IN ALL OF IT THAT THEY FEEL RESPECTED, THAT THERE'S MORE TRUST BUILT, AND THEN WE COULD REALLY WORK ON THAT LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT AS WELL AT THE SAME TIME.
AND THERE'S OTHER THINGS THAT WE CAN INTERSECT THAT THE CITY IS WORKING ON TOGETHER.
THE SCORECARD WILL INCREASE IN COMMUNICATION, CONNECTION, COLLABORATION AND AGAIN, SET UP FUTURE LEADERSHIP SO THAT THE ASSESSMENT'S BEEN DONE, YOU KNOW, HONORING THE THE PAST SUCCESSES, THE FOUNDATIONS THAT WERE SET AND NOW MOVING INTO THE FUTURE.
AND FOR ME, I ALSO LOOKED AT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF CHANGES COMING ACROSS CANADA.
TRUMP ECONOMICS ASIDE, TARIFFS ASIDE, MINES ARE, YOU KNOW, HAVE PLANS FOR PHASING OUT EMPLOYMENTS GOING TO CHANGE. BUT WITH THAT COMES A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY AS WELL.
MY WORK WITH FCM RECENTLY REALLY HELPED ME UNDERSTAND ALSO CLIMATE ADAPTATION PROJECTS.
HOW DO YOU, HOW DO YOU PREPARE THE MUNICIPALITY FOR THE FUTURE, AS WELL AS THE COMMUNITIES AND PARTNERING WITH YOUR INDIGENOUS PARTNERS TO LEVERAGE THE ABILITY TO ADVANCE THE OUTCOMES, THE BENEFITS? SO THAT'S WHERE I STARTED WITH MY INITIAL REVIEW, ASSESSMENT AND THOUGHTS FOR THE FUTURE.
AND I'M HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS MAKE ANY ADAPTATIONS AND EMBRACE THE NEXT STEP GOING FORWARD.
SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. SO TO MY COLLEAGUES, ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? COUNCILLOR COCHRANE AND COUNCILLOR FEQUET AND COUNCILLOR FOOTE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CHAIR. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE. TANYA, ON THIS AND PRIOR WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATION.
THE ONLY THING I WOULD ALSO SAY IS THAT THERE'S NO REALLY NEED TO REMAKE THE WHEEL HERE.
I WOULD ADVISE REACHING OUT TO MIKE CORVETTE DOWN THERE AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO DUPLICATE WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE SO SUCCESSFULLY IN SMITH, THEN IN YOUR HOME NATION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
COUNCILLOR COCHRANE. MR. VAN DINE OR MS. TOURANGEAU, ANY COMMENT TO THAT? I MEAN, ANY OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH MY HOME COMMUNITY, BUT.
ABSOLUTELY. AND THAT THAT'S THE BEAUTY ABOUT ENGAGING.
TO FIND OUT WHAT SMALL COMMUNITIES ARE DOING FOR SUCCESSES AND BUILD UPON THAT.
SO I APPRECIATE THAT MESSAGE. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
MR. VAN DINE, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING OR SHOULD I GO TO MY NEXT COLLEAGUE? PERFECT.
COUNCILLOR FEQUET. [INAUDIBLE] TANYA FOR YOUR FOR SHARING YOUR REPORT WITH US.
AND VERY HAPPY TO RECEIVE THIS. I HAVE TO ADMIT, IT WAS NOT ON MY RADAR.
ONE OF THE LOVELY EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENTS FROM ADMIN THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON IN THE BACKGROUND.
SO APPRECIATE THAT. JUST A FEW QUESTIONS FOR YOU GUYS.
[00:20:05]
JUST SO WE'RE CLEAR, JUST ON HOW THIS REPORT WAS DEVELOPED.WAS WAS THERE ANY ENGAGEMENT SO FAR WITH INDIGENOUS GOVERNMENTS THAT THAT HAPPENED DURING THE CREATION OF THIS REPORT? YEAH, I'LL START THERE. MR.. VAN DINE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. NOT AT THIS JUNCTURE. SO WHAT I. WAS TRYING TO CONVEY AT THE START WAS THAT WE REALIZED THAT THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF EFFORT THAT HAS BEEN EXPENDED TO DATE, AND I WAS LOOKING FOR A CURRENT STATE ASSESSMENT, AND MISS TOURANGEAU WAS GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO MAKE HERSELF AVAILABLE TO WALK THROUGH WHAT WE'VE DONE. THAT BEING SAID, OUR WORK IS ONGOING.
ENGAGEMENT WITH VARIOUS PARTNERS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONTINUES, PARTICULARLY WITH THE NORTH SLAVE MÉTIS ALLIANCE AS WELL AS OF JUST RECENTLY WITH THE TWO CHIEFS OF THE CFN LAST WEEK AND OUR RECENT EXCHANGES WITH THE TLICHO GOVERNMENT.
WE'VE OPTIMISTIC. SO WE BROUGHT THAT IN OUR CONVERSATIONS TO MS. TOURANGEAU AND TO LET HER KNOW THAT WE'VE BEEN CONTINUING TO INVEST.
BUT WE REALLY WERE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO GIVE US AN HONEST, FRESH LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE AND WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO CONSOLIDATE, INTEGRATE AND THEN PUSH FORWARD.
COUNCILLOR FEQUET. THANK YOU FOR THAT CONTEXT.
AND THAT'S TOTALLY FINE. AND THAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE.
I WAS JUST TRYING TO KIND OF GET THE CONTEXT FOR MY OWN BRAIN BECAUSE I RECOGNIZE, YOU KNOW, THE SIX KIND OF AREAS THAT THERE WAS RECOMMENDATIONS.
WHEN I WAS READING IT, I MEAN, A LOT OF SO MUCH GOOD, GOOD STUFF IN THERE.
LOOKING AT THE HOUSING AND THE WELL-BEING AND THE LAND AND ENVIRONMENT, THOSE TWO CATEGORIES IN PARTICULAR CONFUSED ME A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE I RECOGNIZE THEY'RE LIKELY BEST PRACTICES OR THINGS THAT MAY BE WORKING IN OTHER PLACES, BUT DIDN'T DIDN'T REALLY SEEM TO ALIGN WITH THE CITY'S REALITY, I.E. WE HAVE NO HOUSING PIPELINE. WE'RE WORKING ON THAT. SO THAT MAKES TOTAL SENSE.
AND THANK YOU FOR THAT CONTEXT. FOR TANYA, SPECIFICALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE SCORECARD I ABSOLUTELY AGREE THAT SUCH A TOOL THAT DEMONSTRATES AND COMMUNICATES OUR PROGRESS AND OUR ACCOUNTABILITY IN A TRANSPARENT WAY IS CRUCIAL.
AND I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT ONE HERE AT THE CITY FOR YEARS.
BECAUSE IT'S AN IMPORTANT WAY WE INTERACT WITH OUR RESIDENTS. AND WE DON'T HAVE A SCORECARD OR TOOL OTHER THAN OBVIOUSLY REGULAR WORK PLANNING UPDATES, BUT FOR ALL OF THE CITY'S STRATEGIC INITIATIVES.
I'M CURIOUS, IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, IF YOU'VE COME ACROSS ORGANIZATIONS OR MUNICIPALITIES THAT ARE USING A SCORECARD, WHETHER THE PROGRESS TOWARDS RECONCILIATION IS PART OF THEIR LARGER OVERALL SCORECARD, OR IF THE INITIATIVES RELATED TO RECONCILIATION ARE ARE SEPARATED OUT.
MS. TOURANGEAU. THANKS FOR THAT QUESTION. THE MOVEMENT IS THAT RECONCILIATION IS NOW REPORTED RIGHT ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION. WHETHER IT'S A GOVERNMENT OR CORPORATION THAT REALLY IDENTIFYING THAT IT EVEN NO LONGER JUST SITS IN HR, PARTICULARLY NOW WITH PROCUREMENT GOALS BEING INCREASED AND BEING PROACTIVE IN TERMS OF MAJOR PROJECTS. AND LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE, CLIMATE ADAPTATION.
AND I THINK THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF BEING THE TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY SINCE THE CALLS TO ACTION CAME OUT AND WHERE WE SHOULD BE GOING MOVING FORWARD, THAT RECONCILIATION KPIS SHOULD SIT WITHIN YOUR OVERALL KPIS.
THANK YOU FOR THAT VALIDATION, CONFIRMATION, SHARING OF YOUR EXPERIENCE THAT THAT WAS KIND OF WHAT I WAS HOPING TO HEAR BECAUSE I THINK, YEAH, SCORECARD FOR THE CITY ON ALL OF OUR INITIATIVES, INCLUDING EVERYTHING RECONCILIATION RELATED, WOULD BE AWESOME TO SEE. GIVEN THAT THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL COUNCIL HERE IN THE NWT WAS FORMED PRIMARILY TO ENSURE THAT OUR INDIGENOUS PARTNERS HAVE A SAY IN WHAT THE PRIORITIES ARE WITH RESPECT TO AT LEAST LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THIS CASE BECAUSE MANY OF THE PARTNERS DIDN'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MULTITUDE OF INITIATIVES, LAND CLAIM NEGOTIATIONS, LAND USE PLANNING, ALL THE LEGISLATIVE AMENDMENTS, THEY NEEDED A WAY TO INFLUENCE WHAT THOSE PRIORITIES ARE.
SO, GIVEN THE MANY AMAZING IDEAS IN THIS REPORT, SUCH AS THE SCORECARD, YOU KNOW, DISCUSSIONS ON FUEL REDUCTION AND WILDFIRE PROTECTION IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE MECHANISM TO HAVING THE CONVERSATION, I.E.
THE TABLE OR WHATEVER FORMAT THE PARTNERS THINK IS USEFUL SEEMS LIKE THE FIRST STEP TO ME.
AND I RECOGNIZE THERE'S A WHOLE KIND OF ACTION PLAN OF THREE YEARS TO MEET SOME TEN YEAR GOALS, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THAT IS THE VERY NEXT STEP IS YOU SAID, LIKE I THINK YOU REITERATED, REACHING OUT AND FINDING OUT IF THESE FOLKS WANT TO HAVE A
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CONVERSATION AND IN WHAT WAY MAKES MOST SENSE TO THEM.SO WHETHER IT'S A PARTNERSHIP TABLE OR SOME OTHER FORMAT.
SO I GUESS I'M JUST LOOKING FOR MAYBE FOR CONFIRMATION FROM ADMIN OR OR TANYA.
BECAUSE WHEN I READ THE RECOMMENDATION, IT SAYS, YOU KNOW, MOVING FORWARD ON ENGAGING ON ALL THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT I RECOGNIZE I THINK EVERYTHING ELSE WOULD WAIT UNTIL WE FIGURE OUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH THEM.
START WITH MR. VAN DINE. THANK YOU, MISTER CHAIR.
A LOT. AND WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THAT. AND SO WHAT WE WANTED WANT TO DO, AND WE'RE LOOKING FOR COUNCIL'S SUPPORT FOR IS ACTUALLY INVITING MISS TOURANGEAU TO WALK THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS OUT THE DOOR AND CHECK IN WITH OUR PARTNERS TO SEE OF WHAT'S BEEN PROVIDED. IS THERE A PARTICULAR EMPHASIS? IS THERE AN AREA THAT'S ANYTHING MISSING? IS THERE A SEQUENCE? YOU KNOW WHERE TO START FIRST? I THINK THE PARTNERSHIP TABLE IS CERTAINLY THE ONE AREA THAT WE BELIEVE IS IS FROM OUR ASSESSMENT IS PROBABLY THE MOST POTENT AT THIS JUNCTURE, GIVEN ALL OF THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON IN IN OUR OPERATING ENVIRONMENT THAT MISS TOURANGEAU HAS POINTED TO.
AND I WOULD NOT WANT TO TIP THE SCALE IN ANY PARTICULAR DIRECTION, BUT I BELIEVE JUST GIVEN THE LEVEL OF DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT THAT WE'RE IN, HAVING A PLACE WITH WHICH TO DISCUSS AND RESOLVE AND, AND POTENTIALLY SET PRIORITIES JOINTLY WITH, WITH OUR PARTNERS WOULD BE A VERY GOOD WAY TO START RECOGNIZING THAT LEVELS OF INVESTMENT DECISIONS, ALL OF THOSE STEPS, ALL OF THOSE COMMITMENTS WOULD HAVE TO BE TAKEN RESPECTING EVERYBODY'S DECISION MAKING PROCESSES, NOT JUST NOT JUST THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE, BUT CERTAINLY THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE WOULD NEED TO BE CENTRAL WHEN WHEN MAKING ANY FINANCIAL LONG TERM COMMITMENTS.
AND THEN WITH A VIEW OF INFORMING US AS WE GO.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE YKDFM UNDER OUR JOINT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE NORTH SLAVE MÉTIS ALLIANCE AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT MAKE SENSE FOR US, BUT HAVING MISS TOURANGEAU OUT TRYING TO PUT SOME STRUCTURE AND LAYING DOWN A BIT OF A PATH FOR US GOING FORWARD SO WE CAN GET TRACTION, MAYBE BUILD THAT SCORECARD, KEEP IT, KEEP GOING DOWN THE PATH IS IS REALLY WHAT WE'RE, WE'RE HOPING TO DO ON CAPACITY.
BUT ALSO CLEARLY FOR OUR PARTNERS, TOO, IS THE AMOUNT OF ENGAGEMENT THAT'S GOING ON.
WHICH IS A GOOD THING, IS EXTREMELY TAXING. AND SO BEING RESPECTFUL.
ON OUR PARTNER'S ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE AND ENGAGE.
IS A, IT'S A MULTI LANE STREET. YOU HAVE TO YOU HAVE TO GO AT THE PACE.
