MINUTES

1.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on Monday, April 16^th, 2007, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

DELEGATION

2.

Tracy Lakeman, Executive Director, Tourism Richmond, to present their marketing and visitor servicing activities and audited financial reports for 2006.

Ms. Tracy Lakeman, Executive Director, introduced Mr. Andy Shimizu, Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee, of Tourism Richmond.  Mr. Shimizu then spoke about the general financial management of Tourism Richmond.

Ms. Lakeman then referred to the material which had been circulated to the Committee (a copy of which is on file in the City Clerk’s Office), and commented on:

·            

the Visitor’s Guide which had been prepared for 2007, along with a map which highlighted different attractions within the City,

·            

the rationale for reasons to visit Richmond

·            

the focus of the marketing and advertising campaign

·            

media relations/media familiarization tours

·            

the financial impact to the City resulting from delegates to local conferences

·            

the areas of opportunity and growth which exist for the City, including the Asian market

·            

the increase in growth of Chinese travel.

Discussion then took place among Committee members and the delegation on

·            

the bid books which had been developed from 2006 to the present for events being put on by various organizations to allow Tourism Richmond to host the event; whether these groups were Richmond-based; and the hosting opportunities which had resulted

·            

whether there were any outside organizations which would like to hold their conferences in the City

·            

the importance of becoming a gateway and destination city, and the opportunities which were being developed

·            

the rationale for those bids which were lost

·            

the focus of the 2007 visitor’s guide on the leisure sector with specific reference to the City’s heritage, and the opportunities which could be provided to market Richmond to the heritage industry

·            

the “Golden Village” and the opportunity which this area offered as a tourist destination to visitors from Asian countries

·            

the impact of the Canada Line on the City

·            

the feasibility of including public art locations on the map

·            

the role of Tourism Richmond in developing markets and tourist destinations

·            

the availability of Tourism Richmond publications on the various BC Ferries ships

·            

the importance of trade shows and the economic spin-offs which could result.

During the discussion, reference was made to the need for the ability to measure progress and the importance of benchmarking, and the request was made for information on growth and economic benefit to the City for the past five years. 

In concluding the Tourism Richmond presentation, Ms. Lakeman extended an invitation to the Committee to participate in the type of familiarization tour which would be held for the media, etc.

The Chair thanked the delegation for an interesting report, and they then left the meeting.

BUSINESS & FINANCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT

17

3.

Mad Greek Restaurant Ltd. doing business as Mad Greek Restaurant at 7260 Westminster Highway, Richmond
Food-Primary Liquor Licence Amendment - Change to Hours of Sale & Patron Participation Entertainment Endorsement

(Report:  Apr. 16/07, File No.:  12-8275-30-01) (REDMS No. 2151959)

It was moved and seconded

That the following amendments to the Food-Primary liquor licence held by Mad Greek Restaurant located at 7260 Westminster Highway,:

(1)

Change of hours of sale from the current 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. Sundays through Mondays to 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m. Sundays through Mondays

(2)

Patron Participation Endorsement (entertainment must end by midnight)

be supported (for the reasons outlined in the report dated April 16^th, 2007, from the Manager, Business Liaison), and  that a Letter of Resolution be forwarded to the Manager of the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch in support of the amendments.

CARRIED

PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT

4.

SISTER CITY VISITS TO CHINA AND PIERREFONDS

(Report:  Apr. 20/07, File No.:  01-0135-04-01; xr: 01-0100-20-SCIT1-01/2007-Vol 01) (REDMS No. 2179276)

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That a staff representative be approved to accompany the Sister City delegation to Pierrefonds for the 40th anniversary celebration at a cost up to $1,600 with funds to come from Council Contingency;

(2)

That Councillor Bill McNulty be appointed to attend the investigative trip, with funds to come from the Sister City sponsorship money;

(3)

That a staff representative be approved to accompany the Sister City delegation on the investigative trip to China at a cost up to $11,150 with funds to come from Council Contingency;

(4)

That a staff representative be approved to accompany the Sister City delegation on the November trip to China at a cost up to $8,400 with funds to come from Council Contingency.

The question on the motion was not called, as questions were raised about the necessity of having a staff person accompany the Sister City delegation to Pierrefonds, Quebec.  Also addressed was the use of sponsorship money and whether this money should be allocated on a more equitable basis amongst those people who would be participating in the investigative trip to China.

In response, advice was given that it was not necessary to have a staff member accompany the delegation to Pierrefonds.  With regard to the sponsorship funds, information was provided that the Sister City Committee had entered into relationships with various organizations to offset the costs of the various trips being proposed, and that in this case, the sponsorship funds would be used to offset the cost of those Sister City Committee members who would be participating in the trips, as well as the Council member.

