Sunset Beach Community Garden: Great idea, Wrong location

A proposal was brought to the Park Board to create an inter-cultural community garden in the west end of Vancouver. Sponsored by the YMCA Connections in partnership with the West End Residents Association (WERA) and Gordon Neighbourhood House, the proposal would have placed the garden in a grassy area at Sunset Beach. This area is well used by local residents and visitors to the beach. After some consultation it became very apparent that this location did not have local support and so the proposal was withdrawn.

This has brought into question the whole idea of where community gardens should be located and what kind of public consultation should take place. Local residents complained that signage was minimal and located away from from paths and sidewalks. Local residents also said that while they supported a community garden, the proposed location was inappropriate as it was already well used.

The City of Vancouver and the Park Board are great supporters of community gardens as a way of building community and increasing local food capacity. While the latter goal may be debatable, the idea of building community in a diverse and dense population like Vancouver's is good. What needs to be discussed is where community gardens should be located. Are they a good use of parkland? Are there alternatives to parkland? Is building community gardens in parks "privatizing public space" as some have suggested? Does the city have unused land in its inventory that could be an alternative?

Before new proposals for community gardens in public parks are brought before the Park Board, I think both City Councillors and Park Board Commissioners need to look at where community gardens can best be located. Rather than the piecemeal process that is in place now, that often pits garden proponents against park users, I think an overall strategy, that includes public input, needs to be developed.

Parks and Recreation are integral to city life

On such a beautiful Sunday afternoon it's hard not to love Vancouver! The sky is blue, the air is crisp and the leaves are turning into golden confetti. The budget process is under way in the city and news has leaked that the City is $20 million short again this year. For the past two years deficits have meant cuts to the Park Board. Cuts to community services like summer day camps, park maintenance, and community centre programs.

It is important for citizens to participate in the budget process and let City Council know that parks and recreation are important. Parks and community centres are what make our busy city lives manageable. Can you imagine your neighbourhood without gardens and trees? Can you imagine your kids not being able play in the local park? Can you imagine no swimming pools, skating rinks, or community centres? The Park Board looks after all these amenities and much, much more.

Contact the Mayor and City Councillors and tell them that parks are important; that community centres are important; that trees are important. Tell them not to cut Parks and Recreation this year. Write to them at: mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca

Park Board Budget

Public input requested
on proposed Park Board 2011 Fees & Charges
and 2011 Operating Budget Priorities

October 15, 2010 – The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation is requesting feedback from the public on proposed changes to its 2011 Fees & Charges and 2011 Operating Budget. Over 40% of the Park Board’s budget is funded from fees and charges with the rest coming from taxes. Proposed changes to Fees & Charges include: inflationary fee increases of 4% in most areas, with different adjustments proposed for Golf, Parking, VanDusen Gardens and Stanley Park Train; reducing the age at which children are charged admission from 6 to 3 years; introducing youth playfield fees; and changing the pricing structure for low cost sessions from Loonie/Toonie sessions to 50% off regular drop in fees.

Residents are also invited to provide input on a number of new revenue options such as sponsorships, advertising and expanded pay parking.

The public can share their ideas through an online survey available on the Park Board web site. The survey includes questions about what services are considered most important by residents, what suggestions they have for improvement, how the fee structure should be set, and how programs might be prioritized in light of budget challenges.

Additional background information on 2011 operating budget
Details of the proposed 2011 fees & charges

The proposed fees and charges will be reviewed by the Park Board at its board meeting on Monday, November 15, 2010 at Killarney Community Centre so that changes can be implemented for next year. The Board will also continue to solicit public feedback on its 2011 budget priorities up to Park Board approval of the budget in January.

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For more information contact Joyce Courtney, Communications Manager, at 604-257-8699 or 604-861-4375.

City of Vancouver 2011 Budget Consultation

From the Vancouver.ca website:

Do you want to have a say on next year's operating budget? More than 60% of the City’s operating budget is funded by property taxes, which help the City provide the important services that are part of our everyday lives — our well-maintained streets, green parks, libraries, community centres, and police and fire departments. You can help Council make its important decisions about the budget by being part of the consultation process coming up in the fall of 2010.

In the coming weeks, open houses and information displays are planned throughout the city. The public can learn about how the City budget is spent, current priorities and how the City’s operating budget affects everyday programs and services that citizens value. Participants will have the chance to provide their input on how council prioritizes city spending and discuss the importance of library hours, community centre and park operations, police and fire services, street work, garbage collection schedules and other such priorities.

Key dates include:

- October 18: Budget displays mounted at Vancouver Public Library’s central branch and City Hall; budget information booklets distributed to community centres and library branches throughout the city, and posted on the City’s web site

- October 19: Preliminary budget report goes to City Council

- October 20: Start of online and phone surveys on budget priorities

- October 27: Presentation on budget to Vancouver’s multicultural communities

- October 28: Open house at City Hall

- October 28 to November 20: Series of community stakeholder discussions

- End of November : Report back on public input for the budget

- Mid-December: Final decision by Council on the budget

Join the mailing list for information and updates on meetings, send an e-mail to: obc-subscribe@list.vancouver.ca

What Ever Happened to Civil Debate and the Exchange of Ideas?

