September 10, 2019 - Minutes
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Community Safety Committee
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Date: |
Tuesday, September 10, 2019 |
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Place: |
Anderson Room |
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Present: |
Councillor Bill McNulty, Chair |
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Also Present: |
Councillor Chak Au |
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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 July 9, 2019, be adopted. |
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CARRIED |
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NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE |
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Wednesday, October 16, 2019, (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room |
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DELEGATION |
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1. |
Martin Van Den Hemel, Communications Director, and Austin Zhang, CEO, GoKabu Group, distributed materials (attached to and forming part of these Minutes as Schedule 1), and provided the following information: |
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Kabu is a Richmond based software development company, that operates several other companies including Go Kabu Technologies and Kabu Ride; |
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Go Kabu was created three years ago by two university students; |
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as the company waited for ride hailing regulations to be put in place it continued to grow; |
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on September 3, 2019, Go Kabu put in an application to the Passenger Transportation Board for a ride hailing application to operate in Richmond; |
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since 2016 Go Kabu has provided 1.3 million rides; |
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should Go Kabu not receive a licence prior to legislation taking effect on September 16, 2019, the ride sharing app will be shut down; and |
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Go Kabu puts emphasis on safe driving and provides a comprehensive benefits package to their drivers as well as an excellent driving experience for their customers. |
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In reply to queries from Committee, Go Kabu staff noted that: |
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Go Kabu is planning to match drivers and customers based on language preference; |
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drivers must complete their Class 4 training and participate in daily inspections of cars before starting their day; |
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the application process can take from 6-8 weeks to complete; |
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negotiations are underway with another Richmond business with regard to outfitting cars to be more accessible for wheelchairs and operate during the weekdays; |
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all drivers and customers will be covered under Go Kabu’s insurance policy; and |
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the app is available in the App store and Google store in all languages available on the Android and IOS platforms. |
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COMMUNITY SAFETY DIVISION |
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2. |
Community Bylaws Monthly Activity Report – June 2019 |
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In reply to queries from Committee, Carli Williams, Manager, Community Bylaws and Licencing, noted that (i) all Short-Term Rental violations were not all for the same property, (ii) staff are investigating one property in particular and escalating enforcement, (iii) some non-compliance of the Soil Bylaw cases are in court and some have been issued an order to comply, and (iv) the increase in animal control offences in June is due to the Canvasser Program and the large number of dog bite incidents that occurred over the summer months. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the staff report titled “Community Bylaws Monthly Activity Report – June 2019”, dated July 12, 2019, from the General Manager, Community Safety, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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3. |
Community Bylaws Monthly Activity Report – July 2019 |
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In reply to queries from Committee, Susan Lloyd, Manager, Parking Enforcement, Animal Control and Administration, Community Bylaws, advised that morning patrols of schools resumed on the first day of school and staff were proactively patrolling through the summer months for summer school. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the staff report titled “Community Bylaws Monthly Activity Report – July 2019”, dated August 19, 2019, from the General Manager, Community Safety, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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4. |
Business Licences Quarterly Report - Second Quarter 2019 |
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Ms. Williams advised that (i) the repeat offenders for illegal taxis were different companies, (ii) another campaign in conjunction with the Passenger Transportation Board and the RCMP will be in effect once ride hailing legislation is in place, (iii) another enforcement campaign will take place and drivers without a licence will be ticketed, and (iv) any drivers from Go Kabu without a licence will be subject to an administration penalty of $50,000 to $100,000 a day. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the staff report titled “Business Licences Quarterly Report – Second Quarter 2019”, dated July 19, 2019, from the General Manager Community Safety be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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5. |
Emergency Programs Quarterly Activity Report – Second Quarter 2019 |
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Norman Kotze, Manager, Emergency Programs, highlighted that the Kwantlen Polytechnic University has completed their assessment of the Richmond Resilient Community Public Education Program and provided some recommendations which are being implemented and staff are re-launching the program for next year. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the staff report titled “Emergency Programs Quarterly Activity Report – Second Quarter 2019”, dated July 25, 2019, from the General Manager, Community Safety, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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6. |
Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report – June 2019 |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the staff report titled “Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report – June 2019”, dated July 12, 2019, from the Fire Chief, Richmond Fire-Rescue, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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7. |
Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report – July 2019 |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the staff report titled “Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report – July 2019”, dated August 12, 2019, from the Fire Chief, Richmond Fire-Rescue, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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8. |
Award of Contract 6331F Supply, Service and Delivery of Turnout Gear (Personal Protective Equipment) |
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It was moved and seconded |
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1. That staff be authorized to award a contract to Associated Fire and Safety, for the supply, service and delivery of turnout gear (Personal Protective Equipment), as outlined in the report titled “Award of Contract 6331F – Supply, Service and Delivery of Turnout Gear (Personal Protective Equipment), for Fire-Rescue emergency response personnel, dated July 29, 2019 from the Fire Chief Tim Wilkinson; and |
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2. That the Chief Administrative Officer and the General Manager, Community Safety be authorized to execute, on behalf of the City, an agreement for the supply, service and delivery of Turnout Gear (Personal Protective Equipment), as outlined in the staff report with Associated Fire and Safety at the rates quoted for a five-year term. |
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CARRIED |
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9. |
FIRE CHIEF BRIEFING |
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Item for discussion: |
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Recruitment Update |
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Jim Wishlove, Deputy Fire Chief, Richmond Fire-Rescue highlighted that (i) the recruitment process is underway and the first round of recruits will be on-boarded this month and deployed in December, (ii) the next group of recruits will be on-boarded next spring, (iii) the recruitment process will be refreshed next year for 2021 hiring, and (iv) a training program has been created to split the 12 recruits into two manageable groups to ensure more hands-on training. |
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10. |
RCMP Monthly Activity Report – June 2019 |
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Will Ng, Superintendent, Officer in Charge, Richmond RCMP, reviewed the staff report and noted that (i) there has been a positive reduction in property crime, (ii) mental health related calls have been high, and (iii) the RCMP have implemented education awareness around catalytic inverter thefts and have had major joint arrests between Surrey and Vancouver. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the report titled “RCMP Monthly Activity Report – June 2019”, dated July 18, 2019, from the Officer in Charge, Richmond RCMP Detachment, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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11. |
RCMP Monthly Activity Report – JULY 2019 |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the report titled “RCMP Monthly Activity Report – July 2019”, dated August 8, 2019, from the Officer in Charge, Richmond RCMP Detachment, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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12. |
2019-2020 Richmond RCMP Detachment Annual Performance Plan First Quarter Results (April 1 to June 30, 2019) |
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Superintendent Ng, reviewed the report and highlighted the following information: |
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there is a 5% reduction in property crime this year; |
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the Organized Crime Unit has begun connecting with local Money Service Businesses to ensure compliance; |
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Richmond Detachment has established new programs to combat organized crime and money laundering; |
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Mental Health related calls have increase; however with the deployment of Fox 80, RCMP are hoping to reduce the numbers; |
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Fox 80 training will begin tomorrow and the media event will take place on October 10, 2019; |
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In reply to queries from Committee, Superintendent Ng noted that (i) the increase in mental health related calls is across the Lower Mainland, (ii) wait times at Richmond General Hospital are challenging when dealing with mental health related calls, (iii) the RCMP hope that the implementation of Fox 80 streamlines processes at the hospital to reduce long wait times for officers, (iii) drug possession charges have decreased since the legalization of marijuana, (iv) large mental health related call volumes are not attributed to only one person, (v) the RCMP are examining implementing a youth mental health component, and (vi) there is a reduction in distracted driving due to enforcement and vehicle impounds due to excessive speeding. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the report titled “2019-2020 Richmond RCMP Detachment Annual Performance Plan First Quarter Results (April 1 to June 30, 2019)”, dated August 8, 2019, from the Officer in Charge, Richmond RCMP Detachment, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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13. |
RCMP/OIC BRIEFING |
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Item for discussion: |
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Fox 80 Car |
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See Page 6 for discussion on this item. |
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RCMP at Fire Hall #5 |
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Superintendent Ng highlighted that Richmond Fire-Rescue has provided the Richmond RCMP with space at Fire Hall #5 in Hamilton to complete paperwork and provide a positive police presence in the area. |
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Homeless Camp Patrols |
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Superintendent Ng advised that officers regularly patrol the area and have not had any problems reported lately. He noted that RCMP are proactive with ATV patrols in Hamilton and provide a good community relation. |
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Mobile Enforcement Team |
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Superintendent Ng highlighted that due to Council’s approval of additional officers, the RCMP has the capacity to create a second Mobile Enforcement Team to patrol the SkyTrain and City Centre area. |
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14. |
MANAGER’S REPORT |
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Homeless camp in Hamilton |
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Cecilia Achiam, General Manager, Community Safety, advised that (i) the number of occupants remain the same, (ii) some complaints were received regarding increase in possessions; however once spoken to items were cleaned up, and (iii) staff are continuously working with the occupants of the camp and actively exploring housing options. |
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ADJOURNMENT |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the meeting adjourn (4:50 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, September 10, 2019. |
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Councillor Bill McNulty |
Sarah Goddard |