I believe in better parks and recreation for Vancouver.

It is strange to think that the ideas I was fighting for in 1999 are still the issues 15 years later. Below is from the original BetterParks site that I started in 2001. Values never change.

 

I have always cared passionately for our parks and green spaces. Growing up in Vancouver was like growing up in a magical land, filled with green fields, tall trees, forests, sandy beaches and sunny days at the poolside. I want every child to be able to share this experience. 

 Parks and community centres are the lifeblood of our city. They should be open to all—not just the wealthy and not just for those lucky enough to live near a destination facility. Parks and community centres are for everyone.

 We must re-examine recreational fees to ensure fairness and equal access. We have a special responsibility to our elders and those on limited and fixed incomes, to make community centres affordable.

 Every neighbourhood should have the opportunity of having recreational facilities. The closing of neighbourhood pools must stop. Our parks are the refuges of the city for people and wildlife. We must preserve and promote them as green spaces.

 The unionised workers in the parks system have a vested interest in promoting and preserving them and should play an active role in their management.

 Stanley Park is a natural treasure; it is our duty and responsibility to protect it for all future generations. We must stop the destruction; we must stop the expansion of the aquarium; and we must stop the commercialization of this jewel in the crown of Vancouver.

Working together we can have better parks.

 

from BetterParks.ca circa 2001

300 postings on making Better Parks for Vancouver

This marks the 300th posting since 2008 on this incarnation of the BetterParks blog. I originally started this blog in 2001 on an old Telus members site, and migrated over to blogspot 6 years later. One of the first postings on the original site was about my excitement with a COPE win at the Park Board after the 2002 civic election. I talked about my hopes after years of the neglect and deterioration of our parks and community centres, increasing fees, and the commercialization of our public spaces.

Since 1999 I have been advocating for parks and public spaces. This advocacy has taken me to some fantatsic places like SPEC - the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation, and the VanDusen Botanical Gardens Association. I have been honoured by being elected to the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation (the Park Board), and being a Trustee of the Vancouver Public Library.

Over the years I have blogged about parks and gardens, beaches and natural spaces. About whales and dolphins in captivity, and about dogs in parks. About trees and flowers, recycling and bathrooms. I have advocated for seniors and children, for natural spaces and outdoor swimming pools. And a lot more.

Six months from now there will be another civic election, and the issues that meant so much to me a dozen or more years ago are still in the forefront. I have been asked by many people and many political parties to run again. To be honest I haven't yet decided. It takes a lot of time and effort to be a candidate, and even more to be an elected official. I'll take the summer to decide and will make my announcement here first.

Thank you to all the readers, casual and regulars, for caring about parks and recreation as much as I do. It is for you that I do what I do.

Summer starts in Vancouver with the opening of outdoor pools and beaches

Well...here's a press release we've wanted to see for a while. Seems like summer has started at Vancouver Parks!

Vancouver Park Board

News Release

May 14, 2014

Starting this Victoria Day long weekend, the city’s outdoor pools and beaches will open, and lifeguards and Park Rangers will be on duty.

 The heated seaside pools at Kitsilano Beach Park, Second Beach in Stanley Park and New Brighton Park open Saturday, May 17. Swimmers often line-up to be the first in. Please check pool schedules for operating hours. Vancouver’s outdoor pools operate through the Labour Day weekend. Kitsilano Pool is typically open until mid-September. Maple Grove Pool, an outdoor pool in Kerrisdale, opens June 21 and closes September 1. Hillcrest Centre’s outdoor pool will open in July after annual maintenance and repairs are complete.

New this year, temporary windbreaks have been installed at both Kitsilano and Second Beach pools. The screens will significantly reduce heat loss and goosebumps! A two-week trial in early June last year at Second Beach reduced the pool’s energy consumption by 400 gigajoules of natural gas—a savings of $4,000. The windbreaks will also protect swimmers and sunbathers from chilly prevailing winds.

