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 would choose Strathcona Park and immediately find a temporary solution to restore recreational court space while the community waits for the permanent tennis courts to reopen.
The four tennis courts at Strathcona Park have been closed since 2022 after the collapse of aging sewer infrastructure beneath them. Years later, they remain listed as temporarily closed. For a neighbourhood that relies heavily on its public spaces and recreational amenities, that is simply too long to go without an accessible, free place to play.
This is why the Vancouver Liberals’ are committing to a historic $1.35-billion investment in parks, recreation and pools because this infrastructure is not optional and significant new investment in parks and recreation matters. We need to address aging infrastructure and build for the future, but we also need to be creative about what we can do right now for residents affected by long construction timelines.
As a Strathcona resident, this one is personal. Our neighbourhood deserves the same urgency, quality recreational spaces and investment as every other part of Vancouver.
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?
Not well. Vancouver is growing and becoming denser, but our recreational infrastructure has not consistently kept pace.
I see this firsthand in Strathcona and the Downtown Eastside, where community spaces and recreational facilities serve neighbourhoods with significant needs. Strathcona Community Centre, for example, provides far more than recreation: it offers childcare, youth and seniors programming, food-security programs and other community services. These facilities are social infrastructure, and we need to treat them that way.
I am particularly concerned about what this means for young people. As an educator, I know that recreation, sport and community programming give young people opportunities to build confidence, develop relationships and feel that they belong in their communities.
As Vancouver grows, our parks, pools, fields and community centres need to grow with it.
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?
Absolutely. Parks are not only places for recreation; they are important pieces of Vancouver’s climate infrastructure.
We should continue increasing tree canopy and shade, protecting biodiversity, improving drainage and stormwater management, and incorporating climate-resilient landscaping into park renewal. The Vancouver Liberals’ proposed Parks and Recreation Capital Plan includes $50 million for biodiversity restoration.
Our community centres also have an important role to play. During extreme heat and wildfire smoke, residents need accessible places where they can cool down, breathe clean air, access water and safely spend time indoors.
Climate adaptation should also be approached through an equity lens. Neighbourhoods with fewer trees, less green space or older facilities should not have to wait the longest for investment. Resilience means ensuring every neighbourhood is prepared for the climate realities Vancouver is already experiencing.
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?
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.
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?
Yes. This is particularly important to me because much of my professional work has focused on equity, education, community engagement and ensuring people who have historically been left out of decision-making have meaningful opportunities to participate.
The first question we should ask is not simply, “Did we consult?” It should be, “Who wasn’t in the room, and why?”
That means going into communities instead of always expecting communities to come to us. Engagement should be accessible in multiple languages, offered at different times and locations, and designed around the people whose input we are seeking. Where we are asking community members to contribute significant expertise or lived experience, we should also recognize the value of their time.
Our programming and public spaces should reflect Vancouver’s cultures through sport, food, arts, festivals, recreation and community celebrations. Permit and booking processes should also be understandable and accessible to smaller grassroots organizations.
Diversity should not simply be something we celebrate. It should influence how we design programs, allocate resources and make decisions.
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 support an independent, democratically elected and properly funded Vancouver Park Board. The Vancouver Liberals have committed to maintaining its independence while reforming how the Board works with the City, including a Joint Budget Advisory Committee and restoring Park Board oversight of parks and recreation facilities.
I believe reform should focus on making the Park Board work better: clearer accountability, better communication with City Council, transparent budgeting and capital planning, and stronger relationships with residents and community organizations.
Independence and collaboration are not opposites. An independent Park Board can work collaboratively with City Council while remaining directly accountable to Vancouverites for the parks and recreation system entrusted to it.
7. In recent years, the Park Board has taken steps towards reconciliation, decolo
Yes. My work as an educator has reinforced for me that reconciliation cannot simply be symbolic. It has to change relationships, processes and decision-making.
I would support continuing to strengthen the Park Board’s relationship with the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, particularly through early and meaningful involvement in decisions involving land, water, culturally significant spaces and ecological stewardship.
That can include Indigenous place names and languages, cultural programming, Indigenous-led ecological stewardship and restoration, and co-management where developed in partnership with MST Nations.
Most importantly, this work should be guided by the Nations themselves. Reconciliation should not mean the Park Board deciding what reconciliation looks like and then asking Indigenous communities to participate. It means building lasting relationships and creating space for shared decision-making.
8. What, if anything, do you think the Park Board should do to support/facilitate community activation and stewardship of park spaces and facilities?
We need to make it easier for communities to bring our public spaces to life.
As an event planner, educator and community organizer, I know how much work can go into navigating permits, insurance, costs and multiple levels of bureaucracy just to create something positive for a community.
I want the Park Board to simplify that process. That means clearer permitting, predictable timelines, affordable access to facilities, small community activation grants and staff who can help community organizations navigate the system.
This also connects directly to the Vancouver Liberals’ commitment to “Bring Back Fun” by making it more affordable for festivals and community events to operate in Vancouver.
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?
Yes. I believe belonging is one of the most important things parks and recreation can create.
As an educator, I have seen how sport, recreation and community programming can bring together people who otherwise might never meet. Parks, playgrounds, pools, community centres and playing fields are some of the few places in our city where people of different ages, incomes, cultures and backgrounds can share space without needing to buy something.
Becoming a mother this year has made me appreciate this in a new way as well. Community spaces matter at every stage of life—from the playground where children first meet one another, to youth sports, to programs for parents, adults and seniors.
I want to see more affordable and accessible recreation, youth leadership and mentorship opportunities, community events, festivals and culturally relevant programming.
The Park Board cannot solve social isolation or polarization on its own, but it can create more opportunities for Vancouverites to see each other, know each other and belong to the same community.
10. Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your platform?
My career has centred around young people, education, equity and creating spaces where people feel that they belong. I have worked with students and families, developed curriculum, led community engagement, organized events and spent years sharing the history of Vancouver’s Black community, particularly the history of Hogan’s Alley.
I am running for Park Board because I see parks and recreation as one of the most tangible ways local government affects our everyday lives. They are where children learn to swim, where young people find community through sport, where families gather, where seniors stay active, where cultures celebrate and where neighbours become neighbours.
I joined the Vancouver Liberals because their parks platform calls for an independent and properly supported Park Board alongside significant investment in parks, recreation facilities and pools.
If elected, I would bring the perspective of an educator, a community builder and a mother to the Park Board table, with a focus on young people, belonging, accessibility, community activation and ensuring that Vancouver’s parks and recreation system reflects the communities it exists to serve.