Question 4

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?

Stephen MENON (200) – I will be direct, because this is where most platforms go vague. Vote Vancouver is one of the only parties saying plainly that the 0% property tax freeze should end. We would replace it with predictable, modest increases based on long term planning. I would rather have a small, planned increase than close community centres or pull lifeguards off beaches. A freeze is not free. It is a decision to pay later, and in emergencies paying premium prices due to extremely limited internal capacity

Support the parks borrowing question on this ballot.

Coordinate before spending. Tree, sidewalk and park work on the same street should be scheduled together, not as separate jobs in separate years.

Compare in house and contracted costs. Publish the comparison and choose on evidence.

Use development contributions well. DCLs and community amenity contributions from growth should fund parks in the neighbourhoods that are growing.

Partner with other governments. Work with the Province and Ottawa on shared priorities, and push Ottawa on exploring leveraging the infrastructure development bank and/or for a tax exemption on municipal bonds.

Publish it all. In plain language, residents can see what they’re paying for and whether it worked.

Earned revenue stays within Park. Instead of revenue earned in excess to plan being sent to the cities general budget it should go directly back to Park Board to reinvent in additional opportunities

As a commissioner, I can bring member motions, set service standards and make the case with real numbers. Council approves the budget, that is why who sits on Council matters as much as who sits on the Park Board and that is why I encourage you to vote for Rebecca Bligh and Vote Vancouver councillors.

Leonard VANDERSTAR (202) – First and foremost, funding via commercialization and privatization of our parks must end. Parks & associated recreation facilities should be adequately maintain and even enhanced via Vancouver’s tax base, provincial & federal grants, and affordable user fees. Quality of experience and accessibility should never loose focus. Of course, this is a collaborative effort between the Park Board and the City in terms of coming up with financing that is acceptable to both parties.

Tamiko SUZUKI (206) – City Councils have repeatedly underfunded the Park Board and disregarded its strategies and long-term plans. The current ABC Council’s decision to impose a 0% property tax increase has meant cuts to the Park Board budget, resulting in staff layoffs, cancelled programs, and increased parking and user fees. Maintenance is also being reduced, which risks shortening the lifespan of already aging facilities and increasing future repair costs.

A COPE Park Board would work with Council to ensure that our green spaces, recreation facilities, and the health and resilience of Vancouver residents remain priorities. We would also insist that developers be held accountable for commitments made when receiving development approvals, including providing childcare spaces, new parks, and recreation facilities. The Riverview district is still waiting for promised amenities, and Council must ensure that development commitments are fulfilled.

The Park Board and its staff developed a capital borrowing plan to address facilities rated “Poor” or “Very Poor” by the Auditor General, including needed renovations and replacements. The current reduced capital budget requested will not address all the outstanding needs and risks further delaying investment in neighbourhoods that are already underserved.

Our parks and recreation facilities are essential public infrastructure. We need stable funding, responsible long-term planning, and accountability from Council and developers to ensure that all Vancouver neighbourhoods have access to safe, well-maintained, and welcoming public spaces.

Summit AMBEAULT-WANNAMAKER (210) – I am proud to work with Rebecca Bligh who has experience advocating for the needs of local governments, and is ready to hit the ground running on day one.

We should be taking advantage of infrastructure, climate adaptation, accessibility, and recreation programs as opposed to being completely reliant on the city council for all funding allocations.

Shayla BIRD (211) – Financing our priorities starts with treating parks and recreation as essential public infrastructure and budgeting accordingly.

The Vancouver Liberals have committed to providing $1.35 billion for the Park Board’s 2031–2034 capital cycle, including $300 million for parks and open spaces, $50 million for biodiversity restoration and $1 billion for public assets such as community centres and pools.

Just as importantly, I support the Vancouver Liberals’ proposal for a Joint Budget Advisory Committee bringing together Park Board Commissioners, City Councillors and senior financial and Park Board staff. Better coordination can help ensure that investments reflect both current service needs and Vancouver’s future growth.

Cam ROTHERY (213) – Council should adequately fund parks and recreation from the tax base. Citizens of Vancouver already pay plenty in taxes and those dollars are supposed to be going to public spaces and recreation facilities anyways. “Think Big” commercialization will be halted, since our parks should not be primary focus of commercialization. Citizens should not be bombarded with advertising or blocked by closures for private events when accessing their parks.

Tyler PETERSEN (214) – OneCity has a plan to sustain the Park Board, using no- and low-cost tools with a long-term strategy to increase the independence and resiliency of the Park Board, so that the board can do what it was elected to do: protect our parks and community spaces. One example of this is the launch of a gift shop program in some parks that give Vancouverites a way to support the parks they love without a single fee going up. I will also pursue grants available from senior levels of government, ensuring that there is no money left on the table.

Alongside a progressive City Council, we’ll make sure the Park Board keeps the revenue it earns, instead of losing it to the general city coffers – this will work to reward sound fiscal management of Park Board Commissioners, and allow for investment in other spaces or programming in the future.

As a Park Board Commissioner, I would push to complete planning on several projects to get them to a point where they are ‘shovel ready’ – to then approach senior levels of government alongside City Council to obtain investments to help get these projects moving forward. This process is unlikely to be immediate,
but having these projects ready allows us to move fast when funds are available.

Sacia BURTON (215) – Generations of City Councils have chipped away at the Park Board budget, with this year’s $15 million dollar cut being the latest blow to investment in public space. COPE is ready to build back our city’s capacity to invest in parks and community centers, because we have a plan to tax the rich. In particular, Council candidates are ready to bring forward a more robust empty homes tax and lead the way towards progressive property tax for high-value properties.

