November 20, 2017 - Minutes

Date:

Monday, November 20, 2017

Place:

Anderson Room
Richmond City Hall

Present:

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

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 meetings of the General Purposes Committee held on November 6, 2017 and November 14, 2017, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

COMMUNITY SERVICES DIVISION

1.

Minoru Place Activity Centre Reuse Options
(File Ref. No. 06-2345-20-MINO1) (REDMS No. 5514772 v.13; 5521863)

In response to questions from Committee, Jane Fernyhough, Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage Services, noted that (i) staff recommend developing a long term plan for the site, (ii) keeping the building open for any use would have a financial cost, and (iii) should building systems fail in the short-term, they would be fixed as required.

Committee expressed concern over spending funds to upgrade the building for an interim use and in response to questions, staff commented that:

§   

designing a new building would be concurrent with operating the renovated space;

§   

no funds are required to leave the building as is but within ten years $1.1 million would be needed solely for systems upgrades;

§   

the requested $2.6 million for renovations to the building for community arts and education use would make the space more workable inside by adding partitions, replacing the woodworking studio with a pottery studio, creating a work area for both the museum and gallery, creating a community gallery where the pool currently sits, and upgrading lighting, ceiling tiles, and flooring;

§   

the previous Operating Budget Impact for the Minoru Place Activity Centre was approximately $400-500,000;

§   

the 44 new parking spaces needed for the proposed Option 1 use of the Minoru Place Activity Centre will be a part of the Minoru Park Vision Plan to identify the best way to accommodate that requirement;

§   

the maintenance of the tree inventory at the Activity Centre is a part of the parks operations budget;

§   

there is a separate report coming to Committee regarding community police stations and it may not be a good partner for arts programs due to the need for a high number of parking spaces; and

§   

staff are currently completing a cultural facilities needs assessment along with the arts strategy update to guide future planning.

In response to queries from Committee, Jamie Esko, Manager, Parks Planning, Design and Construction, noted that the list of 14 stakeholders are those known to staff, including 13 external groups, one written submission, and four staff groups from the area, each with particular needs. Ms. Esko further commented that the list was vetted by senior management and staff considers it to be comprehensive. She also noted that each organization selected representatives to meet with the consultant and answer standard questions, which are summarized in the staff report.

Kim Somerville, Manager, Community Social Development noted that there was a report to planning committee requesting funding for a Richmond Community Services Advisory Committee (RCSAC) space review for non-profit agencies in Richmond but that there currently is no complete assessment for the space needs of all community groups.

Discussion ensued with regards to (i) the Minoru Park Vision Plan, (ii) other potential current uses for the Activity Centre area including returning it to green space, using it as storage space, and renting it out for private use, (iii) the need for more community education and arts spaces to accommodate demand for community programs, (iv) considering groups that would best fit  the space ‘as-is’ without the need for building renovations, and (v) including other groups with space needs for potential use of the space.

In further response to questions from Committee, Ms. Esko noted that the Minoru Park area is designated as an arts and culture district and the proposed use under option 1 is a short-term use with the understanding that there is a need for longer term planning and that the Minoru Park Vision Plan will include an interim vision for this area.

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

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the recommended option, Option 1: Community Education and Arts Space, be approved as the preferred reuse of the Minoru Place Activity Centre as detailed in the staff report titled “Minoru Place Activity Centre Reuse Options,” dated October 31, 2017, from the Interim Director, Parks and Recreation;

(2)

That the recommended option, Option 1: Community Education and Arts Space, be considered as part of the Minoru Park Vision Plan, as detailed in the staff report titled “Minoru Place Activity Centre Reuse Options,” dated October 31, 2017, from the Interim Director, Parks and Recreation; and

(3)

That staff consider the financing for the use and restoration of the Minoru Place Activity Centre, the specific uses within community education and arts usage of the building, and accommodating other community groups with space needs.  

CARRIED

2.

2018 Age-Friendly Communities Grant Submission
(File Ref. No. 07-3400-01) (REDMS No. 5621510 v.3)

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the application to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) 2018 Age-friendly Communities Grant Program for $25,000 in the Age-friendly Assessments, Action Plans and Planning Category be endorsed; and

(2)

That, should the funding application be successful, the Chief Administrative Officer and a General Manager be authorized to enter into agreement with the UBCM for the above mentioned project and the 5-Year Financial Plan (2018-2022) be updated accordingly.

CARRIED

COMMUNITY SAFETY DIVISION

3.

proposed taxation framework for cannabis products
(File Ref. No. 12-8000-01) (REDMS No. 5657159 v. 2)

Discussion took place in regards to requesting a municipal share of the federal and provincial revenues from the proposed excise duty on cannabis products.

