April 20, 2015 - Minutes

Date:

Monday, April 20, 2015

Place:

Anderson Room
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie, Chair
Councillor Derek Dang
Councillor Carol Day
Councillor Ken Johnston
Councillor Alexa Loo
Councillor Linda McPhail
Councillor Harold Steves

Absent:

Councillor Chak Au
Councillor Bill McNulty

Call to Order:

The 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 Tuesday, April 7, 2015, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

DELEGATION

1.

With the aid of a PowerPoint presentation, Zoran Knezevic, President and CEO, Port Alberni Port Authority, accompanied by Dave McCormick, Director of Public Relations and Business Development, Port Alberni Port Authority and Ron Crema, Chair of the Port Alberni Port Authority Board, presented on the Port Alberni Trans-shipment Hub project.

Mr. Knezevic spoke on the current container shipping flow and stated that the Port Alberni Trans-shipment Hub (PATH) is anticipated to receive container ships directly from Asia, offload cargo, which is then sorted and delivered to the end user by barge to the closest and most efficient point for the final leg of the trip.

Mr. McCormick highlighted that a third party environmental assessment indicates that the PATH would result in environmental benefits by decreasing the number of kilometres travelled by container transport trucks, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions; also, it would protect Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) land from future development for warehouse and industrial uses as existing paved areas, such as large parking lots, would be utilized for distribution.  In addition, the PATH would alleviate traffic congestions on routes utilized by container transport trucks.

Mr. McCormick stated that the Port Alberni Port Authority is seeking Council’s support for the PATH in an effort to catalyze the project.

In reply to queries from Committee, Mr. Knezevic described the typical operations of the PATH, noting that it would funnel containers to and from deepsea vessels to warehouses and other facilities up the Fraser River and even as far as Tacoma and Seattle, Washington.  Also, Mr. McCormick stated that the PATH model reduces the risk of accidents as it cuts down on the number of kilometres travelled by container transport trucks.

Mr. Knezevic spoke on the PATH Feasibility Study, noting the Port Alberni Port Authority is seeking investors and partners to fund the $1.7 billion project, and commented on the importance of political support to launch the project.  Also, he stated that the project is anticipated to increase Canada’s GDP by $21.3 billion.

Mr. Knezevic stated that the Port Alberni Port Authority is parallel to Port Metro Vancouver with the exception of the volume of goods they each move.  Also, he commented on discussions with Port Metro Vancouver in regards to the PATH, noting that the project presents an opportunity for various organizations to work together.

With regard to the Port Alberni Port Authority Board, Mr. Crema stated that of the seven Directors, one is appointed by each the federal, provincial, and local government, with the remainder shortlisted by a nominating committee for submission to the Minister of Transport Canada.

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

It was moved and seconded

That the Port Alberni Trans-shipment Hub project be referred to staff for analysis and report back.

CARRIED

FINANCE AND CORPORATE SERVICES DIVISION

2.

Richmond Business Development Program – 2014 Results
(File Ref. No.) (REDMS No. 4525733)

Neonila Lilova, Manager, Economic Development, provided background information and highlighted that as a result of the City’s Business Development Program, fDI Magazine, for the third consecutive year, has ranked Richmond as a top 10 small city in the Americas.

In reply to queries from Committee, Ms. Lilova and Katie Ferland, Business Development Liaison, provided the following information:

§   

the Economic Development Office has partnered with TravelSmart to launch a new initiative aimed at exploring alternative transportation solutions to remote business parks;

§   

although the business outreach campaign targets large businesses, staff are pleased to work with any Richmond business; and

§   

costs associated with implementation of the Richmond Business Development Program are included in the existing economic development departmental budget.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled Richmond Business Development Program – 2014 Results, dated April 2, 2015, from the Director, Administration and Compliance, presenting the analysis and outcomes from Richmond’s ongoing annual business retention, expansion and attraction program for 2014 be received for information.

CARRIED

LAW & COMMUNITY SAFETY DIVISION

3.

Soil Management in the Agricultural Land Reserve
(File Ref. No. 12-8060-01) (REDMS No. 4118531 v. 17)

In reply to queries from Committee, Ed Warzel, Manager, Community Bylaws, advised that staff anticipate that the proposed bylaw amendments will result in greater compliance with regard to soil management in the ALR.  Also, he noted that staff work with an Agrologist on complex soil investigations.

Mr. Warzel spoke to the adjudication process, noting that the process is voluntary; when one enters the adjudication process, there is agreement that the adjudicator’s ruling is final; an appeal to such ruling would be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled Soil Management in the Agricultural Land Reserve, dated April 16, 2015, from the General Manager, Law and Community Safety, and the proposed Soil Removal and Fill Deposit Regulation Bylaw No. 8094, Amendment Bylaw No. 9002 and Notice of Bylaw Violation Dispute Adjudication Bylaw No. 8122, Amendment Bylaw No. 9003 be provided to the Agricultural Advisory Committee for comment.

CARRIED

COMMUNITY SERVICES DIVISION

4.

Name Selection for the City's New Multicultural Festival
(File Ref. No. 11-7400-01) (REDMS No. 4553283)

It was moved and seconded

That the name, Richmond World Festival, be approved as the name for the new City multicultural festival scheduled for September 5, 2015 at Minoru Park.

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:41 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, April 20, 2015.

_________________________________

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Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie
Chair

Hanieh Berg
Committee Clerk