2SLGBTQ+ Advisory Committee

The mandate of the 2SLGBTQ+ Committee is to advise Council and staff on enhancing access and inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender diverse, Two-Spirit and queer communities to fully participate in City services and civic life.

Meeting updates

Meetings may be convened by electronic means as authorized by Section 14.14 of the Procedure By-law. Advisory Bodies may elect to conduct their meetings in person, by electronic means, or as a hybrid of the two.

If attending in person, please continue to respect the personal space of others.

Virtual meetings use Cisco WebEx Events. No software download is required. In the event of a virtual meeting, use the link below to view the meeting live through your web browser.

A link to join the live meeting broadcast is posted 24 hours in advance of the meeting.

Next meeting: Thursday, January 18, 2024

Online meeting password: 5428

Join the meeting: (link provided closer to meeting date)

Join by phone (audio only)

1-604-646-8916
1-855-699-3239 (Canada - toll free)

Access code: (code provided closer to meeting date)

Consent - Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy

To view or participate in meetings virtually, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information outside Canada as described below. The City of Vancouver collects your personal information in accordance with section 26(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for purposes of organizing and administering advisory body meetings. For virtual advisory body meetings, your contact information will be shared with the City’s web conferencing provider, Cisco WebEx. Information submitted to WebEx will be stored on servers in the United States and may be accessed in the United States or internationally for technical support purposes. If you have questions about the collection of this information, please contact the director of access to information and privacy by emailing privacy@vancouver.ca or mailing a letter to 453 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Y 1V4.

Following the meeting, minutes will be posted online and can be found in the ‘Meetings’ tab below.

Mandate and scope

Advises Council and staff on enhancing access and inclusion for Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities to fully participate in City services, and civic life
Works with staff to ensure that city facilities and events are accessible for people who identify outside the gender binary
Works collaboratively with counterparts from other civic agencies to identify opportunities for joint action on issues of mutual interest
Works co-operatively with external agencies and groups whose activities affect constituent communities
Engages in outreach to disseminate information and encourage participation from constituent communities

Meeting and administrative procedures

The 2SLGBTQ+ Advisory Committee holds six regular meetings per year, in addition to working sessions generally scheduled during intervening months throughout the year.
Type A Advisory Committees may, at their discretion, establish sub-committees focused on relevant topics of interest, non-members may participate in sub-committees and attend regular meetings if invited.
A member who is absent from more than two consecutive regular meetings without a leave of absence is deemed to have resigned.

Remuneration

Type A Advisory Committee members and alternate members are eligible to receive reimbursement for certain meeting-related expenses.
Non-member subcommittee participants are not eligible to receive reimbursement.
A light meal will be provided to Type A Advisory Committee members attending in-person regular meetings held over lunch or dinner hours.

Eligibility

Persons appointed to a Type A Advisory Committee shall meet the following essential criteria:

Not be employed by the City of Vancouver
Live or work in Vancouver, or have a significant body of experience with issues related to the mandate of the advisory body in Vancouver
Have connections to relevant communities, groups, and/or organizations in Vancouver
Be able to demonstrate relevant experience or knowledge, abilities, and skills related to the mandate of the advisory body
Be able to work in a team environment with intercultural sensitivity

Term limit

Beginning in 2019, no member of the public shall serve for more than eight consecutive years on the same Type A Advisory Committee. A former member is eligible for reappointment after one year of non-membership.

Full guidelines

2SLGBTQ+ Advisory Committee Full Terms of Reference (160 KB)

Members

Appointments end December 31, 2024

Saif Al Shamaa
Eddy Elmer
Mathew Fleury
Tara Fraser
Hana Hata
Tristan Lai
Ilaine Marjoribanks
Chris Morrissey
Bradley Sarandi
Taylor Scott
Viplav Subramanian
Michael Yus

Liaisons

Councillor Rebecca Bligh, Council Liaison
Councillor Peter Meiszner, Council Liaison
Staff Liaison: Sonmin Bong, Equity Consultant

Terms and Membership Composition

Persons appointed to a Type A Advisory Committee shall meet the following essential criteria:

Not be employed by the City of Vancouver;
Live or work in Vancouver, or have a significant body of experience with issues related to the mandate of the advisory body in Vancouver;
Have connections to relevant communities, groups, and/or organizations in Vancouver;
Be able to demonstrate relevant experience or knowledge, abilities and skills related to the mandate of the advisory body;
Be able to work in a team environment with intercultural sensitivity.

Composition:

Up to 12 members of the public (quorum is a majority of appointed members) with at least 50% being self-identified women and/or non-binary, genderfluid, trans, Two-Spirit, or gender non-conforming, and one seat reserved for an Indigenous person which may not be filled otherwise;
Greater than 50% of said members’ seats shall be filled by people who identify as members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community;
Up to 2 non-voting Council liaisons (appointed by Mayor);
Up to 2 non-voting staff liaisons (appointed by City Manager).
1 non-voting Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioner liaison and/or staff liaison (optional);
1 non-voting Vancouver School Board Trustee liaison( optional);
1 non-voting Vancouver Public Library staff liaison (optional);
1 non-voting Vancouver Police Department staff liaison (optional).

Length of term:

Term ends immediately before the first Monday after November 1 in the year of a general local election. However, no regular meeting shall be held between the last day of the nomination period and general voting day.
Members are appointed until December 31, 2024, at which point appointments are automatically renewable to the end of the term, and recruitment shall be conducted to fill any vacancies arising.
Beginning in 2019, no member of the public shall serve in more than eight consecutive years on the same Type A Advisory Committee. A former member is eligible for reappointment after one year of non-membership.

Volunteer opportunities will be posted on the City’s vacancies webpage when available.

In addition to the regular meetings listed here, the Committee also meets several times per year for informal working sessions. Please contact the Meeting Coordinator for more information.