Ice-rink Archives • Kitsilano Community Centre located in Vancouver, British Columbia

Suggest a Program

Kristiina — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 18:26:20 +0000

Do you have a idea for a new program? We are always looking for new and exciting program ideas. Please submit your program idea/suggestion by completing the following form.

Program Proposal Form

Name
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Program periods • Winter January – March • Spring April – June • Summer July – August • Fall September – December
Important items to consider when planning: • Statutory holiday dates and weekends • Summer: Centre closes at 12:00pm on weekends • Many rooms are unavailable in July/Aug due to kids day camps
Instructor Information
Name*
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Address
Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country
Phone*
Email*
Website
Proposed Course Information
Course is for which age group below?
- Preschool, Children
- Adult , Seniors, Garden
- Youth
Course Name
Age Range (eg: 16-55 yrs)
Start Date
MM slash DD slash YYYY
End Date
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Number of Sessions
Start Time

: Hours

Minutes

AM/PM
End Time

: Hours

Minutes

AM/PM
Minimum Participants Required
Maximum Participants
Equipment requirements (projector, mats, tables, chairs, etc)
Registration fee (include GST)
Drop-in fee (include GST)
Room
Split % or rate of pay $
Course description:

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Save Our Park Board Coalition raises concerns about City’s Transition Working Group Report to eliminate the elected Vancouver Park Board

Kristiina — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 21:13:20 +0000

Press Release – November 26, 2024

The Save Our Park Board Coalition brings together the Association Presidents Group (APG), representing 19 Vancouver Community Centre Associations; the group of 30 former Park Board Commissioners; and a group of actively engaged concerned citizens.

The Save Our Park Board Coalition is opposed to the City of Vancouver’s proposal to remove the elected Park Board, the process used to date, and the recommendations in the City’s Transition Report. We urge Premier Eby to follow through with his assurance at the Point Grey candidate’s town hall that, if re-elected, this will not be a priority for his government before the next 2026 civic election.

The following is a summary of the Coalition’s major objections on this issue.

Undemocratic Process: The process initiated by Mayor Sim last December is fundamentally undemocratic. Removing the elected Park Board was not part of the ABC platform in the 2022 municipal election, while 170,000 voters elected the Park Board Commissioners to carry out their four-year mandate and program. Eight members of City Council do not have a mandate to abolish the Park Board. Fundamental democratic principles must be respected. And the Park Board received legal advice that removing an elected Park Board mid-term could be a violation of two provisions in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Flawed Proposed New Governance Structure: The recommendation in the Transition Report for a new governance structure is less democratic and more bureaucratic than the current structure with the elected Park Board. Community groups won’t be presenting and discussing their issues with the full complement of City Councillors at Council meetings, as happens now with the elected Park Board Commissioners. The five Sub-Committee Councillors, with no decision-making authority, will be a go-between community groups and the full City Council.

City’s Lack of Specialized Expertise: The Coalition is very concerned that the proposed governance structure will seriously undermine the expertise and specialized knowledge needed to manage Vancouver’s extensive park and recreation system. This means there will be “some specialization” amongst only five of the eleven members of Council. This is a dramatic diminution of expertise compared to the current structure where all seven Park Board Commissioners are directly involved in community engagement and decision-making authority.

City’s Lack of Sole Mandate for the Parks System: The Park Board has as its sole mandate to protect, preserve and develop the parks and recreation facilities and services. City Councillors have a much broader mandate dealing with all aspects of City operations and development beyond parks and recreation. We are deeply concerned that parks and recreation will not receive the same priority attention that it has now with the elected Board.

Lack of Meaningful Cost Savings: The report suggests that eliminating the elected Park Board would bring $7 million in savings per year. The estimated cost savings are predicated on cutting some unidentified staff positions and on estimated reduced wait times when building infrastructure projects. Both are management issues that can be addressed without eliminating this elected, effective and accountable level of governance that is a130 year old institution in our city.

Jerry Fast

APG Chair, Coalition Spokesperson
778-233-2525

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What the possible dissolution of the Vancouver Park Board could mean for community centres

Kristiina — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 17:02:48 +0000

What the possible dissolution of the Vancouver Park Board could mean for community centres.

“Jerry Fast, president of the Kitsilano Community Centre Association, says the city attributing inefficiencies to the park board is misleading.“

Jerry Fast was interviewed by Stephen Quinn at CBC -November 22, 2024 → LISTEN HERE

Could a 2025 byelection give Vancouver voters a chance to weigh in on the park board’s fate?

Dan Fumano: ABC Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim unveiled a proposal in December 2023 to dissolve the park board, a plan that caught the city by surprise.

Vancouver Sun -November 15, 2024 → VIEW & LISTEN HERE

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APG Urges Premier and MLAs to Save the Vancouver Park Board

Kristiina — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 17:56:41 +0000

The Association Presidents Group (APG), representing 17 Community Centre Associations across the City of Vancouver, is urging Premier David Eby to reconsider his commitment to proceeding with the elimination of the Vancouver Park Board in the next legislative session.

The APG believes Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s attempt to abolish the elected Vancouver Park Board is undemocratic. We do not believe 8 City Councillors can decide to abolish the Park Board elected by thousands of Vancouver citizens in October 2022. We believe the Park Board can only be removed after a civic election in October 2026, and only if Vancouver citizens have made that choice. Neither the City nor the Province have a mandate to remove the Park Board.

Mayor Sim’s motion was announced and then passed within one week without any engagement with the Community Centre Associations and other key stakeholders. There was no transition plan to demonstrate the alleged benefits of such a decision. The reasons announced have been questioned by many stakeholders including dozens of former Park Board Commissioners and Community Centre Associations.

The elected Park Board has served Vancouver well for over 130 years. Voters created an elected Park Board because they wanted parks and recreation to be a high-profile priority in Vancouver. Commissioners run for office because they are passionate about protecting and expanding our parks and recreation programs. It is their priority concern and responsibility. The Mayor’s proposal would have Commissioners replaced by City Councillors who have a multitude of responsibilities resulting in a less responsive and effective working relationship for community stakeholders. City parks and recreation will not be the first priority for City Councillors.

The APG rejects the Mayor’s claim that the Park Board is broken. We believe it has been critically underfunded by City Council for several decades. Many of the examples cited by the Mayor for the elimination of the Park Board are in fact already the City of Vancouver’s responsibility. They own and maintain the buildings and infrastructure in the Park Board system. For example, Park Board frequently recommends renewal and expansion of Community Centres for additional space to accommodate children’s programs but it is City Councillors who decide on the funding. Parents complain that program spaces for their children are inadequate. Those concerns should be directed to City Hall.

The APG will continue to urge MLAs to not proceed with the Charter amendments to remove the elected Park Board. A decision to eliminate the elected Park Board must be determined democratically in the next municipal election if it remains part of the ABC platform. Let the voters of Vancouver make such an important decision.

For more information please contact:

Jerry Fast: 778 233 2525
Email: jerryfast@shaw.ca

Kathleen Bigsby: 604 202 3726
Email: kmbigsby@gmail.com

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