March 17, 2025 - Minutes
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General Purposes Committee
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Date: |
Monday, March 17, 2025 |
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Place: |
Anderson Room |
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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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It was moved and seconded |
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That Councillor Laura Gillanders be permitted to join the meeting electronically. |
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CARRIED |
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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 March 3, 2025, be adopted as circulated. |
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CARRIED |
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DEPUTY CAO’S OFFICE |
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1. |
West Richmond Pavilion – Character Design (File Ref. No. 06-2052-20-HBSC) (REDMS No. 7963915) |
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In reply to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) it will take at least 6-8 months for the detailed design to be finalized, (ii) one staircase will be enclosed in glass and the other will have a locked gate, (iii) a wind study was conducted to ensure that areas are protected and will be further examined during the detailed design phase, and (iv) the main floor has flexible space that can be used as meeting and multipurpose spaces. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the character design for the West Richmond Pavilion as outlined in the report titled, “West Richmond Pavilion – Character Design” dated February 18, 2025, from the Director, Facilities and Project Development and the Director, Recreation and Sport Services, be endorsed. |
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CARRIED |
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FINANCE AND CORPORATE SERVICES DIVISION |
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2. |
Referral Response – Accepted Forms of Payment (File Ref. No. 08-4150-01) (REDMS No. 7884702) |
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Discussion took place on reducing tax avoidance in the City by requiring alternative payments and in reply to queries from Committee, staff noted that (i) any complaints regarding tax avoidance issues go to the Canada Revenue Agency or any other agencies enforcing those types of issues, and (ii) the City only deals with bylaws that have been contravened. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the City advocate for the establishment of a Provincial Anti-Money Laundering Office and apply to become a member of the Counter Illicit Finance Alliance of British Columbia as detailed in Option 1 in the staff report titled “Referral Response – Accepted Forms of Payment”, dated March 5, 2025, from the Director, Business Services. |
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CARRIED |
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Further discussion took place on (i) ensuring that businesses are being responsible and operating appropriately, (ii), the City’s role in tax avoidance matters, and (iii) requiring two forms of payment in addition to cash. |
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As a result of the discussion, the following referral motion was introduced: |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That Option 2, as outlined in the staff report titled “Referral Response – Accepted Forms of Payment”, dated March 5, 2025, from the Director, Business Services, be referred back to staff to see what Richmond can do as a Local Government to ensure that businesses are operating responsibly related to cash only businesses to ensure there is no tax evasion or tax avoidance, and report back. |
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The question on the motion was not called as further discussion took place on (i) educating businesses on proper practice, and (ii) the City’s role in such matters. |
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The question on the referral motion was then called and it was CARRIED with Mayor Brodie, Cllrs. Au, Hobbs, and Loo opposed. |
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LAW AND COMMUNITY SAFETY DIVISION |
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3. |
APPLICATION FOR A NEW LIQUOR PRIMARY LIQUOR LICENCE - SPARK KARAOKE LTD - 8291 ALEXANDRA RD UNIT 155 (File Ref. No. 12-8275-30-001) (REDMS No. 7934593) |
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Staff provided an overview of the staff report noting that (i) the current business is operating with a food primary licence, which is open until 2 am, (ii) the applicant is requesting a liquor primary licence, (iii) the original licence was transferred over from the previous business, (iv) further investigation has uncovered some previous issues in Burnaby with a business called Solo Karaoke, with the same director and owner, (v) there were 9 complaints recorded for the business in Burnaby, including selling unauthorized vaping products and selling liquor without a liquor licence, and (vi) all the information provided is relevant and it is up to Council to make the decision based on the information provided. |
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In reply to a query from Committee, staff advised that none of the bylaw violations in Burnaby were made available to staff by the applicant. |
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Representatives of the applicant, Bert Hick, of Rising Tide Consultants, Liquor Licensing Consultants, Agent for the Applicant, and Mr. Noel Lal of Davison North Law Group, Legal Counsel expressed concern with the review process of this application. They noted that (i) the applicant could not attend and an extension for this meeting was requested but denied, (ii) determining whether the applicant is fit and proper is the responsibility of the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB), (iii) the City’s role is to address land use, noise, traffic and public input, (iv) issues noted in Burnaby were addressed and resolved, and (v) the applicant would like to ensure the business in Richmond is fully compliant from the start. |
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In response to queries from Committee, the Representatives for the application advised that (i) not all infractions cited were proven, (ii) the annual report has been submitted, and the company is now in good standing, and (iii) to receive a liquor licence, all other permits must be in good standing. |
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In reply to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) the Richmond RCMP did not find any criminal incidents related to Spark as a business, |
