Vancouver City Council meets every second week. The clerk’s office shares upcoming agenda items and motions before these meetings, which can be accessed on this website.
When agenda items are released the week before council, a Watch Council member will go through and highlight and recommend any notable motions to be discussed with other Watch Council members.
Visit our Watch Council and Hot Pink Paper Campaign pages to learn more about how we're taking action in the city.
Here are the motions that are on our radar, as City Council gets closer to the summer break. We encourage everyone to check out some of the other motions, reports, and bylaws that we have not included in this list by looking at the City Council Agenda here.
Reports
About the Report City staff are tabling a response report developed by the MMIWG2S1 Advisory Committee and Urban Indigenous Peoples Advisory Committee (UIPAC), updating and providing recommendations to the council on the City's ongoing work to act on the calls to action outlined in the MMIWG Calls for Justice and Red Women Rising Report. If it is approved, the council will call on staff to implement a cross-departmental plan to advance the directions outlined in the report.
Our Position
These recommendations have been developed by an Indigenous Planner, based on calls to action developed by Indigenous Women in Vancouver and across Canada. We encourage the council to consider the recommendations around the city administrative processes as a barrier to engagement. It is City Council's responsibility to ensure that this receives ongoing and stable funding.
Motions
Asking Staff to Put Money for a Seniors’ Planner in the 2023 budget
About the Motion
The Seniors Advisory Committee, as well as 35 seniors supporting organizations, have called on the city to allocate money in the 2023 operational budget for a social seniors planner
As outlined in the motion, the Committee conducted a jurisdictional scan and has found strong and efficient seniors strategies in municipalities that had a dedicated senior planner, such as Richmond
The motion calls on city staff to work with other advisory committees to help build this role
Our Position
Hiring a dedicated planner for seniors in the city will not only enrich policies aimed at seniors, but will also allocate more time to specifically plan for the priorities of low-income, racialized, women, disabled, and queer seniors across city work. WTC is looking forward to supporting the work of the future seniors’ planner.
Advocating for the Requirement of Side Guards on Heavy Trucks in Urban Areas
About the Motion
Following the tragic collision of a cyclist under a semi-truck in downtown Vancouver, this motion looks towards implementing side guards on trucks to prevent side impact injuries and fatalities
It calls on all City of Vancouver trucks and contracted trucks to install side guards
It also calls on the Mayor to formally call on the province and Transport Canada to mandate side guards across the country
Our Position
Our cities must do everything to protect cyclists and pedestrians. We hope to see this motion pass, while also looking to see how the city continues to adopt transformative solutions such as safer and accessible public infrastructure, and further reallocation of road space (currently, the city has committed to reallocating 11% of roads for public spaces), and other initiatives that would bolster transportation safety, especially as part of larger projects such as the Vancouver Plan.
Commemorating Muslim Holidays (pushed back from earlier council meeting)
About the Motion
It calls on the city to:
Formally recognize Muslim holidays including Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha
Co-host annual iftar dinner during Ramadan in collaboration with Vancouver’s Muslim community
Celebrate Muslim charities and the community during the month of Ramadan
Our Position
We look forward to seeing this motion that was drafted with representatives of the Muslim community passed, increasing belonging and inclusion for the Muslim community living in Vancouver.