BC Housing Neglecting Stamps Residents

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Vancouver BC July 29^th 2015

On October 3^rd 2014, residents of the Stamps Place Housing Complex were informed the BC Housing was immediately putting our housing up for sale to a private nonprofit. Despite repeated requests to BC Housing that tenants be involved in any decisions about the future for our homes, our requests have been ignored. To date, no decision has been announced but BC Housing maintains that the land sale will go forward as planned and that a decision will be announced in due course. We have received this information not directly from BC Housing, which has never responded to us, but through second-hand reports.

In the interim, a number of substantive issues have arisen which must be addressed before BC Housing proceeds with the Stamps sale:

• The Tenants Council has filed a complaint with the Ombudsperson’s Office re lack of fair process, specifically due to the constricted time available for any group to respond to the proposed sale, and to the fact that BC Housing has accepted Atira Housing as one of the possible purchasers, despite the direct conflict of interest involved due to the marriage between the CEOs of BC Housing and Atira.
• The BC Auditor General is investigating the government’s property sell-off. As the Stamps property sale will be potentially affected by the result of that investigation, no sale should go forward until the completion of that investigation.
• A resident’s complaint has been filed with the BC Privacy Commissioner raising concerns that BC Housing is proposing to hand over personal family information to the to-be-chosen nonprofit without specific consent from the resident. The resident is particularly concerned about information regarding the children, as private organizations do not offer the same level of security and privacy guarantees as do government agencies.

We are also upset because BC Housing has clearly lost interest in supporting the Stamps tenants, and our complex is suffering as a result. Most staff have been transferred out and we now have only two staff members covering a complex of 375 suites. There are no staff on site overnight, although we live in the most dangerous neighbourhood in Vancouver and far more people are outside in the evening during the summer.

BC Housing has virtually stopped responding to maintenance calls. They had implemented a very effective bug busting program here some months ago, but have now removed all the equipment, and residents are once again having to cope with pests and bug bites. Despite the shortage of affordable housing in the city, a number of suites in Stamps now sit empty. We can only speculate on the reason, although suspect that BC Housing simply doesn’t want to pay for the necessary refurbishment.

No matter what BC Housing’s plans, they have responsibilities to our residents until they formally transfer ownership. Their current lack of care is completely unacceptable.

Many of us are feeling increasingly trapped by our circumstances. Vancouver is clearly facing a crisis in housing affordability. Should any new owner of the complex raise our rents or prove to be a poor housing manager, too many of us may end up facing homelessness or find our children subjected to poor housing. The security we have so valued with BC Housing will disappear. Once the complex is under private ownership, many of our current protections will be lost.

We firmly believe that the only way to guarantee that the Stamps Place complex will remain affordable is to ensure that the land remains in public ownership. Therefore we have now written to the City of Vancouver to request that they purchase the land from BC Housing and establish it as a permanent land trust. Securing the Stamps Place land for the future will fit well with the City’s aspirations to support housing for seniors and families. We are hopeful that the City will work with us

Stamps Place is too valuable to lose. We once again plead with BC Housing and the Provincial Government to reconsider and to work with us and with the City to protect our homes.

 

For more information contact:

Guy Wakeman, President, Stamps Place Tenants Council, 778-231-1729

stampsplacecouncil@hotmail.com

Vancouver man raising a stink about dog waste going into landfill

Dedicated bins like those in Pacific Spirit Regional Park urged Doo’s & don’ts:

 By Cheryl Chan, The Province July 1, 2015

Raymond Greenwood is hounding the city to fix a crappy situation.

He has a bone to pick with all the plastic-bagged dog feces discarded in garbage containers in Vancouver.

With more than 100,000 dogs in the city, each producing an estimated average of 370 grams of feces a day, that amounts to a lot of smelly stuff that needs disposing.

“You see bins absolutely full of dog poo in bags and that’s just the way it’s done,” said Greenwood. “Here we are doing such a good job on the food waste, so why aren’t we doing it for dog waste, when it’s so easy to do?”

Dog waste dumped into garbage bins ends up in the landfill, where conditions aren’t optimal for decomposition and can contribute to methane gas production.

