June 27, 2023 - Minutes

Date:

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Place:

Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Chak Au, Chair
Councillor Michael Wolfe
Councillor Laura Gillanders
Councillor Andy Hobbs
Councillor Bill McNulty

Also Present:

Councillor Carol Day

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 May 24, 2023, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

AGENDA ADDITIONS

It was moved and seconded

That:

(1)

Lacrosse and Hockey Box be added to the agenda as Item No. 3A; and

(2)

Richmond Ice Centre Ice Times be added to the agenda as Item No. 3B.

CARRIED

DELEGATIONS

1.

(1)

Rebecca Harbut and Mike Bomford, Department of Sustainable Agriculture, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, provided an overview of the KPU Farm at Garden City Lands 2022 Report, together with a brief presentation (copy on file).  The following was highlighted:

·         The license to use area covers a total of twenty acres (8 ha), with phase 1 of the area being an 8 acres (3 ha) site, farmed since 2018, with horticultural crops, field crops/berries and an orchard.

·         Soil was deposited last year for the expansion to phase 2.  Due to contamination at the site and concerns on maintaining carbon sequestered in the peat, 70 cm of mineral soil layered on top of the peat required.

·         There is a 6 year crop rotation in the market gardens, which has seen production grow each year, resulting in $120k of produce grown last year ($50k at market, $40k at wholesale and remainder to Richmond Food Bank).

·         Expanding on community engagement, including the learning garden to create spaces for interaction, and utilizing the iNaturalist app to learn about different species of plants, insects and birds that interface with the ecosystem of the site.

In response to queries from Committee, the delegation noted:

·         KPU offers a Bachelor of Applied Science and Sustainable Agriculture Degree program, with 50 students typically completing the four year program, and a target to double that enrollment over the coming years;

·         all students are required to engage with the Garden City lands for a full year hands on Agro-Ecosystems Management production series and a full year of research;

·         all the material with farm waste in the peat was screened with no chemical residues found, just clean peat laid down; and

·         summer twilight farm tours held second Tuesday of every month.

(2)

Wallapak Polasub, Research and Extension Program Manager, Institute for Sustainable Food Systems, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, provided an overview of the 2022 Annual Report on Richmond Farm School at Gilbert Road, together with a brief presentation (copy on file).  The following was highlighted:

·         following the COVID pandemic there was a greater interest in growing food and being self reliant which led to 2 cohort programs in 2021, later reduced to 1 cohort program in 2022 (late March to November), with a maximum capacity of 20 students;

·         with respect to land use, there are 2.5 acres of teaching, including 0.75 acre mixed vegetables, herbs and flowers and 1.5 acres of apples and pears, and 3.3 acres allocated to incubator farmers;

·         site upgrades include the installation of another perimeter security fence along the ditch, shipping container for storage, new processing area and access road improvement; and

·         various outreach activities are ongoing, including farm tours and food donations to local community organizations, with additional community supported agriculture information and videos available on the KPU Institute for Sustainable Food Systems website.

In response to queries from Committee, the delegation advised that:

·         Although 100 people on the waitlist it is not possible to do more than one cohort of 20 students per year due to limited staff.

·         Exploring long term expansion opportunities is ongoing.

COMMUNITY SERVICES DIVISION

2.

HUGH BOYD COMMUNITY FACILITY AND FIELDHOUSE – STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND DELIVERY TIMELINE

(File Ref. No. 06-2052-20-HBSC) (REDMS No. 6915261)

In response to queries from Committee, staff noted beginning in the fall, and throughout the lifecycle of the project, there will be multiple opportunities for various types of public engagement to ensure the design fits the community.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Hugh Boyd Community Facility and Fieldhouse – Stakeholder Engagement and Delivery Timeline” from the Director, Recreation and Sport Services, and Director, Facilities and Project Development dated June 1, 2023 be received for information.

CARRIED

3.

WHARVES REGULATION BYLAW NO. 10182

(File Ref. No. 06-2345-00) (REDMS No. 6407177)

In response to queries from Committee, staff noted (i) aggregate reporting of statistics can be provided to committees on a monthly/annual basis, and police related files could be requested through the RCMP, (ii) staff will be developing a specific operational plan for enforcement and working with a contractor (tow operator) for any removal of vessels, and (iii) depending on the value, removed vessels will be auctioned or disposed.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That Wharves Regulation Bylaw No. 10182 be introduced and given first, second and third reading;

(2)

That Consolidated Fees Bylaw No. 8636, Amendment Bylaw No. 10286, be introduced and given first, second, and third reading;

(3)

That Notice of Bylaw Violation Dispute Adjudication Bylaw No. 8122, Amendment Bylaw No. 10285, be introduced and given first, second, and third reading;

(4)

That Municipal Ticket Information Authorization Bylaw No. 7321, Amendment Bylaw No. 10306, be introduced and given first, second, and third reading; and

(5)

That staff report back to Council in one year to provide a status update regarding the implementation and enforcement results following adoption of the Wharves Regulation Bylaw No. 10182.

CARRIED

3A.

LACROSSE AND HOCKEY BOXES

(File Ref. No.)

In response to questions from the Committee regarding the Steveston lacrosse box, staff noted:

§   

the Steveston Community Centre development and playground updates do not currently touch upon areas of recreational facilities, including the lacrosse box;

§   

an asset management crew can review and address concerns regarding the condition of the lacrosse box

§   

currently there are no plans or requests to update or change the use of the court boxes, and

§   

an outdoor covered lacrosse box has been identified in the sports facility needs assessment to be reported to the Committee later this year.

A brief discussion ensued regarding the Burkeville hockey box.  Staff noted the ongoing assessment and improvement process for the area, including pickleball courts.

3B.

RICHMOND ICE CENTRE ICE TIMES

(File Ref. No.)

In response to questions from the Committee regarding available of ice times at the Richmond Ice Centre, staff noted:

§   

staff meet with the Richmond Arena Community Association (RACA) on a regular basis, which included a meeting in April also attended by the four minor sport groups to discuss this year’s renovations and construction timeline;

§   

the RACA Program Committee met last week to discuss all of the tournaments for the coming year to ensure a balanced slate in terms of ice time; and

§   

high performance groups tend to use weekday ice time as opposed to evening/weekend ice time, other than tournament ice time, of which there is one tournament considered for this season, opposed to three tournaments last season.

4.

MANAGER’S REPORT

(i)

Steveston Salmon Festival

A brief overview of the programming planned for the upcoming 76^th Annual Steveston Salmon Festival (July 1, 2023), was provided.

(ii)

Summer Art Gallery Exhibition

Staff noted the upcoming Richmond Art Gallery summer exhibition, “MOTHLIKE/silvery-blue”, by Amy-Claire Huestis, which focusses on awareness of the Fraser River ecosystem.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:58 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, June 27, 2023.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Councillor Chak Au
Chair

Lorraine Anderson
Legislative Services Associate