Feb 04, 2026 Governance & Priorities Committee

[00:00:02]

AND I'LL CALL OUR GPC MEETING FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH TO ORDER.

[1. Opening Statement]

[2. Approval of the agenda.]

IS ANYBODY IN CONFLICT? ANYTHING ON THE AGENDA TODAY? SEEING NONE. MOVING ON TO MEMORANDUM REGARDING RESPONSE TO COUNCIL'S REQUESTS MADE AT THE GPC MEETING ON

[4. A memorandum regarding Response to Council’s request made at the GPC meeting on November 10, 2025, regarding the draft Climate Action Plan 2026-2036 and implementation details for 2026 and 2027 actions.]

MR. VAN DINE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CHAIR.

SO, AS HAS BEEN POINTED OUT IN THE MEMORANDUM, THIS PLAN HAS BEEN IN PRODUCTION FOR QUITE SOME TIME.

WE'VE HAD THE BENEFIT OF GETTING SOME ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY.

WE'VE DONE SOME ANALYSIS. WE'VE DONE SOME REVISIONS BASED ON INPUT RECEIVED.

I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DIRECTOR WHITE JUST TO GIVE US THE HIGH POINTS.

AND THEN I THINK WE'D BE MOVING INTO A Q&A OPPORTUNITY WITH COUNCIL.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU'LL HAVE TO BEAR WITH ME.

MY VOICE IS KIND OF SCRATCHY TODAY, SO I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE.

SO, AS HAS BEEN MENTIONED, THE GPC UPDATE FOR CLIMATE ACTION PLAN AND THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, INCLUDING 26 AND 27. THE ACTIONS APPEAR IN THE SCHEDULES IN THE ORDER THAT YOU WILL FIND THEM WITHIN THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN.

SO JUST TRYING TO KEEP IT SO THAT IT FLOWED WELL, AS YOU WERE REVIEWING BOTH.

AND THESE ARE EITHER ACTIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION THAT ARE CURRENTLY UNDERWAY OR ARE PLANNED FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS.

THE REASON THAT WE'VE LOOKED AT IT FROM THIS SCALE IS WHILE THE PLAN IS FOR TEN YEARS, IT'S WHAT IS REASONABLE WITHIN THE TIME FRAME OF THIS COUNCIL, WHILE GIVING FOR BUDGET 2027 AND ANY NEW COUNCIL SOME OBJECTIVES THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, AND IT CAN BE REVISITED WITH THE NEW COUNCIL TO ENSURE THAT IT ALIGNS WITH THEIR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. THERE IS ALSO A BALANCE BETWEEN POLICY AND MONITORING, AS WELL AS MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION.

AND BY PROACTIVELY PLANNING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE, OUR CITY AND OUR RESIDENTS CAN BE BETTER PREPARED FOR AND HAVE INCREASED CAPACITY TO RESPOND TO THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. TAKING CUMULATIVE ACTION NOW WILL HELP TO PREVENT DISRUPTIONS TO OUR DAILY LIVES, SERVICE DELIVERY, OUR ECONOMY, AND WILL REALLY PREPARE US FOR WHAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE IN THE FUTURE.

AND TODAY, I ALSO HAVE GRACE SCHAAN, OUR ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE COORDINATOR, AND SHE'S HERE TO ASSIST IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS DURING THE BACK AND FORTH IN CONVERSATION. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOLKS.

WE SAW THIS LAST YEAR AND THIS IS COMING BACK WITH SOME CHANGES WE ASKED FOR AND SOME IMPLEMENTATION DETAILS.

SO IS THERE QUESTIONS ON THIS FROM ANYONE? COUNCILLOR FOOTE.

THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. OUR COLLEAGUE, COUNCILLOR FEQUET ASKED ME TO POSE A QUESTION OR TWO ON HIS BEHALF, IF YOU DON'T MIND. FIRST QUESTION WOULD BE, GIVEN THAT AN UPDATE ON THE OVERALL WORK PLAN OF THE CITY IS FORTHCOMING, AND THAT THERE ARE MANY PRIORITIES ALONGSIDE CLIMATE ACTION THAT COUNCIL MUST CONSIDER, HAS ADMINISTRATION REVIEWED THESE PROPOSED CLIMATE STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS ALONGSIDE ALL OF THE OTHER PRIORITIES WITHIN THE CITY'S WORK PLAN? MR. VAN DINE. SO WE'RE AWAITING FOR THIS PLAN TO BE ADOPTED.

SO THAT'S FIRST AND FOREMOST. SO WE ARE LOOKING TO UPDATE THE WORK PLAN AT A MACRO LEVEL. WE HAVE NOT DONE A DEEP DIVE AS WE DO NOT HAVE THIS PLAN YET APPROVED.

OKAY, JUST AS A FOLLOW UP. SO IF YOU DO PLAN ON IT, DOES ADMINISTRATION BELIEVE THAT THE PROPOSED TIMELINES FOR COMPLETION ARE STILL FEASIBLE, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE WAITING ON COUNCIL APPROVAL? MR. VAN DINE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. SO WHAT I WOULD INVITE COUNCIL TO KEEP IN MIND IS THAT THIS IS A PLAN FROM 2023 TO 2026, SO. SORRY. THE LAST PLAN WAS FROM 2023 TO 2026.

SO THIS HAS A LITTLE BIT OF A TAIL ON IT THAT WE WOULD BE WORKING TOWARDS.

SO WITH THAT, WE WILL BE DOING ADJUSTMENTS AS WE GO.

IN TERMS OF BUDGET 2025 PLANNING, WE DID CONSIDER.

SORRY. BUDGET 2026 PLANNING. WE DID CONSIDER THIS PLAN IN THE PREPARATION OF SOME OF THE IMPLEMENTATION MEASURES KNOWING THAT THIS PLAN WAS COMING.

IN TERMS OF A TIGHT CROSSWALK BETWEEN THIS AND WHERE COUNCIL WILL BE ON SEPTEMBER 23RD 2026,

[00:05:07]

IN TERMS OF DETAILS, MAYBE I CAN TURN IT OVER TO DIRECTOR WHITE TO ADD.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SO, YES, THESE TIMELINES WERE CONSULTED NOT JUST WITH AND THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS, BUT ALSO WITH THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS, BECAUSE THERE'S SOME CROSSOVER.

AND WE ALSO LOOKED AT THE ITEMS WE'VE ALREADY STARTED AND PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE COMMITTED THROUGH OTHER WHETHER THAT BE FUNDING OR WORK PLAN TO COMPLETE THIS YEAR OR NEXT YEAR. SO THINGS LIKE THE COMMUNITY PLAN, MASTER TRANSPORTATION PLAN, ZONING BYLAW.

SO IT ALIGNS AND IS BEING COORDINATED WITH ALL OF THOSE ONGOING PIECES.

THANK YOU. OKAY. THANKS FOR THAT. THAT SCRATCHES THAT QUESTION.

LAST ONE IS ON PAGE 61 OF THE PDF. 5.2 A AND B ON THE TABLE ON PAGE 70 REFERENCED TWO DIFFERENT IMPLEMENTATION WORKING GROUPS, ONE EXTERNAL AND ONE INTERNAL. CAN YOU OUTLINE THE PURPOSE OF THIS IMPLEMENTATION WORKING GROUP? IN ESSENCE, WHAT KIND OF DIRECTION ASSISTANCE AND FEEDBACK IS ADMINISTRATION ENVISIONING COULD BE PROVIDED? MR. VAN DINE. I'LL INVITE DIRECTOR WHITE TO RESPOND.

SO I'M JUST GOING TO THERE NOW, AND I WILL ASK GRACE TO GIVE A LITTLE MORE DETAIL.

ONE OF THE GROUPS WITH THE EXTERNAL IS TO MEET ON A REGULAR BASIS, TO REVIEW THE ACTION ITEMS THAT WE ARE DOING, WHAT IMPACT IT IS ACTUALLY HAVING ON RESIDENTS AND OR AGENCIES IN THE COMMUNITY.

THE OTHER WORKING GROUP IS INTERNAL BECAUSE, AS I SAID, WE WILL RELY ON THE SUPPORT AND EXPERTISE OF THE DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY.

SO IT'LL BE A WORKING GROUP TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL ALIGNED.

PERFECT EXAMPLE IS PLANNING WITH PUBLIC WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION OR PLANNING WITH INFRASTRUCTURE.

ALL OF THESE PIECES, THEY'RE GOING TO REQUIRE A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT.

SO INTERNAL WOULD BE FOR THE BUSINESS OF THE CITY AND EXTERNAL WOULD BE FOR ANY GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS AND HOW WHAT WE'RE DOING IS IMPACTING THEM.

SO I DON'T KNOW IF GRACE HAS ANYTHING TO ADD, BUT I WILL ASK HER TO SHARE.

THANK YOU. SURE. I'LL JUST ADD ABOUT THE EXTERNAL GROUP, IT'S ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY THAT AS WE'RE DEVELOPING, LIKE THE POLICIES AND PROGRAMS THAT COME OUT OF THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, THAT WE GET THEIR FEEDBACK INTO THOSE.

SO THAT'S ANOTHER WAY FOR US TO CONTINUE ENGAGEMENT WITH FOLKS OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS THAT WE'RE IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN.

THANK YOU. OKAY. THANKS FOR THAT. AND THANKS FOR ALL THE WORK PUT INTO THIS.

ONE QUICK QUESTION FOR MYSELF IS, HOW WILL THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN PREVENT ADDITIONAL INCREASES TO ALREADY SUBSTANTIAL COST OF LIVING, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO ARE ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY MINOR SHIFTS SUCH AS LOW INCOME RESIDENTS, THE UNHOUSED, ETC? MR. VAN DINE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION, MR. CHAIR. AND CERTAINLY WE ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY MORE SENSITIVE TO THE ADDITIONAL COSTS TO THE COST OF LIVING IN YELLOWKNIFE, IN OUR CITY. WE'RE AFFECTED BY ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT COUNCIL IS WELL AWARE OF IN YELLOWKNIFERS THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF OUR CONTROL THAT AFFECT THE COST OF LIVING.

WE HAVE THE HIGHEST POWER RATES, I THINK, IN ALL THREE TERRITORIES IN THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES.

AND SO WE NEED TO BE VERY MINDFUL OF WHAT ACTIONS OR ADDITIONAL MEASURES WE PUT IN PLACE SO THAT IT DOESN'T UNINTENTIONALLY ADD OR AGGRAVATE THAT SITUATION. WITH RESPECT TO THIS PLAN, THE GOALS OF THE PLAN, I THINK ARE WELL ARTICULATED IN TERMS OF DOING OUR FAIR SHARE TO REDUCE THE IMPACT ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.