In response to questions from Committee, Cecilia Achiam, General Manager, Community Safety clarified that the proposed federal excise duty rate of 50 cents per gram of cannabis or five per cent of the producer’s sale price of the product (whichever is greater) will be shared between the federal government and the provincial-territorial governments and that the maximum total of federal duty rates and provincial-territorial taxes will be set at the greater of $1.00 per gram or 10 percent of the sale price of a product.

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

It was moved and seconded

That the comments summarized in the staff report titled, “Proposed Taxation Framework for Cannabis Products”, dated November 16, 2017, including that the municipal share of revenue be no less than 50 cents per gram, be approved for submission to the federal government.

CARRIED

FINANCE AND CORPORATE SERVICES DIVISION

4.

Election Reserve and Advance Planning for the 2018 Election
(File Ref. No. 12-8125-80-01) (REDMS No. 5490268 v.2)

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That a divisional-voting approach to the 2018 election, which is consistent with the current Civic Election Administration and Procedure Bylaw, and as generally described in the staff report dated November 3, 2017 from the Director, City Clerk’s Office, be approved; and

(2)

That the following additional level requests be considered as part of the 2018 budget process:

(a)

a one-time additional level request in the amount of $130,000 for the 2018 election; and

(b)

an ongoing additional level request in the amount of $45,000 to increase the annual Election Reserve transfer for the 2018 election and for future elections;

(3)

That the above recommendations and staff report be forwarded to the Council/School Board Liaison Committee.

The question on the motion was not called as discussion ensued with regards to referring the information to the Richmond School Board through the Council/School Board Liaison Committee and in response to a question from Committee, David Weber, Director, City Clerk's Office, commented that the request for the additional level funding is structured to reflect the amount required for the 2018 election budget and to re-adjust the amount set aside in the election reserve for future elections.

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

5.

Amendments to Local Election Campaign Financing Legislation
(File Ref. No. 12-8125-80-01) (REDMS No. 5653439 v.2)

In response to questions from Committee, David Weber, Director, City Clerk's Office, noted that (i) an eligible individual is defined in the proposed Local Elections Campaign Financing Amendment Act (Bill 15) as a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and a resident of B.C., (ii) once enacted, Bill 15 would be retroactive to October 31, 2017 and anything donated prior to that date would be regulated under the old rules, and (iii) candidates can still spend funds received prior to October 31, 2017 provided that overall spending is still within expense limits.

Discussion ensued with regards to the new legislation unfairly favouring incumbents and that municipal candidate donations should be eligible for tax deductions, as is the case with Federal and Provincial government candidates.

Mr. Weber further clarified that the $1200 donation limit is per donor, per year for 2017 and 2018 and that any donation over $50 by an eligible individual at a fundraising function would be considered a campaign contribution. Mr. Weber also noted that the estimated $59,792 spending limit is per councillor candidate and also applies to each candidate running with a slate.  

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

It was moved and seconded

That a letter be written to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, with copies to Elections BC, Richmond MLAs, UBCM, and the Richmond School Board, commenting on municipal election financing that:

(1)

under Bill 15, Local Elections Campaign Financing Amendment Act (2017):

(a)

for fundraising events:

(i)

there should be a distinction between a donation and the costs incurred for a fundraising event so that a donation is only that portion of a payment which exceeds the costs incurred to host the fundraiser; and

(ii)

clarification of the treatment of funds raised through fundraisers within an event such as raffles, draws, auctions, etc;

(b)

provide clarification as to how and by whom the determination is made as to who qualifies as an eligible individual for the purpose of making a campaign donation;

(c)

remedy the unfairness in the proposed limitations on fundraising and spending for a slate of candidates versus an independent candidate; and

(d)

provide clarification of the retroactivity for the new rules under Bill 15;

(2)

under the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, remedy the unfairness in the rules on disposition of surplus funds following an election for an independent candidate versus the rules on disposition for an Elector Organization; and

(3)

tax deductions for donations to municipal campaigns should be provided, similar to campaign donations for Provincial and Federal elections.

The question on the motion was not called as the following amendment was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That the following comment be added to the letter:

That slates with more than two candidates be capped at a spending limit equal to that of the Mayor’s spending limit ($118,235) per campaign period.

DEFEATED
Opposed: Mayor Brodie
Cllrs. Dang
Johnston
Loo
McNulty
McPhail

Discussion further took place regarding the difference between provincial political parties and slates in terms of contribution limits and the limit amount and as a result, the following amendment was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That the following comment be added to the letter:

That the limit on campaign financing contributions be capped at $1200 per campaign cycle or four year period.

DEFEATED
Opposed: Mayor Brodie
Cllrs. Dang
Johnston
McNulty
McPhail

The question on the main motion was then called and it was CARRIED with Councillor Day opposed.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:26 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, November 20, 2017.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie
Chair

Amanda Welby
Legislative Services Coordinator