Greenwood, a Vancouver resident, wants the city to put designated dog waste bins in some dog parks on a trial basis, similar to bins at some parks in Auckland and London and at Pacific Spirit Regional Park where he often takes his spaniel Pip and Yorkshire terrier Bell.

Pacific Spirit has 22 red bins dedicated to collecting dog poop. They’re well used and have diverted tons of waste from landfills, said Greenwood.

The ideal solution — taking bags of dog waste home to flush down the toilet and then putting the soiled bag into the trash — is a hard sell: “Give yourself a shake,” said Greenwood. “Is that going to happen?”

Metro Vancouver, which manages Pacific Spirit Regional Park, started using the red bins more than a decade ago in a bid to cope with the excrement left behind at its parks, which in 2010 saw an estimated 2.4 million visits by people with dogs.

It has installed dog toilets at some parks and septic tanks at others.

At Pacific Spirit, where 75 per cent of waste is dog poop, the red bins have been effective, said Richard Wallis, Metro Vancouver park operations supervisor for the west area. Usage is high. “From our observation, it’s very successful. We’re getting separation at the source,” Wallis said.

Last year, Metro Vancouver collected 21,000 kilograms of dog feces from 54 bins at eight parks. The bins are collected by contractors, who open each bag by hand and remove the dog waste, which is discharged into the sewer system at the Iona waste water treatment facility.

One drawback of the program, Wallis said, is cost — $23,000 a year at Pacific Spirit alone.
It’s something Metro Vancouver is committed to doing, he said, but it’ll continue to “evolve” as they “try to find other effective and efficient ways of doing this at a reasonable cost.”

At city hall the response to Greenwood’s dogged efforts has been lukewarm.

Albert Shamess, Vancouver’s head of waste management, said it is monitoring Metro Vancouver’s program to see if it’s sustainable, but there are no plans to implement a similar program in the near future.

Shamess said he is concerned about the logistics and processing of the program, as well as its efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

“How practical is it in the long term to have people sitting around cutting bags open and getting the waste out? It seems to be a very difficult long-term solution.”

Only a small portion of Vancouver’s dog feces goes into the landfill, where “it’s controlled, well-managed, and dealt with safely,” he said. The real issue, he added, is the number of dog owners who don’t pick up after their pets.

Vancouver Park Board commissioner Stuart Mackinnon said the proposed disposal method is labour-intensive but is a step in the right direction. He wants the city to look into best practices in other jurisdictions.

“I’m disappointed we can’t even start trials,” Mackinnon said. He acknowledged trials cost money, but said: “I don’t think (the current process) is the green thing to do. This is stuff that can be better disposed of.”

He and fellow Green Party commissioner Michael Wiebe have motions on this “ready to go,” said Mackinnon, but they’ve been asked not to bring it forward until a report on Vancouver’s “dog strategy” is released later this year or next year.

In the meantime, Mackinnon said he has asked staff about getting trash containers in parks cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis because of the stench.

“With the weather we are having right now, it’s even worse — it simply bakes in there.”

— Do scoop your dog’s poop and deposit it in a red bin or trash container. Otherwise, the feces gets swept into storm drains and carried into waterways where it can create bacterial contamination.

— Do bring the bag home and empty it into the toilet, then throw the plastic bag into the trash. Gross factor aside, this is the best disposal method.

— Do compost. You can build a compost pit at home or use store-bought dog poop compost bins.

— Do not leave dog poop in yards or bushes. Dog poop isn’t fertilizer. It’s rich in bacteria and nitrogen that can be harmful to plants, aquatic life and people.

— Metro Vancouver, David Suzuki Foundation

chchan@theprovince.com
twitter.com/cherylchan

 © Copyright (c) The Province

Chicago takes back their parks and fights against commercialization

An interesting article from In These Times on a neighbourhood in Chicago pushing back.

Why We Organized to Kick Riot Fest Out of Humboldt Park

 Pushing the punk rock festival out of the park was a victory against gentrification and the privatization of public spaces.

 BY Lynda Lopez, In These Times

Organizers of the punk rock music festival Riot Fest announced last week Wednesday that after three years in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side, it would not be returning to the neighborhood in 2015. Instead, it is setting up shop in Douglas Park in the North Lawndale community.

