Thursday, March 13, 2008 - Minutes

The Public Hearing reconvened at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, 2008, in the Council Chambers, at Richmond City Hall, with all members present except Councillor Sue Halsey-Brandt.

The Acting Corporate Officer provided an update on the correspondence received on March 13, 2008, which had been circulated to Council and form part of these minutes as Schedule 16.

Submissions from the floor continued:

Jason O’Brien, 1745 E. 11^th Avenue, Vancouver, Coordinator for the Richmond Food Security Task Force spoke in opposition to the application stating that:

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revisions to agricultural practices (such as recent community garden projects created in Vancouver) must be undertaken to address food sustainability for the future;

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on March 7, 2008 the Provincial Government announced that it wanted to restructure the agricultural industry so that it is more self-sufficient; and

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the City of Richmond should allow for the possibility of an urban agriculture example to be made of the full 136-acre Garden City Lands site. 

A copy of Mr. O’Brien’s submission is attached as Schedule 17, and forms part of these minutes.

Glen Petrie, 9231 Odlin Road spoke in support of the application and stated his belief that:

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Chief Campbell has a duty to obtain the best deal for his band members to improve housing, and educational services;

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the objectives of both those who are opposed and those who are in support of the application could be met by broadening their perspectives to include truly green buildings on the Lands; and

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if the Lands stay in the ALR, the MOU will collapse, and there will be years of litigation. 

A copy of Mr. Petrie’s submission is attached as Schedule 18, and forms part of these minutes.

Pat Young, 2080 Stirling Avenue, spoke in opposition to the application believing that the next generation should make the decision about these Lands, not this generation.  He noted there is already plenty of development in the vicinity of the Lands, and further densification would put pressure on existing infrastructure, and the small amount of remaining green space.  He concluded by stating it would be ironic if the future of the Lands was anything but ‘garden’.  A copy of Mr. Young’s submission is attached as Schedule 19, and forms part of these minutes.

Barbara Tinson, 8731 Allison Street spoke in her capacity as Chair, Richmond Chamber of Commerce (RCC), expressing support for the application noting that the Chamber has gone to considerable effort to consult with a broad range of community members about this issue.  She remarked the Chamber expects Council to act in the best interests of Richmond, and Chief Campbell to act in the best interests of his people.  The Chamber is convinced that the MOU provides the best benefit to the Richmond community and Council should honour its commitment in the MOU and vote to proceed with the application.  A copy of Ms. Tinson’s submission is attached as Schedule 20, and forms part of these minutes.

Shane McMillan, 7160 Schaefer Avenue, horticulturist, spoke in opposition to the application, and stated that:

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he believed the Lands should remain in the ALR, no matter who owns them;

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green space must be preserved;

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Kwantlen University College’s proposal for an Urban Agriculture Research and Education Centre in Richmond would provide education for the next generation of farmers, and for the larger community; and

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the proposed development for the Lands under the MOU follows an old model, one that is destroying the world.

A copy of Mr. McMillan’s submission is attached as Schedule 21, and forms part of these minutes.

Bill Zylmans, 17771 Westminster Highway, a full-time farmer, spoke in support of the application, noting farmers could only afford to farm the good land, and that it is very expensive to farm poor quality land. He questioned the quality of the Lands and why farming has not taken place in the past.  He further noted that in his opinion:

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the Lands will never be farmed and to leave them in their current state is a waste;

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everyone could benefit if some of the ideas raised about the future of the Lands were realized, but it does not have to remain in the ALR; and

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the proposed $10 million agriculture endowment fund could be put towards farming education programs, and existing agriculture endeavours in Richmond. 

Michael Wolfe, 9731 Odlin Road spoke in opposition to the exclusion application and to illustrate his position he used a variety of visuals aids, while nothing that:

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the Lands are home to a wide variety of wildlife and vegetation;

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sustainable development is not possible in Richmond;

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the Lands are positioned under the flight path of airplanes using the Vancouver International Airport and development should not take place;

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the Lands are in an environmentally sensitive area and the zoning should be changed to reflect and recognize this designation; and

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the MOU should be abandoned as it represents a bad deal for Richmond.

