The 2018 VPSN Park Board Candidate Survey – UPDATE #5

Park Board Offices, located on Beach Avenue.

Vancouver is one of only a few cities with an elected Park Board – and this year’s election will give voters a chance to elect a total of seven Commissioners. As with previous elections, we are asking candidates to share some of their ideas and passions about parks and recreation facilities through a short questionnaire. We want to give them a chance to go beyond basic platform materials so share a deeper sense of their priorities for office.

We reached out to each of the 33 contestants for office on Thursday, September 27, and asked them to weigh in on the questions below. We’re publishing their answers – sorted by question and by candidate – as we receive them.

Whose responded? As of Wednesday, October 10 @ 3:45pm, we’ve heard from 17 candidates: Cliff Relph (Independent), Gwen Giesbrecht (COPE), Rick Hurlbut (Pro Vancouver), Dave Demers (Green Party), Stuart Mackinnon (Green Party), Mathew Kagis (Work Less Party), John Coupar (NPA), Ann-Marie Copping (NPA), Casey Crawford (NPA), Leo Heba (YES Vancouver), Chris Fuoco (Vancouver First), Tricia Barker (NPA), Gregory Edgelow (Pro Vancouver), Pall Beelsa (NPA), Camil Dumont (Green Party), Ray En-Jui Chang (Coalition Vancouver), and Winnie Siu (Coalition Vancouver).

The questions were as follows:

1. What is your favourite park or park board facility in Vancouver, and why? (LINK)
2. We’ll be sharing the top three priorities that you provided the City of Vancouver, but we want to know: which one of your three priorities are you most passionate about, and why? (LINK)
3. Vancouver is a growing city! What are your ideas for ensuring that the city’s parks and recreation facilities can respond to the needs of an increasing and diversifying population? (LINK)
4. Given the high cost of land in the city, what suggestions do you have for how the Park Board should approach the creation of new park spaces? (LINK)
5. What, if any, role do you see the Park Board playing in responding to critical social issues such as homelessness, the opioid epidemic, and social isolation? (LINK)
6. In the past few years, the Park Board has taken steps to acknowledge First Nations cultures and the impacts of colonization on local Indigenous communities. Would you continue this work? If yes, how? (LINK)
7. How can Vancouver’s parks and recreation facilities best respond to the challenges posed by climate change? (LINK)
8. What, if any, role do you think privately owned companies should play in the management, operation, or naming/branding of Park board facilities? (LINK)
9. What, if any, role do you feel that neighbourhoods or community groups should play in the stewardship of park spaces and facilities? (LINK)
10. Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your platform? (LINK)