This past week the Vancouver Sun published an Op/Ed written by former city counsellor Jim Green, in which he accuses public policy analyst and developer Michael Geller of being prejudiced against homeless people and the poor. This is yet another example of the drive by smear that is becoming too common in local politics; pundits and politicians who, rather than address the issues, choose to attack and besmirch the intelligence and reputations of those they disagree with. I don't doubt that Mr. Green and Mr. Geller have differing views on civic affairs, but Mr. Green, in a bullying and nasty piece, chose to attack Mr. Geller personally.

I know Michael Geller and admire him greatly. We probably do not agree on everything either, but he certainly is not prejudiced and to suggest so is not only unkind, but I believe, despicable. Michael Geller worked for many years with CMHC building homes for low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities. He has very definite views on the Olympic Village fiasco, which he shares with anyone who will listen or read. He has the ability to translate complex planning issues into language most people can understand. He is a kind, honest and compassionate man and we here in Vancouver are lucky that he devotes so much of his time to public policy.

During the summer I too was at the receiving end of this kind of smear. The Chair of the Vancouver Park Board, Aaron Jasper, accused me of mischief and putting the Park Board at risk. He did not address the issue at hand but rather chose to attack my honesty and integrity.

It is little wonder that so few good people are drawn into public life, and that most people have such low opinions of politicians. When civil debate is not possible, public policy loses. When the exchange of ideas turns into an exchange of insults, people turn away. It is time that public figures were held to account. It is time to say enough is enough. Stop the personal attacks and debate the issues. There should be no place in politics for cheap shots and personal smears.

Future of Stanley Park's petting zoo land under debate

By Carlito Pablo

Publish Date: September 29, 2010
Straight.com

Park board commissioner Stuart Mackinnon doesn’t want the Vancouver Aquarium to get the land that will be vacated by the Children’s Farmyard at Stanley Park. Due to funding constraints, the park board is closing down the petting zoo on January 2, 2011.

The Green commissioner, who noted that he didn’t know whether the aquarium had expressed interest in the site, argues that it’s better to have the area returned to natural uses.

“I don’t think the aquarium should be expanding any further in Stanley Park for commercial ventures,” Mackinnon told the Straight in a phone interview.

The aquarium didn’t make a spokesperson available for an interview before deadline. According to its website, the tourist attraction, which features whales and other marine animals, occupies 9,000 square metres in Stanley Park.

Last December, the park board called for business plans to keep the farmyard open. A staff report dated September 10, 2010, stated that two expressions of interest were received. However, one was eventually withdrawn. The other didn’t demonstrate the required financial capability. Staff didn’t identify the two parties.

Peter Hamilton, founding director of the animal-rights group Lifeforce, claimed that the aquarium has shown an interest in the farmyard land.

“They had put in a proposal to use it, and the parks board wouldn’t tell us what the proposal was, so I have a freedom-of-information inquiry at city hall now,” Hamilton told the Straight by phone.

Like Mackinnon, Coalition of Progressive Electors park commissioner Loretta Woodcock said she didn’t know whether the aquarium was interested in the farmyard site. However, Woodcock told the Straight by phone that it “wouldn’t be beyond the realm of possibility that the aquarium might take a look at that area”.

According to Vision Vancouver park commissioner Raj Hundal, the park board will issue another request for proposals for the petting-zoo site after the facility closes down early next year.

Bloedel Conservatory Saved!

Park Board unanimously voted for the proposal from the VanDusen Botanical Garden Association and the Friends of Bloedel to jointly manage the Conservatory. Here is a video clip from Global News.

VANCOUVER PARK BOARD COMMISSIONERS CALL FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION TO REMOVE WHARF AT JERICHO BEACH

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 12, 2010

Delay in removing the wharf is causing severe environmental damage to fish habitat

Vancouver, BC – Vancouver Park Board Commissioners Ian Robertson and Stuart Mackinnon are demanding that the Park Board take immediate action to remove the wharf at Jericho Beach. Information provided to the Park Board from Fisheries and Oceans Canada outlines that fish habitat and other marine life is being severely compromised due to toxic contaminants leeching into the water from old creosote pilings.

“This is another example of the Vision Vancouver Park Board caucus waffling on a decision by the previous park board to return the beach to a natural foreshore. Not only is taxpayer money being wasted but now we have a significant environmental problem”, says Park Board Commissioner Ian Robertson.

The Jericho Marginal Wharf, built in the 1930s, was once used by the Royal Canadian Air Force as a float plane base. It has been closed to the public since the summer of 2009 as it has been deemed a hazard due to age related structural problems.

“Vancouver, being a coastal city, is blessed with a beautiful foreshore, but unfortunately much of it is not accessible to the public. Returning this area to its natural habitat will enhance the area, and create a haven for both people and nature” says Commissioner Stuart Mackinnon. “It’s time the Park Board moved on this”.

