MINUTES

1.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Community Safety Committee held on Tuesday, June 12, 2007, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

2.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007  (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room.

LAW AND COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT

3.

LOWER MAINLAND DISTRICT VACANCY REPORT

(Report:  June 26, 2007, File No.: 05-1810-10 ) (REDMS No. 2250037, 2232568)

Phyllis Carlyle, General Manager, Law and Community Safety, used a PowerPoint presentation to introduce the strategies and initiatives that could be implemented at the municipal and local RCMP detachment levels to address the negative impact that police vacancies have on the delivery of police service in the Lower Mainland District (LMD). (The PowerPoint presentation is on file in the City Clerk’s Office).

The points Ms. Carlyle highlighted included:

·            

the issue of the negative impact that police vacancies have on the delivery of police services in the Lower Mainland was raised at the December, 2006 Mayors’ RCMP Forum, and was referred for investigation to a sub-committee of the CAO/PPC Staff Working Group; the resulting report was presented in June 2007 to the Mayors’ RCMP Forum;

·            

the LMD detachments have 2,013 members and at present there are 173 vacant positions (8.6% vacancy rate); this vacancy rate precludes the possibility of establishing a pool of officers;

·            

filling hard vacancies (a position with no name attached) and soft vacancies (a position with a specific officer’s named attached, but vacant due to leave for the purposes of paternity, maternity, long term illness, suspension, or leave without pay) is being addressed by a number of programs initiated by the RCMP, including an aggressive recruiting campaign and the restructuring of the promotional process, among other initiatives;

·            

new RCMP officers commit to remain at their first post for five years in order to (i) maintain continuity within detachments, and to (ii) alleviate the pressures of the hard and soft vacancy rates; if an experienced officer is transferred out to another detachment, it is expected that s/he will commit to the new position and to remain for three years;

·            

the report identified the need for effective communication and consultation between the LMD, Officers in Charge and municipalities;

·            

the RCMP modified its cadet transfer policy to assist in the retention of members in the lower mainland; in the past, cadets from B.C. were assigned to detachments in other provinces, but now cadets that are hired from the lower mainland are allowed to return to B.C., thus decreasing the number of future transfers from the LMD;

·            

the process whereby detachments request members should be examined in order to shorten the time between the request being made, and members being assigned to detachments;

·            

the list of strategies and initiatives include (i) the RCMP submitting a quarterly report to municipalities on how it has met the target for vacancy rates for the LMD and (ii) the RCMP submitting a semi-annual report to the Mayors’ Forum on the success of the Community Safety Officer (CSO) and the Reservist programs;

·            

to enhance communication, the LMD will: provide recommendations to the municipalities as to which positions can be civilianized; which municipal resources are supplied to integrated units; and information regarding police resourcing statistics;

·            

RCMP Chief Superintendent Peter German has agreed to implement all 18 strategies and initiatives outlined in the report.

In response to queries, Ms. Carlyle and Ward Clapham, Officer in Charge (OIC) advised that:

·            

if a regional pool was established, many of the smaller municipalities would be unable to participate due to smaller budgets; a potential future pool could comprise Richmond, Burnaby and Surrey;

·            

the City-to-Federal Government contributions to the RCMP budget is 10%-to-90%; in an emergency situation during which policing resources would have to be drawn away, up to 10% of the policing costs under that circumstance would be the responsibility of the individual municipality, while 90% would be the responsibility of the Federal government;

·            

the high cost of living in the Lower Mainland, identified as a reason that recruits are posted elsewhere, has not been addressed;

·            

the Richmond detachment considers the civilianization process as on-going and whenever a position at the detachment needs to be filled, the position is analyzed to determine if a uniformed, or non-uniformed, person can fill the vacancy;

·            

at present the integration team members (Police Dog Services, Collision Reconstruction and Forensic Identification Services) are not being counted in the vacancy report due to the complexity of the funding issue; that is an issue that will be examined before the next budget;

·            

the concept of the CSO originated in the United Kingdom, and if the concept is implemented here, it would resemble the auxiliary constable concept; among items to be determined would be: if a CSO position is volunteer or paid; where a CSO’s responsibilities would begin and end; and what duties would be fulfilled;

·            

the Richmond detachment has already expressed its interest in participating in a CSO pilot project, but it has not yet been determined when the pilot project would begin;

·            

when recruits graduate from the RCMP Depot in Regina, Saskatchewan, they are distributed fairly to detachments throughout the country, with Lower Mainland detachments receiving new recruits in a fair and proportional manner;

At present there are three hard vacancies at the Richmond detachment. OIC Clapham stated that he is looking forward to receiving the proposed quarterly reports in order to clarify the types and numbers of vacancies throughout the RCMP service.

