MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Community Safety Committee held on Tuesday, June 15, 2010, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

Tuesday, September 14, 2010, (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room

LAW AND COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT

1.

PRESENTATION

Richmond-Fire-Rescue/Outreach Video

Maria Salzl, Manager, Program Administration, Richmond–Fire Rescue (RFR) Program, presented the RFR/Outreach video and in response to queries, provided the following information:

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the video is intended for and has been used in job fairs, community events and public speaking engagements by RFR;

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RFR has a Facebook page and  will put portions of the video on the City’s website and YouTube to reach  younger audiences and  get maximum exposure;

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the video is also intended to inform women and minority groups of career opportunities at RFR; and

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the video is a product of research on recruitment and outreach  practices of other fire departments and similar organizations.

2.

Update to Emergency Management Plan

Document: Emergency Management Plan
(File Ref. No.:  09-5125-03-02) (REDMS No. 2921204)

Deborah Procter, Manager, Emergency Programs, mentioned that since the Emergency Management Plan was approved by Council in 2007, it was used in various exercises and the Plan authorities, organization, concept of operations, emergency response roles and responsibilities were found to remain accurate and current. She added that only minor changes and updates have been added to the new Emergency Management Plan (copy on file, City Clerk’s Office).

In response to queries, Ms. Procter, advised the following:

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minor changes to the Plan include (i) references to legislation, (ii) contact information and resources, (iii) information on the primary and alternate Operations Centre locations, (iv) updates to Social Services program and communications, and (v) breaking down of departmental roles and responsibilities in emergencies into divisional functions; and

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the Plan covers environmental disasters and the roles and responsibilities of various agencies are laid out in the Plan.

It was moved and seconded

That:

(1)

the Emergency Management Plan dated July 13, 2010 be approved, as required under the British Columbia Emergency Programs Act; and

(2)

the General Manager, Law and Community Safety be directed to undertake a complete review of the Emergency Management Plan every three years and present this updated review to Council through the appropriate Standing Committee.

CARRIED

3.

Richmond RCMP Detachment’s Partnership with Department of Fisheries

(File Ref. No.:  10-5350-00) (REDMS No. 2926448)

Rendall Nesset, OIC, Richmond RCMP, provided background information and in response to queries, advised the following:

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the joint marine patrols by Richmond RCMP and Department of Fisheries, fully funded by the Province, started a week ago and they will be conducting six-hour enforcement patrols from July 1^st to September 5^th on a staggered basis;

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the patrols will be conducted on the north, middle and south arms of the Fraser River and Richmond RCMP will report to the Committee on the results of the patrols;

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the Marine Division of Richmond RCMP has jurisdiction over investigative matters while the Coast Guard intervenes in criminal activities but most of their work is in search and rescue; and

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the Marine Divisions of Richmond and Vancouver RCMP detachments cooperate in dealing with criminal activities and have no problems with regard to overlapping jurisdictions.

A  Committee member expressed concern on the overfishing of shellfish and OIC Nesset stated that the joint patrols will look into this issue.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report dated June 30, 2010, from the Superintendent, Officer in Charge, RCMP, entitled “Richmond RCMP Detachment Partnership with Department of Fisheries” be received for information.

CARRIED

4.

RCMP's Monthly Activity Report For June 2010

(File Ref. No.:  09-5000-01) (REDMS No. 2922238)

OIC Nesset provided background information and explained the method used by the RCMP’s  analyst in determining the 2-year trend of  the various crime categories presented in the report. In response to queries, OIC Nesset provided the following information:

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some of the reported sexual offences occur in crowded places such as inside the Canada Line trains;

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a lot of cases classified under fraud pertain to fraudulent credit card purchases;

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Richmond RCMP has a proactive approach  in dealing with drug-related crimes and the increase in statistics is a positive sign that they are doing their job;

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the presence of RCMP regular and auxiliary constables contributed to good public behaviour during the Salmon Festival;

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Richmond’s  May 2010 crime statistics is consistent with the trend in other Lower Mainland jurisdictions;

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some of the statistics on robbery refer to armed robberies on persons and business establishments and Richmond RCMP has developed  good coordination with other RCMP detachments in the Lower Mainland in pursuing armed robbers;

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drug offences relating to marihuana grow operations are observed to be increasing in the B.C. Interior; and

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Richmond RCMP will study the legal aspect of the suggestion to issue public warnings on suspected criminals.

