Agenda Index City of Vancouver

REPORT TO COUNCIL

STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL
ON PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT

MAY 2, 2002

A Regular Meeting of the Standing Committee of Council on Planning and Environment was held on Thursday, May 2, 2002, at 2:00 p.m., in Committee Room No. 1, 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 George Puil

*Councillor Sam Sullivan

CITY MANAGER'S
OFFICE:

Judy Rogers, City Manager

CITY CLERK'S OFFICE:

Laura Kazakoff, Meeting Coordinator

*Denotes presence for a portion of the meeting.

* * * * *

The meeting was brought to order by Councillor Don Lee, Vice-Chair.

* * * * *

ADOPTION OF MINUTES

The Minutes of the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment meeting of April 11, 2002, were adopted.


RECOMMENDATION

1. 1526 Kingsway - By-law Violations (File 2701)

The Committee had before it an Administrative Report dated April 5, 2002, in which the City Building Inspector recommended Council authorize the Director of Legal Services to commence legal actions, at her discretion, in order to bring the building at 1526 Kingsway into compliance with City By-laws. The General Manager of Community Services recommended approval.

Peter Sweeney, Manager, Building Inspection, reviewed the Administrative Report.

MOVED by Councillor Louis
THAT the Committee recommend to Council

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.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
(Councillors Clarke, Kennedy, Price and Sullivan absent for the vote)

* * * * *

At this point in the proceedings, Councillor Lynne Kennedy arrived and assumed the Chair.

* * * * *

2. Re-design of Pacific Boulevard (File 5501)

The Committee had before it a Policy Report dated April 11, 2002, in which the Director of Current Planning and General Manager of Engineering Services recommended adoption of Principles and the endorsement of a Schematic Design as the first step in achieving a concept for Pacific Boulevard and Pacific Street between Burrard Street and Nelson. The General Manager of Community Services also recommended approval of the foregoing.

The Committee also had before it a letter dated April 19, 2002, from the Bicycle Advisory Committee, in which they request continuous bicycle lanes be implemented on both sides of Pacific Boulevard adjacent to the through traffic lanes.

Michael Gordon, Senior Planner, Central Area Major Developments Group, and Lon LaClaire, Engineer, Downtown Transportation Plan, along with Larry Beasley, Director of Current Planning, responded to questions regarding proposed vegetation, including possible measures to ensure large trees do not cause uneven sidewalk surfaces, and the feasibility of providing temporary bicycle lanes on the two blocks of Pacific Street east of Burrard Street.

Jim Bailey, Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST), expressed support for the proposed redesign project. However, concern for cyclists' safety was expressed in regard to the sections of the street where multi-use lanes are proposed. Mr. Bailey noted possible conflicts between cyclists and motorists entering or leaving the parking lane, as well as at intersections between cyclists and right-turning motor vehicles, and suggested continuous bike lanes should instead be implemented.

In response to a question regarding the concerns expressed by the foregoing speaker, staff advised that additional detailed design work has been carried out and the schematic design now provides for continuous bicycle lanes for the length of the study area.

Lewis Villegas (materials filed) with the aid of graphics, provided comments in regard to the pedestrian realm and made suggestions for improvements to the proposed scheme to provide additional space for the pedestrian realm.

Richard Campbell, Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition, expressed support for the project in light of staff's advice today that continuous bike lanes will be part of the preferred schematic design.

Graeme Lamson noted that other cities use different coloured pavement for bicycle lanes, and expressed support for the use of concrete, rather than asphalt, for the bicycle lane surfaces.

Mr. LaClaire, Mr. Gordon, and Mr. Beasley, along with Ian Adam, Assistant City Engineer -Transportation, responded to questions on pedestrian realm aspects such as landscaping, sidewalks, curbs, and street poles, the proposed pavement colour of bike lanes, the proposed timeline for the implementation of bicycle lanes, and whether the concern of the Bicycle Advisory Committee has now been resolved.

With regard to the two blocks of Pacific Street east of the Burrard Bridge, the Committee requested staff prepare a memorandum to provide information on any possible options for a temporary solution to the problems at this location, including the feasibility of installing temporary bike lanes.

MOVED by Councillor Price
THAT the Committee recommend to Council

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

MOVED by Councillor Sullivan
THAT the Committee recommend to Council

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

MOVED by Councillor Bass
THAT the Committee recommend to Council

THAT staff be requested to provide a report back identifying design considerations for the extension of Pacific Boulevard to Quebec Street and 6th Avenue.

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

3. Municipal Governments Urge Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol (File 1261/3501)

Vancouver City Council, at its meeting on April 23, 2002, referred the following motion to a future Standing Committee meeting in order to hear from a person requesting to speak:

"MOVED by Councillor Price
SECONDED by Councillor Bass

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."

Doug Warkentin spoke in favour of the motion, noting that federal support of the Kyoto Protocol would provide Canada with an economic advantage over the US. He further suggested that the City add to its adopted principles for a sustainable city to go beyond what the Kyoto Protocol calls for.