THE CITIES HAD, IN MY ESTIMATION, A FAIRLY REASONABLE JOB OF MAKING PROGRESS WHERE IT HAS WITHIN AREAS THAT IT HAS IN ITS CONTROL, WHETHER IT'S ON SHIFTING TO PELLET TO OTHER KINDS OF MEANS FOR HEATING OUR FACILITIES.

THERE'S MORE TO DO IN THIS PLAN. CERTAINLY PUTS SOME AMBITIOUS GOALS IN THERE FOR US TO ACHIEVE.

AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO DOING THAT AND PUTTING FORWARD A RESPONSIBLE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

TO ANSWER THE QUESTION HEAD ON, I WOULD SAY THAT WE'VE GOT A RESPONSIBILITY TO LOOK AT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS PLAN.

CERTAINLY THE COMPLETION OF THE COMMUNITY PLAN UPDATE THAT WE'RE DOING, AS WELL AS OUR TRANSPORTATION PLAN TO MAKE SURE THAT YELLOWKNIFERS ARE HAVING THE FULL BENEFIT OF THE CITY THINKING, WORKING, OPERATING AND INVESTING IN AN INTEGRATED WAY SO THAT THE COSTS ON RATEPAYERS ARE NOT MORE THAN THEY NEED TO BE. I WON'T BE ABLE TO PROVIDE ANY MORE PRECISION THAN THAT.

BUT THE POINT IS WELL TAKEN. AND I THINK ADMINISTRATION IS SENSITIVE TO THE NEEDS OF YELLOWKNIFERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR DOLLARS GO AS FAR AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN.

OKAY, WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND AGAIN, THANKS FOR ALL THE HARD WORK ON THIS.

THANK YOU. MAYOR HENDRICKSEN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

[00:10:04]

THE FACT THAT WE ORIGINALLY DISCUSSED THIS BACK IN NOVEMBER AND HAVING SOMETHING TANGIBLE AND BEING ABLE TO ACTUALLY SEE THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN IS REALLY NICE TO SEE FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS. IT GIVES THAT ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURE, WHICH I WAS LOOKING FOR. SO JUST THANK YOU TO DIRECTOR WHITE, TO MISS SCHAAN AND I'M SURE EVERYBODY ELSE WHO HAD THEIR HANDS ON THIS AND THINKING THROUGH WHAT ARE THOSE TANGIBLE PIECES TO THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN? AND THEN, YOU KNOW, GETTING BACK TO THE LAST QUESTION THAT COUNCILLOR FOOTE MENTIONED, AND THEN I KNOW COUNCILLOR FEQUET HAD SORT OF HINTED AT, TOO, IN TERMS OF THE COST ELEMENT. I MEAN, THAT'S ALSO WHAT COUNCIL'S JOB IS GOING TO BE GOING FORWARD AS WE ALWAYS BALANCE ALL OF OUR DIFFERENT STRATEGIES.

COMMUNITY PLANNING. AND HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT THE COSTS IMPACTING YELLOWKNIFERS ARE ONES THAT WE BELIEVE ARE ONES THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY? AND, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THINGS LIKE THE PELLET BOILERS HAVE ACTUALLY ENDED UP SAVING YELLOWKNIFERS MONEY IN THE LONG TERM.

SO, YOU KNOW, UPFRONT INVESTMENT BUT HAVE IMPACTS BOTH ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE, BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF THE ACTUAL DOLLARS AND CENTS OF THE OPERATION OF THE CITY.

SO AGAIN, JUST THANK YOU ON THE IMPLEMENTATION PIECE.

THIS IS REALLY GREAT TO SEE A TANGIBLE, YOU KNOW, STEP FORWARD FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS AND THEN TO KNOW THAT THIS WILL BE A PART OF THE PROCESS GOING FORWARD SO THAT THERE'S THAT CLEAR ACCOUNTABILITY WITHIN THE ACTION PLAN FOR WHAT IS THE ACTION AND IMPLEMENTATION WE'RE LOOKING AT.

SO THANKS AGAIN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. COUNCILLOR PAYNE.

THANK YOU. MY QUESTION IS SIMILAR TO ROB'S ABOUT THE FINANCIAL IMPACT, BUT WHAT I'M.

LIKE, WE PLAN TO BE NET ZERO OR HOPING TO BE NET ZERO BY 2050.

NOW, IS THAT A REALISTIC GOAL FOR A CITY LIKE YELLOWKNIFE? WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ARCTIC HERE. EXTREME TEMPERATURES, YOU KNOW, IS IT A REALISTIC PLAN FOR US TO HAVE NET ZERO, OR ARE WE JUST HOPING TO GET CLOSE TO THAT? EASY ONE.

MR. VAN DINE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. SO THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION.

I THINK IT'S A QUESTION THAT'S FACING ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT RIGHT NOW.

AND NOT JUST ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT IN CANADA, BUT I THINK A NUMBER OF GOVERNMENTS INTERNATIONALLY AS WELL.

SO THIS PLAN, TO THE CREDIT OF THE STAFF AND THE RESIDENTS THAT HAVE BEEN HELPING US BUILD IT, ARE DOING SO WITH KNOWING THAT THEY'RE OPERATING WITHIN A LARGER CONTEXT.

AND SO THE GOALS THAT ARE BEING SET BY OTHER LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT ARE ONES THAT WE ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO AND AS WELL AS OTHER SECTORS THAT ARE WORKING ON TRYING TO HELP ACHIEVE THOSE GOALS, WHETHER IT'S CARBON CAPTURE AND REPLACEMENT, OTHER TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE BEING INVESTED, OTHER POLICIES THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS MOVING FORWARD TO TRY AND MAKE IT MORE ACCESSIBLE TO REDUCE AND MEET THESE COMMITMENTS.

SO WHILE THE NUMBERS ARE AMBITIOUS, OR AT LEAST THE TARGET IS AMBITIOUS, IT'S THE SAME TARGET THAT OTHER LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT ARE ALSO ASPIRING TO.

AND WE'D LIKE TO SEE YELLOWKNIFE NOT BE DISCONNECTED FROM THOSE GOALS.

I WOULD OFFER THAT WORKING IN IN A SUBARCTIC COMMUNITY SUCH AS YELLOWKNIFE, WHERE OUR DEPENDENT ON ENERGY AND ENERGY SOURCES FOR RELIABILITY ARE REALLY KEY, THAT PRESSURE IS PROBABLY GREATER.

THAT BEING SAID, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO POINT TO THE WORK THAT MAYOR HENDRICKSEN HAS DONE IN TERMS OF OUTREACH TO SOME OF OUR CIRCUMPOLAR PARTNERS WHO ARE ALSO WORKING IN THIS SPACE AND COMING UP WITH TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE ALREADY BEING PRACTICED, THAT WE ARE NOT PRACTICING HERE, WHETHER IT'S FOR WASTE FACILITIES, WHETHER IT'S FOR TRANSPORTATION, WHETHER IT'S FOR HOUSING, CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN.

THERE IS JUST A WHOLE PLETHORA OF THINGS THAT WE HAVEN'T EVEN REALLY TESTED YET IN OUR ENVIRONMENT THAT WE ARE OPTIMISTIC THAT WE SHOULD AT LEAST GIVE THAT A GO AND SEE WHERE IT TAKES US TOWARDS 2050. THANK YOU FOR THAT. YEAH, THAT ALL MAKES SENSE.

I JUST WORRY ABOUT EVERY DAY I TALK TO RESIDENTS OF THIS CITY.

AND EVEN THIS MORNING I HAD TWO CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE WORRYING ABOUT THE LEVEL AT WHICH OUR TAXES ARE GOING UP.

NOW WITH THE NEW ASSESSMENT THAT JUST GOT DONE, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WORRIED.

I TELL THEM, YOU KNOW, MILL RATES WILL CHANGE.

SO IT'S NOT GUARANTEED THAT YOUR TAXES WILL GO UP.

BUT WE'LL SEE WHEN IT ALL COMES OUT IN THE WASH.

BUT SOMETIMES I THINK THAT WE HAVE 44,000 PEOPLE IN THIS TERRITORY IN A PIECE OF LAND THAT'S HUGE. LIKE I WOULD. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY KILOMETERS IT IS SQUARE, EXACTLY, BUT IT'S PRETTY BIG.

[00:15:07]

I THINK THAT EVERYBODY SHOULD DO THEIR PART. AND I THINK THAT YELLOWKNIFERS HAS HAVE DONE THEIR PART. THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE SWITCHED OVER TO PROPANE, THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE SWITCHED OVER TO PELLET FUEL, LED LIGHTS.

LIKE PEOPLE, THE RESIDENTS OF THIS CITY ARE MAKING THE CHANGES BECAUSE IT AFFECTS THEIR POWER BILL.

AND YOU'RE RIGHT, WE ARE THE MOST EXPENSIVE OF THE THREE TERRITORIES, AND I WOULD PROBABLY SAY WE'RE THE MOST EXPENSIVE POWER RATES IN NORTH AMERICA.

AND THAT'S ANOTHER CONVERSATION. BUT MOVING FORWARD ON THIS, I KNOW WE HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN.

IT LOOKS GOOD. IT'S WHAT PEOPLE WANT. BUT I THINK THAT WE DO HAVE TO BE REALISTIC AS WELL.

AND ANY ADDITIONAL COST ON TAXPAYERS OF THIS CITY, WE'RE GOING TO START SEEING PEOPLE MOVE OUT OF THIS PLACE.

AND I'VE HEARD IT A DOZEN TIMES IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS.

YOU KNOW, IT'S GETTING TOO EXPENSIVE TO LIVE HERE. PEOPLE USED TO LIVE HERE BECAUSE THERE WAS A GAP IN WHAT THEY WERE MAKING FROM HERE IN SOUTHERN CANADA.

RIGHT NOW, THAT GAP NO LONGER EXISTS. SO YEAH, I AGREE WITH HAVING A PLAN, BUT I THINK THAT WE JUST NEED TO BE REALISTIC. IT'S EASY FOR PEOPLE THAT WORK IN THAT LINE OF WORK TO WANT TO DO EVERYTHING.

BUT WE CAN'T DO EVERYTHING. THE PEOPLE WON'T.

THE PEOPLE CAN'T SUSTAIN EVERYTHING. THERE'S A SMALL POPULATION UP HERE THAT WOULD LIKE TO SEE EVERYTHING DONE.

BUT THAT'S A SMALL POPULATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILLOR PAYNE.

FOR MYSELF. OH, COUNCILLOR COCHRANE. SORRY. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THROUGHOUT THE DOCUMENT, I SEE A PLETHORA OF ADVOCACY TOWARDS THE GNWT AND A LOT OF EXISTING RESOURCES THAT ARE ALLOCATED TOWARDS THAT. OUR RELATIONSHIP, I'M ASSUMING WE'RE PRIMARILY UTILIZING THROUGH ECC, OR ARE WE GOING DIRECTLY OUT OF EXECUTIVE? MR. VAN DINE. FOR THIS PLAN, THE DOMINANT CONTACT POINT IS ECC.

