March 12, 2019 - Minutes
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Community Safety Committee
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Date: |
Tuesday, March 12, 2019 |
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Place: |
Anderson Room |
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Present: |
Councillor Bill McNulty, Chair |
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Also Present: |
Councillor Linda McPhail |
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Call to Order: |
The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. |
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MINUTES |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the minutes of the meeting of the Community Safety Committee held on February 12, 2019, be adopted as circulated. |
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CARRIED |
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NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE |
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April 9, 2019, (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room |
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COMMUNITY SAFETY DIVISION |
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1. |
Community Bylaws Monthly Activity Report- January 2019 |
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Councillor Day and Councillor Wolfe entered the meeting (4:01 p.m.). |
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In reply to questions from Committee, Carli Williams, Manager, Community Bylaws and Licencing advised that staff is aware there may be Richmond listings on AirBnB and any reported Richmond addresses are investigated. Ms. Williams further noted that dog licence renewal notices are sent out in November for January which accounts for the high number of licences issued for the month. She also remarked that canvassers will be following up with those who have not renewed in the next few months. |
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In response to a question regarding a vehicle towed from Francis Road, Susan Lloyd, Manager, Parking Enforcement, Animal Control and Administration – Community Bylaws advised that the incident involved outstanding parking tickets and noted that staff can respond to the inquiry. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the staff report titled “Community Bylaws Monthly Activity Report – January 2019”, dated February 22, 2019, from the General Manager, Community Safety, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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2. |
Emergency Programs Overview (2018-2020) |
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In response to queries from Committee, Norman Kotze, Manager, Emergency Programs remarked that (i) there are three more planned sessions at community centres for the Richmond Resilient Communities Program workshop up until June, (ii) staff are in initial contact with the Richmond Chamber of Commerce to assist businesses with business continuity planning, (iii) staff continue promotion efforts for the Emergency Notification System and renewing information campaigns to reach more subscribers with a focus on sign up at public events as the alert system is an opt-in notification program, (iv) staff are working with Oceans Network Canada to integrate into the early warning system for earthquakes in order to provide instant and automated notifications as part of a systems upgrade, and (v) staff are working on opportunities to possibly provide the sign up form in other languages while managing expectations as the notifications are in English and engage with volunteers with multiple languages to encourage further sign up. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the report titled "Emergency Programs Overview (2018-2020)", dated January 29, 2019, from the General Manager, Community Safety, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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3. |
Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report- January 2019 |
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In reply to questions from Committee, Tim Wilkinson, Fire Chief spoke to specific fire incidents detailed in the report and noted that the January 18th incident at the public washroom was suspicious in nature however no further information regarding the event was garnered. Mr. Wilkinson further advised that the incident outside the caretaker’s building at King George Park caused significant damage to the home and was suspicious in nature. He also noted that although Richmond Fire-Rescue coordinates with police counterparts to investigate the cause of suspicious fires, most are difficult to prove unless the person responsible is caught in the act however staff make every effort to investigate each incident. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the staff report titled “Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report – January 2019”, dated February 14, 2019, from the Fire Chief, Richmond Fire-Rescue, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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4. |
FIRE CHIEF BRIEFING |
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Items for discussion: |
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None. |
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5. |
RCMP Monthly Activity Report- January 2019 |
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Will Ng, Superintendent, Officer in Charge highlighted the January statistics from the report and noted the following assault incidents in January: (i) one assault incident involved a security guard who attempted to intervene on a break and enter in progress at a storage locker, (ii) assault incidents occurred at the River Rock Casino, Richmond General Hospital, Home Depot, and Ackroyd Mall, (iii) three pepper spray assaults, (iv) one fight at McMath Secondary School, and (v) the remainder of the assaults were related to domestic violence. |
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Supt. Ng further outlined the following incidents of note in January: (i) five of the sexual assault incidents were related to the BC Integrated Child Exploitation (BC ICE) unit which deal with child pornography investigations, (ii) there were an increased number of indecent acts in January, and (iii) the remainder of the sexual assault incidents related to known relationships and assaults involving drugs and alcohol. |
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Supt. Ng also noted that Richmond RCMP have had recent success with strategies for apprehending offenders including the capture of an offender who broke into four vehicles in an underground parkade. He further commented that the auxiliaries are still altering their hours to Richmond RCMP and Richmond RCMP are waiting to hear from National Headquarters in regards to the Tier 3 training standards approval. |
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Discussion then took place on requesting a status update on the delivery of the training standards and uniform for the Tier 3 Auxiliary program. |
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As a result of the discussion, the following motion was introduced: |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That a letter be written to the RCMP National Headquarters requesting an update on the status of the Tier 3 Auxiliary program. |
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CARRIED |