As a result of the discussion, it was agreed that Part (1) of the main motion would be deleted in its entirety; that Part (2) would be amended to delete the words “with funds to come from the Sister City sponsorship money”, and that the following would be added as the new Parts (4) and (5) respectively,

“(4)

That Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie and Councillors Linda Barnes and Cynthia Chen be authorized to participate in the November trip to China; and

(5)

That staff comment on the apportionment of sponsorship and other funds for the various trips.”

The question was then called on the following amended motion,

“(1)

That Councillor Bill McNulty be appointed to attend the investigative trip;

(2)

That a staff representative be approved to accompany the Sister City delegation on the investigative trip to China at a cost up to $11,150 with funds to come from Council Contingency;

(3)

That a staff representative be approved to accompany the Sister City delegation on the November trip to China at a cost up to $8,400 with funds to come from Council Contingency;

(4)

That Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie, and Councillors Linda Barnes and Cynthia Chen be authorized to participate in the November trip to China; and

(5)

That staff comment on the apportionment of sponsorship and other funds for the various trips.”,

and it was CARRIED.

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

5.

TRANSLINK GOVERNANCE REVIEW PANEL – REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

(Report:  April 25, 2007, File No.:  01-0154-01) (REDMS No. 2089476)

The Director of Transportation, Victor Wei, provided a brief summary of what had transpired since the announcement on March 8^th, 2007, by the Minister of Transportation that a panel had been appointed to conduct a review of the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (TransLink).

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the BC Minister of Transportation be requested to incorporate the following suggested enhancements into the finalization of the proposed changes to the governance and funding structure of TransLink:

(a)

include social and environmental expertise within the new TransLink Board of Directors to ensure a balanced consideration of all impacts to achieve sustainability in all future regional transportation decisions;

(b)

provide sufficient opportunity for the Council of Mayors to be consulted on the development of the terms of reference of the TransLink Commissioner, the 30-year provincial vision and the 10-year strategic plan, as well as the 3-year operating plan, as the latter plan can have direct impacts on municipal capital and operating budgets;

(c)

confirm that regional land use and growth management plans are criteria in the assessment and approval of the 10-year strategic plan by the Council of Mayors and/or its appointed TransLink Commissioner;

(d)

that further consideration be given to opportunities and mechanisms that would reduce the reliance on property taxes as a primary revenue source, such as:

(i)

the provision of an equitable funding source drawn from the entire province to support the provincial vision and recognize the contribution of the regional transportation system to the provincial economy; and

(ii)

allow any Federal Government transfers to offset property tax increases, not just fare increases as recommended by the report;

(e)

validate and, if necessary, adjust the financial projections based on the proposed expanded transportation service region under the new revenue structure to ensure revenues and expenditures are kept balanced over the long-term;

(f)

that the mechanism for determining the financial contributions and service levels for the new added service regions be structured consistently and equitably across all municipalities of the entire service region; and

(g)

that any future expansion of the service region include non local government jurisdictions, such as the Vancouver International Airport Authority road network, including Russ Baker Way and the Arthur Laing Bridge.

(2)

That the above letter be copied to all municipalities affected by the proposed expanded transportation service region, TransLink and the Greater Vancouver Regional District. 

The question on the motion was not called, as discussion took place among Committee members and staff on:

·            

whether the Council of Councils would have as much influence under the new governance structure as it currently did

·            

the powers of the new TransLink Board of Directors and the Council of Mayors

·            

possible sources of revenue for transportation initiatives, such as increasing property taxes

·            

options which would be available if for some reason, the Council of Mayors could not agree on a transit plan for the next year

·            

the decision making process

·            

the need for development of a regional transportation plan and criteria

·            

whether there was still time to provide the Minister of Transportation with potential changes to the new structure

·            

the need for key stakeholders, including transit users, to be included within the new TransLink Board of Directors

·            

the inadequacy of the previous TransLink Board structure and the new proposal

In concluding the discussion, the Chair talked about (i) the need to work with the proposed new structure; (ii) the problems referred to by the Provincial Government with respect to TransLink; (iii) the successes of TransLink which included an increase in the provision of transit services to the Lower Mainland; (iv) the lack of the three Provincial appointees to the TransLink Board of Directors; and (v) the failure of the vehicle levy.  Mayor Brodie also voiced concern about some of the failures which had been charged to TransLink.

The question on the motion was then called, and it was CARRIED.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:49 p.m.).

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, May 7^th, 2007.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie
Chair

Fran J. Ashton
Executive Assistant, City Clerk’s Office