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It was moved and seconded |
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(1) |
That the application from Sparke Karaoke Ltd., for a new Liquor Primary Liquor Licence seeking the following capacity, hours of liquor sales, and endorsement terms for a new Karaoke Lounge at the premises located at 8291 Alexandra Road Unit 155, with liquor service, not be supported: |
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(a) |
A new Liquor Primary Liquor Licence with total person capacity of 150 occupants; |
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(b) |
Proposed hours of liquor sales from Monday to Sunday, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 AM; and |
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(c) |
A Family Foodservice Endorsement to allow minors when accompanied by a parent/guardian until 10 PM, where the service of food will be served from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM; |
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(2) |
That a letter be sent to the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch recommending that the application for Liquor Primary Liquor Licence submitted by Spark Karaoke Ltd., described in Recommendation 1 of this memorandum, should be rejected for the reasons and based on the evidence set out in the memorandum of the Director, Community Bylaws and Licensing, dated March 5, 2025, which shall be appended to said letter; and |
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(3) |
That the letter contemplated by Recommendation 2 of this memorandum also include the additional prescribed information required by s.71 Liquor Control and Licensing Regulation that is set out in Attachment 1 of this memorandum. |
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The question on the motion was not called as in further reply to queries from Committee, staff noted that the ultimate decision for a liquor licence issuance rests with the LCRB and there is nothing prohibiting the applicant from re-applying for another liquor licence in the future. |
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The question on the motion was then called and it was CARRIED. |
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COUNCILLOR LAURA GILLANDERS |
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4. |
(File Ref. No.) |
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In reply to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) X continues to be one of the key communication tools for the City, (ii) the City does have a BlueSky account, but it is a slow-moving social media platform, and (iii) the algorithms on social media platforms are dictated by what people want to see. |
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Discussion took place on (i) concerns over the X social media platform, |
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Mayor Brodie recessed the meeting at 5:30 p.m. for the Public Hearing. |
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The meeting reconvened at 5:32 p.m. with all members of Council present. |
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Alex Sagert, Richmond resident, expressed concern with limiting the use of social media platforms and forcing residents to choose one platform over another. Mr. Sagert was of the opinion that the goal should be to provide information across all the various social media platforms to ensure that all residents would be able to access the information equally. |
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Will Wang, expressed concern with deactivating the City’s X account, noting that (i) it should be the publics decision where they engage, (ii) X remains one of the largest media platforms used, (iii) the City should maintain all the social media platforms so as not to limit accessibility and public engagement, (iv) moving away from certain social media platforms is restricting not expanding, and (v) the people should decide where they engage and receive their information. |
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Sheldon Starrett, Richmond Resident, expressed concern with deactivating the City’s X account, noting that this is restricting, and the goal is to be more open and transparent. |
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In reply to further queries from Committee, staff noted that (i) another municipality deactivated their X account and is struggling to gain the same following on their Bluesky account, (ii) BlueSky has limitations, such as requiring real-time posting and no scheduling options, (iii) the City does not pay to promote on X, (iv) the City is active on many social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Bluesky, and (v) news releases go out to all the media outlets, including the multicultural ones. |
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As a result of the discussion, the following referral motion was introduced: |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That staff analyze the various social media platforms used by the City and report back with recommendations. |
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The question on the referral motion was not called as further discussion took place on (i) ensuring the public is receiving the relevant information, and |
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The question on the referral motion was then called and it was CARRIED with Cllr. Loo opposed. |
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FINANCE AND CORPORATE SERVICES DIVISION |
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5. |
Award of Contract 8190 NOITC - Multi-Year Enterprise Agreement with ESRI Canada Inc. for Licensing and Maintenance of Desktop and Server GIS Software |
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It was moved and seconded |
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(1) |
That Contract 8190 NOITC – Multi-Year Enterprise Agreement with Esri Canada Inc. for Licensing and Maintenance of Desktop and Server GIS Software be awarded to Esri Canada Inc., for a contract value of $825,990.00 CAD, excluding taxes, for a contract term of three years as described in the report title “Award of Contract 8190 NOITC - Multi-Year Enterprise Agreement with Esri Canada Inc. for Licensing and Maintenance of Desktop and Server GIS Software” dated March 10, 2025 from the Director, Information Technology; and |
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(2) |
That the Chief Administrative Officer and General Manager, Finance and Corporate Services be authorized to execute the contract with Esri Canada Inc. |
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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 (6:14 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, March 17, 2025. |
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Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie |
Sarah Goddard |