Wednesday, May 5th   - 6:00 pm Regular Council

Monday, May 17th - 6:00 pm Special Council

Wednesday, May 19th - 6:00 pm Regular Council

The start time of the open portion/livestreaming of the meetings may vary if a closed portion is required at the beginning of the regular Council meeting. Please refer to the Council meeting agenda, published the week before the meeting, to confirm the open portion/livestream start time.

The current Public Health Order on Gatherings and Events restricts the public from attending Council meetings in person. We welcome you to participate electronically and livestream council meetings. Click on the meeting date in the calendar to access the meeting agenda package, minutes and video recordings.

Property tax notices will be mailed in late May. If you have not received your property tax bill by the first week of June – particularly new owners – please call 250.933.8086. Property tax payments and your completed Home Owner

Grant (claimed through the Province of BC, if applicable), are due July 2, 2021 with a 1% penalty applied on any outstanding balance on July 3rd and a 9% penalty applied on any outstanding balance at the end of day on September 30th. The municipality has no authority to waive or modify these penalty amounts, which are required by law.

The Municipal Hall is open Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays, to process payments from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm and staff are available by phone or email from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Property tax payments can be made through online banking, or in person by cheque, cash, or debit. There is a drop box located at Municipal Hall, to the right of the front door.

Have you considered deferring your home property taxes? Tax deferment is a low interest loan program managed by the Province that helps qualified BC homeowners pay their annual property taxes on their principal residence. You may qualify for the Regular Program if you’re 55 or older, a surviving spouse of any age, or a person with disabilities OR for the Families with Children Program if you’re a parent, stepparent or financially supporting a child. Deferment applications are processed by the Province (not at Municipal Hall). Click here to learn more about the property tax deferment program, including eligibility, or call 1.888.355.2700 (toll free) or visit a Service BC Centre.

Note: To defer, you will still need to claim your Home Owner Grant with the Province of BC first, learn more at gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant.

For the third year, the Canadian Award for Financial Reporting has been awarded to the District of Lantzville by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for its annual financial report. The report is judged by impartial Canadian Review Committee members to meet the high standards of the program, including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” designed to clearly communicate the municipality’s financial story.

The month of May is Invasive Plant Removal Month and the City of Nanaimo is offering a couple of Drop Zones where people (including Lantzville residents) can discard their invasive plants instead of dumping them. Following COVID guidelines, please wear a mask when bringing your bagged or tarped invasives to the following parks:

The City of Nanaimo Recreation & Parks continues to work with the current Provincial Health Restrictions so check out their website on a regular basis for updates. The Summer Activity Guide will be available online for viewing starting Friday, April 30th. Registration for summer daycamps and programs begins on Wednesday, May 5th. There are three ways to register:

Youth are a vital part of our community and to celebrate them local youth organizations have organized free activities, contests and workshops. Visit RDN Rec Connect at www.getinvolved.rdn.ca/rec-connect to find out more.

Explore both regional and community parks in the RDN now through May hunting for the golden shoe. Each week a shoe is hidden and a clue to its location is released at www.getinvolved.rdn.ca/golden-shoe and on RDN Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Time to pick up your racket and head to the District’s tennis court on School Road! In 2017, the District painted pickleball lines on the tennis court on Lantzville School Road so players of both sports (at different times, of course) can use the facility and maximize the underutilized court. We look forward to seeing more players (from both sports!) enjoying the tennis court.

Remember each property owner is responsible for disposing of your own grass clippings and yard waste on your own property through composting, contracting with a private recycling service to pick-up, or taking it to a recycling depot or the landfill. It is illegal to dump your yard waste on rights of ways, public property or private property owned by others.

The Regional District of Nanaimo wants to support our community by providing free disposal at the Regional Landfill or Church Road Transfer Station for community and beach clean-ups registered in advance. To have your tipping fees waived - apply to the RDN at least five business days before your community clean up with the event details by phone (250.390.6560) or email (zerowaste@rdn.bc.ca). For more information, visit rdn/bc.ca/community-clean-up. If your event involves municipal property or beaches, please also email district@lantzville.ca with the name of the group, schedule and location for the clean-up, in case we receive any enquiries or have information to share. A big community thank-you to our local Girl Guides (1st Randerson Ridge Guide Unit, Hurford District) for cleaning up Lantzville beach (Sebastion Road to Oar Road) last month!

The District of Lantzville has, again, partnered with the Broombuster Invasive Plant Society to assist in controlling the alien, invasive plant, Scotch Broom, in our community. Broombusters will be loaning loppers to those who would like to cut broom on their own or in socially distanced small groups. If you have an hour or two, the Broombusters could use your help! Contact Sharon at sahokas@shaw.ca to make arrangements for loppers and areas to cut or to receive progress emails. Weekly updates are posted on the Broombuster website (including a 'How to Cut Broom' video) at www.broombusters.org

Category 2 OPEN FIRES are PROHIBITED, including burn barrels, backyard burning, incinerators, burn piles, burning grass, fireworks, binary exploding targets, sky lanterns, outdoor burning, etc. and are not permitted on private and public property in the District of Lantzville. Small campfires used for cooking, heating or ceremonial purposes are allowed (except on beaches) subject to conditions as outlined on the District of Lantzville website at www.lantzville.ca.

NO OPEN FIRES ARE PERMITTED ON ANY BEACH, only portable propane campfire apparatus (CSA or ULC approved) are permitted on the beach between the hours of 11:00 am to 8:00 pm.

