Re: Pause the pause: ABC Vancouver reversing course on integrity commissioner freeze
I was pleased to see city council reverse course on blocking the integrity commissioner from conducting further investigations as a result of a strong backlash from the citizens of Vancouver.
The mayor and the seven ABC city councillors should also reverse course on their plan to abolish the elected Vancouver Parks Board as a result of a growing backlash by the citizens of Vancouver against their plan. Our coalition of groups, called Save Our Park Board, finds an overwhelming majority of citizens are opposed to the mayor’s plan when they learn that it violates fundamental principles of democracy.
Eight city councillors do not have a mandate to eliminate the park board elected by 170,000 Vancouver voters in October 2022 to serve a four-year term. And a recent legal opinion presented on Sept. 9 concluded that the mayor’s proposal likely violates the freedom of expression and assembly rights in the Charter of Rights. The mayor’s plan is a violation of fundamental democratic and constitutional principles. It is not acceptable. The mayor says he will proceed regardless.
The mayor’s plan is also a bad idea for Vancouver’s community centres. Most folks don’t know that 19 community centres are jointly managed by park board staff and by volunteer, community-based associations with elected boards of directors who are responsible for programming. Directors work closely with the elected commissioners on all matters related to community centre operations. We have regular, open access to commissioners at bi-weekly park board meetings, and between meetings. Commissioners attend association board meetings to keep the lines of communication and decision-making open. Eliminating the elected commissioners will completely disrupt this effective working relationship. The mayor’s plan is all wrong because it will mean the community centre associations will be much less effective in delivering programming for their unique communities across the city. With the mayor’s plan, the governance structure becomes less informed of community needs and concerns. The mayor wants to centralize decision-making in city council, but we want to keep decision-making decentralized with engaged community-based groups.
Jerry Fast, president, Kitsilano Community Centre Association; chairperson, Association Presidents Group