September 27, 2022 - Minutes

Date:

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Place:

Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Harold Steves, Chair
Councillor Michael Wolfe (by teleconference)
Councillor Chak Au
Councillor Bill McNulty
Councillor Linda McPhail (by teleconference)

Also Present:

Councillor Carol Day
Councillor Alexa Loo

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 Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Committee held on July 20, 2022, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

COMMUNITY SERVICES DIVISION

1.

Richmond Animal Shelter Public Art Concept Proposal
(File Ref. No. 11-7000-09-20-284) (REDMS No. 6955681)

It was moved and seconded

That the Richmond Animal Shelter Public Art Concept Proposal, as presented in the report titled “Richmond Animal Shelter Public Art Concept Proposal” from the Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage Services, dated August 29, 2022, be endorsed.

CARRIED

2.

Community Services – Summer Programs Update 2022
(File Ref. No. 11-7000-01) (REDMS No. 6971724)

In response to queries from the Committee, staff advised (i) a very positive response to all program offerings throughout the summer with participation levels increasing to approximately 65% of the 2019 (pre pandemic) levels, on track to return to 100% baring any unforeseen circumstances, and (ii) single day camp visits is an area of programming being considered which may provide an attractive option for some families, e.g. more parents working from home, etc.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled, “Community Services – Summer Programs Update 2022,” dated September 6, 2022, from the Director, Recreation and Sport Services, be received for information.

CARRIED

3.

Instructor/Lifeguard Recruitment Initiatives
(File Ref. No. 11-7000-01) (REDMS No. 6956753)

A brief discussion ensued with respect to the extreme shortage of lifeguards throughout the summer within the entire region, noting the necessity to encourage participation in the lifeguard program and provide support for certification, where possible, in order to fill the lifeguard component needed for swimming programming.

In response to queries from the Committee, staff noted (i) 300 lifeguards is the typical contingent to operate all pools and currently have approximately 200 lifeguards, with another 25 at the onboarding stage, and have the capacity to hire the new 15 positions provided by this initiative, (ii) staff will provide information on the opportunity to the network of social services, (iii) a 25% discount for recertification is offered through the current union Collective Agreement, (iv) the instructor positions will be available in all swimming pools, offering and providing swimming instruction right along side the regular instructor lifeguards, and in some cases these are staff or individuals that are not interested in being a lifeguard, but maybe want to teach children to swim because they are passionate about that, (v) funding for the initiative is accommodated through the existing budget, and (vi) the majority of lifeguard positions are auxiliary or part time.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That a subsidy program for lifeguard training courses be developed on a trial basis as outlined in the staff report titled “Instructor/Lifeguard Recruitment Initiatives,” dated September 2, 2022, from the Director, Recreation and Sport Services; and

(2)

That $33,750 be allocated from the Council Contingency account for the lifeguard subsidy program as outlined in the staff report titled “Instructor/Lifeguard Recruitment Initiatives,” dated September 2, 2022, from the Director, Recreation and Sport Services.

CARRIED

COUNCILLOR HAROLD STEVES

4.

Steveston National Historic Site: “Fisheries Museum of the Pacific”
(File Ref. No.)
APPENDIX TO PART 2

Councillor Steves provided an overview and background information for the detailed recommendations outlined in his report. It was noted the on table correspondence from Bud Sakamoto is an addendum to Part 2 of the report, providing significant historical information and suggestions for the site; beneficial for various funding opportunities.

In response to questions from the Committee, staff noted (i) advancing the planning work on the Phoenix Gill Net Loft, the Japanese Duplex, and the First Nations Bunkhouse in the months ahead will help to advance some of the ideas contained in the report, (ii) Staff will be looking at issuing an RFP for the Brittania Shipyards master plan, either Q4-2022 or Q1-2023, which will address the plantings as well as all other relevant matters during the master plan process, (iii) staff have been collaborating with Engineering regarding the referral on the Terra Nova Slough, which includes dike works, compensation planting and various funding initiatives, with tentative dike works planning to start in 2025 based on funding, and construction in 2027, and (iv) a comprehensive report on the outstanding referrals will be provided in due course.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That Council approve the naming of the Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site and related historic buildings and waterfront as the “Fisheries Museum of the Pacific at the Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site”, and applications be made to Federal and Provincial Governments for major funding to complete the site, as recommended in the report Steveston National Historic Site: Fisheries Museum of the Pacific, dated September 27, 2022;

(2)

That Council approve Part 2 of the report in principal, pending summation of public input and further staff input, so funding applications can be made immediately;

(3)

That trees, shrubs and plants at Britannia Shipyards that are not native to BC be removed and replaced with species native to the Steveston area. Species native to other parts of Richmond can remain, but the trail to Trites Road should also be planted with local native species; and

(4)

That trees, shrubs, and plants native to our local marine habitat should be planted along Terra Nova Slough. Combined with an Estuarium and First Nations environmental interpretation centre at Britannia Shipyards, Terra Nova Slough can provide educational, environmental and habitat compensation benefits as well as habitat for Chum Salmon fry.

CARRIED

5.

MANAGER’S REPORT

(i)

Watermania

Staff noted Watermania closed for its annual shut down on September 6^th and will be reopening on October 3^rd, with lots of routine regular maintenance performed (e.g. tiling, painting, carpentry, etc.), and also some additional work this year by replacing the splash pool filtration system and a large section of the pool deck.  There will be communication with the public about the reopening, including social media, within facilities and on City websites.

(ii)

No. 3 Road Bark Park

Many members of the community and dog park users were in attendance for the park naming event on September 24^th to officially rename the No. 3 and Dike Roads dog park to the “No. 3 Rd. Bark Park”.

It addition to the recent dike and park upgrades, staff further noted there is an ongoing public engagement exercise about tree planting planned for the park through the “Let’s Talk Richmond” survey (September 6^th - October 2^nd), which included an on-site drop-in information session where staff were available to answer questions and provide information about the site.  Upon the conclusion of the public engagement process, staff will review results to determine next steps, such as organizing a community tree planting event in the fall.

(iii)

Culture Days

Culture Days weekend was a great success, with 1500+ in attendance over the weekend enjoying the Richmond Library, Cultural Centre and the Minoru Plaza, with lots of great events, energy and enthusiasm from the community and all the groups that participated.  Culture Days continues until October 16^th, with approximately 50 events and activities happening throughout Richmond, a full listing of which is available on the City’s website.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:44 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Tuesday, September 27, 2022.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Councillor Harold Steves
Chair

Lorraine Anderson
Legislative Services Associate