NO LANDCLEARING FIRES ARE PERMITTED AT ANY TIME OF THE YEAR – except for ALR lands.

The Fire Protection Services Bylaw prohibits Open Air burning (fire piles on the ground) and Incinerator Fires from April 16th to October 14th. For more information, visit www.lantzville.ca or contact the Fire Chief at nrukus@lantzville.ca or 250.390.2811.

Under the watering restrictions, in Stage 2, sprinkling is permitted between the hours of 7:00 am to 10:00 am OR 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm for a maximum of 2 hours every other day on the following days:

Sprinkling includes watering lawns, ornamental shrubs, flowers and trees and use of pop-up spray, rotors and sprinklers. Putting in a new lawn? Apply for a new lawn permit.

The following are permitted at any time in Stage 2: hand-watering (trees, shrubs, vegetables) drip irrigation, and micro irrigation (check regularly for leaks); washing vehicles, boats, and houses (siding) if using a hose with a shutoff device; filling fountains, pools, or hot tubs; pressure washing walkways, driveways and siding. Vegetable gardens and fruit trees are exempt from all watering restrictions but watering in the early morning or in the evening is recommended – less evaporation.

Is a criminal act; please report details to the RCMP (250.754.2345) who will investigate to identify the culprits and recommend charges to the Crown. If you would like to see specific graffiti/tagging cleaned up, please also contact our contracted Bylaw Enforcement services through Municipal Hall at 250.933.8092 or bylaw@lantzville.ca. You will need to provide location details for staff to enforce the Unsightly Premises Bylaw that requires the property owner to remove or cover up any graffiti or tagging on their property.

Crews have completed construction to extend sanitary sewer service to 307 properties in Upper and Lower Lantzville. In mid-April the District sent the Notice to Connect to owners of property located within the Phase III Local Area Service. If you have not received your letter, please contact Municipal Hall.

Construction has started on road upgrades on Lantzville Road between Dickinson and Caillet Roads. The project, funded through grants, includes separated multi-use pathway for pedestrians and cyclists, street trees, raingardens, banner poles, seating areas, and shared on-street parking areas. The contractor (David Stalker Excavating Ltd.) has notified properties affected and provided contact and construction schedule information. Please obey all traffic control; there will be temporary traffic disruptions, detours and periodic parking restrictions. For more information on the Lantzville Commercial Core Revitalization Project design, please contact Kyle Young, Director of Planning and Community Services, by phone 250.933.8083 or email kyoung@lantzville.ca.

Due to construction of storm sewer upgrades, Huddlestone Road between Lantzville Road and Bayview Road will be closed to regular traffic, with access to local traffic only, during the course of construction starting May 31, 2021 for an estimated five weeks. Working hours will be Monday to Friday from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. Pedestrians and cyclists will have controlled access during the construction hours. The Huddlestone Park parking lot will be closed to the public. The contractor (Leuco Construction) will notify any properties affected by road closures one week prior, and 24 hours in advance for any driveway interruptions in order for alternate arrangements to be made.

Are you prepared? May 1, 2021 is Wildfire Community Preparedness Day and May 2-9, 2021 is Emergency Preparedness Week.

The District of Lantzville has a fee for service agreement for the RDN to provide Emergency Planning Services for our community. Make use of this great resource. Check out the RDN’s Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Page at www.getinvolved.rdn.ca/nepp to learn about how you can prepare and join Emergency Services for these virtual workshops:

Learn about Emergency Preparedness in our region and some tips and tricks you can do to ensure your family is prepared.

Learn a few easy ways you can protect your home from wildfire.

Do you know your neighbours? In a large-scale emergency your neighbours will likely be your first support. Find out what you can do to help build resilience within your community.

Learn about Emergency Preparedness in our region and some tips and tricks you can do to ensure your family is prepared.

Learn a few easy ways you can protect your home from wildfire.

Attend any one of these sessions to win some great emergency related prizes! Registration is required.

Where: Virtual via Zoom, a link will be sent upon registration. Please note an internet capable device with sound is required.

Register by email or phone: emergencyservices@rdn.bc.ca or 250.390.6759. Please include your name, email address, and which session you will attend.

Did you know you can register to receive emergency alerts from the District of Lantzville and the RDN? Voyent Alert! allows residents, businesses and visitors to receive messages through an app, text message, voice call or email for critical events such as floods or wildfires. When registering, select the RDN and District of Lantzville if you would like to receive Emergency Alerts. You will only receive notices for the locations you have entered. Registration for the service is FREE, simple and totally anonymous. You can choose how you would like to receive alerts, either through a Mobile App, Email, Text message or Phone Call.

Mobile App Users: Download and install the Voyent Alert! app from the Apple or Google Play app stores.

Register online at voyent-alert.com/ca/community/ to receive email, phone call or text-based alerts. If further assistance is needed to register call 250.390.4111 or 1.877.607.4111 or email emergencyservices@rdn.bc.ca.

According to the Statistics Act, a census must be conducted every five years, and every household in Canada must participate by completing a census questionnaire, either online or on paper. In May 2021, households will receive an invitation letter containing the information required to complete the census questionnaire online (no pre-registration or lengthy download processes are required). Paper questionnaires and alternative format questionnaires (e.g., large print or braille) are available upon request by calling the phone number in the letter.

Call the Municipal Hall at 250.390.4006

if you wish to book an appointment

to speak with Mayor Swain.