October 18, 2021 - Minutes

Date:

Monday, October 18, 2021

Place:

Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie, Chair
Councillor Chak Au
Councillor Carol Day (by teleconference) 
Councillor Andy Hobbs 
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.

AGENDA ADDITION

It was moved and seconded

That the SAFER Program be added to the agenda as Item No. 2A.

CARRIED

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on October 4, 2021, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

COMMUNITY SERVICES DIVISION

1.

City Events Program 2022 
(File Ref. No. 11-7400-01) (REDMS No. 6734081)

Staff presented a video reviewing 2021 City events (copy on-file, City Clerk’s Office), noting that the budget allocated to the neighbourhood celebration grants would be similar to previous years’ budgets and that the City will follow up with neighbourhood celebration grant applicants.

The Chair advised that there was agreement to deal with Part (1)(f) separately.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the City Events Program 2022 as outlined in Table 1 of the staff report titled“ City Events Program 2022,” dated September 29, 2021, from the Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage Services be endorsed for the following events:

(a)

Children’s Arts Festival;

(b)

Richmond Cherry Blossom Festival;

(c)

Neighbourhood Celebration Grants;

(d)

Doors Open Richmond;

(e)

Steveston Salmon Festival;

(g)

Farmers’ Markets;

(h)

#RichmondHasHeart; and

(i)

Signature Multicultural Festival for Richmond; and

(2)

That expenditures totaling $500,000 for the City Events Program 2022 with funding of $75,000 unused from the approved Major Events and Programs in 2021, $86,000 from funds available in the Major Events Provision, and $ 339,000 from the Rate Stabilization Account be considered in the 2022 budget process.

CARRIED

In accordance with Section 100 of the Community Charter, Cllr. Hobbs declared to be in a conflict of interest as he is a board member of the Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site Society, and Cllr. Hobbs left the meeting – 4:13 p.m.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the Richmond Maritime Festival as outlined in the staff report titled“ City Events Program 2022,” dated September 29, 2021, from the Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage Services be endorsed; and

(2)

That expenditures totaling $200,000 from the Rate Stabilization Account be considered in the 2022 budget process.

CARRIED

Cllr. Hobbs returned to the meeting – 4:14 p.m.

2.

2022 Council and Committee Meeting Schedule 
(File Ref. No. 01-0105-01) (REDMS No. 6762068)

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That 2022 Council and Committee Meeting Schedule Option 2, as detailed in Attachment 2 of the staff report “2022 Council and Committee Meeting Schedule” dated October 8, 2021, from the Director, City Clerk’s Office be approved; and

(2)

That the following revisions as detailed in the staff report titled “2022 Council and Committee Meeting Schedule” dated October 8, 2021, from the Director, City Clerk’s Office, be approved:

(a)

That the Regular Council meetings (open and closed) of August 8 and August 22, 2022 be cancelled; and;

(b)

That the August 15, 2022 Public Hearing be rescheduled to September 6, 2022 at 7:00pm in the Council Chambers at Richmond City Hall.

CARRIED

2.

SAFER PROGRAM 
(File Ref. No.)

Discussion ensued with regard to advocating for the BC Housing’s SAFER Program, which is a housing assistance program for eligible seniors, and as a result of the discussion, the following referral motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That the SAFER Program be referred to staff for analysis and recommendations on advocacy to raise the maximum qualifying income, including consideration of whether the matter should be forwarded to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities.

The question on the referral motion was not called as staff were directed to redistribute to Council a memorandum titled, “BC Housing’s SAFER Program”, from the Program Manager, Affordable Housing, dated October 13, 2021.

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

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:22 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, October 18, 2021.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie
Chair

Evangel Biason
Legislative Services Associate