September 10, 2024 - Minutes
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Community Safety Committee
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Date: |
Tuesday, September 10, 2024 |
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Place: |
Anderson Room |
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Present: |
Councillor Alexa Loo, Chair |
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Absent: |
Councillor Bill McNulty |
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Also Present: |
Councillor Carol Day (entered the meeting 4:01 p.m.) Councillor Michael Wolfe |
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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 Community Safety Committee held on July 9, 2024, be adopted. |
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CARRIED |
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COMMUNITY SAFETY DIVISION |
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1. |
Business Licence Activity Report – Second Quarter 2024 (File Ref. No. 2-8375-02) (REDMS No. 7744850) |
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In response to queries from the Committee, staff noted (i) the increase in Business License revenue is the result of an additional temporary full time resource hired to identify and garner compliance from those businesses found to be operating without a license, and (ii) through an upgraded system, greater accuracy on data is achieved in identifying outstanding expired licenses and followed up for renewal in a timely manner. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the staff report titled “Business Licence Activity Report – Second Quarter 2024”, dated August 22, 2024, from the Director, Community Bylaws & Licencing, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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In response to further discussion with respect to ride hailing, staff noted there has been a significant increase in activity in the contribution and revenue for all the participating inter municipal (business licensed) cities. |
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2. |
Community Bylaws Monthly Activity Report – June and July 2024 (File Ref. No. 12-8375-02) (REDMS No. 7779066) |
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In response to queries from the Committee, staff noted (i) at this time, the City does not have any bylaws that dictate a restriction for the form(s) of payment a business is permitted to impose (e.g., cash only), (ii) it is typical in the warmer months to see an increase in stop work and/or removal orders for non-compliance related to unauthorized fill, and not aware of any single person facilitating an increase in that activity, (iii) with respect to complaints received regarding unsightly premises, the complainant is not identified and the preferred option is to obtain resolution through education, (iv) those who are subject to a complaint can come forward during the appeal adjudication period, not doing so is interpreted as acceptance of the violation, (v) as there is a definite correlation for some complaints related to seasonal growth, staff will work with corporate communications to remind homeowners of their responsibilities throughout the growing season, and (vi) sandwich board advertising is not permitted in Richmond, however there is an exception for a short period of time when a business is new. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the staff report titled “Community Bylaws Monthly Activity Report – June and July 2024”, dated August 22, 2024, from the Director, Community Bylaws & Business Licencing, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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3. |
Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report – June and July 2024 (File Ref. No. 09-5140-01) (REDMS No. 7754399) |
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An edit to Table 1, page CS-24, Incident Totals June (2023) was noted and amended to reflect the total of 1,080. |
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In response to queries from the Committee, Chief Wishlove noted (i) there were no activations for an extreme heat warning, however there were a number of times throughout the summer where public works, the libraries and the community centres were engaged to open their doors for an extended time, informing people through the website, social media, and public messaging about the coming heat to be warmer than expected, (ii) a number of training activities are undertaken, including for events where a vehicle may end up in a river or a large deep ditch, in which case the auto extraction and surface water rescue capacities would be combined, (iii) RFR annually sponsors and hosts various events for “Camp Ignite”, a week long summer youth firefighting mentorship program for grade 11 and 12 girls, (iv) with respect to the cause of the recent trestle fire reported as undetermined, the Office of the Fire Commissioner has accepted that determination and closed the file, however should any other evidence arise, that is not found to be contaminated, it could be reviewed, (v) RFR staff are armed with the best quality personal protective equipment (PPE) available, as well as a rescue gear PPE that has been procured to be worn by staff deployed to respond to events that do not involve interior structural fire fighting, and (vi) there are a number RFR staff trained to include some of the very technical aspects for performing urban search and rescue should there be an unfortunate disaster isolating Richmond from the mainland (no bridges/tunnel), and all fire halls have food and water stored for all staff to operate for days on end. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the staff report titled “Richmond Fire-Rescue Monthly Activity Report – June and July 2024”, dated August 22, 2024, from the Fire Chief, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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4. |
FIRE CHIEF BRIEFING |
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(i) |
RFR Community Outreach & Education Program |
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(a) |
October 6 - 12 is National Fire Prevention Week, with the main topic being smoke alarms in the home and at work. RFR outreach squad has a full week ready to release, including informative videos and information available on Instagram and Facebook; and |
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(b) |
RFR has a strategy prepared to release with a public education and outreach campaign regarding lithium-ion battery storage and charging. The campaign will be released early December leading into mid December to resonate with consumers through peak holiday shopping periods providing information on the purchasing of appropriate batteries, storage and charging. |
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5. |
RCMP Monthly Activity Report – June and July 2024 (File Ref. No. 09-5000-01/) (REDMS No. 7739858) |
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In response to queries from the Committee, Chief Supt. Chauhan noted (i) an increase in fraud related files has been noted, including romance scams, identity fraud or other type of business frauds (e.g., fraud generated through social media platforms); the Richmond RCMP media unit and fraud unit continue to send public advisory notifications through social media and RCMP media releases to warn the public to be cautious, (ii) the recent e-scooter training program received considerable community participation with approximately 100 participants in attendance, and additional e-scooter training opportunities will be hosted in the future, (iii) various enforcement measures have been taken to combat the escalation in retail theft since the beginning of the year, through several boost and bust operations, the property crime unit, front line officers, bike patrols, business outreach and volunteer community engagement teams, 50 individuals were arrested with $25,000 - $30,000 of merchandise recovered and recently Crown Council has approved eight counts of theft charges to one individual who was targeting another retail business; ongoing proactive and reactive measures taken will result in the continued success in reducing retail theft, and (iv) there has been a reduction from 2023 in drug related offences through combined efforts working with partners in Richmond and YVR. |
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A brief discussion ensued with respect to incident investigations related to mental health, noting that generally there are no serious concerns experienced which may partially be attributed to the FOX80 approach, with officers and nurses working together providing a relationship of trust and reduction in tension when approaching those individuals that may be experiencing any mental health concerns. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the report titled “RCMP Monthly Activity Report – May 2024”, dated June 13, 2024, from the Officer in Charge, Richmond RCMP Detachment, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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6. |
RCMP/OIC BRIEFING |
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(i) |
August 22, 2024 Incident Involving RFR, Police & EHS |
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Chief Supt. Chauhan briefed the Committee on the recent police incident resulting in an officer being stabbed, treated for non-life threatening injuries at Vancouver General Hospital and currently recovering at home with family. Gratitude was expressed for the swift response of the other members of the team and the support received from RFR colleagues, BC Ambulance, Transit Police and the Vancouver Police Department who assisted in the very dynamic, serious and unfolding situation. |
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(ii) |
Richmond RCMP 3rd Annual Youth Academy |
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The 3rd Annual Youth Academy was held August 19–23, 2024 with the support and assistance of members from different units coming together and volunteering, City staff and previous participant students, providing a unique opportunity for youth to receive first hand experience in policing in various scenarios in a safe and controlled environment. A total of 28 young men and woman from grades 10 to 12 students participated in the five day camp, learning about police duties, criminal justice, fitness, teamwork, organization, public speaking, self reliance and discipline. |
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ADJOURNMENT |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the meeting adjourn (5:11 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 Community Safety Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Tuesday, September 10, 2024. |
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_________________________________ |
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Councillor Alexa Loo |
Lorraine Anderson |