3

REPORT TO COUNCIL

STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL
ON PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT

APRIL 25, 2002

A Regular Meeting of the Standing Committee of Council on Planning and Environment was held on Thursday, April 25, 2002, at 2:10 p.m., in the Council Chamber, Third Floor, City Hall.

PRESENT:	Councillor Lynne Kennedy, Chair Mayor Philip Owen Councillor Fred Bass Councillor Jennifer Clarke Councillor Daniel Lee Councillor Don Lee, Vice-Chair Councillor Tim Louis Councillor Sandy McCormick *Councillor Gordon Price Councillor Sam Sullivan (Item 4)
ABSENT:	Councillor George Puil (Sick Leave) Councillor Sam Sullivan (Items 1-3)(Leave of Absence)
CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE:	Judy Rogers, City Manager
CITY CLERK'S OFFICE:	Laura Kazakoff, Meeting Coordinator

*Denotes presence for a portion of the meeting.

ADOPTION OF MINUTES

The Minutes of the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment meeting of March 28, 2002, were adopted.

RECOMMENDATION

1. Special Event Vending Permits (File 2630)

The Committee had before it an Administrative Report dated April 9, 2002, in which the General Manager of Engineering Services recommended reinstating the Mobile Special Event Permit which was eliminated in 1995, and implementing permit guidelines which would resolve ongoing enforcement problems related to vending of balloons and novelty items at the Celebration of Light festival.

Rowan Birch, Budgets and Administrative Services, Engineering, reviewed the report and responded to questions concerning the proposed cost of the permits and the estimated number which would be issued each year.

Rod Grant, Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society, spoke in support of the recommendations, noting the fireworks events are dependent on funds obtained from merchandisers who are sub-contracted by the Society. He noted there have been on-going problems with unauthorized vendors on the event site.

Stanley Czapiewski, Family Fun Centre, (materials filed) spoke in opposition to the recommendations. Mr. Czapiewski explained that parts of the recommended guidelines, e.g. that permits be issued to individuals only, who would each require insurance, would be onerous to his company, given that he employs many young people and students.

Mr. Birch responded to a question regarding the feasibility of providing the option of issuing a permit in a company name, which would be distributed to employees and which, in the event of an infraction by one of those employees, would result in the permit being pulled from the company as a whole.

MOVED by Councillor McCormick
THAT the Committee recommend to Council

A. THAT Council authorize the General Manager of Engineering Services, or designate, to issue Mobile Special Event Vending Permits in accordance with the guidelines in Appendix A of the Administrative Report dated April 9, 2002, entitled "Special Event Vending Permits".

B. THAT the annual fee for each Mobile Special Event Vending Permit be $100.

CARRIED
(Councillor Louis opposed)
(Councillor Bass opposed to Recommendation B)

2. Maintain Public Control of BC Hydro (File 1263)

Vancouver City Council, at its meeting on April 9, 2002, referred the following motion to the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment, in order to hear from speakers:

"MOVED by Councillor Louis
SECONDED by Councillor Bass

WHEREAS, BC Hydro is a crown corporation owned and developed for the benefit of all British Columbians;

AND WHEREAS, BC Hydro contributed $904 million to the provincial government in 2001 enabling the funding of medical care, education and other government services;

AND WHEREAS, all sectors of the BC economy benefit from the third-lowest power rates in North America delivered from clean, reliable sources;

AND WHEREAS, BC Hydro employs British Columbians to deliver power to the people of the province;

AND WHEREAS, deregulation and privatization will result in price increases estimated by the provincial government's Energy Task Review Committee to be in the 30 to 80 per cent range;

AND WHEREAS, the Joint Industry Electricity Steering Committee recognizes that the "electric power customers and the BC economy are being well served with reliable power at regulated, predictable rates" and "BC Hydro is returning substantial benefits to the province";

AND WHEREAS, BC Hydro's integrated systems and services are critical to the utility's ability to provide reliable power at affordable pricing that does not discriminate against any customers;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT, in order to preserve the valuable public asset of BC Hydro, the City of Vancouver urge the Province to retain BC Hydro as a complete entity within a regulated pricing structure."

