MINUTES

1.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Community Safety Committee held on Tuesday, June 13^th, 2006, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

2.

The next meeting of the Committee is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, September 12^th, 2006  (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room.

The Chair advised that Committee would deal with Item No. 4 at this time.

4.

COMPLIMENTARY PARKING – VETERANS’ PLATES

(Report:  July 7/06, File No.:  10-6455-01) (REDMS No. 1740944)

The Manager, Community Bylaws, Wayne Mercer, provided information on similar programs offered in other provinces. 

Discussion then ensued among Committee members on the proposal, during which concern was expressed about the eligibility requirements to obtain a veteran’s plate.  A suggestion was made during the discussion that year-round free parking with Veterans’ Plates and a special decal should be provided to those people who served in World War II, and that those who served in the Korean War, peacekeepers and associate (family) members of veterans not be included.

As a result of the discussion, the following amended motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That the existing Complimentary Parking program for vehicles displaying veterans’ plates and decals be retained on a year-round basis.

The question on the motion was not called, as discussion ensued on the need to ensure that only Richmond veterans qualified for complimentary parking.  Suggestions were made that a free decal program could be implemented, and as a result, the motion on the floor was amended to insert the words ‘and decals’ after the words ‘veterans’ plates.

(Cllr. Steves entered the meeting at 6:49 p.m., during the above discussion.)

Discussion then took place briefly on the question of responsibility for administration of the regulation.  Advice was given that City staff could administer the decal program internally, with Richmond residents being required to provide proof that they were in possession of veterans’ plates prior to being issued decals.

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

PRESENTATION

3.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY (SRI LANKA)

(PowerPoint Presentation)

Fire Chief Jim Hancock introduced Forrest Weissler, a member of the Fire Rescue Department, who had prepared a PowerPoint presentation to highlight some of the experiences of the members of the Department who had participated in the Habitat for Humanity (Sri Lanka) project.  Mr. Weisser then presented the PowerPoint presentation to the Committee.  At the conclusion of the presentation, Chief Hancock thanked Committee and Council for their support.

Discussion then ensued among Committee members and Fire Chief Hancock on the two trips made to Sri Lanka, with information being provided in response to questions, that:

·            

RONA Home & Garden Centre had provided many of the tools which were taken to Sri Lanka, including shovels, levels, rakes and hammers

·            

the building materials were purchased in Sri Lanka, thereby stimulating the local economy

·            

members of the teams had been housed in a crude hotel

·            

the temperatures ranged from 101^oF in the shade to 128^oF in the sun, with extremely high humidity.

During the discussion, Committee members congratulated the members of the Fire Rescue Department who had participated in the project for their efforts.  Also reported on was the building experiences of the teams and their positive dealings with the local residents.  With reference to the PowerPoint presentation, the suggestion was made that the presentation, in its entirety, should be made to Council in the Fall, preferably at a Council Meeting with a short agenda.  A further suggestion was made that representatives of RONA and Cathay Pacific Airlines should be invited to attend the presentation.

In response to further questions, information was provided that the Department was now planning a trip to Thailand in the Fall of 2007, and that funding-raising activities would begin soon.  With regard to the impact which the Department had made in Sri Lanka, Chief Hancock talked about the on-going relationship between the Canadian Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, the Fire Rescue Department, and others, which had resulted in the construction of 120 homes, a high-rise building and the development of a trades apprenticeship program in Sri Lanka. 

In concluding the discussion, the Chair congratulated all the participants in the project.

POLICIES / STRATEGIES (0  ITEMS)

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DECISIONS / ACTIONS (2 ITEM)

4.

COMPLIMENTARY PARKING – VETERANS’ PLATES

(Report:  July 7/06, File No.:  10-6455-01) (REDMS No. 1740944)

Please see Page 2 of these minutes for action taken on this matter.

5.

SOIL REMOVAL AND FILL DEPOSIT REGULATION BYLAW

(Report:  July 7, 2006, File No.:  12-8060-20-8094) (REDMS No. 1970447, 1902223)

Cllr. Steves voiced his support for the proposed bylaw, but advised that the bylaw did not address a flaw in the process, that being the need to identify the type and content of soil being transported into Richmond.  He stated that the proposed bylaw did not provide that accountability, and suggested that as a means of addressing the problem, that consideration be given to the establishment of a City-operated soil bank to allow the stockpiling of clean soil for agricultural purposes, with the City being responsible for the tipping fee.

Discussion ensued among Committee members and staff on the issue of soil being dumped on agricultural property and whether the required certificate would address the problem referred to by Cllr. Steves.  Also addressed was the proposed development of a “Soil Watch” program and whether there would be sufficient staff to monitor activities.  In response to questions, information was provided that the maximum fine for not complying with the new bylaw would be $10,000 (the maximum amount allowed under the Community Charter) and that every day the offence continued would be treated as a separate offence.

