September 12, 2023 - Minutes
|
Community Safety Committee
|
Date: |
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 |
|
Place: |
Council Chambers |
|
Present: |
Councillor Alexa Loo, Chair |
|
Also Present: |
Mayor Malcolm Brodie Councillor Carol Day Councillor Michael Wolfe (by teleconference) |
|
Call to Order: |
The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. |
|
|
|
AGENDA ADDITIONS & DELETIONS |
|
|
|
It was moved and seconded |
|
|
|
That Richmond Traffic Intersection Cameras be added to the Agenda as Item No. 1A and that Item No. 1 become Item No. 1B. |
|
|
|
CARRIED |
|
|
|
MINUTES |
|
|
|
It was moved and seconded |
|
|
|
That the minutes of the meeting of the Community Safety Committee held on July 11, 2023, be adopted. |
|
|
|
CARRIED |
|
|
|
COUNCILLOR KASH HEED |
|
|
1A. |
RICHMOND TRAFFIC INTERSECTION CAMERAS (File Ref. No.) (REDMS No.) |
||
|
|
|
The following referral motion was introduced: |
||
|
|
|
It was moved and seconded |
||
|
|
|
(1) |
That Staff research, analyse, and recommend to the Committee a process to elevate and use high resolution Traffic Camera images for the purposes of criminal investigation and prosecution; |
|
|
|
|
(2) |
That judicial or other required oversight is considered to ensure compliance and prevent misuse; and, |
|
|
|
|
(3) |
That Staff report back to the Committee with recommendation(s) before the end of 2023. |
|
|
|
|
Before the question was called, Councillor Heed provided a background to the referral noting: |
||
|
|
|
§ |
traffic cameras currently operate at a reduced resolution; |
|
|
|
|
§ |
police are tasked with appealing for dashboard camera footage or other ways of collecting images related to investigations; and |
|
|
|
|
§ |
the need for progressive investigative assistance is vital to aid police with respect to serious crime activity. |
|
|
|
|
Discussion ensued noting the following: |
||
|
|
|
§ |
since 2017, the City has been seeking increased traffic camera resolution to have the ability to assist the RCMP with efficiencies in their duty to investigate serious crimes that happen in Richmond; |
|
|
|
|
§ |
a robust policy requiring judicial oversight will be a necessary process for obtaining any camera footage (e.g. must be a serious crime); |
|
|
|
|
§ |
the position of the Privacy Commissioner to change legislation will be the central issue; |
|
|
|
|
§ |
footage from a private citizen’s dashcam, a restaurant or private business is already utilized without permission, therefore having increased resolution for traffic cameras and a bonefide law enforcement process (limited to a certain type of crime) in order to obtain any traffic camera footage, is warranted; |
|
|
|
|
The question on the referral motion was then called and it was CARRIED with Cllr. Gillanders opposed. |
|
|
|
The Chair recessed the meeting at 4:35 p.m. for the Closed Community Safety meeting. |
*********************
|
|
|
The meeting reconvened at 5:39 p.m. following the Closed Community Safety meeting with all members of Community Safety Committee present, including Councillor Michael Wolfe (by teleconference) and Councillor Carol Day. |
****************************
|
|
|
COMMUNITY SAFETY DIVISION |
|
|
1B. |
PROPERTY USE AND PARKING ENFORCEMENT MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – JUNE & JULY 2023 (File Ref. No. 12-8375-01) (REDMS No. 7334739) |
|
|
|
A brief discussion ensued with respect to noise complaints. Staff noted that, over a three year average, approximately 60% of calls are related to construction, 15% predominantly mechanical noises such as HVAC systems, and a smaller percentage relating to landscaping noises such as leaf blowers. |
|
|
|
It was moved and seconded |
|
|
|
That the staff report titled “Property Use and Parking Enforcement Monthly Activity Report – June & July 2023”, dated August 21, 2023, from the Director, Community Bylaws & Licencing, be received for information. |
|
|
|
CARRIED |
|
|
2. |
ANIMAL PROTECTION SERVICES MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – JUNE AND JULY 2023 (File Ref. No. 12-8375-01) (REDMS No. 7334743) |
|
|
|
It was moved and seconded |
|
|
|
That the staff report titled “Animal Protection Services Monthly Activity Report – June and July 2023”, dated August 21, 2023, from the General Manager, Community Safety, be received for information. |