The Park Board’s outdoor pools offer a range of affordable admission options from single drop-in visits, 10 visit passes or monthly Flexipasses. These pass products save users money and can be conveniently loaded onto the system-wide OneCard recreation passport.
Starting this weekend, beach lifeguards and Park Rangers will also be on duty.
Lifeguards patrol the Park Board's 11 supervised bathing beaches from Victoria Day to Labour Day, from approximately 11:30 am to 8:30 pm daily (closing at 9 pm from mid-June to mid-August), except when the red light is on at the Lifeguard Station. Almost 18 kilometres of ocean beach stretch from Spanish Banks West all the way around English Bay to Third Beach in Stanley Park. Trout Lake, located in John Hendry Park, is the only freshwater, lifeguarded supervised beach in Vancouver. Residents and visitors are reminded to always be water smart. Choose a supervised swim location at a Vancouver beach or pool.

A team of five full-time and more than 30 seasonal Park Rangers act as the Park Board's ambassadors in more than 230 city parks. Uniformed Rangers help visitors with wayfinding, park services, monitoring of play fields, by-law enforcement, and park activities such as filming and special events. For the second year in a row there is a dedicated Ranger to manage homeless issues and outreach. The public is asked to call 311 if they require a Park Ranger’s assistance.

All beaches and parks are smoke-free. Dogs are not permitted on beaches and must be leashed in other areas (except in designated off-leash areas). Fires are not allowed in parks or on beaches at any time. Barbecue coal pits are provided for hot coals at many popular beach and picnic locations.

- 30 -

Media contact:

Vancouver Park Board

604-257-8699

vancouver.ca

What kind of a City do you want?

In the 9 May 2014 edition of the Vancouver Sun in a section called this day in history, they ran an article entitled "The failed industrial plans for Spanish Banks", describing the plans of the former Municipality of Point Grey (1908-29) to industrialize the area we know today as Spanish Banks beach. The plans included heavy industry, docks and even an airport. Point Grey Road would have continued through Jericho Beach and have become a major thoroughfare.

All a bit of nostalgic fluff? Not at all. This was a town doing what towns do: planning. If not for the amalgamation of Point Grey into Vancouver, the beloved beaches of the west-side might not have existed today. This is why planning is so important. So important that it should not be left solely up to the politicians to make these decisions. It is the residents, the citizens, the taxpayers who must make these important decisions.

We have an opportunity to comment on Vancouver's next Capital Planning right now. The Capital Plan is our financial plan to invest in the City's systems. Make your opinions known. Make your voice heard. Get involved. Share your views at the City's Capital Plan website.

No Campaign Finance Reform This Year

With a vote of 9-1, Green Party Cllr. Adriane Carr's motion for campaign finance reform was defeated at City Council this past week. Surprise? Not really as all 9 dissenting votes came from Vision Vancouver and the NPA--the two parties that benefit most from unlimited campaign donations and lax rules on donation disclosure.

Vision Vancouver in their usual insulting manner, declared Carr's motion as "naive" and "dangerous". Both Vision and the NPA talked of lack of trust and the inability to enforce voluntary rules. Kerry Jang, who seems incapable of adding anything intelligent or useful to any debate, added his usual demeaning and childish contribution talking of "scout’s honour" and "pinky promise".

If the two largest civic political parties cannot be trusted to follow volunteer finance rules, how then can we trust them with our tax dollars?

The truth is that the NPA and Vision Vancouver have the most to lose. All those millions of dollars from their deep pocketed friends in the development community could be lost. Elections couldn't be bought any more by groups who have the most to gain from city decisions. Both the NPA and Vision spent millions of dollars on their last campaign and chances are they will spend even more this year to keep their places at City Hall.

Despite their claims that they have been calling for Victoria to change the rules for years, the proof of their commitment to reform was shown with the 9-1 vote. Isn't it time that honesty and integrity were returned to our civic politics? More than ever this vote shows where each of the parties stands. Come November the people of Vancouver will have the opportunity to make real changes at 12th and Cambie. Will it be four more years of the same old cynical politics or will the people take back their city government?

