March 15, 2021 - Minutes

Date:

Monday, March 15, 2021

Place:

Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie, Chair
Councillor Chak Au
Councillor Carol Day (by teleconference)
Councillor Alexa Loo (by teleconference)
Councillor Bill McNulty (by teleconference)
Councillor Linda McPhail (by teleconference)
Councillor Harold Steves (by teleconference) 
Councillor Michael Wolfe (by teleconference)

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 March 1, 2021, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS DIVISION

1.

City Centre District Energy Utility Bylaw No. 9895, Amendment Bylaw No.10245   
(File Ref. No. 01-0060-20-LIEC1) (REDMS No. 6615254 v. 3)

It was moved and seconded

That the City Centre District Energy Utility Bylaw No. 9895, Amendment Bylaw No. 10245 be introduced and given first, second, and third readings.

CARRIED

2.

Review of Land Raising Initiative in the City’s Flood Protection Management Strategy   
(File Ref. No. 10-6060-01) (REDMS No. 6600227 v. 3)

Discussion ensued with regard to (i) engaging in consultation of local stakeholders, (ii) managing agricultural land in the flood protection areas, (iii) reviewing the potential effects of raising land in ecologically sensitive areas, (iv) exploring soil compatibility and crop viability in Richmond, (v) the cost of reviewing the City’s land raising initiative, and (vi) reviewing water irrigation and sourcing water from the North Arm of the Fraser River.

In reply to queries from Committee, staff noted that in the long-term, land raising would be required in certain areas as sea level rises and that raising land would increase soil capacity to retain rainwater and drainage. Staff added that the City will use best practices in the importation of soils and conduct on-going monitoring of such importations.

In reply to queries from Committee, Bryce Whitehouse, representing KWL, spoke on soil importation, noting that the timeline for the re-establishing of the soil profile may vary from each site.

As a result of the discussion, staff were directed to examine (i) the compatibility of soil used for raising land and (ii) the saltwater wedge with respect to converting the use of water from the South Arm to the North Arm of the Fraser River.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Review of Land Raising Initiative in the City’s Flood Protection Management Strategy”, dated February 22, 2021 from the Director, Engineering be received for information.

The question on the motion was not called as discussion ensued with regard to the quality of the soil deposits. It was then suggested that staff review previous staff reports on sourcing irrigation water from the Fraser River and the water conditions of water from the South Arm of the Fraser River.

The question on the motion was then called and it was CARRIED with
Cllr. Wolfe opposed.

LAW AND LEGISLATIVE SERVICES DIVISION

3.

2021 Local By-Election – Appointment of Chief Election Officer and Deputy Chief Election Officer and Setting of By-Election Date   
(File Ref. No. 12-8125-85-18) (REDMS No. 6633522)

In reply to queries from Committee, staff noted that current election legislation does not permit municipal elections to be exclusively conducted by mail-in ballots.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That Claudia Jesson be appointed as Chief Election Officer for the 2021 Local By-Election;

(2)

That Matthew O’Halloran be appointed as Deputy Chief Election Officer for the 2021 Local By-Election; and

(3)

That the date of Saturday, May 29, 2021 for the 2021 Local By-Election General Voting Day be approved.

CARRIED

4.

2021 By-Election – Ministerial Order Request   
(File Ref. No.) (REDMS No. 6640747)

It was moved and seconded

That the Chief Election Officer be authorized to apply to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for an order, under Section 167 of the Local Government Act, to enable special provisions for the Richmond 2021 By-Election pertaining to mail ballot voting and other pandemic related matters that may be required, as outlined in the report dated March, 3, 2021 titled “2021 By-Election – Ministerial Order Request” from the Director, City Clerk’s Office.

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:35 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, March 15, 2021.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie
Chair

Evangel Biason
Legislative Services Associate