Council This Week

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Council meets every Monday to discuss issues and hear presentations on local and regional topics and projects. Every Wednesday morning at the latest Council This Week will provide you with the highlights of the day and allow you to link to the presentations and reports that were before Council.

March 15, 2010 Highlights

New Species and Ecosystems Protection Act
Susan Howatt, Campaigns Director for the Sierra Club of BC, addressed Council requesting their endorsement of a new Species and Ecosystem Protection Act. Ms. Howatt expanded upon a letter she sent to Council explaining her organization's rationale for requesting Council's support for such legislation. Ms. Howatt's letter can be found here [PDF, 1.1MB].

In August 2009, the provincial government announced a new Species at Risk Task Force, which will make a policy recommendation in 2010.

Council passed a resolution stating they support the intent of the Sierra Club letter regarding the endorsement for a new Species and Ecosystems Protection Act and strongly urge the provincial government to create a task force inclusive of Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) representation for the purposes of establishing a new Species and Ecosystems Protection Act.

Lower Mainland Local Government Association (LMLGA) Resolutions
Council reviewed and agreed to forward these resolutions to LMLGA:

• British Columbia Ambulance Service Response Time
• Redundant Covenants on Property
• Long Term Private Leases
• Accessible Building Standards
• Ban On and Restricted Access Sale of Pesticides

The detail of each resolution is available here [PDF, 28KB].

E-Comm Board of Directors Designate
In response to a letter from Emergency Communications for Southwest BC (E-Comm 911) dated February 23, 2010, Council appointed Mayor Ernie Daykin to the E-Comm Board of Directors for the 2010-2012 term.

The role of Director includes strategic planning, monitoring financial performance, business risk management and effective succession planning. In addition, the Director sits on any of these three established committees: Audit, Governance, and Human Resources and Compensation.

Hybrid Vehicles - Correction & Update
In the March 1, 2010, issue of Council This Week, it stated that the District currently has six Prius cars and 16 Escape vehicles. The correct numbers are nine Prius and 13 Escape vehicles.

As well, this afternoon, Council moved to the March 23, 2010, regular Council meeting the consideration to purchase an additional five hybrid vehicles, which was referenced in the previous issue of Council This Week.

Animal Welfare
Brigitta MacMillian, representing Katie's Place - a welfare shelter for cats in Maple Ridge, provided council with an update concerning the challenging relationship between the SPCA and Katie's Place. Council agreed to forward the issue to a future Council Workshop.

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March 1, 2010 Highlights

ICBC Road Safety Programs
Kate Woochuk, ICBC Road Safety Coordinator for Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, and Glen Per, Claims Centre Manager, provided Council with an update on road safety in Maple Ridge.

ICBC's safety programs focus on three key pillars: drivers, roads, and vehicles. Ms. Woochuck advised that 79.2% of crashes are caused by human action, such as driver error, speeding, and failing to yield. Environmental conditions - ice, snow and slush - caused 19.1% of crashes. The remaining 1.7% of crashes were caused by the condition of the vehicle. In 2007, 78,000 people across the province were injured in motor vehicle crashes, while 417 people were killed.

In attempting to address driver behaviour, in 2009, ICBC targeted several campaigns - speeding, impaired driving, intersections, and pole mounted speed reader boards.

To share the effects and consequences of speeding, and drinking and driving with young drivers (grade 11 and 12 students), ICBC is activating its Road Sense Speaker Program, in which trained facilitators visit schools to share their stories about speeding, and drinking and driving, and how it has affected their lives.

The presentation provided some positive news regarding auto crime in Maple Ridge. Theft of autos has seen a 43% reduction from 2003 to 2009, while theft from vehicles declined 40% in the same period.

Throughout the presentation, Ms. Woochuk heaped praise upon the many volunteers (Speed Watch, Citizens on Patrol, etc), who have contributed so much to improving road safety in Maple Ridge.

Operations Update
Russ Carmichael, Director of Engineering Operations for the District, provided Council with an update on some of the key workplan items for the Operations Group this year.

