July 20, 2026 - Minutes

Date:

Monday, July 20, 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 3:28 p.m.

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on July 6, 2026, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

CAO’S OFFICE

1.

Council Strategic Plan 2022-2026 Term Highlights

(File Ref. No. 01-0005-01/) (REDMS No. 8360843)

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the report titled Council Strategic Plan 2022-2026 Term Highlights, from the Director, Intergovernmental Relations and Corporate and Strategic Planning, dated June 11, 2026, be received for information; and

(2)

That the Council Strategic Plan 2022-2026 Term Highlights Report and Council Strategic Plan 2022-2026 Term Highlights at a Glance attachments be posted on the City of Richmond website as  downloadable PDFs.

CARRIED

DEPUTY CAO’S OFFICE

2.

Heritage Alteration Permit Application (HA 26-011972) by the City of Richmond – 5180 Westwater Drive (First Nations Building)

(File Ref. No. 06-2050-20-BSYD) (REDMS No. 8452396)

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) the building will comply with the current BC Building Code for public occupancy while maintaining its heritage character, (ii) staff will salvage as much material as possible and reuse it on the same building, (iii) an archaeologist has visited the site twice and previously provided a letter of record. Staff will continue researching the building's history in collaboration with the Musqueam Indian Band to better understand the site’s history from a First Nation’s perspective, (iv) staff will engage an archaeologist to conduct exploratory digs before any excavation, as requested by the Musqueam Indian Band through the Building Committee, (v) given the building's poor structural condition and its condemnation at the end of 2024, staff recommended deconstruction and reconstruction, (vi) throughout the process, building components will be documented, catalogued, and photographed to record their original location and condition, supporting accurate reconstruction where possible, (vii) Council approved a $6.5 million capital budget for the deconstruction and reconstruction of the building in 2023. The work will be completed within the approved budget.

Discussion ensued with respect to (i) deconstructing and reconstructing in compliance with the current BC Building Code, (ii) incorporating the Indigenous Relations Manager’s input and First Nations perspective into the project before decisions are made on the building's heritage conservation, and (iii) the importance of moving forward with the project to avoid losing the $3.4 million grant from the Province of BC's Growing Communities Fund.

It was moved and seconded

That a Heritage Alteration Permit be issued to authorize deconstruction and reconstruction of the First Nations Building at Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site, as outlined in the report titled “Heritage Alteration Permit Application (HA 26-011972) by the City of Richmond – 5180 Westwater Drive (First Nations Building)”, dated June 22, 2026, from the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer and General Manager, Parks, Recreation and Culture.

CARRIED

Opposed: Cllr. Wolfe

FINANCE AND CORPORATE SERVICES DIVISION

3.

Draft Economic Development Strategy

(File Ref. No. 08-4150-20-001) (REDMS No. 8455274)

It was moved and seconded

That the draft Economic Development Strategy, as detailed in the report titled “Draft Economic Development Strategy”, dated June 29, 2026, from the General Manager, Finance and Corporate Services, be endorsed for public consultation.

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) the actions for the two strategic objectives: Investment Ready and Future Ready will involve developing a strategic and focused investment attraction strategy and communicating that globally so that Richmond attracts new investment, (ii) staff will bring back an implementation plan to Council for approval, (iii) the Strategy addresses misalignment of skills and reskilling, by improving connections between service providers, employers, and skilled workers to better utilize existing talent in the workforce, (iv) staff will undertake public and business consultation on the draft Strategy during summer and early fall 2026, (v) the Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Richmond have been involved in developing the draft Strategy, and (vi) staff will update Council at key milestones and seek Council direction before implementing major initiatives.

Discussion ensued with respect to (i) the Strategy outlining objectives, desired outcomes, and actions to achieve them, (ii) reporting on timelines and comparisons which will provide benchmarks to support efforts to improve the ease of doing business in Richmond, and (iii) competitive advantage gained from people and place, and how they work together.

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

LAW AND COMMUNITY SAFETY DIVISION

4.

Metro West Inter-municipal Business Licence Bylaws

(File Ref. No. 12-8060-02-01) (REDMS No. 8459089)

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That Inter-Municipal Business Licence Agreement Bylaw No. 10763 be introduced and given first, second and third readings; and

(2)

That Inter-Municipal Business Licence Bylaw No. 10764 be introduced and given first, second and third readings.

The question on the motion was not called as discussion ensued with respect to (i) adding the Township of Langley as a partner to the Metro West Inter-Municipal Business Licence (IMBL) program, and (ii) inclusion of additional municipalities.

In response to a query from Committee, staff advised that the IMBL program allows businesses with a business licence in their home municipality to obtain an additional licence, for a fee, to operate in any of the participating municipalities.

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

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION

5.

Homelessness Strategy Guiding Framework – Current State Analysis and What We Heard Report

(File Ref. No. 07-3000-00) (REDMS No. 8454641)

It was moved and seconded

That the findings in the report titled “Homelessness Strategy Guiding Framework – Current State Analysis and What We Heard Report”, from the General Manager, Planning and Development, dated June 22, 2026, inform the development of the Homelessness Strategy Guiding Framework (2026–2029).

Discussion ensued with respect to the age demographic of people experiencing homelessness.

In response to a query from Committee, staff advised that an advantage of using a third-party consultant was that it supported accurate and objective feedback by allowing individuals with lived experience, service providers, and community members share their views openly without the City being the immediate recipient of that information.

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

Discussion ensued with respect to annual maintenance funding for City programs.

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

It was moved and seconded

That it be referred to staff to consider options to maintain the funding for the after-hours outreach and food aid delivery programs through an additional level of funding in the annual grants process or otherwise, and that these options are presented before the applications for the 2027 HSS grants cycle are due this fall.

The question on the referral motion was not called as Councillor Gillanders referred to her submission (attached to and forming part of these minutes as Schedule 1) noting that the number one priority response for the homelessness framework is to continue services for people who are experiencing homelessness.

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

MAYOR MALCOLM D. BRODIE

6.

DONATION OF VESSEL, NORTH STAR OF HERSCEL ISLAND

(File Ref. No.) (REDMS No.)

Discussion ensued with respect to referring the matter to staff to look at the feasibility of the potential donation of the vessel.

It was moved and seconded

WHEREAS a proposal has been made to donate the vessel, North Star of Herschel Island, to the Britannia Heritage Shipyard NHS Society;

AND WHEREAS there are potentially significant implications to the Society and the City of Richmond as the result of any such donation;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that there be a referral to staff to review and provide options in relation to the feasibility of the potential donation of the vessel, North Star of Herschel Island, including the roles contemplated for the City of Richmond and the Britannia Heritage Shipyard NHS Society following the donation, the current status of restoration and requirements for completion, the context for the donation, the vessel’s historical significance to Richmond or  elsewhere, logistics related to storage and display, financial impacts including restoration and maintenance costs as well as other relevant factors.  

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (3:59 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 Monday, July 20, 2026.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie
Chair

Raman Grewal
Legislative Services Associate