AGENDA ADDITION

It was moved and seconded

That Unused Richmond Farmland be added to the agenda as Item No. 3.

CARRIED

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on Monday, December 12, 2011, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT

1.

Vancouver Airport Fuel Delivery Project – Environmental Assessment Update

(File Ref. No.) (REDMS No. 3437242)

With the aid of a rendering, Cecilia Achiam, Interim Director, Sustainability and District Energy, and Robert Gonzalez, General Manager, Engineering and Public Works, reviewed the proposed alternative Highway 99 Pipeline Route.

It was noted that members of the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) Working Group were holding a meeting on January 24, 2012, and that the Vancouver Airport Fuel Facility Corporation (VAFFC) was holding an independent public information and comment session for the proposed Vancouver Airport Fuel Delivery Project (VAFD) on Saturday, January 28, 2012 between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. at the East Richmond Community Hall. 

A discussion then ensued about the following:

·      

staff’s recommendation that the City engage with the provincial Ministry of Transportation on the review of issues related to the proposed Highway 99 route;

·      

protocol outlined in the Port Metro Vancouver’s documents for ships that travel in the Fraser River area;

·      

the process for submitting comments to the BC Environmental Assessment Office (BCEAO).  It was noted that petitions were counted as one objection regardless of the number of signatures, and that members of the public were now being encouraged to make individual submissions;

·      

concerns related to the possible conflict of interest with respect to the Port Metro Vancouver conducting the water study, as the Port would financially benefit from the Proposal;

·      

concerns that the VAFFC public information and comment session appears to focus only on the proposed Highway 99 route and does not seem to address concerns related to tankers in the Fraser River or the proposed jet fuel loading and storage facility;

·      

the role of the City as a participant with no authority in the final decision related to the matter.  It was noted that Council’s position in opposition to the VAFD Project has been reiterated and very clearly documented on the BCEAO website; 

·      

how staff’s participation within the EAO Working Group enables the City’s voice to be heard with the Ministers of Environment at the provincial and federal levels as well as other groups;

·      

Richmond Fire Rescue’s concerns related to the emergency response and risks associated with the VAFD proposal.  Reference was made to a memo from the Deputy Chief, Operations, dated October 13, 2011.  A copy of the memo is attached as Schedule 1 and forms part of these minutes;

·      

seeking the support of other groups that are opposed to the VAFD Proposal; and

·      

how thus far Council and Committee meetings have been the forum for the public to voice their opposition, and Council may consider a separate forum such as enabling the public to make submissions online.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That having reviewed the Vancouver Airport Fuel Delivery (VAFD) proposed Highway 99 Addendum pipeline route option, the City reiterate its position by stating that City Council continues to be opposed to the transportation of jet fuel on any arm of the Fraser River;

(2)

That the City continue to participate in the EAO and Oil and Gas Commission processes;

(3)

That the City engage with the provincial Ministry of Transportation on the review of issues related to the Highway 99 route proposal.

(4)

That letters be sent to Port Metro Vancouver requesting a meeting regarding the dangers related to tanker traffic on the Fraser River as well as the offloading and storage of jet fuel; and

(5)

That staff be directed to enable correspondence reflecting citizen opinion, including mail and emails received, to be forwarded to the VAFFC, BCEAO, the Provincial Minister of Environment, and Port Metro Vancouver.

CARRIED

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT & FACILITY MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT

2.

Richmond Olympic Oval – Legacy Conversion Update

(File Ref. No. 06-2050-20-ROO/Vol 01) (REDMS No. 3420098 v.3)

Greg Scott, Director, Project Development, accompanied by John Mills, General Manager, Richmond Olympic Oval, noted that the amenities table on page 4 of staff report (GP-38) required corrections to replace the word “revenue” to “funding” for the scoring and display budget line item and the contingency budget line item. 

A discussion took place, and the following was noted:

·      

the proposed permanent cafe would be viable as it would be inline with the current traffic at the Oval;

·      

the principal location of the cafe would be on the ground level, with capacity to deal with events on the activity level when warranted; 

·      

the types of food that would be served at the cafe would include healthy food choices such as salads, sandwiches and healthier versions of pizza;

·      

feedback from Oval users indicates that the Oval requires a food facility; and

·      

the Oval receives approximately 1500 visits per day, as well as large numbers of visitors at events on weekends.

It was moved and seconded

That the adjustment of the remaining legacy conversion projects and funding as outlined in the staff report entitled “Richmond Olympic Oval – Legacy Conversion Update” dated January 13, 2012, by the Director, Project Development, be approved.

CARRIED

3.

UNUSED RICHMOND FARMLAND

Reference was made to an email from Councillor Harold Steves and an application by the Food Security Group to the Real Estate Foundation regarding a study on the availability of unused Richmond farmland for farming.  A copy of email and application is attached as Schedule 2 and forms part of these minutes.

It was moved and seconded

That staff investigate and report back on the application by the Food Security Group to the Real Estate Foundation on the availability of private unused Richmond farmland for farming.

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:57 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, January 16, 2012.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie

Chair

Shanan Dhaliwal

Executive Assistant

City Clerk’s Office