• Pavement Rehabilitation: Maple Ridge has 384 km of roads that the District maintains. Maintenance includes crack sealing, surface treatment, mill and fill, and overlays. Later this year, Russ' group will bring to Council a policy that requires utility companies (hydro, cable, gas, etc) to compensate the District for degradation of our roads caused by the cuts those companies make to our pavement. 
• Hybrid Vehicles: The District, in the next couple of weeks, will be adding five hybrid vehicles to its current fleet of six Prius cars and 16 Escapes. In the two plus years the hybrids have been in service, they have used 48,000 fewer litres of fuel than the gasoline vehicles they replaced. On an ongoing basis, the fleet of 27 hybrids is anticipated to use 20,000 fewer litres of fuel in one year than gasoline vehicles they are replacing. 
• Backflow Protection: Mr. Carmichael advised Council that later in the year they will see a water bylaw amendment to require backflow prevention devices. These devices are required by BC legislation to prevent water on private property from flowing back to the municipal system and contaminating the system. 
• New Water Kiosk on Jackson Road: Mr. Carmichael showed Council a picture of the new water kiosk on Jackson Road. The kiosk is currently being tested and is expected to go into service later this year. Area residents will get access to the water by use of a card lock system.

Mr. Carmichael's full presentation can be viewed here [PDF, 750KB].

Adaptable Housing Standards
Stephen Côté-Rolvink, Manager of Inspection Services, provided Council with an overview of the new Adaptable Housing Standards in the BC Building Code.

Adaptable housing is designed and built so that accessibility features can be added more easily and inexpensively after construction. It will benefit anyone whose mobility is limited due to age, disability or illness, making it easier for them to function more independently on their own.

The new standards include wider doorways, accessible entrances, extra reinforcement in bathroom walls to allow grab bars to be installed and easy-to-use light switches and door handles.

There are two ways the District may apply these new standards:

1. Add them to land use bylaws; or,
2. Rely on its existence in the BC Building Code.

Mr. Côté-Rolvink's presentation, including detail on the standards, can be viewed here [PDF, 576KB].

For additional information on the New Adaptable Housing Standards in the BC Building Code, click here.

Toilet Tank Replacement Program
In response to an email the District recently received to consider implementing a toilet tank replacement program, Brock McDonald, Director of Licences, Permits and Bylaws for the District, shared with Council that a report is currently being prepared on this topic for Council's direction and recommendations. The report will look at how other municipalities are managing similar programs and how to fund the program. Since 2005, toilets installed in new construction have been required to be low flow. The potential program would apply to toilets installed prior to 2005.

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February 22, 2010 Highlights

Emergency Ambulance Response in Maple Ridge
Council authorized Mayor Daykin to write a letter to the Provincial Health Minister, Kevin Falcon, expressing Council's concern that the Ambulance Service in Maple Ridge is meeting its own target response time of nine minutes just 47% of the time. The letter will also make Minister Falcon aware that today, Maple Ridge has had the same number of emergency response ambulances, two, that we had in the early 1980's. In the past thirty years Maple Ridge's population has doubled while the emergency ambulance fleet serving citizens has remained stagnant. Mayor Daykin's letter will invite Minister Falcon to meet with him to discuss this public safety issue.

Agricultural Advisory Committee Letter of Support for Provisions in Draft Regional Growth Strategy
Council endorsed a letter from the Agricultural Advisory Committee to Metro Vancouver expressing the committee's strong support for the protection of agricultural land and promotion of agricultural viability as proposed in strategy 2.3 of the draft Regional Growth Strategy.

Strategy 2.3 can be found at:
http://www.metrovancouver.org/planning/development/LRSPreview/LRSPDocs/DraftRGSNovember2009.PDF

Potential Resolutions for Lower Mainland Local Government Association Conference
When there is an issue is of common concern to a number of municipalities and that issue is under the control of the provincial government one avenue to express that shared interest is to have a resolution put before all BC municipalities at the annual gathering of BC municipal politicians known as the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) convention. The UBCM convention is held each fall. Resolutions passed at UBCM carry some weight in discussions with the Province. The first step in getting resolutions to UBCM is to have them adopted at the regional level; Maple Ridge is in the Lower Mainland region. The deadline for forwarding resolutions to the regional table is March 26, 2010, and today Council briefly discussed three possible resolutions they may forward to the regional conference:

• Concern about emergency ambulance response times
• Concern about long-term commercial leases that are obstacles to redevelopment of a property or neighbourhood
• Concern over the difficulty removing "old" and "redundant" covenants on lands that are an obstacle to redevelopment.

Over the next few weeks Council will be finalizing the resolutions they wish to forward to the regional conference.

Opening of the 240 Street Bridge over Kanaka Creek
At 11:00 am Council assembled at the newly constructed bridge on 240 Street over Kanaka Creek. Under glorious sunshine and the watchful eye of a soaring bald eagle, Council cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the new bridge.

