Candidate Profile – JAMES BUCKSHON – #225 – (TEAM)
Top 3 priorities (from City of Vancouver Election webpage)
- Common sense Park Board
- Accessible safe parks
- Expand park amenities
Platform (from City of Vancouver Election webpage)
Residents need a common sense Park Board that supports, protects, and improves existing parks and recreation facilities while expanding for growth, especially in amenity-deficient areas.
TEAM For A Livable Vancouver would ensure parks are easily accessible for all (such as Stanley Park), safe and well maintained.
We would emphasize local over destination amenities, pools and community centres as jointly operated facilities with community associations through neighbourhood-based planning.
2022 Park Board Candidate Questions
Question 1. You’re speaking to a friend from out of town, and they ask for a quick overview of “where things are at” with Vancouver’s parks and recreation facilities. What do you say?
For your visit to Vancouver, you are going to want to start with our great beaches. Thy stretch all the way from Spanish Banks on Vancouver’s west side, past Locarno, Jericho, Kits Beach, and Vanier Park. Cross the bridge to downtown and continue along the waterfront to Stanley Park, where you can walk, cycle or drive around the whole park. You can visit one of our many great recreations centres and go for a swim, work out, ice skate, play tennis or get out onto a field with a ball. Then head downtown to our great public space at Vancouver Art Gallery and Robson Square. Take a walk through downtown and Gastown and consider stopping for a beverage at an outdoor patio in Yaletown. If you can, get over to Commercial Drive, and pack a lunch and go to Trout Lake, as well as Queen Elizabeth Park, a former quarry that as tuned into a park. You will probably by then so have a nap while, you think about the sights, smells and sounds of beautiful Vancouver.
Question 2. The topic of equity features heavily in both VanPlay (the Parks Board Masterplan) and the recently approved Vancouver Plan. What’s your take? Does Vancouver’s park system need to be more equitable and accessible? If yes, what changes would you propose and/or prioritize to make this happen?
Vancouver’s park system strives to be equitable but there is always room for improvement. The city is home to 250 parks and some areas have more parks than others. The DTES is a bit underserved with parks,and those parks are in areas with complex homeless needs. The parks are also necessary for the residents living in the area. The City would be well-advised to use any available vacant municipal property to create a few more parks. In other areas of the city, more and more residents are living in apartments and condos, and need more outdoor green space, that could possibly be worked into the development permits that new buildings require. Indigenous groups should have input into the parks, and public arts and culture events would be welcome.
Question 3. As a general principle, should parks aim to accommodate cycling paths within their boundaries? What are your thoughts on bikes and bike lanes in parks? (Please note: this is not specifically a question about Stanley Park).
Generally speaking, it is nice to cycle through our parks and most of them, ranging from Spanish Banks to Kits Beach, incorporate a nonstop cycling network. Kits Beach is unique in that its orientation includes a concentric area where bicycles and pedestrians converge. Therefore, in order to allow for continuous cycling without stopping, It may be possible to design a bike path that runs along the Cornwall side of the park to Arbutus; possibly a lined, shared path with pedestrians, and where it continues past Kits Beach and stays seaside along the road by Vanier Park. In Stanley Park, there is good cycling path along the seawall that is popular to the majority of the people. The last two parks mentioned have complex access issues with each, and discussions should include all modes of transportation for the collective benefit of all.
Question 4. What role, if any, do you see the Park Board playing in responding to the needs of people experiencing homelessness/houselessness and encampments?
The mission of the Vancouver Park Board is “to provide, preserve, and advocate for parks and recreation services to benefit all people, communities, and the environment.” To fulfill this mandate, the parks should not become permanent homes for people, and when homelessness issues arise, Park Board needs to consult with both the City, but more importantly BC Housing to provide reasonable homes for these people.
Question 5. Should Vancouver’s parks and recreation facilities play a part in supporting climate resilience or ecosystem restoration? If yes, how?
Parks and recreation facilities could and should play an important part in climate resilience. The mere existence of nature within our city is an important reminder of how beautiful our natural environment is. On a practical note, parks and community centres need to implement recycling. The outdoor parks only provide receptacles for garbage and there are no bins for recycling. We should use less man made materials in our new park designs, which contain large amounts of concrete, steel, plastic and rubber. Astroturf should be discouraged as the fine plastic particulates leach into the ground water. And EV charging stations should be available at all major parks and community centres.
Question 6. Is having a Board of Parks and Recreation the best way to govern and manage Vancouver’s park system? If yes, why? If not, what would you propose in its place?
6.the current governance by a separate Park Board should be preserved. The city has far too many pressing concerns to add 250 parks to their list. Further, there are development pressures at the city hall level that could possibly encroach on parks if we are not careful.
Question 7. What, if anything, do you think the Park Board should do to support/facilitate community activation/events and stewardship of park spaces and facilities?
Park Board should encourage and allocate space for community events in the parks. This can range from concerts to theatre to dance participatory events. Stanley Park access needs to be provided with a wide enough road to allow event trucks to access the park, which they cannot presently.
Question 8. In the past few 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?
Park Board has taken steps towards reconciliation, decolonization, and co-management with MST First Nations and the board should continue discussions with the Chiefs to get their important input into park operations.
Question 9. If you could make changes to one park in the city – which park is it, and what would you do?
If I were to make a change to one park, it would be Yaletown Park. It is important to have a beautiful natural space in the crowded downtown area, and this park has a concrete and brick ground with little to no vegetation, including grass, plants or trees.
Question 10. Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your platform?
Park Board is the last line of defense for protecting our parks, and the Park Board should focus on its core role to take care of our parks.
Biography and Contact
Biography (from City of Vancouver Election webpage)
I am looking to be your representative for the Board of Parks of Recreation. I am born, raised and educated in Vancouver, BA UBC, and Production Manager of an arts and entertainment org since 1983. I will increase safety measures, keep development out, increase # of parks & renovate community centres. I will operate the Park Board professionally and responsibly.
Contact
Email: james@voteteam.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066504040488
Twitter: @parksboardfacts
Website: https://www.voteteam.ca/platform_parks_and_rec