CITY OF VANCOUVER

REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON
PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT

OCTOBER 8, 1998

A Regular Meeting of the Council of the City of Vancouver was held on Thursday, October 8, 1998, at 4:05 p.m., in Committee Room No. 1, Third Floor, City Hall, following the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment meeting, to consider the recommendations of the Committee.

PRESENT:	Deputy Mayor Gordon Price Councillor Don Bellamy Councillor Nancy A. Chiavario Councillor Jennifer Clarke Councillor Alan Herbert Councillor Lynne Kennedy Councillor Daniel Lee Councillor Don Lee Councillor George Puil Councillor Sam Sullivan
ABSENT:	Mayor Philip Owen
CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE:	Ken Dobell, City Manager
CLERK TO THE COUNCIL:	Denise Salmon

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Bellamy,
SECONDED by Cllr. Chiavario,

THAT this Council resolve itself into Committee of the Whole, Mayor Owen in the chair.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Report of Standing Committee
on Planning and Environment
October 8, 1998

Council considered the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in the following clause of the attached report:

Cl. 1: Public Involvement Review

MOVED by Cllr. Clarke,

THAT the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in Clause 1 of this report, be approved.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

RISE FROM COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Bellamy,

THAT the Committee of the Whole rise and report.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

ADOPT REPORT OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Don Lee,
SECONDED by Cllr. Chiavario,

THAT the report of the Committee of the Whole be adopted.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

ENQUIRIES AND OTHER MATTERS

1. Resource and Support Centre for Drug Users File: 5762-1

Councillor Kennedy referred to an invitation received from the Vancouver/Richmond Health Board and Health Canada to attend an information exhibit/public consultation session on October 14, 1998, at the Gallery Gachet, and requested the Board and Health Canada be invited to appear before Council to explain their program and how it fits with the City's strategy.

The Deputy Mayor so directed.

The Council adjourned at 4:08 p.m.

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REPORT TO COUNCIL

STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL
ON PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT

OCTOBER 8, 1998

A Regular Meeting of the Standing Committee of Council on Planning and Environment was held on Thursday, October 8, 1998, at approximately 2:00 p.m. in Committee Room No. 1, Third Floor, City Hall.

PRESENT:	Councillor Jennifer Clarke, Chair Councillor Don Bellamy Councillor Nancy A. Chiavario Councillor Alan Herbert Councillor Lynne Kennedy Councillor Daniel Lee Councillor Don Lee Councillor Gordon Price Councillor George Puil Councillor Sam Sullivan
ABSENT:	Mayor Philip Owen
CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE:	Ken Dobell, City Manager
CLERK TO THE COMMITTEE:	Denise Salmon

RECOMMENDATION

1. Public Involvement Review (PIR) - Evaluation Phase Report File: 1011

The Committee had before it a Policy Report dated August 18, 1998 (on file), in which the Director of Community Planning, in consultation with the City Manager, General Manager of Community Services, General Manager of Engineering Services, Social Planning Director of Community Services, City Clerk, Chief Constable and the General Manager of Parks & Recreation recommended that Council direct departments to prepare plans for process improvements to individual programs and direct staff to report back on the corporate directions recommended by the consultant where required.

Clause No. 1 Continued

Jacquie Forbes-Roberts, Director of Community Planning; Ulli Watkiss, City Clerk; and Michael White, Planner, provided Council with clarification on the recommendations contained in the Policy Report, elaborated on strategic approaches staff would like to take, and responded to questions of Council.

The following is a summary of points noted during discussion:

· staff are currently working toward displaying a visually acceptable copy of the City's zoning map on the Web, with potential for linking with the Zoning and Development Bylaw, including a layperson summary of said by-law; a member of Council noted this would be most useful for both the Real Estate Board and real estate companies to apprise their clients of various zoning issues

· the City of Portland, together with that State's University, offers a series of lectures on transportation planning which is offered free to interested residents as a non-credit course, and at a fee for those seeking credit; the City's link with the University helps provide credibility to program

· relatively few improvements suggested in the Policy Report require technology, a number suggest direct public involvement, in various languages, as well as possible volunteer programs to assist citizens in understanding the workings of City Hall; note was also made of the importance of training staff in communication and people skills

· the need to clarify, for the public, the differences between Public Hearings, Public Meetings, Special Councils, Court of Revision, Board of Variance, etc., in addition to a possible Charter amendment to clarify the Public Hearing process