The Courage of Her Convictions: Cllr Carr calls for plebiscite on whales in captivity

City Counsellor Adriane Carr has submitted a notice of motion for a plebiscite to be held during next November’s civic election in Vancouver on keeping whales and dolphins in captivity. This is important as the Park Board will be reviewing their cetacean in captivity by-law in 2015. 

Cllr. Carr has the courage of her convictions. Her brave stand is in great contrast to other civic leaders who speak but do not follow through; who demand media attention for themselves, but not a voice for others. Mayor Robertson and the Vision Park Board Commissioners believe only they should have the right to voice their opinions and make this decision. Cllr. Carr believes this is an issue that everyone should have the opportunity to speak on.

In 2010 I submitted a similar motion to the Park Board. COPE’s Loretta Woodcock seconded and supported my motion. Vision’s Sarah Blyth, Constance Barnes, Raj Hundal and Aaron Jasper opposed and voted against this motion, citing vague and mysterious ‘legal’ issues. Aaron Jasper, Chair of the Park Board at that time, chose to make very personal attacks on me and my integrity, rather than address the moral issues involved.  He did however promise a public process before the 2015 by-law review. Now he seems to think this should not happen; that staff should report and the current Commissioners decide.

As I stated in 2010, this is not just about whales and dolphins at the Vancouver Aquarium. This is about our fundamental right to express our views in a democratic manner. Unlike COPE and the Vancouver Green Party, the issue of whales in captivity has never been a part of Vision Vancouver’s platform. Rather than discussing this during the last election, they consciously chose not to express their views, letting their no vote to my motion in 2010 speak for itself.

I am gladdened that Sarah Blyth, Constance Barnes and Gregor Robertson have had a change of heart. I am proud that my mayor has stood up and said what he believes. But I am saddened that these same elected officials do not believe that the voters of Vancouver should have a say as well. Cllr Carr’s motion can change this. 

Mr. Mayor, City Councillors Affleck, Ball, Deal, Jang, Louie, Meggs, Reimer, Stevenson and Tang, do the right thing. Support this motion. Allow the people of Vancouver to express their views on this important issue. Let the people decide. Let democracy take its course. Let us once and for all settle this issue of whales and dolphins in captivity in Vancouver parks.

The time has come to phase out whales and dolphins from Stanley Park

The time has come for a change at the Aquarium. It is time for them to phase out the containment of whales and dolphin (cetaceans). If they won’t do it voluntarily then they must be compelled to. Next year the Park Board will re-negotiate the terms of the Aquariums lease in Stanley Park. Part of that lease must be the phasing out of whales and dolphins.

This week a lot of publicity has surrounded the announcement by two Vision Vancouver Park Commissioners that they want to see the end of whale captivity at Vancouver Aquarium. Sarah Blyth and Constance Barnes say that they want the Aquarium to phase out whales and dolphins. I applaud their statements but I do have some misgivings. Both Commissioners Blyth and Barnes voted against a motion I brought to the Park Board in 2010 for a plebiscite during the 2011 election. Neither have called for a vote in this November’s civic election.  “I’d like to see the question asked, "Should whales be kept in captivity at this time?’” Blyth said (in the Courier). “But we can’t bind another board to a decision we’ve made.” 

There is only limited time to get a plebiscite question onto the November ballot. I hope Commissioners Blyth and Barnes will have the courage of their convictions and bring a motion to the Park Board asking City Council to put the question to the people. Let the citizens of Vancouver have their say.

Both COPE and the Green Party are on record favouring holding a city-wide vote on the phasing out of whales and dolphins. I hope Vision Vancouver will join and real action can be taken this year.

You can speak out by writing to the Park Board and City Council asking for a vote. Write to: 
PBcommissioners@vancouver.ca and mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca

What is a park?

