January 22, 2024 - Minutes
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General Purposes Committee
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Date: |
Monday, January 22, 2024 |
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Place: |
Council Chambers |
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Present: |
Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie, Chair
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Call to Order: |
The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. |
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MINUTES |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on January 8, 2024, be adopted as circulated. |
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CARRIED |
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AGENDA ADDITIONS |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That: |
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Sheraton Hotel Strike be added to the agenda as Item No. 7; and |
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Snow Report be added to the agenda as Item No. 8. |
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CARRIED |
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PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION |
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1. |
2024 CHILD CARE GRANTS |
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It was moved and seconded |
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(1) |
That the Child Care Capital Grants be awarded for the total recommended amount of $50,000.00 as identified in the staff report titled “2024 Child Care Grants” dated January 3, 2024, from the Director, Community Social Development; |
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(2) |
That a second call for applications for the Child Care Professional and Program Development Grants be issued in March 2024 and recommendations for grant allocations be brought forward in a subsequent report for Council consideration; and |
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(3) |
That the grant funds be disbursed accordingly following Council approval. |
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CARRIED |
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2. |
2024 HEALTH, SOCIAL AND SAFETY GRANTS |
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In response to queries from Committee, staff noted that (i) they provided a cost of living increase to returning grant recipients as per past practice, (ii) their report recommends that Church on Five receive an additional allocation on top of the funding it received last year plus an additional cost of living adjustment for a total amount of $13,108.80, (iii) grant recipients must submit a grant use report detailing their activities during the specified grant period, (iv) the 2024 Health, Social, and Safety Grant budget has no remaining balance, (v) The Salvation Army and Turning Point Recovery Society received Health, Social and Safety grants in previous years and the City received a UBCM grant in 2021 that went towards programs including drop-in centres and food outreach programs, (vi) the City has been in discussion with UBCM and the Province about further funding opportunities and has expressed the need for ongoing funding, and (vii) the overall grant amounts are determined during the budget process and allocated annually. |
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Pilar Bradshaw, Founder and Director, Society for Youth Empowerment and Strength (YES), spoke to her request for Council to reconsider her application for a Health, Social and Safety grant for her non-profit organization, Youth Empowerment and Strength, highlighting their youth empowerment program, which includes strength training and fitness sessions for at-risk youth between the ages of 13 and 17. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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(1) |
That the 2024 Health, Social and Safety Grants be awarded for the total recommended amount of $683,590.00 as identified in Attachment 2 of the staff report titled “2024 Health, Social and Safety Grants,” dated January 3, 2024 from the Director, Community Social Development; and |
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(2) |
That the grant funds be disbursed accordingly following Council approval. |
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The question on the motion was not called as the following amendment motion was introduced: |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the grant amount to Church on Five be increased from $13,108 to $35,000, with funding coming from the Council Contingency fund. |
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The question on the amendment motion was not called as discussion ensued regarding the value of services, including meals and after hours outreach programs, provided by Church on Five. |
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The question on the amendment motion was then called and it was CARRIED. |
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Discussion ensued regarding the youth empowerment program offered by Society for Youth Empowerment and Strength. As a result of the discussion, the following amendment motion was introduced: |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That a grant amount of $2,500, with funding coming from the Council Contingency fund, be awarded to the Society for Youth Empowerment and Strength. |
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The question on the amendment motion was not called as in response to a query from Committee, staff advised that Connections Community Services Society is the only Richmond-based organization that serves the Indigenous community in Richmond. |
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The question on the amendment motion was then called and it was CARRIED. |
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Discussion ensued regarding grant funding for The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Vancouver Archdiocesan Central Council. As a result of the discussion, the following amendment motion was introduced: |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the grant amount to The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Vancouver Archdiocesan Central Council be increased from $5,125 to $10,000. |
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The question on the amendment motion was not called as discussion ensued regarding services provided, including the community meal program. |