· the opportunity exists for interconnecting with the Park, Library, and Police Boards, etc., with potential to align some notification processes which would allow neighbourhoods to not only get all information relative to an issue in one place, but also work together as neighbourhoods on such issues

Clause No. 1 Continued

· regarding development of a policy on multicultural outreach and translation of information materials, staff noted the need to step back and analyse where the barriers are by working with multi-cultural communities on the most effective methods to consistently reach these publics

· staff advised the City's Report Tracking System is the first step toward addressing both technical and language components of reports prepared for Council, with a view to making these more understandable and accessible to the public

Charles Dobson and Shane Simpson spoke generally in favour of the concept. Points of concern and relevant issues raised are summarized below:

· the need for public education to make clear what lies within Council's range of responsibilities, and the correct forum for those citizens who become involved with the City; once citizens do become involved, the need to allow for ongoing consultation and involvement on a regular basis

· reference to the City's entrenched attitudes toward citizen participation groups, i.e. public input needs to be managed; citizens need to be involved, as partners, in solving some of the city's problems, however, few resources are offered to assist in pursuing real partnerships i.e. Mt. Pleasant Crime Prevention Office - no funding

· community centre associations are generally not well connected to the communities they serve; what is needed are smaller neighbourhood working groups, as opposed to the current large local areas, that can respond to issues affecting them, while also providing the flexibility of working together on broader scale, across- neighbourhood issues

· the need for more resources and support for citizens groups via outreach or newsletter assistance, or by generating involvement by means of community oriented events, or perhaps forums to allow for discussions within neighbourhoods, rather than meetings

· key question is how citizen involvement happens, and the need for resources to allow communities to do a better job at their level of input, perhaps using Dunbar and Cedar Cottage as pilots; some issues could be sorted out at the community level, without the need of Council's time

Clause No. 1 Continued

The following is a summary of points raised by Council:

· neighbourhood groups must be prepared to work within certain mandates already set by Council

· staff were requested to ensure earlier research undertaken by the City's Planning Department, on establishing a city census to determine levels of municipal service desired by taxpayers, be incorporated into the recommended report back on this matter

· the importance of finding ways to work with the media on issues that are new to communities

· a request that future delegations appearing before Council be afforded the opportunity of either standing or sitting, to assist with their comfort level

The following motion by Councillor Kennedy was put and carried. The Committee, therefore,

RECOMMENDED

A. THAT Council receive for information Context Research Ltd.'s report, "City of Vancouver - Public Involvement Review", evaluating the City's public involvement practices (on file in City Clerk's Office).

B. THAT Council direct the General Manager of Engineering Services, the General Manager of Community Services, General Manager of Corporate Services, and the City Clerk to report back by the end of 1999 on improvements to departmental programs which involve the public, including development of an education course on the City's processes and issues -- possibly in conjunction with an education institute.

Clause No. 1 Continued

C. THAT Council direct staff to report back by December, 1998, on approaches to implementing the directions recommended by the consultant outlined in Appendix A of the Policy Report dated August 18, 1998, to improve the City's public involvement practices, including:

i) a multicultural outreach and translation policy;

ii ) increased use of plain language
iii ) staff training in public involvement;

iv) development of public process guidelines;

v) establishment of a core group of staff public involvement experts;

vi) regular process evaluation;
vii) a community contact database;
viii) ongoing linkages with communities;
ix) continuity of staff involvement in neighbourhoods;
x) public conduct training for City staff and Council;
xi) civics training for the public;
xii) provision of background policy information to the public;
xiii) use of the media;
xiv) survey research techniques; and
xv) process feedback and closure.

D. THAT Council adopt the principles outlined in Appendix B of the Policy Report dated August 18, 1998, as a basis for ongoing improvements to the City's public involvement and direct staff to report back on refinements to the principles once the initial departmental and corporate improvements are complete.

Clause No. 1 Continued

E. THAT $117,500 be allocated from the Strategic Initiatives Fund of which $50,000 will be available to provide survey, research and facilitation services for departments to develop process improvements, $20,000 to assist in corporate improvements to public involvement; and, $47,500 for a temporary PIR Co-ordinator position for a period of one year to assist the PIR Working Group in the co-ordination of departmental and corporate improvements.

F. THAT Council invite the Park Board, the Library Board and the Police Board to continue to participate in the Public Involvement Review process.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

The Committee adjourned at 4:05 p.m.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver