On February 1, 2024 (this Thursday), Vancouver city councillors Adriane Carr, Christine Boyle, and Pete Fry will host a town-hall meeting at the 1st Floor Joe Wai Room in City Hall from 3 to 6 p.m. The focus will be on Sim’s proposal to eliminate the Park Board, with these councillors advocating for its retention. Registration is required, and the meeting will gather opinions on the Mayor’s move to eliminate the elected Park Board. It will also address questions about the future of parks and recreation facilities in Vancouver. The hosts encourage public input and have invited both current and past Park Board Commissioners to attend and provide insights. Please register to attend (link)
Vancouver Golf Players Association.
Protecting & Playing Vancouvers Municipal Golf Courses. .
I am in favor of keeping park board so that Vancouver parks are safe.
I am fortunate to be able to travel quite a bit. Wherever I go to play golf local residents of that community are entitled to preferred rate on the municipal golf courses. They are recognized for paying the maintenance of their courses.
This is a fair and equitable system.
Revenues from the three municipal courses far exceed the operational costs goes into general revenue of the Park Board to assist in paying the costs of other park land and facilities.
I don’t care if the city or a board manages the facilities. I ask for a just system. Why are tennis players using public courts not charged? Why can a visitor book a time on a public golf course and pay the same as a British Columbian or more so a local tax paying resident? Finally, why can so-called clubs avoid the early booking fee that is nothing more than a money grabbing inconvenience?
Hi Don,
Thanks for your comment. The hosted clubs are an excellent way to get in a round of golf, most require you only play 10 rounds a year. They do pay the early booking fees…it’s added to their green fees by the pro shop on the day of the round, very similar to me booking a foursome and then extracting the $5.00 from the others each day.
Nick
I find this proposal short sighted and ignores the decades long value of the Park Board. Whether you approve of the Park Board commissioners performances or not, they do provide services for much less per year than the city councillors.
I am supportive of the Mayor’s move to eliminate the Parks Board as it should be part of the City of Vancouver?
No other major cities have separate parks boards.
Mayor Sim has made a lot of generalized negative comments about the elected Parks Board – but gives no examples of what he is referring to. Also he says Vancouvers Parks are in terrible run-down shape – but again I haven’t seen Sim give any examples of what he is alleging.
Or have I missed Sim’s alleged details justifying his move to have him and his Party take over our Parks?
Can Mayor Sim be forced to publicly try to justify his moves with real examples?
Sim’s action is dictatorial. The Park Board members were elected by BC voters. Sim cannot just dissolve the Park Board as he wants. He can’t solve the problems in hand, so he wants to divert people’s attention from his incapability. He also wants to stretch his claws and grab power.
I can’t attend the Town Hall on Feb 1st meeting. However I strongly oppose the idea of eliminating the Parks Board and want to participate in any fight against it
I think that Mayor Sim’s proposal to shut down the Vancouver Park Board is a travesty .
It is essential that it remains an independent autonomous entity.
It is unique and admired around the world as sustaining beautiful parks managed by knowledgeable horticulturalists and managers with the necessary experience for protecting our green spaces against avaricious developers and real estate agencies, which will undoubtedly happen if the city gains total control!
As a club member of one of the City courses, it’s been our experience that we are not treated with any respect and our loyalty has meant nothing to the parks board. They have made arbitrary impactful decisions without even asking us for any input …. I will be happy to see them go. The golf course is not managed as a business. Proshop is manned by people who don’t know anything about golf and they could definitely improve the service hours and menu in the clubhouse.
I am opposed to the notion of eliminating the Parks Board. i believe it serves as an excellent foil against any ill conceived notions of the City Council. Parks Commissionaires were on the ballot and voted for – the public expects them to do the job they were voted to do.
Vancouver City parks are well utilized by all manner of citizens, of all ages and nationalities. Young kids are all over the golf courses and we should be proud of their inclusiveness. Serious money has recently been put into drainage at Langara and that course is now one of the driest in the Lower Mainland. Money has also recently been spent on the pumping machinery at McCleery to add to the drainage issues there. Does this Council intend to throw away all that investment? Why would they do that? I can’t be at the meeting on Feb 1 because of a long-planned reservation at Palm Desert but i expect my views to be taken into account in any deliberations. John Dawson.