City Council Meeting Recap: November 4, 2025

The following is a recap of the City of St. John's Regular Council Meeting on November 4, 2025, which provides an overview of Council decisions. All related documents for the decisions outlined below and the full agenda from the meeting are available by clicking the button below. 

Council Meeting Video, Agenda & Documents

Establishment of St. John's Local Immigration Partnership (SJLIP) Partnership Council  

Council was asked to approve the establishment of the St. John’s Local Immigration Partnership (LIP) Partnership Council, as required under the City’s funding agreement with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The Partnership Council will serve as an advisory body to guide strategic priorities, support collaboration across sectors, and help improve settlement and integration outcomes for newcomers.

Decision: Approved unanimously.

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Development Applications:

Development applications are formal requests submitted to the City of St. John's by individuals, businesses, or developers seeking approval for projects that involve land use, building construction, or changes to property. These applications require council approvals and ensure that proposed developments comply with the City’s Envision St. John’s Development Regulations.

The following development applications were reviewed at the meeting:

Planning Applications:

A planning application is a formal request to amend the Envision St. John's Municipal Plan and/or City’s Envision St. John’s Development Regulations. This would include applications to rezone or change the text in the Municipal Plan or Development Regulations. An amendment can be initiated by city staff, City Council, or a property owner.

Active applications can be viewed on the Planning St. John's webpage, which allows the public to learn more about planning applications, track progress, give feedback and ask questions and view upcoming public meetings all in one place. 

The following planning applications were reviewed at the meeting:

Ratification of E-polls

• Travel Authorization: Council approved travel costs for Mayor Danny Breen to attend and speak at the Atlantic Real Estate Forum 2025 in Halifax on November 4, 2025. The event is a major gathering of real estate executives and investors and provides an opportunity to promote St. John’s as a competitive location for investment and development. Mayor Breen would participate in a keynote roundtable highlighting municipal strengths in supporting growth, housing, and investment. The Forum has been endorsed by senior staff as an effective venue to promote the city. Mayor Breen did not attend due to weather. 
• Insurance Policy Renewal: Council approved the renewal of the City’s insurance policies and payment of premiums and broker fees for 2025–2026, as negotiated by AON. The City’s insurance covers multiple entities and risks, including liability, fleet, property, environmental and crime. While market conditions and service fee increases raised some costs, reductions in auto and transit fleet premiums resulted in a total proposed premium of $2,790,491 — approximately $70,000 less than last year. Reducing coverage was considered but not recommended due to increased risk exposure.

Special Events Regulatory Committee

Council was asked to approve several temporary road closures in November. These include:

• A brief rolling closure on November 6 for the Atlantic Women in Law Enforcement Parade near Government House.

• Closures and rolling closures on November 11 for the Royal Canadian Legion Remembrance Day Parade and Ceremony downtown.

• A road closure on Linegar Avenue in Shea Heights for the community Remembrance Day Parade on November 11.

• A closure of Blackhead Crescent on November 11 for filming of the TV series Saint Pierre, with local and emergency access maintained.

• A closure of Danny Drive and Beaumont Hamel Way on November 12 for additional filming of Saint Pierre, also maintaining local and emergency access.

Traffic control will be provided, local and emergency traffic will be allowed, and nearby businesses will be notified. All closures aim to support event safety while maintaining necessary access where possible.

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Rowan Place Parking Update

Council was asked to approve an update to the Rowan Place parking program. When KMK Capital developed the Rowan Place apartments, 22 on-street spaces were designated for their residents under a temporary permit arrangement to prevent overflow parking. The spaces have not been needed, and the grace-period agreement will end on November 1, 2025. Staff recommend converting these permit spaces to regular paid parking, consistent with other parking in Rowan Place and Churchill Square.

Decision: Approved unanimously.

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Permits Issued

Council was provided with a list of Development Permits and Building Permits issued since the last council meeting for their information. 

• Development Permit List 
• Building Permit List 

Weekly Payment Vouchers

Council approved the weekly payment vouchers for the weeks ending October 22 and October 29.

Proclamations

The below proclamations took place at the meeting. All proclamations are also shared on our website.

View Proclamations