The City of Mission made final modifications to its new secondary suites program on Tuesday (Feb. 20) ahead of an information session next week.
At Tuesday’s meeting, council decided on procedures for decommissioning suites.
City staff recommended the removal of a door and doorframe to decommission a suite, in line with other municipalities. The motion was defeated 4-2, with Coun. Danny Plecas and Coun. Mark Davies in favour.
A subsequent motion from Coun. Jag Gill to decommission suites by removing a locked doorknob was carried 5-1 with Plecas opposed.
Gill, who made the same motion at the Jan. 22 meeting, advocated for a “made in Mission” solution.
He said it’s important to maintain privacy for family members staying in decommissioned suites.
“As affordability and homeownership is unattainable for so many people, multi-generational family has come a long way from just the Indo-Canadian culture — I think it’s spanned into every single culture. When we started this program, we asked the community to trust us and it’s important that we trust them,” Gill said.
Plecas says Mission should be consistent with other municipalities.
“I don’t think you’re really decommissioning the suite if you’re just taking out the door handle,” Plecas said.
Mission Mayor Paul Horn said letting little things be little while trying to accomplish big things with the program is necessary.
“The clear idea behind our secondary suite program is to make it possible for more people to be in our homes and house affordably,” Horn said.
The city will host a drop-in style secondary suites information session on Wednesday (Feb. 28) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Best Western ballroom.
Residents will have a chance to learn about the program and ask questions to city staff.
The program has undergone several changes since it launched in late 2023.
Operations of the secondary suite program were halted at the Dec. 18 council meeting after public feedback. It restarted on Jan. 22 with modifications. On Jan. 8, council resolved to lower the annual secondary suite fee to $60 and remove the fee for applying for an exemption to double billing. Under the new modifications, water meter installation is voluntary for all existing registered suites and is not necessary for an exemption.
The city says homeowners who currently have a secondary suite must register regardless of whether their suite was built with or without the proper permits or approvals.
Suites registered after April 2, 2024 will have to conform to applicable bylaws, provincial building standards, and be certified by the city.
Registration can be completed online at: laserfiche.mission.ca/Forms/bSpP1.