Alderman Roberto Maldonado had come out publicly against the music festival after supporting it for the last three years and is receiving a lot of the praise (and criticism) about Riot Fest's announcement. But the alderman doesn’t deserve all of the credit. Grassroots organizing among the citizens of Humboldt Park led Riot Fest’s departure.

During this past election cycle, Grassroots Illinois Action-Humboldt Park Area (GIA-HPA), an independent political organization comprised of community residents, (full disclosure: of which I am a member) emerged as a powerful force in Humboldt Park. Intended as a venue for residents to organize around issues in the area, Riot Fest quickly became one issue members wanted to address. After three years in Humboldt Park, residents were tired of what we saw as the continued privatization of the park that not only left it severely damaged, but limited its usage for residents months after the festival.

Through collaboration with groups like Humboldt Park Citizens Against Riot Fest, GIA-HPA helped organize a mass of people that showed up to Alderman Roberto Maldonado’s ward nights, launched a public petition against Riot Fest, held a press conference in the park and came out in full force to the commissioners of the park board meeting. This continual pressure on Riot Fest and our elected officials ultimately led to the ousting of the festival.

Families will no longer have to see Riot Fest fences go up that separate the park from the community. Little League teams won't have to worry about their fields being unfit to use. Residents will no longer have to feel that their community park is controlled by private hands.

What once seemed like an insurmountable goal against a multimillion dollar festival has come to pass, and it sends a strong message about the usage of our public parks. Throughout the city, we see corporations exerting more power over spaces that were initially intended to serve communities, not for profit-generating festivals.

From questions over a presidential library in historic South Side parks to concerns about the Star Wars Museum on lakefront parkland, city residents want parks that serve the people, not private interests. Despite our victory in Humboldt Park, we see its relocation to Douglas Park (without any community input) as a continual disregard of the rights of residents to their public parks. Festivals like Riot Fest should operate in venues that don’t encroach on public land. Residents of North Lawndale, the community that encompasses Douglas Park, are already meeting and discussing ways to address Riot Fest's arrival, and we will be supporting these efforts.

Despite the shortfalls of our victory, this outcome is also an important win against gentrification in Humboldt Park. In a gentrifying community, there is often an air of inevitability to changes, but through this fight residents were able to show that they don't need to take these changes lightly. Residents stood up against the privatization of their park by Riot Fest and won; they can stand up against the gentrification that is displacing the poor and erasing the presence of people of color. While our efforts are centered on our community, these issues are widespread.

Throughout the city, our city services are being privatized and communities are becoming inaccessible to the poor as new development caters to the wealthy. The idea of “building a new Chicago” never seemed less inclusive. Neighborhood by neighborhood, we are showing that that's not the Chicago we want to live in. We want a Chicago that doesn't only cater to the rich but the poor and working class. We are coming together and fighting for a better vision of Chicago.

Lynda Lopez

Lynda Lopez is a member of Grassroots Illinois Action. She lives in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago.

Park commissioners lament Vancouver Aquarium only option for rescued false killer whale

by Travis Lupick on May 26th, 2015 at 6:18 PM

 Park commissioners have said they are saddened to learn another cetacean will live in captivity at the Vancouver Aquarium.

The Green Party’s Stuart Mackinnon suggested animals deemed unfit for release could be relocated to protected sea pens.

“Another creature from the wild is going to be kept in captivity,” he said in a telephone interview. “I understand the aquarium is saying that it was too young when it was taken and that it cannot be released. But keeping it in a small pool for the entertainment of humans doesn’t seem like a dignified life for such a creature.”

Vision Vancouver commissioner Catherine Evans told the Straight she wished there were a better option.

“I’m sad that it’s not releasable,” Evans said. “But if captivity is the only option for an animal, then the Vancouver Aquarium is a good place.”

On May 26, the Vancouver Aquarium announced that a false killer whale named Chester would stay in Stanley Park. The animal was rescued off the west coast of Vancouver Island in July 2014 and nursed back to health by aquarium staff.

In a telephone interview, Vancouver Aquarium senior vice president Clint Wright emphasized the decision to keep the whale in captivity was made by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. He said Chester will now share a tank with a Pacific white-sided dolphin named Helen.

