November 15, 2023 - Minutes

Date:

Wednesday, November 15, 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

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 October 11, 2023, be adopted.

CARRIED

AGENDA ADDITIONS

It was moved and seconded

That:

Brighouse Encampment be added to the agenda as Item No. 7A;

Alderbridge Housing be added to the agenda as Item No. 7B; and

Red Light Cameras be added to the agenda as Item No. 7C.

CARRIED

1.

ANIMAL PROTECTION SERVICES MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – SEPTEMBER 2023

(File Ref. No. 12-8375-01) (REDMS No. 7406941)

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) the 145 dog licence accounts outstanding is an annual figure, (ii) at this time there is no noted significant increase in calls for service regarding off-leash dogs, (iii) complaints related to off-leash dogs can be reported to AnimalServicesRequest@richmond.ca or by phoning the BC SPCA Richmond with the noted time and date of offence, and (iv) the Animal Control Regulation Bylaw No. 7932 prohibits dogs from running at large in unauthorized areas.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Animal Protection Services Monthly Activity Report – September 2023”, dated October 20, 2023 from the General Manager, Community Safety, be received for information.

CARRIED

2.

PROPERTY USE AND PARKING ENFORCEMENT MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – SEPTEMBER 2023
(File Ref. No. 12-8375-01) (REDMS No. 7406943)

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that they employ a hybrid model of service delivery related to short-term rental calls for service and violations.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Property Use and Parking Enforcement Monthly Activity Report – September 2023”, dated October 20, 2023, from the Director, Community Bylaws & Licencing, be received for information.

CARRIED

3.

BUSINESS LICENCE ACTIVITY REPORT – THIRD QUARTER 2023

(File Ref. No. 12-8375-01) (REDMS No. 7407020)

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) Richmond is widely seen as one of the most restrictive regulatory regimes in the province in regards to body rub massage parlours and escorts and there are no current licenced escort services in the City, (ii) a memorandum outlining possible steps to regulate and shut down body rub parlours and underground sex trade industry activities can be provided, (iii) they have methods to conduct investigations and work closely with the RCMP, and (iv) Bylaw Liaison Officers respond mainly on a complaint basis and can begin patrolling these establishments at the direction of Council.

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

It was moved and seconded

That staff come back with a plan using City Bylaws regarding property use and business licences to deal with escort services, and above and below ground body rubs.

The question on the referral motion was not called as discussion ensued regarding the timeline and necessary steps to fully explore the referral. Staff noted they can provide a preliminary report that outlines current practices.

The question on the referral motion was then called and it was CARRIED.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Business Licence Activity Report – Third Quarter 2023”, dated October 20, 2023, from the Director, Community Bylaws & Licencing, be received for information.

CARRIED

4.

RICHMOND FIRE-RESCUE MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – SEPTEMBER 2023

(File Ref. No. 09-5140-01) (REDMS No. 7407149)

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) in regards to the upgraded protocols for medical responder licences, instructors are being retrained and will begin delivering training to staff in the next few weeks, (ii) the table of overdose/poisoning incidents shows calls for service that Richmond Fire-Rescue responded to involving opioids, miscellaneous drugs, or poisoning of any kind, (iii) they can look into the possibility of plotting overdose/poisoning incidents on a location density heat map, and (iv) they can report back on whether the September 30 structure fire on River Road was on public or private land.

It was moved and seconded

That the staff report titled “Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report – September 2023”, dated October 13, 2023, from the Fire Chief, be received for information.

CARRIED

5.

FIRE CHIEF BRIEFING
(Verbal Report)

(i)

Recruit Firefighters

Staff highlighted that 13 new recruit firefighters are nearing the completion of their training and will be deployed in the next two weeks. Over 75 people attended a family day at the No. 1 Hall to provide the recruits’ family members with an overview of what their training and deployment entails.

(ii)

Community Outreach and Public Education Team

Staff shared that the Richmond Fire-Rescue community outreach team have introduced a mobile medical information program, which helps community members understand how to input their own medical identification on their mobile devices to help Richmond Fire-Rescue staff deliver superior patient care.

