As a commitment to being more transparent and improving accountability, I will be posting a monthly list of external meetings hosted or attended by the Mayor’s office. This list will include meetings with businesses, schools or groups but will not include meetings with staff, media, or community events. I am pleased to provide you with a list of the meetings that took place in May 2013:

• 2013 May Day Royal Banquet & Opening Ceremonies
• Business Owner, Qualitizing Dry Cleaning
• University of Victoria, Elected Official Relationships
• Falun Dafa Association of Vancouver
• Oksana Toropova, Miss Teen Port Coquitlam-World 2013
• Meeting with Marcia & Ron Moxham
• 2013 May Day Parade
• Meeting with Diane Moran
• Meeting with Mike Hind & Mark Pettie
• Phone meeting with Rick Poznikoff
• Meeting with Ian Jarvie & Noel Asircatham
• Meeting with Mrs. Queenie Choo, CEO and Mr. Kelly Ng, COO, SUCCESS
• Phone meeting with Robin Sylvester
• Meeting with Iain Black, DEO, Vancouver Board of Trade
• Meeting with Gurinder Mann, Executive Director, CERA Society
• Meeting with Diane Sowden, Children of the Street Society

Today Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced legislation that will change the way we deal with persons who are found Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder. We know the impacts of this legislation here locally, as Darcie Clarke has to deal with the killer of her three children each year as he is eligible for release http://www.tricitynews.com/news/119801634.html) Forcing the victim to deal with the pain and suffering each year, which does not allow them to move forward with their life. They law re-victimizes Darcie each year.

The new changes of the Not Criminally Responsible Reform Act place the victim and the community first. The Federal Governments press release outlines the three accused main aspects of the new legislation:

Putting Public Safety First - the legislation would explicitly set out that public safety is the paramount consideration in the decision-making process relating to accused persons found to be NCR.

Creating a High-Risk Designation - the legislation would create a new designation to protect the public from high-risk NCR accused. Upon being designated by a court as high-risk, an NCR accused must be held in custody and cannot be considered for release by a review board until their designation is revoked by a court. The other consequences of being designated as a high-risk NCR accused include that their review periods could be extended to up to three years, such individuals would not be entitled to unescorted passes, and could only obtain an escorted pass in narrow circumstances and subject to sufficient conditions to protect public safety.

Enhancing Victims' Involvement - the legislation will enhance the safety of victims by ensuring that they are specifically considered when decisions are being made about accused persons found NCR; ensuring they are notified when an NCR accused is discharged; and allowing non-communications orders between an NCR and the victim.

This is a wonderful day for victims and the public.

There are many people responsible for championing this change. First, Darcie Clarke, her cousin Stacy Galt and brother Mike have been strong and passionate about this change. I am inspired how they have continued to remind society that there are victims and the pain continues long after the crime. They reminded us that this needs to change.

Dave Teixeira has worked extremely hard representing Darcie and ensuring that this issue is not forgotten. Dave working with local, provincial and federal elected officials to ensure that change is required. I know that Dave does not do this work to be recognized but it would be doubtful if the change would have been made if Dave was not championing the file.

Our MP James Moore was excellent, once he learned about the injustice that was occurring; he was like a dog with a bone. He met with the family to understand their pain that they are going through. Then James went to work and was the leader federally to bring this reform forward.

Thank you to all involved, this is proof that the system is workin

Last night Port Coquitlam hosted an education session with the City of Coquitlam and Port Moody.  We invited Wally Oppal , the Commissionaire for the Missing Women’s Inquiry and Dr. Rick Parent to present their views of regionalization of policing in Metro Vancouver.

Mr. Oppal provided us with a very useful background on the Missing Women’s Inquiry, which was the base for his recommendations to have a regional police force.  It is Mr. Oppal’s view that if we had a regional police force Willy Pickton would have been caught much earlier, therefore, lives would have been saved.  Mr. Oppal made the same recommendation in his 1994 Commission report Inquiry into Policing in British Columbia (link: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/policeservices/reports/independent.htm#oppal) .  It is interesting to wonder if all of the recommendations where enacted in 1994 how many lives would have been saved.  We will never know, but we need to learn from our mistakes.

Dr. Parent presented many scenarios to policing.  One of the key questions that Dr. Parent posed was that the Metro Vancouver region is the only region in Canada and North America to police the way we do – Are we leaders or followers? 

There was much discussion and questions about how policing has changed in the past 10 years since Mr. Pickton was charged.  For example we have Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) , but Vancouver, Delta and Port Moody are not members.  Today we have PRIME, which is a province wide record management system that all police forces use.  Further the RCMP and City Police Forces are working together better than they have in the past.

There are many questions going forward and many models for regional policing.  Last night’s session in Port Coquitlam is the first step, the Metro Vancouver region needs to have the same session.  This is an important discussion for everyone to have, not just City Council, we need Provincial and Federal governments, and we need the community to start talking about the best way for us to move forward. 

To commemorate Port Coquitlam's Centennial in 2013 the Port Coquitlam Heritage and Cultural Society (PoCo Heritage) is contracting with Hester Creek Winery in Oliver BC to create unique Cabernet Merlot and Pinot Gris blends.

Only limited quantities of these special blends will be bottled once in February of 2013. To ensure you do not miss out reserve yours by visiting PoCoCentennialWine.ca and filling in the form. Cost is $19.13 / bottle for the red and $20.13 for the white. You will be notified when your wine has arrived at the Select Liquor Store at 1760 Kingsway in Port Coquitlam -estimated date is Mid-March 2013.

The Reservation Period Ends December 17, 2012!

$3 from the pre-ordered sale of these wines will go to fund PoCo Heritage and the new Heritage Centre at Leigh Square. Please help make this project a success by encouraging your friends and associates to pre-order a bottle or two. The original labels celebrating PoCo's history make great mementos, gifts and prizes.

I just completed the Urban Futures Survey and I recommend you take 10 minutes and do the same. Here is a write up on the history and importance of this survey.

I write to encourage you to take a few minutes to provide your opinion on what is important to the future of the Vancouver region by completing the Urban Futures Survey 2012.

This survey was initiated by Dr. Walter Hardwick in 1973 and its results informed the original Livable Region Plan as well as demonstrated support for a transit-oriented transportation system. Dr. Hardwick conducted the survey again for the GVRD in 1990 as part of the Choosing our Future program led by then Mayor Gordon Campbell. The results of that survey influenced the Livable Region Strategic Plan, the Transport 2021 long-range transportation plan and a number of other initiatives including the dramatic expansion of the regional parks system and the upgrading of the two wastewater treatment plants on the Fraser River. It had been Dr. Hardwick’s intent that the survey be repeated every 15 years or so, but his untimely passing in 2005 prevented this.

The 2012 Urban Futures Survey is being conducted by Dr. Hardwick’s daughter, Colleen, using PlaceSpeak, an online public consultation platform she has developed, with financial support from the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia, the City of North Vancouver, the City of Surrey, the City of Vancouver, TransLink and Vancity. Key to the successful completion of the survey is the attainment of a representative sample of the region as a whole and its constituent parts. The successful transition of the survey to an online platform means that it can be undertaken much more economically now and in the future.

As you may be aware, Mike Harcourt recently made a compelling case for the survey in an op-ed piece in the Vancouver Sun.

Your participation in the 2012 Urban Futures Survey will not only help to shape future policy making in the region, it will introduce you to a unique consultation tool developed right here in our region.

Thanks,

Greg