July 11, 2023 - Minutes

Date:

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

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 (by teleconference)

Councillor Michael Wolfe (by teleconference)

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 June 13, 2023, be adopted.

CARRIED

AGENDA ADDITIONS

The Chair advised that Safety Concerns Around Alternative Modes of Transportation in Richmond will be considered as Item No. 6A and Project Iris will be considered as Item No. 6B.

COMMUNITY SAFETY DIVISION

1.

ANIMAL PROTECTION SERVICES MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – MAY 2023

(File Ref. No. 12-8375-01) (REDMS No. 7227296)

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Animal Protection Services Monthly Activity Report – May 2023”, dated June 16, 2023, from the General Manager, Community Safety, be received for information.

CARRIED

2.

PROPERTY USE AND PARKING ENFORCEMENT MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – MAY 2023

(File Ref. No. 12-8375-01) (REDMS No. 7264017)

In reply to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) major drivers for unsightly premises calls for service in the city’s downtown core were vegetation such as tall grass and overgrown shrubs on public property,
(ii) studies have indicated that there has been some correlation between signs of unsightliness, overall decay and graffiti being attractants to other types of crimes, (iii) in advance to the growing season staff can be more pro active with messaging around overgrown vegetation and unsightly premises,
(iv) staff will provide a memorandum with some initiatives that will be put in place to deal with the unsightly premises calls, (v) the biggest driver for the increase in short term rental is the lifting of Covid-19 related restrictions,
(vi) staff have seen a increase in short term rental violations by people who are staying in Richmond temporarily for tourism purposes, (vii) staff have not seen a pattern in the type of housing and area associated with short term rentals, and (viii) the requirement for short terms rentals is that the owner or occupier has to be living in the dwelling.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Property Use and Parking Enforcement Monthly Activity Report – May 2023”, dated June 16, 2023, from the Director, Community Bylaws & Licencing, be received for information.

CARRIED

3.

RICHMOND FIRE-RESCUE MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – MAY 2023

(File Ref. No. 99-Fire Rescue) (REDMS No. 7248698)

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that they will provide Committee with a memorandum with respect to an increase in the number of strokes from last year.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report – May 2023”, dated June 9, 2023, from the Fire Chief, be received for information.

CARRIED

4.

FIRE CHIEF BRIEFING
(Verbal Report)

Items for discussion: None.

5.

RICHMOND RCMP MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT - MAY 2023
(File Ref. No. 09-5000-01) (REDMS No. 7243162)

In response to queries from Committee, Chief Supt. Dave Chauhan advised that (i) Chief Constable Alexander Main was recognized with a plaque on the Wall of Honour in Ottawa, (ii) additional information on the percentage of cases of domestic violence involving alcohol will be provided to Committee, (iii) members from the special victims unit work closely and provide support to victims and families of domestic assault, (iv) pepper spray assault is classified as assault with a weapon and there has been some recent incidents involving youths with pepper spray, (v) recovery of auto theft vehicles is tracked by the RCMP, including where the vehicles were recovered, and (vi) there has been no indication of organized shoplifting crime groups, however the Richmond RCMP is aware of individual prolific offenders.

It was moved and seconded

That the report titled "RCMP Monthly Activity Report- May 2023", dated June 13, 2023, from the Officer in Charge, Richmond RCMP Detachment, be received for information.

CARRIED

6.

RCMP/OIC BRIEFING
(Verbal Report)

Chief Supt. Dave Chauhan shared stories recognizing work that members of the RCMP, staff and members of the public have done.  He acknowledged their hard work and dedication and what steps were taken to commemorate them.

Discussion ensued with respect to (i) exploring bringing back the annual fire fighter/police officer/citizen of the year awards, (ii) recognizing the hard work of all first responders, and (iii) the possibility of resuming the 911 awards.

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

It was moved and seconded

That staff explore options to recognize first responders in Richmond, including funding and partnership opportunities, and report back.

CARRIED

6A.

SAFETY CONCERNS AROUND ALTERNATIVE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION IN RICHMOND

Discussion ensued with respect to (i) the potential conflicts between
e-scooters and e-bikes and other users of muti-use pathways, (ii) encouraging helmet use and education being a critical piece for helmet safety and e-bikes, (iii) reviewing the maximum permitted speeds of e-scooters e-bikes and e-scooters, (iv) RCMP’s proactive messaging and education efforts to educate public on bike and scooter safety through various forms of engagement, (v) the creation by the RCMP of an educational video of the rules of using e-scooters on shared pathways not on sidewalks, (vi) enforcement, education and engineering being key pieces to address traffic safety, (vii) traffic congestion and increased use of alternative modes of transportation having a potential negative effect on traffic safety,  (viii) partnering with  other groups such as BC Medical Association, Richmond Fire-Rescue, BC Ambulance Service, BC Chiefs of Police, and various staff working together to explore  education options promoting helmet and traffic safety.

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

It was moved and seconded

That staff coordinate with the Richmond RCMP, Communications, Transportation and City Bylaws departments to explore all issues with respect to safety concerns around alternative modes of transportation and report back.

CARRIED

6B.

PROJECT IRIS

A brief summary of the Project Iris program was provided, noting that the residents with existing private home security systems can register their camera and footage can be used by law enforcement to investigate incidents in the area. It was added that the program is voluntary and is currently being used in other municipalities.

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

It was moved and seconded

That staff :

(1)

examine the use of Project Iris in other municipalities; and

(2)

review the viability of Project Iris for the City of Richmond;

and report back.

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:33 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, July 11, 2023.

_________________________________

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Councillor Alexa Loo
Chair

Raman Grewal
Legislative Services Associate