October 21, 2013 - Minutes
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General Purposes Committee
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Date: |
Monday, October 21, 2013 |
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Place: |
Anderson Room |
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Present: |
Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie, Chair |
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Absent: |
Councillor Bill McNulty |
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Call to Order: |
The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. |
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MINUTES |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on Monday, October 7, 2013, be adopted as circulated. |
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CARRIED |
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DELEGATIONS |
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1. |
With the aid of a PowerPoint presentation (copy on file, City Clerk’s Office) Jeff Norris, Chief Advancement Officer, Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), provided an update to Committee on construction and expansion plans at Kwantlen’s Richmond campus highlighting the following: |
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the Richmond campus has approximately 9,000 students annually with the physical space reaching 104% capacity; |
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programming includes Academic and Career Advancement, Arts, Applied Business, Traditional and Modern Technology Sciences (including the farm school and sustainable food systems program), and Design; |
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during the past year, KPU has undertaken renovations to the library, added a new conference centre, and opened up the main public spaces; |
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site preparation for the 50,000 sq. ft. expansion for the Chip and Shannon Wilson School of Design will begin in the next several weeks with a scheduled opening in July 2015; |
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when the School of Design is completed it will allow expansion of the balance of programming within the existing building; |
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an annual minimum growth of 5% is projected for the next five years bringing the annual student body at KPU Richmond to 12,000; |
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KPU has applied to be a centre for Traditional Chinese Medicine and are eagerly awaiting the decision from the Province; and |
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in an effort to eliminate barriers for International students, KPU will be seeking expressions of interest for a minimum 600 bed residential facility, located either on-site or a nearby property, within the next year. |
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A brief discussion then took place and the following additional information was provided: |
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KPU will be promoting their programming through extensive advertising and by targeting career fairs and non-traditional audiences; |
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the partnership with the City will be critical regarding the development of a portion of the Garden City lands for the farm school; |
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the proposed expansion has been designed to meet high energy efficiency standards; and |
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the submission to the Province proposed a two-year diploma program in Traditional Chinese Medicine that could expand to a four year degree program in the future. |
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ENGINEERING & PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT |
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2. |
Annual Report from City Citizen Representatives to the Vancouver International Airport Aeronautical Noise Management Committee (YVR ANMC) |
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Victor Wei, Director Transportation, and Margot Spronk, Richmond Representative to the Committee, were present to answer questions. |
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In response to queries, Mr. Wei advised that Transport Canada requires YVR to consult with stakeholders and regulators for any proposed amendments to the Noise Abatement Procedures. The recommendation for prior approval requirements to be applicable to jet aircraft over 34,000 kg will mean fewer departures during the night. The repeated complaints from a Richmond resident is due to the confusion between pre-flight checks conducted at the discretion of a pilot before taking off and the run-ups which are scheduled maintenance checks conducted in the ground run-up area. Expectations may be that with the implementation of the ground run-up area that jet engine noise would be eliminated. |
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Committee suggested that YVR consider including a permanent site at the proposed outlet mall for educating the general public on airport related issues. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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(1) |
That staff be directed to explore the recommendations of the City’s citizen representatives to the YVR ANMC as outlined in Attachment 1 and provide a status update as part of the annual reporting process in 2014; and |
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(2) |
That the reporting to General Purposes Committee of the City’s citizen representatives to the YVR ANMC be revised from semi-annually to annually in light of the reduced YVR ANMC meeting frequency. |
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CARRIED |
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CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE |
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3. |
Draft Federal Policy - Additions To Reserve/Reserve Creation |
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Amarjeet Rattan, Director, Intergovernmental Relations & Protocol Unit, was available to answer questions. |
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Discussion ensued regarding concerns with the proposed draft Federal Policy particularly as it applies to Additions to Reserves (ATR) being near and ‘generally contiguous’ to an existing reserve to now being ‘non-contiguous’ land. ATR would not be subject to taxes or local Official Community Plans and Zoning Bylaws. The proposed policy would be a tremendous threat to agricultural lands within Richmond. |
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Mr. Rattan advised that informal requests were extended from the Federal Government to UBCM and Metro Vancouver to provide feedback on the proposed policy. Currently, non-contiguous land acquisitions by First Nations do not become reserve land. Under the proposed policy any lands purchased, contiguous or non-contiguous, by First Nations could become reserve land. Mr. Rattan noted that the Tsawwassen First Nations is a Treaty Nation to which the ATR policy would not apply; however, the ATR policy would apply to the other First Nations. The proposed policy is vague in terms of consultation with Local Governments concerning a reserve creation proposal. |
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Further discussion ensued regarding the need for the policy to clearly define dispute processes. In the past the land value of Additions to Reserves increased as farm land was redeveloped into residential uses. Similar increases in the value of agricultural land could be expected should this proposed policy be adopted. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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(1) |
That Council endorse Metro Vancouver’s comments with respect to the Draft Federal Policy on Additions to Reserve/Reserve Creation, as outlined in their September 2013 review prepared by the Metro Vancouver Aboriginal Relations Committee (Attachment 2); and |
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(2) |
That Council write to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada expressing the City’s strong concerns with the Draft Federal Policy on Additions-to-Reserve/Reserve Creation, and copies be sent to MP Kerry- Lynne Findlay, MP Alice Wong, FCM, Raymond Louie, Second Vice-President of FCM, UBCM and the Metro Vancouver Board. (Attachment 4). |
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CARRIED |
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3A. |
Smartcentres application |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the SmartCentre Application be referred to staff to ask for comments from the Advisory Committee on the Environment (ACE) and the Economic Advisory Committee and report back for the Public Hearing. |
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CARRIED |
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ADJOURNMENT |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the meeting adjourn (4:57 p.m.). |
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CARRIED |
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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, October 21, 2013. |
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_________________________________ |
_________________________________ |
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Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie |
Heather Howey |
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