The following spoke in favour of the motion:

Doug Hill, Office & Professional Employees' International Union, Local 378
Jim Green
Timothy Howard, Sierra Legal Defence Fund
Murray Dobbin, Chair, Vancouver Chapter, Council of Canadians

The following are some of the comments provided by the foregoing speakers:

· BC Hydro has a history of helping build this province;
· BC Hydro has been publicly owned for 40 years, and was created to provide clean, low-cost, hydro-electricity;
· electricity costs in BC are currently the third lowest in North America;
· if allowed to deregulate and privatize, consumers from households and small and large businesses will face increased electricity costs of 30%;
· even BC's biggest companies, who say 6,000 jobs would be lost across BC, are opposed to privatization;
· British Columbians pay 65% less for power than the Silicon Valley, which has privatized power, and never have to worry about "rolling brown-outs";
· before BC Hydro can be opened up to private ownership, power market prices will have to increase dramatically;
· privatization and deregulation will have negative impacts on local air quality; e.g. the Burrard Thermal Plant will likely be run at full capacity and any new plants will likely be placed near targeted customers, i.e. right in the city;
· an increase in Hydro bills is simply unaffordable to many seniors, who may have to make sacrifices in other areas, such as food and medicine.

During Council discussion members noted the lack of information on this matter. Judy Rogers, City Manager, responded to a question concerning the staff time which would be required to provide a report back.

POSTPONEMENT MOVED by Councillor Bass
THAT the Committee recommend to Council

THAT consideration of the Motion entitled "Maintain Public Control of BC Hydro" be postponed in order to receive a report back from staff on the potential financial implications of the privatization of BC Hydro for the City and the GVRD as well as the potential impacts on air pollution levels in Vancouver.

LOST
(Councillors Clarke, Kennedy, Daniel Lee, Don Lee, McCormick, Price, and the Mayor opposed)

The motion to postpone having lost, the main motion was put and LOST with Councillors Clarke, Kennedy, Daniel Lee, Don Lee, McCormick, Price, and the Mayor opposed.

3. Preserve British Columbia's Universal Public Auto Insurance (File 1263)

Vancouver City Council, at its meeting on April 9, 2002, referred the following motion to the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment, in order to hear from speakers:

"MOVED by Councillor Bass
SECONDED by Councillor Louis

WHEREAS, the Insurance Corporation of BC (ICBC) was founded in 1973 following the Wooten Royal Commission that investigated shoddy practices of private insurance companies;

AND WHEREAS, ICBC is mandated to provide fair rating which does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, marital status, or community of residency;

AND WHEREAS, ICBC provides more than 6,000 direct jobs and many more in support industries such as independent brokers, auto-body shops and others;

AND WHEREAS, while 90 per cent of all motorists in British Columbia carry valid insurance, in other jurisdictions, such as Ontario, the incidence of uninsured motorists is as high as 25 per cent, according to 1998 statistics compiled by the Ontario Provincial Police;

AND WHEREAS, ICBC contributes $60 million annually to road safety initiatives -30 times more than all Ontario private insurance providers;

AND WHEREAS, safer roads make our communities better and more secure places to live;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the City of Vancouver ask the minister responsible for ICBC and the Premier of British Columbia to preserve the Provincial universal public auto insurance system."

David Black, Office and Professional Employees International Union, Local 378, spoke in support of the foregoing motion, advising that a decision by the provincial government to allow private insurers to sell auto insurance would affect every B.C. driver. Mr. Black reviewed several programs which are funded by ICBC such as youth education, illuminated cross walks, road improvement projects and anti-crime campaigns. He further noted that privatization would lead to a loss of jobs and economic revenue, increased insurance premiums, and advised that private insurers will not provide coverage for City police fleets.

Following Council discussion, the motion was put and LOST with Councillors Clarke, Kennedy, Daniel Lee, Don Lee, McCormick and the Mayor opposed, and Councillor Price absent for the vote.

