Sooke Council Meeting -- November 25, 2024

Sooke District Council has a busy evening on the docket for November 25th, 2024. A closed doors meeting at 5:15pm presumably about some legal or hiring aspect, although as usual when closed door meetings are allowed details are scant. Then the regular public council meeting, with a 473 page agenda, and a 20 page supplementary agenda - with an extra Public Input session for item 4.1 "Public Input Meeting for Liquor Licence Referral - 1528 Whiffin Spit Road" (aka Sooke Harbour House).

See Sooke's Civicweb for the full files.

Given that it is effectively a 500 page agenda, that is a lot of reading for most people. So a quick summary of the active items:

• 4.1 Public Input Meeting for Liquor Licence Referral - 1528 Whiffin Spit Road
  Reviewing a food primary liquor licence for Sooke Harbour House - with a couple amendments requested by the applicant. Staff recommended wordings at this point is effectively that Council recommends that the LCRB (Liquor & Cannabis Regulation Branch) approves as the applicant applied. |
  
  There is one significant point that may not be popular in the community - especially to close neighbour's - the request amendment to extend the licence from normal hours of 9am-12pm to 9am-2am. The other amendment to allow entertainment activities like dancing, music etc is I would say an easy yes.

  If I was voting on it, this would be yes support the application and entertainment ammendment but not the blanket 2am operating hours.  Depending on community feedback I might say Friday and Saturday nights going to 2am seems fine but probably just restrict it to the normal midnight ending for serving alcohol. It is in a very residential neighbourhood for example. 

• Then we've got a pair of invited presentations - BC Hydro and Fortis BC. Probably of minimal interest to most but to me it'll be interesting to hear what they're saying.
• Then we've got 3 delegations - all on level 4 of the step code. Banning new gas stoves basically.  Definitely a potentially free explosive issue (please forgive a dad for his jokes).
• Then we've got the always important item 9. The opportunity to have  2 minutes each for the public to discuss any item on the agenda. (In this case other than the Sooke Harbour House Liquor licence since that had its own special slot)
• Next basically a run down and voting on stuff from the last committee of the whole meeting

• 11.1 gets very interesting. By-election timing and potentially appointment of chief election officer. Couple of options suggested by staff. 

  If we can combine it with a borrowing vote definitely in favour of that, otherwise let's get it done on February 22nd.

• 12 is zoning... both very specific items and broad response to provincial housing actions.
• Back to building step code!
• Hopefully adjournment before midnight