January 15, 2019 - Minutes

Date:

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Place:

Anderson Room
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Bill McNulty, Chair
Councillor Alexa Loo
Councillor Kelly Greene
Councillor Carol Day
Councillor Harold Steves (entered at 4:04 p.m.)
Mayor Malcolm Brodie (entered at 5:03 p.m.)

Also Present:

Councillor Chak Au
Councillor Linda McPhail
Councillor Michael Wolfe (entered at 4:15 p.m.)

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 Community Safety Committee held on December 11, 2018, be adopted.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

February 12, 2019, (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room

DELEGATION

1.

Ken Frail, Richmond resident, read from his submission (attached to and forming part of these Minutes as Schedule 1) and spoke of the potential establishment of a Richmond police canine unit to provide 24/7 canine response as he believes the Integrated Police Canine Unit is not meeting the needs of the City.

Councillor Steves entered the meeting (4:04 p.m.).

In response to queries from Committee, Mr. Frail advised that he believes that there are a number of crimes that can benefit from a canine unit, and that Richmond’s geography as an island, would lend itself well to capturing criminals.

Councillor Wolfe entered the meeting (4:15 p.m.).

In reply to queries from Committee, Superintendent Will Ng, Officer in Charge, Richmond RCMP, advised that there are some service gaps associated with an integrated canine unit.  He remarked that discussions have taken place with regard to tracking the Canine Units’ time in Richmond and as result a full-time dog has been dedicated to Richmond, Delta and UBC.

Committee directed staff to provide more information regarding Canine Units, in particular statistics on usage of the dogs and response times, cost of having a Canine Unit in Richmond, and the potential of reducing the area of the shared unit.

COMMUNITY SAFETY DIVISION

2.

Community Bylaws Monthly Activity Report - November 2018
(File Ref. No. 12-8060-01) (REDMS No. 6036431)

In reply to queries from Committee, Carli Williams, Manager, Community Bylaws and Licencing, advised that there are a number of factors that contribute to the large number of open soil bylaw files.

Cecilia Achiam, General Manager, Community Safety, noted that there is an outstanding referral to examine the Soil Removal and Fill Deposit Regulation and staff will be exploring options to strengthen the Bylaw and bring it forward for Council’s consideration.

In reply to further queries from Committee, Ms. Williams noted that (i) violation tickets are not always issued following receipt of complaints as when Property Use Officers arrive at a location, often contraventions are not found, and (ii) a petition was registered in Court related to the City’s action with 11111 Bird Road, also the homeowners were given a timeline to bring the property into compliance.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Community Bylaws Monthly Activity Report - November 2018”, dated December 14, 2018, from the General Manager, Community Safety, be received for information.

CARRIED

3.

Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report – November 2018
(File Ref. No. 09-5000-01) (REDMS No. 6050515)

In reply to queries from Committee, Fire Chief Tim Wilkinson, Richmond Fire-Rescue, advised that there is concern throughout the Greater Vancouver Fire Chiefs Association with regard to BC Emergency Health Services’ (BCEHS) new Clinical Response Model; however he noted that BCEHS is regularly invited to make presentations on new protocol changes. He noted that BCEHS is very informative with regard to their outreach; however feedback options are very limited, if any.  Chief Wilkinson then stated that there are some changes to the current Clinical Response Model that may result in the return of some emergency response calls to RFR.   

In reply to further queries from Committee, Chief Wilkinson stated that (i) the need for BC Ambulance Services (BCAS) to attend medical calls is directly correlated with the level of skill and ability of RFR personnel, and (ii) RFR and BCAS utilize different record databases and therefore it is challenging to determine whether medical responses have improved since the implementation of the revised Clinical Response Model.

Discussion took place on the potential to correspond with the Province with regard to the current Clinical Response Model.  It was noted that additional information regarding response times, patient outcome, and so forth would be valuable and it would provide insight as to whether the first responder needs of Richmond residents are being met.

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

It was moved and seconded

That staff gather information, including statistics, regarding the current Clinical Response Model and report back.

CARRIED

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report – November 2018”, dated December 14, 2018, from the Fire Chief, Richmond Fire-Rescue, be received for information.

CARRIED

4.

