Standing Committee on City Finance and Services
April 12, 2023 · 10:30 am
Summary
- Child care leases (on consent): Renewed leases for eight child care centres and two Family Place drop-in centres at below-market rents, supporting non-profit operators.
- 2023 Cultural Grants: Approved roughly $4.8 million in operating grants to 95 arts and culture organizations across two funding streams (COFI and COFA).
- TNS Business Licence expansion (on consent): Approved in principle adding Hope, Kent, and Mission to the inter-municipal ride-hail business licence program.
- Annual Procurement Report 2022 (on consent): Received for information; no action required.
- Climate resilience in multi-family buildings: Directed staff to explore an incentive-based pilot program to fund energy retrofits (e.g., heat pumps) in older rental and condo buildings, with a report back in 2023.
- Wine-on-shelf in grocery stores: Directed staff to report back by end of Q2 2023 on updating city guidelines to allow wine-on-shelf sales in Vancouver grocery stores, aligning with most other Metro Vancouver municipalities.
- Arts Event Licence review: Directed staff to review the Arts Event Licence policy by June 2023, with a focus on potentially doubling the allowed frequency of events, expanding capacity beyond 250 persons, considering outdoor spaces, and harmonizing with provincial liquor licence event allowances.
- Mayor's Budget Task Force: Approved creation of a Type D advisory task force to review the city budget line by line ahead of the 2024 budget cycle, citing the unsustainable 10.7% property tax increase in 2023. The Park Board was invited to participate. Amendments to protect frontline services, include VPD, invite the Vancouver Police Board, and shield climate programs from cuts were all defeated or lost.
Motions
New Leases Child Care Centres
- Renewed leases for eight licensed non-profit child care centres and two Family Place drop-in centres at below-market rents; treated as a grant under the Vancouver Charter, requiring a two-thirds vote.
2023 Cultural Grants Operating
Carried Details
- Approved approximately $4.8 million in 2023 cultural operating grants to 95 organizations across two streams: five large cultural institutions (COFI) and 90 annual grant recipients (COFA).
- Grants require two-thirds vote as they are below-market contributions under the Vancouver Charter.
- One speaker appeared in support.
Expanding TNS Business Licence
- Approved in principle adding the District of Hope, District of Kent, and City of Mission to the existing inter-municipal Transportation Network Services (ride-hail) business licence program.
- Directed staff to prepare the necessary by-law amendments.
Annual Procurement Report 2022
- Received the 2022 Annual Procurement Report for information; no policy decisions required.
Climate Resilience Multi-Family Buildings
Carried Details
- Directed staff to design an incentive-based pilot program targeting older multi-family buildings (rentals, condos, care homes) for energy retrofits such as heat pump installations.
- Noted that 55-60% of Vancouver's carbon emissions come from building heating, and that older multi-family buildings have largely been excluded from existing rebate programs.
- Pilot to be funded through existing budgets; staff to explore partnerships with BC Hydro and other governments to scale up funding.
- Staff to include a design challenge component to identify common barriers and replicable solutions.
- Report back to Council expected in 2023.
- Passed unanimously; Mayor Sim absent.
Wine-on-Shelf Grocery Stores
Carried Details
- Directed staff to update the city's grocery store liquor retail guidelines to permit wine-on-shelf sales (wine sold directly on grocery store shelves, rather than in a separate store-within-a-store).
- Vancouver has allowed only the store-within-a-store model since 2017; most other Metro Vancouver municipalities already allow wine-on-shelf.
- Staff to report back with updated guidelines and any necessary by-law amendments by end of Q2 2023.
- One speaker appeared in support.
- Passed unanimously; Mayor Sim absent.
Amping Up Arts Event License
Carried Details
- Directed staff to review the Arts Event Licence policy and relevant by-laws by June 2023, with the goal of potentially doubling the monthly frequency of permitted events.
- Review to also consider: expanding the 250-person capacity limit (subject to fire safety review); including outdoor spaces; and harmonizing with or exceeding provincial liquor licence event allowances.
- Intended to support Vancouver's arts and culture sector, which faces displacement due to rising rents and development pressure.
- Passed unanimously; Mayor Sim absent.
Budget Task Force Amendment - Frontline Services
Defeated Details
- Proposed amendment to the Mayor's Budget Task Force motion to explicitly rule out cuts to frontline services, including housing, homelessness, and arts and cultural services.
- Defeated; Councillors Dominato, Kirby-Yung, Klassen, Meiszner, Zhou, and Mayor Sim opposed.
Budget Task Force Amendment to Amendment - Park Board Invite
Carried Details
- Amendment to the amendment replacing a proposal to formally include the Park Board in the Budget Task Force's scope, with a request that the Mayor write to the Park Board to invite their voluntary participation.
- Councillor Fry opposed; all others in favour.
Budget Task Force Amended Amendment - Park Board
Carried Details
- The amended amendment (inviting Park Board participation by mayoral letter rather than mandating inclusion) was carried unanimously and incorporated into the main motion.
Budget Task Force Amendment to Amendment - VPB Invite
Defeated Details
- Proposed amendment to the amendment replacing a proposal to include VPD in the Budget Task Force with an invitation to the Vancouver Police Board to participate in the process.
- Defeated; Councillors Dominato, Kirby-Yung, Klassen, Meiszner, Zhou, and Mayor Sim opposed.
Budget Task Force Amendment - Include VPD
Defeated Details
- Proposed amendment to formally include the Vancouver Police Department in the Budget Task Force's scope, given the VPD budget represents over 20% of the city's operating budget.
- Defeated; same opposition as Motion 17.
Budget Task Force Amendment - No Climate Cuts
Defeated Details
- Proposed amendment to explicitly rule out reductions to climate emergency actions, including mitigation and adaptation measures, from the Budget Task Force's scope.
- Defeated; Councillors Bligh, Dominato, Kirby-Yung, Klassen, Meiszner, Zhou, and Mayor Sim opposed.
Mayor's Budget Task Force
Carried Details
- Approved Mayor Ken Sim's creation of a Mayor's Budget Task Force (Type D advisory body) to review the city's budget line by line and report findings ahead of the 2024 budget process.
- Context: 2023 saw a 10.7% property tax increase, driven by infrastructure renewal, reserve replenishment, a 3% increase for VPD, and broader city service costs; Council characterized this as unsustainable.
- Task force to identify opportunities to improve service levels, processes, and transparency, and flag concerns around deferred maintenance, unfunded liabilities, capital expenditures, pensions, and equipment replacement.
- Final motion includes a request for the Mayor to invite the Park Board to participate.
- Councillors Carr and Fry abstained; all others in favour.
Approve Committee Report Items 1-8
Carried Details
- Council approved all eight recommendations from the Standing Committee meeting (Items 1-8) at the subsequent Council meeting.
Vote matrix
| 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rebecca Bligh🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | ||||||||
| Ken Sim🥜 | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | Y | |||||||||
| Christine Boyle🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Adriane Carr🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | A | Y | Y |
| Lisa Dominato🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | Y | Y | Y | |
| Pete Fry🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Sarah Kirby-Yung🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | Y | Y | Y |
| Mike Klassen🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | Y | Y | Y |
| Peter Meiszner🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | Y | Y | Y |
| Lenny Zhou🥜 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | Y | Y | Y |
| Brian Montague🥜 |