In response to a query from committee, staff noted that the information will be made available in other languages and there will be future outreach events to engage the public.

6.

RCMP MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – SEPTEMBER 2023

(File Ref. No. 09-5000-01) (REDMS No. 7384439)

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) approximately 63% of the drug files in August 2023 occurred at YVR, noting the increase in drug incidents has been attributed to processing a backlog of drug exhibits originating as Canada Customs seizures at YVR, (ii) many of the mental health-related incidents are related to the same recurring individuals, (iii) targeted enforcement through the property crime unit and front-line officers in the analyst division may be a contributing factor to the reduction in commercial break and enters, and (iv) it would be advantageous to have more support in the vulnerable persons unit and outreach program.

It was moved and seconded

That the report titled “RCMP Monthly Activity Report – September 2023”, dated October 12, 2023, from the Officer in Charge, Richmond RCMP Detachment, be received for information.

CARRIED

7.

RCMP/OIC BRIEFING
(Verbal Report)

(i)

Richmond RCMP Youth Academy

Staff shared that the third annual Richmond RCMP Youth Academy will be held in the summer of 2024, highlighting that 32 applicants in grades 10 to 12 will be given a unique opportunity to receive first-hand experiences in policing through real-world scenarios modeling police training in a safe and controlled environment.

(ii)

Update on $10 Million Cryptocurrency Theft Investigation

Staff provided a brief update, noting that the economic crime unit and digital forensics section, supported by technology, assisted in the investigation of a targeted incident involving $10 million cryptocurrency theft last year, and multiple charges are forthcoming.

7A.

BRIGHOUSE ENCAMPMENT

(File Ref. No.)

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) Bylaws staff have been working collaboratively with the Ministry, RCMP, and law department to determine possible solutions, (ii) some of the encampment shelters remain overnight and Bylaws staff work with the members  of the encampment to remove unattended items or when shelters are found to be vacant, (iii) the individuals claim they are making a political statement to the Province regarding the need for permanent housing or shelter, (iv) they are working daily with the encampment occupants and are trying to connect them with other social services, (v) social workers from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction have been assigned to this case file and City staff also regularly work with Vancouver Coastal Health and BC Housing, (vi) occupants of the Brighouse Park encampment do not currently have permanent housing and there is no desire from the occupants to voluntarily decamp due to the political aspect, (vii) they have considered the possibility of having specific parks designated as overnight camp options, (viii) the draft form of the pending legislation outlines four conditions as to what constitutes a shelter, (ix) there are certain rights that take precedence above park use guidelines and bylaws and staff are seeking advice from the law department, and (x) the existing shelters are at capacity and the temporary cold weather shelters are implemented on a temporary basis.

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

It was moved and seconded

That the discussion regarding the encampment at Brighouse Park, including the legality and authority of removing the encampment, be added to next week’s Closed General Purposes Committee meeting.

CARRIED

7B.

ALDERBRIDGE HOUSING
(File Ref. No.)

Discussion ensued regarding the need for increased enforcement surrounding the Alderbridge temporary modular housing (TMH), how to mitigate the potential problems associated with the TMH, and concerns from the community.

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

It was moved and seconded

That staff come back with an assertive plan for Council to deal with the ongoing problems in the neighborhood around the Alderbridge temporary housing, which can include consumption sites, private security provided by the City of Richmond and an array of other initiatives that Council can consider to mitigate the issues facing that neighborhood.

CARRIED

7C.

RED LIGHT CAMERAS
(File Ref. No.)

It was moved and seconded

That a letter be sent to the Province to upgrade the provincially owned red light cameras in the City to speed read cameras and that staff explore other areas where there should be more cameras and ability for the Province to install the cameras. 

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:58 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 Wednesday, November 15, 2023.

_________________________________

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Councillor Alexa Loo
Chair

Shannon Unrau
Legislative Services Associate