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The question on the amendment motion was then called and it was CARRIED. |
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The question on the main motion as amended, which reads as follows: |
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(1) |
That the 2024 Health, Social and Safety Grants be awarded for the total recommended amount of $712,857.00 as identified in Attachment 2 of the staff report titled “2024 Health, Social and Safety Grants,” dated January 3, 2024 from the Director, Community Social Development and as amended to include an increased amount of $35,000 to Church on Five, $2,500 to the Society for Youth Empowerment and Strength, and an increased amount of $10,000 to The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Vancouver Archdiocesan Central Council funded from the Council Contingency fund; and |
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(2) |
That the grant funds be disbursed accordingly following Council approval. |
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was then called, and it was CARRIED. |
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COMMUNITY SERVICES DIVISION |
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3. |
2024 ENVIRONMENTAL ENHANCEMENT GRANTS |
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In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) the total amount of the 2024 Environmental Enhancement Grants is $37,303 and (ii) announcements were posted on the City’s website, social media channels, Community Services e-newsletter and in a press release, advising the public that applications were being accepted for the 2024 City Grant Program, in addition to directly notifying previous grant applicants from the past two years. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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(1) |
That the 2024 Environmental Enhancement Grants be awarded for the recommended amount of $37,303 as identified in Attachment 1 of the staff report titled “2024 Environmental Enhancement Grants”, dated January 3 2024, from the Director, Parks Services; and |
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(2) |
That the grant funds be disbursed accordingly following Council approval |
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CARRIED |
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4. |
2024 PARKS, RECREATION AND COMMUNITY EVENTS GRANTS |
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In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) the grant amounts have been established based on past funding requests and reallocating funds would impact other groups, (ii) a large portion of the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society expenses are allocated towards registration and the sport itself to help subsidize costs associated with the events and the grant funds go towards volunteer support, supplies and artist/performer fees for the festival at Imperial Landing Park and the Society’s budget listed on GP-334 is the total operating budget which includes other Dragon Boat events, (iii) the Parks, Recreation and Community Events Grant Review Committee consists of four staff members from various areas in Parks and Recreation and each application is independently assessed based on the Application Scoring Criteria, (iv) letters are sent to applicants to advise on the outcome of their grant application and staff liaise with applicants to provide rationale and offer support for improving future applications, (v) they are not aware of any in-kind support provided by the City to the Dragon Boat Festival, (vi) Kajaks Track & Field Club is not recommended for funding as the projected program registration fees of $200 per participant exceed the proposed program budget and it is at Council’s discretion to impose grant conditions. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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(1) |
That the 2024 Parks, Recreation and Community Events Grants, less the proposed grant to KidSport – Richmond Chapter, be awarded for the total recommended amount of $103,017, as identified in Attachment 1 of the staff report titled “2024 Parks, Recreation and Community Events Grants”, dated January 3, 2024, from the Director, Parks Services, and the Director, Recreation and Sport Services; and |
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(2) |
That the grant funds be disbursed accordingly, following Council approval. |
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The question on the motion was not called as the following amendment motion was introduced: |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That a grant amount of $2,000, with funding coming from the Council Contingency fund, be awarded to the Richmond Cosom Floor Hockey Association. |
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The question on the amendment motion was not called as discussion ensued regarding the funding source. |
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The question on the amendment motion was then called and it was CARRIED. |
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The following amendment motion was introduced: |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the grant amount of $4,000 allocated to the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society be deleted. |
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The question on the amendment motion was not called as discussion ensued regarding the Dragon Boat Festival volunteers, artists, performers, and previous grants. |
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In accordance with Section 100 of the Community Charter, Cllr. Day declared to be in a conflict of interest as she is a member of a recreational Dragon Boat team in Richmond, and Cllr. Day left the meeting – 5:09 p.m. |
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Further discussion ensued regarding the Richmond Dragon Boat Festival and in response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) there is no traffic management plan or road closures for the event and the RCMP does not charge for their presence at events, (ii) the RCMP conducts a risk assessment through the Richmond Event Approval Coordination Team for each City event and the Dragon Boat Festival Society pays for additional security out of their own budget, (iii) of the requested $15,000 in the grant application, $4,000 was allocated to personnel, and (iv) a memorandum outlining a breakdown of volunteers and how their budget is allocated can be provided. |