|
|
|
CARRIED |
|
|
3. |
BUSINESS LICENSE ACTIVITY REPORT – SECOND QUARTER 2023 (File Ref. No. 12-8375-01) (REDMS No. 7320433) |
|
|
|
In response to queries from the Committee, staff noted they will follow up with a memorandum of a comparison of the Business Licenses issued currently to those issued pre-pandemic (2018-2019). |
|
|
|
It was moved and seconded |
|
|
|
That the staff report titled “Business Licence Activity Report – Second Quarter 2023”, dated July 11, 2023, from the Director, Community Bylaws & Licencing, be received for information. |
|
|
|
CARRIED |
|
|
4. |
RICHMOND FIRE-RESCUE MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – JUNE AND JULY 2023 (File Ref. No. 09-5140-01) (REDMS No. ) |
|
|
|
A brief discussion ensued with respect to the number of overdose/poisoning calls and the general locations (indoor/outdoor, residential/commercial). |
|
|
|
In response to queries from the Committee, Acting Fire Chief Alan McGrath provided an overview of some of the positive lessons learned through various emergency preparedness activities. In particular, (i) improvement in the way multi-agencies simulations are run, (ii) increased communication skills, and (iii) networking opportunities, enhancing relations with Richmond stakeholders. |
|
|
|
With regards to the VAFFC spill exercise, staff was requested to provide a memorandum on the jet fuel tanks and the associated suppression system. |
|
|
|
It was moved and seconded |
|
|
|
That the staff report titled “Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report – June and July 2023”, dated August 10, 2023, from the Fire Chief, be received for information. |
|
|
|
CARRIED |
|
|
5. |
FIRE CHIEF BRIEFING |
|
|
|
Items for discussion: None. |
|
|
|
Acting Fire Chief Alan McGrath reported that 13 new recruits started on September 12, 2023, replacing retirees and a few members through attrition. |
|
|
6. |
RICHMOND RCMP MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – JUNE AND JULY 2023 (File Ref. No. 09-5000-01/2023) (REDMS No. 7317040) |
|
|
|
Discussion ensued with respect to homelessness activity and welfare. |
|
|
|
In response to queries from the Committee, Chief Supt. Chauhan noted (i) the RCMP Vulnerable Persons Unit has been working with Richmond Bylaws Richmond Fire Rescue, and Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, to provide constant and proactive engagement with homeless individuals, offering assistance with shelter, transit tickets, etc., (ii) a correlation between individuals that are suffering from underlying mental health issues and incidents of serious/violent criminal offences has been noted, and there is a tracking mechanism in place to assist in identifying those individuals, (iii) RCMP Vulnerable Peoples Unit, together with Richmond Bylaws continue to look at ways to enhance communications to inform the public. |
|
|
|
It was moved and seconded |
|
|
|
That the report titled “RCMP Monthly Activity Report – June and July 2023”, dated August 14, 2023, from the Officer in Charge, Richmond RCMP Detachment, be received for information. |
|
|
|
CARRIED |
|
|
7. |
RCMP/OIC BRIEFING |
|
|
|
Chief Supt. Chauhan provided the following update: |
|
|
|
Update on Deployment for BC Fires |
|
|
|
Wildfires have had a devastating impact to BC communities across the province. As of the morning of September 11th, there were 404 fires burning, 5 new fires started and 172 out of control fires, 14 of which are considered noteworthy (have caused significant risk to BC communities). |
|
|
|
On August 31st, the Province extended the provisional State of Emergency until September 14th to support the ongoing response and efforts caused by wildfires. Richmond RCMP, along with other police forces, stepped up at a moments notice and provided support to other communities, helping colleagues and community members in need. The number of requests for emergency deployment have now scaled back as the end of the wildfire season approaches. |
|
|
8. |
MANAGER’S REPORT |
|
|
|
None. |
|
|
|
ADJOURNMENT |
|
|
|
It was moved and seconded |
|
|
|
That the meeting adjourn (6:25 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, September 12, 2023. |
|
_________________________________ |
_________________________________ |
|
Councillor Alexa Loo |
Lorraine Anderson |