10. Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your platform?
Leonard VANDERSTAR (202) – Please check out our policy platform: https://parksparty.vote/ You will find out all about the Vancouver Independent Parks Party and our candidates.
Sacia BURTON (215) – The Park Board is positioned to play a vital role in improving food access and security across the city, and this is an aspect of policy I would be proud to champion. Vancouver Food Justice Coalition has put forward five calls to action for the next Park Board – including simplification of garden licensing, revitalization of the fieldhouse program, stabilization of farmers’ market space use, assertion of Indigenous-rooted food uses in public space, and publication of an inventory of space available for food use. I hope to make progress on each of these asks during the upcoming term.
As a dog owner and an advocate for equitable access to space, I am also looking forward to improving access to off-leash spaces across the city, including dog-dense neighbourhoods like Mount Pleasant and Grandview-Woodlands. Walkable access to off-leash space is a matter of equity (for people with mobility challenges) and sustainability (by reducing reliance on cars to transport dogs to off-leash spaces).
Tom Digby (222) – Our full parks platform will be released by Oct 1 and will be found at www.vangreens.ca. Campaign planks are being released starting tomorrow.
Michael Robert CADITZ (226) – We will extend the hours of VanDusen Botanical Garden and reduce parking fees for the Festival of Lights.
We will assess the condition of Trout Lake facilities and water and accelerate needed maintenance and water cleanup.
We will order a review of the condition and safety of playgrounds and sports courts throughout the city.
Niknaz ALEMI (231) – My background is in climate change, economics and community based work, and I think that shapes how I approach public policy. I believe strongly in evidence based, science backed decision making, but also in listening to the people who actually experience the impacts of those decisions. I care deeply about protecting Vancouver’s parks, trees and natural ecosystems, while making sure our public spaces remain accessible, inclusive and truly public.
More than anything, I believe we don’t always need another new plan. Vancouver has already invested a lot in research, public consultation and long term planning. I would like to see us use that work, be transparent about our decisions, and follow through on what the evidence and communities are telling us.
Complete List of Questions
1. It’s day one on the job… and to start your work with the Park Board, you are invited to make one change in one park – which park do you pick, and what do you do?
2. In your opinion, how well is the delivery of parks and public spaces aligned with the type of growth and change taking place in Vancouver’s neighbourhoods?
3. Heavier rains, more intense heat, and wildfire smoke are all being described as part of a “new normal” tied to climate change. Should Vancouver’s parks and recreation facilities play a part in supporting climate resilience or climate adaptation? If yes, how?
4. The Park Board (and City) is under increasing pressure to find new ways to finance park upgrades, deliver new parks, and cover other capital and operational costs. How do you propose financing your priorities in the context of the broader City budgeting process?
5. Vancouver is a city with a very diverse population with lots of different cultures calling this place home. Should the Park Board be doing more to respond to the needs of different cultural user groups? If yes, what sorts of changes to Park Board processes or practices would you envision?
6. We have to ask: are you planning – secretly, overtly, or otherwise – to abolish or reform the Park Board? If yes, what are you intending to do? In general, what’s your vision for Park Board governance?
7. In recent years, the Park Board has taken steps towards reconciliation, decolonization, and co-management with MST First Nations. Would you continue this work? If yes, how?
8. What, if anything, do you think the Park Board should do to support/facilitate community activation and stewardship of park spaces and facilities?
9. We are living in a period of both increasing polarization and increasing social isolation. Should the Parks Board be doing more to respond to these issues? If yes, what do you propose?
10. Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your platform?
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