THEY'RE THE CONTACT WITH FEDERAL ENTITIES THAT ARE ALSO WORKING IN THIS SPACE.

SO THAT IS WHERE WE'RE ORIENTATING OUR EFFORTS.

HOWEVER, I WOULD TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PICK UP ON COUNCILOR PAYNE'S COMMENTS WITH RESPECT TO ENERGY COSTS ONCE MORE.

THAT IS NOT PREVENTING US FROM TALKING TO INFRASTRUCTURE, NOR IS IT PREVENTING US FROM TALKING TO THE EXECUTIVE AND STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE MINISTER WITH RESPECT TO OUR NEEDS OVERALL. SO WE ARE TRYING TO WIDEN OUR OUR PIECES.

SERIOUS QUESTIONS ARE BEING FACED BY THE TERRITORY.

THERE IS A TERRITORIAL BUDGET, I THINK, COMING DOWN ON THURSDAY.

WE'LL SEE, LIKE OTHERS, WHAT THAT CONTAINS WITH RESPECT TO THEIR PLANS AND THEIR PRIORITIES.

BUT ENERGY AND ENERGY COSTS ARE SOMETHING THAT AFFECT NOT JUST YELLOWKNIFE, BUT A NUMBER OF OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT ARE GOING TO BE WATCHING CLOSELY.

BUT I WOULD SAY THE LARGEST DEPARTMENT THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH IS ECC ON THIS.

AND I APPRECIATE THAT AS OUR DOCUMENT IS A GOVERNMENT WIDE DOCUMENT AND WE'RE TAKING A GOVERNMENT WIDE APPROACH, I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT THE GNWT FOLLOWS SUITS BEING THAT EVERY ISSUE THAT HAS COME BEFORE THAT WE'RE GOING TO ADVOCATE TOWARDS IS SOMETHING THAT AFFECTS ON THEIR LEVEL.

AND IF SOMETHING AFFECTS ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE CAN DO ALONE. IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD BE EXPECTED TO DO WITHOUT THEIR CLEAR SUPPORT. AND IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE THE LEAD WITHOUT HAVING ANY SORT OF THEIR ABILITY, INITIATIVE OR WHATEVER ONE WORD, WE WANT TO USE IT ON THEIR SIDE TO BE ABLE TO ALSO TAKE LEAD ON THIS, THAT WOULD BE INCREDIBLY DISAPPOINTING.

I'M JUST SAYING TO ANYBODY WHO'S LISTENING FROM HERE, PROBABLY READ THE REPORT.

THANK YOU, COUNCILLOR COCHRANE. NO. OKAY. FOR MYSELF, MORE OBSERVATION.

GOING THROUGH IT ALL, WE TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, AS WE GO THROUGH COMMUNITY PLAN, ZONING, BYLAW, BUILDING BYLAWS TO KIND OF UP ENERGY EFFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS TO CHANGE REQUIREMENTS, MATERIALS, REQUIRE APPLICANTS TO COMPLY WITH CLIMATE ACTION PLAN AND SHOW HOW THEY'RE DOING ON PERMITTING.

IN A TIME WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE HARD TO BUILD AND EXPENSIVE, ALL I SEE HERE IN REALITY, IS A LOT MORE COST. SO IF THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT TO DO, AND IF WE, AS WE GET TO THOSE PLANS AS A COUNCIL, IF WE THINK THESE ARE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO, I AM KEEN TO SEE WHAT WE'RE TAKING OFF THAT LIST.

SO WE'RE VERY KEEN TO KEEP ADDING REQUIREMENTS AS A CITY, AND WE SEEM LESS KEEN TO REMOVE THINGS.

SO LET ME GET TO THOSE VARIOUS PLANS. THAT'LL BE, I GUESS WHAT I'M FOCUSING ON IS IF THESE ARE TRULY THE THINGS THAT WE DEEM AS IMPORTANT,

[00:20:07]

A COMMENT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION. SO 2027 IMPLEMENTATION, WE HAD SUPPORT THE CARSHARE PROGRAM.

MY QUESTION WOULD BE, WHY IS THAT IN 2027 AND NOT SOONER? SEEMS PRETTY LOW HANGING FRUIT. MR. VAN DINE.

THANK YOU. I'LL TURN THAT QUESTION OVER TO DIRECTOR WHITE.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SO WE DO CURRENTLY SUPPORT THEM.

SO THIS WOULD BE IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY PARTICIPATING.

AND IT'S NOT JUST THEM. IT COULD BE ANY CAR SHARE SHOULD THEY WISH TO ESTABLISH THEMSELVES.

SO IT WOULD BE IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING.

THANK YOU. SO WE'RE CURRENTLY USING THE CAR SHARE PROGRAM.

ARE WE AS A CITY, OR NO? NO? OKAY, SO. SEEING SHAKING HEADS.

THERE'S A CARSHARE CO-OP CAR PARKED IN OUR PARKING LOT.

CORE MEMBERSHIP IS REALLY CHEAP, AND WE COULD DO THAT TODAY.

A COUPLE LESS CARS IN OUR PARKING LOT WOULD BE GOOD. ANY MORE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM MY COLLEAGUES? SEEING NONE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MOVING ON. SORRY, DEPUTY MAYOR, I JUST WANTED TO JUMP IN QUICKLY.

OKAY. GO AHEAD. YEAH. NO, I JUST WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON THE POINTS FROM YOURSELF AND COUNCILLOR PAYNE.

I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO CAPTURE. I THINK YOU BOTH CAPTURED IT WELL IN TERMS OF EXPRESSING THE MAJORITY OF THE VIEWS OF PEOPLE IN THE CITY.

IT'S, YOU KNOW, WANTING TO TAKE ACTION, BUT WANTING TO TAKE MEANINGFUL ACTION AND ACTION THAT ACTUALLY HAS REAL IMPACT ON PEOPLE'S LIVES.

RIGHT? AND THAT'S THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF CLIMATE ACTION IS.

LIKE ANY ACTION, ANY STRATEGIC ACTION, IF IT'S NOT GOING TO HAVE REAL IMPACT ON PEOPLE'S LIVES, WHAT'S THE POINT OF DOING IT? IT CAN'T BE DOING IT JUST FOR THE SAKE OF IT. AND, YOU KNOW, I KIND OF THINK OF IT LIKE WE ALL HAVE.

WELL, MAYBE NOT ALL OF US. SOME OF US, YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS GOALS.

YOU HAVE A BIG GOAL. YOU AIM FOR IT. YOU MIGHT NOT GET THERE, BUT YOU READJUSTED.

BUT YOU SORT OF HAVE TO HAVE THAT VISION AND, YOU KNOW, LOOK BIG, WORK HARD AND ADJUST AS YOU GO ALONG.

AND, YOU KNOW, MR. VAN DINE IS RIGHT. ALSO TO POINT OUT, LIKE THE WORK THAT THE CITY IS DOING TO LEARN FROM OTHER NORTHERN NEIGHBORS, WHETHER IT'S ACROSS CANADA IN THE NORTH OR INTERNATIONALLY IN THE NORTH ON A LOT OF THESE DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES.

AND I THINK THE PLACE THAT YELLOWKNIFE CAN REALLY MAKE THE IMPACT TOO, IS BRINGING THIS KNOWLEDGE BACK INTO THE TERRITORY.

MAYBE NOT EVEN JUST FOR THE CITY. YOU KNOW, AND I THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE'RE IN NORTHERN CANADA, YOU KNOW, PAULATUK HAS A NET ZERO GOAL TOO AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY PROBABLY FURTHER AHEAD THAN ANY OTHER COMMUNITY IN THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES.

AND THEY'RE MUCH SMALLER AND, YOU KNOW, A LOT MORE REMOTE THAN WE ARE.

AND SO I THINK IT'S JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS OF MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THE GOALS BUT DOING EXACTLY WHAT COUNCILLOR PAYNE YOU SAID AND DEPUTY MAYOR, YOU SAID OF BEING PRACTICAL ABOUT IT AND WEIGHING WHAT ARE THE THINGS WE'RE DOING AND WHAT ARE OUR ACTUAL GOALS AND ACHIEVEMENTS.

SO LIKE YOU SAID, DEPUTY MAYOR WARBURTON, IF THINGS ARE GETTING ADDED IN AS REQUIREMENTS, WHAT'S GETTING REMOVED SO THAT THIS DOESN'T JUST BECOME FURTHER AND FURTHER REGULATION? SOME THINGS HAVE TO DROP AND WE HAVE TO READJUST HOW WE WORK AS WE GO ALONG.

SO AGAIN, THANKS TO STAFF FOR BRINGING A PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS.

BUT I THINK THE FACT THAT WE'RE ALL, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT IT WITH CLOSE EYES IS A GOOD THING AND WHAT WE ALL NEED TO DO AND WHATEVER COUNCIL IS THERE NEXT ALSO NEEDS TO DO GOING FORWARD.

AND THAT'S ENOUGH FOR ME. THANKS. THANK YOU. COUNCILLOR PAYNE.

ROUND TWO. THANK YOU. I FEEL THAT WEIGHT LOSS GOAL WAS MAYBE TARGETED AT ME, BUT IN MY DEFENSE, I'M BULKING UP FOR WHEN I CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY FOR POWER AND HEAT.

THANK YOU, COUNCILLOR PAYNE. ALL RIGHT, MOVING ON.

[5. A memorandum regarding whether to adopt a Public Engagement Policy.]

MR. VAN DINE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. SO THIS PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT POLICY, I'D JUST LIKE TO.

I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DIRECTOR THISTLE IN A MOMENT, AND SHE'LL TURN IT OVER TO RICHELA SHORTLY AFTER THAT.

BUT I WOULD LIKE TO JUST SORT OF TAKE A MOMENT TO NOTE THAT WE'VE HAD AN ABUNDANCE OF ENGAGEMENT IN THE LAST LITTLE WHILE WITH THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE AND RESIDENTS WHETHER IT'S THE COMMUNITY PLAN, WHETHER IT'S THE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, WHETHER IT'S BEEN AREA DEVELOPMENT PLANS, WHETHER IT'S BEEN OTHER SUBJECTS MORE SENSITIVE AROUND WATER RATES, ETC.

SO WE ENGAGE A LOT. YELLOWKNIFERS ARE A VERY ENGAGED POPULATION.

THEY'RE VERY INTERESTED IN WHAT WE'RE DOING AS A MUNICIPALITY AND WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THAT.

WE'RE ALSO COGNIZANT OF THE FACT THAT WE WANT TO HAVE SOME CONSISTENCY IN STANDARDS ON THE WAY THAT WE DO THESE SORTS OF THINGS SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY MEANINGFULLY TAKE THAT AND TRANSLATE THE INFORMATION THAT WE DO RECEIVE FROM RESIDENTS, BALANCE IT WITH SOME OF THE OTHER INFORMATION THAT WE RECEIVE FROM TECHNICAL EXPERTS, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN PROVIDE A MORE COGENT SET OF ADVICE FOR COUNCIL TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE TAKING A DECISION.