SO ALL THOSE CAVEATS TO SAY IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO MAKE BEST EFFORTS TO ENGAGE, START WITH THE PARTNERSHIP TABLE AND MAKE HOPEFULLY TINY AND MAYBE BIGGER DECISIONS AS WE GO. THANK YOU.
THAT'S GREAT. AND YEAH, I GUESS JUST ONE LAST QUESTION.
SHOULD COUNCIL BE EXPECTING TO SEE ANYTHING IN THE WORK PLANNING UPDATE ON NOVEMBER 17TH AND OR IN THE DECEMBER BUDGET DELIBERATIONS ON THIS FRONT? FOR EXAMPLE, PROVISIONAL RESOURCES SET ASIDE TO MAKE SURE WE CAN SUPPORT CONTINUING WALKING FORWARD TOGETHER.
IT'S ALWAYS VERY NICE WHEN OTHER PEOPLE ASK QUESTIONS THAT I DON'T HAVE TO NOW. MR. VAN DINE. SO WE'LL DEFINITELY BE SPEAKING TO THIS IN THE WORK PLAN UPDATE ON THE ON THE 17TH.
THERE'S SOME REFERENCES IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WORK PLAN ALREADY THAT PERTAIN TO PERTAIN TO THIS OR THREADS OF THIS WORK. FOR THE BUDGET FOR MR. NOT TO GET AHEAD OF MR. PANDOO, BUT RIGHT NOW WE ARE RELYING ON EXISTING RESOURCE LEVELS, AND SO WE ARE NOT IN A POSITION TO MAKE A LARGE INVESTMENT PROPOSAL AT THIS TIME.
COUNCILLOR FEQUET. YOU'RE GOOD. YEAH. THANK YOU.
THAT'S. AND JUST SO TO REITERATE WHAT I HEARD BACK, UNDERSTAND IT WILL TAKE TIME.
[00:30:02]
AND SO LIKELY WE WON'T SEE ANY ASK FOR NEW RESOURCES FOR THIS UPCOMING BUDGET GIVEN GIVEN WHERE WE ARE IN NOVEMBER.SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. THAT'S HELPFUL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILLOR FOOTE.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, MS. TOURANGEAU. MY QUESTION IS LARGELY FOR ADMIN HERE.
COUNCILLOR FEQUET KIND OF GOT TO THE CRUX OF IT EARLIER, BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW ADMINISTRATION WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THE CHALLENGES GOVERNMENTS FACE WHEN SHARING POWER IN PARTNERSHIPS AND ENSURE THAT ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INDIGENOUS PARTNERS LEADS TO MEANINGFUL ACTION, RATHER THAN JUST SYMBOLIC CONSULTATION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WE'LL START WITH MR. VAN DINE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. SO I BELIEVE MS. TOURANGEAU HAD POINTED TO A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT THE CITY AS A WHOLE HAS SET IN MOTION THAT HAVE BEEN PRODUCTIVE AND POSITIVE.
SO MOVING FORWARD, THOUGH, THERE ARE DEFINITE EFFORTS UNDERWAY TO BE ADJUSTING OUR CONVERSATION SET A WEE BIT TO INCLUDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIONS USING DIVERSION AT OUR SOLID WASTE FACILITY.
WE'RE NOW HAVING CONVERSATIONS IN ADDITION TO COMMUNITY GOVERNMENTS AS WELL AS ORGANIZATIONS THAT REPRESENT INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS BEYOND REPRESENTATIONAL LEADERSHIP TO THEIR DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS.
SO WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO LEAN IN AND MAXIMIZE WE RECENTLY AT LEAST SOME SPACE AND CHANGED THE LEASE RELATIONSHIP AWAY FROM ONE PART OF THE DOWNTOWN INTO A BUILDING THAT HAS NOW BEEN ACQUIRED BY DET'ON CHO.
SO, SO AT ALL ASPECTS OF, OF OUR BUSINESS, WE ARE LOOKING AT IT AS MUCH AS WE CAN THROUGH OPPORTUNITY FOR BOTH THE CITY AND MAKING IT MEANINGFUL WITH OUR PARTNERS GOING FORWARD. THERE ARE SOME RATHER LARGE QUESTIONS FACING THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE, AND AS THIS COUNCIL WILL KNOW, LAND IS ONE OF THOSE RATHER LARGE QUESTIONS.
AND SO IN IN THAT SPACE THE MAYOR AND OTHER MEMBERS OF COUNCIL MEMBERS OF ADMINISTRATION HAVE BEEN WORKING QUITE DILIGENTLY TO TRY AND CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE IF THERE IS GOING TO BE SOME LAND MADE AVAILABLE, THAT WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS WITH WHICH THAT LAND IS MADE AVAILABLE? WHO ARE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE HELPING TO BUILD THAT LAND? WELL, HOW ARE WE LOOKING TO SHARE THE BENEFITS OF ANY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THAT LAND SO THAT IT'S IT INCREASES THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN YELLOWKNIFE, BUT ALSO FOR OUR INDIGENOUS PARTNERS. COUNCILLOR FOOTE.
THANK YOU FOR THAT. I JUST FOR ANY ON THE RECORD FOR ANYBODY LISTENING, I JUST WANTED THEM TO BE AWARE THAT THE CITY IS ACTIVELY TAKING TANGIBLE STEPS TOWARDS RECONCILIATION, AND IT'S NOT ALL SYMBOLIC. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCILLOR WARBURTON. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. JENNY. THAT WAS VERY HELPFUL. JUST MORE OF A COMMENT. NO QUESTIONS. I, I'M LOVING THE WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN HERE. IT'S LIKE RIGHT SIZING.
IT'S TANGIBLE GOALS. I FEEL LIKE WE GET FOCUSED ON ABSTRACT ALL THE TIME.
AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING UP THOSE UNIQUE APPROACHES TO HOUSING. IT'S MY MY WHEELHOUSE.
BIG REASON THAT WORKED SO WELL IS BECAUSE IT WASN'T BURDENED BY THE THE SYSTEMS WE CURRENTLY USE.
BUT I THINK IT'S VERY PRACTICAL, VERY REAL. I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT KIND OF FOCUS IN THE REPORT.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCILLOR WARBURTON.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM COLLEAGUES? COUNCILLOR FEQUET.
YOU HAD FLAGGED ONE. GO FOR IT. SURE. SORRY. AND MY MY LIST.
I GOT LOST AND I HAD A COUPLE EXTRAS. AND MOSTLY IT'S FOR ADMIN.
I KNOW WE JUST TALKED ABOUT PROCUREMENT NOT SO LONG AGO, SO MOSTLY, I GUESS I'M ASKING FOR HELP.
IS THERE A PLAN OR IS IT IN THE WORK PLAN OR IN THE BACK SOMEWHERE TO BE UPDATED? RECOGNIZING THE PRESENTATIONS WE GOT FROM OUR INDIGENOUS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS LIKE WITHIN THE LAST MONTH AND PRIORITIZING BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC RECONCILIATION. MR. VAN DINE.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I'LL INVITE MR. PANDOO TO RESPOND.
[00:35:06]
COUNCILLOR FEQUET. THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND I GUESS JUST ON THE SAME VEIN, JUST THINGS THAT I KNOW WE'VE DISCUSSED THAT I THINK WE'VE DONE THINGS, BUT I CAN'T QUITE REMEMBER. CAN YOU CAN ADMIN JUST REFRESH OUR MEMORY ON THE CITY, WHETHER IT HAS AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION HIRING POLICY AND IF SO WHEN IT WAS WRITTEN AND LAST UPDATED AND HOW IT'S WORKING.MR.. VAN DINE, THAT'S A THAT'S A FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION.
SO YES THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE DOES HAVE A HIRING POLICY.
WE'VE TO TO ENCOURAGE INDIGENOUS HIRES WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.
OUR APPROACH TO THAT AND SUCCESS LEVEL IS, IS MIXED AT BEST.
NOW THAT THEY'RE CLOSING, MAYBE WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET SOME MORE SOME MORE FOLKS IN, IN ON OUR, ON OUR PAYROLL. THERE ARE OTHER COMPETITIONS.
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES HAS CLOSE TO 7000 EMPLOYEES AND OFFERS A BENEFITS PROGRAM THAT IS VERY ROBUST, AND OURS IS NOW MORE ROBUST THAN IT HAS BEEN.
AND WE'RE HAVING SOME SUCCESS. AND WE NEED TO, I THINK, NEED TO BE OPEN TO OTHER OPPORTUNITIES, SUCH AS EITHER THROUGH CONTRACTING THROUGH INDIGENOUS FIRMS OR POTENTIALLY INTERCHANGE PROGRAMS THAT ARE BEING DONE.
BUT I DO BELIEVE IT'S IT'S CERTAINLY A VERY IMPORTANT AREA.
AND THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE WILL CONTINUE TO DO ITS BEST TO PROMOTE THROUGH HR, THROUGH OTHER PRACTICES TO ATTRACT QUALIFIED AND THRIVING AND CONTRIBUTORS TO OUR TO OUR SERVICES AND WORKFORCE.
COUNCILLOR FEQUET. THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND I JUST KIND OF IT DAWNED ON ME, I WROTE OUT THESE OTHER QUESTIONS AND I WAS GOING TO EMAIL THEM ALONG, BUT THEY'RE RELATED TO BUDGET AND RELATED TO THIS TOPIC, SO I FEEL LIKE I MIGHT AS WELL JUST ASK THEM NOW.
NEAR THE BEGINNING OF OUR TERM, WE DISCUSSED CULTURAL AWARENESS TRAINING AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT FOR CITY STAFF, SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THE LIVING WELL TOGETHER MODULE THAT WAS DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED BY THE CITY.
I RECALL IN MS. BASSI-KELLETT TIME I BELIEVE SOMETHING WAS DEVELOPED, SOMETHING CUSTOM AND JUST LOOKING FOR WHETHER THAT IS NOW BEING IMPLEMENTED AND IT IS REQUIRED FOR ALL STAFF AS PART OF THE ONBOARDING PROCESS.
AND IF WE HAVE ANY IDEA OF KIND OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OR FEEDBACK ON THAT PROGRAM? MR. VAN DINE WE DON'T HAVE AN OFF THE SHELF. WHAT WE DO HAVE IS THAT WE'VE BEEN HIRING DIFFERENT SERVICE PROVIDERS TO COME IN AND OFFER THAT PROGRAM.
WE DID ONE LAST YEAR. IT HAD RELATIVELY AND WE DO EVALUATIONS.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE, THE INDIVIDUALS AND THE FOLKS THAT ARE PROVIDING THE SERVICE ARE ARE MEETING THE EXPECTATIONS THAT, THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. AND SO ARE WE. I BELIEVE THE DATE THAT THE LAST TIME IT WAS OFFERED WAS IN JUST GOING FROM MEMORY.
I HAVE NOT SEEN THE PLAN FOR THIS COMING YEAR.
COUNCILLOR FEQUET. AWESOME. NO THANKS. JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE WERE WE WERE DOING SOMETHING. SOUNDS LIKE WE ARE AND APPRECIATE THAT. THAT'S GREAT. ADDITIONALLY, GIVEN THE NATURE OF STAFF'S ROLE IN OUR COMMUNITY, WHAT ADDITIONAL TRAINING IN THE SPACE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCY AND TRAUMA INFORMED DE-ESCALATION DO THEY RECEIVE? MR. VAN DINE. FORTUNATELY, WE HAVE SOME VERY QUALIFIED STAFF.
WITHIN MED, WE HAVE 1 OR 2 STAFF MEMBERS THAT I UNDERSTAND TAKE THIS RESPONSIBILITY VERY SERIOUSLY FOR BOTH PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL REASONS AND FROM THAT THEY'VE BEEN VERY GENEROUS AND IN LIAISING IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS THROUGHOUT THE LAST SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE TO TRY AND OPEN UP PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS AND DO THE APPROPRIATE RESPONSE GIVEN, GIVEN WHATEVER THE SITUATION MAY BE.
I WOULD LIKE TO POINT TO THE FACT THAT SO FAR TOUCH WOOD EVERY DAY IS DIFFERENT.
THAT WE HAVE IN MY MIND APPROACHED SUCH QUESTIONS QUITE RESPONSIBLY.
WHERE THERE ARE QUESTIONS OR MISCOMMUNICATIONS, WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH THEM QUICKLY.
ONE SUCH INCIDENTS DID INVOLVE A MISTAKE THAT RESOLVED RESULTED IN SOME PRIVATE PERSONAL PROPERTY BEING REMOVED. AND WE MADE AMENDS TO REPLACE THAT PRIVATE PROPERTY QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY WITH WITH BRAND NEW MATERIALS. SO I HAVE TO SAY TO THROUGH MR. CHAIR TO COUNSEL THAT OUR PROFESSIONALS ARE VERY PROFESSIONAL AND VERY CULTURALLY SENSITIVE AND ARE WORKING HARD TO
[00:40:05]
ALWAYS IMPROVE. COUNCILLOR FEQUET. THANK YOU.I AGREE, THEY SEEM TO BE DOING A VERY GOOD JOB, AND EVERYTHING I'VE HEARD ON THE STREETS AND SEEING OUR FOLKS AROUND HAS BEEN POSITIVE AND MUCH APPRECIATED. MAYBE JUST A COMMENT THEN TO, YOU KNOW, CONSIDER WHAT ADDITIONAL TRAINING AND SUPPORTS THEY MIGHT NEED TO TO BE EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE GIVEN COUNCIL'S MORE RECENT PRIORITIES THIS PAST SUMMER ABOUT YOU KNOW, PRESENCE, NOT PERSECUTION IN THE DOWNTOWN AND HOW THAT WE'RE SEEING THAT PROGRESS.
