TOWNSHIP OF ESQUIMALT MEMORANDUM
MEETING DATE: February 9, 2026 Report No. DEV-26-004
TO: Special Joint Council Meeting with the Advisory Planning Commission
FROM: Bill Brown, Director of Development Services
SUBJECT: Discussion with the Advisory Planning Commission (APC)
INFORMATION:
The Advisory Planning Commission is a statutory body that has been established pursuant to Sec 461 of the Local Government Act to advise Council on all matters respecting land use, community planning, or proposed bylaws and permits under Divisions 4 to 14 of Part 14 that are referred to it by Council. Council relies on the recommendations of the APC to help inform their decision making on applications that have been referred to the APC. Although Council always appreciates the recommendations of the APC, it must be remembered that the APC is advisory, and Council is not required to follow its recommendations. Recently, members of the APC have expressed concerns about their role and their relationship with Council. This prompted the Chair of the APC to send an e-mail to Council via one of the appointed Council liaisons requesting that the Advisory Planning Commission Bylaw, No. 2792, be amended to allow members of Council to be appointed as non-voting members of the Commission. In addition, the Chair requested that the Advisory Planning Commission Bylaw, No. 2792, be amended to so that there are separate Bylaws for each of the APC and the Design Review Committee (DRC).
In response to this e-mail, on November 20, 2025, the Chair of the APC met with the Chief Administrative Officer to discuss overall concerns. At this meeting the idea of a joint meeting between the APC and Council was discussed. This meeting was followed up with a meeting between the Chair and Bill Brown, Director of Development Services on December 30, 2025, at which time specific issues were discussed including setting up a joint meeting between the APC and Council, as well as the proposal to have ...
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