[00:25:02]

WE'D LIKE TO DO IT BETTER. WE THINK THAT ENGAGEMENT IS KEY AND IS ONE OF THE MORE FASCINATING AND BETTER PARTS OF WORKING IN THE MUNICIPAL SPACE VERSUS OTHER LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT.

ENGAGEMENT IS CORE TO OUR BUSINESS. AND SO WITH THAT, WE'VE INVESTED A BIT OF TIME AND ENERGY IN TRYING TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE COULD DO IT BETTER. AND TODAY WE'RE GOING TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THAT. SO OVER TO DIRECTOR THISTLE. I'M JUST GOING TO DO SOME INTRO AND THEN I'M GOING TO PASS IT OVER. SO COUNCIL MIGHT REMEMBER WHEN WE HAD OUR LITTLE BLIP OF A CITY MANAGER.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT DID GET DONE IS WE GOT IN A POSITION TO DO ENGAGEMENT.

AND SO IN 2025, WE GOT THE JOB DESCRIPTION DRAFTED, POST IT.

AND WE'RE VERY LUCKY AND THANKFUL TO HIRE RICHELA SOLATORIO AS OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ADVISOR.

I THINK EVEN JUST BASED ON THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION AT THIS MEETING, YOU'VE SEEN THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN.

THERE IS TALK ABOUT FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC.

WHAT DO WE DO WITH THAT FEEDBACK? HOW DO WE ENGAGE WITH THE PUBLIC? PRIOR TO HAVING A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ADVISOR, THAT WAS DONE BY PROJECT MANAGERS OFF THE SIDE OF THEIR DESK AS A KIND OF PART OF THEIR PROJECT, SOMETIMES MAYBE AN AFTERTHOUGHT. SO IT DOESN'T ALWAYS LEAD TO THE MOST CONSISTENT RESULTS.

DOESN'T ALWAYS LEAD TO THE BEST RESULTS. SOMETIMES CAUSES MORE, MORE WORK IN THE END WHEN WE HAVE TO GO BACK AND ENGAGE OR PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY WEREN'T ENGAGED, IT ALSO LEADS TO A LACK OF TRUST AND NO CONSISTENCY.

SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED BECAUSE THIS WAS IN OUR WORK PLAN.

SO THIS IS GOING TO GET TICKED OFF THE LIST. AND REALLY EXCITED THAT THIS WAS ONE OF THE FIRST BIG PROJECTS AS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ADVISOR.

CLEARLY, YOU'RE THE ENGAGEMENT ADVISOR. YOU WANT TO HAVE A FRAMEWORK TO WORK WITHIN AND TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM HERE AT THE CITY SO THAT OUR PROJECTS MOVE FORWARD IN A SEAMLESS MANNER. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO RICHELA, AND WE WILL BOTH BE AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS AFTER.

AND THERE YOU GO. THANK YOU, KERRY. SO GOOD AFTERNOON.

I'M VERY EXCITED TO BE HERE TODAY TO PRESENT TO YOU.

IT'S BEEN NINE MONTHS OF, LIKE, RESEARCHING A LOT, LOOKING AT WHAT MUNICIPALITIES ARE DOING.

SEEING WHAT CAPACITY IN CONTEXT THE CITY HAS RIGHT NOW, WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE.

WHAT THE COMMITTEE WANTS IN TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT AS WELL.

AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE SEEING THAT THERE'S ALREADY A STRONG CULTURE OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF REALLY PUTTING A FORMAL POLICY TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE CONSISTENT, WE HAVE A PREDICTABLE APPROACH, AS KERRY HAD MENTIONED, AND IT'S ALSO REALIZING THAT YELLOWKNIFE IS EVOLVING AND CHANGING AND THAT OUR RESIDENTS WANT GREATER TRANSPARENCY, CLEAR INFORMATION DISSEMINATION AND MORE MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES TO SHAPE THE CITY.

SO WE'RE HERE AGAIN BECAUSE WHAT'S CHANGING IS THE INTENTION BEHIND IT.

WE WANT TO HAVE A SHIFT TO BEING MORE STRATEGIC, MORE PURPOSEFUL WITH HOW WE ENGAGE, GROUNDING OUR EFFORTS IN BEST PRACTICES, CLEARER PROCESSES, AND COMMITMENT TO FOLLOW THROUGH.

IT IS PART OF THE WORK PLAN. AND IT'S ALSO ONE OF THE MOST VISIBLE WAYS THAT THE RESIDENTS EXPERIENCE THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

AND SO WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A STANDARD PROCESS FOR EVERYTHING.

AND ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WE'VE LEARNED QUICKLY IS THAT, AGAIN, COMMUNITY IS VERY ENGAGED, BUT ENGAGEMENT CAN MEAN A LOT OF THINGS. SOME PEOPLE THINK ENGAGEMENT IS SOCIAL MEDIA, SOME PEOPLE THINK ENGAGEMENT ARE EVENTS.

BUT WHAT IS PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT REALLY? SO THE FIRST THING THAT ALL THIS DELIVERABLES DOES IS THAT IT DEFINES WHAT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT MEANS FOR US IN ADMINISTRATION. AND IT REALLY IS ABOUT BEING ABLE TO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO HELP SHAPE CITY DECISIONS.

NOT EVERYTHING THE CITY DOES REQUIRES PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.

AND I WILL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE IN A BIT.

BUT WHEN DECISIONS ARE BEING SHAPED, VALUES ARE BEING WEIGHED, TRADE OFFS ARE BEING CONSIDERED.

WE DO WANT TO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO PARTICIPATE.

AND SO REALLY WHAT WE'VE PUT FORWARD TODAY, AND I HOPE YOU'VE SEEN IT, ARE THREE THINGS THE POLICY, THE FRAMEWORK AND THE GUIDELINES. THESE WORK TOGETHER AND EACH PLAYING A DIFFERENT ROLE.

OBVIOUSLY, THE POLICY SETS THE STANDARDS OF WHAT WE STAND FOR, AND THE FRAMEWORK REALLY HELPS WITH PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING.

EXPLAINING THE APPROACH WHEN AND WHY WE ENGAGE.

AND THE GUIDELINES AND TOOLKITS ARE MORE FOR THE STAFF AND FOR US TO REALLY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE RESOURCES TO PLAN AND EXECUTE EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY.

[00:30:07]

AND AGAIN, IT'S SHAPED TO OUR CONTEXT AND OUR SIZE AND OUR COMMUNITY.

SO I'LL WALK YOU THROUGH SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FRAMEWORK BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S QUITE COMPREHENSIVE.

AND SO ONE IS AGAIN FURTHERING THE DEFINITION OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.

IT'S REALLY THE FORMAL PROCESS OF INVITING PEOPLE TO SHARE THEIR IDEAS, PERSPECTIVES, EXPERIENCES TO INFORM CITY DECISIONS, PLANS AND POLICIES. AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN MANY FORMS. THIS IS ALL SOME PHOTOS FROM THE PAST YEAR. WE DO A LOT OF SURVEYS.

WE TRY TO HAVE OPEN HOUSES, WORKSHOPS, ROUNDTABLES.

WE DO HAVE ONLINE PLATFORMS FOR MORE INFORMATION AS WELL.

WE TRY TO BE MORE PRESENT ON GROUND FOR FACE TO FACE INTERACTIONS, AND WE DO HAVE ONE ON ONE SESSIONS WITH RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS WHO HAVE A BIGGER STAKE IN SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE. AND THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CITY INITIATIVES THAT REQUIRE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.

WE DO HAVE CITYWIDE PLANS AND POLICIES. WE'VE MENTIONED TRANSPORTATION PLAN, THE COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY PLAN UPDATE, AMONG MANY OTHER THINGS. THERE'S THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLANS AND POLICIES, FACILITY CAPITAL PLANNING, INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, AND SOME THAT ARE LEGALLY REQUIRED TO HAVE ENGAGEMENT.

AND SO REALLY, THE FRAMEWORK HELPS GUIDE AND KEEP US IN CHECK WHY WE'RE DOING THAT.

SO OBVIOUSLY WHEN WE DO PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, IT'S REALLY TO PROVIDE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES, ENSURING ALL RESIDENTS AND STAKEHOLDERS DEPENDING ON THE PROJECT CAN CONTRIBUTE MEANINGFULLY. WE BUILD TRUST AND ENGAGE SINCERELY AND CONSISTENTLY TO ENHANCE PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN THE CITY'S DECISIONS AND PROCESSES.

COMMUNICATE CLEARLY, SHARING ACCURATE AND ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECTS, LEVERAGING COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE, USING LOCAL INSIGHTS WHEN WE HEAR AND LISTEN TO OUR RESIDENTS.

ACKNOWLEDGING INPUT, DEMONSTRATING HOW FEEDBACK HAS BEEN CONSIDERED IS IMPORTANT SO THEIR EXPECTATIONS ARE MANAGED.

MAINTAINING ONGOING PRESENCE AND BEING RESPONSIVE AS WELL.

SO LET ME WALK YOU THROUGH WHEN WE WILL ENGAGE AND WHEN WE WON'T.

BECAUSE AGAIN, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON RIGHT NOW, SO IT'S ALWAYS WORTH THINKING ABOUT THIS FIRST.

THE FRAMEWORK DOES DEFINE WHEN AND WHEN NOT TO USE IT.

SO WHEN THE PUBLIC HAS A GENUINE OPPORTUNITY TO INFLUENCE OR INFORM A DECISION, THAT'S WHEN WE DO PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.

IT'S WHEN IT'S SHAPING DECISIONS THAT AFFECT RESIDENTS, SUCH AS PLANNING POLICIES OR SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS, PROJECTS WITH MULTIPLE OPTIONS OR POTENTIAL OUTCOMES.

I THINK I'M PLANNING FOR A PLAYGROUND RIGHT NOW, BUT WE WANT TO CONSIDER WHAT WE WANT OF THAT SPACE, RIGHT? ISSUES AFFECTING SPECIFIC NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITIES, HIGH IMPACT OR HIGH INTEREST PROJECTS, AND EMERGING ISSUES OR COMMUNITY CONCERNS WHERE PROMPT LISTENING CAN PREVENT LARGER PROBLEMS. SOMETIMES ENGAGEMENT IS NOT APPROPRIATE OR NECESSARY BUT THE CITY MAY SHARE INFORMATION, RIGHT? WHEN DO WE NOT ENGAGE? WHEN LAWS OR REGULATIONS ALREADY DETERMINE THE OUTCOME.

FOR ROUTINE TASKS THAT DO NOT IMPACT RESIDENTS, OR DURING EMERGENCIES THAT REQUIRE QUICK ACTION.

IF PUBLIC INPUT WILL NOT REALLY CHANGE A DECISION, THEN, AGAIN, OUR EFFORTS AND RESOURCES WILL MANAGE THAT.