AND, I MEAN, I SAW TWO ARMED OFFICERS ON MY WALK TO WORK TODAY, AND IT WAS AWESOME AND JUST CHATTED WITH THEM AND THEY WERE SMILING AND THEY WERE BEING REALLY FRIENDLY. SO THAT'S AWESOME. I APPRECIATE THE PATIENCE OF MY COLLEAGUES.
JUST THREE MORE QUICK ONES. ARE WE AWARE OF WHAT THE RCMP DOES IN THIS SPACE TO TRAIN ITS STAFF? AND IF NOT, EITHER WAY. MOST IMPORTANTLY, HAVE WE ASKED OR INQUIRED ABOUT PIGGYBACKING AND OR PARTNERING WITH THEM JUST FOR ECONOMIES OF SCALE TO GET ADDITIONAL TRAINING AND SUPPORT FOR OUR STAFF? MR. VAN DINE. I'LL HAVE TO TAKE THAT QUESTION UNDER ADVISEMENT AND GET BACK TO COUNCIL.
SOUNDS GOOD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILLOR FEQUET. AND ONLY JUST TO TRY TO SPREAD AROUND THE LOVE WHAT, IF ANY, INITIATIVES ARE UNDERWAY WITH RESPECT TO PLACEMAKING AND WAYFINDING? MR. VAN DINE. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S PERTAINING TO THIS ISSUE AT HAND, BUT I GUESS IT IS.
OKAY, BUT I'LL INVITE MR. WHITE TO TO RESPOND.
I CAN START AND THEN PASS IT OVER TO MR. WHITE.
SO AS RECENT AS LAST WEEK, WE'VE HAD SOME MEETINGS WITH RESPECT TO PLACEMAKING AND WAYFINDING.
THERE'S A OPPORTUNE TIME RIGHT NOW WITH OUR RECENT AGREEMENT THAT WE ENTERED INTO WITH NORTHWEST TERRITORIES TOURISM TO BE OUR MUNICIPAL DESTINATION MARKETING ORGANIZATION. AS WELL MR. WHITE CAN SPEAK TO SOME OF THE WORK THAT HIS DEPARTMENT WAS DOING.
AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT A PROJECT THAT COULD BE DONE BETWEEN ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES AND INVESTMENT COMMUNITY SERVICES, AS WELL AS THE CITY'S DMO TO APPLY FOR FUNDING TO IMPLEMENT A WAYFINDING AND PLACEMAKING SIGNAGE AS WELL. OUR DEPARTMENT UNDERTOOK A SMALL SCALE BUT A PLACE BRANDING INITIATIVE.
AND SO THAT ALSO LINKS INTO THIS WORK. SO THERE IS WORK UNDERWAY.
WE EXPECT TO SUBMIT A FUNDING APPLICATION IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, AND NOW I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MR. WHITE TO ADD IN WHAT HIS DEPARTMENT IS DOING.
ON TOP OF THAT. THANK YOU, MISS THISTLE. I WOULD JUST ADD THAT THE COMMUNITY SERVICE DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE THE ARBOR PROJECT, WHICH IS CURRENTLY IN OUR GARDEN PLOT.
WE'RE HOPING TO BE ABLE TO REACH OUT SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE AS OUR PLATES BECOME MORE I GUESS A LITTLE BIT MORE ROOM ON OUR PLATES TO TAKE ON MORE PROJECTS AND UNDERTAKE THIS AND GET IT I GUESS DEVELOPED AND AND ON THE GROUND SOONER THAN LATER.
THANKS. AND I THINK THIS HIGHLIGHTS THE POTENTIAL OF PARTNERSHIP TABLES.
BUT ANYTHING ELSE? COUNCILLOR FEQUET. NO. AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO MS. TOURANGEAU FOR THE REPORT. VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANYTHING ELSE? FINALLY, FOR MY COLLEAGUES? SEEING NONE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE REPORT, MISS TOURANGEAU AND THE THE DEEP DIVE INTO WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON AND OPPORTUNITIES TO GO FORWARD AND ADMIT IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE GOT A NOD FROM COMMITTEE TO TO PROCEED.
SO WE'LL BRING THAT FORWARD FOR APPROVAL AT A FUTURE MEETING.
[5. A memorandum regarding whether to adopt the Tax Ratio Approach to draft the Mill Rate Policy and to keep the tax ratio between the Residential and Commercial/Industrial classes at 1:2.]
NEXT WE HAVE A MEMO REGARDING WHETHER TO ADOPT THE TAX RATIO APPROACH TO DRAFT THE MILL RATE POLICY AND TO KEEP THE TAX RATIO BETWEEN THE RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL CLASSES AT 1 TO 2. MR. VAN DINE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. SORRY. ONE SECOND. YEAH, I WAS JUST GOING TO MS. TOURANGEAU WAS THERE, BUT SHE SHE LEFT, SO THAT'S.THERE YOU GO. SHE SHE DIDN'T WANT TO HANG AROUND FOR MILL RATE.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT'S THAT'S FAIR RESPECT TO HER FOR THAT, MR. VAN DINE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. SO VERY HAPPY THAT THIS ITEM IS MOVING FORWARD AT THIS TIME.
AND IN AHEAD OF THE BUDGET BUILDING PROCESS. THE MEMO LAYS OUT WHAT WE UNDERSTOOD COUNCIL'S DESIRE TO BE, IT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT A BIT OF A DISCUSSION, EXPLORATION OF WHAT OTHER JURISDICTIONS ARE DOING DOES WALK THAT FINE LINE, WHICH CONFUSES MANY BETWEEN WHAT A MILL RATE DOES AND WHAT A TAX THING DOES.
AND SO I'VE JUST EXHAUSTED THE EXTENT OF MY EXPERTISE IN THAT.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. VAN DINE. I THIS THIS HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING.
[00:45:04]
BECAUSE I DO ACKNOWLEDGE IT IS NOT AS EASY. THE MOTION READS VERY SIMPLE AS GO AND GET A POLICY, BUT IT IS WAY MORE COMPLEX THAN THAT. SO I THINK IF YOU DO REMEMBER, WE'VE TRIED AT DIFFERENT TIMES TO KIND OF BRING ALONG THE CONVERSATION THROUGH PRESENTATIONS AND TRY TO GET US TO A POINT WHERE WE CAN FINALLY GET TO A RESOLUTION.SO WITH THAT I AM HOPING THAT THE MEMO WAS CLEAR ENOUGH.
AND SO JUST TO GET THE CONVERSATION GOING. I THINK FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, HAVING THE DECISION, MAKING THE DECISION POINT LINE UP THE WAY IT IS ON THE MEMO, IT WOULD MAKE SENSE, WOULD PROVIDE SOME KIND OF ANCHOR FOR US TO GET AHEAD OF THE CONVERSATION.
SO WHY THE TAX RATIO? BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT WE ARE CURRENTLY APPLYING.
EVEN IF WE DON'T HAVE A FORMAL POLICY, WE HAVE BEEN APPLYING THIS METHOD.
AND ONE OF THE CRITERIA TO APPLY THIS METHOD IS TO HAVE HISTORICAL AND PAST PRACTICE.
SO I THINK IT DOES FIT IN VERY WELL. AND THE SECOND ONE AGAIN, TO LEAVE THE RATIO BETWEEN THE RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL AT 1 TO 2 IS EXACTLY WHERE WE'VE BEEN GOING FOR THE PAST NUMBER OF YEARS THE RATIO HAS BEEN AROUND THE 2.2 TO .1. SO IT DOES MAKE SENSE FROM MY PERSPECTIVE TO START AT THAT RATIO.
NOW I WON'T GO INTO DETAILING THE THE MEMO ITSELF, BUT GLAD TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. PANDOO. ANY QUESTION? COUNCILLOR WARBURTON ALREADY HANDS UP BEFORE I EVEN LOOK RIGHT.
GO FOR IT [LAUGHS]. VERY EXCITED TO SEE THIS COME FORWARD.
AND VERY EXCITED TO SEE A VERY CLEAR EXPLANATION IN THE MEMO.
SO FOLKS UNDERSTAND A VERY COMPLEX TOPIC, SOME BACKGROUND ON THIS, BACK [INAUDIBLE] CHAMBER, PRE COUNCIL, THIS WAS BROUGHT FORWARD BY THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
SO IT WOULD CONTINUALLY KEEP SPLITTING THE TAX RATE TAX IMPACT 50/50.
SO EVEN AS WE BUILT HUNDREDS, HUNDREDS OF RESIDENTIAL UNITS OVER THE YEARS, WE KEPT SPLITTING THAT. SO OUR RATIO FOR COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL KEPT GOING UP AND UP AND UP. SO THE COMMERCIAL WAS PAYING A LARGER AND LARGER BURDEN.
SO THIS IS WHY THE CHAMBER GOT INVOLVED, BECAUSE IT WAS ESSENTIALLY KEPT UPPING THE TAX RATE ON COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES, WHICH IS WHERE ALL OUR BUSINESSES OPERATE OUT OF.
AND THIS WAS THE ASK WAS JUST TO HAVE A ARTICULATED POLICY.
AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO HEAR IT'S TAX RATIOS, BECAUSE THAT IS I THINK WHAT THE INTENT IS, IS WHEN WE DECIDE TO PASS A TAX INCREASE OR NOT, AS WE'LL FIND OUT SHORTLY.
THE ASSUMPTION FOR THE PUBLIC AND FRANKLY, ME FOR YEARS WAS THAT IT WOULD JUST GO UP EQUALLY ACROSS THE BOARD, AND THAT WASN'T WHAT HISTORICALLY HAD HAPPENED A DECADE AGO.
SO TO SEE THAT THAT IS NOW THE APPROACH, ACCEPT AN ASSESSMENT YEAR WHERE WE ADJUST MILL RATES TO MAKE SURE NO ONE, NO ONE'S HEADS EXPLODE. EXCITING TO SEE. SO I LIKE IT.
IT'S SIMPLE, IT'S STRAIGHTFORWARD, AND IT KIND OF CODIFIES, I THINK, WHAT IS A FAIR APPLICATION OF TAXES, WHICH WE HAD ALL ASSUMED WAS HAPPENING BUT WAS NOT FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
THANKS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILLOR COCHRANE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CHAIR. TO KEEP IT SIMPLE, SINCE THAT IS THE SPIRIT OF WHAT IS HAPPENING.
YES. TO ONE, USE THE TAX RATIO APPROACH TO DEVELOP THE MILL RATE POLICY AND SUPPORT OF NUMBER TWO TO KEEP THE TAX RATIO MILL RATE POLICY BETWEEN THE RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL CLASS AT 1 TO 2. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK OF THE ADMINISTRATION.
LOOK FORWARD TO THE FINAL MOTION FOR THIS. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM COLLEAGUES? COUNCILLOR FEQUET. TANGENTIALLY RELATED. BUT COULD YOU JUST UPDATE US ON THE GENERAL ASSESSMENT WHETHER THAT TOOK PLACE, WHETHER IT'S TAKING PLACE? I KNOW IT WAS DELAYED FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. JUST I CAN'T REMEMBER.
WHERE WE AT WITH THAT, MR. VAN DINE? THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. SO THE THE PROCESS IS NOT YET COMPLETED.
IT HAS STARTED. THERE ARE SOME COMPONENTS THAT WE WE HAVE HARVESTED FROM THAT PARTIAL ASSESSMENT.
I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MR. PANDOO TO ELABORATE.
BUT THE ASSESSMENT THAT WE WERE HOPING FOR TO HAVE LANDED AND WE WERE DIALING ALL OF OUR PLANNING AROUND IT TO HAVE IT READY PRIOR TO THE FULL CONTEMPLATION OF BUDGET 2026. THE FULL CONTEMPLATION, UNFORTUNATELY, IS NOT DONE.
[00:50:02]
THANK YOU, MR. VAN DINE. SO YES, CURRENTLY THE GENERAL ASSESSMENT IS UNDERWAY, BUT IT HAS BEEN DELAYED BY A MONTH AND WE HAVE REQUESTED AN OBTAIN EXTENSION FROM MACA. SO THIS EXERCISE, WE'RE HOPING FOR IT TO BE COMPLETED BY 30TH OF NOVEMBER.SO IT DOES CAPTURE SOME OF THE EXPECTED GROWTH, BUT NOT ALL OF IT.
THANK YOU COUNCILLOR FEQUET. YOU'RE GOOD. OKAY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? JUST FOR MYSELF.
I MEAN, ONE OVERALL YOU KNOW, SIMILAR TO COUNCILLOR WARBURTON, YOU KNOW, IT'S THIS GETS BACK TO THE THE BASE OF WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR RIGHT AT THE GET GO IS SOME SORT OF STABILITY THAT EVERYBODY CAN LOOK TO, AND THAT IF COUNCIL IS GOING TO MOVE THESE TARGETS THAT IT'S THOUGHT THROUGH, CONTEMPLATED, IT'S NOT JUST THE ANNUAL HEY, WHAT'S THE MILL RATE GOING TO BE, WHICH IS WHAT IT TRADITIONALLY HAD BEEN.
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE MEETING WHAT OUR GOAL WAS WHEN WE PASSED THAT MOTION.
JUST MY OLD BUGABOO. CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT THE STATUS IS RELATED TO? OR MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO LOOK AT WHEN A POLICY EVENTUALLY COMES FORWARD. BUT RELATED TO THOSE HIGH THAT HIGH DENSITY PARKING CLASS.