Nick Losito, Director of Environmental Health, responded to questions concerning the percentage of greenhouse gas emissions which are attributable to private vehicles, and what effects can realistically be made on climate change by a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

Following Council discussion the motion was put and CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

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

The Standing Committee on Planning and Environment, at its meeting on April 25, 2002, began hearing from speakers on the following motion, which was referred from Council at its meeting on March 26, 2002:

"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, 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."

Due to time constraints at the April 25, 2002, Standing Committee meeting, the Committee heard from the first five speakers, and agreed to reconvene the matter to this meeting, to continue the hearing of speakers.

Bill McMichael, Chair of the Renfrew Collingwood Drug & Alcohol Committee, noted his group is supportive of supervised injection facilities, as long as they are part of a comprehensive program which includes treatment for addicts and adequate enforcement against drug dealing.

Richard Lee, Community Alliance, spoke in opposition to the motion. He noted there are better alternatives for increasing the number of addicts seeking treatment, and spoke in support of coerced treatment. Mr. Lee also noted that supervised injection sites would send the wrong message to young people, and increase the numbers of young people experimenting with injection drugs. He further advised that if people were given all of the facts, they would not support these facilities.

The following spoke in favour of the motion:

Naomi Brunemeyer, BC Persons with Aids Society
Doug Byers
Dean Wilson, President, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users
John Richardson, PIVOT Legal Society (materials submitted - on file)
Abraham Rogatnick
Jim Leyden, Circle of Hope Coalition Society
Murray Mollard, BC Civil Liberties Association
Ray Hall, From Grief to Action
Fiona Gold, Aids Prevention Street Nurse Program, BC Centre for Disease Control
Maxine Davis, Dr. Peter Centre
Nancy Chiavario (brief filed)
Susie Ruttan, From Grief to Action
Alan Herbert

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

· supervised injection sites:
- decrease the incidents of needle-sharing, thus reducing the risks of accidental exposure to HIV and Hepatitis C;
- decrease incidents of overdoses;
- increases access to additional resources, such as condoms, medical check-ups, and provides a means of distributing required medications to those who might otherwise go without;
· a supervised injection site is needed to deal with the death and hopelessness prevalent in the downtown eastside; the situation will not be improved by ignoring the issue and hoping it goes away;
· increased detox facilities are needed; treatment must be available on demand;
· support was expressed by a number of speakers for a bubble zone around the supervised injection facilities, to keep dealers out of the immediate vicinity;
· most addicts would use a supervised injection facility if available, and open drug use could be more effectively discouraged;
· argument was made that, as addicts are disabled, they are protected from discrimination by law, and must have access to necessary medical services, which includes supervised injection sites;
· it is the poor and marginalized addicts in our society who are most in need of harm reduction;
· supervised injection sites are an essential component of the four pillars;
· to vote against this resolution is to vote for the status quo; i.e. a high rate of death, continued human misery, public nuisance, and unacceptable costs to policing, justice and medical services;
· assistance with safe injections is within the scope of a nurse's duties, who could be deemed negligent if this standard of care was not provided;
· in addition to detox, there is an appalling lack of long term treatment; it was noted that 80% of recovering addicts will suffer a relapse.

During the hearing of speakers, Don MacPherson, Drug Policy Co-ordinator, responded to questions regarding the incidence of fatal drug overdoses whenever there is an influx of high grade heroin, and the suggested creation of a bubble zone around a supervised injection facility.

Judy Rogers, City Manager, and Jacquie Forbes-Roberts, General Manager of Community Services, responded to questions concerning the process which would follow Health Canada's selection of a site.

AMENDMENT MOVED by Councillor Clarke
THAT the Committee recommend to Council

THAT the RESOLVED of the motion be amended to add the following:

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.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
(Councillor Puil absent for the vote)

MOTION AS AMENDED:

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, the purpose of which 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.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
(Councillor Puil absent for the vote)

The Committee adjourned at 6:50 p.m.

- - - - -

CITY OF VANCOUVER

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

MAY 2, 2002

 

A Regular Meeting of the Council of the City of Vancouver was held on Thursday, May 2, 2002, at 6:50 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:

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

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

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS

1. Business License Hearing Panel for May 14, 2002 (File 2711-1)

MOVED by Councillor Clarke

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:

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Report of Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets
May 2, 2002

Council considered the recommendation of the Committee, as contained in the following clause of the report of the Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets of May 2, 2002:

Clause 4

MOVED by Councillor Don Lee

THAT the recommendation of the Committee, as contained in Clause 4 of the report of the Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets of May 2, 2002, be approved.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY AND BY
THE REQUIRED MAJORITY

Report of Standing Committee on Planning and Environment
May 2, 2002

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

Clauses 1, 3 and 4

MOVED by Councillor Kennedy

THAT the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in Clauses 1, 3 and 4 of this report be approved.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Clause 2

MOVED by Councillor Kennedy

THAT the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in Clause 2 of this report be approved.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

MOVED by Councillor Bass

THAT staff be requested to provide a report back identifying design considerations for the extension of Pacific Boulevard to Quebec Street and 6th Avenue.

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

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 McCormick
SECONDED by Councillor Daniel Lee

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

The Council adjourned at 6:55 p.m.

* * * * *

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