An aquarium media release states that Fisheries and Oceans Canada advises false killer whales be kept with other members of their own species. Asked if there are plans to acquire an additional false killer whale, Wright said there is currently no suitable partner held by any aquarium in North America.

“If a rescued animal comes up elsewhere at a facility that meets the high standards of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums, then that would be something that we would be looking at and doing what is in the best interests of Chester,” Wright said.

The park board’s oversight of the Vancouver Aquarium became an election issue during the 2014 race for mayor. Vision Vancouver candidates pledged to end captive whale and dolphin breeding while NPA candidates said they would take a hands-off approach to the aquarium. The NPA eventually won four of the board’s seven seats.

Both Mackinnon and Evans told the Straight the park board was neither consulted nor informed in advance of the aquarium’s decision to permanently house Chester in Stanley Park.
The announcement came just two days after the aquarium lost a Pacific white-sided dolphin. On May 24, an animal named Hana died after being diagnosed with a gastrointestinal disorder. A team of specialists performed surgery but the animal died shortly after.

Hana was the second cetacean the aquarium lost in 2015. On February 19, a beluga whale named Nanuq died while on loan to a SeaWorld facility in Orlando, Florida.

The Vancouver Aquarium now owns one false killer whale, one Pacific white-sided dolphin, a pair of Pacific harbour porpoises, and eight beluga whales. Two of the belugas are kept in Stanley Park, four are housed at SeaWorld facilities in the United States, and two are on loan to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.

Original story here.

Follow Travis Lupick on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

 

 © 2015 Vancouver free press

Democracy must always be seen

This blog has been very quiet for the past five months. I wanted to give the new Park Board a chance to find it's feet. It isn't easy being a newly elected. When a Board of seven Commissioners has a turn-over of six, it is even harder. I have the advantage of having sat at the table before, so in fact there are 5 new Commissioners.

I may have sat at the table before, but nothing prepared me for the incredible changes that took place over the three years I was away. While the tone and decorum around the table is much improved--the insults and bullying have disappeared--the loss in democratic process more than makes up for it.

The first hint that something was amiss happened almost immediately, with the new Chair of the Board, John Coupar [NPA], cancelling the December meeting of the Board without consultation with the other Commissioners. Other than the inaugural meeting when the new Commissioners were sworn in, the first meeting of the Park Board was not until January 19th, a full 2 months after being elected and 6 weeks after being sworn in.

The next hint was when the Chair (who by convention appoints Commissioner liaisons to the Community Centre Associations) appointed the four NPA Commissioners to 17 out of the 23 CCA liaison positions. Catherine Evans [Vision] was appointed to one, while Michael Wiebe [Green] was initially given one, but later a second when it was found that the Chair had neglected to appoint a liaison to one community centre, and I was give three. So, that is 17 appointments to the 4 NPA Commissioners, and 6 appointments to the 3 non-NPA Commissioners. This was all done without consultation with the Commissioners involved. (When I was elected in 2008, the Chair, Raj Hundal [Vision], asked each of us what our preferences were and worked to accommodate us as best as he could).

By the first meeting of the Board in January something clearly was amiss when all the Chair and Vice Chair positions were taken by the NPA--clearly they were in charge and were not going share any of the responsibilities.

The second meeting of the Board included the initial meeting of the Park Board Committee. The structure of meetings has not ever been explained to Commissioners, despite my asking on numerous occasions to have a workshop. Commissioners from all parties have struggled with the rules and procedures, with each meeting seemingly having new rules added. No one on staff seems fluent in the rules either, with advice being sought from the City Clerk on more than one occasion.

One of the stranger conventions (adopted without consent), is that while staff reports and recommendations come to Committee meetings (which precede the Board meetings on the same evening) and can have public input, Commissioner motions go directly to the Board meeting, which does not allow for public comment and input. Only at the will of the Board can these motions be sent to Committee for public input. So far none of the motions put forward by Commissioners have been sent to Committee despite requests to do so and so none have had public input. At City Council the convention is that if one person (or more) applies to comment in person, the motion would automatically go to Committee. I believe School Board has a similar procedure. I find this very troubling. As one group on the Park Board has a majority, they can prevent public input at their will.