The previous Park Board voted in July 2008 to remove a significant portion of the wharf and return the beach to a natural state. Despite three previous public meetings and strong public support for returning the beach to a natural state, the Vision Vancouver Park Board caucus voted unanimously in March 2009 to rescind the previous Board’s decision.

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Don't expect aquarium referendum anytime soon

By Sandra Thomas, Vancouver Courier, August 18, 2010 7:03 AM

Coalition For No Whales in Captivity spokesperson Annelise Sorg has been pushing for a referendum on keeping whales and dolphins at the Vancouver Aquarium for 18 years, nine park boards, six civic elections and 30 park board commissioners.

So she wasn't surprised last month when the Vision Vancouver majority of park board commissioners voted down a motion by the Green Party's Stuart Mackinnon to hold a non-binding plebiscite on keeping captive cetaceans as part of the 2011 civic election. Mackinnon's motion followed the June death of Nala, the aquarium's one-year-old baby beluga, whose death was caused by a penny and several rocks trapped in an airway.

According to Vision Vancouver park board chair Aaron Jasper, such a move could put the park board at risk of a lawsuit should the aquarium decide to get litigious. That's because in 2006 the previous NPA-dominated park board extended the aquarium's lease for 20 years with a deal there'd be no discussion on captive cetaceans until 2015. At the same time, the NPA commissioners of the day quashed the previous COPE-dominated board's promise to hold a plebiscite on the issue.

And now, the aquarium is preparing to expand, once again, thanks to $15 million from the feds and $10 million from the province. The aquarium's expansion isn't news--the $80 million project was approved in 2006 without a public referendum. But it's notable that government funding was announced just weeks after Mackinnon's failed motion--and at a time when the park board has been forced to lay off staff and cut back on community centre programs, not to mention the school board forced to close schools due to budget cuts.

The NPA-dominated park board of 2006 approved the expansion based on a $300,000 survey paid for by the aquarium, which made many residents and some park board commissioners question the validity of the results. COPE commissioner Loretta Woodcock summed it up this way: "The public is being asked if they really like the aquarium expansion," said Woodcock at the time. "Or if they really, really like it."

What Mackinnon, Woodcock and many residents want now is a plebiscite that offers one simple yes-or-no question, such as "Should the aquarium phase out the containment of cetaceans in Stanley Park?"

Aquarium president John Nightingale explained that some of the work in the expansion includes vital repairs to infrastructure, such as the underwater wall and viewing window located underneath the B.C. Wild Coast exhibit, which opened in 2001. Nightingale said if that vital work isn't completed, the aquarium will have to drain that pool. He adds those improvements are interconnected with other work--for example the roof on that gallery will also have to come off and be replaced, changing the appearance of the building from the outside. The expansion has been broken up into eight separate yet connected projects to be completed in three phases.

I asked Nightingale if any of the improvements will change the way visitors view the whale, dolphin and sea lion pools in light of Nala's death, which many blame on humans tossing items into the cetaceans' pools. Just two weeks ago, the spouse of a Courier reporter was at the aquarium when a child tossed a purple wallet into the sea lion pool. Nightingale says that while changes to viewing areas aren't on the aquarium's to-do list, the final design has yet to be decided.

According to the book People, Fish and Whales: The Vancouver Aquarium Story by Murray Newman and Nightingale, the first aquarium expansion was in 1967. Subsequent expansions have taken place at regular intervals ever since. In 1995, the majority of NPA commissioners voted that any future expansion would go to referendum. But in 2006, another NPA-dominated board rescinded that promise. So the aquarium has been running the show ever since. Given the park board's history of flip-flopping, does anyone really expect a change in 2015? It's probably going to take Annelise Sorg at least another six civic elections and another 30 commissioners before the park board finally stands up and asks, "Should the aquarium phase out the containment of cetaceans in Stanley Park?"

sthomas@vancourier.com

© Copyright (c) Vancouver Courier

City's democratic deficit

By Michael Bellegarde, Vancouver Sun August 7, 2010

One of the hardest things to find in Canada right now is good old-fashioned democracy.

After Stephen Harper prorogued Parliament and the B.C. Liberals slammed the harmonized sales tax down the throats of the electorate, I had clung to the hope that municipal politics would be the last bastion of democracy.

Alas, the Vancouver park board recently voted against Green Party commissioner Stuart MacKinnon's motion to have a plebiscite about whales and dolphins being kept in captivity.

For me, this was less an issue of cetaceans in captivity than of the democratic process in Vancouver's politics.

The commissioners who voted against the motion all took the coward's route out -- each one stated that a deal was in place with the Vancouver Aquarium and he or she had to honour it.

I would agree with them.

However, the motion was simply to ask the citizens what they thought, not to amend the agreement or renege on the deal.

The results of the plebiscite would merely have served as a compass to guide the board in its decisions, come 2015.

I am relatively new to Vancouver, but I thought I had read somewhere that Mayor Gregor Robertson is a bit of a socialist.

Why are his Vision Party comrades on the park board catering to corporate wishes, rather than the will of the people?

Michael Bellegarde

Vancouver

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/City+democratic+deficit/3371283/story.html#ixzz0vvvWo52D