Photo by Whitehorse Star
Mayor Laura Cabott
Housing advisory committee comes closer to fruition
At its meeting Monday, city council passed first and second readings of the bylaw required to establish a housing and land development advisory committee.
At its meeting Monday, city council passed first and second readings of the bylaw required to establish a housing and land development advisory committee.
Third reading of the bylaw at a future meeting will also confirm the appointments of eight committee members who have been selected through an application process.
Those selected to sit on the committee are Greg Thompson, representing the Kwanlin Dun First Nation, Dave Irvin from the Ta’an Kwach’an Council, Bryony McIntyre, John Vogt, Carl Friesen, Suzzane Greening, Joel Gaetz and Simon Lapointe.
Mayor Laura Cabott told her council colleagues she is putting stock in the committee for two reasons.
The first is the mandate the committee has been given, while the second is the top notch people who have volunteered to serve on the committee.
They have been involved in planning work, she said, and they represent the First Nations and non-government organizations.
“They bring expertise to the table,” Cabott said. “I think is it a fantastic composition.
“There is a lot of responsibility for this committee, and I look forward to them digging into the work and bringing back recommendations to this council.”
Under the process, the committee meetings will be limited to committee members, staff and invited guests, to reflect the working group nature of the committee as opposed to using a council-style public meeting forum, says the administrative report prepared for council.
“All committee recommendations and reports will be presented to council consistent with the public process set out in the bylaw,” says the administrative report.
“The committee can also hold public information sessions or meetings and invite community members and experts to the meetings.”
The budget requirements for the committee are estimated at $200,000.
The report says it’s estimated $100,000 will be to support a staff position to be shared between the housing committee and the inclusivity advisory committee under development.
It’s estimated covering the cost of the work of the housing committee will be between $80,000 and $100,000 annually.
Until a new staff position has been created, the committee will be supported by existing city staff, the report notes.
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Comments (15)
Up 8 Down 6
MITCH on Jul 14, 2022 at 12:05 pm
DEFINE: FRUITION. Fruit is up 10%. Fruit Salad? Wish we could afford such luxuries. Build rental options in Canada.
Up 21 Down 0
Groucho d'North on Jul 14, 2022 at 11:30 am
So can we expect another study of some kind to determine how all these housing groups will interact with each other and who calls the shots at the end of the day?
There are numerous studies produced over the past few years on how to improve Yukon's housing situation: the multi-agency Yukon Housing Action Plan of 2015, YHC's annual strategic housing plan, Canada's National Housing Strategy and numerous first nations housing strategies that never seem to be implemented, but the budget gets spent none-the-less.
When new money becomes available somebody marches off and creates some new study to sit on a shelf and gather dust. This of course is after the many agency reps get invited to the meetings where Power Point presentations focus on how bad things are while everybody enjoys the catered lunch and snacks. All the while more people move here for employment but cannot find a place to live.
We have enough studies and blue-sky reports, we need some action and investment. If you want to see just how ineffectual all these studies and promises have been, read the 2015 Liberal campaign piece on Homes for everyone: https://liberal.ca/our-platform/a-home-for-everyone/
Too much talk and grandstanding, not enough action! I’m sure the catering businesses in town will welcome this new COW housing committee.
Up 17 Down 1
Josey Wales on Jul 13, 2022 at 4:54 pm
Ahh...the civic wizards are concocting a potion again?
Why not a pothole advisory committee?
A screwing the absolute death outta the civic pooch committee, oh yeah union blowholes ...ensuring many pups will be bred.
Why not a tax payers federation committee, see just how bad these civic wizards are at managing anything?
Across this country we have cells of communists in many civic “governments “ most chug the Red Kool Aid bigtimus...
The troops as The WEF sees them, forcing alignment with their cancerous
eco fantasies.
Same bloviating blowholes, tone deaf to ALL but their tune.
...a committee they decree?
Idiots...the lot of them.
Up 27 Down 0
North_of_60 on Jul 13, 2022 at 3:09 pm
Expensive, endless committees is not responsible governing. That's just kicking the can down the road for the next administration to ignore. It's also a sure sign of politicians acting way above their level of incompetence.
