The City of Richmond will start enforcing pest control and health bylaws – like mosquito and rodent control as well as smoking and noise complaints – after the health authority withdraws these services in April.
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is terminating its contract with the city, which has been in place in Richmond since 1996. VCH has also provided customer service and public education for these areas.
The contract, which the city says is “very unique” compared to other municipalities, is set to come to an end on March 30.
The health authority told the city the current, $257,700-contract was insufficient to cover its costs, estimated at $350,000, according to a city staff report. VCH also said COVID-19 has required the health authority to shift resources away from its non-core services.
Making matters worse is the scarcity of qualified people, the report noted.
The city will now take over those services, however, there will be some reduction in service levels for residents.
For example, the city won’t be providing rodent management for private properties, which would be “outside the norm” and costly, according to the report. Furthermore, while general health bylaw enforcement – including animal and bird regulation, marina health and safety regulation and notification and signage regulation for pesticides – will be passed to “appropriate internal departments” and city bylaws as needed, it’s unclear how the city will manage service levels.
When it comes to noise control, community bylaws staff will need to be trained as this is “a new area of expertise,” the report states. Community bylaws will enforce the smoking regulations in public areas, although the city could also opt to rely solely on public health to enforce B.C.’s smoking regulations.
It’s estimated that it would cost the city $400,000 – or $150,000 more than the current VCH contract – for the city to carry out the services typically provided by the health authority. The city will also need to budget about $135,000 in one-time costs for vehicles and supplies.
However, city staff are proposing the services should be transitioned to the city – and supplemented when needed with contracted support – for the existing $257,700 in funding. Staff will monitor the services throughout this year and identify any changes needed as part of the 2022 budgeting process.
The city will also need to amend the health and noise bylaws as part of the service transition, to allow city staff to enter properties and carry out enforcement. Currently, only the medical health officer has that authority under those bylaws.
The city recently voted to ban rat poison for one year on city-owned property.
The termination of the VCH contract will be discussed at Monday’s general purposes committee meeting.