AND I'M NOT LETTING IT GO IN THE FUTURE. I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND, AND YOU'VE COMMENTED IN THE PAST FROM ADMIN, YOU KNOW, THE IDEA OF NOT RIPPING IT OUT BECAUSE IMMEDIATELY. BUT, YOU KNOW, FROM A TRANSMISSION PERSPECTIVE, HAS ANY THOUGHT BEEN PUT TO THAT? BECAUSE I SEE IT STILL BURIED IN THERE. MAKES ME NERVOUS THAT IF WE PUT IT IN THERE, WE BURIED IN THERE.
MR. VAN DINE. I'M GOING TO SAY, OH, BOY. SO SO, SO ALL THIS TO SAY, MISTER CHAIR, THAT YOU ARE CORRECT THAT THAT ITEM IS NOT TREATED IN THIS, IN THIS PROPOSAL. SO THAT PARTICULAR ITEM DOES PERTAIN TO ESSENTIALLY ONE SPECIFIC PROPERTY IN ONE SPECIFIC SITUATION AND ONE SPECIFIC COUNCIL SET OF DECISIONS THAT WAS MADE AT ONE SPECIFIC POINT IN TIME THAT WE ARE LOOKING TO FIND THE APPROPRIATE MEANS BY WHICH WITH WHICH TO ADDRESS SO THE, THE SO ALL OF THOSE QUESTIONS REMAIN.
I WOULD OFFER THAT WE WILL BE LOOKING TO THIS COUNCIL WILL NEED TO NEED TO WHETHER IT'S SOLVING FOR THE SPECIFIC OR WHETHER IT WANTS TO SOLVE FOR THE GENERAL. AND I THINK THIS COUNCIL SEEMS TO BE WANTING TO SOLVE TO THE BEST OF ITS ABILITY TO THE GENERAL THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE WOULD REQUIRE A FAIR AMOUNT OF OF CONSULTATION, EFFORT, AMENDMENT AND WORK IN ORDER TO RESOLVE.
AND WE ARE CERTAINLY PREPARED TO DO THAT. THAT WOULD COME AT A, AN OPERATIONAL COST OF OTHER PRIORITIES IN TERMS OF WHAT WE WANT, WHERE WE WANT TO PUT THE EMPHASIS, AND WHERE DOES COUNCIL WANT TO PUT THE PRIORITY.
BUT FOR THIS TO BE SURFACED AND IDENTIFIED AS BEING A AN OUTLIER IT ABSOLUTELY IS AN OUTLIER.
AND WE NEED TO DETERMINE THOUGHTFULLY ON HOW BEST TO RESOLVE THE OUTLIER.
AND, AND WHEN MR. PANDOO, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD? NO, NOTHING FURTHER TO ADD. THANK YOU. FAIR ENOUGH.
OKAY. YEAH. COUNCILLOR FEQUET, THANKS. JUST A QUESTION.
MAYBE I'M READING THIS WRONG. BUT THE TABLE FOUR IN THE MEMO.
CAN YOU JUST CONFIRM IF THOSE NUMBERS ARE RIGHT FOR MINING AND QUARRYING? BECAUSE IF IT'S 10 MILLION, THE TOTAL ASSESSMENT WOULD BE WAY. OR MAYBE. THAT'S RIGHT, I DON'T KNOW.
YEAH. THE NUMBERS IN THE MINING QUARRYING COLUMN IN TABLE FOUR CORRECT? MR.. VAN DINE. MR. PANDOO, DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO THE NUMBERS, PLEASE? I WOULD SAY THEY ARE CORRECT AS TO. SORRY. I JUST WANTED TO UNDERSTAND YOUR ANGLE SO THAT I CAN REPLY. PLEASE. MAYBE NOT. ANGLE, I THINK IS MORE OF THE.
GO AHEAD AND ASK YOUR QUESTION. COUNCILLOR FORGET. SORRY, I WAS JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE TABLE AND THE AMOUNTS, BUT MAYBE THERE'S A COMMA WHERE THERE'S SUPPOSED TO BE A DECIMAL. YEAH, I CAN FOLLOW UP WITH YOU. SO. SORRY. SO, YEAH, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A SMALL ASTERISK.
[00:55:05]
SO THE 2025 NUMBERS, THEY ARE AS AT JULY 3RD, 2025.YEAH. NO WORRIES. I'LL I'LL FOLLOW UP AFTER. AFTER THE MEETING. NO PROBLEM. OKAY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? SEEING NONE.
WE'LL PROCEED WITH THAT. PROCEED WITH POLICY DEVELOPMENT.
AND NEXT WE HAVE A PRESENTATION AND RELEASE OF DRAFT 2026 BUDGET TO THE PUBLIC.
[6. Presentation and Release of Draft 2026 Budget to the public.]
MR. VAN DINE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DISCUSSION TODAY.WHAT I'D LIKE TO JUST BRING TO COUNCIL'S ATTENTION BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO MR. PANJU TO WALK US THROUGH IS JUST A COUPLE OF POINTS.
FIRST THIS IS A STEP ALONG THE WAY. THE BUDGET CONSTRUCTION PROCESS.
SO WHAT YOU'RE GETTING TODAY IS THE THE ELEMENTS OF OF A BUDGET PROPOSAL THAT REQUIRES SUBSEQUENT STEPS INVOLVING YOUR PARTICIPATION AND INVOLVEMENT AND EVENTUAL DECISION. THE FIRST STEP OF THE PROCESS, OF COURSE, WAS THE CONSULTATION STEP THAT'S BEEN UNDERWAY IN TERMS OF WHAT HAS BEEN ON THE MINDS OF YELLOWKNIFE COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION IN TERMS OF POTENTIAL PROPOSALS.
THIS STEP I'D LOOSELY DESCRIBE AS THE ANALYTICAL STEP.
SO TODAY YOU'RE GOING TO GET SOME INFORMATION, YOU'RE GOING TO GET SOME NUMBERS. YOU'RE GOING TO SEE HOW IT ALIGNS WITH SOME OF THE CHOICES THAT COUNCIL HAS MADE SO FAR. AND WHAT WHAT OTHER DECISIONS DECISIONS TO COME.
BUT FOR STARTERS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO INVITE US TO CONSIDER IN THIS CONSTRUCTION OF THIS BUDGET IS ABOUT READINESS AND RESILIENCE. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT COUNCIL'S IN A POSITION WITH WHICH THE MUNICIPALITY IS HAVING PROPER REGARD FOR GLOBAL INFLATION, WHILE KEEPING AN EYE ON MAKING SURE WE'RE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE RELIABLE, ESSENTIAL SERVICES. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE OBVIOUSLY WORK WITHIN OUR MEANS, AND YOU CAN TEST US ON THAT AS WE AS WE WORK THROUGH SOME OF THE BUDGET, BUDGET INFORMATION THAT'S TO BE PRESENTED TODAY.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COUNCIL HAS TURNED ITS ATTENTION TO ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION AND CONTINUES ON AN ONGOING BASIS, IS THE QUESTION OF LAND DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING.
LAND DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING IS HOW COMMUNITIES GROW.
IT'S HOW OUR DISCUSSION ON MILL RATE WAS JUST DISCUSSING HOW THE OVERALL VALUE OF A COMMUNITY CAN BE MEASURED, AND THEN APPROPRIATE TAX LEVIES CAN BE DONE SO THAT THOSE TAX LEVIES AND RESOURCES CAN BE PUT BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY GROWTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE.
AND SO THAT QUESTION ON DEVELOPMENT, HOUSING AND LAND REMAINS A VERY CRITICAL ONE FOR THE CITY, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO TO WORK ON THAT. SO TODAY WE ARE ALSO LOOKING PRESENTING THE DAY BEFORE THE FEDERAL BUDGET. SO WE ARE DEALING WITH A NUMBER OF UNKNOWNS.
WE'LL FIND OUT. WE'LL HAVE SOME MORE KNOWNS. POTENTIALLY TOMORROW.
AND HOPEFULLY BY THE TIME THAT COUNCIL DECIDES IN EARLY DECEMBER, WE'LL HAVE THAT MUCH MORE INFORMATION TO, TO DRAW ON WITH THE, WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF MOVING INTO ITS FINAL STAGES OF CLOSURE AND WITH SOME OTHER UNCERTAINTY IN THE DIAMOND ENVIRONMENT WE CONTINUE TO KEEP AN EYE ON WHAT, WHAT IS THE NEXT THING? AND SO WE ARE INVESTING A LITTLE BIT OF TIME AND ENERGY WITH COUNCIL SUPPORT ON, ON THE WORK THAT COUNCIL HAS DONE TO PASS A RESOLUTION LAST DECEMBER WITH RESPECT TO DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENSE AND CANADIAN ARMED FORCE INVESTMENTS AND THAT WORK HAS MANIFESTED ITSELF IN RELATIONSHIP BUILDING WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES AND WITH THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES.
THE WORK IS ALSO CONTINUING BETWEEN THE MAYOR AND AND THE AND THE TOWN OF INUVIK ON SUCH SUBJECTS.
AND WE'RE LOOKING TO EXPAND THAT CONVERSATION WITH THE MAYORS OF WHITEHORSE AND IQALUIT THIS WEEK.
AND WE REMAIN ON RECORD OF SUPPORTING AURORA COLLEGE MOVING FORWARD QUICKLY AND THOUGHTFULLY WITH RESPECT TO SUPPORTING A KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY AND EXPANDING INTO THE POLYTECHNICAL INSTITUTE AND POTENTIALLY CONSOLIDATING THEIR ASSETS IN THE IN THE NORTH SLAVE CAMPUS IN AN AREA TO HELP GENERATE AND REVIVE IMPORTANT PARTS OF
[01:00:02]
YELLOWKNIFE. WE'RE ALSO ON RECORD WITH COUNCIL SUPPORTING A RESOLUTION WITH RESPECT TO THE ARCTIC ECONOMIC SECURITY CORRIDOR.WHILE WE MAY HAVE A SMALL ROLE TO PLAY IN THE FINAL DECISIONS THAT WILL BE TAKEN ON WHETHER IT'S A PROJECT OF NATIONAL INTEREST, WE DO REMAIN VERY ACTIVE AND SUPPORTIVE WITH THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN THAT PROJECT.
ON SEEING HOW YELLOWKNIFE CAN SUPPORT. WE'RE ALSO CONTINUING, AS WAS MENTIONED IN OUR DISCUSSION WITH MISS TOURANGOU MOMENTS AGO, CONTINUING TO INVEST STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR INDIGENOUS PARTNERS AS FINDING AND SEEKING SHARED BENEFIT AND OPPORTUNITY WITH BUILDING ON THOSE RELATIONSHIPS.
WE DO HAVE LAND CONSTRAINTS, AS HAS BEEN MENTIONED, OUR INFORMATION THAT WE'VE SHARED WITH COUNCIL AND IN TERMS OF OUR WORK WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY, DOES INCLUDE A MEMORANDUM OF COLLABORATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE. WE DO KNOW THAT THAT DEPARTMENT IS A REGULATORY DEPARTMENT, SO THEIR ABILITY TO PROMOTE AND SEEK THE URGENCY FROM AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE MAY BE A BIT NOT WHERE WE WOULD LIKE IT TO BE, BUT THEY DO KNOW AND ARE LISTENING CLOSELY TO WHERE WE ARE MAKING OUR APPLICATIONS AND OUR PRIORITIES.
THE LAST SUBDIVISION THAT THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE HAD WORKED TOWARDS GOES BACK ALMOST 15 YEARS.
SO WE HAVE 15 YEARS OF NON READINESS WITH RESPECT TO SUBDIVISION DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IS PUTTING US IN A VERY, VERY DIRE SITUATION. DIRE. AND I DON'T MEAN TO BE HYPERBOLIC, BUT DIRE IN THE SENSE THAT ANY FINANCIAL HEALTH OF ANY MUNICIPALITY OF ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY OF NOT DEVELOPING OR BRINGING LOTS ONLINE OR SUBDIVISIONS ONLINE FOR OVER 15 YEARS IS A HIGH RISK PROPOSITION FOR US.
AND SO NOW ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION AND STUDIES THAT WE'VE DONE FROM THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE PERSPECTIVE ON OUR HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT, WE ARE NOW ABOUT 38 HECTARES BEHIND WHERE WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SOME TIME AGO.
AND OUR LAST EXPERIENCE GOING BACK TO 2012 AND AS FAR AND, AND MORE RECENTLY SUGGESTS THAT THAT PROCESS COULD HAVE BEEN STARTED A LITTLE BIT SOONER. WHAT COULD WE HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? I KNOW THERE'S BEEN MANY ATTEMPTS MADE. I'M SIMPLY HIGHLIGHTING THAT THE DEMAND IS REAL, AND OUR FINANCIAL SITUATION SUGGESTS THAT WE NEED TO BE MOVING A BIT MORE DILIGENTLY IN THAT PATH.
AND I'LL JUST DRAW ATTENTION TO THE DYNAMIC NATURE OF ENCAMPMENTS.
WE THANKFULLY HAVE NOT HAD LOSS OF LIFE, ALTHOUGH THERE IS INCREASED RISK NOW THAT THE COLDER SEASON IS UPON US AND WE ARE MOVING QUICKLY TO TO WITHIN OUR AUTHORITIES TO STAY ON TOP OF HEALTH AND SAFETY QUESTIONS, WE ALSO HAD A CYBER EVENT WHICH WAS UNFORESEEN, AND WE MAINTAINED THE INTEGRITY OF OUR DATA, AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH A MINIMUM DISRUPTION TO SERVICE.
WE ALSO HAD A RATHER LARGE AND UNFORESEEN WATER BREAK IN SEPTEMBER, WHICH STAFF JUMPED ON AND RESOLVED QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY AVOIDING WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A CALGARY LIKE SITUATION THAT MANY RESIDENTS WILL HAVE REMEMBER FROM THE NEWS FROM MANY YEARS AGO.