Up 17 Down 2
iBrian on Jul 13, 2022 at 12:55 pm
Isn’t this why villages and larger have OCP’s?
Up 20 Down 2
MITCH on Jul 13, 2022 at 10:55 am
I present the motion to establish a committee to dissolve this municipal council. Lawyers encouraged to apply, I will nominate to you to the council. All in favour? All opposed?
Up 28 Down 6
Really? on Jul 13, 2022 at 10:11 am
Did Councillor Ted Laking just agree with setting a match to $250,000 for a committee?
For all his fiscal conservative headline grabbing, when it really matters, he just goes with the flow.
Pay attention folks!
Up 13 Down 14
Wilf Carter on Jul 13, 2022 at 9:59 am
Housing is going to be dead any way because we are going to have major exit out of Yukon just as it did in the 1990's. With Federal Government now totally control the Bank of Canada actions and rising interest rates by 1% because of inflation that was created by higher taxes we are edge of been doomed far as economy goes. There is over $375 billion left Canada and seating off short earning profits and not paying any taxes which would mean less taxes paid by the low income workers and average middle income workers. What a mess we have on our hands in Canada
Up 27 Down 5
AdmiralA$$ on Jul 13, 2022 at 8:19 am
And an over site committee that over sees this committee. Also maybe a committee that just watches and selects both of these committees. How about a committee that is the registered Mayor as well since ours can't make a single decision or a have a single solitary idea of her own without an entire committee or two digging the city deeper into debt. 15 million and rising Laura, great job! Great idea - let's just do nothing and all the new government workers that just arrived with no where to live...well they can just leave I suppose. If we want to make the city cheaper to run we should look at the biggest leeches in the room....our own bloated government.
I was wrong about BoC 75 basis point hike today, it was a 100 base points. I bet some people are going to feel that one. Oh well another 75 base points or more next round too. Keep stacking the debt guys it's truly helping us all.
Up 25 Down 6
Dear John on Jul 12, 2022 at 10:31 pm
Dear John on Jul 12, 2022 at 3:29 pm:
Near perfect. However, I would add that committees are a way to avoid accountability for political decisions in a democracy… But the committee said… The expert advice guided the decision making process… I was following the ‘science’…
These decision making processes allow the politicos to make decisions with impunity - This is anti-democratic and the City now wants to conduct them in secret… FFS! WTF is wrong with you Sheeple?
While people suffer, systems crumble, and communities, provinces, territories, countries, and societies descend into chaos the politicos blame everyone else… But…
Absolutely ignorant times!
Up 25 Down 5
Nathan Living on Jul 12, 2022 at 6:42 pm
The City has a horrible history with committees.
One nameless committee was dropped because some of its members were abusive to a new committee member and another committee openly complained of interference from the City manager.
And of course we all know what the housing issues are so why not just have council deal with them.
Up 25 Down 3
Joe on Jul 12, 2022 at 5:46 pm
Not one person on that committee knows anything about housing issues. Oh well another committee…
Up 30 Down 5
Yukoner on Jul 12, 2022 at 4:41 pm
A committee that should solve it..
Up 40 Down 4
MITCH on Jul 12, 2022 at 4:30 pm
"Under the process, the committee meetings will be limited to committee members, staff and invited guests, to reflect the working group nature of the committee as opposed to using a council-style public meeting forum, says the administrative report prepared for council."
Uhh, yeah, because that has worked so well for everything else this year (or the last 7 at least)...
The public is who you are trying to accommodate, I would advise listening to them, since the experts have FAILED!
Pay me to leave or fix this dumpster fire. I have had enough.
Up 57 Down 2
John on Jul 12, 2022 at 3:29 pm
All the answers you need are already out there, and have been for a number of years. The need for yet another committee is highly questionable. The cost is even more then unnecessary - near a quarter million to come up with what you know, and if the city doesn't then the city has not been doing it's job. It is like hiring a consultant - "so what do you want know?" they ask. Lo and behold their findings are exactly as you asked.
Of course this is the touchy feely way of doing these things today - strike a committee - pay out big bucks to find out in the end that you knew all this stuff from the get go. Gotta scratch your head...