In addition, it is crucial for City Council to ensure that Community Amenity Contributions (CACs) are secured during zoning and permitting to build a reserve of funds allotted for public realm enhancement. Recent governments’ willingness to slacken CAC requirements have left a daunting, but not insurmountable, investment gap.

The Capital Plan borrowing questions on this election’s ballot also present a significant opportunity to close the investment gap. Given the need for renewal across multiple facilities and for investment to meet myriad climate and accessibility targets, voting “yes” to the Capital Plan borrowing questions will open up funds for the city to tackle crucial infrastructure projects as soon as possible.

Breanne SMART (216) – Sadly, the “Zero means Zero” budget means zero improvements to parks, and not even enough money to operate. Many costs are being passed along to the user, resulting in essentially double taxation. The Greens have committed to fully funding the Park Board again. In addition to a fully funded budget, there is opportunity to generate the short term funding needed desperately for renewal of our community centres by borrowing $60 million to fund infrastructure repair. Voting “Yes” on this question on the plebiscite in our upcoming election will help achieve this goal.

John IRWIN (217) – We need to look at changes to the charter that could enable the Park Board to be more financially self-sufficient, perhaps by having its own mill rate, or a specific share of Vancouver’s taxes and fees.

The recent cutbacks that came from the ‘Zero Means Zero’ needs attention. This funding should be restored and increased to foster accessibility for all Vancouver residents. The living wage should also be restored so that the Park Board can retain its employees.

We can also explore innovative ways to raise funds: by selling opportunities for residents to sponsor a memorial tree for loved ones who have passed away, and renting out Park Board owned and branded beach and other facilities’ equipment so that park users don’t have to pack so many items with them.

Amanda BAINS (221) – The first step is restoring disciplined financial management and putting frontline services ahead of unnecessary administrative spending.

The Vancouver Liberals will cancel the proposed $800-million second City Hall project and redirect municipal resources toward priorities people actually use, including parks, pools, community centres and public washrooms. We are also committed to a $1.35-billion investment in parks and recreation infrastructure.

I would support transparent, publicly available capital plans; independent oversight of major projects; realistic cost estimates; and regular reporting on whether projects remain on schedule and on budget. We should aggressively pursue provincial and federal infrastructure and climate-resilience funding and coordinate Park Board projects with the City’s capital plan to avoid duplication.

Partnerships and community contributions may supplement public funding, but they should never result in the privatization or commercial takeover of public parks. Core park and recreation services remain a public responsibility.

Tom DIGBY (222) – Green Park Board commissioners advocated for a $1.4b investment in parks and recreation facilities. The Mayor responded with a plan to invest $400m. It was deeply disappointing. We continued our advocacy with staff and ended up approving a $739m plan backed by staff, council and park board. Current city debt is only $600m, we pay it down at -$200m a year. The city can afford to borrow the money for this investment and pay it off over time.

Michael Robert CADITZ (226) – Council should adequately fund parks and recreation from the tax base. “Think Big” commercialization will be halted. Our parks should not be commercialized. Citizens should not be bombarded with advertising or blocked by closures for private events when accessing their parks.

Tricia BARKER (229) – The Vancouver Liberals have a plan to reinstate the finances that that been removed from the Park Board. We understand the importance of supporting this important part of what makes Vancouver a beautiful place to live.

Dominic DENOFRIO (230) – We need to restore the funding that was cut following ABC’s “zero-means-zero” budget, and fight for increased funding for the Park Board overall. OneCity’s team running for both Park Board and City Council would work to ensure that are are funding the Park Board’s capital and operational costs adequately. There are many creative avenues of revenue generation that should be explored as well, from the possibility of Park Board gift shops, to a Memorial Trees program, and other inventive ideas. A more permanent, long-term fix would be for the funding model for the Park Board to be changed, either through a Vancouver Charter amendment or other methods of enabling stable, independent funding for the Park Board.

Niknaz ALEMI (231) – I think the first step is being very clear about our priorities. We are working with limited public resources, so I don’t think the answer is simply promising more projects or continuously increasing fees. I would use an evidence based approach to identify where investment is most urgent, looking at the condition of existing infrastructure, safety, population growth, equity, access and long term resilience. We already have a lot of this research through VanPlay and the 2023–2026 Capital Plan, and I think we should actually use it when making budget decisions.

Funding should also come from different sources. As Vancouver grows and adds density, development should contribute fairly to the parks and recreation infrastructure that growth creates demand for. At the same time, the City has a responsibility to properly maintain and renew the public infrastructure we already have. I also think we need to look beyond the municipal budget, especially when it comes to climate adaptation. Climate resilience is a national and provincial concern as much as a local one, and cities are on the front line of dealing with heat, flooding, wildfire smoke and other impacts. Vancouver should actively pursue provincial and federal funding and partnerships for this work. For me, responsible budgeting means using evidence to set priorities, being transparent about what we can afford, and making sure public money goes where it can have the greatest long term impact.

Wah GEE (233) – Parks and recreation are essential services. We need to plan and pay for them that way.

I support TEAM’s commitment to invest $739 million in parks and recreation over four years, including $496 million for recreation facilities, with annual budget reviews. I would prioritize urgent repairs, regular maintenance and improvements that make facilities easier for everyone to use.

I would work with Council on a clear plan showing how projects will be paid for, including the ongoing costs of staff and maintenance. TEAM also promises to keep property-tax increases at or below inflation, so we must be honest about priorities and trade-offs. We cannot assume that finding savings will cover every cost.