Vancouver Park Board | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
History | |
Founded | 1890 |
Preceded by | Park Committee |
Leadership | |
Board chair | Brennan Bastyovanszky |
Structure | |
Seats | 7 commissioners |
Political groups | Majority
Minority |
Elections | |
Plurality at-large voting | |
Last election | October 15, 2022 |
Next election | October 17, 2026 |
Meeting place | |
2099 Beach Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia | |
Website | |
vancouver | |
Constitution | |
Vancouver Charter , s.485 | |
Footnotes | |
As of December 6, 2023 |
The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, commonly referred to as the Vancouver Park Board, is the elected board with exclusive possession, jurisdiction and control over public parks in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. [1]
Established by an 1889 amendment to the Vancouver Incorporation Act, 1886 (later the Vancouver Charter ), [2] the Vancouver Park Board is the only elected body of its kind in Canada. [3] It has seven elected commissioners who are charged with determining the policy direction of the body. [3] The board has a mandate to "provide, preserve and advocate... to benefit people, communities and the environment". Commissioners are elected at-large every four years, with a chair and vice-chair elected by the commissioners every year. [4]
The Vancouver Park Board has its origins in the 1886 granting of the 380-hectare (950-acre) military reserve at First Narrows to the City of Vancouver for use as a park. The new park, named Stanley Park, was formally opened in 1888. A warden and Parks Committee were appointed to oversee its development and management. In 1890, the appointed committee was replaced by a permanent elected body: three elected commissioners. Vancouver By-law No. 96 created the board and gave the commissioners absolute control and management over the park system. It was expected to expend monies voted to it by city council and had the power to enter into contracts and pass by-laws. Over its history, the board has been known as: [5]
The first elected commissioners, serving from 1890 to 1891, were James Welton Horne (chairman), M. J. Costello and Robert Garnett Tatlow. The number of commissioners was expanded to five in 1904 and to seven in 1929 when Vancouver amalgamated with the municipalities of South Vancouver and Point Grey. [6]
Park Board commissioners served without remuneration until a 1972 amendment to the Vancouver Charter allowed them an annual honorarium of $1000. [7]
The current commissioners of the Vancouver Park Board were elected during the 2022 Vancouver municipal election.
On December 6, 2023, three ABC commissioners left the party to sit as independents after Vancouver mayor Ken Sim introduced a motion to ask the provincial government to change the Vancouver Charter to dissolve the park board. [8] While remaining independent, they have indicated they will form a majority bloc with Green Party commissioner Tom Digby. [9]
Name | Party | |
---|---|---|
Brennan Bastyovanszky | ABC (2022–2023) | |
Independent (since 2023) | ||
Laura Christensen | ABC (2022–2023) | |
Independent (since 2023) | ||
Tom Digby | Green | |
Angela Kate Haer | ABC | |
Marie-Claire Howard | ABC | |
Scott Jensen | ABC (2022–2023) | |
Independent (since 2023) | ||
Jas Virdi | ABC |
The commissioners of the Vancouver Park Board elected at the 2018 Vancouver municipal election served until November 6, 2022.
Name | Party | |
---|---|---|
Tricia Barker | NPA (2018–2022) | |
TEAM (2022) | ||
John Coupar | NPA (2018–2022) | |
Independent (2022) | ||
Dave Demers | Green | |
Camil Dumont | Green | |
Gwen Giesbrecht | COPE | |
John Irwin | COPE (2018–2022) | |
Vision (2022) | ||
Stuart Mackinnon | Green (2018–2022) | |
Vision (2022) |
The commissioners of the Vancouver Park Board elected during the 2014 Vancouver municipal election served until late 2018.
Name | Party | |
---|---|---|
John Coupar | NPA | |
Casey Crawford | NPA | |
Catherine Evans (vice-chair) | Vision | |
Sarah Kirby-Yung | NPA | |
Stuart Mackinnon (chair) | Green | |
Erin Shum | Independent [lower-alpha 1] | |
Michael Wiebe | Green |
In June 2009, Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson and Vancouver city councillor Raymond Louie, both of whom were members of the Vision Vancouver party, were accused by Vancouver city councillor Suzanne Anton, a member of the opposition Non-Partisan Association party, of attempting to destroy the independence of the park board by centralizing budget oversight. [11] Aaron Jasper, a Vision Vancouver member of the park board, called on the city council to restore the decentralized budget control. [11]
In September 2009, Susan Mundick, the general manager of the board, announced her retirement. [12] Penny Ballem, the city manager of Vancouver hired by Robertson, stripped Mundick of all routine transitional duties. [13] Ballem then stated she would help the park board choose Mundick's replacement, a selection process city hall traditionally had not been involved in. [14] In response, Anton urged Robertson and the city council to limit Ballem's control of the park board. [14]
The Vancouver Park Board oversees 250 parks and gardens, including major attractions such as Stanley Park and VanDusen Botanical Garden, 24 community centres with pools, skating rinks and playing fields, as well as three golf courses. [15]
The Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) is a municipal political party in the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia. It has traditionally been associated with tenants, environmentalists, and the labour movement. COPE is generally guided by democratic socialist principles following the split of its social democratic wing in 2014 to form OneCity Vancouver, and has a long history of advocating for issues such as improving public transit and investing in affordable housing. It last held a majority government on city council from 2002 to 2005. COPE describes itself as being committed to renter protections, ending homelessness, taxing the rich to build social housing, safe supply, free transit, Indigenous reconciliation, climate action, and other social and environmental reforms.