4. Vancouver City Council Support for National Harm Reduction Pilot Project

(File 4113)

Vancouver City Council, at its meeting on March 26, 2002, referred the following motion to the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment, in order to hear from speakers:

"MOVED by Councillor Louis
SECONDED by Councillor Bass

WHEREAS, on May 15, 2001, City Council:

(a) adopted the revised Framework for Action: A Four Pillar Approach to Drug Problems in Vancouver as the basis for the City's continuing effort to work with the Provincial and Federal Governments and the community to address the issue of substance misuse in Vancouver;

(b) asked that an implementation plan be drafted with defined goals aimed at specific outcomes, including reduced drug-induced deaths, reduced drug-induced morbidity and reduced drug-related crime (that includes: lowering drug-related deaths, reducing the occurrence of HIV in IV-drug-users, and lowering the frequency of drug-related robberies);

AND WHEREAS, according to the revised Framework for Action, the number of illicit drug deaths in Vancouver averaged 147 per year from 1994 to 2000;

AND WHEREAS, the third goal of the revised Framework for Action states that the City should work towards addressing the drug-related health crisis in Vancouver by reducing harm to communities and individuals;

AND WHEREAS, the revised Framework for Action notes that harm reduction is a pragmatic approach that focuses on decreasing the negative consequences of drug use for communities and individuals. Moreover, it recognizes that abstinence-based approaches are limited in dealing with a street-entrenched open drug scene;

AND WHEREAS, according to a December 2000 McIntyre and Mustel poll commissioned by the City of Vancouver, over 70 per cent of Vancouver residents surveyed supported establishing a task force to consider the feasibility of a scientific medical project to develop safe drug consumption facilities in Vancouver and in other appropriate areas in the country in order to reduce health risks and minimize open drug scenes, such as we have in the Downtown Eastside;

AND WHEREAS, according to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, drug abuse is a major problem in many Canadian municipalities, and in some communities, more than 70 per cent of all local crime can be traced to substance misuse;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT, City Council support Mayor Philip Owen and other Federation of Canadian Municipalities Big City Mayor Caucus members' efforts to initiate a multi-city pilot program in partnership with Health Canada to carry out scientific trials of supervised safe drug consumption facilities."

The following spoke in support of the motion:

Dr. Perry Kendall, Health Officer for B.C. (materials filed)
Janet Woo, on behalf of Libby Davies, MP for Vancouver East (letter filed)
Richard Elliott, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network (materials filed)

The following are some of the comments provided by the foregoing speakers:

· background information was provided on the Canadian Task Group on Supervised Injection Sites, who believe a scientific medical research project on supervised injection sites should be undertaken in one or more locations;
· supervised injection sites result in decreased deaths from drug overdoses, and should be set up in places where there are open drug scenes, such as the downtown eastside;

· additional treatment facilities are also needed, but there is no treatment system that will reach all addicted persons;
· there is anecdotal evidence which shows there is a higher likelihood of addicts seeking treatment through their use of safe injection sites;
· it is unlikely that a safe injection site in the downtown eastside would result in increased drug activity; that hasn't been the case elsewhere;
· Vancouver East has experienced a staggering death toll from drug overdoses;
· there is strong evidence from Europe that shows a comprehensive harm reduction model helps addicted persons and reduces crime in local communities;
· there is nothing in current law to prohibit the operation of a safe injection site; charges have never been laid in relation to needle exchange operations.

The following spoke in opposition to the motion:

Sue Bennett, Gastown Community Safety Society
Chris Taulu, Collingwood Community Policing Centre

Some of the comments provided by the foregoing speakers are noted below:

· of the four pillars, harm reduction is the most controversial and has the least public support;
· residents of the downtown eastside and adjacent communities should be able to report a greater sense of safety; instead, drug related problems that once numbered in the hundreds of people, is now in the thousands; once vibrant communities are now full of boarded-up businesses;
· needle exchange programs did not result in reduced HIV infection rates, and drew most of their clients from outside the local community;
· harm reduction program would be a burden to local taxpayers;
· this community needs relief from the huge number of addicts in it;
· the harm reduction pillar cannot stand alone, all four pillars must be done in tandem;
· immediate access to rehabilitation programs is needed for addicts seeking treatment.

Due to time constraints, the Committee agreed to continue consideration of this matter and the hearing of speakers at the next Standing Committee on Planning and Environment meeting to be held on May 2, 2002.

The Committee adjourned at 5:30 p.m.

- - - - -

CITY OF VANCOUVER

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

APRIL 25, 2002

A Regular Meeting of the Council of the City of Vancouver was held on Thursday, April 25, 2002, at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber, Third Floor, City Hall, following the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment meeting, to consider the recommendations of the Committee.

