Advocacy, education and outreach in support of Vancouver's public spaces

Our Work: 2026 Park Board Candidate Survey: Question 5

Question 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?

Leonard VANDERSTAR (202) – Great question. VIPP has thought this out and we will institute bottom-up governance. We will convene monthly town halls to meaningfully engage with citizens and their concerns. In a democratic community, there is an ethical obligation to provide access to our public resources to all citizens.

Sacia BURTON (215) – It is crucial that people and families who call Vancouver home can find, access, and host cultural activities that are meaningful to them! Park Board can make it easier to host in park and community spaces by maintaining up-to-date information in widely-spoken languages beyond English; by facilitating translation services for the space-booking process; and by taking on direct community outreach to cultural organizations to ensure groups feel confident and comfortable using public spaces.

To complement the work of actively building inclusion, the Park Board also has a responsibility to institute an equity policy for event permitting. This would ensure publicly owned venues and spaces are not used to host anti-LGBTQ+, racist, or otherwise discriminatory events.

Tom DIGBY (222) – We have very diverse user groups, many of whom need focused support to engage our facilities. Greens support spending and staffing decisions that promote the engagement of equity seeking groups with our park system.

Michael Robert CADITZ (226) – We will institute bottom-up governance. We will convene monthly town halls to meaningfully engage with citizens and their concerns. In a democratic community, there is an ethical obligation to provide access to our public resources to all citizens.

Niknaz ALEMI (231) – Yes. I came to Vancouver as an immigrant myself, and one of the things I really value about this city is how many different cultures and communities share the same public spaces. But I don’t think responding to that diversity means assuming we know what different communities need. We need to actually ask, listen and create better ways for people to participate, especially communities that have traditionally been underrepresented in public consultation. I would like to see more accessible and culturally inclusive engagement, stronger relationships with community and neighbourhood organizations, and fewer barriers related to language, cost or simply not being familiar with City processes. I also think this is another place where evidence and community knowledge need to work together. We should understand who is using our parks, facilities and programs, who isn’t, and why. Then we can use that information to guide programming, park design, recreation opportunities and investment. For me, good public spaces should reflect the people who actually live here and make them feel that these spaces belong to them too.

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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