Harrison Village Facts

August 10 Council Agenda

I went through the agenda for the August 10 Council meeting. There is quite a bit in it, but these are the items that stood out to me.

The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. at Memorial Hall. People can also attend through Zoom.

Splash Pad

Council is being asked to allocate an additional $400,000 of Resort Municipality Initiative funding to the splash pad and approve spending the money in 2026.

Staff also want to hold an event at Spring Park so families can provide ideas about the features and design.

The splash pad was included in the overall Resort Development Strategy that Council approved in April 2025. I have not found a separate Council motion approving the Request for Proposals or the contract.

The timeline is what I have a problem with.

The overall strategy was approved in April 2025.

The Village issued the Request for Proposals in the spring of 2026.

By July 13, 2026, the contract had already been awarded to Habitat Systems.

Now Council is being asked to approve the specific $400,000 expenditure and public engagement.

The splash pad was originally supposed to be near the accessible playground on the beachfront. After Habitat Systems looked at the location, concerns came up about the cost of the work and sand getting into the system.

Spring Park was then chosen as the preferred location because it should cost less and be easier to connect to utilities.

Residents are now going to be asked what features they want. The contractor has already been selected and Spring Park is already the preferred location.

Maybe the approval of the overall Resort Development Strategy gave staff the authority to move ahead. If that is the case, they should explain it.

But even if staff had that authority, I do not believe this was done with the public in mind. Residents should have been shown the location, design, contract amount and future operating costs before the contract was awarded.

The report does not tell us how much the Habitat Systems contract is worth. It also does not say whether the contract depends on Council approving the money or what it would cost the Village to cancel it.

The wording “additional $400,000” also needs to be explained. Is this another $400,000, or is it the original amount being moved into the 2026 budget?

The report says the project will be paid for through tourism funding and not property taxes or reserves. Future maintenance, cleaning and inspections will still become part of the Village operating budget.

Zoning Changes

Council is being asked to give first and second readings to a group of zoning changes and send them to a public hearing.

The report calls these housekeeping changes. Some are, but some are more than that.

The changes include increasing the parking cash in lieu amount from $15,000 to $42,500 for each required parking space.

They also include prohibiting backyard chicken coops, removing mobile food trucks from the farmer’s market definition and changing the intersection sight line rules.

Changing the parking amount from $15,000 to $42,500 is not a small housekeeping change. Residents and businesses should pay attention to this before the public hearing.

Civic Campus

Mayor Talen is bringing the Civic Campus proposal back.

The motion would direct staff to work with School District 78 on another Memorandum of Understanding.

It would be described as exploratory and would allow discussions about a possible land exchange.

The new agreement would say that the forest and mature trees should be protected as much as possible. Other locations and building arrangements could also be considered.

Any exchange involving Fire Hall Park would still have to go to the electors through an Alternative Approval Process or a public vote.

This does not approve the Civic Campus. It starts the process again.

Aquatic Centre Fees

Councillor Schweinbenz is bringing forward a motion about the Lets’emot Regional Recreation and Aquatic Centre.

The motion says Harrison residents could pay as much as 71 per cent more than people living in Kent or Seabird Island.

If a regional agreement is not reached, staff would be asked to look at ways of reducing the difference and report back to Council.

This does not approve a subsidy or commit Harrison taxpayers to the aquatic centre.

Goose Management

The goose survey found very few active nests on Village property. Most of the nesting was found on private docks, marina structures and other private property.

Staff say the problem cannot be handled by Harrison alone because the geese move between Village, private and Crown land.

Council is being asked to contact the Province, request a meeting with ministry staff and recruit volunteers for egg addling training.

The training is expected to cost about $1,200.

Memorial Hall

Council is being asked to approve up to $40,000 in provincial funding to replace the heating and cooling equipment at Memorial Hall.

One heat pump is already out of service and the other is not working properly.

Staff say the improvements would also help Memorial Hall operate as a cooling centre during extreme heat.

Village Office Generator

The Village received a $30,000 grant for an automatic natural gas generator at the Village Office.

Because this money was not included in the 2026 Financial Plan, staff are asking Council to approve the expenditure before they begin purchasing.

That is worth comparing to the splash pad, where the contract was awarded before the current request for spending approval.

Cenotaph

Staff are recommending more work on a community cenotaph and a Veterans crosswalk near Memorial Hall.

A granite memorial could cost around $20,000. A federal grant may cover up to $10,000.

No money is being approved yet. Staff would bring the costs and options back during the 2027 budget discussions.

Board of Variance

Council is being asked to give the first three readings to Board of Variance Bylaw No. 1247.

At first, this sounded like Council was setting up a new Board to deal with property variances. After looking further, Harrison already has a Board of Variance bylaw from 2004. The new bylaw would replace and update it.

Provincial law requires a municipality with a zoning bylaw to have a Board of Variance.

The staff report also says the Board would keep minor variance decisions separate from Council and reduce pressure on Council agendas.

In practical terms, that means some decisions that could cause complaints or disagreement will no longer be made by elected Council members. They will be made by a three member Board appointed by Council.

The Board would only deal with certain minor cases where following the zoning bylaw would cause undue hardship. This could include the location, size or dimensions of a building, setbacks, certain tree regulations and some issues involving buildings with a legal nonconforming use.

The Board cannot change the permitted use of a property, increase density or defeat the intent of the zoning bylaw.

Owners and tenants of the property involved and neighbouring properties must be notified and given the opportunity to speak.

Once the Board makes its decision, that decision is generally final.

Council will appoint the three Board members and can also remove an appointment. Councillors, Village employees and members of the Advisory Planning Commission cannot serve on the Board.

So yes, this will take some pressure and heat off Council. If neighbours are unhappy with a minor variance, the decision will belong to the Board and not the elected Council members.

That does not mean the Board is being created only to avoid criticism. It is required under provincial law and its powers are limited.

However, residents should still be told why the 2004 bylaw is being replaced now, whether Harrison currently has an active Board, who the new members will be and how many applications are expected to be moved away from Council.

Who gets appointed to this Board matters because its decisions can directly affect property owners and their neighbours.

What I Will Be Watching

The splash pad process needs an explanation.

Even if staff had authority under the overall Resort Development Strategy, residents were not shown the project details before the contract was awarded.

The zoning changes also need attention. Tripling the parking amount and changing rules for chicken coops, food trucks and sight lines is more than correcting spelling or cleaning up wording.

I also want to hear why the Board of Variance bylaw is being replaced now and whether the current Board has been active.

Residents can ask questions during Question Period, but the questions must be about something on the agenda.

I will report back on what Council decides and how each member votes.

Source documents used for this summary include the August 10 Council agenda package, the April 22, 2025 Council minutes, the July 13, 2026 agenda package, the Village Purchasing and Procurement Policy and sections 536 to 544 of the Local Government Act.