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February 15, 2010 Highlights

Fraser Health Authority Update
Valerie Spurrell, Executive Director Clinical Programs and Operations at Fraser Health, provided Council with an overview of organizational structure changes and budget cuts that occurred within Fraser Health. Specifically, Council was interested in reductions to funding for surgeries. Vivian Giglio, the Executive Director responsible for surgical services, advised Council that of the $160m in cuts the Health Authority was required to absorb, only $10m of the cuts impacted surgeries. At Ridge Meadows Hospital, this means that two operating rooms will be closed two days a week, resulting in ten fewer patients receiving surgery each week. Ms. Giglio also advised that the average surgery waiting time at Ridge Meadows Hospital is eleven or twelve weeks, roughly half of what it is in the rest of the health region.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Targets
The Province has mandated that municipalities embed community-wide greenhouse gas emission reduction targets in their Official Community Plans by May 31, 2010. Laura Benson, Manager of Sustainability and Corporate Planning, recommended to Council that the District tentatively set a target of a 34% reduction from 2007 levels by 2020, and a 50% reduction from 2007 levels by 2031. The target will be the subject of a public open house which will be held on March 4, 2010. The existing Official Community Plan policies and actions that support reduced community emissions will be highlighted at the open house so participants can get a feel for the plans and actions already contemplated by Council to achieve this end. Currently, 57% of the community's greenhouse gas emissions come from on-road vehicles, 40% from buildings and 3% from solid waste. The March 4, 2010, Open House will be held from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the lobby of the Municipal Hall on the north (Dewdney Trunk Road) side of the building.

Albion Flats Concept Plan Process
Jane Pickering, Director of Planning, provided Council with a proposed process and time-line for the completion of the Albion Flats Concept Plan. Here is the proposed process:

Phase 1:
a) Background Research (includes a preliminary assessment of water, sewer & drainage servicing, environmental assessment, transportation, agriculture, etc.)
b) Public Consultation
Complete by Summer 2010

Phase 2:
a) Charette (a charette is a facilitated workshop where participants come together, in a compressed time frame, to address a design challenge. Artists are used to capture the ideas and visions of the participants)
b) Refinement of Preferred Land Use Option(s)
c) Public Open House on the Preferred Land Use Option(s)

Phase 3:
a) Finalization of the Concept Plan
b) Submission to the Agricultural Land Commission
Complete by March 2011

Ms. Pickering advised that depending on the level of consensus coming out of the charette process, it may be possible to complete the process before March 2011. Funds totalling $100k have been set aside for consulting services to assist with the project. Council will discuss and vote on the recommended process at the February 23, 2010, regular Council Meeting.

Shaw Cable Coverage of Council
A number of residents have advised Council that they are not receiving coverage of Council Meetings on Shaw Cable. Instead of coverage of the Maple Ridge Council Meetings, at the advertised time, the residents are receiving coverage of Vancouver Council Meetings. It appears that those with digital boxes are receiving the Vancouver coverage. Council authorized Mayor Daykin to write a letter to Shaw Cable asking Shaw Cable to correct this problem.

Off-leash Dog Parks
David Boag, Director of Parks and Facilities, reviewed for Council the recommendations flowing from his work with the community identifying locations for off-leash dog parks. There are three sites identified in Maple Ridge; a .9 acre fenced site at Volker Park, a 6.9 acre unfenced site at Jerry Sulina Park and a 1.6 acre fenced site at the Fairgrounds. There are also two new sites identified in Pitt Meadows at North Bonson Park and the McKechnie/Sharp Dyke Trail. In addition to creating the off-leash dog parks, Mr. Boag's report also recommends that dogs will not be permitted on children's playgrounds and on sports fields. Council will consider the report at the February 23, 2010, Council meeting.

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February 1, 2010 Highlights

Metro Vancouver DRAFT Solid Waste Management Plan
Fred Nenninger, Division Manager, Regional Utility Planning at Metro Vancouver, provided Council with a presentation on the draft Solid Waste Management Plan. Currently, the region recycles 55% of its solid waste, 37% goes to landfills and 8% is used as fuel in Waste to Energy (WTE) plants. The goal for the year 2015 is to increase the amount that is recycled to 70%, decrease the amount sent to landfills to 10% and increase WTE fuel to 20%. The goals, strategies and actions designed to achieve the above targets can be found on Metro Vancouver's website. 