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The question on the amendment motion was then called and it was DEFEATED with Mayor Brodie and Cllrs. Au, Hobbs, Loo, and Wolfe opposed. |
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Cllr. Day returned (5:16 p.m.). |
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The question on the main motion as amended, which reads as follows: |
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(1) |
That the 2024 Parks, Recreation and Community Events Grants, less the proposed grant to KidSport – Richmond Chapter, be awarded for the total recommended amount of $105,017, as identified in Attachment 1 of the staff report titled “2024 Parks, Recreation and Community Events Grants”, dated January 3, 2024, from the Director, Parks Services, and the Director, Recreation and Sport Service and as amended to include a $2,000 grant to the Richmond Cosom Floor Hockey Association, with funding coming from the Council Contingency fund; and |
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(2) |
That the grant funds be disbursed accordingly, following Council approval. |
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was then called, and it was CARRIED. |
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In accordance with Section 100 of the Community Charter, Cllr. Loo declared to be in a conflict of interest as she is on the Board of Directors of KidSport – Richmond Chapter, and Cllr. Loo left the meeting – 5:17 p.m. |
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Discussion ensued with regard to grant funding for KidSport, and as a result of the discussion, the following motion was introduced: |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the grant to KidSport – Richmond Chapter be awarded in the amount of $20,000. |
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CARRIED |
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Cllr. Loo returned (5:19 p.m.). |
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5. |
2024 ARTS AND CULTURE GRANTS |
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In response to a query from Committee, staff advised that the Richmond Potter’s Club and Textile Artists Guild of Richmond will be applying for project funds in future years and the organizations receive the equivalent of operating support through subsidized room rentals. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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(1) |
That the 2024 Arts and Culture Grants be awarded for the total recommended amount of $127,364, as identified in Attachment 1 of the staff report titled “2024 Arts and Culture Grants,” dated December 18, 2023, from the Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage Services; and |
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(2) |
That the grant funds be disbursed accordingly following Council approval. |
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CARRIED |
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COUNCILLOR CAROL DAY |
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6. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That a letter requesting an extension for the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loans repayment for small businesses to December 31, 2024 be sent to the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, and that copies be sent to MP Parm Bains and MP Wilson Miao. |
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The question on the motion was not called as discussion ensued regarding the potential impact to small businesses. |
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The question on the motion was then called and it was CARRIED. |
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COUNCIL |
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7. |
SHERATON HOTEL STRIKE (File Ref. No.) |
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Discussion ensued regarding the ongoing labour dispute with Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel Richmond workers and the previous motion passed by Council at the January 15, 2024 Council meeting to provide support to the hotel workers. |
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As a result of the discussion, the following motion was introduced: |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the City of Richmond provide support to the Hotel and Hospitality Workers by not doing any business with the Hilton Vancouver Airport and Vancouver Airport Marriott Hotels, in addition to the Sheraton Airport hotel, until there is a resolution to the job action at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel Richmond. |
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The question on the motion was not called as discussion ensued regarding picket lines and supporting Sheraton Hotel workers. |
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The question on the motion was then called and it was CARRIED with Mayor Brodie and Cllrs. Loo and Hobbs opposed. |
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8. |
SNOW REPORT (File Ref. No.) |
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Staff provided an overview of their preparation and response to the snow event that occurred January 16-18, 2024, highlighting that priority routes were pretreated with brine and crews operating at full capacity from the evening of January 16 until the morning of January 19. |
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Discussion ensued regarding the City’s winter weather response including (i) the snow response route map and (ii) the challenge of keeping multi-use pathways clear during snow events, which was tested during a pilot project. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the verbal report regarding the January 16-18, 2024 snow event be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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ADJOURNMENT |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the meeting adjourn (5:52 p.m.). |
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CARRIED |
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Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Monday, January 22, 2024. |
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Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie |
Shannon Unrau |