WHEN THE COMMITTEE WAS RECENTLY SURVEYED FOR THE SAME TOPIC.

SO THAT'S WHY WITH THIS ROLE WE'RE ABLE TO SHARE INFORMATION ALREADY.

SO WE'RE NOT ASKING THE SAME QUESTIONS AGAIN AND AGAIN TO THE RESIDENTS.

IF INVOLVING THE PUBLIC WOULD DELAY URGENT WORK.

BUT WHEN ENGAGEMENT IS NOT USED, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE AND KEEP RESIDENTS INFORMED AS WELL.

SO I'VE BEEN MENTIONING IAP2 EARLIER. SO THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE UTILIZES THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION TO INFORM ITS APPROACH.

SO WE REALLY LEVERAGED ON THIS FRAMEWORK AS WE DEVELOPED THE FRAMEWORK AND GUIDELINES THAT WE HAVE TODAY.

IT DOES HAVE A KEY TOOL CALLED THE SPECTRUM OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, WHICH OUTLINES DIFFERENT LEVELS OF INVOLVEMENT FROM SIMPLY PROVIDING INFORMATION TO EMPOWERING RESIDENTS TO PLAY AN ACTIVE ROLE IN DECISION MAKING.

AND SO BY FOLLOWING THIS INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FRAMEWORK, THE CITY ENSURES ENGAGEMENT IS CONSISTENT, ETHICAL AND MEETS COMMUNITY EXPECTATIONS. SO JUST TO WALK YOU A BIT MORE, BECAUSE WE'LL KEEP USING THIS AS WE DO THE REPORTS MOVING FORWARD TOO. THERE ARE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF INVOLVEMENT.

INFORM IS THE LOWEST LEVEL OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.

[00:35:03]

CONSULT IS WHAT WE OFTEN USE. IT'S WHEN WE LISTEN TO RESIDENT INPUT, CONSIDER IT AND SHARE HOW IT INFLUENCED THE DECISION.

IT'S SHARING THEIR PREFERENCES, CONCERNS AND VALUES, BUT MANAGING EXPECTATIONS OF HOW IT'S UTILIZED, RIGHT? INVOLVED IS A MID LEVEL PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT LEVEL WHEREIN THE CITY DEDICATES TIME AND SPACE FOR MEANINGFUL DIALOG WITH RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS.

THERE'S A LOT MORE BACK AND FORTH AND REALLY FOSTERING MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING.

AND THEN WE DO HAVE COLLABORATE WHEN WE LOOK TO RESIDENTS FOR ADVICE AND INNOVATION.

AND THEN EMPOWER IS REALLY WE GIVE THEM THE POWER TO MAKE THAT FINAL DECISION.

AND WE JUST SUPPORT AND GUIDE THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS.

AND JUST QUICKLY, SOME OF THE PROJECTS IN THE LAST YEAR THAT KIND OF USED THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF ENGAGEMENT HERE.

INFORM IS REALLY MORE FOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.

CONSULT. THE PHASE ONE OF LET´S TALK YK HAD A LOT OF CONSULTATION AS WE ENGAGE WITH THE PUBLIC.

INVOLVE. CLIMATE ACTION PLAN WITH THE ROUNDTABLES THAT WE HAVE.

WE DID HAVE THE BUSINESS OWNER SAFETY INITIATIVE LAST JUNE WHEREIN WE REALLY WANTED TO BRAINSTORM WITH BUSINESS STAKEHOLDERS.

SO THAT'S MORE OF A COLLABORATION IN TERMS OF TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN RESOLVE THINGS TOGETHER FOR OTHER BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES.

AND THEN EMPOWER IS THE REFERENDUM, SUCH AS THE AQUATIC CENTRE BORROWING LIKE TWO YEARS AGO.

AND NOW JUST SHIFTING IT NOW FROM THE FRAMEWORK TO PRACTICE.

THE NEXT QUESTION IS HOW IS IT CARRIED OUT? SO IT'S REALLY FOR STAFF.

HOW CAN WE BE MORE CONSISTENT AND EFFICIENT WITH OUR PROCESS? WE WANT TO FOLLOW A CLEAR SIX PHASE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT CYCLE AS WE TRANSITION TO HAVING A STANDARDIZED PROCESS INTO EVERYTHING.

IT'S REALLY ABOUT HELPING STAFF DO THIS WELL AND CONSISTENTLY, THAT WE ARE ABLE TO ASSESS THE RIGHT LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT TO USE AND PLAN THOUGHTFULLY.

SO HOPEFULLY IT'S CONSISTENT, IT'S SCALABLE DEPENDING ON THE PROJECT AND IT'S REPEATABLE.

AND I'LL WALK YOU THROUGH EACH LEVEL RIGHT NOW QUICKLY.

THE FIRST ONE BEING ASSESS. USUALLY, AGAIN, IT'S MENTIONED ALREADY WHEN WE ENGAGE AND WHEN WE DON'T ENGAGE.

SO BY THE TIME THE PROJECT MANAGER APPROACHES MYSELF AND MY ROLE, WE TOGETHER ASSESS THE LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT THAT'S REQUIRED THAT WE PUT TOGETHER IN THE GUIDELINES AND ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST THAT HELPS WITH THAT DECISION MAKING PROCESS.

AND THERE ARE TIPS LIKE MATCHING ENGAGEMENT TO PROJECT IMPACT, CONSIDERING SCOPE AND REACH, FACTORING IN RESOURCES AND TIMING, AND ACCOUNTING FOR COMPLEXITY.

AND THEN ONCE WE DECIDE ON THAT, THERE'S A LOT OF PLANNING THAT WILL GO INVOLVED.

BUT AGAIN, THIS IS ALSO BASED ON WHAT HAS HAPPENED THE PAST YEAR.

SO WE'VE REFINED THIS PROCESS ALREADY. WE SEE THAT THE COMMITTEE ENGAGEMENT ADVISOR, MYSELF, LEADS THE PLAN WORKING WITH DEPARTMENTAL LEADS.

AND IF WE NEED TO HAVE AN EXTERNAL CONSULTANT IN THE ENGAGEMENT, WE DO HAVE SOME STEPS TO THAT.

SO THE FIRST STEP REALLY IS UNDERSTANDING ENGAGEMENT DELIVERY.

IS IT INTERNALLY DELIVERED? ARE WE TAPPING A CONSULTANT OR IS IT CONSULTANT LED? AND IF THERE ARE A LOT OF PLAYERS INVOLVED WE'VE PUT IN THE GUIDELINES A FRAMEWORK FOR DELEGATING ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES SO THAT WE'RE STILL EFFICIENT, EVEN IF THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE INVOLVED IN A PROJECT.

AND OBVIOUSLY WITH THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PLAN, WE TALK ABOUT STAKEHOLDERS, CHANNELS, MESSAGES FACING AND THE LIKE.

AND THEN WITH EXECUTE, ESSENTIALLY WE DO HAVE A WIDE LIST OF METHODS FOR ENGAGEMENT.

IT'S IN THE APPENDIX PORTION OF THE TOOLKIT, BUT ESSENTIALLY PROJECT LEAD AND ADVISOR ARE ABLE TO SELECT FROM A SUITABLE RANGE OF ENGAGEMENT APPROACHES, PROCESSES FOR REACHING OUT TO FIRST NATIONS AND RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS, FOR INSTANCE, AN EVENT, PREPARATIONS AND CHECKLISTS.

SO THERE'S CONSISTENCY IN HOW WE FACE THE RESIDENTS AS WELL.

AND THEN AFTER ALL THOSE ARE DONE, WE DO WANT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A PROCESS FOR ANALYZING THE DATA THAT WE HAVE.

ORGANIZING INFORMATION. WE'VE GATHERED COMMUNITY VALUES, PRIORITIES, CONCERNS, IDEAS, SO ON AND SO FORTH.

AND WE DO WANT TO PUT TOGETHER SOME REPORTS EVENTUALLY.

AGAIN, PEOPLE WANT GREATER TRANSPARENCY. WE WANT OUR EFFORTS FOR ONE, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT TO BE USEFUL FOR ANOTHER PROJECT IF IT'S RELEVANT.

AND SO WE WANT TO KEEP TRACK OF THE EFFORTS THAT WE'RE DOING.

AND THEN ONCE WE HAVE THAT TOGETHER, WE DO WANT TO BE ABLE TO CLOSE THE LOOP AND ENSURE TRANSPARENCY BY SHOWING HOW PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT INFLUENCED DECISIONS.

[00:40:01]

SOMETIMES PEOPLE, LIKE SAY, I PUT AN EFFORT TO SAY MY COMMENTS, GIVE MY FEEDBACK, OR SHARE MY IDEAS.

WHAT HAPPENED WITH THAT? AND SO WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO SHOW THEM WHAT HAPPENED.

AND SO WE WANT TO PUBLISH AND SHARE RESULTS WIDELY, USING ALL OUR CHANNELS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, AND HAVE A BETTER RELATIONSHIP WITH THOSE WHO ENGAGE WITH US NOTIFYING THEM DIRECTLY.

AND TO ENSURE TIMELINESS, ALSO, WE'VE KIND OF DEVELOPED A FRAMEWORK OF WHEN TO SEND THESE REPORTS.

AGAIN, JUST TO KEEP US ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHAT WE'RE DOING.

SO WHAT THIS MEANS, REALLY, FOR YOU IS CLEAR EXPECTATIONS.

YOU CAN EXPECT ENGAGEMENT TO BE MORE PURPOSEFUL, CONSISTENT, BETTER DOCUMENTED.

THAT WILL HELP WITH YOUR DECISION MAKING. IT HELPS RESIDENTS UNDERSTAND WHEN AND HOW THEY CAN INFLUENCE CITY DECISIONS AS WELL.

AND WE WANT TO HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE.

SO JUST AGAIN, IT'S EVERYBODY AT STAKE HERE FOR STAFF KNOWING WHAT TO DO, WHEN TO ENGAGE, HOW, AND PLANNING EARLY. CLARITY FOR RESIDENTS, WHAT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IS FOR THE CITY AND THEN CONFIDENCE FOR YOU IN TERMS OF HAVING THAT AS AN ADDED LAYER FOR YOUR DECISIONS. AND OBVIOUSLY THIS SYSTEM ISN'T NEW TO YELLOWKNIFE.

AND SO WE WANT YOUR APPROVAL AND SUPPORT SO THAT IT BECOMES A NEW STANDARD WHERE WE GOING TO HONE IN.

AND AS WE LEARN MORE, THE GUIDELINES WILL PROBABLY KEEP EVOLVING AND REFINING AS WE LEARN THROUGH THE DIFFERENT PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE.

