April 2, 2013 - Minutes

Date:

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Place:

Anderson Room
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Evelina Halsey-Brandt, Acting Chair

Councillor Chak Au
Councillor Derek Dang
Councillor Ken Johnston
Councillor Bill McNulty
Councillor Linda McPhail
Councillor Harold Steves

Absent:

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie
Councillor Linda Barnes

Call to Order:

The Acting Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on Monday, March 18, 2013, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT

1.

Imperial Landing Lot H Infill Feasibility

(File Ref. No. 11-7200-01/2013) (REDMS No. 3817287)

Mike Redpath, Senior Manager, Parks and John Irving, Director, Engineering were available to answer questions.  A brief discussion ensued, during which Mr. Redpath provided rationale on how the staff report addresses the cost implications of infilling the City owned portion of Lot H only, and does not provide information related to infilling the related crown lands. 

Upon conclusion of the discussion, staff was directed to review all previous Council referrals related to this matter, and to report back to the next Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Committee meeting for further direction on the previous referrals.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled Imperial Landing Lot H Infill Feasibility dated March 11, 2013 from the General Manager, Community Services and General Manager, Engineering and Public Works be received for information.

CARRIED

2.

2012 Richmond Film Office Annual Report

(File Ref. No. 11-7400-01/2013) (REDMS No. 38018577 v.3)

Sandi Swanigan, Manager, Major Events and Film, accompanied by Jodie Shebib, Film and Major Events Liaison, noted that the general public session for residents and businesses on “How to be a Location for Film” will be held at the Steveston Community Centre on April 17, 2013, at 6:30 p.m.

A discussion then ensued about how the filming revenues mentioned in the staff report offset expenditures that have already been incurred by various departments in order to support filming, and therefore are not considered as revenue.  

Discussion also took place about an incident in Steveston on a day that filming was taking place.  It was noted that: (i) every parking stall along Moncton Street had an orange cone to indicate that it had been closed off to the public; (ii) the parking closures were observed in morning hours, and the stalls were left as closed all day, even though filming did not commence until that afternoon; and (iii) some local businesses had expressed concerns that they do not generate revenues on days where filming is taking place as there is no parking, and closing off parking stalls directly fronting the businesses creates a perception that the businesses themselves are closed as well. 

In response to the above noted concerns, staff advised that (i) they would follow up with the film company, as the no-parking signs should be removed if filming is not taking place; and (ii) staff does not generally receive complaints against the film companies as businesses that suffer losses as a result of filming, generally deal directly with the film companies. 

Upon conclusion of the discussion, staff was requested to provide a follow-up memo to members of Council regarding the incident along Moncton Street.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled 2012 Richmond Film Office Annual Report from the Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage Services, dated March 16, 2013 be received for information.

CARRIED

FINANCE & CORPORATE SERVICES DEPARTMENT

3.

Energy Retrofit Program for Low-Income Household

(File Ref. No.) (REDMS No. 3807671 v.2)

Cecilia Achiam, Director, Administration and Compliance, briefly reviewed the components of the Energy Savings Kits (ESK) and noted that all related costs are incurred by the companies providing the various components.

It was moved and seconded

That the strategy outlined in the staff report from the Director, Administration and Compliance, titled Energy Retrofit Program for Low-Income Households dated March 20, 2013, be endorsed.

CARRIED

LAW & COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT

4.

Fee and Enforcement Options for Soil Removal and Deposit Activities in the Agricultural Land Reserve

(File Ref. No. 12-8080-12-01) (REDMS No. 3790498 v. 29)

Edward Warzel, Manager, Community Bylaws was available to answer questions.  A discussion ensued about the importance of including local farmers, Agricultural Land Reserve property owners and members of the community in the consultation process in addition to the City’s Agricultural Advisory Committee.  Various methods for conducting the consultation process, were also discussed, which included the possibility of setting up a page on the City’s website for public comments, sending correspondence to all those that may be impacted by the issue, and conducting meetings with staff at City Hall.   

Lorne Slye, 11911 3^rd Avenue, expressed concerns about the impact on farmland as a result of inappropriate fill, and stated his view that every resident in the community should be invited to participate in the public consultation process. 

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the proposed enhancements to the City’s permit and enforcement processes for soil management in the Agricultural Land Reserve, as presented in the staff report titled Fee and Enforcement Options for Soil Removal and Deposit Activities in the Agricultural Land Reserve from the General Manager, Law & Community Safety dated February 22, 2013, be approved in principle for the purpose of consultation;

(2)

That the staff report be forwarded to the City’s Agricultural Advisory Committee for comment; and

(3)

That staff prepare a public consultation process which takes into consideration comments received from the Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC), and includes farmers, Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) land owners, and members of the public. 

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:33 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 Tuesday, April 2, 2013.

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Councillor Evelina Halsey-Brandt
Acting Chair

Shanan Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Executive Assistant
City Clerk’s Office