On November 19th you can make a difference for Parks and Recreation in Vancouver.

You can re-elect Stuart Mackinnon as your Green Park Board commissioner. For the past 3 years Stuart has been fighting hard for you and your values:

Parks as Parks - working to end the commercialization and politicization of our parks and recreational facilities

Parks as a reflection of our community - working to keep our parks beautifully maintained and realistically funded

Parks as a reflection of our values - helping to save the Bloedel Conservatory and working to improve the VanDusen Botanical gardens

Parks as places of refuge and play - allocating under-utilized areas for community flower gardens

Parks as places for people- keeping our public washrooms open and making sure they have soap and hot water

Community Centres as places for everyone - fighting to keep fees fair; fighting against charging fees to infants and toddlers

Community Centres as safe places for community recreation - fighting for renewal and neighbourhood services

Neighbourhoods as peaceful places to live, work and play - fighting against noisy machines that disturb the tranquility of your home

On November 19 make one of your votes count for parks and recreation.

Re-elect Stuart Mackinnon, your Green Party commissioner.

Dave Meslin: The antidote to apathy | Video on TED.com

Dave Meslin: The antidote to apathy | Video on TED.com

Giving Thanks

On this beautiful crisp morning it is hard not to give thanks for all of our bounty. Walking my dog along the river always reminds me how lucky I have been in my life to have been born in Canada. The beauty of the natural surroundings, the peace and tranquility of a free and democratic society and the shear joy of living in a place that has autumn, are some of the things I am thankful for. I am mindful that not everyone here or elsewhere is as lucky as I have been, and I pray for them as I do for us.

We are grateful at this time for the bountiful harvest in our lives. I am grateful for the opportunities presented to me and for all the wonderful people who have crossed my path. May the blessings of the season be always with you. I wish you and your loved ones a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

A City for Everyone

I recently received a letter asking me to donate money to Vision Vancouver. In it the writer says “I don’t want to live in a city that puts ice skating ahead of the working poor". This made me so angry. This from a party that spent ¾ of million dollars on renovations to the mayor’s office, and then voted to charge fees for the first time to toddlers for recreation. Do they think the working poor don’t use or deserve to use recreational facilities? It is the working poor who need our public community centres, pools, and ice rinks most of all. In times of economic uncertainty we all need our public amenities more than ever.

We need a change of attitude in our civic governance. We need to elect Councillors and Commissioners who are in touch with what Vancouverites want—and that is a clean, beautiful, affordable, and safe city. A city that has amenities for everyone. A city that has recreational facilities available to all. A city where public spaces are for the public, not private interests. We need public washrooms that are open year round. We need affordable recreation in buildings that are safe and secure. We need green spaces that not only are great to play in but also are great just to be in.

This is why I am running for re-election to the Park Board; why my friend and running-mate Adriane Carr is running for Council; why my colleague Louise Boutin is running for School Board. This November 19 make your vote count. Vote for the city you want. Vote for a better Vancouver. Vote Green for Council, Schools, and Parks.

A letter from Ann Phelps, General Manager, Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival

Dear Paddlers and Supporters,

On October 6th, at 2 pm, Vancouver City Staff will present the newest Northeast False Creek planning recommendations to Council for approval. The report includes a list of community amenities contributions (CAC’s) that developers might fund in return for profitable changes in zoning. The Dragon Boat Society has long been lobbying to have the city include a boathouse as a bona fide CAC on this last piece of undeveloped waterfront land on False Creek. Unfortunately, though the report pays lip service to paddling with support for a future home for paddling, the boathouse has been left off the CAC list once again. The appearance of support is meaningless if it’s not backed up with action. A boathouse must be put on the list of approved CAC’s if we want it to be built. It’s that simple. We have support from a developer but they aren’t going to do it all for free. The estimated cost of a boathouse is $5 million dollars.

We are worried that this last piece of land will be developed without a boat house because of conflicting interests. If you’d like to read the whole report, cut and paste this link: http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20111006/documents/penv1.pdf

So, what can you do? You have lots of options.

1. Write a letter to City of Vancouver Mayor and Council telling them you support a permanent home for paddling and rowing in Vancouver and encourage them to put a community boathouse on the list of CAC’s.
You can email your letter to mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca. I’ve listed some points you can use to customize your letter below.

2. Speak on October 6th at 2 pm.
Don’t worry. You don’t have to speak for a long time and anyone of any age can speak. You can even speak as a team. Just get up and tell them who you are and why you think a boat house and permanent home for paddling and rowing is important. You can register to speak by emailing pat.boomhower@vancouver.ca .

Please send this to as many people as you can. Hope to see you on Thursday.

