Many of you are aware of the proposal being brought forward by Council to legalize suites in Lions Bay.  There are two parts to this proposal as explained by Councillors Akerhielm and Ronsley in their recent communications.

The first part is to amend the current zoning bylaw to include a definition of a secondary suite and removes the current limitation on a single family dwelling.  This amendment will then ensure that persons applying for building permits to construct a new home, or renovate an existing home, and wish to include a secondary suite can do so.  Suites will then be built according to the building code.  This would meet the objective to allow for secondary suites in the Village and ensure they are built to safety standards.  While there is still some fine tunig to do on the wording, it seems that most people are in favor of what is being proposed for new construction.

The second part is the policy on how we administer secondary suites.  This is the more challenging and complex part of the proposal.  People are wondering what the objectives are with the current proposed policy.  There are differing opinions around the charges being propsed and what a fair share for the cost of services is.  The other concern is around homes with existing suites and the legal issues around conformity.    Others are concerned that Council is going overboard on rules and regulations, not creating a policy that is specific to Lions Bay and that Council is going too fast with its decision making.  Are suite owners aware of possible tax implications and benefits from owning a legal suite?

These are all valid concerns.  It has been pointed out that except for Mayor Broughton, the four Councillors who are elected were not put to a vote at the time, so the question is, do they represent the wishes of the community?  Now is an opporutnity for Council to hear from you so that we are making the right decisions for Lions Bay going forward.  There is an important Public Hearing taking place at the Village Hall on Wednesday June 23rd and this is a time for your opinons to be heard.

I would like to dialogue with you on this matter to help me make the right decision.   I understand if you can't make the meeting so invite you to call or e-mail.  My number is 604 921-6564 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Village has put aside some budget this year for a consultant to do a complete review and possible update of the Village’s Zoning and Building Bylaws.  The intent is not anything exciting, like changing the zoning within the Village, but rather dry and technical.  There is a need to update and improve the wording and clauses of the bylaws themselves. 

In the review, we would want to do some comparisons with newer bylaws elsewhere, and incorporate peoples’ feedback.  Our Building bylaw dates from 1992 and received a minor update in 2002, while the Zoning bylaw was last updated in 2004.  The Village’s Building Inspector and Board of Variance have commented to Councils over the years on where these bylaws might benefit from revision and update.  As a Village Councillor, I have learned that some issues, such as where parking spaces or garages are to be placed on a property, repeatedly go to the Board of Variance.  And I have seen the Building Inspector challenged by a lack of clarity in our bylaw’s definition of “structures”.  If fixing the legislation could help avoid this, it would be a good thing. 

In the review, feedback would also be welcome from contractors, builders and professionals such as engineers or architects who have had experience in the Village.  Have you found issues in “interacting” with our regulations?  Are regulations clearer to deal with, in other municipalities around us?  Or do our regulations not cover some kind of guidance that should be provided? 

Finally, by design, Council left this bylaw review work to be done until after the Age Friendly Transitional Housing study report was in, in case the study produced any suggestions around zoning.  At the time of writing of this article, the final report of the study has not gone to Council.  However, my personal sense is that the study will not suggest anything definitive about zoning per se, but will rather point to where it would be helpful to have some further dialogue with residents about zoning.  
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Summer Time: Mayor and Council wish each of you a wonderful summer ! It has been a rather wet Spring…regardless of  the weather this summer, we wish each resident a ray of joy and a life filled with sunshine !

Public Consultation: The Spring has been busy with Public Meetings and Public Consultation. Thank you to everyone who has devoted time and effort to attend and to express your ideas at these meetings. Your ideas are included in the serious discussions that involve the particular topic area that you have been involved in.
Again ~ Thank you !