BUT WITH YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR IMPLEMENTATION, OUR NEXT STEP IS REALLY TO PRESENT THIS TO CITY STAFF AND TRAIN SOME KEY STAFF WHO DOES A LOT OF PROJECTS THAT NEED ENGAGEMENT AND ALSO INCLUDING IT IN OUR RESOURCE CHANNELS.

AND SO I GUESS I'LL JUST WRAP UP TO SAY, REALLY, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IS MORE OF AN INVITATION.

IT WORKS BEST WHEN WE PLAN, WHEN WE ALL SHOW UP AND LISTEN.

SO FOR STAFF, I INVITE EVERYBODY TO USE THESE TOOLS EARLY IN PLANNING AND OFTEN FOR YOU GUYS TO SUPPORT MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT AND FOR RESIDENTS TO SHARE THEIR VOICE AND STAY INVOLVED, BECAUSE IT'S WHEN WE HAVE IT IN THE RIGHT CHANNELS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO USE THOSE INFORMATION FOR BETTER THINGS, RIGHT. SO THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. AND WE'RE NOW OPEN TO QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR THAT. THAT WAS A LOT.

I APPRECIATE THE WORK THERE. QUESTIONS. COUNCILLOR COCHRANE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. CHAIR, AND THANK YOU TO THE STAFF.

I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE THIS COMPLETION AND SEEING SOMETHING OFF THE WORK PLAN.

THAT'S AWESOME. ONE QUESTION I DO HAVE, THOUGH, INTO THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT GUIDELINES AND TOOLKIT ON PAGE 11, PART OF THE PROTOCOL FOR REACHING OUT TO FIRST NATIONS GOVERNMENT IS TO REACH OUT TO FOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.

I'M JUST CURIOUS, WHAT ARE THE FOUR? BECAUSE I CAN THINK OF THE YELLOWKNIFE DENE FIRST NATION, THE NORTH SLAVE MÉTIS ALLIANCE AND THE TLICHO GOVERNMENT.

UNLESS YOU'RE BREAKING UP THE YELLOWKNIFE DENE FIRST NATION INTO TWO, I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT THE FOURTH IS.

I THINK THAT MAY HAVE BEEN A TYPO. YEAH, WE'D HAVE TO DOUBLE CHECK INTO WHERE WE WERE GETTING THE NUMBERS.

WE CAN EVEN JUST CHANGE THIS TO ENGAGE WITH INDIGENOUS GOVERNMENTS BECAUSE THAT COULD CHANGE MOVING FORWARD, TERMINOLOGY CHANGES. SO YEAH, WE CAN MAKE THAT AMENDMENT.

PERFECT. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THAT PROTOCOL. THANK YOU.

COUNCILLOR MCGURK. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT´LL COME AS NO SURPRISE TO ANYONE THAT THIS IS VERY EXCITING TO ME.

I LOVE FOCUS ON DATA COLLECTION AND PROCESS. THAT'S REALLY GREAT.

ONE THING THAT I DO THINK MIGHT BE MISSING FROM THIS, BUT I THINK IT'S AN EASY THING TO MAYBE NOT CONSIDER AS PART OF IT, OR TO CONSIDER AS OBVIOUS IS THE FORMATTING OR PRESENTING THE ENGAGEMENT.

SO HOW WE ACTUALLY. THE USER EXPERIENCE OF ENGAGEMENT, YOU COULD FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES AND YOU COULD DEVELOP AN ENGAGEMENT THAT IS VERY FLAT AND DISINTERESTING. IF YOU WERE TO LOOK AT HOW A PUBLIC NOTICES ARE FORMATTED, NOBODY WANTS TO READ THAT.

THEY GLOSS OVER IT ENTIRELY. SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT STAFF COULD LOOK AT OR IF YOU COULD SPEAK TO, BUT I CAN SEE HOW IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED A PART OF THE PROCESS.

BUT I DO THINK IT'S A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT THING TO BE BAKED INTO IT.

THANKS. MISS THISTLE. YEAH, I CAN START AND THEN RICHELA CAN ADD ANYTHING IF SHE HAS.

THAT'S REALLY PART OF THE PLANNING. SO ESTABLISHING THIS FRAMEWORK AND AS RICHELA HAS INDICATED, LIKE REALLY ENCOURAGING STAFF AND TRAINING WITH STAFF ON THE GUIDELINES AND FRAMEWORK IS EARLY ENGAGEMENT WITH OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ADVISOR, SO WE HAVE THE TIME TO SIT AND PROPERLY PLAN THINGS OUT, WHICH INCLUDES HOW ARE WE COMMUNICATING THE MESSAGE?

[00:45:02]

SO I CAN LET HER SPEAK MORE DIRECTLY. YEAH. AND I THINK WITH WHAT KERRY HAS MENTIONED, IT'S UNDERSTANDING WHO THE STAKEHOLDERS THAT ARE RELEVANT AND BEING ABLE TO REACH THEIR CHANNELS. SO FOR EXAMPLE, FOR THE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, WE QUICKLY RECOGNIZE THAT, LET'S SAY PLAY SPEAK WAS NOT REALLY FAMILIAR TO THEM.

SO WE WANTED TO BRING IT DOWN TO A MORE OPEN SURVEY.

WE REACHED OUT TO SCHOOLS, COLLEGES TO DISSEMINATE THAT SURVEY, AND WE WERE ABLE TO GATHER ABOUT 50, AT LEAST AS A START. AND SO WE TRY TO BE MORE PLAYFUL AND WE PIVOT DEPENDING ON THE STAKEHOLDER.

I THINK THE OTHER THING IS ALSO HOW WE PACKAGE THE MESSAGING AND THE BRANDING.

THE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, FOR INSTANCE. WE TRIED TO MAKE IT MORE INVITING WITH POSITIONING IT AS LET'S MOVE YK.

AND HAVING A NARRATIVE ON ITS RELEVANCE FIRST BEFORE WE ACTUALLY WENT WITH THE ENGAGEMENT.

SO I THINK THAT'S ONE WAY TO INVITE MORE PEOPLE ALSO.

AND I THINK RECOGNIZING THAT IT WASN'T ALWAYS DONE WELL PREVIOUSLY IS WHY COUNCIL ADDED THIS POSITION AS A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ADVISOR. AND JUST IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS, WE'VE ALL COLLECTIVELY IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE NOTICED THE DIFFERENCE AND THE IMPACT THAT HAVING RICHELA IN THIS POSITION HAS HAD.

THERE'S BEEN MORE PURPOSEFUL ENGAGEMENT, MORE INTENT, AND DEFINITELY MORE DISCUSSION AND THOUGHT GOING INTO HOW ARE WE CONVEYING THE MESSAGE AND HOW ARE WE TELLING THE STORY. SO I THINK MOVING FORWARD, YOU'LL DEFINITELY SEE MORE OF THAT TREND.

BUT IT'S ONLY BEEN NINE MONTHS. AND SO PROBABLY NOT AS IMMEDIATE AS WE WOULD ALL LIKE, BUT IT DID TAKE SOME TIME TO GET THE JOB DESCRIPTION THROUGH AND HIRE SOMEONE. AND NOW THIS IS OUR FIRST BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT IS TO GET THESE THIS FRAMEWORK AND GUIDELINES BEFORE COUNCIL.

WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS IN THE BACKGROUND, BUT NOW WE CAN SAY THIS COUNCIL HAS A PRIORITY FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.

THEY ADOPTED A POLICY. THE FRAMEWORK EXISTS. AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO WORK WITH ALL OUR KEY STAFF MEMBERS BECAUSE NOT EVERYBODY IS PLANNING PROGRAMS OR BIG PROJECTS, BUT THERE ARE KEY PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING IT ON A REGULAR BASIS.

AND SO IT'S LIKE, LET US WORK WITH YOU. AND ANOTHER REASON FOR THE ADVISOR AND THE DIFFERENCE IS, PROJECT MANAGERS WERE OVERWHELMED. SO WHEN PUBLIC WORKS AND ENGINEERING'S LEADING THE TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN, THERE WAS LOT OF WORK ON THEIR PLATE AND THEN TO TRY AND LAYER IN HOW ARE WE ENGAGING AND HOW OFTEN AND WHAT MESSAGE ARE WE TELLING IS PROBABLY NOT THEIR PRIORITY. BUT NOW IT'S WORKING WITH US. IT'S OUR PRIORITY.

SO IT'S THAT LIKE COEXISTENCE NOW THAT DIDN'T EXIST BEFORE.

MR. CHAIR. MR. VAN DINE. YEAH. THANK YOU. SO WE ARE WITNESSING SOME HIGH VALUE I THINK, FROM INVESTING IN THIS AREA AND THAT WE SEE THAT VALUE COMING FORWARD.

AND I THINK DIRECTOR THISTLE HAS POINTED THAT OUT.

BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY TO THE QUESTION WHICH I THINK IS BROADER THAN JUST ENGAGEMENT IN TERMS OF HOW THE CITY INTERACTS WITH THE PUBLIC MORE GENERALLY, IS THIS IS ONE OF THE MAJOR EFFORTS THAT WE HAVE UNDERWAY.

THE OTHER MAJOR EFFORT THAT COUNCIL WILL SEE VERY SOON IS OUR UPDATED WEBSITE DESIGN AND ACCESSIBILITY, AS A PRECURSOR TO GETTING OR LAUNCHING WHAT WILL BE ANOTHER CHAPTER DOWNSTREAM, WHICH IS OUR 311 SERVICE.

SO WE'RE LOOKING TO MAKE YELLOWKNIFE MORE ACCESSIBLE AND EASIER FOR RESIDENTS OF ALL AGES TO WANT TO GET INVOLVED AND ACCESS THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE, ENGAGE IN PUBLIC DISCUSSION, AS WELL AS CONTRIBUTE TO OUR GROWTH AND IDENTITY.

BUT THIS IS CERTAINLY A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE THAT WE'RE QUITE EXCITED ABOUT ON UNFOLDING.

THANKS. I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. YEAH, TO BE CLEAR, I'M NOT TRYING TO KNOCK THE EFFORTS TO THIS POINT, AND COUNCILLOR FEQUET IS ACTUALLY A VERY GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHAT I CONSIDERED TO BE VERY GOOD ENGAGEMENT, GOOD DELIVERY OF ENGAGEMENT. AND SO, I GUESS FOR ME, IN MY POSITION, I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO INCORPORATE THAT INTO POLICY, BECAUSE AS MUCH AS YOU'RE DOING GREAT WORK, YOU MIGHT NOT BE HERE FOREVER.

AND IT'S OUR JOB TO THINK ABOUT THAT LIKE IN THE LONG TERM.

SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME SORT OF AT LEAST SOME LANGUAGE AROUND USER EXPERIENCE IN THIS, BECAUSE I DO CONSIDER THAT TO BE THE FIRST STEP, IF WE ARE NOT MAKING, YOU KNOW, DIGESTIBLE

[00:50:03]

YEAH AND I DON'T WANT TO HAVE LIKE AN IMAGE THAT IS BARELY RELATED WITH THE TEXT ON THE INSTAGRAM PAGE WITH A LINK THAT'S BROKEN OR LIKE LINK THAT'S NOT FOLLOWABLE THAT SAYS, HEY, YOU CAN SIGN UP AND SPEAK ABOUT THIS.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S THAT. BUT ANYWAY, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? I'M JUST RAMBLING AT THIS POINT. BUT I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE SEEING SOME LANGUAGE JUST INSERTED MAYBE EXPLICITLY AROUND USER EXPERIENCE SO THAT IT'S CARRIED FORWARD THE GOOD WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILLOR FOOTE. OKAY.

THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. AND THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE WORK YOU'RE PUTTING INTO THIS INITIATIVE.

AGAIN, I HAVE A QUESTION FROM OUR COLLEAGUE, COUNCILLOR FEQUET.

I APOLOGIZE FOR THE LENGTH OF IT. I CAN ENVISION OF HIM SPEAKING IN HIS TONE WHILE ASKING THIS.

SO BEAR WITH ME. REGARDING THE GRAPHIC ON PAGE 114 OF THE MEETING MATERIALS, WHICH FOR REFERENCE IS THE YK PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT CYCLE.

OKAY. IF COLLECTING INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLIC IS THE ONLY INFORMATION SOURCE BEING USED TO INFORM A DECISION, THEN REPORTING BACK ON THAT INFORMATION ON ITS OWN IS OFTEN APPRECIATED AND DEMONSTRATES ACCOUNTABILITY TO RESIDENTS.

HOWEVER, OFTEN WHEN WE'RE EVALUATING OPTIONS ON HOW TO MOVE FORWARD ON SOMETHING, A BASIC PREMISE OF EVALUATION IS TO ENSURE MULTIPLE LINES OF EVIDENCE ARE GATHERED TO BE ABLE TO COME TO AN INFORMED CONCLUSION.

IN THOSE CASES, WHICH IS MOST CASES IN MY COUNCIL EXPERIENCE TO DATE, THE RESULTS OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT THAT TAKE PLACE IN ESSENCE, PHASE FIVE, SHARING SHOULD BE ANALYZED AND CONSIDERED ALONGSIDE THE OTHER LINES OF EVIDENCE AND OUTLINED CLEARLY IN THE FINAL MEMO OF REPORT TO COUNCIL.

I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE ADMINISTRATION'S EFFORTS TOWARDS GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY, BUT I;M ALSO COGNIZANT OF THE LONG LIST OF PRIORITIES.

SO I'M EAGER TO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE VALUE FOR THE CITY AND ITS RESIDENTS.

AND I AM IN COMMITTING TO A STANDALONE WHAT WE HEARD REPORT AS PART OF THE STANDARD ENGAGEMENT CYCLE, IS ESTABLISHING AN EXPECTATION FOR SOMETHING THAT I PERSONALLY DON'T BELIEVE IS USEFUL AND NECESSARY IS THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO SHARE BACK THE RESULTS, SO WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE COMMITMENT TO PUBLISH A WWHR IF OTHERS AGREE.

MR. VAN DINE. I'LL TAKE A CRACK AT THAT FIRST.

THAT'S AWESOME. SO COUNCILLOR FEQUET'S QUESTION.

AND THANK YOU FOR OPPOSING IT IN ITS ENTIRETY, BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT.

BECAUSE I THINK WHAT THE QUESTION INCLUDES IS THE ENGAGEMENT COMPONENT AND WHAT I WOULD DESCRIBE AS THE DECISION MAKING COMPONENT.

AND SO THERE IS A MATERIAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MEMO THAT GOES TO COUNCIL.

THAT'S A DECISION ITEM. AND THERE IS SORT OF A STEP IN THE PROCESS TOWARDS THAT DECISION, OF WHICH ENGAGEMENT IS A VERY DISCREET BUT IMPORTANT PART. SO IN THE PREPARATION OF A MEMORANDUM, YOU'LL HAVE THE BENEFIT OF WHAT WAS ENGAGED AND THOUGHT OF.

AND WE WOULD ABSOLUTELY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT AN APPROPRIATE SYNTHESIS AND ANALYSIS OF THAT.

SO IT'S TRUE AND REFLECTIVE. BUT THERE ARE OTHER INPUTS INTO THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS.

AND SO THOSE INPUTS WILL BE CAPTURED IN OUR MEMO AS THEY TEND TO BE.

IT WILL BE UP TO COUNCIL TO DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT YOU JUST YOU BELIEVE WHAT YOU HEARD REPORT IS OF VALUE.

I WOULD SAY THAT SOME KIND OF REPORTING OF WHAT WAS DISCUSSED AND CAPTURED IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF GOOD GOVERNANCE AND TRANSPARENCY ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE INVESTMENTS THAT WE'RE DOING TO ENGAGE THE PUBLIC.

THEY SHOULD KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THOSE INVESTMENTS AND WITH THEIR LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION.

OF COURSE IN ENGAGEMENT AS COUNCIL VERY WELL KNOWS THERE ARE CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT SPEAK WITH A LOUDER VOICE IN CERTAIN VENUES THAN OTHERS. AND SO ALL OF THAT GOES INTO THE MIX AND THAT'S GOT TO BE CAPTURED INTO THE MEMO PROCESS WHICH WOULD INCLUDE ENGAGEMENT. SO I THINK WHAT I WOULD SAY IS WE'LL TAKE ON BOARD THAT THOUGHT FROM COUNCIL FEQUET. I WOULD JUST EMPHASIZE THAT THERE IS A COMMITMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BALANCING BOTH THE DEMOCRATIC INPUTS THAT WE'RE RECEIVING THROUGH THESE ENGAGEMENT PROCESSES, WHICH WILL BE MORE STRUCTURED,

[00:55:07]

BUT THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS FOR COUNCIL WILL HAVE OTHER INPUTS.

AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CLEAR ON THOSE DISTINCTIONS.

AND I THINK THIS FRAMEWORK WILL HELP US DO THAT. AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO THE PHASE FIVE.

WHILE WE HEARD REPORT CAN BE ANYTHING FROM A COUPLE OF PARAGRAPHS SUMMARIZING WHAT WE HEARD DURING ENGAGEMENT TO A FULL ON LIKE TABLE OF CONTENTS, WHAT WE HEARD REPORT, I WOULD THINK IT WOULD BE REMISS FOR US TO HAVE A PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT POLICY AND FRAMEWORK THAT DIDN'T HAVE A PHASE FOR REPORTING BACK.

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, WHEN THEY DO PARTICIPATE AND TAKE THE TIME OUT OF THEIR DAY TO EITHER COME TO A MEETING OR EVEN FILL OUT A SURVEY.

I MEAN, I'M SURE ALL OF US HAVE HAD A PHONE CALL FROM STATS CANADA AND YOU'RE LIKE, OH, I DON'T WANT TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.

SO YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT THE RESULT OF THAT WAS IF YOU'VE GIVEN YOUR TIME.

AND SO WE COULD CALL IT SOMETHING DIFFERENT IF THAT WOULD WORK.

BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE REMISS OF US TO REMOVE IT ENTIRELY, BECAUSE A KEY OR CRITICAL PIECE OF AN ENGAGEMENT PROCESS IS REPORTING BACK AND LETTING PEOPLE KNOW WHAT WE DID WITH THAT ENGAGEMENT.

AND LIKE I SAID, IT COULD BE A PARAGRAPH OR TWO PARAGRAPHS OR IT COULD BE A MULTI-PAGE REPORT.

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAD ANYTHING TO ADD.

OKAY. THANKS FOR THAT. AND AGAIN, THANKS FOR THE HARD WORK PUT INTO THE REPORT AND EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING. THANK YOU.

MAYOR HENDRICKSEN. NO, I WAS MUTED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

YEAH. JUST ON THE WHAT WE HEARD REPORT THING, BEFORE I GET INTO THE COUPLE COMMENTS ON THE POLICY ITSELF, WHICH OVERALL I'M A BIG FAN OF. BUT JUST ON THE WHAT WE HEARD REPORT THING, I THINK THIS IS WHERE WE DO.

MR. VAN DINE INDICATED THIS, LIKE, THIS IS WHERE GOVERNMENT IS DIFFERENT THAN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, RIGHT? WE HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO FEED BACK INTO THE PUBLIC WHAT WE HEARD SO THAT THEY KNOW WHEN WE'RE MAKING OUR DECISIONS, WHAT PARTS OF THE PUBLIC WE DID HEAR FROM, AND WHAT MAYBE GAPS ARE ALSO WITHIN THAT DECISION MAKING.

SO I THINK THE FACT, MISS THISTLE, YOU REFERENCED THE FACT THAT THIS IS IT'S A BROAD SPECTRUM OF WHAT THAT CAN ALSO BE DEPENDING ON THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT THAT WE'RE DOING IS REALLY, I THINK, AN IMPORTANT THING TO KEEP IN MIND TO.

JUST TO THE POLICY SIDE OF THINGS. AND I APOLOGIZE.

THIS IS WHERE THE BACKGROUND FOR ME OF BEING A POLICY NERD COMES INTO PLAY.

A FEW THINGS, VERY TINY ONES. BUT JUST FOR FLOW OF THE DOCUMENT.

IN THE INTRODUCTION I RECOMMEND JUST REMOVING IN THE SECOND SENTENCE, IT SORT OF STARTS OFF WITH A NEGATIVE.

OR SORRY, IT STARTS OFF WITH JUST SORT OF AN OVER EXPLAINER.

IT'S LIKE IT HAS NOT HAD A FORMAL CITYWIDE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.

I JUST MAYBE RESTRUCTURE THAT SENTENCE AND I HAVE SOME WORDING I CAN SHARE AFTERWARDS. BUT JUST TO REMOVE THAT FIRST BIT AND JUST TALK ABOUT THAT THIS PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT POLICY IS ABOUT ENSURING THE CONSISTENT, PREDICTABLE APPROACH. BECAUSE ULTIMATELY, WHEN SOMEBODY READS THIS DOWN THE LINE, THEY WON'T REALIZE THAT WE NEVER HAD A POLICY BEFORE BECAUSE WE HAVE THIS NOW.

SO I THINK LET'S NOT UNDERSELL OURSELVES AS THE MUNICIPALITY GOING FORWARD.

AND THEN SIMILARLY JUST ON PAGE TWO, SECTION FOUR, THE START OF THE POLICY SECTION.

JUST REMOVING THAT FIRST PIECE UP TO THE SECOND HYPHEN JUST BECAUSE AGAIN, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH I APPRECIATE THAT THE REASON WE'RE DOING THIS WORK IS BECAUSE OF OUR STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS AND BEING ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, COMPLETE AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF WORK AS PART OF OUR WORK PLAN.

I THINK ADDING IN THAT ELEMENT ACTUALLY DATES THE POLICY IN SOME WAY.