Mr. Nenninger's presentation to Council can be viewed here [PDF, 357KB].

The next iteration of the plan will be back to Councils around the region for input in April or May of this year.

Justice Institute of BC - Update
Jack McGee, President of the Justice Institute of BC, provided Council with an update on the activities at the Fire Academy on 256 Street. The Fire Academy provides training in Marine, Forest and Structural fire fighting and it is considered the second most comprehensive fire training facility in North America. More than 4,000 students attend the facility each year and these students travel from across the region, the country and the globe to attend. Each year, firefighters from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates graduate from the school's diploma program. In 2010, the campus will open a new four storey rope rescue tower training facility and a new 900 square foot classroom. A project to develop a traffic safety/driver training centre on the campus is progressing through the environmental assessment process. All going well, the traffic centre will open in the spring of 2011.

Mr. McGee's presentation can be viewed here [PDF, 1.0MB].

Area Plans Process
Christine Carter, Manager of Community Planning, introduced a report on the policy criteria and process Council might use to prioritize the order in which neighbourhoods would undergo area planning processes. Area plans provide a greater level of detail regarding land use, density, form, character, and phasing for a specific area than is typically found in an Official Community Plan. The intent of the policy is to provide Council with a framework by which it can prioritize the order in which area plans will take place should there be multiple areas under consideration for such processes. The proposed policy and process will be more fully discussed by Council at the February 9, 2010, regular Council Meeting. The proposed policy does not impact the already committed to Albion Flats area plan process. The policy, if adopted, would be used to help Council select the order in which area plans would be conducted subsequent to the Albion Flats plan.

Ms. Carter's report can be viewed here [PDF, 1.2MB].

Town Centre Improvement Project - Status Report
Andrew Wood, Municipal Engineer, provided Council with an update on the progress of the $5.6 million utility, road and streetscape improvement project on 224 Street (Lougheed Highway to Dewdney Trunk Road) and Lougheed Highway (222 Street to 224 Street). Andrew advised that the District is in the final stages of assembling a Community Liaison Committee (CLC) made up of interested citizens and business operators who will provide input to the District throughout the project. The committee will likely hold its first meeting in early February when they will have an opportunity to review the detailed design of the project and talk about the construction approach and methodology. An open house is scheduled for February 16, 2010, from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm to invite public input. The Open House will be held in the lobby area of the Dewdney Trunk entrance to the Municipal Hall (just east of the entrance to the Library and the Office Tower). Following the Open House, the design will be tendered in late February.

Mr. Wood's presentation can be viewed here [PDF, 1.0MB].

RCMP Annual Report
Inspector Dave Walsh provided Council with an update on the detachment's 2009 activities and 2010 plans including:

• The RCMP's local and regional priorities
• 2009 achievements
• 2009 efficiency and effectiveness initiatives
• 2009 criminal code statistics
• Critical issues
• 2010 work plan
• 2009 and 2010 budgets

Inspector Walsh's presentation can be viewed here.

RCMP Contract Negotiations
Paul Gill, General Manager Corporate and Financial Services, provided Council with an update on contract negotiations between provincial governments and the federal government to renew contracts for RCMP services which expires in the spring of 2012. Maple Ridge is one of 59 BC municipalities of greater than 5,000 population who contract to have the RCMP deliver their police services. There are more than 200 such contracts across the country. Mr. Gill advised Council that there are currently three broad areas of negotiation between Public Safety Canada (representing the RCMP) and the Committee representing the provinces. The issues are:

• The desire for more of a partnership arrangement (the municipalities as a partner rather than a client of the RCMP)
• The governance structure and accountabilities (including a public complaints process review)
• Cost containment

Mr. Gill noted that the expiring contract was for a term of 20 years and that the current thinking around the table is that a contract of similar term makes sense.

Mr. Gill's presentation can be viewed here.

Maple Ridge Public Library Update
This item was mistakenly omitted from the January 18, 2010, edition of Council this Week.

Library Manager, Caro O'Kennedy provided a video presentation which highlighted Library services for 2009. Ms. O'Kennedy provided statistics for the year including the number of visits to the library, number of books signed out and questions asked at the front desk of the library. She addressed the challenges facing the library system in the upcoming year particularly as the result of provincial funding cuts. Learn more about what is going on at the Maple Ridge Public Library here.

Please note that there are no scheduled Council meetings on Monday, February 8, 2010. Please join Council at the Olympic Torch Run celebrations between 6:00 am and 9:00 am in Memorial Peace Park.