AND MOST RECENTLY, WHEN IT COMES TO THE UNFORESEEN, WE CONTINUE TO INVEST IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND DEDICATING UP TO MOST OF A WEEK WORKING WITH THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES, OTHER FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES ON A TABLETOP EXERCISE TO HONE OUR SKILLS AND ESTABLISH BETTER COLLABORATIONS WITH OUR OTHER AGENCIES TO KEEP YELLOWKNIFERS SAFE.
KAVEH WILL LAY OUT THE FISCAL SITUATION AND WHAT WE BELIEVE IS A BALANCED PLAN GOING FORWARD THAT USES TRANSFERS, TAXES, GRANTS AND FEES IN A MIX THAT WE HOPE WILL DO THE TRICK.
OVER TO YOU, MR.PANDOO. THANK YOU, MR. VAN DINE. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE.
TO MAYOR HENDRICKSEN MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE, OUR DEDICATED STAFF, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, OUR ENGAGED RESIDENTS, INCLUDING THOSE WATCHING ONLINE AT THIS VERY MOMENT.
[01:05:03]
THE 2026 BUDGET I AM PRESENTING TO YOU TODAY IS MORE THAN A SET OF NUMBERS.IT IS A BLUEPRINT OF OUR SHARED PRIORITIES AND OUR COLLECTIVE VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF YELLOWKNIFE.
IT REPRESENTS OUR COMMITMENT TO MAINTAINING THE CORE AND ESSENTIAL SERVICES THAT MAKE OUR CITY LIVABLE, WHILE STRATEGICALLY INVESTING IN THE FUTURE GROWTH AND PROSPERITY OF OUR COMMUNITY.
HENCE OUR THEME READING TODAY FOR A STRONGER TOMORROW.
HERE IS WHAT WE WILL BE TOUCHING ON TODAY. WE DO HAVE QUITE A LOT TO GO THROUGH, SO LET'S GET GOING. AS OUR COMMITTEE IS AWARE, MUNICIPALITIES FACE A BALANCING ACT BETWEEN MAINTAINING SERVICES, MANAGING COSTS AND GENERATING ADEQUATE REVENUES AT BUDGET TIME.
BUT WHAT WE ARE FINDING OUT IS MUNICIPAL BUDGET DEVELOPMENT ANYWHERE IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY COMPLEX DUE TO ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY, INFRASTRUCTURE DEMANDS AND GROWING EXPECTATIONS AT ALL LEVELS AT THE CITY.
OUR BUDGET IS UNDER STRAIN FOR SIMILAR REASONS, BUT ALSO DUE TO UNIQUE CHALLENGES OF SHRINKING LAND AVAILABILITY, OUTDATED TECHNOLOGY AND A CONCERNING STAGNATING TAX BASE.
FOR ALL THESE REASONS, THE 2026 BUDGET IS ALL ABOUT READINESS AND RESILIENCE, KEEPING PACE WITH RISING INFLATION, MAINTAINING CORE AND ESSENTIAL SERVICES, AND BALANCING CRUCIAL INVESTMENTS WITH FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY.
AS A REMINDER, IN BUDGET 2025, COUNCIL HAD APPROVED IN PRINCIPLE TAX INCREASES OF 9.27% FOR 2026 AND 7.02% FOR 2027. WITH THIS IN MIND, LET'S EXPLORE AS TO HOW ADMINISTRATION IS PROPOSING TO NAVIGATE THESE CHALLENGES AND ALLOCATE CITY RESOURCES TO MEET COMMUNITY NEEDS IN 2026.
AND FOR 2026, ADMINISTRATION IS PROJECTING TOTAL EXPENDITURES OF 149.4 MILLION, WITH 32.4 MILLION SPENT ON OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE. THE OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE BUDGET COVERS DAY TO DAY SPENDING ON SERVICES SUCH AS RECREATION, PARKS AND ROAD MAINTENANCE, LANDFILL, TRANSIT AND FIRE SERVICES, AMONGST OTHERS.
WAGES AND BENEFITS WILL CONTINUE TO BE OUR HIGHEST OPERATING COST AT 41 MILLION.
THE CITY'S REVENUE FRAMEWORK FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026 IS DESIGNED TO ENSURE A SUSTAINABLE DELIVERY OF ESSENTIAL SERVICES WHILE MAINTAINING FISCAL HEALTH AND ITS ABILITY TO MEET COMMUNITY NEEDS.
TOTAL PROJECTED REVENUE FOR THE YEAR, ESTIMATED TO BE 115.5 MILLION, REPRESENTING A BALANCED MIX OF TAXATION, USER FEES, GRANTS AND OTHER INCOME SOURCES. THE CITY ANTICIPATES TO RECEIVE AROUND 33.8 MILLION IN GRANTS AND TRANSFERS FROM THE OTHER LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, EQUATING TO 29% OF TOTAL REVENUE.
A RECENT OVERHAUL OF THE TERRITORIAL FUNDING FORMULA FOR COMMUNITY GOVERNMENTS MEANS THAT IN 2026, THE CITY WILL RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL $816,000 TO SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE AND ESSENTIAL SERVICES.
HOWEVER, IT IS LOWER THAN WE WERE EXPECTING TO MEET OUR GROWING DEMANDS.
REVENUES FROM USER FEES AND SERVICES CHARGES ARE PROJECTED TO CONTRIBUTE 32.1 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 28% OF TOTAL REVENUE. THE LARGEST AND MOST STABLE SOURCE OF MUNICIPAL REVENUE, PROPERTY TAXES ARE EXPECTED TO GENERATE APPROXIMATELY 43.6 MILLION, ACCOUNTING FOR 38% OF TOTAL REVENUES. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, OUR GENERAL ASSESSMENT HAS BEEN SLIGHTLY DELAYED AND WE ARE NOW ANTICIPATING COMPLETION BY NOVEMBER 30TH. FINALLY, TO BALANCE OUR BOOKS, WE HAVE MADE INTERNAL TRANSFERS AND ADJUSTMENTS OF AROUND 33.9 MILLION.
THIS BALANCED REVENUE APPROACH ENABLES THE CITY TO FUND CORE SERVICES, INVEST IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPPORT COMMUNITY PRIORITIES WITHOUT COMPROMISING LONG TERM FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY.
ADMINISTRATION HAS PROPOSED AN OVERALL INCREASE OF A 4.3% IN O&M EXPENSES FROM THE 2025 BUDGET.
[01:10:06]
UNFORTUNATELY, THE CITY AS AN ORGANIZATION IS ALSO IMPACTED BY POWER BY PRICE INCREASES IN POWER, HEATING MATERIALS, ETC. WAGES AND BENEFITS HAVE INCREASED BY 9.1% FROM 2025.FURTHER, BENEFITS LIKE MEDICAL, DENTAL, PENSION, ETC.
JUST A NOTE THAT THE ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS FOR THE LANDFILL CLOSURE AND POST-CLOSURE COSTS HAVE BEEN RECORDED IN CITY'S 2024 AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS WITH A NET PRESENT VALUE OF 17.9 MILLION, AND THIS AMOUNT WILL INFLUENCE THE ANNUAL DOLLAR AMOUNT PROVIDED IN OUR BOOKS MOVING FORWARD. ON A HAPPY NOTE, THE INTEREST PAID ON OUR LOANS HAVE REDUCED FROM LAST YEAR AS WE CONTINUE PAYING DOWN OUR DEBTS.
BUDGET 2026 ALSO DOES NOT CONSIDER TAKING ANY LOANS TO SUSTAIN OPERATIONS OR CAPITAL INVESTMENTS.
DRILLING FURTHER INTO THE 2026 O&M EXPENSES, ADMINISTRATION HAS SET ASIDE $150,000 TOWARDS EXPENSES RELATED TO NEXT YEAR'S COUNCIL ELECTIONS, $130,000 FOR INCREASED SECURITY AT THE VISITOR CENTRE, 50,000 FOR RENEWING THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, 350,000 TOWARDS ITS ACCRUED FUTURE BENEFITS OBLIGATIONS FOR EMPLOYEES.
AS A NOTE, WE HAVE NOW RECEIVED THE FINAL REPORT OF OUR IT AUDIT AND WE WILL BE USING THESE FUNDS TO START ADDRESSING THE GAPS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED BY THIS REVIEW. AND FINALLY, $80,000 EARMARKED FOR A CORPORATE BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN.
IN BUDGET 2026 ADMINISTRATION HAS CAREFULLY REVIEWED OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND HAVE IDENTIFIED STAFFING NEEDS IN THE AREAS OF COMMUNICATIONS, MUNICIPAL ENFORCEMENT AND COMMUNITY SERVICES.
ADMINISTRATION IS ALSO RECOMMENDING TO MAKE THE POSITION OF DEVELOPMENT AND LANDS OFFICER PERMANENT.
CURRENTLY, WE HAVE 260 POSITIONS COMBINED ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS AND OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS OUR WORKFORCE HAS GROWN BY AROUND 17.7%, MAINLY REQUIRED TO MATCH WORKLOADS. JUST A NOTE THAT THE FOUR PARKS AND OUTDOOR FACILITIES MAINTAIN A ONE, AND THE TWO ARMED OFFICERS ARE PART OF THE DOWNTOWN SERVICES ENHANCEMENT PACKAGE, BEING PROPOSED IN BUDGET 2026.
MORE DETAILS, INCLUDING THE JUSTIFICATION OF THESE PY REQUESTS, WILL BE UPLOADED ON THE COUNCIL PORTAL BY THE END OF TODAY, AND MORE INFORMATION CAN BE PROVIDED DURING THE BUDGET DELIBERATIONS.
THE CITY'S ANNUAL CAPITAL BUDGET OUTLINES LONG TERM INVESTMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND ASSETS ESSENTIAL FOR DELIVERING PUBLIC SERVICES SUCH AS ROADS, WATER SYSTEMS AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS. IT DIFFERS FROM THE OPERATING BUDGET BY FOCUSING ON DURABLE PROJECTS RATHER THAN DAY TO DAY EXPENSES. BUDGET 2026 EARMARKS 50 MILLION TOWARDS CAPITAL EXPENSES, INCLUDING 18.5 MILLION IN CARRY FORWARDS, 12.9 MILLION FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF LIFT STATION #1, 2.
1.5 MILLION FOR TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS AND 1.9 MILLION FOR TRAFFIC LIGHT UPDATES.
LET'S HAVE A LOOK AT HOW OUR DIFFERENT FUNDS ARE CURRENTLY DOING.
WE'LL START WITH THE GENERAL FUND. AS THIS COMMITTEE IS AWARE, THE CITY CURRENTLY HAS SIX FUNDS, NAMELY THE GENERAL FUND, THE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT FUND, THE LAND DEVELOPMENT FUND, THE SERVICES CONNECTION FAILURE ASSISTANCE FUND, LOVINGLY CALLED THE WATER AND SEWER FUND, AND FINALLY THE GENERAL FUND.
THE GENERAL FUND IS USED FOR THE PROVISION OF DAY TO DAY SERVICES SUCH AS FIRE, AMBULANCE, PARKS, RECREATION SERVICES. AND FOR 2026, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, 43.6 MILLION OF THE FUNDS RAISED TO PROVIDE THESE SERVICES ARE
[01:15:02]
EXPECTED TO COME FROM PROPERTY TAXES, WHILE USER CHARGES CONTRIBUTE AROUND 9.9 MILLION TO THIS FUND.WE HAVE BUDGETED THE CUSTOMARY 3% INCREASE IN THE USER FEES AND CHARGES FOR RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR BUDGET 2026, AFTER ALL ADJUSTMENTS AND PROVISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE, THE GENERAL FUND WILL SHOW AN ANTICIPATED OPERATING DEFICIT OF 1 MILLION.
TO ABSORB THIS SHORTFALL ADMINISTRATION IS RECOMMENDING TO PLOW MONEY BACK FROM THIS FUND ITSELF TO BRING THE CLOSING BALANCE FOR 2026 TO 9.8 MILLION. PLEASE NOTE WITHIN THE GENERAL FUND, WE NOW HAVE 1.5 MILLION SET ASIDE FOR THE EMERGENCY RESERVE.
COMMITTEE WILL REMEMBER THIS WAS INITIALLY 3.5 MILLION.
OUR BUDGET POLICY STATES THAT THE GENERAL FUND BALANCE SHOULD BE MAINTAINED BETWEEN 10 TO 15% OF BUDGETED EXPENSES, WITH A CLOSING BALANCE OF 9.8 MILLION. THE GENERAL FUND WILL BE AT 15.44% OF BUDGETED EXPENSES, SO 0.44% ABOVE THE BUDGET POLICY, WHICH IN MY VIEW IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS, IS STILL WITHIN AN ACCEPTABLE MARGIN.
THE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT FUND COVERS THE COST OF OPERATING THE SOLID WASTE FACILITY AND OTHER RELATED OPERATIONS, INCLUDING GARBAGE COLLECTIONS. APPROXIMATELY 34.6% OF ITS REVENUES IS EXPECTED TO BE GENERATED FROM THE SOLID WASTE LEVY, WHEREAS TIPPING FEES ARE AROUND 3 MILLION. FOR BUDGET YEARS 2026 TO 2028, ADMINISTRATION IS RECOMMENDING FEE INCREASES OF NINE, TEN AND 11%, RESPECTIVELY, AS THE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT FUND IS CURRENTLY IN DEFICIT AND WILL BE TRENDING ON THIS PATH IN THE COMING YEARS, THEREBY CONTRAVENING OUR BUDGET POLICY. THIS IS MOSTLY AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE LANDFILL CLOSURE AND POST-CLOSURE COST ADJUSTMENTS THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER. THE LAND DEVELOPMENT FUND SUPPORTS ALL ASPECTS OF ACQUIRING, DEVELOPING AND DISPOSING OF MUNICIPAL FUNDS.