SO I'D SAY JUST STARTING IT OFF AT THE CITY OF YELLOWKNIFE IS COMMITTED TO ENGAGING RESIDENTS.

THAT AGAIN, IT JUST REMOVES DATING THE POLICY.

BUT THOSE WERE MY ONLY SORT OF STRUCTURAL PIECES WITH THE POLICY.

AND JUST ON THE PRESENTATION, I JUST WANT TO SAY THANKS TO BOTH MISS THISTLE AND RICHELA, IN TERMS OF TALKING ABOUT HOW THE GUIDELINES AND THE FRAMEWORK TO THEIR NEW.

SO IT'S GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO FIND KINKS.

WE'RE GOING TO FIND THINGS THAT NEED TO BE IMPROVED DOWN THE LINE. AND THAT'S OKAY THAT THE POLICY IS SORT OF THE OVERARCHING FRAMEWORK.

AND THEN AFTER THAT, WE CAN CONSTANTLY CONTINUOUSLY BE IMPROVING FROM THIS.

SO THIS IS A GREAT STARTING POINT THOUGH. SO GREAT TO SEE THIS WORK COMING TO FRUITION IN 2026.

SO THANKS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. FOR ROUND TWO, I HAVE A.

YEAH. SO JUST FEEDBACK ON WHAT WE HEARD REPORT.

YEAH, I ABSOLUTELY WANT TO MAINTAIN SOME FORM OF WHAT WE HEARD.

THE CONSISTENT FEEDBACK I HAVE HEARD ON CONSULTATIONS IS THEY'RE PRE-BAKED.

[01:00:02]

ETC. I'VE HEARD THIS FOR YEARS. SO WHAT WE HEARD REPORT IS VERY HELPFUL FOR ANY COUNCIL TO REALLY KIND OF SEE THAT FEEDBACK WAS TAKEN, IT WAS CAPTURED AND IT WAS WRITTEN DOWN, EVEN IF IT'S NOT FEEDBACK THAT WE WANT TO HEAR, WHICH I THINK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT KIND. SO YEAH, I DEFINITELY WANT TO KEEP IN WHAT WE HEARD REPORT OR SOME FOCUS ON THAT.

IT'S A CHECK AND BALANCE TOO, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE ALL GET IN WEEDY BITS AND WE CAN FORGET THE BIGGER PICTURE.

SO THIS HELPS COUNCIL TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE CAPTURING EVERYTHING.

SO I APPRECIATE THAT'S IN THERE. ROUND TWO. COUNCILLOR COCHRANE.

THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO SPEAK TO THE SUPPORT FOR MAILNY KEEPING THE WHAT WE HEARD REPORT.

BUT I DO HAVE A QUESTION. I ASSUME THIS IS ALSO CONSIDERED AS PART OF THE BEST PRACTICES FROM IAP2 SPECTRUM, AKA INFORM. I'M SEEING SOME NODDING HEADS, SO WE'RE BASING THIS ENTIRE CYCLE BASED ON BEST PRACTICES FROM OTHER JURISDICTIONS, WHICH IS WHERE WE SHOULD BE FOLLOWING SUIT. SO YES, I ENTIRELY SUPPORT THIS, BUT I DO SEE THE DIRECTOR HAS SOMETHING TO SAY.

MISS THISTLE. YEAH, HE'S BASED ON THE IAP2 SPECTRUM AS WELL AS AN ABUNDANCE OF RESEARCH FOR MUNICIPALITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SO, YEAH. AND THE WORLD REALLY. THIS IS NOT A NEW SYSTEM.

AND IT IS A CRITICAL PIECE AS PROVIDING BACK THAT INFORMATION TO THE PEOPLE THAT PARTICIPATED.

THANK YOU, DIRECTOR. YEAH. I DON'T THINK I CAN HIT IT ANY MORE THAN THE MAYOR AND THE DEPUTY MAYOR ON THIS.

IT IS A LEVEL OF DUE DILIGENCE THAT IS EXPECTED WITHIN ANY FORM OF PUBLIC GOVERNMENT.

WE'LL KEEP IT. OR AT LEAST I SAY WE'LL KEEP IT.

THANK YOU. ANY MORE QUESTIONS ON THIS TOPIC? COMMENTS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I KNOW IT'S A TON OF WORK PUT THAT TOGETHER.

I'M VERY EXCITED TO HEAR WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE CONSISTENT ENGAGEMENT GOING FORWARD.

ONE LAST THING I CAN GET YELLED AT FOR, SO. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

LAST ON THE AGENDA IS CITY FACILITY WATER TESTING UPDATE.

[6. City Facility Water Testing Update.]

AND THEN WE DID PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH MEDIA ON THE DISCOVERY OF LEAD IN SOME OF OUR WATER FACILITIES.

AND WE COMMITTED AT THAT TIME TO PROVIDE REGULAR UPDATES TO COUNCIL.

AND SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DIRECTOR GREENCORN TO GIVE US THE CURRENT STATE ASSESSMENT.

THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO UPDATE. SO SINCE WE SPOKE TO COUNCIL, WE'VE COMPLETED ALL THE TESTING.

WE STILL HAVE TWO AREAS LEFT TO GET THE RESULTS IN, BECAUSE THERE WAS SOME CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY IN THOSE SPOTS IN THE PRECAMBRIAN BUILDING.

AND WE HAD A BIT OF A FREEZE UP ISSUE, I BELIEVE.

IF THAT COULD BE CORRECTED AT THE WASHROOM RIGHT HERE.

SO THOSE HAVE ALREADY BEEN TESTED. WE DON'T HAVE THE RESULTS YET, BUT GIVEN THE CONSTRUCTION AND OTHER PARTS OF THOSE FACILITIES, WE DON'T SEE A PROBLEM. WE DID HAVE SOME EXCEEDANCES AT ANOTHER SINK IN THE CITY GARAGE IN OUR CITY STORES AREA, WHICH WE ANTICIPATED. SO NOT A BIG DEAL. AND FOLKS DON'T DRINK OUT OF THAT SINK ANYWAY, SIMILAR TO SOME EXCEEDANCES AT THE FIRE HALL AT YKFD.

ALL APPROPRIATE ACTIONS HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE, STAFF HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE AND WE'RE ON TO THE NEXT PHASE.

IN ADDITION TO THAT, A QUESTION CAME UP ABOUT TRUCK SERVICES.

WE ALSO TESTED BOTH PUMP HOUSE FOR TRUCK FILLS, AS WELL AS WB BROMLEY WATER SERVICES THAT PROVIDES TRUCK WATER.

NO EXCEEDANCES THERE. EVERYTHING COMPLETELY FINE.

SO ON THAT, THE NEXT STEPS ARE FOR THE AREAS OF EXCEEDANCE.

WE'RE GOING TO STILL RETAIN SOME EXPERTISE AND DO SOME EXPLORATORY EFFORTS TO LOCATE, TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY, THE LEAD SOURCES, AND COME UP WITH BOTH REMEDIATION PLANS AND BUDGETS.

IF IT'S SIMPLE, IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS A FILTER UNDER A SINK.

IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS JUST REPLACING THE FAUCET.

SO WE'LL UNDERTAKE THAT QUICK EFFORT TO GET A REMEDIATION PLAN IN PLACE.

PROVIDE A REMEDIATION PLAN THROUGH CPHO. GET THEIR BLESSING AND DO ALL THE APPROPRIATE TESTING, FOLLOW UP TESTING TO GET TO REMOVE THOSE RESTRICTIONS FROM THOSE FACILITIES.

SO I DON'T HAVE A FULL TIMELINE ON THAT. WE'LL WORK THROUGH THE YEAR, BUT FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, FACILITIES ARE SAFE, DRINKING WATER IS PROVIDED, AND WE FEEL THAT IT'S WELL UNDER CONTROL AT THIS TIME.

THANKS. I'D JUST LIKE TO ADD THAT THROUGH ALL OF THIS AND AT EVERY STEP, WE'VE BEEN KEEPING THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER INFORMED OF AT EVERY STEP. AND I'D BE REMISS TO SAY THE GOOD WORK OF OUR COMMS FOLKS AND SAXTON BANGING ON THE KEYBOARD, KEEPING OUR WEBSITE UPDATED SO ALL OF OUR INFORMATION ON THE WEBSITE, IF ANYBODY EVER HAS ANY DESIRE TO SEE CURRENT INFORMATION,

[01:05:04]

THANKS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE UPDATE. IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS? COUNCILLOR COCHRANE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. NO QUESTION.

JUST A COMMENT. A HUGE THANK YOU TO THE ADMINISTRATION FOR ALL THE WORK THAT HAS GONE ON THIS, AND TO BE ABLE TO TACKLE THIS AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE, WITH THE SPECIFIC PROPS TO DIRECTOR GREENCORN AND HIS TEAM FOR ACTING INCREDIBLY EFFICIENTLY, INCREDIBLY FAST AND WITH PURPOSE.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILLOR MCGURK. BASICALLY I WAS GOING TO SAY THE SAME THING.

THANKS FOR YOUR WORK. APPRECIATE A PROMPT AND RESPONSIVE THE STAFF HAVE BEEN.

IT'S REALLY HEARTENING AND I THINK THE PUBLIC SEES THAT.

THANKS. AWESOME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT.

AND YEAH, AGAIN, GLAD TO HEAR THAT OUR WATER IS SAFE AND WE'RE MOVING EXPEDITIOUSLY TO MAKE SURE IT IS.

SO, UNLESS THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE FOR MY COLLEAGUES.

I JUST SO THANK YOU FOR THE FEEDBACK. WE'LL CONTINUE TO KEEP ON TOP OF IT.

MR. GREENCORN AND HIS TEAM HAVE DONE AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB.

IT HASN'T JUST BEEN MR. GREENCORN. I JUST WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT OTHER PARTS OF THE ORGANIZATION THAT HAVE BEEN STANDING UP TO DELIVER.

NOT TO LET THAT'D BE REMISS, BUT DIRECTOR WHITE AND THE FACILITIES TEAM HAVE BEEN ON THEIR TOES MAKING SURE THAT WE'VE HAD SIGNAGE.

OUR COMMUNICATIONS GROUP HAVE BEEN WORKING EXTREMELY HARD ON MAKING THAT.

SO I'M REALLY PLEASED THAT THE TEAM HAS PULLED TOGETHER, MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY'S BEEN INFORMED AND EVERYBODY'S BEEN ACTIVATED.

AND OUR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEE HAS BEEN ENGAGED, AND WE'RE KEEPING EVERYBODY FLOWING.

BUT YES, DEFINITELY KUDOS TO MR. GREENCORN AND THE PUBLIC WORKS TEAM, BUT ALSO THE REST OF COLLEAGUES AT CITY HALL TO KEEP US SAFE.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND SEEING NOTHING ELSE.

MOTION TO ADJOURN. COUNCILLOR FOOTE. SECONDED BY COUNCILLOR MCGURK.

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.