December 13, 2022 - Minutes

Date:

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Place:

Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Alexa Loo, Chair
Councillor Andy Hobbs
Councillor Laura Gillanders
Councillor Kash Heed
Councillor Bill McNulty

Also Present:

Councillor Chak Au
Councillor Carol Day

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 November 15, 2022, be adopted.

CARRIED

COMMUNITY SAFETY DIVISION

1.

ANIMAL PROTECTION SERVICES MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – OCTOBER 2022

(File Ref. No. 09-5375-09) (REDMS No. 7028260)

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Animal Protection Services Monthly Activity Report – October 2022”, dated November 10, 2022, from the General Manager, Community Safety, be received for information.

CARRIED

2.

BUSINESS LICENCE ACTIVITY REPORT – THIRD QUARTER 2022

(File Ref. No. 12-8060-00) (REDMS No. 7036633)

Discussion ensued with respect to the follow up of new liquor establishments.  Staff noted there is follow-up to monitor/review the number of calls for service from an RCMP standpoint, the number of complaints from the public and also the ability to diary date for liquor establishment inspections, which are conducted without prior notice.

In response to queries from the Committee regarding illegal ride hailing enforcement, staff noted (i) the total fines year to date are $31,755, which includes Passenger Transportation Branch (PTB) fines of $24,105, (ii) fines enforced include operating without a business license as well as several other types of fines issued by the PTB that can be a deterrent (e.g. car impounded), and (iii) staff have worked with PTB to look at more stringent measures such as working with the Office of Superintendents for Drivers Licenses to pull the Drivers License for repeat offenders.

With respect to the licensing for delivery companies, staff noted that businesses operating out of Richmond require a business license, but if the delivery company is providing delivery in Richmond but the headquarters are in another jurisdiction, an inter-municipal business license to operate is required.  Staff will follow-up to provide an update on the number of delivery service companies currently licensed in Richmond.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Business Licence Activity Report – Third Quarter 2022”, dated November 21, 2022, from the Director, Community Bylaws & Licencing, be received for information.

CARRIED

3.

PROPERTY USE AND PARKING ENFORCEMENT MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – OCTOBER 2022

(File Ref. No. 12-8375-01) (REDMS No. 7050244)

Discussion took place with respect to calls for service for unsightly premises.  Staff noted there are a variety of causal factors regarding unsightly premises, with a distribution of different owner types and operators associated with them.  Staff further noted the majority of unsightly premise investigations result in voluntary compliance and that there is a spectrum of enforcement available if needed, including warnings, tickets and the ability to issue an Order to Comply where, barring an appeal to Council, City staff clean the site and bill the property owner.

In response to queries from the Committee, staff noted (i) soil revenue is generally derived voluntarily from the applicant and in cases where a soil bylaw officer has come across illegal soil or dumping through complaint or proactive enforcement, compliance could potentially be achieved through a warning, a letter or long-form prosecution action, (ii) staff work very closely with the Agricultural Land Commission and keep them informed as part of the enforcement, and (iii) in addition to the one year follow-up soil bylaw implementation, staff will also report back on the increased activity resulting from the fulfillment of additional soil bylaw officer posting.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Property Use and Parking Enforcement Monthly Activity Report - October 2022”, dated November 21, 2022, from the Director, Community Bylaws & Licencing, be received for information

CARRIED

4.

RICHMOND FIRE-RESCUE MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – OCTOBER 2022

(File Ref. No. 09-5140-01) (REDMS No. 7029814)

In response to queries from the Committee, Fire Chief Jim Wishlove, Richmond Fire Rescue (RFR), reported (i) to limit Covid-19 exposure, it was a risk management reaction by BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) during the pandemic to not dispatch fire rescue first responders, however BCEHS has now conducted a risk assessment and determined that fire rescue first responders can return to pre-pandemic response, which is indicated by the increasing call volume, (ii) RFR does have the capacity to respond and attend calls, averaging upwards of 80% arrival before BC Ambulance and perform any vital interventions and assessments required, (iii) RFR first responders are trained and evaluated to a first responder level 3 (standard bar for professional firefighters in the province currently) and there are some additional Richmond specific protocols that RFR have endorsements for in agreement with BC Ambulance, and (iv) a regional committee of Fire Chiefs are assigning a number of senior staff to work with the province to expedite the delivery of the upgraded medical training for fire rescue first responders (especially in the Metro Vancouver region), and as Richmond will be one of the first departments to receive the training, as the licensing is established RFR will be granted the additional education and licensed almost immediately.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report – October 2022”, dated November 16, 2022, from the Fire Chief, be received for information.

CARRIED

5.