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In reply to questions from Committee, Edward Warzel, Manager, RCMP Administration, advised that the Block Watch program is reviewed on an annual basis for active participants including captains and co-captains and updated numbers could be provided. |
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In response to further questions from Committee, Supt. Ng noted that (i) officers have attempted various strategies with the one person responsible for 60 of the January mental health incidents including the use of props and offering wrap around services, however they suffer from short term memory issues and continue to call despite intervention efforts, (ii) the Detachment’s Youth Section expects to visit all schools in Richmond with a focus on promoting the dangers of social media and the Detachment’s goal is to increase outreach capacity in the youth section, (iii) incidents of fights at schools involve different variables which may result in police being called to intervene including occurrence afterhours, (iv) the shooting incident on Mitchell Island is gang related and one male victim is currently being treated for his injuries and officers are investigating a related vehicle fire on No. 7 Road, and (vi) the recent public announcement regarding break-ins around Aberdeen Centre and Parker Place resulted in an arrest of the person responsible and since then there has been no further theft from autos in that area. He further remarked that within the last week two prolific theft from autos offenders had been arrested. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the report titled “RCMP Monthly Activity Report – January 2019”, dated February 19, 2019, from the Officer in Charge, Richmond RCMP Detachment, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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6. |
2018 - 2019 Richmond RCMP Detachment Annual Performance Plan Third Quarter Results (October 1 to December 31, 2018) |
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Supt. Ng noted that there has been a reduction in drug offenses as legalization of cannabis has led to a reduction in charges related to cannabis and has impacted the Richmond Detachment’s ability to meet its target. |
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In reply to queries from Committee, Supt. Ng advised that more information related to Project 529, the online bike registry, will be promoted more on social media and one new position that was approved for this year is for includes media relations and the role will facilitate the promotion of programs like Project 529. He further remarked that the Detachment is waiting for the letter of approval from the Minister for the hiring of the additional RCMP officers. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the report titled “2018-2019 Richmond RCMP Detachment Annual Performance Plan Third Quarter Results (October 1 to December 31, 2018)”, dated February 19, 2019, from the Officer in Charge, Richmond RCMP Detachment, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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7. |
RCMP/OIC BRIEFING |
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Items for discussion: |
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RCMP Community Consultations |
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Supt. Ng advised that the community consultation meetings held on February 20 at Richmond General Hospital and on February 21 at West Richmond Community Centre was attended by over 80 residents. He further noted that the priorities noted by respondents at the consultations were: (1) property crime, (2) crime prevention, (3) road safety, (4) organized crime, and (5) vulnerable persons. Supt. Ng also commented that the priorities for service delivery were: (1) police call response times with 92% of respondents, (2) police visibility with 69% of respondents, and (3) community outreach with 62% of respondents. He further remarked that when respondents were asked about their perceived level of safety within the community, 86% stated they felt moderately to very safe. Supt. Ng noted that as a result of the consultation meetings, three new block watch groups were formed in high property crime areas. |
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8. |
COMMITTEE STANDING ITEM |
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E-Comm |
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The Chair provided an update and noted that E-Comm has opened a second site in Saanich for dispatch. The Chair further remarked that 14 fire departments have joined E-Comm within the last few months and discussions taking place regarding a possible third site in the lower Fraser Valley or South Surrey area. The Chair also advised that any new councillor is welcome to take a tour of E-Comm or BC Ambulance. |
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9. |
MANAGER’S REPORT |
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None. |
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Discussion took place regarding health and safety concerns from residents of Burkeville as a result of the YVR Templeton Redevelopment Area. |
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In response to questions from Committee, Ms. Achiam advised that the City has written to the Minister regarding this matter and YVR has had information sessions with residents including on February 17. She further remarked that staff could contact YVR staff regarding the matter to facilitate however the project is under federal jurisdiction. |
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Andrew Baxter, Burkeville resident at 1131 Wellington Crescent, noted in response to questions from Committee that (i) residents are concerned with multiple issues in relation to the development including increased noise, (ii) residents are of the opinion that the last public meeting held by YVR did not adequately address their concerns, (iii) residents have noted that the YVR Aeronautical Noise Management Committee did meet on December 6, 2018 and the Committee commented that the aircraft noise resulting from the Templeton redevelopment would not impact Burkeville residents, (iv) residents are also concerned about the change in aircraft traffic and the 24/7 operation of the logistics facility as well as its close approximation to Burkeville, and (v) residents are further concerned with a potential increase to air traffic and exhaust from planes. |
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As a result of the discussion, the following referral motion was introduced: |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That staff pursue communication with YVR representatives to encourage further discussions with the residents of Burkeville regarding their concerns on the Templeton Area Redevelopment. |
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CARRIED |
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Discussion further took place regarding noise management of the construction of the Templeton Area Redevelopment including potential communication between the YVR Aeronautical Noise Management Committee and Burkeville residents. |
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ADJOURNMENT |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the meeting adjourn (4:48 p.m.). |
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CARRIED |
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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, March 12, 2019. |
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Councillor Bill McNulty |
Amanda Welby |