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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

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Press Release Issued November 12, 2024 The Save Our Park Board Coalition congratulates Premier David Eby and the MLAs elected from all the parties in the October 19 BC provincial election. The Coalition brings together the Association Presidents Group (APG) representing 19 Vancouver Community Centres, thirty former Park Board Commissioners, and a coalition of concerned Vancouver citizens. The Save Our Park Board Coalition supports democratically elected governing bodies. This is a major reason why the we oppose Mayor Ken Sim’s proposal to eliminate the democratically elected Vancouver Park Board. During the last Vancouver civic election in 2022, over 171,000 citizens cast ballots to elect a Park Board to a four year term. Mayor Sim and his ABC party did not propose eliminating the elected Park Board as part of their platform so there is no mandate. We do not believe the Mayor and seven City Councilors have the right to deny Vancouver citizens their choice. Over the last months, the Save Our Park Board campaign has collected over 7000 signatures from Vancouver citizens, both at community events and with an online petition, opposed to the dissolution of the elected Park Board. Mayor Sim’s proposal to abolish the Park Board midterm cannot proceed without the provincial government making amendments to the Vancouver City Charter. The Save Our Park Board Coalition would like to remind Premier Eby of comments he made at an all-candidates meeting prior to the election where he said he didn’t think dissolving the Park Board would be a priority for a new NDP government before the next Vancouver municipal election in October 2026. We also note that the BC opposition parties have both made it clear that the decision about the future of the Vancouver Park Board requires a mandate from Vancouver voters. Premier Eby’s government faces important issues related to health care, affordability, public safety and reconciliation. The Save Our Park Board Coalition believes any decision on the future of the Park Board should be made by the citizens of Vancouver. Jerry Fast, Chair Association Presidents Group On behalf of the Save Our Park Board Coalition 778 233 2525

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