20 Nov 2023 Council meeting Safety

Emergency Shelter and Warming/Cooling Centre Regulation Enforcement

Motion
That Council: a. endorse the “Emergency Shelter and Warming/Cooling Centre Regulation Enforcement Policy Resolution” as attached to the 2023-NOV-20 Staff report titled “Emergency Shelter and Warming/Cooling Centre Regulation Enforcement”; and, b. send correspondence to the Minister of Housing and Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction regarding the need to protect emergency shelters and warming/cooling centres in Nanaimo that do not meet the requirements of the BC Building Code and BC Fire Code.
Minutes, page 9
Sources
Agenda itemCity agenda, whole meeting
Staff reportPage 1
Purpose
To present to Council a proposed policy resolution to address the City’s liability related to buildings used for emergency shelters and warming/cooling centres that do not meet the requirements in the BC Building Code and BC Fire Code.
Staff report, page 1
Staff recommendation
That Council: a) endorse the “Emergency Shelter and Warming/Cooling Centre Regulation Enforcement Policy Resolution” as attached to the 2023-NOV-20 Staff report titled “Emergency Shelter and Warming/Cooling Centre Regulation Enforcement”; and, b) send correspondence to the Minister of Housing and Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction regarding the need to protect emergency shelters and warming/cooling centres in Nanaimo that do not meet the requirements of the BC Building Code and BC Fire Code.
Staff report, page 1
DocumentsStaff report about Community Health & Wellbeing, Housing

Ben Geselbracht Yes

Yeah, I think this is important policy. I mean, we're stuck in a hard place and ultimately we need these spaces to house people in the interim on an emergency basis. I think too, just in conversation with Ministry of Housing and BC Housing, you know, requiring a lot of times these non-profits that are running on shoestrings trying to provide this emergency service to do upgrades to meet the BC building code is rather ridiculous. And I think that it's incumbent on the province to come in with the funding, you know, to these spaces to meet this need to help with the upgrades. And I think advocacy on our part to maybe shift their stance of not providing upgrades is important and I think we can help out with our voice, advocate on behalf of these agencies. Thank you.

Questions and answers

Councillor Erin Hemmens
Speaker identificationConfident
Yes

asked
Councillor Hemmonds: Yeah, thank you. I'm going to support and I agree with everything that Councillor Gesselbrock said. A question for staff: it's noted in the report that we're finding one or more of the buildings currently being used as such do not make code—is it one, or is it
Dale Lindsay
Speaker identificationConfident
answeredChief Administrative Officer
More that's a question for the Your Worship. I would suggest it's probably all, to be honest, because of the very nature of these temporary uses that go into spaces that were never originally put in a code. I'm not suggesting that unsafe, but the reality is, and I appreciate the comments about the advocacy, because there is no place in the code that kind of acknowledges this type of use. It's either you're this or you're that, and if you're going to be that, you have to meet these standards. So, it's about trying to recognize that it doesn't fit under code right now. So I would bet that if you went back and looked at every place, you'd find something or some element of them that did not comply with the current standards. So, I appreciate the comments about needing the province to help us here and come up with, but in the interim, the policy is intended to step in.