IN 2026 WE ARE EXPECTING CLOSE TO 1.9 MILLION IN LAND SALES, ESPECIALLY OF PARCELS IN ANGLE BUSINESS DISTRICT PHASE TWO AND INFILL LOTS, WHICH THE CITY INTENDS TO BRING ON THE MARKET.
THIS FUND IS BUDGETED TO HAVE A CLOSING BALANCE OF AROUND 13.6 MILLION AT 31ST DECEMBER 2026.
THE SERVICE CONNECTION FAILURE ASSISTANCE FUNDS PROVIDES PROPERTY OWNERS WITH FINANCIAL SUPPORT TOWARDS THE REPAIR OF WATER AND SEWER LINES THAT OCCUR BETWEEN THE PROPERTY AND CITY MAIN, CONSISTENT WITH THE CITY'S SERVICE CONNECTION FAILURE ASSISTANCE BYLAW NUMBER 4664.
THIS FUND IS REPLENISHED THROUGH SERVICE CHARGES AND FEES COLLECTED ON MONTHLY WATER BILLS.
IN BUDGET 2026 ADMINISTRATION IS RECOMMENDING THAT THE EQUIVALENT RESIDENTIAL UNIT, THE ERU, CURRENTLY AT $12.50, BE GRADUALLY INCREASED BY $4 ANNUALLY AS THIS FUND IS PRESENTLY SHOWING A DEFICIT BALANCE OF $296,000 AND NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH OUR BUDGET POLICY.
THE WATER AND SEWER FUND IS USED TO MAINTAIN AND OPERATE ALL INFRASTRUCTURE RELATED TO POTABLE WATER, BOTH PIPED AND TRUCKED, AND COLLECTION, TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL OF SEWAGE.
IN 2026, WE DO ANTICIPATE AN OPERATING DEFICIT OF AROUND 1.8 MILLION.
HOWEVER, AS WE ARE ABLE TO ABSORB THIS SHORTFALL WITH A HEALTHY OPENING BALANCE, IT IS EXPECTED TO END THE YEAR WITH A POSITIVE BALANCE OF 2.5 MILLION. BUT THIS IS NOT A GOOD PRACTICE, NOR IS THE DOWNWARD TREND A GOOD SIGN.
TO PROVIDE YOU WITH SOME PERSPECTIVE, 2.5 MILLION IS JUST NOT ENOUGH COVER FOR ANYTHING THAT COULD GO WRONG WITH WATER AND SEWER INFRASTRUCTURE. FOR 2026 AT 22.94%, THE WATER SEWER FUND IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH OUR BUDGET POLICY, BUT THIS PERCENTAGE IS EXPECTED TO DECLINE DRASTICALLY IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS, TO OSCILLATE AROUND 11.29% IN 2027 AND 0.04% IN 2028. AS A CONSEQUENCE, ADMINISTRATION IS PROPOSING TO INCREASE THE INFRASTRUCTURE REPLACEMENT LEVY PER EQUIVALENT UNIT TO $21 IN 2026, $23.50 IN 2027, AND $26 IN 2028, A $2.50 INCREMENTAL INCREASE CONSISTENT WITH BUDGET 2025.
[01:20:07]
ON THE OTHER HAND, THE CAPITAL FUND PAYS FOR MAJOR CAPITAL ACQUISITION THAT SUPPORTS THE LONG TERM DELIVERY OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. MOST OF THE MONEY IN THIS FUND COMES FROM THE OTHER ORDERS OF GOVERNMENT, WHICH FOR 2026 IS EXPECTED TO AMOUNT TO 32.1 MILLION.HERE, ON BEHALF OF COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK BOTH THE FEDERAL AND TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENTS FOR BEING OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS. I AM EQUALLY CONFIDENT THAT THE RESIDENTS OF YELLOWKNIFE ALSO APPRECIATES THE FUNDING THAT GETS SENT OUR WAY, AS IT HELPS US IMPROVE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE AS WELL AS KEEP PROPERTY TAXES DOWN.
AGAIN, FOR SOME PERSPECTIVE, 16 MILLION IS IS NOT MUCH WHEN IT COMES TO CAPITAL INVESTMENTS FOR A CITY OF OUR SIZE, AND WE DO NEED TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE SETTING ASIDE AS MUCH AS WE CAN TOWARDS THE BALANCE OF THIS FUND, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF OUR TEN YEAR CAPITAL PLAN.
THROUGH THIS INVESTMENT, THE CITY INTENDS TO SUPPORT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BY IMPROVING TRANSPORTATION AND UTILITIES, ENHANCE PUBLIC SAFETY THROUGH RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE, AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF YELLOWKNIFE RESIDENTS WITH ACCESSIBLE PUBLIC SPACES AND SERVICES. IN OUR STRATEGIC ROADMAP FOR LONG TERM INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AS I MENTIONED IN MY EARLIER SLIDE, GRANT FUNDING FROM OTHER LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT ARE A CRUCIAL SOURCE OF REVENUE FOR THE CITY, WITHOUT WHICH IT WILL STRUGGLE TO CONTINUE ITS TIMELY INVESTMENTS IN AGING INFRASTRUCTURE.
AS ALREADY NOTED IN MY PREVIOUS PRESENTATIONS OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, WITH MULTIPLE MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE COMING DUE FOR RENEWAL IN THE NEAR FUTURE, THE RAPIDLY RISING COSTS AND VOLATILE MARKET CONDITIONS, WE DO NOT HAVE THE LUXURY OF INACTION.
STRATEGIC AND TIMELY CHOICES WILL HAVE TO BE MADE TO ENSURE WE CONTINUE TO OPERATE SUSTAINABLY.
SIMILAR TO LAST YEAR, WHILE WE HAVE ROOM WITHIN OUR BORROWING LIMITS, WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO BORROW ANY FUNDS IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS UNTIL OUR DEBT SERVICE BALANCE IMPROVES. HOWEVER, AS YOU WILL NOTE, OUR SITUATION IS GRADUALLY IMPROVING AND THIS IS A BIG POSITIVE.
FINALLY, IN LIGHT OF THE DIFFERENT PROPOSED O&M AND CAPITAL EXPENDITURES, AND TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE DIFFICULT BUDGET CONTEXT, ADMINISTRATION IS PROPOSING THE FOLLOWING PROPERTY TAX INCREASES.
7% IN 2026, 7% IN 2027 AND 7.5% IN 2028. WE UNDERSTAND THAT NEWS OF A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE CAN BE DIFFICULT, ESPECIALLY DURING TIMES WHEN MANY HOUSEHOLDS ARE ALREADY FACING FINANCIAL PRESSURES.
WE WANT TO BE TRANSPARENT. THE REALITY IS THAT RISING COSTS, AGING INFRASTRUCTURE AND GROWING DEMAND FOR PUBLIC SERVICES HAVE PLACED EXTRAORDINARY PRESSURE ON OUR BUDGET. THE ADJUSTMENT IN TAXES IS NECESSARY AS IT REFLECTS OUR COMMITMENT TO MAINTAINING THE ESSENTIAL SERVICES THAT MAKE OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE, VIBRANT AND RESILIENT. FROM EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND INFRASTRUCTURE TO PARKS AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS, REST ASSURED EVERY DOLLAR WILL BE USED RESPONSIBLY TO SUPPORT THE SERVICES THAT RESIDENTS RELY ON AND TO ENSURE OUR CITY CONTINUES TO THRIVE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. AS WE MOVE CLOSER TO BUDGET DELIBERATIONS, HERE IS A QUICK RECAP FOLLOWING THE BUDGET PRESENTATION OF OCTOBER 14TH. THESE GREEN LIGHTED BUDGET PROPOSALS HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED WITHIN THE 2026 BUDGET.
MORE DISCUSSIONS WILL WILL BE REQUIRED ON SOME OF THESE TOPICS.
[01:25:04]
AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE END OF OUR 2026 BUDGET CYCLE.OUR TIMELINES NOW LOOK AS FOLLOWS. FROM NOW UNTIL NOVEMBER 30TH, THE PUBLIC CAN SUBMIT THEIR QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK BY EMAIL TO COUNCIL AT COUNCIL@YELLOWKNIFE.CA PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS, IF ANY, ON THE DRAFT BUDGET WILL BE ON NOVEMBER 24TH.
WE HAVE SET ASIDE DECEMBER 1ST TO THE FOURTH FOR BUDGET DELIBERATIONS AND FINALLY THE 2026 BUDGET, ALONG WITH ANY FEES AND CHARGES BYLAW AMENDMENTS WILL BE APPROVED ON DECEMBER 8TH.
WE'VE LISTENED, WE'VE PLANNED, AND NOW WE'RE READY TO ACT.
BUDGET 2026 IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A STABLE FOUNDATION FOR COUNCIL DECISION MAKING, SUPPORT, LONG TERM FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY, PROTECT AND ENHANCE SERVICES RESIDENTS DEPEND ON.
PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AS A TOOL FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL VITALITY.
WITH THOSE REMARKS, I INVITE ALL OF US TO JOIN FORCES IN TURNING THIS VISION INTO REALITY AND READY OUR TODAY FOR A STRONGER TOMORROW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. PANDOO. WE ARE ALMOST AT OUR 90 MINUTE MARK. SO I'M JUST GOING TO MAKE A COMMENT OR TWO.
BUT IF YOU'RE ALL GOOD WITH IT, WE'LL TAKE OUR TEN MINUTE BREAK.
JUST BEFORE WE TAKE OUR TEN MINUTE BREAK, THANK YOU, MR. PANDOO, FOR THE PRESENTATION. ADMIN, ALL OF YOUR WORK IN PREPARING THIS BUDGET FOR US.
SO IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT FOR US TO TO KNOW. I'M GOING TO BE WATCHING MR. PANDOO NOW MULTIPLE TIMES AS A RECORDING GOING OVER THIS PRESENTATION, WE NOW HAVE THE NEXT MONTH TO SORT OF CHEW ON THINGS.
BUT WHEN WE COME BACK, ANY IMMEDIATE QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE WE'LL HAVE FOR ADMIN.
SO WE'LL TAKE OUR TEN MINUTE BREAK. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND WE'LL CALL THE MEETING BACK TO ORDER.
SO THANK YOU AGAIN TO ADMIN AND MR. PANDOO FOR THE PRESENTATION.
ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS FROM THE COUNCIL OR FROM MY COLLEAGUES? DEPUTY MAYOR WARBURTON. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. AND THANK YOU FOLKS SO MUCH FOR GETTING THAT.
I KNOW THIS IS A HUGE LIFT TO GET THIS BUDGET OUT TO US.
AND VERY THOUGHTFUL. AND I APPRECIATE THE CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS.
SO I'M GOING TO RIFF ON THOSE A LITTLE BIT. SOME POINTS I NOTED IN YOUR PRESENTATION.
STAGNANT TAX BASE, SHRINKING LAND AVAILABILITY, WATER AND SEWER FUND, SOLID WASTE FUND, THE RED.
WE LIKE TO TALK ABOUT A LOT OF NICE TO HAVES IN OUR CITY, AND IT IS GLARINGLY OBVIOUS FROM YOUR PRESENTATION, I'M SURE, IN THE BUDGET JUST KEEPING THE TOILETS FLUSHING AND THE WATER GOING IS A STRUGGLE.
SO I ENCOURAGE MY COLLEAGUES TO REMEMBER THIS AS WE GO THROUGH BUDGET.
YEAH. WE WE OUR DUTY IS TO KEEP IT FUNCTIONING.
THIS IS NOT A SUSTAINABLE PATH. SO LET'S JUST KEEP THAT IN MIND AS WE DO BUDGET.
I THINK THE CITY MANAGER WAS VERY DIPLOMATIC IN HIS ANALYSIS OF LAND AS A CHOKE POINT FOR THE CITY. THIS THE WHOLE PROCESS, HOW WE GET LAND AS A CITY IS BROKEN. THE REALLY ONLY TOOL WE HAVE AS A CITY TO CONTROL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TO GROW OUR TAX BASE, WHICH IS STAGNANT IS TO BUILD HAVE THINGS BUILT IN OUR CITY.
RIGHT NOW, THE GNWT IS OUR BARRIER TO ECONOMIC GROWTH IN OUR CITY.
THERE'S A PROCESS WE HAVE, AND THE PROCESS ITSELF IS TOO SLOW AND BROKEN.
SO I, I KNOW WE'VE BEEN TALKING TO OUR TERRITORIAL COLLEAGUES, AND I HOPE THIS BUDGET REALLY KIND OF HAMMERS INTO THEM THAT THE STATUS QUO IS NO LONGER SUSTAINABLE. WE JUST CANNOT SQUEEZE OUR TAX BASE MORE AND MORE AND MORE.
WE NEED MORE LAND TO DO MORE STUFF. YEAH. WE HAVE THREE CHOICES IN THE CITY.
WE CAN INCREASE OUR TAXES, WHICH IS RECOMMENDED HERE.
OR MY PREFERRED OPTION IS BUILDING MORE STUFF.
WE CAN BUILD MORE SERVICES. WE CAN BUILD MORE BUSINESSES, WE CAN BUILD MORE HOUSING.
SO I IMPLORE MY TERRITORIAL COLLEAGUES TO STEP OUTSIDE OF THIS BROKEN PROTEST AND FIND A WAY OF GETTING US ALL THE LAND IN OUR BOUNDARY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, THAT DELAY IS COMING ON THE BACKS OF ALL OUR TAXPAYERS.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO OUR BUDGET CONVERSATIONS AND TALKING TO THE FOLKS AT GNWT.
