The Vancouver civic by-election on April 5 th is your opportunity to set things right. Your vote is more than a ballot – it’s your voice. It’s your opportunity to protect our parks, our community spaces, and our right to be heard at City Hall.
Vancouver parks belong to all of us. In October 2022, Vancouver residents cast 418,000 votes to elect 7 Park Board Commissioners to carry out their 4 year term and mandate. Just over a year later, in December 2023, Mayor Sim and the 7 ABC Councillors asked the provincial government to throw those votes out and eliminate the elected Park Board. That’s not democracy!
Vancouver voters must decide the future of the elected Park Board, not 8 ABC City Councillors. When you cast your vote on April 5 th for two new City Councillors, please make sure it’s for someone who upholds your democratic rights as a voter, who respects your vote, not throws it out, and who supports keeping our elected Park Board. Candidates for Council from TEAM, One City, the Green Party and COPE are all on record supporting retention of our elected Park Board.
Let’s make sure no new City Councillors are elected in this by-election who want to abolish the elected Park Board, which has served, for more than 130 years, to develop and protect Vancouver’s recognized world class parks and recreation system. Let’s not lose the focused expertise and dedication of the elected Commissioners by turning the Park Board over to City Councillors who are far too busy with other City work to give our cherished parks and recreation services the undivided, high priority attention they deserve.
Our Coalition campaign to Save Our Park Board will continue to fight for those voices that support an elected Park Board.
