2024 Annual Report Draft

Message from the Mayor Gilakas’la. This annual report is a great opportunity to reflect back on the achievements of the previous year, as well as some of the priorities for the year ahead. One of the key themes in 2024 was housing affordability. We met with the Provincial Minister of Housing at the UBCM Housing Summit in February to discuss how other levels of government could support the urgent needs of communities like ours. I continued this advocacy in March at the National Housing Conference in Ottawa where I met with the Federal Minister of Housing and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. While the provincial and federal governments have made progress in recent years, much more needs to be done to address the desperate need for housing across the country – and quickly. I was pleased to meet with others involved in the non-profit housing sector including local governments, community organizations and others at the BC Non-Profit Housing Association’s RENT (Regional Education Networking and Trade) Conference in Courtenay in April. This day of education and networking was a great way to connect others who share this common goal of expanding the availability of affordable housing in our communities. This advocacy has shown tangible results in recent years, most recently with BC Housing’s purchase of a three-acre property at 925 Braidwood Road for a permanent, purpose-built shelter, as well as supportive housing. Construction on this project is expected to start in 2025, and completion of the new shelter in 2026/2027, which will also result in the closure of the Connect Centre on Cliffe Avenue. Connect, operated by the Comox Valley Transition Society in a space leased from the City, was always meant to be temporary until a permanent shelter site was funded. In the meantime, to support public health and safety at Connect, late last year the City installed additional operating space, washrooms and fencing in the parking lot next to the Cliffe Avenue facility to address the needs of the centre’s staff, clients and area businesses. Something I’m always heartened by is the collaboration, dialogue and partnerships between local governments across the region. A great example of that is the new automated curbside collection system which incorporated a fleet of electric curbside collection trucks. The City of Courtenay and the Town of Comox worked together to align our respective collection contracts, an arrangement that has worked well for many years through cost savings and schedule efficiencies. When our contractor approached us with their proposal to transition to an automated electric collection fleet, the team approach with our neighbours in Comox was key to the success of the program. The trucks have zero emissions and are far quieter than the old fleet. It’s the largest fleet of electric curbside collection vehicles in North America, so our communities are truly “leading the charge.”

On behalf of our entire Council, thank you for reviewing this annual report and learning about some of the many programs, projects and other updates in Courtenay in 2024. If you would like to meet with me to discuss municipal matters, please send a “Meet the Mayor” request to City Hall, info@courtenay.ca Mayor Bob Wells

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City of Courtenay | 2024 Annual Report