PRESENT:	Mayor Philip Owen Councillor Fred Bass Councillor Jennifer Clarke Councillor Lynne Kennedy Councillor Daniel Lee Councillor Don Lee Councillor Tim Louis Councillor Sandy McCormick Councillor Gordon Price Councillor Sam Sullivan
ABSENT:	Councillor George Puil (Sick Leave)
CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE:	Judy Rogers, City Manager
CITY CLERK'S OFFICE:	Laura Kazakoff, Meeting Coordinator

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Councillor Don Lee
SECONDED by Councillor McCormick

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
April 25, 2002

Council considered the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in the following clauses of the foregoing report:

Cl.1: Special Event Vending Permits
Cl.2: Maintain Public Control of BC Hydro
Cl.3: Preserve British Columbia's Universal Public Auto Insurance
Cl.4: Vancouver City Council Support for National Harm Reduction Pilot Project

Clause 1 - Special Event Vending Permits

MOVED by Councillor Kennedy

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

CARRIED
(Councillor Louis opposed)
(Councillor Bass opposed to Recommendation B)

Clause 2 - Maintain Public Control of BC Hydro

POSTPONEMENT MOVED by Councillor Bass

THAT consideration of the Motion entitled "Maintain Public Control of BC Hydro" be postponed in order to receive a report back from staff on the potential financial implications of the privatization of BC Hydro for the City and the GVRD as well as the potential impacts on air pollution levels in Vancouver.

LOST
(Councillors Clarke, Kennedy, Daniel Lee, Don Lee, McCormick, Price, and the Mayor opposed; Councillor Sullivan absent for the vote)

MOVED by Councillor Louis

WHEREAS, BC Hydro is a crown corporation owned and developed for the benefit of all British Columbians;

AND WHEREAS, BC Hydro contributed $904 million to the provincial government in 2001 enabling the funding of medical care, education and other government services;

AND WHEREAS, all sectors of the BC economy benefit from the third-lowest power rates in North America delivered from clean, reliable sources;

AND WHEREAS, BC Hydro employs British Columbians to deliver power to the people of the province;

AND WHEREAS, deregulation and privatization will result in price increases estimated by the provincial government's Energy Task Review Committee to be in the 30 to 80 per cent range;

AND WHEREAS, the Joint Industry Electricity Steering Committee recognizes that the "electric power customers and the BC economy are being well served with reliable power at regulated, predictable rates" and "BC Hydro is returning substantial benefits to the province";

AND WHEREAS, BC Hydro's integrated systems and services are critical to the utility's ability to provide reliable power at affordable pricing that does not discriminate against any customers;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT, in order to preserve the valuable public asset of BC Hydro, the City of Vancouver urge the Province to retain BC Hydro as a complete entity within a regulated pricing structure.

LOST
(Councillors Clarke, Kennedy, Daniel Lee, Don Lee, McCormick, Price and the Mayor opposed; Councillor Sullivan absent for the vote)

Clause 3 - Preserve British Columbia's Universal Public Auto Insurance

MOVED by Councillor Bass

WHEREAS, the Insurance Corporation of BC (ICBC) was founded in 1973 following the Wooten Royal Commission that investigated shoddy practices of private insurance companies;

AND WHEREAS, ICBC is mandated to provide fair rating which does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, marital status, or community of residency;

AND WHEREAS, ICBC provides more than 6,000 direct jobs and many more in support industries such as independent brokers, auto-body shops and others;

AND WHEREAS, while 90 per cent of all motorists in British Columbia carry valid insurance, in other jurisdictions, such as Ontario, the incidence of uninsured motorists is as high as 25 per cent, according to 1998 statistics compiled by the Ontario Provincial Police;

AND WHEREAS, ICBC contributes $60 million annually to road safety initiatives -30 times more than all Ontario private insurance providers;

AND WHEREAS, safer roads make our communities better and more secure places to live;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the City of Vancouver ask the minister responsible for ICBC and the Premier of British Columbia to preserve the Provincial universal public auto insurance system.

LOST
(Councillors Clarke, Kennedy, Daniel Lee, Don Lee, McCormick, and the Mayor opposed; Councillors Price and Sullivan absent for the vote)

Clause 4 - Vancouver City Council Support for National Harm Reduction Pilot Project

This item will be continued at the May 2, 2002, meeting of the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment.

RISE FROM COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Councillor Don Lee

THAT the Committee of the Whole rise and report.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

ADOPT REPORT OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Councillor Kennedy
SECONDED by Councillor McCormick

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

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

The Council adjourned at 5:35 p.m.

* * * * *

(c) 1998 City of Vancouver