April 13, 2021 - Minutes

Date:

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Place:

Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Bill McNulty, Chair
Councillor Carol Day (by teleconference)
Councillor Alexa Loo (by teleconference)
Councillor Harold Steves (by teleconference)
Councillor Michael Wolfe (by teleconference)

Also Present:

Councillor Chak Au (by teleconference)
Councillor Linda McPhail (by teleconference)

Call to Order:

The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.

AGENDA ADDITION

It was moved and seconded

That Exterior Residential Lighting be added to the agenda as Item No. 9

CARRIED

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Community Safety Committee held on March 9, 2021, be adopted.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

May 11, 2021, (tentative date) at 4:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers

COMMUNITY SAFETY DIVISION

1.

PROPERTY USE MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – FEBRUARY 2021
(File Ref. No. 12-8375-01) (REDMS No. 6641541)

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) Unsightly Premises include all properties and that the majority of calls are seasonal issues, (ii) sides of roads are classified under Boulevard Maintenance, (iii) prior to exceeding the soil exemption limit, a Stop Work Order was issued to a property on McLennan Avenue, (iv) City bylaws hold property owners responsible for any garbage on their property, and (v) if abandoned litter is found by City crews, Community Bylaws is contacted to collect litter as evidence.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Property Use Monthly Activity Report – February 2021”, dated March 11, 2021, from the General Manager, Community Safety, be received for information.

CARRIED

2.

COMMUNITY BYLAWS PARKING ENFORCEMENT AND ANIMAL SERVICES MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – FEBRUARY 2021(File Ref. No. 12-8060-01) (REDMS No. 6622734)

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) canvassing for dog licenses is currently underway with an expected approximate 8000 dog license renewals, (ii) the transition from RAPS to BC SPCA has been smooth, with an increase in service due to more officers working with SPCA, (iii) a parking ticket was issued in Burkeville due to all four tires being on the roadway, and (iv) BC SPCA and Community Bylaws are providing public education on off-leash dogs through pamphlet distribution and social media.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Community Bylaws Parking Enforcement and Animal Services Monthly Activity Report – February 2021”, dated March 12, 2021, from the General Manager, Community Safety, be received for information.

CARRIED

3.

RICHMOND FIRE-RESCUE MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – FEBRUARY 2021
(File Ref. No.) (REDMS No. 6616265)

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) Richmond Fire-Rescue is restricted from transporting patients due to current legislation, (ii) a staff memorandum with a list of patient transfer services in Richmond will be provided to Council, (iii) HazMat incidences are mostly minor events, and (iv) the natural gas leak on April 9, 2021 was attended to and resolved with coordination by various departments in the City.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report – February 2021”, dated March 9, 2021, from the Fire Chief, be received for information.

CARRIED

4.

FIRE CHIEF BRIEFING
(Verbal Report)

Items for discussion:

(i)

Emergency Programs Quarterly Report Update

Staff noted that Emergency Programs updates will be included in the Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report starting in April.

(ii)

Hiring for Fire and Life Safety Educator

Staff provided an update on the hiring of a Fire and Life Safety Educator, noting that the employee has a strong background in public education and social media.

(iii)

Immunization Plan for Richmond Fire-Rescue

Staff provided an updated on the voluntary immunization plan for Richmond Fire-Rescue, noting that staff, including RCMP and Richmond school teachers and staff members, will all be vaccinated within five weeks starting April 16, 2021.

5.

2021-2022 RICHMOND RCMP DETACHMENT ANNUAL PERFORMANCE PLAN – COMMUNITY PRIORITIES
(File Ref. No. 09-5000-01) (REDMS No. 6599735)

It was moved and seconded

That the priorities, Property Crime, Organized Crime, Road Safety and Vulnerable Persons, listed in the staff report titled "2021-2022 Richmond RCMP Detachment Annual Performance Plan-Community Priorities", dated March 5, 2021 from the Officer in Charge, Richmond RCMP, be endorsed for inclusion in the Richmond RCMP Detachment's fiscal year 2021-2022 (April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022) Annual Performance Plan.

CARRIED

6.

RCMP MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – FEBRUARY 2021
(File Ref. No. 09-5000-01) (REDMS No. 6626794)

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) regular RCMP members should continue to triage mental health patients and that the potential of a holding room would have to be discussed with Vancouver Coastal Health, (ii) all efforts are made to ensure that female sexual offence victims are accompanied by female officers, (iii) there are sufficient officers with trauma sensitivity training, and (iv) the majority of Violation Tickets this month were issued to those attending restricted social gatherings.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled "RCMP Monthly Activity Report - February 2021", dated March 8, 2021 from the Officer in Charge, Richmond RCMP Detachment, be received for information.

CARRIED

7.

RCMP/OIC BRIEFING
(Verbal Report)

Items for discussion:

(i)

Immunization Plan for RCMP Staff

Staff noted that they have received Vancouver Coastal Health approval to have front line RCMP officers vaccinated beginning April 16, 2021.

(ii)

Hiring of YVR Commander Inspector

Staff noted that a new YVR commander inspector started last week to oversee Provincial Health Orders and Covid operations at YVR.

(iii)

Increased RCMP Presence in Hamilton

Staff noted that there is an increase in RCMP presence in Hamilton due to the recent criminal activities, to provide community support and ensure safety. It was also noted that community engagement events can be advertised through City social media channels, however it is important to not diminish the effectiveness of the event.

8.

MANAGER’S REPORT

None.

9.

exterior residential LIGHTING
(File Ref. No. )

Discussion took place on exterior light pollution and the potential drafting of a bylaw or guidelines surrounding external residential lighting, and as a result the following referral motion was introduced.

It was moved and seconded

That staff examine options for a bylaw or guidelines for external residential lighting in Richmond.

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:58 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, April 13, 2021.

_________________________________

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Councillor Bill McNulty
Chair

Shannon Unrau
Legislative Services Associate