Month: September 2015

Vancouver Sun

The City of Richmond’s bid to stop Port Metro Vancouver from buying more Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) property for redevelopment will further erode the region’s ability to expand its industrial space, say local commercial real estate brokers.

Last Friday, the Union of B.C. Municipalities approved a motion at its annual convention brought forth by Richmond asking for support to call for federal regulatory changes to block the port from buying ALR land. …

Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie said his city cannot afford to lose its farmland.

“We believe we have the right (land use) balance,” he said last week. “For an unaccountable organization like the port … to go in to purchase agricultural land with obvious intentions to make it into industrial land in the future is totally unacceptable.”

He said Richmond’s farmland is “irreplaceable” and the port and other industrialists should be seeking industrial land that already exists in the market. …

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Richmond News

A slim majority of municipalities have endorsed the City of Richmond’s proposal that the provincial government enact an environmental bill of rights.

The proposal was endorsed at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Vancouver Wednesday.

The bill would recognize the right of every citizen to live in a healthy environment with clean air, water, food and a vibrant ecosystem. It would also provide for more transparency and democratic process in environmental decisions, as well as whistle blower protection. …

At the Sept. 14 city council meeting Mayor Malcolm Brodie noted he has been stonewalled in his efforts to meet with the port’s board.

The port told Brodie the board is a governance board and doesn’t meet with municipal council members.

“I’m sure if the grain authority of Saskatchewan wanted to meet with them, they would get a meeting,” quipped Brodie. …

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Vancouver 24 hrs

Artists, performers, and cultural community groups will all be out in force this weekend as B.C.’s Culture Days event kicks off Thursday in Richmond.

The provincial launch in Richmond will be taking place at the Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site from 4 to 6 p.m., featuring emcee Mayor Malcolm Brodie, fiddlers, poets, gymnasts, and acrobats. On Sept. 25, the main events begin with over 300 free interactive cultural events taking place across the Lower Mainland, wrapping up on Sept. 27. …

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Surrey Now

A new shakeup of Metro Vancouver’s garbage tipping fee system is being criticized as unfair.

The regional district will charge all municipalities or their contractors a flat $100 a tonne next year to dump garbage collected from single-family homes.

But private haulers that pick up from multi-family buildings will continue to pay $80 a tonne – the lowest rate for large loads under the variable tipping fees that continue for commercial waste services. …

Directors say they can’t return to a consistent tipping fee structure without once again spurring haulers to go elsewhere, depriving Metro of fees and the ability to enforce bans on the dumping of recyclables.

“It’s the best compromise that we can come up with,” Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie said.

He blamed the province’s rejection of Metro’s waste export ban for creating the pricing “chaos.” …

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Richmond News

The City of Richmond will be seeking support to protect farmland from port expansion, when B.C.’s local politicians gather next week for the annual Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention.

Delegates at the convention will be asked to support Richmond’s motion calling for federal regulatory changes to prohibit port authorities from purchasing any Agricultural Land Reserve property for non-agricultural purposes. The UBCM Convention runs from Sept. 21 to 25 in Vancouver.

“We’re deeply concerned that Port Metro Vancouver (PMV) is prepared to use farmland to meet its expansion plans and this is unacceptable,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie.

“Farmland is a critical resource that must be protected. This issue potentially impacts on any community that is home to port activities, so it’s important that local governments join to together to oppose any attempt to erode our inventory of farmland.”

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The China Post

CTBC Bank’s (中國信託銀行) new branch in Richmond City, Canada, opened on Sept. 14 as part of the company’s efforts to provide convenient and better service to local residents.

The opening ceremony was attended by CTBC ranking officers as well as government representatives from both Taiwan and Canada, including Richmond City Mayor Malcolm Brodie and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada head William Chuang (莊恒盛).

Over 100 people were present at the event. Among them was Koo Lin Jui-hui (辜林瑞慧), wife of late CTBC Bank founder Jeffrey Koo Sr. (辜濓松). …

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Wire Service

The findings of the case studies, produced by the National Zero Waste Council’s Circular Economy Working Group in collaboration with the BC Ministry of Environment, will be featured at a Metro Vancouver Sustainability Community Breakfast on September 16 at the BC Institute of Technology’s downtown campus.

“These case studies showcase the circular economy in action,” said Malcolm Brodie, Chair of the National Zero Waste Council and Metro Vancouver’s Zero Waste Committee. “The profiled examples demystify the concept of the circular economy, and illustrate the tangible benefits of this new way of doing business.” …

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24 Hours Vancouver

City-operated organics collections programs appear to have had a significant impact on the number of apartment complexes separating food waste.

In Surrey, where a city-run program was started in July, already has 54% of 422 apartment buildings signed up.

Vancouver, meanwhile, provides green bin service to about 30% of its 5,600 multi-unit residential buildings since food scraps were banned in January this year.

The latest figures from Metro Vancouver, which also accounted for private waste haulers, suggested up to 65% of all condo and apartment buildings in the region are now serviced.

It’s the remaining figure — the 35% who don’t have such a service — that has Metro Vancouver zero waste committee chairman Malcolm Brodie wanting action.

“Reach out to people in the complex to say why this is important and why this is now the rule,” he said. “Then I would be a vocal force at strata council meetings, insisting that something be done — if for no other reason than financial. If there’s no program in place, then there’s going to be fines and penalties based on the portion being exceeded.” …

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Georgia Straight

Poetry slams, an open-air concert, and an international food truck festival…yes, the City of Richmond displayed its hip and progressive side at Minoru Park today.

It was all part of the first Richmond World Festival and it attracted a large crowd for performers Matt & Kim, Alex Cuba, En Karma, and the Kara-Kata Afrobeat Group. …

Richmond mayor Malcolm Brodie was on-hand to celebrate the diversity in his city. …

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Burnaby Now

Don’t toss that turkey in the trash, put it in the food scraps bin – that’s the message Metro Vancouver wants to get out to residents in the region hit by last week’s windstorm.

“We understand that many Metro Vancouver residents had the unpleasant experience of having large quantities of food in their fridges and freezers spoil because of last weekend’s storm,” Malcolm Brodie, chair of Metro Vancouver’s Zero Waste Committee, stated in a press release. “Rather than throwing spoiled food in the garbage, we remind residents to recycle it as most do on a daily basis.”

Storing spoiled food in the freezer until the day food scraps are collected can minimize odours and keep bins from overfilling, especially in multi-family complexes, Brodie suggested. …

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