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?
I am glad that the work of Park Board Commissioners is (often) more comprehensive than tackling issues one park at a time! That said, I would propose a 24/7 operating system for the fifteen public washrooms in Stanley Park as a pilot for expanding 24/7 service to public washrooms across all city parks. People across the city deserve the dignity of reliably available public washrooms.
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?
As our city continues to densify, with families living in smaller homes, more people are coming to rely on Vancouver’s parks as our communal backyards and our community centers as shared living spaces. Unfortunately, consecutive local governments have let real estate developers off the hook for the contributions they are meant to pay into maintaining our parks and public spaces, thus leaving our parks and especially our community centers in critical need of repair. Moving forward, both the Park Board and City Council must be stronger negotiators on behalf of all public space users.
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?
It is crucial that the incoming local government takes climate mitigation seriously. In the community centers, rinks, pools, and fieldhouses that Park Board jointly operates, there are both opportunities and responsibilities to ensure heating and cooling is done without fossil fuels; that low-carbon options are prioritized for repairs and construction projects; and that alternative energy production projects (such as the solar panels on Creekside Community Center’s roof) are explored and expedited.
Spaces managed by Park Board, particularly parks and community centers, are often the last bastion of refuge during unsafe conditions. To ensure public safety and well-being, community centers should be adequately equipped to act as cooling and warming centers, have staff on hand to connect people to additional community resources, and offer extended hours during times when it is unsafe to be outdoors for prolonged periods.
The city has begun to invest in flood mitigation projects, including the St. George Rainway and in several parks (such as Slocan, Falaise, and Beaconsfield). It is crucial that progress towards better rainwater infrastructure continues in the years to come, including exploring ways to retain groundwater for expanding and retaining a healthy urban tree canopy.
Finally, it is high time for Park Board to implement “too hot to work” protections, particularly for employees and contractors who primarily work outdoors. While steps can and should be taken to offer reprieve in conditions where altered duties may be possible, it is also worth exploring the availability of paid climate leave for outdoor workers and contractors to protect their wellbeing and job security.
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?
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.
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?
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.
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?
I have no plans (of any variety!) to abolish the Park Board. The only reform I would be interested in exploring is electoral reform, as it could ensure a more accurate representation and reflection of the electorates’ intention and wishes. Given the Park Board is elected on the same ballot as City Council, Mayor, and School Board, any conversations about electoral reform would need to be first jointly discussed with those levels of local government as well as the public.
7. In recent years, the Park Board has taken steps towards reconciliation, decolo
As a significant property owner of unceded land, the Park Board has a vital role to play in reconciliation, decolonization, and co-management with the host nations and with urban indigenous community members. Conversations and plans around ownership, access, and stewardship should be navigated with care, with an aim to build trust and dismantle systems of harm established and upheld by previous governments.
The heavy lifting of decolonization must be done by institutions that have held and wielded power to the detriment of First Nations’ people. This means funding work, opening space in ways that may be viewed as unconventional, and being open to ongoing learning.
In practical policy terms, this work can and should include ensuring that unhoused community members (Indigenous or not) are not forcibly displaced from public land; that landback opportunities be explored, such as the partial return of land at Vanier Park to the Squamish Nation, thus enabling the development of Seńáḵw; that native plants are prioritized in land restoration efforts, with ethnobotanists and local experts leading restoration planning; that access to growing and processing traditional food and holding ceremony is upheld through access to space; and that education work regarding First Nations’ culture and presence in the city is reliably funded. Further decisions and priorities should be collaboratively developed by MST and the City, with goals set by MST respected and appropriately funded.
8. What, if anything, do you think the Park Board should do to support/facilitate community activation and stewardship of park spaces and facilities?
Groups across Vancouver are already leading the way on community activation and stewardship – it is Park Board’s responsibility to support, not impede, community work. Stewardship groups, such as Free the Fern and the Everett Crowley Park Committee, have limited access to municipal funding for their work, despite their demonstrated positive ecological and social impacts. Given their efforts begin where Park Board capacity ends, stewardship groups should have access to a dedicated granting stream through local government that strengthens and supports their work.
Community activation, such as the installation of public art and events in plazas and parks, breathe life into the city. It is worth exploring the ways that Park Board can limit red tape for groups hosting events in public or intervening in the built environment for improved use of public space.
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?
Vancouver’s community centers and public spaces are prime spaces to combat social isolation at every age. Whether someone is using a gym with neighbours, attending a workshop, or sharing a community meal, every interaction builds trust and a sense of safety within the community. These neutral moments of connection offer a reminder that we have much more in common with our neighbours than we may sometimes think.
The best thing Park Board can do to tackle social isolation is to ensure that all facilities are reliably open and in appropriate operating conditions for years to come. With renewal and restoration projects on the horizon, it is worth taking the time to connect community center users with services at other facilities.
10. Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your platform?
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).