Ann Phelps
General Manager
Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival

Points you might like to put in your letter:

Dragon Boat Festival is a legacy of Expo ‘86.
Council must back up their support of dragon boat and other paddling sports by making a community boathouse a bona fide CAC (Community Amenity Contribution)
There are approximately 8500 dragon boat paddlers using False Creek.
A boathouse will be a lasting legacy for Vancouverites for years to come
The Northeast corner of False Creek is the last piece of undeveloped waterfront land. Once it’s gone, the city loses the opportunity to have a boathouse in False Creek.
If a permanent home is not found soon, paddlers will be forced to go to other nearby cities, or stop paddling.
Vancouver is a maritime city yet offers its citizens very few opportunities to be on the water.
Paddling is part of a healthy active life and can be enjoyed at any age.
The Dragon Boat Society receives less than 3% of it’s revenues from government sources.
Regardless of physical and mental ability, anyone can be a paddler.
Teams from Vancouver compete on the world stage, winning world championships.
Paddling is the ultimate in green sports, with almost no negative impact on the environment.
The Dragon Boat Society introduces 3500 children to dragon boating every season.
The Dragon Boat Society sponsors many teams with free or low cost paddling programs.
Every year approximately 1500 tourists spend an estimated $1,042,500 in Vancouver because of the dragon boat races
The economic impact of the Dragon Boat Festival and Dragon Zone activities is just under $4 million dollars.

Governance of Hastings Park debated by Vancouver politicians

Straight, Publish Date: October 5, 2011

Hastings Park is a park, so it falls under the jurisdiction of the Vancouver park board, right? Well, it’s not, and Coalition of Progressive Electors park-board candidate Brent Granby and Hastings-Sunrise resident Barry Sharbo think that situation should change soon.

But according to Vision Vancouver city councillor Raymond Louie, it’s “premature right now” to determine the appropriate governance model for the site.

Louie is seconding a motion on the October 6 agenda of council asking staff to consult stakeholders about the future governance structure for the city’s second-largest park.

In a phone interview with the Straight, Louie maintained that the 66-hectare city-owned area is not just a park but a multifaceted space. It’s the site of the annual fair at the Pacific National Exhibition and the Playland amusement grounds, which are administered—along with other civic buildings like the Pacific Coliseum—by the board of the PNE, of which Louie is the chair.

It hosts the Hastings Racecourse, for which the Great Canadian Gaming Corp. pays a lease to the city. It’s the home of E-Comm, which provides 911 service and emergency dispatch service, mostly for Metro Vancouver. South of East Hastings Street, and also part of the parkland, is the Hastings Community Centre.

“All of these are currently controlled by council, ultimately by council,” Louie said.

For COPE candidate Granby, that’s not an ideal arrangement. “Is it an amusement attraction or a park?” Granby asked in a phone interview with the Straight. “I think it’s a park.”

Sharbo will address council on October 6. He has previously criticized what many consider as the PNE’s control over Hastings Park.

“It’s like a fiefdom,” Sharbo told the Straight by phone. “It’s a self-perpetuating entity like any big bureaucracy. And, unfortunately, what happens is that organized labour and this group, they’re in harmony with each other.”

Park commissioner Stuart Mackinnon of the Green Party of Vancouver is reserving his final opinion. “Many people in the community, and I happen to be one of them, think that Hastings Park should be governed as a park,” Mackinnon told the Straight. “But I’m wanting to hear what the community at large has to say.”

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Source URL: http://www.straight.com/article-478691/vancouver/governance-hastings-park-debated

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the NEFC Development Plan

A new North East False Creek development report goes before council on Thursday. It has a lot of people talking and it isn't all favourable. Somehow over the many drafts a new boathouse/dock for the dragon boaters was left out. Dragon boating in False Creek is a legacy from Expo 86 and there was always the promise of a permanent home when Creekside park was finished. The Dragon Zone, as it is called, has been using the dock on the south side, which has caused no end of problems as dragon boaters compete for space with the false creek ferries.

Also missing is a big chunk of parkland--well not so much missing as moved. The new plan calls for a reconfiguration of Creekside park extension from one suitable for a playing field, to a linear one not suitable for a playing field. This change was previously presented to the Park Board and the elected Commissioners defeated a motion to reconfigure the park.

The question now is will the Commissioners break their promise to the community and rescind their motion to not reconfigure? I certainly will not. And I will continue to advocate for a new home for paddlers on the northeast side of false Creek.

Parks and recreation must be open to all in Vancouver

by Stuart Mackinnon
Straight.com
Publish Date: September 30, 2011

Vancouver’s natural beauty is worth protecting. Our children not only need places to play, but also places to enjoy and explore nature. We all need places of tranquil refuge from our busy lives. People and nature in balance is my vision for Vancouver’s parks.