The Non-Partisan Association (NPA) is a municipal political party in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was established by the city's business leaders in 1937 to challenge the democratic socialist Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in that year's municipal election. The party has historically been described as centre-right and drawn its strongest support from Vancouver's business community.
The Electors' Action Movement (TEAM) was a centrist political party from 1968 to the mid-1980s at the municipal level in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It fielded candidates for the office of mayor as well as for positions on the City Council, School Board, and Park Board. It was most successful in the 1970s when it held the majority of council seats from 1972 to 1976.
Vision Vancouver is a green liberal municipal political party in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vision was formed in the months leading up to the 2005 municipal election.
Vancouver, unlike other British Columbia municipalities, is incorporated under a unique provincial statute, the Vancouver Charter. The legislation, passed in 1953, supersedes the Vancouver Incorporation Act, 1921 and grants the city more and different powers than other communities possess under BC's Municipalities Act.
The Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) swept the 2002 Vancouver municipal election, winning 8 of 10 Council seats, 7 of 9 School Board seats and 5 of 7 Park Board seats. The Non-Partisan Association (NPA) was reduced to 2 Council seats, 1 School Board seat and 2 Park Board seats. The Green Party of Vancouver won 1 School Board seat.
Gregor Angus Bethune Robertson is a Canadian entrepreneur and a progressive politician, who served as the 39th mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, from 2008 to 2018. As the longest consecutive serving Mayor in Vancouver's history, Robertson and his team led the creation and implementation of the Greenest City 2020 Action Plan and spearheaded the city's first comprehensive Economic Action Strategy.
The 2008 Vancouver municipal election was held on November 15, 2008, filling seats on the Vancouver School Board, the Park Board, the Vancouver City Council, and the position of Mayor of Vancouver. It was held at the same time as municipal elections throughout the province. Three major civic parties were represented: the Coalition of Progressive Electors, the Non-Partisan Association, and Vision Vancouver. The Green Party of Vancouver fielded one candidate for Park Board commissioner.
Spencer Chandra Herbert is a Canadian politician who serves in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in Canada. Representing the British Columbia New Democratic Party, he won an October 2008 by-election in the electoral district of Vancouver-Burrard. He was re-elected to the Legislature, this time in the newly created riding of Vancouver-West End, in the 2009, 2013, 2017, and 2020 general elections. He has served as deputy speaker of the Legislature since December 7, 2020.
A general election was held in Minneapolis on November 3, 2009. Minneapolis's mayor was up for election as well as all the seats on the City Council, the two elected seats on the Board of Estimate and Taxation, and all the seats on the Park and Recreation Board. This was the first election held in Minneapolis that used ranked choice voting, a collective term for instant-runoff voting and the single transferable vote.
The City of Vancouver held a municipal election on November 19, 2011, along with other municipalities and regional districts in British Columbia. All local government elections were for a three-year period. The ballot elected one mayor, 10 councillors, nine school board trustees and seven park board commissioners. A $180 million capital borrowing plan was also put to a vote.
Neighbourhoods for a Sustainable Vancouver (NSV) was a centrist municipal political party in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada promoting sustainable development. It was consensus-based, run by a steering committee, rather than having an individual as leader, and did not ascribe to an ideology.
Justason Market Intelligence is a Canadian public opinion and research company founded in 2003 by Barb Justason. The firm is located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
The 2014 Vancouver municipal election took place on November 15, 2014, the same day as other municipalities and regional districts in British Columbia selected their new municipal governments. As with previous elections, voters elected one mayor, 10 councillors, nine school board trustees, and seven park board commissioners through plurality-at-large voting. Voters also voted on whether to approve a capital budget.
Hector Bremner is a Canadian politician, who served as a member of the Vancouver City Council in Vancouver, British Columbia from 2017 to 2018.
Progress Vancouver was a municipal political party in Vancouver, British Columbia, created in June 2018 to support the candidacy of Hector Bremner for mayor. Known as Yes Vancouver until October 2021, the party was the first municipal political party in British Columbia that stated their explicit dedication to YIMBY principles. The party was deregistered by Elections BC in July 2023.
The city of Vancouver, Canada, held municipal elections on November 17, 1990. Canadian citizens who were over 18 years of age at the time of the vote, and had been a resident of Vancouver for the previous 30 days and a resident of B.C. for the previous six months, were able to vote for candidates in four races that were presented on one ballot. In addition, Canadian citizen non-resident property owners were eligible to vote. For the first time, the City used Provincial Voters List as basis for City's List of Electors. 133,107 out of 257,352 voters cast ballots for a turnout of 52%.
Colleen Hardwick is a Canadian politician and film-maker in Vancouver, British Columbia, who served on Vancouver City Council from 2018 to 2022. Hardwick is the daughter of former Vancouver alderman Walter Hardwick, and granddaughter of former Vancouver park commissioner Iris Hardwick.
The 2022 Vancouver municipal election was held on October 15, 2022, the same day as the municipal elections held throughout British Columbia. Voters elected the mayor of Vancouver by first-past-the-post. Ten city councillors, 7 park board commissioners, and 9 school board trustees were elected through plurality at-large voting. In addition, voters were presented with 3 capital plan questions.
ABC Vancouver is a municipal political party in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is led by incumbent mayor Ken Sim.
In a statement issued this morning, Shum also stated that she will 'sit as an independent' because that's the only way she can stand for NPA values.