April 7, 2026 - Minutes

Date:

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Place:

Anderson Room
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie, Chair
Councillor Carol Day
Councillor Laura Gillanders
Councillor Kash Heed
Councillor Andy Hobbs
Councillor Alexa Loo
Councillor Bill McNulty
Councillor Michael Wolfe

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 General Purposes Committee held on March 16, 2026, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

DEPUTY CAO’S OFFICE

1.

Proposed Interim Energy Centre Location at 3760, 3780 Sexsmith Road, and 8651 Cambie Road

(File Ref. No. 01-0060-20-LIEC1) (REDMS No. 8320669)

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) construction of the proposed Sewage Heat Recovery Energy Plant has been postponed to better align with future residential development timelines, (ii) five energy plants are planned across the City Centre area, (iii) the Interim Energy Centre (IEC) to service the Capstan and Aberdeen areas is expected to operate for 10-20 years, (iv) IEC is estimated to cost $33.5M which would be funded by the Lulu Island Energy Company Ltd. (LIEC), (v) the IEC offers a number of benefits for the City and for developments in the area connecting to district energy, such as reduction in building design and construction costs to developers by eliminating the need to build their own heating/cooling energy plant, and (vi) LIEC rates are competitive with other Metro Vancouver district energy utilities.

It was moved and seconded

That Council approve the interim use of City-owned properties at 3760, 3780 Sexsmith Road, and 8651 Cambie Road for a district energy Interim Energy Centre (IEC) to service the Capstan and Aberdeen areas.

CARRIED

ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS DIVISION

2.

Richmond’s 2025 Material Flow Analysis Results

(File Ref. No. 10-6125-07-04) (REDMS No. 8346103)

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) submission of Richmond’s 2025 Material Flow Analysis Results report will secure final Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) funding and enable eligibility for future funding opportunities, and (ii) with future grant funding, the next step would be to implement the recommendations included in the report.

Discussion ensued with respect to (i) examples of the City’s manufacturing and public administration footprints, (ii) supporting future Richmond farmers, (iii) the potential of inground agriculture and taking steps to sustain farming, and (v) encouraging low carbon efficient buildings through the BC Energy Step Code requirements.

It was moved and seconded

That the Material Flow Analysis and opportunities to support the City's transition to a circular economy, as outlined in the report titled “Richmond’s 2025 Material Flow Analysis Results”, dated March 17, 2026, from the Director, Climate and Environment, be received for information.

CARRIED

PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURE DIVISION

3.

2026 Richmond Community Celebration Grant Program and Richmond CELEBRATES SOCCER COMMUNITY CELEBRATION GRANT PROGRAM ALLOCATIONS

(File Ref. No. 11-7400-01) (REDMS No. 8333076)

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) of the 56 applications received for the Richmond Community Celebration Grant Program, 42 met the eligibility criteria and are recommended for funding,  (ii) an adjudication panel reviewed the applications and evaluated each project based on five key areas: alignment with program objectives, inclusiveness/accessibility and diversity, capacity, budget, and sustainability, (iii) each application’s adjudicated score was applied to its eligible funding request and adjusted to accommodate the existing Council approved budget, totaling $58,000 in recommended funding, (iv) Council approved $35,000 for the Richmond Celebrates Soccer Community Celebration Grant Program, five of the nine applications were eligible, requesting a total of $10,000. The remaining $25,000 funding will be allocated to the Richmond Celebrates Soccer Neighborhood Block Party Program, (v) a funding requirement is that the event be listed on the City’s Community Event board for public awareness, and (vi) the City and Tourism Richmond offer resources to help local businesses leverage game audiences, including a business playbook on the City’s website to guide local businesses, various Tourism Richmond produced resources and a complimentary grant program by Tourism Richmond offering up to $1000.

Discussion ensued with respect to the $90,000 Soccer Grant received by the City, allocated for budget relief.  Staff were directed to recirculate the Richmond Celebrates Soccer – Schedule and Funding Allocations report, dated November 24, 2025, prior to Council consideration.

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the 2026 Richmond Community Celebration Grant Program be awarded for the recommended amount of $58,000 as identified in Attachment 2 of the report titled, “2026 Richmond Community Celebration Grant Program and Richmond Celebrates Soccer Community Celebration Grant Program Allocations”, dated March 16, 2026, from the Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage Services;

(2)

That the 2026 Richmond Celebrates Soccer Community Celebration Grant Program be awarded for the recommended amount of $10,000 as identified in Attachment 3 of the report titled, “2026 Richmond Community Celebration Grant Program and Richmond Celebrates Soccer Community Celebration Grant Program Allocations”, dated March 16, 2026, from the Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage Services; and

(3)

That the grant funds be distributed accordingly following Council approval.

CARRIED

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION

4.

Homelessness Strategy 2019–2029: 2025 Update

(File Ref. No. 08-4057-11-03) (REDMS No. 8277484)

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) the City’s Homelessness Outreach Team delivered services to individuals experiencing homelessness, including engaging in over 1,200 service interactions, supporting 80 transitions into shelter, housing, treatment or recovery services and over 700 referrals, (ii) a single individual may receive multiple referrals as they engage with different service providers over time and (iii) of the 25 percent senior respondents to the homeless count, the majority of them were between the ages of 55 and 65.

It was moved and seconded

That the Homelessness Strategy 2019–2029: 2025 Update, as outlined in the report titled “Homelessness Strategy 2019–2029: 2025 Update”, dated March 16, 2026, from the Director, Community Social Development, be posted on the City’s website and distributed to key partners, local Members of Parliament and the Legislative Assembly, and federal and provincial ministries related to housing and homelessness, social development and poverty reduction, and health.

The question on the motion was not called as discussion ensued with respect to the need for more affordable housing.

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

5.

2025 Homelessness-related city investment

(File Ref. No. 08-4057-11-01) (REDMS No. 8348538)

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the report titled “2025 Homelessness-Related City Investment”, dated March 19, 2026 from the Director, Community Social Development and the Director, Community Bylaws and Licencing, be distributed to local Members of Parliament and local Members of the Legislative Assembly, including the Premier, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, and the Minister of Transportation and Transit; and

(2)

That the City request that the Province of British Columbia measurably increase coordination and operational collaboration with the City of Richmond in addressing issues occurring on Crown lands and transportation corridors within the city.

Discussion ensued with respect to (i) the ongoing City investment related to homelessness prevention, service delivery, enforcement, clean up and repairs, (ii) reviewing the grant program and budget, (iii) adequately funding services that are working, (iv) comparable data from previous years related to the City’s homelessness investment, (v) current dedicated resources to homelessness, and (vi) prioritizing housing stability and connections to services for individuals experiencing homelessness.

The question on the motion was not called as in response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) the Homelessness Table made up of a number of entities meet on a regular basis to discuss challenges that the community is facing, (ii) staff are working to advance the guiding framework engagement which is related to the Homelessness Strategy and anticipate bringing back a report later in 2026 which will outline findings and list other priorities to move forward with.

Staff will provide Committee with previous years data regarding homelessness related City investment.

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

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:58 p.m.).

CARRIED

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 Tuesday, April 7, 2026.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie
Chair

Raman Grewal
Legislative Services Associate