Discussion continued, with it being noted that the majority of individuals involved in farming activities in the City acted responsibly and would not do anything to affect the viability of their land.  Information was then provided on the Notice of Intent which was provided by a local farmer to the City to advise of any soil deposition which would be taking place on his property.  Information was also provided by the Chair that a professional agrologist would certify that the soil being dumped met the requirements of the City’s bylaw, either through random inspections or by inspecting every truck load. 

Ms. Joanne Fisher, 2420 No. 8 Road, voiced support for the proposed bylaw.  She then provided Committee members with an update of the situation in her neighbourhood since her appearance at Council on June 26^th, 2006.  Ms. Fisher stated that dumping was now taking place non-stop, with almost 1,000 loads a day of material being transported past her home for stockpiling on River Road and then transferred to a nearby agricultural property.  She spoke about the impact of these many truckloads of dirt on the quality of life for the residents in her neighbourhood, citing dust contamination resulting from airborne material, as well as health, noise and safety issues which were being experienced.  Ms. Fisher, in concluding her presentation, expressed support for the proposal made by Cllr. Steves, especially if the City was to be responsible for the tipping fee.

Discussion then took place among Committee members and Ms. Fisher regarding the problems being experienced by her and her neighbours.  Concern was voiced about the quality of any crops grown in the future on the property in question, without first undertaking soil testing to determine if there were any contaminants present.  Also addressed was the question of jurisdiction with respect to the City and the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC), and how the City advised the ALC of the soil dumping problems which were occurring.

Discussion continued briefly, with information being provided that the bylaw, after being given first, second and third readings by Council, would be forwarded to the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Energy, Mines & Petroleum Resources for review and comment.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the Soil Removal and Fill Deposit Regulation Bylaw No. 8094 be introduced and given first, second and third readings; and

(2)

That Council endorse public education initiatives and the ‘Soil Watch’ signage program to be developed in consultation with the City’s Agricultural Advisory Committee.

The question on the motion was not called, as discussion ensued regarding the intolerable situation being faced by Ms. Fisher and the residents of the 2000 block No. 8 Road and whether any action could be taken to provide assistance.  Information was provided during the discussion about the steps being taken by City staff on this matter.  Information was also provided on the process which would be put into place following the adoption of the new soil bylaw for any new soil deposition or removal project.

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

It was moved and seconded

That staff examine the feasibility of establishing a City-owned soil stockpiling facility.

CARRIED

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INFORMATION / AWARENESS (0 ITEMS)

6.

FIRE CHIEF BRIEFING

(Oral Report) 

Captain Dave Clou provided an update to Committee on the City’s Fireworks Regulation Bylaw, during which he commented on the success of the bylaw with respect to Halloween 2005.  He reported that since the adoption of the Richmond bylaw, all municipalities with the exception of Burnaby had adopted bylaws to ban fireworks within their jurisdictions, even though the Provincial Government had not shown an interest in taking a province-wide regulatory approach.

7.

POLICE CHIEF BRIEFING

(Oral Report) 

Items for discussion:

(1)

Identify Theft Update

Insp. Tony Mahon provided an update on steps being taken by the Detachment to deal with ‘identity theft’.  He advised that a very successful presentation on this matter had been held in the Council Chambers of City Hall on June 14^th, 2006 and that over 110 people had been in attendance.  In response to questions, he advised that a further session would be held in the Fall of this year.

(2)

Request for Funds from the BC Crime Prevention Association.

(File No.:  03-1085-02)

A brief discussion ensued on the request made by the BC Crime Prevention Association for a financial contribution in the amount of $10,000 to the upcoming symposium to be held in Richmond from September 21^st to 23^rd, 2006.  As a result, the following referral motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That the request from the BC Crime Prevention Association for funding in the amount of $10,000 be referred to staff to (i) investigate the availability of any funding sources, and (ii) prepare a report as to whether the City should be contributing funds to the symposium.

CARRIED

The General Manager, Law & Community Safety, Phyllis Carlyle, reported on steps being taken by the Detachment to address the theft of metal.  Discussion ensued on this issue and on the risks being faced by those individuals who were determined to remove metal products from unsafe locations.  Information was provided that a Scrap Metal Theft working group had been created to deal with the problem globally. 

8.

CORRESPONDENCE FROM MP JOHN CUMMINS REGARDING THE RICHMOND RCMP DETACHMENT

Reference was made to correspondence received from MP John Cummins regarding possible inadequate service provided by the Richmond Detachment.  Supt. Clapham advised that the issue lay with E-COMM and not the Detachment, and that he had personally contacted MP Cummins about the incident.

In response to questions, he confirmed that representatives of E-COMM, along with the City’s representative on the Board, Kiichi Kumagai, would be in attendance at the Committee’s September meeting to provide an update.

9.

SAFETY ISSUES IN THE AREA OF MAPLE LANE – BAMBERTON/WATERTON DRIVE

Cllr. Barnes reported that she had received complaints from residents in the area of Bamberton Drive and Waterton Drive about the number of motorists ‘rat running’ and requested that the RCMP review the situation.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (8:08 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Community Safety Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Tuesday, July 18^th, 2006.

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Councillor Rob Howard
Chair

Fran J. Ashton
Executive Assistant, City Clerk’s Office