THANK YOU. LOVE THE PASSION. COUNCILLOR COCHRANE.
[01:30:05]
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CHAIR. AND A HUGE THANK YOU TO DIRECTOR PANDOO AND TO CORPORATE SERVICES FOR ALL THE WORK THEY'VE DONE.I KNOW THAT WE HAVE SOME NEW FACES INVOLVED THIS YEAR ON IT.
AND AS DEPUTY MAYOR WARBURTON SO ELOQUENTLY PUT IT, IT TAKES A LOT TO ACTUALLY GET THIS BEFORE US.
SO VERY, VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
SO FOR PY JUSTIFICATION FOR THE MANAGER OF COMMUNICATIONS.
A 2019 COMMUNICATIONS PLAN WAS REFERENCED. WILL THAT BE AVAILABLE ON THE COUNCIL PORTAL FOR REVIEW? MR. VAN DINE. YEAH, WE CAN MAKE THAT AVAILABLE.
YEAH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SECOND QUESTION. LAST YEAR'S CAPITAL PLAN WAS 268.8 MILLION.
THIS YEAR, A TEN YEAR CAPITAL PLAN IS 234 MILLION.
JUST TO SOOTHE MY ASSUMPTION, I THINK THAT IT'S FROM THE FACT OF THE FUNDING WE GOT THROUGH LIFT STATION ONE IS WHY WE'VE HAD A $30 MILLION REDUCTION IN THE TEN YEAR CAPITAL PLAN.
MR. VAN DINE. THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS AT PLAY.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO TO COMMENT. I'LL INVITE MR. PANDOO TO TO CORRECT ME. ONE IS THAT THE AQUATIC CENTRE IS NOW CLOSED, RIGHT? SO, I MEAN, IN TERMS OF OPENED IT'S NO LONGER DRAWING ON THE CAPITAL BUDGET, AND THAT WAS A SIZABLE COMMITMENT DURING OUR LONG TERM CAPITAL PLAN.
AND SO WE CAN DECLARE SUCCESS SO THAT WAS A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO OUR CAPITAL PLAN.
THE LIFT STATION WILL TRACK OVER THE NEXT NUMBER OF YEARS.
SO YOU NOTED, I THINK, IN MR. PANDOO'S PRESENTATION THAT THERE'S A 12 AND CHANGE MILLION DOLLAR COMMITMENT FOR THIS YEAR, WHICH IS FACTORED IN. MR. PANDOO, WOULD YOU LIKE TO ELABORATE? THANK YOU. JUST A LITTLE BIT. ALL OF THE ABOVE.
AS TO WHAT MR. VAN DINE SAID, BUT ALSO WE HAVE INTERNALLY DELAYED SOME OF THE PROJECTS.
SORRY, NOT DELAYED THE PROJECTS, BUT THE WE ARE TRYING TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING HOLISTICALLY, KNOWING HOW OUR FUNDS ARE TRENDING. SO WE ARE MAKING A VERY DIFFICULT DECISIONS ON THE BALANCE OF RISK.
SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE THAT SHIFT IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH WE HAVE IN TERMS OF THE TEN YEAR CAPITAL PLAN.
SO ONCE THE ASSET MANAGEMENT COMES ON BOARD, THAT WILL GET REFLECTED IN THOSE NUMBERS.
AND ONCE WE ARE NO LONGER ABLE TO CARRY THE RISK AND THE DECISION MAKING BECOMES CRITICAL, THOSE AMOUNT WILL OSCILLATE AS WELL. THANK YOU.
AND THANK YOU, MR. DIRECTOR. THAT WAS QUITE THE RAY OF SUNSHINE, I MUST SAY. THE WELL, I WILL SAY ON A POSITIVE, WE DID EXPECT THIS YEAR IN OUR CAPITAL TO BE IN A $5.6 MILLION DEFICIT.
AND LUCKILY, WE'RE NOT AT THAT. SO, YOU KNOW, HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL.
CARRY FORWARD PROJECTS FROM LAST YEAR WERE 9% IN THE EXPENSES.
THIS YEAR IT'S AT 13%. CAN WE ELABORATE THE INCREASE ON THAT, MR. VAN DINE? SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF MOVING PARTS RELATING TO OUR CAPITAL PROGRAM.
WE ALSO WERE ADDED TO SOME PIECE OF WORK. I MEAN, NOT TO SAY THAT IT WAS ALL BAD NEWS.
OVERALL IN TERMS OF OUR IN TERMS OF OUR ORIGINAL FORECAST FOR THE WORK.
SO THAT KIND OF RIPPLES THROUGH OUR TEN YEAR PLAN AS WE ADJUST IT ON AN ONGOING BASIS.
I CAN GET BACK TO COUNCIL WITH MORE DETAIL IF THAT'S REQUIRED.
IT IS CARRYING OR CONCERNING, OR CARRYING FORWARD CONCERN THAT THIS IS SOMETHING WE SEE EVERY YEAR.
I DO HOPE WE CAN ALSO GET SUPPLY CHAINS BACK, BUT I KNOW THIS IS A GLOBAL ISSUE AND SOMETHING WE ARE PROBABLY GOING TO CONTINUOUSLY SEE IN EVERY BUDGET PROCESS. BUT THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL THE WORK AND NO MORE QUESTIONS FOR ME.
WE KNOW IT'S A MONUMENTAL TASK. JUST MAYBE A COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR TODAY.
[01:35:02]
THE EMERGENCY RESERVE FUND, JUST RECOGNIZING THE REDUCTION IN THE AMOUNT WHEN WE FIRST TALKED ABOUT IT, IT WAS 3 OR 3.5 MILLION, AND NOW IT'S 1.5. AND IT APPEARS FROM THE PRESENTATION THAT IT'S STILL IN THE GENERAL FUND.I GUESS I JUST WANTED TO FOLLOW UP FROM OUR PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS AND CONFIRM.
IS IT ALSO THE INTENT OF ADMIN JUST TO POTENTIALLY KEEP THE MONEY IN THE GENERAL FUND AND HAVE A POLICY OF RESTRICTING ITS USE FOR THE AMOUNT SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A SEPARATE RESERVE? OR WHERE ARE WE ON THAT WHOLE KIND OF EMERGING RESERVE FUND QUESTION? MR. VAN DINE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. SO THERE'S A COUPLE OF IMPORTANT POINTS TO SHARE, AND I'M HAPPY TO USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO UPDATE.
WE'LL HAVE MORE TIME TO DISCUSS IT OBVIOUSLY, DURING THE BUDGET DELIBERATIONS.
THEY CERTAINLY ARE. JUST IN TERMS OF WORKLOAD MANAGEMENT, WE WERE ORIGINALLY TARGETING TO TRY AND HAVE THE EMERGENCY RESERVE FUND POLICY READY FOR THE PREVIOUS FIRE SEASON. DUE TO ALL KINDS OF OPERATIONAL REASONS, WE WEREN'T ABLE TO HIT THAT WINDOW.
SO THEN WE WERE TARGETING IT FOR THE FALL. AND THEN WE FOUND OURSELVES IN ANOTHER SET OF OPERATIONAL REASONS TO TRY AND PUSH IT DOWN PUTTING OUR EMPHASIS ON THE MILL RATE POLICY AND SOME OF THE WORK AND RESEARCH THAT WE WERE DOING WITH RESPECT TO THE VACANT LAND QUESTION THAT COUNCIL WOULD LIKE US TO TURN OUR ATTENTION TO AS WELL.
SO WE ARE TRACKING ON THAT LAST ITEM THAT I MENTIONED.
IT DID REQUIRE SOME REBALANCING OF WORK. WHAT WE WERE AIMING TO DO AS A PRIORITY IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MAINTAINED REFERENCE TO AN EMERGENCY, AN EMERGENCY RESERVE COMPONENT WITHIN THE GENERAL FUND.
WE'VE REDUCED THE LEVEL BASED ON SOME SIGNIFICANT INTERNAL TOING AND FROING.
AND, AGAIN, THE PROPOSAL THAT COUNCIL SEES TODAY IS A PROPOSAL.
AND WHAT WE WERE THE RATIONALE BEHIND THAT PROPOSAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL OF THE AREAS WHICH WE COULD POTENTIALLY ADJUST AND TEMPER TO MAKE SURE THAT AN INTRODUCTORY OR A SUGGESTED TAX RATE WAS AS LOW AS POSSIBLE.
AND THAT WAS PART OF THE CALCULATION. SO TO ANSWER THE PUBLIC INTEREST, YES EMERGENT RESERVES ARE STILL IDENTIFIED AS A PRIORITY FOR THE MUNICIPALITY.
AND WE'VE MAINTAINED THAT NUMBER TWO, WE STILL HAVE WORK TO DO IN TERMS OF PUTTING A POLICY SET OF PARAMETERS AROUND IT, AND WE'RE SHIFTING THAT DOWN. THE WORK PLAN. NUMBER THREE, IN ORDER TO KEEP OUR CURRENT FINANCIAL SITUATION AS BALANCED AS POSSIBLE, THAT WAS ONE OF THE PROPOSALS THAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING COUNCIL CONSIDER FOR THE MOMENT.
MR. PANDOO, WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD ANYTHING? NOPE, NOTHING FURTHER TO ADD.
THANK YOU, OKAY. YEAH, THANKS FOR THAT UPDATE.
IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'LL BE WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT IT AGAIN, SO THAT'S COOL.
I REMEMBER THAT DURING THIS TERM, AND JUST FOR EVERYONE'S INFORMATION, THAT THERE WAS SIX OF THE 17 RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN THAT THE TASK FORCE RECOMMENDED WERE LIKE THE HIGHEST PRIORITY.
AND I BELIEVE THIS COUNCIL GAVE THE GREEN LIGHT TO WORK ON THOSE SIX TO IMPLEMENT THOSE SIX.
SO RECOGNIZING THERE ARE STILL 11 HIGH PRIORITY ACTION ITEMS IN THAT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND THE POTENTIAL FOR AN INDIGENOUS PARTNERSHIP TABLE STARTING UP. JUST WONDERING ABOUT THE TIMING FOR PUTTING IN 50 K FOR AN ACTIVE STRATEGY WHEN IT SEEMS LIKE A, WE MIGHT STILL HAVE SOME SOME THINGS TO DO, AND B WE MIGHT NOT WANT TO GET OUT THE STRATEGY BEFORE THE PARTNERSHIP TABLE STARTS UP.
MR. VAN DINE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. AND THAT'S AND I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE SOME BACKGROUND THAT AMOUNT OF DOLLARS IS PUT IN PLACE JUST TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, LIKE, WE WE REALLY WANTED TO KEEP OUR LEVEL OF AMBITION QUITE MODEST UNTIL SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT YOU HAD DESCRIBED PLAY OUT. HOWEVER, THERE ARE THINGS THAT SORT OF COME ALONG WITHIN THE COURSE OF A CALENDAR YEAR WITH WHICH OPPORTUNITIES DO PRESENT THEMSELVES. AND WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DIDN'T LEAVE YELLOWKNIVER'S BEHIND IF SUCH AN OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED ITSELF.
SO I DON'T HAVE A LOT MORE TO ELABORATE IN TERMS OF THE DETAILED PLAN AROUND THAT THAT SUM OF MONEY OTHER THAN WE WERE TRYING TO STILL HAVE CAPACITY, BUT RELATIVELY MODEST CAPACITY. THANK YOU, COUNCILLOR FEQUET.
[01:40:04]
THANKS FOR THAT. YEAH. AND JUST TO BE CLEAR, I'M NOT THERE'S NO CONCERNS WITH THE MONEY.AND AGREED, WE GOT TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON MORE JUST THE TIMING OF THE STRATEGY AND THE PARTNERSHIP TABLE, AND THE THINGS I THINK ARE STILL OUT THERE TO DO WAS MORE THE INTENT OF MY QUESTION.
WHEN YOU WERE SHOWING THE FUNDS AND KIND OF IN THE PRESENTATION WHEN IT WAS TALKING ABOUT LIKE HOW MUCH WAS LEFT, I THINK IT WAS THE WATER AND SEWER FUND, AND I THINK IT WAS LIKE 2.5 MILLION AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SLIDE.
WHAT DID WHAT'S A BALLPARK THAT THE CITY HAD TO SPEND TO REMEDY THAT BIG CALDER WATER SEWER BREAK.
LIKE, JUST TO GIVE US AN IDEA BECAUSE YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT ENOUGH. BECAUSE SHOULD SHOULD BIG PROJECTS LIKE THAT KIND OF THE UNFORESEEN COME ALONG, JUST LIKE, CAN YOU GIVE US A BALLPARK OF WHAT THAT OR A SIMILAR SITUATION COSTS TO GIVE US THAT CONTEXT FOR THAT AMOUNT THAT WAS ON THE BOTTOM? MR. VAN DINE. TODAY I'M FLYING A LITTLE LIGHTER THAN I NORMALLY DO IN TERMS OF CREW.
AND SO I WILL HAVE TO GET BACK TO TO COUNCIL WITH THAT EXAMPLE OF WHAT THAT PARTICULAR BREAK COST AND, AND HOW CLOSE WE ARE. I WILL TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THAT THE WORK THAT COUNCIL DID LAST WEEK WITH RESPECT TO THE WATER AND SEWER RATES QUESTION THIS THE FINANCIALS THAT WERE PRESENTED HERE REALLY ARE TO A BIT OF A TRANSITION SET OF NUMBERS THAT WE'RE PROVIDING UNTIL SUCH TIME AS WE'VE WORKED THROUGH THE CALCULATIONS AND REMOVE THE ERU AND HAVE DONE ALL OF THE OTHER BITS AND PIECES.