Parks should be available for all to enjoy and should not be exclusive to any one group. Parks and community centres are the life-blood of any city. They are where we meet to play, to learn, and to socialize. We must continually re-examine recreation policies to ensure fairness and equal access. We must ensure facilities are available in every neighbourhood.

We are so blessed to live in the natural splendour of Vancouver. However, with recent budgetary constraints our parks have been under threat from neglect due to the lack of proper funding. In 2008 I was honoured to be elected as a park board commissioner and since then have worked to be your voice for parks and recreation in Vancouver. During my term, I have advocated for a management plan for Stanley Park and the return of Hastings Park to the community. I have worked to keep neighbourhood services open, to save the Bloedel Conservatory, and to keep recreational fees reasonable and fair.

I would like the opportunity to continue advocating for parks and services that are important to you and your family. If re-elected, I intend to continuing working towards:

Improving parks and recreation accessibility

Recreational facilities must be open to all. We must re-examine the recreational fees charged to ensure fairness and equal access. Our parks are the refuges of the city for people and wildlife. Our parks are not only places of recreation but also of meditation, and where children can learn about their natural environment. We must preserve and promote them as green spaces.

Ensuring maintenance and safety of our facilities

Our aging infrastructure is quickly deteriorating. Community centre renewal for the Hastings, West Point Grey, and Kerrisdale neighbourhoods is long overdue, yet there is no money in the capital plan to address these needs. Kerrisdale pool and arena are near breaking point and must be either replaced or closed soon. Marpole, which is on the capital plan, has only half the funding necessary, meaning that it will not be replaced during the next term.

Strengthening communication and relationship between park board and unionized staff

Our unionized workers in the parks system have a vested interest in promoting and preserving the parks of our city and should play an active role in their management. This next term will see the renegotiation of a collective agreement, which must be done in a fair and respectful manner.

On November 19, I hope you will vote for natural spaces, renewed facilities, and a parks and recreation system for everyone. People and nature in balance is the Green Party of Vancouver’s vision for our parks and recreation system. I hope it is yours as well. On November 19 please vote to re-elect Stuart Mackinnon.

Stuart Mackinnon is seeking re-election as a Green commissioner on the Vancouver park board.

Source URL: http://www.straight.com/article-475911/vancouver/stuart-mackinnon-parks-and-recreation-must-be-open-all-vancouver

Capital Plan passes - No pool for Mount Pleasant

The Park Board passed the Capital Plan last Monday with one amendment regarding tennis courts at Kits Beach. The plan includes a new annex for Kensington CC and the chance of a new community centre for Marpole, though only half the financing was approved and it is contingent on finding new land to build it, along with a new library, within the central business area of the neighbourhood. An amendment by Commissioner Ian Robertson saw some money moved from new street trees to rebuild the tennis courts at Kits beach--something that was included in the last capital Plan but got taken away as other priorities superseded it. I attempted to make another amendment, to add $1 million dollars to start the process of re-building an outdoor pool in Mt. Pleasant, but it died when there was no seconder for the motion. The Capital Plan then went to City Council where it was passed and now will be presented on the November 19th civic ballot.

I'm not happy with this plan. I don't think the public process was transparent nor fair, and the input of the elected commissioners was limited at best. Kerrisdale, Hastings and West Point Grey are in dire need of new community centres. The Kerrisdale pool and arena are both well past their best before date and should be replaced soon. A lot of new street trees will be added to Vancouver, which is a good thing, but no new money for their maintenance was included (maintenance is operational rather capital expenditure, but we shouldn't be adding to the infrastructure of the city without the assurance of money to maintain it). However, I will support this plan throughout the election period and hope you vote yes, as something is better than nothing. But please tell your candidates that they must do much better in consulting the public. It is after all your money, your city and your future.

Also on Monday the plan to sell alcohol on the greens and fairways of Vancouver's public golf courses passed by a 5-1 vote, with one commissioner absent for the vote and mine the vote against. I believe this is a short-sighted opportunistic move driven by the desire for profit at the expense of public space.

Noise and Nonsense: Setting the record straight

There has been a lot of silliness in the media recently about the Green Party of Vancouver - and myself in particular - in an alliance with other civic parties. This is nothing more than noise and nonsense. The Green Party of Vancouver (GPv) is not in an electoral accommodation of any sort with any other civic political party. At the spring Special General Meeting the GPv membership voted to work with COPE if that party turned down a deal with Vision Vancouver. They did not and so the GPv is running as an independent group. We are not formally or informally aligned with COPE, Vision, or the NPA.

During this term I have worked with Vision, COPE and the NPA on motions I felt were in the public good. As I wrote in an earlier blog, I will continue to work with any other individual or group who shares my values and the Green perspective on individual initiatives. To rule out cooperation because of differences in other areas would be petty and foolish and would be against the public good.