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CITY OF VANCOUVER OTHER REPORT |
Date: |
June 11, 2004 | |
Author: |
Vancouver Heritage Commission c/o Diane Clairmont, Meeting Coordinator | |
Phone No.: |
604.871.6371 | |
RTS No.: |
4344 | |
CC File No.: |
3105-1 | |
Meeting Date: |
November 18, 2004 |
TO: |
Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets |
FROM: |
Vancouver Heritage Commission |
SUBJECT: |
Course/Conference Funding for Vancouver Heritage Commission |
RECOMMENDATION
THAT Vancouver City Council increase funding related to continued learning for members of the Vancouver Heritage Commission to $2,500 annually in order that they can remain current on new and evolving information relevant to the Commission’s mandate.
CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The City Clerk’s 2004 Operating Budget contains a total of $2,000 to cover course and conference reimbursement for members of all advisory committees to Council. At present, there are more than ten such committees. As a rule of thumb, each committee is allotted $200 each year to cover courses and conference attendance.
Requests for course funding are normally forwarded to the City Clerk’s Department. When a request from an advisory committee follows the above mentioned rule of thumb, the City Clerk will normally approve the request. However, when a request materially exceeds the individual committee allotment of $200, the requests are forwarded to Council for consideration.
As the Vancouver Heritage Commission request is greater than the entire annual allotment contained in the City Clerk’s operating budget, it is, therefore, recommended:
THAT Council consider the request of the Vancouver Heritage Commission as part of the 2005 operating budget process.
COUNCIL POLICY
There is no applicable Council Policy.
PURPOSE
It is hoped that through the review of this report and the subsequent discussion, that funding will be increased for the Vancouver Heritage Commission (VHC) to allow its members to keep their knowledge level current and relevant.
BACKGROUND
At the May 20, 2004, meeting of the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment, Scott Barrett, Vice-Chair, represented the Vancouver Heritage Commission to request funding for seven VHC members to attend a course offered by SFU’s City Program entitled “The Use of Statements of Significance for Cultural Landscapes.” The cost of each seat at the course was $195 for a total of $1365. The total budget for all of the City’s advisory bodies for continued learning is $2000 annually.
The VHC requested the attendance of seven members because it was felt that education about the new Statements of Significance (SOS) program was integral to working effectively, not only in providing information to Council, but also in working together in the new context of heritage conservation tools, which are evolving at a rate not seen in Canada in over two decades.
This report was prepared by the VHC in response to the decision made by the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment to decline funding as requested for seven members.
Because of the limited funding available to City advisory bodies, the request of the VHC to attend development courses accounted for nearly 70% of all funds available for the year, to all advisory bodies. Although the amount of money for request was disproportionate to what would remain available to other advisory bodies, it is felt by the VHC that it is not unfair and underlines the fact that additional resources are required for the VHC to remain current on issues relating to their particular discipline. Outlined below is an account of why additional funding is required for the VHC.
The Vancouver Heritage Commission was created by Council under by-law number 4800. Section 5 of the by-law states the following:
The terms of reference of the commission shall be to advise Council on the following matters which may be referred to it by Council from time to time:
a. the need for preserving heritage buildings, structures, or lands which collectively represent a cross-section of all periods and styles in the City’s historic and cultural evolution;
b. the costs and benefits of the preservations;
c. the compatibility of preservations with other lawful uses of the buildings, structures, or lands;
and in particular, to make recommendations to Council respecting the designation of heritage buildings, structures, and lands and the demolition, preservation, alteration, or renovation of those buildings, structures, and lands.
It is hoped that through review of this report and the subsequent discussion, that funding will be increased to the VHC to allow its members to keep their knowledge level current and relevant.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Although the VHC consists of experts in the field of heritage conservation, as well as lay members, the current climate of conservation in Canada means that even the most experienced experts in the field are having to relearn elements of evaluation and come to understand an entirely new system of documentation and management of heritage resources. Vocabulary, methodology and intent have all evolved to the point that every person participating in heritage conservation MUST be re-educated. This includes the Vancouver Heritage Commission.
Unlike other municipal heritage commissions that are more programming-based than the VHC, the Commission takes active part in building reviews and conservation approach. For this reason, it is even more important that the City of Vancouver ensure that the VHC is properly educated and using the most current and relevant information (in this case Statements of Significance), lest recommendations to Council be uninformed or, even worse, inaccurate.
Only through increasing the budget of the VHC for continued learning will Council reap the benefits of having educated commissioners and current information. Without such a commitment, Council sends a clear message about its dedication to making informed decisions about issues affecting all Vancouverites.
Therefore, the VHC suggests that the budget for continued learning be set at $2,500 annually for Vancouver Heritage Commission
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