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January 25, 2010 Highlights

Aquifer Signage
Council decided to pursue a program to place signs around the boundaries of aquifers in the District in order to create greater levels of awareness of the existence of the aquifers in order to help protect the quality of the water in the aquifer. Presently, only the Grant Hill Aquifer has such signage. This program is similar to the program whereby the shape of a fish was stencilled onto the pavement beside catch basins to deter residents from pouring anything into the catch basins that would be harmful to fish. District staff will obtain from the Ministry of Environment a list of all aquifers in the District, their location and the Ministry's assessment of how vulnerable each aquifer is, based on their classification system. Those aquifers assessed by the Ministry as most vulnerable will be the first to be signed. Staff will bring the above information back to Council along with the costs of implementing the program.

SPCA Animal Shelter Update
In December 2009, a tender was issued for the construction of a new 8,000 sq ft animal shelter on Jackson Road in Maple Ridge. Fourteen bids were received and the contract for construction has been awarded to the low bidder, J Floris Construction of Abbotsford, BC. The construction cost, approximately $2.7m, will be split 50/50 between the SPCA and the District. The District's portion will be funded by $300,000 set aside for the purpose, $390,000 from the investment in the site by the SPCA, and $900,000 in borrowings which was approved by electors in 2008. It is anticipated that construction will begin in the near future and will be completed within twelve months. At present, the building will achieve a minimum of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver standard with the potential to be certified at the Gold standard.

Pitt River Bridge Traffic Pattern Changes
The District has been advised that effective January 30, 2010, weather permitting, there will be further traffic pattern changes on the Pitt River Bridge. The changes impact traffic travelling northbound on the Mary Hill Bypass who wish to go westbound onto the Lougheed Highway. Full details can be found at www.gatewayprogram.bc.ca.

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January 18, 2010 Highlights

On-line Access to Tax, Utility and Dog Licence Accounts
Staff members John Bastaja, Chief Information Officer, and Kathy Gormley, Manager of Business Systems, demonstrated for Council a new on-line service that allows citizens and property owners to view their property tax account, metered water account and dog licence account. Residents will be able to view the information relating to their accounts and will also be able to view previous financial transactions. To register for this service, residents will require their tax, utility and dog invoices and must have an email address. You can register for this service here.

At the present time, it is not possible to make payments on-line for these services. In 2010, Information Services staff will be looking at the options available to implement an on-line "payment engine" that would potentially enable a variety of on-line payments including permits, licences and taxes.

Council Work Plan
Council adopted a work schedule for winter and spring 2010 that establishes target dates for when milestones for priority projects and presentations will be in front of Council. The dates listed are the current best estimates of when these matters will be discussed. Meeting agendas are posted on the Friday before the Monday meetings and citizens are encouraged to review the relevant agenda to confirm that the item has in fact been scheduled for the meeting it was anticipated to be before Council. The schedule can be viewed here [PDF, 1.0KB].

Increase to Parking Rates
Catherine Nolan, Manager of Accounting, advised Council that in December the District received notice from the Province that effective January 1, 2010, the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) on paid parking would increase from 7% to 21% as part of the funding strategy for TransLink. The District receives revenue from the underground parking at the Business Centre/Municipal Hall and the surface parking lot, south of the downtown bus loop. Consistent with Council's user-pay policy and practice of providing notice for fee and charges increases, Council voted to increase the hourly rate for parking from $0.50/hr to $0.75/hr and the daily rate from $3.00/day to $4.00/day, effective April 1, 2010. The first hour of parking will continue to be free of charge. Employee parking fees will also increase to reflect the additional parking tax, effective April 1, 2010.

Property Tax Assessments
Silvia Rutledge, Manager of Revenue and Collections, provided Council with the preliminary data received from the BC Assessment Authority relating to property tax assessments. Maple Ridge has approximately 24,000 residential properties. On average, the value of these residential properties decreased by 4%, from $398,838 in 2009 to $383,004 in 2010. Within that average, individual property assessments varied greatly. Commercial properties have experienced an average increase of about 5% and once again, while this is the average increase, there is significant variation around this average. Property owners should look closely at their own assessment notices as those with assessment increases above the average will experience above average tax increases. The deadline for appealing property tax assessments is January 31, 2010. Details on how to appeal your assessment can be found on this BC Assessment web page.

Ms. Rutledge's presentation to Council can be viewed here [PDF, 1.0KB].

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