Gordon Kibble, 11171 4^th Avenue spoke in opposition to the application, noting that:

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he was speaking as an individual member of the City’s Advisory Committee on the Environment; 

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he was puzzled how the City could claim to be interested in sustainability and urban agriculture and yet make application to have the Lands removed from the ALR;

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the Lands are needed for farming purposes and they could be used to fill the community demand for garden plots;

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once the Lands are removed from the ALR, their future is uncertain; and

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the City needs to keep this land in the ALR to make up for lands already removed in other areas.

A copy of Mr. Kibble’s submission is attached as Schedule 22, and forms part of these minutes.

Nancy Trant, 10100 No. 3 Road spoke in opposition to the application.  She stated that:

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residents of the City get a lot of development, such as new homes and high rises, but in her opinion residents do not get things that really mean something, such as trees and land;

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people have lost touch with the source of their food;

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if the Musqueam had the Lands they could teach young people how to farm; and

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if the Musqueam need money, the City should try to purchase the Lands from them. 

A copy of Ms. Trant’s submission is attached as Schedule 23, and forms part of these minutes.

Olga Tkatcheva, 8 – 7680 Gilbert Road spoke in opposition to the application stating that:

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her opposition was based on the grounds that the application does not provide sound reasoning that exclusion of the Lands will benefit the people of Richmond;

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the MOU proposal does not resolve any parkland shortage problems;

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when considering the need for future schools on the Lands, she calculated that two large elementary schools would be required;

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the forms and surveys do not accurately reflect people’s real opinions and should not be included in the submission to the ALC;

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in a recent newspaper column MLA Linda Reid stated her support for the idea that the Lands become Richmond’s new great park; and

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she believed that Council does not care about the quality of the application to the ALC.

In response to a query, staff was asked to ascertain from the Board of Education how many schools would be needed to meet the anticipated increase in density.

A copy of Ms. Tkatcheva’s submission is attached as Schedule 24, and forms part of these minutes.

Jessica Lai, 28 – 6245 Sheridan Road spoke in opposition to the application, noting that:

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exclusion of the Lands is contradictory to the City’s stated vision;

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First Nations people would be able to implement their tradition of agriculture cultivation on the Lands if the Musqueam was to acquire it;

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it is better to grow food in our backyards, as was done in the past, than to give money to buy food; and

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it is better to have a sustainable food system in Richmond in the long run than to see short-term housing provisions in the City. 

A copy of Ms. Lai’s submission is attached as Schedule 25, and forms part of these minutes.

Carol Day, 11631 Seahurst Road spoke in opposition to the application and stated that:

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removal of the Lands from the ALR is the worst possible scenario for the people of Richmond and, in her opinion, the MOU is dead;

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it is time to consider following two options: (i) the City should open talks with the Musqueam and the CLC to explore what kind of partnership is possible with the lands staying in the ALR, or (ii) contact the various Ministries in Ottawa, to find a partner that would be willing to acquire the Lands for urban agriculture, parks and playing fields, with the City of Richmond; and

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the Lands could become Richmond’s version of Vancouver’s Stanley Park. 

A copy of Ms. Day’s submission is attached as Schedule 26, and forms part of these minutes.

Neil Smith, 3780 Pacemore Avenue, spoke in opposition to the application believing that:

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the Lands have agricultural merit and there is no pressing need to remove them from the ALR;

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there is a lot to learn from First Nations wisdom and one lesson is that the Lands should be held in trust for our grandchildren; and

PH08/3-6

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting be extended past 11:00 p.m. to allow Mr. Smith only to conclude his submission.

CARRIED

Opposed: Councillor Steves

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given the uncertainty over whether global warming could be tackled, it may be prudent to do nothing with the Lands, until the outcome of humanity’s greatest challenge is known. 

A copy of Mr. Smith’s submission is attached as Schedule 27, and forms part of these minutes.

In response to a query, staff was requested to determine the names of the Agricultural Land Commission members who would consider the application if it went forward.

PH08/3-7

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting be recessed, and be reconvened on Monday, March 17, 2008, at 7:30 p.m., in the Council Chambers, at Richmond City Hall.

CARRIED

RECESSED – 11:15 p.m..