In view of the significant services rendered by auxiliary constables, a suggestion was made that a commendation from the Committee or Council recognizing  their contributions to the community would be welcome.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report dated June 24, 2010, from the Superintendent, Officer in Charge, RCMP, entitled “RCMP’s Monthly Activity Report for June 2010” be received for information.

CARRIED

5.

Community Bylaws Monthly Activity Report for June 2010

(File Ref. No.:  ) (REDMS No. 2926360)

Wayne Mercer, Manager, Community Bylaws, advised Committee that the Community Bylaws Monthly Activity Report for June 2010 is the first of the regular monthly reports that Community Bylaws will be presenting to the Committee.

In response to queries, Mr. Mercer provided the following information:

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the operator of the Summer Night Market had requested that the hours of coverage by Bylaw Enforcement Officers be reduced from 8 to 6 hours every evening;

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the 50-cent increase in hourly meter rate effective July 1, 2010 is expected to boost parking revenues and  meet the 2010 Budget estimate;

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Community Bylaws meets quarterly with the Parking Advisory Committee and have ongoing discussions on enforcement and pay parking issues in Steveston; 

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the 7 full-time Bylaw Officers in the Parking Section and 6 Bylaw Officers in the Property Use Section have successfully coped with the Community Bylaws Division’s 43 percent increase in file load since 2005 and have been efficient in attending to the high volume of phone calls and complaints;

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adjudication hearings for parking violations are held every other month and presided over by adjudicators who are usually retired Judicial Justices of Peace (JPPs) and former police officers appointed by the Provincial Attorney-General’s Office; and

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increases in inspection files opened  in June of this year under  Boulevard Maintenance, Unsightly Premises and Weed Program are seasonal.

A comment was made regarding a concern raised on the monthly permit parking granted to Vancouver Coastal Health for the use of Gateway/Minoru Chapel parking lot particularly its impact to the other users of the said parking lot. It was requested that staff provide information on (i) the number of parking spaces allotted to Vancouver Coastal Health staff, and (ii) whether there is a limit to the issuance of monthly parking permits at Gateway/Minoru Chapel parking lot.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report dated July 2, 2010, from the General Manager, Law and Community Safety, entitled “Community Bylaws Monthly Activity Report” be received for information.

CARRIED

6.

FIRE Chief Briefing

(Oral Report) 

(i)

Pre-Plan Process

Fire Chief John McGowan reported on the evolution of Richmond Fire-Rescue’s (RFR) pre-plan process from manual drawing and mapping to fully digitized drawings of building footprints and potential hazards which are stored  in computers to provide up- to- date information to firefighters before they are dispatched. Chief McGowan then showed the Committee a sample of the drawings done around 5 years and 2 years ago (Attached to and forming part of these Minutes as Schedule 1).

In response to a query, Chief McGowan advised that newer fire safety plans submitted for building design and development are also being utilized by RFR in their pre-plan process.

(ii)

Receipt of Provincial Funding for Olympics

Chief McGowan reported that the City has received $168,462 from the Province which is intended for the increased fire and safety protection in the 2010 Winter Olympics.  He added that the said funds will be utilized to offset overtime costs for staff services and to cover  purchases of capital equipment related to the Olympics.

(iii)

Recruitment of New RFR Staff Members

Chief McGowan advised the Committee that 4 new staff members (2 females, 1 visible minority and 1 white male) joined RFR on July 5^th  and that their hiring satisfy Council’s direction on recruitment of new staff members. He added that RFR is also looking at possible intakes in fall due to potential retirements in 2011.

7.

RCMP/OIC Briefing

(Oral Report) 

OIC Nesset reported on the assistance extended by Richmond RCMP’s  Victim Services staff to the companions of the teenager from California who fell to his death at Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver. He also commended the staff  of  the hotel in Richmond where the deceased’s group stayed for their valuable assistance.

8.

OTHER ITEMS

None.

9.

MANAGER’S REPORT

None.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:20 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 13, 2010.

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Councillor Derek Dang

Chair

Rustico Agawin

Committee Clerk