The development at Oakridge is just a little bit controversial. This new plan will see the corner of Cambie and 41st Avenue transformed from a low rise mall into a highly dense tower city. There are many controversial aspects to this proposal but perhaps none more so than the proposal to include a 'rooftop park'. This got me thinking about what exactly we mean by the word park. Is a park simply an area that is green? Or open? Is it any place where people can see flowers or trees or kick a ball? What makes a park a park rather than simply a green space or a public place?

Dictionary.com defines a park as: 1.an area of land, usually in a largely natural state, for the enjoyment of the public, having facilities for rest and recreation, often owned, set apart, and managed by a city, state, or nation. 2. an enclosed area or a stadium used for sports: a baseball park. 3.a considerable extent of land forming the grounds of a country house. 4.British . a tract of land reserved for wild animals; game preserve. 5. Western U.S. a broad valley in a mountainous region.

The Oxford on-line says:  1. A large public garden or area of land used for recreation 1.1 A large enclosed piece of ground attached to a country house 1.2 A large enclosed area of land used to accommodate wild animals in captivity

 Merriam Webster states:  a piece of public land in or near a city that is kept free of houses and other buildings and can be used for pleasure and exercise;  a large area of public land kept in its natural state to protect plants and animals; sports : a field or stadium where a sport (especially baseball) is played

I could find many other examples, but I will leave it at these three. What do all three have in common? Land. In all three definitions, a park is a piece of land. Not a garage, not a mall, and certainly not a roof. A park is a piece of land.

The developers and the City can call what they are proposing many things. They can call it an amenity. They can call it a garden. They can call it a green space. What they can't call it is a park.

 

Our elected leaders need to talk less and listen more.

As we all watched the bizarre proceedings in the city of Toronto, and the consequences of the mayor’s behaviour, I think these events are symptomatic of a larger problem in Canadian politics. The mayor of Toronto will not step aside, no matter what the cost to his city, because he feels an entitlement to his position. I believe there is a culture of entitlement within our political realm that bodes ill for the future of local, regional and national governance.

There is an incredible arrogance in politics today; an elitist sense of entitlement and an attitude that we know better than you so just shut up and let us get on with it. This is evident in Vancouver too. From Mayor Robertson calling people who disagree with him ‘f-ing hacks’, to Cllr Meggs calling Grandview-Woodlands ‘dead in the water’ because some of the residents disagree with Visions development plans.  What has happened to respectful dialogue?

Vision Parks Commissioner Aaron Jasper is becoming famous for his re-inventions of the truth when anyone disagrees with him. When I called for a plebiscite on whales in captivity he claimed that my motion 'knowingly put the Park Board at risk of a lawsuit'. This was after the City legal department had vetted the motion and Jasper himself, as Chair of the Board, had put it on the agenda. More recently a Park Board motion, to form an advisory group to review and make recommendations on the Kitsilano /Hadden park portion of the Seaside Greenway Route, was defeated by Vision because, as Jasper said, it proposed the committee would have an ‘overriding power’ to direct the Park Board. The motion said no such thing.

When our elected politicians make up the truth to suit their ends, when they belittle and insult the public because some disagree, when they hold contempt for the very citizens they are supposed to represent, then we know we have a crisis in democracy.

This contempt is not only restricted to the civic level. From Gordon Campbell saying one thing about the GST before the election and another afterward, to the federal crisis in robocalls, Senate expenses and payoffs, and the contempt shown on both sides of the aisle in our legislatures and parliament, I believe our democracy is dire in trouble.

To me leadership isn’t running out in front and expecting everyone else to follow, nor is it telling citizens that we know better than you so shut up and put up. To me leadership is finding out where people want to go and then finding the way to get them there. It’s telling people the hard truths and realities, and helping them adjust to a changing landscape. It is working to better the lives of everyone, not just the ones that think like they do.

 Our elected leaders need to talk less and listen more. They need more humility and less a sense of entitlement. They need to be open-minded and resourceful. 

Honesty and respect may sound old fashioned, but they are the cornerstones of a civil society. Our leaders need to lead by modelling the behaviours we need to face the challenges that lie ahead.

Act of Remembrance

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.

Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

"For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon.

image from wikipedia