February 10, 2026 - Minutes

Date:

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Place:

Anderson Room
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Alexa Loo, Chair
Councillor Andy Hobbs
Councillor Laura Gillanders
Councillor Kash Heed
Councillor Bill McNulty

Also Present:

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 January 13, 2026, be adopted.

CARRIED

LAW AND COMMUNITY SAFETY DIVISION

1.

Community Bylaws Activity Report – December 2025 and Year in Review

(File Ref. No. 12-8375-02) (REDMS No. 8284213)

Discussion ensued with respect to (i) reactive and proactive calls for service, (ii) the process of prioritizing calls for service for soil deposition and/or removal calls, (iii) the process of handling complaints against City bylaw officers, (iv) school patrols and traffic signage around schools, and (v) repainting of medians on Chatham Street and installation of traffic signage.

In response to queries from Committee, staff advised that (i) support is needed from the Ministry of Forests and the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) to address issues on Provincial land such as decamping sites within the city, (ii) over 50 percent of calls about unauthorized soil deposition and removal activity involve repeat offenders with some properties receiving multiple tickets per week, and several cases proceeding to Provincial court, (iii) in 2025, staff removed five derelict vessels and two sunken vessels from docks and moorage areas, these were complex operations involving multiple different agencies, (v) in 2025, 55 properties were deemed non-compliant for soil deposition or removal, with an average of 52 active files at any time. The addition of a second full time Soil Bylaw Enforcement Officer has increased capacity to deal with many of the calls for service, and expedite soil permits, and (vii) through the SPCA, there is a network of veterinarians in Richmond that provide care to unhoused animals, staff will provide Committee with more information on this program.

Staff will provide Council with a breakdown of calls for service and with information on any Canada geese related calls.

It was moved and seconded

That the report titled “Community Bylaws Activity Report – December 2025 and Year in Review”, dated January 15, 2026, from the Director, Community Bylaws & Licencing, be received for information.

CARRIED

2.

Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report – December 2025 and Year in Review

(File Ref. No. 09-5140-01) (REDMS No. 8278848)

Discussion ensued with respect to (i) the on-going toxic drug crisis in BC and the effectiveness of naloxone on the illicit drug supply, and (ii) Richmond Fire Rescue’s process for prioritizing calls for service.

It was moved and seconded

That the report titled “Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report – December 2025 and Year in Review”, dated January 13, 2026, from the Fire Chief, be received for information.

CARRIED

3.

FIRE CHIEF BRIEFING
(Verbal Report)

None

4.

RCMP MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORT – DECEMBER 2025

(File Ref. No. 09-5030-01) (REDMS No. 8260839)

It was moved and seconded

That the report titled “RCMP Monthly Activity Report – December 2025”, dated January 16, 2026, from the Officer in Charge, be received for information.

CARRIED

5.

RCMP/OIC BRIEFING
(Verbal Report)

None

6.

MANAGER’S REPORT

(i)

City of Richmond’s Public Safety Camera System Program- city of Williams Lake

Staff shared correspondence received from the City of Williams Lake expressing support for the City of Richmond’s Public Safety Camera System Program (attached to and forming part of these minutes as Schedule 1).  Staff spoke to the next steps in the application for judicial review of the Order of the Information and Privacy Commissioner and advised that they have corresponded with City of Surrey who has indicated support for the City’s Public Safety Camera System and will be releasing a press release to that effect. 

(ii)

Oak Street Bridge – Clean Up Overview

Staff referred to the memorandum titled “Oak Street Bridge – Clean Up Overview” (attached to and forming part of these minutes as Schedule 2) and updated Committee on the City's coordinated response to the accumulation of abandoned structures, debris, and materials located on MOTT lands beneath the Oak Street Bridge. Staff highlighted that all 14 sites were cleaned and hazards removed without MOTT’s participation in the clean-up operation.  The City led the effort using its own resources and inter-agency partnerships to address safety, environmental, and public concerns and multiple social service agencies worked to connect individuals residing under the bridge deck with housing, treatment, and detox services.

Discussion ensued with respect to invoicing MOTT for the clean up efforts made by the City, and the possibility of conducting a similar coordinated operation at Westminster Highway and No. 5 Road.

Staff advised that they will invoice MOTT for the Oak Street Bridge clean up and coordinate with the Communications department on a public news release highlighting the operation’s success.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:53 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 Tuesday, February 10, 2026.

_________________________________

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Councillor Alexa Loo
Chair

Raman Grewal
Legislative Services Associate