Municipality of the Village of Lions Bay

                
I am honoured to be Mayor of the Village of Lions Bay. As your Mayor, I am committed to working to ensure the best for the Village of Lions Bay.

This is an exciting time for our Village, a time when we need to successfully manage significant challenges, while creating opportunities to seek the necessary resources that may be available to Lions Bay. 

Over our three year term, Council, through meetings and consultation with the community, will help in moving Lions Bay forward; while still preserving and protecting our unique Village spirit, beautiful natural environment, and low tax rate.

Council will work together creating a strong and friendly team environment, and ensuring a positive fiscal bottom line.

The Village of Lions Bay is committed to the principles of sustainability as a core value of the community, as identified in the new Official Community Plan (OCP). The Revised OCP has passed First Reading with previous Council. The principles of sustainability include ongoing community consultation and consensus building, while concurrently considering the social environment, the green environment and the economic environment. This Council will use the principles of sustainability to review new projects, purchases and policies. We will organize an information panel on sustainability to ensure updated community understanding.

Thank you to previous Council for all of their work, dedication and projects completed on behalf of and in consultation with the residents of the Village of Lions Bay.  The outgoing Council accomplished a significant amount. Our newly elected Council will ensure that the completion of projects now in process, meet Lions Bay’s expectations including:




•    The Official Community Plan. The OCP document has now been sent to Metro Vancouver for Board of Director Approval and to other stakeholders for input. The OCP will guide us over the coming years as our compass.
•    The Sea to Sky Highway Improvement Project. This project will be completed in 2009. The Highway Advisory Committee will continue to ensure the Ministry of Highways completes the project to the standard agreed upon; and
•    The two Water Intake Upgrades. These upgrades are being done on both Harvey and Magnesia Creeks and will include an Ultra-Violet and Chlorination multi-barrier treatment system to maintain a healthy water supply. Council will focus on ensuring that this project is kept as cost effective as the current reductions in our economy may allow and as our economic times call for.

Council is dedicated to working with the community, listening, and maintaining quality communications with all residents.  Council has a goal of increasing our communication effectiveness with the community and welcomes suggestions regarding improved communication methods. We are interested in broadening our methods of communication. Recently, as Mayor-Elect, I met with lionsbay.net who have been very positive and helpful. We will enhance communication for residents using www.lionsbay.net , while, at this time, continuing to maintain the Seagull Newsletter and updating the Lions Bay website regularly at www.lionsbay.ca.
Today, Lions Bay is facing a number of issues. Council will work with the community together through meetings, Task Force development and community consultation and consensus building to successfully and creatively find solutions.

•    We have a shrinking population in Lions Bay (Census 2006)
•    We have had increases in our taxes and need to actively reverse that trend to create sustainability for residents
•    We have a need to create residential options so that long standing residents can downsize and young families can move to Lions Bay, and
•    We want to retain our school population and our valued volunteer base

Council will:
 
•    Build, balance and re-engineer our budget to maintain a low tax rate and stabilize residential taxes. The Five Year Plan 2008 Schedule has water fee increases due to our mandated Water Infrastructure Upgrades. As Mayor, I am dedicated to stabilizing residential taxes and maintaining a low tax rate, while improving our water infrastructure. 
•    Lobby and negotiate to obtain grants, contributions, and land. As Mayor, I am committed to communicating directly with the necessary Ministers and senior staff to successfully obtain the grants, contributions and land requested.
•    Achieve community enhancing projects from vision to completion, through community consensus building, with strong financial stewardship.

Council will:

•    Explore Residential Options that work for the community, and
•    Explore Land Negotiation for residential use. Preliminary discussions have begun.

Five Task Forces will be created:

•    A Recreation Hub Task Force exploring endowment funding, not taxes
•    Vancouver 2010 Olympic Community impact and opportunities
•    A Green Energy Task Force
•    The Official Community Plan implementation, once it has been adopted in the Spring
•    Vancouver 2010 Olympic Emergency Response Planning. We have a new Fire Truck on order for 2009. We will reapply for two funding grants to assist in payment.  As Mayor-Elect, I have scheduled hosting a meeting on December 10th, in Lions Bay, to begin an integrated response with Vanoc, the Ministry of Public Safety, and the Sea to Sky Emergency Responders.

The next three years are years of Celebration. Celebration brings the community together as a stronger cultural and social entity.  As Village residents let us come together to Celebrate.

•    2009 marks the 100 Year Anniversary of Brunswick Beach as a settlement area, thus Lions Bay turns 100 as a settlement area. We look forward to learning about the history of Brunswick Beach in articles over the coming year. The Highway Advisory Committee and the Trailway Committee have been committed to interconnectivity in Lions Bay. In this regard a trailway will be built from Centre Road in Lions Bay central to Brunswick Beach.  Lions Bay will resubmit a trailways grant application to help realize that goal. The Surespan Group has donated a pedestrian bridge for crossing Alberta Creek east of the highway bridge, thanks to resident, John Dudley. Once built, this ‘Centennial Trail’ will symbolize our connections and interwoven paths as citizens of Lions Bay.