FIRE CHIEF BRIEFING
(Verbal Report)

Items for discussion:

(i)

Fire Prevention Officer Recruitment

Chief Wilkinson advised that RFR is seeking a Fire Prevention Officer and over 100 applications have been submitted. He highlighted that part of a Fire Prevention Officer’s role is to educate the public on fire prevention activities in an effort to reduce and prevent the number of fires.

(ii)

New Firefighter Recruits

Chief Wilkinson highlighted that five new fire fighter recruits have started training at Cambie Fire Hall. He noted that once they complete the 7-week initial orientation and undergo one year of training, they will be commence their regular fire fighter duties.

(iii)

Playbook Training

Chief Wilkinson advised that there have been some changes in the Fire Services Act with regard to amount of training and type of training required of fire fighters, therefore RFR has created a training package to accommodate those changes. He noted that firefighters will be engaging in training sessions to ensure their skills are compliant with the Fire Services Act over a three month period.

(iv)

Fire Service Recognition Ceremony

Chief Wilkinson highlighted that the Fire Service Recognition Ceremony will take place on January 26, 2019 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at Brighouse Fire Hall. He advised that they will be giving honours around Provincial Long Service Recognition medals and Federal Exemplary Service Medals as well as recognizing recently promoted officers and newly graduated recruits.

(v)

Annual Christmas Tree Chip Update

Chief Wilkinson highlighted that approximately $5,600 was raised and will be allocated to various charities.  Also, he noted that the tree chips will be utilized throughout the City’s parks and trail systems.

5.

RCMP Monthly Activity Report – November 2018
(File Ref. No.09-5000-01) (REDMS No. 6032032 v. 2)

Superintendent Ng reviewed November 2018 activities and provided the following information:

44 assaults were reported; however none pose a risk to public safety;

RCMP are investigating five prolific offenders;

an individual was recently arrested for ten counts of break and enters;

a new Richmond Mobile Enforcement Team has been created, whereby officers are proactively patrolling for criminals;

the RCMP are looking at incorporating a greater presence at Canada Line platforms in an effort to discourage the use of transit as a means to flee police;

General Duty Officers have been conducting road blocks at various gateways to the City, which reminds people of police presence in the evenings;

volunteers have been liaising with Block Watch to recruit more Block Captains particularly in areas most impacted by break and enters;

as part of their Education Campaign, the RCMP will be informing the community of any crime trends occurring through social media; and

police dogs have been actively patrolling Richmond hotspots and are being accountable for their time.

In reply to queries from Committee, Superintendent Ng remarked that the RCMP are examining ways to track and measure their successes to show the community the reduction in crime and effectiveness with mental health and homelessness. He noted that there have been some vehicle break and enters at the River Rock Casino parking lot and have been advised to increase their patrols and the RCMP are exploring ways to support them.

In reply to further queries from Committee, Superintendent Ng advised that a Youth Squad has been established and students in grades 11 and 12 can apply to this program. He noted that the RCMP have a strong presence in all the schools in Richmond, including faith-based schools, and the D.A.R.E. program allows the RCMP to ensure that children are aware that the police are approachable and dependable and there to help. Also, Superintendent Ng remarked that there has not been an overwhelming issue with regard to cannabis use violations since its legalization.

Mayor Brodie entered the meeting (5:03 p.m.).

Superintendent Ng advised that the RCMP have many student volunteers, many of which have gone on to become regular members. He noted that in Edmonton, the RCMP conduct exercise activities in the mornings and invite members of the community that are interested in law enforcement to join to interact with them and get to know them. He then noted that staff can examine the requirements for the Real Estate Board with regard to informing the RCMP of illegal activities taking place in homes and that the RCMP are putting together an educational video to help the community identify illegal activities taking place in their neighbourhoods.

It was moved and seconded

That the report titled “RCMP Monthly Activity Report – November 2018”, dated December 11, 2018, from the Officer in Charge, Richmond RCMP Detachment, be received for information.

CARRIED

6.

RCMP/OIC BRIEFING
(Verbal Report)

Item for discussion:

None.

7.

COMMITTEE STANDING ITEM

E-Comm

None.

8.

MANAGER’S REPORT

None.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:12 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, January 15, 2019.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Councillor Bill McNulty
Chair

Sarah Goddard
Recording Secretary