SO I BELIEVE THIS IS REPRESENTS A REASONABLE, RESPONSIBLE ASK FROM A FINANCIAL POINT OF VIEW TO KEEP IT, TO KEEP IT GOING. BUT AS AS MR. PANDOO HAS LAID OUT WE DO HAVE AGING INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE WILL HAVE EVENTS. WE WILL HAVE TO RESPOND.
SO STILL TRANSITIONING, COOL. AND JUST LAST QUESTION FOR TODAY.
THE 130 K FOR THE SECURITY AT THE VISITOR CENTRE.
I ASSUME THAT'S FOR CONTRACT SECURITY POSITIONS POTENTIALLY.
I GUESS I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT IS THAT A LONG TERM NEED THAT WE SEE? ARE WE HAVING ANY DISCUSSIONS WITH OUR LANDLORDS OR OTHER TENANTS OR.
MR. VAN DINE. I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DIRECTOR THISTLE IN A MOMENT, BUT COUNCIL IS AWARE THAT THERE IS A NEW OWNER OF OF THE AREA AND [INAUDIBLE] THE COMPANY IS MOVING AT PACE TO MAKE SOME INITIAL COSMETIC.
THEY'VE ALSO MADE SOME EFFORTS WITH RESPECT TO SECURITY AND SECURITY PROVISION COOPERATION THAT HAS BEEN SHARED WITH ME BY A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COMPANY HAS ALSO INVOLVED OPENING UP LINES OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE RCMP AS WELL AS ACCESS AND OTHER SORTS OF THINGS.
I UNDERSTAND THERE TO BE A CONVERSATION HAPPENING AMONGST THE VARIOUS TENANTS ON THE COORDINATION OF PRIVATE SECURITY, AND I AND AT THIS POINT, I'LL JUST TURN IT OVER TO DIRECTOR THISTLE TO ELABORATE.
THANKS. I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY MORE INFORMATION TO ADD.
THERE HAVE BEEN ONGOING DISCUSSIONS. IT DOESN'T AFFECT JUST THE VISITOR CENTRE AT THE CENTRE SQUARE MALL, BUT ALSO THE LIBRARY. SO I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY MORE DETAIL TO PROVIDE AT THIS TIME.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILLOR FEQUET. YEAH.
THANKS FOR THAT UPDATE. YEAH, I WAS I WAS COGNIZANT OF THE NEW OWNER, TOO.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM COLLEAGUES? JUST FOR MYSELF, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP MYSELF AND MY COLLEAGUES IN CHECK.
BUT FROM ADMIN SIDE, WHEN DO YOU NEED QUESTIONS FROM US TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE ANSWERS FOR WHEN WE DELIBERATE? THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. SO I BELIEVE SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE PUT ON NOTICE WHEN WE TABLED OUR HAD OUR FIRST DISCUSSION ON THIS AT GPC A FEW WEEKS BACK THAT THERE WERE QUESTIONS IN THEY'D LIKE US TO LOOK AT.
DON'T HOLD BACK. SEND THEM ALONG AS QUICK AS YOU HAVE THEM.
IF THERE ARE AND IF YOU'VE GOT AND IF YOU'RE THINKING EVOLVES OVER THE COURSE OF YOUR DISCUSSIONS AMONGST YOURSELVES OR WITH MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC OR OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES, FEEL FREE TO BRING THOSE QUESTIONS FORWARD.
IT WOULD BE I THE MORE TIME WE HAVE, THE BETTER.
[01:45:03]
THE LAST WEEK OF NOVEMBER, WHEN WE ARE INVITING PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS, IS PROBABLY THE OUTSIDE POINT THAT WE WOULD BE ASKING YOU TO CONTINUE IF YOU START BRINGING IN QUESTIONS AFTER THAT POINT, WE MIGHT BE NOT AS ABLE TO RESPOND TO THE DEGREE THAT I WOULD I WOULD LIKE.THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE CLARITY AND COUNCILLOR FEQUET. OH COUNCILLOR FOOTE FIRST, AND THEN WE'LL GET BACK TO COUNCILLOR FEQUET ON ROUND TWO. COUNCILLOR FOOTE. THANKS, MR. CHAIR. THANKS TO ALL WHO PUT IN LOTS OF HARD WORK ON THE BUDGET THIS YEAR.
I KNOW IT'S NOT AN EASY TASK. JUST A COUPLE QUICK QUESTIONS FOR ADMIN HERE.
WITH RESPECT TO THE SOLID WASTE FUND, DO YOU FEEL THAT A CONSUMPTION BASED APPROACH BROUGHT FORTH BY THE THE NEW SCALE AND CHANGE IN HOW USER FEES ARE CALCULATED WILL HELP WITH THAT DEFICIT? AND AS MUCH THOUGHT BEING PUT INTO RATES AND EXCLUSIONS AND FORECASTED REVENUE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE QUESTIONS, MR. VAN DINE. THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES.
I THINK A CONSUMPTION BASED APPROACH IS DEFINITELY WHERE WE WOULD BE LOOKING TO HEAD.
WE ARE LOOKING AT BENCHMARKING WITH OTHER MUNICIPALITIES OF A SIMILAR SIZE IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, JUST TO SEE WHAT RATES THEY'RE CHARGING AND WHAT WE'RE CHARGING.
SCALE IS STILL IS. WE WERE HOPING THAT IT WOULD BE FINISHED BY THIS SUMMER, AND IT'S WE'RE CLOSE, BUT WE'RE NOT QUITE THERE YET. ONCE THAT'S IN PLACE WE'LL BE IN A MUCH BETTER WAY TO TO BE ABLE TO EVALUATE THE IN AND OUT AND BE ABLE TO CHARGE HOPEFULLY MORE EFFECTIVELY. COUNCILLOR FOOTE. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT.
DOES THAT HAVE ANY CURRENT YEAR BUDGET IMPLICATIONS? AND CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES AROUND THOSE FUNDS? MR. VAN DINE? THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.
SO WE'VE RECEIVED QUITE A FEW CARDS AND LETTERS WITH RESPECT TO THE NIVEN TRAIL SINCE OUR, LAST GPC ON THE BUDGET. WE WERE ABLE TO GO BACK INTO AND DO SOME SOME DEEP DIVES INTO THE ARCHEOLOGY OF THE FACT FINDING WE DID FIND A BUDGET NOTATION IN BUDGET 2017.
THOSE FUNDS FOR NIVEN TRAIL WERE PUT INTO THE CAPITAL.
SO THEY DO EXIST. THEY ARE IN THE BUDGET. THEY CAN BE RELIED UPON.
IT WILL HAVE WORKLOAD IMPLICATIONS FOR US GOING FORWARD IN 26-27 COUNCILLOR FOOTE.
THAT'S EVERYTHING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND ROUND TWO COUNCILLOR FEQUET. THANKS, MR. CHAIR.
JUST A COUPLE OF QUICK ONES. IS THERE ANY UPDATE ON THE ORGANIZATIONAL REVIEW? I KNOW THAT INITIALLY SCHEDULE SLIPPED A BIT, BUT THERE WERE, I THINK WE'RE STILL HOPEFUL THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOME PRECURSOR OF AN UPDATE TO JUST INFORM BUDGET DELIBERATIONS IN DECEMBER.
WHAT'S HOW ARE WE LOOKING FOR THAT? MR. VAN DINE.
THE WORK FROM THE ORGANIZATIONAL REVIEW. WE'VE RECEIVED A PRELIMINARY REPORT WHICH TALKED ABOUT SOME INTERNAL DIAGNOSTIC, IF YOU WILL. THAT INFORMATION IS IS BEING FINE TUNED.
THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS WILL LIKELY NOT BE FULLY ASSESSED FOR BUDGET 2026 CONSIDERATION, EXCEPT THAT THEY WILL HAVE A FEW POINTERS IN TERMS OF WHERE WE MIGHT WANT TO.
WE MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER THERE IS A PROPOSAL FOR A DEPUTY CITY MANAGER THAT'S BEEN RECEIVED.
BUT IT'S CERTAINLY AN IMPORTANT EXERCISE TO GO THROUGH AND IDENTIFY ALIGNMENT.
MAKE SURE THAT YOU'VE GOT YOUR RESOURCES SORT OF IN A PLACE THAT ALIGNS WITH PRIORITIES.
[01:50:01]
WANT TO CONSIDER IN TERMS OF TECHNOLOGY, TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION AND MAYBE SOME CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.SO THERE'LL BE A PACKAGE OF THINGS. ALL THIS TO SAY, I BELIEVE WE SHOULD BE ON A POSTURE OF ONGOING ORGANIZATIONAL REVIEW AND UPDATE AS WE GO OVER THE NEXT NEXT LITTLE WHILE. AND I BELIEVE THIS REPORT WILL GIVE US FOOD FOR THOUGHT FOR NOT ONLY THE COMING YEAR, BUT YEARS SUBSEQUENT. COUNCILLOR FEQUET. JUST CONFIRMING THE CAPITAL CARRY FORWARDS OR MAYBE JUST THE CAPITAL BUDGET. ARE THE FIRE HALL RENOVATIONS IN THE SUBMARINE LINE INCLUDED IN THOSE MR. VAN DINE? YES, THEY ARE. AND JUST KIND OF CIRCLING BACK TO THE PRESENTATION, THERE WAS ALL THOSE ITEMS THAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WERE STILL AWAITING DISCUSSION IN YELLOW THERE ARE ANY OF THOSE INCLUDED IN THE DRAFT BUDGET OR NO. JUST SO WE'RE ON THE SAME PAGE.
MR. VAN DINE. MR. PANDO. NO, THEY ARE NOT. AND DURING THE PRESENTATION, I BELIEVE I DID HEAR IT MENTIONED THAT APPLICATION THAT WE SUBMITTED TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR THE YELLOWKNIFE ACTIVE MOBILITY INTEGRATION PROJECT IT WAS A SERIES OF THINGS, INCLUDING THE FRAME LAKE TRAIL. AND SO THE I THINK IF WE WERE SUCCESSFUL IN THAT APPLICATION THE BRUNT THAT WOULD FALL BACK TO THE CITY IS ABOUT 25%, AND IT WAS AROUND 271 K. HAS THAT BEEN INCLUDED IN THE DRAFT BUDGET? MR. VAN DINE. MR. PANDOO. DID YOU WANT TO REPEAT WHAT YOU DESCRIBED IN YOUR PRESENTATION? JUST TO GO BACK TO TO THE PREVIOUS QUESTION, I THINK THE ONLY ONE THAT IS INCLUDED IS THE DISCUSSION THE AMOUNT AROUND THE FREE ACCESS TO THE FIELD HOUSE THAT'S THE ONLY ONE THAT IS INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET.
SO WE'RE GOING WITH SOME ASSUMPTIONS THERE, BUT IT WAS GOOD TO HIGHLIGHT IT SO THAT, YOU KNOW, IT IS A DISCUSSION THAT IS DUE. OKAY, GREAT. SO YEAH, JUST ON THE TRACK I GUESS.
SO IT'S ASSUMED IN THE BUDGET THAT NO REVENUE WILL BE COMING BECAUSE IT'S FREE.
AGAIN. THAT'S THE BUDGET ASSUMPTION OR THE OPPOSITE.
NO, IT'S THE OPPOSITE OKAY. THANK YOU. YEAH. AND COMING TO YOUR QUESTION AROUND THE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION, IS THIS REALLY IN RELATION TO THE GRANTS? IT IS PART OF THE TRANSPORTATION PLAN IN THE BUDGET, SO I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NUMBER. I THINK IT'S AROUND $700,000.
IT'S IN WHEN YOU EVENTUALLY SEE IT. I THINK IT'S IN THE FROM WHAT MR. PANDOO HAD SAID, IT WILL BE IN THE CAPITAL. SO WHEN WE EVENTUALLY CRACK OPEN THE BUDGET AND TAKE A LOOK, THAT'S WHERE IT SHOULD BE. OKAY.
YEAH. I WAS JUST TRYING TO CONFIRM IF AND IF SO, WHERE THAT CONTRIBUTION HOPEFULLY IF WE'RE SUCCESSFUL IN THAT APPLICATION, THAT THE CITY SETS ASIDE THAT PART OF ITS CONTRIBUTION SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY ACCESS THE REST OF THOSE FUNDS.
SO, YEAH, I'LL LOOK FOR IT, I GUESS, IN THE MASTER TRANSPORTATION PLAN NUMBERS.
SO WILL I. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COUNCILLOR MCGURK.
THIS IS ALWAYS A VERY DIFFICULT PROCESS. I'M SURE BRINGING THIS TOGETHER AND PRESENTING IT TO US.
SO APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR TIME. THANKS. THANK YOU.
COUNCILLOR MCGURK. AND YES, AGAIN, THANK YOU TO ADMIN.
IT LOOKS LIKE NO OTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR WORK OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS.
I'VE SEEN YOU ALL WORKING AND HAVING LONG MEETINGS, DISCUSSING THIS AND PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.
SO THANKS FOR GETTING THIS TO THIS STATE. AND NOW COLLEAGUES, IT'S ON US OVER THE NEXT MONTH TO REVIEW AND DIGEST AND ASK QUESTIONS AND ALL OF THAT FUN STUFF. AND WE'LL HAVE OUR DELIBERATIONS AT THE START OF DECEMBER.
SO WITH THAT, WE HAVE REACHED THE END OF OUR MEETING.
CAN I GET A MOTION TO ADJOURN? COUNCILLOR WARBURTON. SECONDED BY COUNCILLOR MCGURK. HAVE A
GOOD AFTERNOON.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.