Another convention seemingly discarded is the idea of Notice of Motion, where Commissioner motions have to be put on the agenda ahead of time (usually submitted at the previous meeting) so that the public and Commissioners know what is coming up. Twice now the NPA have brought motions to the table without notice and rammed them through. Despite challenges to their tactics, each time the Chair has ruled in their own favour.

An inauspicious beginning to a four year term. I am hoping that the rules are explained to everyone so that we are all conversant in them. I also hope that the NPA relax a bit and become more magnanimous in their Chairing of the meetings. In the second year of my first term, then Chair Aaron Jasper, in a fit of pique, declared it a "Government and Opposition" Board and all sense of cooperation died. I'm hoping for better this time. The promises made during the election suggested this. The Park Board Commissioners sit at a round table. I believe this is because we are meant to work together. Trust and understanding comes with cooperation.

An old adage that I like very much (and invoke frequently) is that democracy must not only be done, but it must be seen to be done.

Vancouver zipline rushed through approval process, says commissioner

By Thandi Fletcher Metro,
April 28, 2015
 
A Green party commissioner is accusing the Vancouver park board of rushing approval of a temporary zipline in Queen Elizabeth Park this summer without properly consulting nearby residents and businesses that operate in the park.

The park board voted in favour Monday night of a proposal to install the temporary zipline in Queen Elizabeth Park to help celebrate the park’s 75th anniversary.
Local company Greenheart approached the park board with the idea and will pay for the entire project, which will operate from May to September.

According to a staff report, the 190-metre-long zipline will run from a launch tower built on the west side of Bloedel Conservatory, travelling over the quarry garden before landing on the southwest side of the garden.

But the Green Party’s Stuart Mackinnon, one of two commissioners who voted against the motion, said he is concerned that residents and businesses that use the park, like wedding planners and photographers, weren’t adequately informed of the proposal before it was approved.

“One of the questions I asked last night was ‘had the wedding industry been consulted on this?’ And they had not,” Mackinnon told Metro. “The zipline goes right across the quarry and in summertime, many, many people use that area for wedding photos and family photos. To have people streaking across the sky above them doesn’t fit with that.”

With only two people speaking out against the zipline at Monday’s park board meeting, Mackinnon wondered whether it may have been “overshadowed” by the board’s controversial motion to possibly tear down the Mount Pleasant skateboard park, also up for debate Monday.

Allan Burnett, owner of the Chapel Group, which has a contract with the park board and offers wedding ceremonies at Queen Elizabeth Park, was surprised to hear the zipline had been approved Monday.

Burnett, who had only seen news reports about the zipline, said he wasn’t aware the proposal would be up for debate already.

“It seems to me that it would be good to let contractors and operators in the park know when things like that are happening because obviously we are going to be affected by it one way or another,” he said.

As for whether a zipline could be a disturbance to weddings at Queen Elizabeth Park, Burnett said he isn’t overly concerned.

Burnett said he supports any attraction that can help draw people to the park, regardless of how the increased visitor traffic might affect his business.

“I always tell people the plaza area on a sunny summer day in July or August is like opening day at PNE,” he said. “But I appreciate the fact that it’s being done on a trial basis so at least then we can revisit it if it does seem to become an issue.”

Still, commissioner Mackinnon said he doesn’t believe a zipline is an appropriate fit with Queen Elizabeth Park’s aesthetic.

“Most people see (the park) as a tranquil place of peace in the middle of the city,” he said. “An amusement park type ride just doesn’t fit.”

Although it has been approved as a pilot project, Mackinnon said he is also concerned it could become a permanent fixture if it generates significant revenue for the city.

The city will get a share of the profits if the zipline generates more than $75,000 in revenue.
But NPA board chair John Coupar emphasized the zipline is temporary and will only be in place this summer. If there is public demand for the zipline to return next summer, Coupar said the parks department would issue a request for proposals.

Coupar said Monday’s park meeting was well publicized and that staff followed the process completely to ensure the public was aware of the meeting.

He said he doesn’t expect the zipline to affect weddings as the chapel is located on the opposite side of the park. If anything, he expects to see wedding parties going down the zipline and posing for photos, said Coupar.

