COUNCIL MEETING FOLLOWING
PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT MEETING

MAY 2, 2002

DECISIONS

For information, please contact Laura Kazakoff, Meeting Coordinator, at 604.871.6353 or E-mail laura_kazakoff@city.vancouver.bc.ca

At its meeting immediately following the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment meeting on May 2, 2002, Vancouver City Council approved the following.

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS

1. Business License Hearing Panel for May 14, 2002

THAT Council delegate the holding of a business license hearing presently scheduled for May 14, 2002, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to a panel of three Council Members, pursuant to Section 277.1 of the Vancouver Charter, as follows:

The business license hearing pursuant to Section 275 of the Vancouver Charter regarding the suspension to Council by the Chief License Inspector for the year 2002 business license by Triville Enterprises Ltd. dba The Regent Hotel (Pub) at 160 East Hastings Street and the power to make a Council decision in relation to that hearing be delegated to:

Councillor Gordon Price, Chair
Councillor Lynne Kennedy
Councillor Tim Louis.

Should any of the above Members of Council be unable to attend the

hearing, the hearing and the power to make a Council decision in relation to the hearing be delegated to the remaining two Councillors and alternate Councillor Daniel Lee.

REPORT OF STANDING COMMITTEE ON CITY SERVICES AND BUDGETS

4. Reconsideration of Community Services Grants Applications

A. THAT Council approve a grant of $27,000 to Women Against Violence Against Women, with the following condition:

"THE CITY GRANT IS TO PARTIALLY FUND AN ABORIGINAL OUTREACH POSITION WORKING AT LEAST 20 HOURS PER WEEK; AND THAT QUARTERLY DISBURSEMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO THE RECEIPT OF QUARTERLY REPORTS, TO THE SATISFACTION OF THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL PLANNING."

The source of funds is the allocation from the Community Services Grants budget, originally recommended but not approved, for this organization;

REPORT OF STANDING COMMITTEE ON PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT

1. 1526 Kingsway - By-law Violations

THAT Council authorize the Director of Legal Services, in her discretion, to commence a legal action or proceeding in relation to the premises located at 1526 Kingsway and, in her discretion, to seek injunctive relief in that action or proceeding, in order to bring this building into compliance with City By-laws.

2. Re-design of Pacific Boulevard

A. THAT the Urban Design and Streetscape Principles for the re-design of Pacific Boulevard and adjacent sidewalk areas and frontages as identified in the Policy Report dated April 11, 2002, entitled "Re-design of Pacific Boulevard" be adopted.

B. THAT the Preferred Schematic Design for Pacific Boulevard be endorsed as outlined in the Policy Report dated April 11, 2002, entitled "Re-design of Pacific Boulevard", and including revisions described by staff during the meeting this day, subject to detailed costing and design, the review of revenue sources, public input, and discussions with adjacent property owners, residents, and businesses on detailed design.

C. THAT Council approve a budget for $58,500 for a consultant, associated resources and public input to finalize the detailed designs and cost estimates for Pacific Boulevard from Burrard to Nelson Street, source of funding to be Contingency Reserve to be repaid by a committed payment from 858 Beatty Street to the `Greenlinks' fund.

AND THAT staff report back with a final detailed design and costs prior to the initiation of streetworks.

D. THAT staff report back on the potential re-design of the Granville Bridge loop ramps and associated redevelopment of the affected properties to improve safety and the integration of this area with the adjacent neighbourhoods.

E. THAT Council express its thanks to Allan Jacobs and Elizabeth Macdonald for their assistance on this project.

F. THAT staff be requested to report back with a work programme and an estimate of funding to prepare a schematic urban design and streetscape concept for Pacific Boulevard, east of Nelson Street to Abbot Street and for the apron areas surrounding BC Place Stadium and General Motors Place, noting that the concept should also address the objective of barrier free access.

Staff were also requested to provide a memo on any possible options to address the current problematic situation for cyclists on the section of Pacific Street between Burrard and Howe Streets, such as the feasibility of installing temporary bike lanes.

3. Municipal Governments Urge Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol

WHEREAS climate change causes drought, permafrost melting, sea-level rise and floods that damage municipal infrastructure, displace citizens and create a financial burden for municipal governments;

WHEREAS economic activity in rural and northern communities relying on fisheries, tourism, forestry and agriculture is disrupted by climate change;

WHEREAS investments in building retrofits, community energy systems, water conservation, renewable energy technologies, waste reduction, landfill gas capture, fleet management and public transit reduce municipal operating costs, help maintain community services and protect public health while cutting greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change;

WHEREAS forestry and agriculture sectors can expand business opportunities by increasing the capacity of trees and soils to absorb carbon dioxide and by developing renewable fuels like ethanol;

WHEREAS fossil fuel producers are increasing investments in renewable energy and alternative fossil fuel technologies that reduce the amount of carbon dioxide going into the air; and

WHEREAS 72 per cent of Canadians want the Kyoto Protocol ratified;

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City of Vancouver endorses ratification of the Kyoto Protocol; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT this resolution be communicated to our Member of Parliament, provincial environment and energy ministers, federal and provincial opposition leaders, community media and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

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

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

A. THAT Vancouver 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 as one part of a comprehensive four pillar approach which includes an integrated treatment and law enforcement scheme whose purpose is to move addicts into a continuum of care and away from an addicted life style.

B. THAT the Federal and Provincial governments be told that a priority of the City of Vancouver is improved access to detoxification and treatment spaces for addicts.

C. THAT staff be instructed to report back on the process for implementation, including how this will be integrated into existing treatment and law enforcement initiatives in Vancouver.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver