With the British Columbia provincial election now underway the Association Presidents Working Group has written letters to the three major political parties and individual candidates asking if they support or oppose the City of Vancouver’s attempt to dissolve the elected Vancouver Park Board.
In March, Premier David Eby said his government is “committed” to dissolving the Vancouver Park Board, but not until after the fall election.
The APG believes Mayor Ken Sim’s attempt to abolish the elected Vancouver Park Board is undemocratic. Eight City Councillors do not have a mandate to eliminate the Park Board elected by Vancouver voters in October 2022. We believe the only way the Park Board could be dissolved is after a civic election when Vancouver citizens have made their choice.
The APG Working Group will continue to update with more responses as we received them.
To date, the APG Working Group has received two answers:
An email from the BC NDP said:
Thank you for reaching out. This is a decision that has been made by the City of Vancouver. We have been working closely with the city on technical aspects of their proposal which require legislative changes. We are committed to continuing to work with the City to ensure a smooth transition.
An email from the BC Green Party:
Thank you for reaching out about this issue. Here is a link to the letter Sonia Furstenau sent to Minister Kang in 2023:https://x.com/SoniaFurstenau/status/1735351750759203312
It highlights the importance of maintaining democratic structures, respecting voter decisions, and preventing the concentration of power in fewer hands.
An email from the Conservative Party said:
The Conservative party of BC has been actively listening to folks and organizations like yours as we continue to build out our policies and platform that will demonstrate how the BC Conservatives are the only choice for common sense change.
Over the coming days, we will take feedback, just like your email, and will release our common sense platform that will help to balance our budget, make life more affordable, fix our healthcare system and protect our environment.
While I cannot make any specific commitments to you today, I can assure you that your feedback is being passed on to the platform development team.
We look forward to having more to share with you soon, once an official platform is launched.
https://www.conservativebc.ca/john_rustad_statement_on_vancouver_park
BACKGROUNDER:
Here is the letter we sent to the local candidates…
Dear Candidate:
Mayor Ken Sim wants the BC Legislature to abolish Vancouver’s elected Park Board.
The Association Presidents Group (APG), which represents 19 Community Centre
Associations across Vancouver with thousands of voting members, strongly opposes
the elimination of the elected Park Board.
Do you support retention of the elected Park Board?
We believe Mayor Ken Sim’s attempt to abolish the elected Vancouver Park Board is
undemocratic. Eight City Councilors do not have a mandate to eliminate the Park Board
elected by thousands of Vancouver voters in October 2022. We believe the only way
the Park Board could legitimately be dissolved is if Vancouver citizens vote for this
change in a civic election.
Do you agree the elected Park Board must remain in place unless the voters of
Vancouver choose to abolish the elected Board in a civic election?
The Park Board has a mandate to protect, preserve and develop the parks, green
spaces and recreation facilities enjoyed by the citizens of Vancouver. This is too
important to hand over to City Council which must manage all aspects of City operations
and development. Park Board Commissioners are elected to carry out that mandate,
which may, at times, conflict with City Council’s mandate. Commissioners are
accountable to Vancouver citizens at election time.
In late September, the APG will publish the responses of the candidates in Vancouver’s
12 ridings in the provincial election so voters will know their position on this important
issue before they vote.
Please send your response to the APG by 20 September 2024.
Email: apg.vancouverbc@gmail.com
Thank you for your reply,
Jerry Fast, Chair
Association Presidents Group