It was moved and seconded

That Council endorse, and staff and the OIC implement the recommendations contained in the CAO/PPC (Chief Administrative Officer/Principal Policing Contact) group’s Lower Mainland District Vacancy report (dated June 26, 2007)

CARRIED

4.

LOWER MAINLAND DISTRICT INTEGRATION INITIATIVES – FORENSIC IDENTIFICATION SERVICES, POLICE DOG SERVICES, COLLISION RECONSTRUCTION AND ANALYSIS SERVICES

(Report:  May 29, 2007, File No.:  09-5350-01) (REDMS No. 2237587)

Shawn Issel, Manager, Community Safety Policy and Programs, reported that that the Lower Mainland District and the integrated team service delivery model was envisioned during negotiations for the 1992 police contract. The funding of the integrated initiatives (Police Dog Services, Collision Reconstruction and Forensic Identification Services) has now been finalized and will occur in April 2008.  

(Mayor Malcolm Brodie arrived at 4:40 p.m. during Ms. Issel’s comment on the report.)

In response to a budgetary inquiry, Ms. Issel, accompanied by OAC Clapham and Tony Mahon, Operations Support Officer, advised that costs are non-discretionary and would not be considered an additional level, but would be added to the base level budget.

A brief discussion ensued with regard to a comparison between the budget base level now and a post-April 2008 base budget. Advice was given that after the financial integration there will be no change in the Police Dog Services due to the new zone created for the service that is restricted to Richmond and the Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Further advice was given that of the two additional police dogs at YVR, the Federal Government pays for one, and YVR pays for the other.

Staff was directed by Committee to prepare and submit a memorandum before the report goes to Council on Monday, July 23, 2007, detailing information on why the funding changes for the three integrated initiatives would be considered in the 2008 base budget rather than as additional levels. 

Ms. Issel stated that an evaluation of each of the three teams will be done, and will be submitted in memorandum form in order to demonstrate each of the teams’ success.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the funding changes to accommodate the three integration initiatives – Forensic Identification Services, Police Dog Services, and Collision Reconstruction and Analysis Services be considered in the 2008 Budget; and

(2)

That a letter be forwarded to the Solicitor General advising that a sustainable and equitable funding framework for integrated teams and taskforces be the subject of negotiations during the 2012 RCMP contract renewal.

CARRIED

5.

TOBACCO CONTROL ACT DRAFT REGULATIONS

(Report:  June 28, 2007, File No.: 12-8000-10) (REDMS No. 2250846)

Wayne Mercer, Manager, Community Bylaws, advised that July 19, 2007 is the Ministry of Health’s deadline for comments and feedback regarding the regulations outlined in the Province’s Tobacco Sales Amendment Act. The regulations are expected to come into effect on January 1, 2008.

Discussion ensued regarding staff recommendations that Council give consideration to supporting the Lower Mainland Local Government Association’s (LMLGA) resolutions to: (i) extend restrictions on places where tobacco products can be consumed, including cafes, restaurants, pubs, taverns, bars, casinos and bingo halls, and (ii) extend the minimum distance between outdoor smoking and doorways, window openings and air intakes to 7.5 metres (from 3 metres);

In response to a query, Mr. Mercer stated that staff had not undertaken a study to determine the impact the proposed regulations would have on Richmond’s business community.

Concern was expressed that (i) if Richmond passed a resolution to support the LMLGA’s resolutions, and (ii) if Richmond advised the Province of the endorsement, that if the Province’s Tobacco Sales Amendment Act was not approved, the City would be expected to create its own regulations regarding restrictions on places where tobacco products could be consumed.

It was suggested that the report should be referred back to staff for further analysis, that staff should undertake a consultation process, and that staff should report back to Committee before the City makes a decision regarding the Province’s draft Tobacco Sales Amendment Act.