FIRE CHIEF BRIEFING
(Verbal Report)

Items for discussion:

(i)

Medical call update

In follow-up to queries from Committee at the November meeting, Fire Chief Jim Wishlove, Richmond Fire Rescue (RFR), provided further information with respect to the overdose and poisoning calls captured, noting that the overdose term in data reporting encompasses much more than what would be considered street level drugs, e.g., some overdose calls may involve incidents where RFR staff is attending illicit drug overdoses, prescription drug overdoses or exposures to other types of medications that may not be theirs and could be accidental, where staff potentially are assessing a patient and may administer naloxone.  It would not include calls where RFR arrive simultaneously with BC Ambulance, or in the case where RFR arrives behind BC ambulance who may have already administered naloxone.

Chief Wishlove further noted that data on overdose and poisoning calls responded to over the last six years show that during the past two years, coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in staff attending overdoses and poisoning calls for which not all were significantly related to street or illicit type drugs and not all have resulted in the administration of naloxone.

Staff advised they will reach out to the Vancouver Coastal Health Medical Health Officer for any additional information that can be shared with respect to overdose death statistics in Richmond.

(ii)

Holiday Toy Drive

In support of the 2022 Richmond RCMP Christmas Toy Drive, RFR had a number of crews stop and show the fire truck, participate in outreach and also take the opportunity to deliver fire preparedness and emergency preparedness information.  It was a great event for RFR crews and staff, and terrific partnership to move forward in the community.

6.

RCMP MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT - OCTOBER 2022

(File Ref. No. 09-5000-01) (REDMS No. 7026031)

A brief discussion ensued with respect to traffic concerns at Burnett School.  In collaboration with the school and its stakeholders, Chief Supt. Chauhan, noted he would engage the Road Safety Unit and the volunteer group to make sure there is appropriate messaging/proactive measures taking place.

In response to questions from the Committee, Chief Supt. Chauhan, noted (i) Blockwatch participation is increasing, although not at pre Covid‑19 pandemic levels, community members are beginning to engage in the program, primarily run by municipal staff, and RCMP community engagement team members continue to be engaged with Blockwatch support staff, playing a key role in advancing the Blockwatch initiative, (ii) with the holiday season underway, the RCMP Road Safety Unit and general duty front line officers are actively setting up road blocks, the results of which may see both impaired criminal court charges as well as driving prohibitions on the road side, (iii) the reported increase in serious assaults is an anomaly for this reporting period and does not indicate any specific trends or public safety concerns, and (iv) the pandemic had a major impact on the speedwatch initiative with fewer volunteers able to come out and participate however, similar to Blockwatch, the increase in volunteers will help to support in areas identified as safety hazards, which will see a return to issuing letters as done previously.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled "RCMP Monthly Activity Report - October 2022”, dated November 9, 2022, from the Officer in Charge. Richmond RCMP Detachment, be received for information.

CARRIED

7.

RCMP/OIC BRIEFING
(Verbal Report)

Chief Superintendent Dave Chauhan, Officer in Charge, Richmond RCMP,  noted the following:

(i)

Seasonal Media Releases

The Richmond RCMP media team has issued two holiday related property crime awareness releases that are shared on Twitter:

1.     “Tis the season for gatherings and getaways.  Tips to help keep your home secure this holiday season”; and

2.     “Keeping your gifts out of thieves’ hands.  Ways to prevent being the victim of theft from auto”.

(ii)

Holiday Toy Drive

The 2022 Richmond RCMP Christmas Toy Drive was a tremendous success, receiving support of Richmond Fire Rescue and many others for the initiative, exceeding the previous year’s record of 1.5 tonnes of toys and $20K raised, to receiving 1.6 tonnes of toys and $26K raised.

A brief discussion ensued with respect to homelessness calls.  Chief Supt. Chauhan noted there has not been any cause for concern or significant increase in calls and that the various community engagement team members (Fox 80, Vulnerable Persons Unit, etc.) are engaged and proactive in their outreach efforts to check on the various locations and do what they can in their capacity to help those in need.

8.

MANAGER’S REPORT

(i)

Snow Removal

With the anticipated seasonal snow storms, staff noted the response of bylaw officers will be on a complaint driven basis.  Bylaw officers will try to reach property owners and provide educational pamphlets advising of their responsibility to clear sidewalks in front of their home, noting they will return the following day to issue tickets if the snow is not removed.

In response to questions from the Committee staff noted (i) ticketed fines are $70, reduced to $40 if paid early, (ii) each winter season corporate communications and emergency programs issue reminders (predominantly through social media) regarding snow removal responsibility, and (iii) warnings will be issued for first time violations and any repeat violations (identified through the multi-year tracking system) will automatically receive a fine.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:55 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, December 13, 2022.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Councillor Alexa Loo
Chair

Lorraine Anderson
Legislative Services Associate