November 18, 2015 - Minutes

Date:

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Place:

Anderson Room
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Chak Au, Chair
Councillor Derek Dang
Councillor Ken Johnston
Councillor Alexa Loo

Absent:

Councillor Harold Steves

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 Public Works and Transportation Committee held on October 21, 2015, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

January 20, 2016, (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room

ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS DIVISION

1.

Update on 2015/2016 Snow and Ice Response Preparations
(File Ref. No.) (REDMS No. 4757418)

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Update on 2015/2016 Snow and Ice Response Preparations,” dated October 23, 2015, from the Director, Public Works Operations be received for information.

CARRIED

2.

2016 Paving Program
(File Ref. No. 10-6340-01) (REDMS No. 4757078)

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled, “2016 Paving Program,” dated October 28, 2015, from the Director, Engineering be received for information.

CARRIED

3.

Community Energy and Emissions Plan – 2015 Update
(File Ref. No. 10-6125-07-02) (REDMS No. 4748952 v. 4)

In reply to queries from Committee, Brendan McEwen, Manager, Sustainability, and Victor Wei, Director, Transportation, provided the following information:

§   

the competitiveness of solar electricity systems to that of other energy systems is estimated to be reached in approximately 5 to 10 years; however, some analysts predict that this will be achieved sooner;

§   

staff are continually evaluating green building standards such as Passive House, and would report to Committee with any proposed recommendations;

§   

rapid transit stations have been identified as ideal locations for various improvements such as bicycle parking and better sidewalks in an effort to encourage active transportation; and

§   

complementary parking for low emitting modes of transportation such as scooters has not been examined.

Discussion took place on the potential to lobby other levels of government to provide incentives for developers to build “solar hot water ready” homes, and Mr. McEwen advised that there are a number of other avenues in which action on such an initiative can be pursued.

In reply to a query from the Chair, Mr. Russell provided background information regarding discussions with the Ministry of Environment, noting that staff provided comments to the Climate Action Secretariat on the provincial “Climate Leadership Plan Discussion Paper” in September 2015; a draft Plan is anticipated to be released by the Ministry of Environment in the near future.

Discussion took place on electric vehicle usage in the city and Robert Gonzalez, General Manager, Engineering and Public Works, advised that statistical information regarding the use of such vehicles throughout the city would be provided to Council.

Discussion then ensued regarding the City’s district energy utilities and in particular how the City compares to other regional municipalities and the level of customer satisfaction with the City’s service.  Mr. Russell commented on district energy utilities operated by other municipalities, and highlighted that the City is the regional leader in relation to the scale and number of connections for district energy use.

John Irving, Director, Engineering, advised that the City’s district energy utilities currently service approximately 2,500 customers, noting that the City has not yet achieved a steady state in service delivery.  Mr. Irving remarked that as service grows and matures, customer satisfaction data would be valuable in understanding how the service is performing.

The Chair requested that staff continue to monitor the progress of the City’s district energy utilities and advise Council when it is appropriate to survey users on its performance.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled "Community Energy and Emissions Plan – 2015 Update," dated October 24, 2015, from the Director, Engineering, be received for information.

CARRIED

4.

Carbon Neutrality and Richmond Carbon Marketplace Update
(File Ref. No. 10-6000-01) (REDMS No. 4758152 v. 19)

Levi Higgs, Corporate Energy Manager, provided background information, and in reply to a query from Committee, advised that submitted projects are verified and confirmed as eligible by a third party based on the provincial framework, which utilizes international protocols.

In reply to comments regarding the notion of purchasing carbon credits from other organizations to achieve carbon neutrality for the City, Mr. Irving advised that the Richmond Carbon Marketplace program was envisioned as a means to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and invest in Richmond organizations through the purchase of carbon reduction credits for completing GHG emissions reducing projects.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the staff report titled, “Carbon Neutrality and Richmond Carbon Marketplace Update,” from the Director of Engineering, dated October 30, 2015 be received for information; and

(2)

That the Chief Administrative Officer and the General Manager, Engineering and Public Works be authorized to negotiate and execute agreements with each of the five prospective Richmond-based business organizations to support community greenhouse gas emissions reductions and to ensure that the City of Richmond corporate carbon neutrality is maintained.

CARRIED

5.

MANAGER’S REPORT

(i)

Appreciation for Public Works Crew

On behalf of a Seniors Advisory Committee member, Councillor Johnston thanked the City’s Public Works staff for repairing an uneven sidewalk with expediency.

(ii)

George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project

Discussion took place on the potential to examine connecting Rice Mill Road to the east side of Highway 99 at Steveston Highway in light of the proposed timeline for completion of the George Massey Tunnel replacement project.

Mr. Wei spoke to the need of a business case for such a project, noting that a technical analysis would be critical in determining its feasibility and whether or not it is required should the Highway 99 interchange at Steveston Highway be completely rebuilt.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:40 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Public Works and Transportation Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Wednesday, November 18, 2015.

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Councillor Chak Au
Chair

Hanieh Berg
Legislative Services Coordinator