Further discussion ensued and the following points were raised:

·         

it would be prudent to not get out of step on this issue with other municipalities in the LMLGA;

·         

it was unknown to what extend LMLGA did research and consultation before presenting its resolutions with regard to the Tobacco Sales Amendment Act;

·         

Richmond should not delay its decision on this matter until after consultation with stakeholders takes place because optimum health in the community is the issue and tobacco products undermine health;

·         

if Richmond delays its decision on this matter until after consultation with stakeholders takes place, the City will have missed the July 19, 2007 deadline, and as a result Richmond could be seen as being satisfied with the proposed Provincial legislation;

·         

it would be in the best interest of the City to hold meetings with stakeholders in order to gather information.

The Chair invited Dr. James Lu, Medical Health Officer for Richmond, to address Committee. Dr. Lu made the following points:

·         

tobacco is the single most common cause of disease in B.C.;

·         

the Province’s proposed Tobacco Sales Amendment Act is being proposed in such a way that it will allow for a patchwork of different types of regulations in different communities to come into effect throughout the Province;

·         

it is important that the City communicate to the Province that regulations should apply to the Province as a whole, and that individual municipalities should not be responsible for making their own regulations;

·         

3 metres of distance between outdoor smoking and doorways, window openings and air intakes is insignificant, and studies indicate that airborne smoke particles do not decrease until they reach a minimum of 7 metres;

In response to a query, Dr. Lu remarked that the Vancouver Coast Health Authority is submitting input to the Province on this matter, but that he was unaware whether other health associations across B.C. were undertaking a similar action.

Discussion ensued regarding the suggestion to send the report back to staff for further study.

Mr. Mercer advised that if staff was asked to undertake further study, staff could return with results and present them to Committee in October 2007.

It was moved and seconded

That Council:

(1)

Give consideration to supporting:

(a)

the LMLGA Resolutions to:

(i)

extend the restrictions on places where tobacco products can be consumed to include patios at any hospitality site (including cafes, restaurants, pubs, taverns, bars, casinos and bingo halls) whether enclosed or not;

(ii)

extend the minimum distance between outdoor smoking and doorways, window openings and air intakes to 7.5 metres; and

(b)

the recommendation of Richmond’s Medical Health Officer that:

(i)

the restrictions on the sale of tobacco products be extended to include private athletic or recreational facilities and pharmacies or retail outlets that include pharmacies

(2)

Authorize staff to advise the Ministry of Health as to the results of Council’s deliberations.

The question on the motion was not called as the following referral motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That the “Tobacco Control Act Draft Regulations” report (dated June 28, 2007) be referred back to staff to:  

(i)

analyze possible impacts of the proposed regulations of the Province’s Tobacco Control Act on businesses in Richmond, and compare this to the impact on other municipalities in the Lower Mainland Region; and

(ii)

conduct public consultation on the proposed regulations of the Province’s Tobacco Control Act.

CARRIED

Opposed: Councillor Sue Halsey-Brandt

6.

FIRE CHIEF BRIEFING

Fire Fighter Recruitment Update

Fire Chief Jim Hancock and Deputy Chief Geoff Lake reported on the progress of the recruitment process:

·            

of the 204 chosen for evaluation, 78 were invited to proceed to the psychological assessment phase of the process, and 74 responded positively to the invitation;

·            

a significant number of the 74 are women and visible minorities;

·            

after the psychological assessment process, 50 individual interviews will be conducted, and a minimum of 20 job offers will be made in early August 2007.

In response to a query, Deputy Chief Lake stated that the last recruitment took place in 2005. During that recruitment process a total of 40 interviews conducted for five job offers.

7.

RCMP/OIC BRIEFING

Canada Day Weekend

OIC Clapham reported that the Canada Day Weekend was calm and controlled, and that were no major incidents. The police presence included participation by the new bicycle squad as well as the recently graduated class of Auxiliary Constables. In addition, there was a contingent of officers marching in the Salmon Fest parade.

A comment was made that the presence of RCMP officers, as well as Richmond Fire Rescue personnel, was noticeable and had a positive impact on the festivities throughout the City during the holiday weekend.

8.

OTHER ITEMS – None.

9.

MANAGER’S REPORT – None.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:23 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 10, 2007.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Councillor Cynthia Chen
Chair

Sheila Johnston
Committee Clerk