•    2010 marks the Vancouver 2010 Olympics with the Torch Relay passing through the Village of Lions Bay on February 4th, 2010. Residents are encouraged to sign up as potential torch bearers at www.Vancouver2010.com .

•    2011 marks the Village of Lions Bay’s 40th year Anniversary of Incorporation as a Municipality.  Let us celebrate together.

This Council is committed to enhancing community engagement, harnessing community energy in addressing strategic issues, building Village pride, separating the issue from the person, conducting themselves in a professionally respectful manner, using principles of transparency and accountability, working as a team rather than a hierarchy, and trusting that each member of Council will be successful, and openly communicate.

“Rise above the storm and you will find the sunshine.”  (Mario Fernandez)

Each Councillor is highly skilled and dedicated to achieving the best for Lions Bay and working together as a team, collaborating, agreeing and disagreeing, as we move toward workable solutions.

Four areas fundamental to the effective workings of the community are:

1.    The day to day operations,
2.    Support of Volunteer Initiatives
3.    Community-Based Planning
4.    Inter-community Communications

Council, along with our valued staff and committed volunteers will work together with the community to accomplish the tasks ahead. I would like to thank our staff and our many volunteers for their enormous contribution. There will be many opportunities in the coming months for community members to join a Task Force or community committee. We encourage your involvement.

Council Portfolios have been designed to meet the community’s needs in combination with the interests of each Councillor. Mayor and Council will complete a Strategic Planning Day that will have goals and time lines. This will assist in the success of the 2008-2011 term.

Council Portfolios are:

Councillor Peach Akerhielm, is responsible for Bylaws and Policy review, revision and creation, along with Public Works. Councillor Akerhielm will conduct a Parking Policy Review and develop a draft Neighbourhood Issue Resolution Policy. Councillor Akerhielm is second on the following portfolios: Grants, Infrastructure, Emergency Services with an emphasis on ESS and Block Watch, the Metro Vancouver Board Alternate, Green Energy Task Force, Finance Standing Committee, Zoning and Planning, OCP Implementation, Technical Advisory Group and Secondary Suite Legalization Review. Councillor Akerhielm will liaise with the Library.

Councillor Joanne Ronsley will be responsible for Secondary Suite Legalization Review, Council Rep on the Tree Committee, and Council Liaison to the Garden Committee and liaison to a newly forming Botanical Planting Project. Councillor Ronsley is also the Lower Mainland Treaty Advisory Committee Alternate, the Translink Mayor’s Committee Alternate and the Labour Relations Board Alternate. Councillor Ronsley is second on the Communications Strategy Development and Filming Neighbourhood Review, as well as the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority rep.

Councillor Ruth Simons will be responsible for Communication Strategy Development with the community, the Vancouver 2010 Opportunities and Mitigation Task Force, the Spirit BC Rep, Design and Public Art Policy Committee, Filming Neighbourhood Review and the Labour Relations Board Rep. Councillor Simons is liaison to the Bear Smart, Events and Trailways Committees. Councillor Simons will be second on the Green Energy Task Force, the Sea to Sky Land Resource Management Plan (LRMP), the Finance Standing Committee, Recreation Hub Task Force, and Bylaw and Policy Review.

Councillor Gordon Taylor will be responsible for the OCP Implementation Task Force as Chair, (a significant and vital task for Lions Bay), Zoning and Planning, Council rep on the Tree Committee, and the creation of a Technical Advisory Group. Councillor Taylor will be second on Public Works and will liaise with 99 Watch, the Historical Society and the Board of Variance, as appropriate. Councillor Taylor sits on the Highways Landscaping Committee and will act as the liaison with Council.

Council acting as a team will be responsive as seconds to each others’ portfolio. As available, all Council will sit on the Howe Sound Community Forum, the Highway Advisory Committee and the Oversight Committee of the Whole.

Mayor Brenda Broughton will be responsible for Budget and Finance, Grants, Contracts under review and Negotiation, Chair of the Highway Advisory Committee, Infrastructure and the two Water Intake Upgrades, 2010 Emergency Response Task Force and Lions Bay Fire Rescue, Green Energy Task Force, Recreation Hub Task Force with a community Chair, the Sea to Sky Land Resource Management Plan (LRMP) Rep, and will liaise with Schools. Mayor Broughton will be the Director for the Metro Vancouver Board, the Translink Mayor’s Committee Rep, and the Lower Mainland Treaty Advisory Committee Rep. Mayor Broughton will be second for the Design and Public Art Policy Committee and will be responsible for Human Resources.

Acting Mayor will be assigned alphabetically across the four quarters of 2009:

            1st Quarter        Peach Akerhielm
            2nd Quarter        Joanne Ronsley
            3rd Quarter        Ruth Simons
            4th Quarter        Gordon Taylor

I am looking forward to working with this very talented Council, Staff and the community together as a team to enhance our Village services and vibrant community spirit.

Thank you.

_______________________________
Brenda Broughton
Mayor
Village of Lions Bay