Council will consider a notice of motion directing staff to…

Council will consider a notice of motion directing staff to prepare a report on the future of public hearings and non-statutory public engagement in Victoria, explicitly in response to changes introduced by Bill 44. The provincial legislation has already removed mandatory public hearings for many residential projects that comply with an official community plan, prompting municipalities to re-examine when and how they gather public input outside the statutory minimums. The motion matters because it opens a formal council-level discussion about how public opposition can influence project timelines under the new rules. Bill 44 did not eliminate hearings for rezoning applications or OCP amendments that remain necessary for some projects, but it did eliminate them for OCP-consistent multi-unit housing. A staff report could recommend reducing or reshaping the city’s non-statutory engagement practices, which in turn would affect the predictability and duration of approvals. For instance, tighter limits on additional consultation could narrow the window for neighbourhood opposition to force design concessions or deferrals, while maintaining robust engagement beyond statutory requirements would preserve the status quo for risk. Neither outcome is certain; the report’s scope and council’s eventual direction are unknown. If the motion passes, staff will prepare a report — a process likely measured in months — with no immediate policy change. The report will then return to council for debate and potential bylaw amendments. This is early-stage procedural work rather than an imminent shift in practice, but it does indicate an active council appetite for revisiting public hearing requirements. Any eventual change would apply to future applications, not retroactively, so near-term projects continue under existing procedures.

Council will consider a notice of motion directing staff to prepare a report on the future of public hearings and non…