General Purposes Committee Meeting Minutes - March 4, 2002

That the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on Monday, February 18^th, 2002, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

RICHMOND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN DRAFT REPORT
(Report: Feb. 10/02, File No.: 4150-04-01) (REDMS No. 628431)

The Manager, Business Liaison & Development, Marcia Freeman, provided a brief background on the history of the plan now being considered by the Committee. She then introduced Eric Vance, of Eric Vance & Associates, Planning & Management Consultants, and Gordon Harris, of Harris Consulting Inc., Planning & Development Strategists.

Mr. Vance referred to past successes of economic development in the City, and spoke about regional and local trends, issues and opportunities which existed for Richmond. Mr. Harris then briefly reviewed the goals and strategies which comprised the Economic Development Strategic Plan.

Discussion then ensued among Committee members, the delegation and staff on:

whether any members of the Asian business community had been included in the initial discussions and interviews

the role which the Chamber of Commerce would play in directing businesses to the City

the need for the redevelopment of under utilized land

Richmond's envisioned corporate brand image and whether the City had such an image at this time

whether any consideration had been given to creating a blue ribbon committee to provide leadership and advice on the development of the implementation plan

whether the City was providing what businesses required for future economic development

the staff time required to implement and take a proactive approach in the development of the strategy

the involvement of the YVR in the strategy; whether the YVR wished to have assistance from the City to help them meet their challenges; the strategies proposed in the plan to provide support to the Vancouver International Airport Authority (VIAA), such as securing Fifth Freedom rights and whether these strategies should be undertaken without prior analysis

whether any discussions had been held with the (VIAA) on the establishment of a foreign trade zone

the uniqueness of Richmond's labour force (over 50% live and work in the City, and 24% work in Vancouver) and the need to consider this uniqueness in a different perspective because of the challenges which this uniqueness presented

the need to update the report to reflect the current health and education situation; and whether there would still be support for a new community health centre as proposed in the plan

Richmond's Development Cost Charge rates for industrial properties as compared to other municipalities

the status of the Fraserport development project

whether any steps were being taken to provide for the safety of businesses to reduce the threat of robberies

the need to address Richmond's diminishing economic return through more intense use of the remaining, developable industrial and commercial land

Richmond's film industry, and the need to be proactive and support this industry, and to recognize the importance of what that industry was providing to the City

the feasibility of promoting arts, culture, heritage and recreational events as part of tourism and how that could be accomplished

the proposed development of a trade and exhibition centre and the legacy which this facility could provide to the City

the changes occurring in the agricultural industry at the present time, and the impact, if any, which greenhouse farming could have on the City

the fishing industry and whether this industry would continue to generate revenue for the City.

During the discussion on the impact of the film industry in Richmond, Ms. Florence Gordon, representing the Chamber of Commerce, spoke in support of the statements made by Ms. Freeman about supporting this industry.

At the conclusion of the discussion, the delegation was thanked for their presentation, and they then left the meeting.

Discussion continued among Committee members and staff, during which, in response to questions, Ms. Freeman provided the following information:

a report would be submitted to Council within 4 to 6 weeks on a budget and implementation plan for the strategy; and

the budget contained funds for special projects and consulting fees and a modest amount had been allocated for the implementation of the plan; and this amount and its source would be identified in the report to Council.

That the "Economic Development Strategic Plan" (attached to the report dated February 10^th, 2002, from the Manager, Business Liaison & Development), be endorsed; and

That staff prepare a budget and implementation plan for the Immediate Action items (identified in the Executive Summary of the "Economic Development Strategic Plan"), and report to Committee for consideration and approval.

The question on the motion was not called, as discussion took place on how the strategies contained in the plan would be implemented.

The suggestion was made that the same format should be followed as was initiated for the "Richmond Industrial Strategy", which saw the appointment of a blue ribbon committee to develop a new strategy for industrial development.

The suggestion was also made that if the focus of the plan was to be on certain sectors or businesses, then diversification should be considered to ensure that an economic climate was created for good and bad times, and included businesses which did not rely solely on the Richmond market.

Discussion also ensued on whether the Economic Development Strategic Plan should be endorsed as recommended by staff, or simply received for information, to serve as a template for the final document.

As a result of the discussion, the following amendment was introduced:

That Part (1) of the main motion be amended by deleting the words "be endorsed", and by substituting the words "approved in principle".

DEFEATED

OPPOSED: Cllr. Barnes
Greenhill
E. Halsey-Brandt
S. Halsey-Brandt
Kumagai

The question on the main motion was not called, as the request was made that the recommendations be dealt with separately. Staff were also requested to include in the plan (i) the creation of a blue ribbon committee to develop the implementation strategies, and (ii) diversification to ensure that an economic climate was created for good and bad times, which included businesses which did not rely solely on the Richmond market.

The question on Part (1) of the main motion was then called, and it was CARRIED with Cllr. Howard opposed.

The question on Part (2) of the main motion was called, and it was CARRIED.

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Monday, March 4^th, 2002.