“You’re always going to get people who are negative about things,” he said. “But I’ve had a lot of really positive feedback. People think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

 http://metronews.ca/news/vancouver/1353781/vancouver-zipline-rushed-through-approval-process-says-commissioner/

Vacancies on citizen committees

From the City of Vancouver website: 
http://vancouver.ca/your-government/vacancies-for-advisory-boards-committees.aspx

Vacancies on civic agencies, boards, and committees occur periodically throughout the year.
If you are applying as a representative for another agency (for example, as the SUCCESS representative on the Chinatown Historic Area Planning Committee), apply through that agency.

Current vacancies

We are currently accepting applications for the following committees:

• Active Transportation Policy Council
• Arts and Culture Policy Council
• Children, Youth, and Families Advisory Committee
• Chinatown Historic Area Planning Committee
• Civic Asset Naming Committee
• Cultural Communities Advisory Committee (formerly Multicultural Advisory Committee)
• Development Permit Board Advisory Panel
• First Shaughnessy Advisory Design Panel
• Gastown Historic Area Planning Committee
• LGBTQ2+ Advisory Committee
• Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee
• Public Art Committee
• Renters Advisory Committee
• Seniors’ Advisory Committee
• Urban Aboriginal Peoples' Advisory Committee
• Urban Design Panel
• Vancouver City Planning Commission
• Vancouver Civic Theatres Board
• Vancouver Food Policy Council
• Vancouver Heritage Commission
• Women's Advisory Committee

Applications are due at 5:00pm on Friday, January 30, 2015.

How to apply

1. Learn about the committee
2. Check that you meet our criteria
3. Apply for the vacancy

Silent Night

It seems strange to me that I haven't had much to blog about since the election on November 15. The new Board was inaugurated on the 1st of December and yet since then the Board has not met openly. A meeting was scheduled for the 7th of December but the new Chair John Coupar unilaterally cancelled it. Nothing to do perhaps? The first scheduled meeting for the new year is January 19th. At this point no agenda has been posted and so we don't know yet what the new priorities will be.

I know my priority is the a new Joint Operating Agreement with all the Community Centre Associations. I hope this is the priority of this new Board too. Community Centre Associations have been a partner with the Park Board for more than 50 years. This partnership has made Vancouver's Community Centres the envy of many jurisdictions. It is this partnership that has made our Centres relevant and necessary parts of our communities. The priorities of the local associations ensure that they reflect the values and needs of each community. What works in Strathcona or Sunset works because the associations reflect the needs and values of their neighbourhoods. A one-size fits all doesn't work in Vancouver because not every neighbourhood is the same. A set of core city-wide services must be a part of our system, but individual needs must be able to be met within each Centre.

Another priority of these first few months must be putting the Park Board in line with the waste management program that as of January 1st will be city-wide. This means that organic waste will be separated and composted. This is necessary for benefit of both the environment and the taxpayers who pay for waste disposal. The Park Board should be the leader in education on waste diversion with a leading zero-waste program. Since its inception, the Park Board has been the leader in green initiatives; it should be now too.

Planning for the future means planning for now as well. We must start planning not just for the next 4 years but for the next 4 seasons. Our parks and gardens have been neglected over the past 6 years and repairing them must be near the top of the list of priorities. Winter is the time for preparing our parks, gardens, and playing fields for the busy seasons of spring and summer. The priorities for our outside workers must be in preparing for the return of both passive and active park usage. Work now means better parks and recreation later.

As we head into a new year it is time we got down to work. Let's role up our sleeves and start on the long road to once again making better parks for Vancouver.

Some reflections on the election

After a frantic couple of months I am starting to catch my breathe and come to a bit of understanding of what the results of last Saturday mean. I am incredibly humbled and grateful to the voters of Vancouver for their trust. I made some promises which I intend to keep. Respectful negotiations with Community Centre Associations; meaningful consultation with the public, especially around dogs in parks; working to replace the outdoor swimming pool in Mt. Pleasant; work toward a plebiscite on cetaceans in captivity; and maintaining our parks and gardens.

This campaign was different in that I had a running mate (not since 2005 have the Greens run more than one candidate at Parks), and a campaign team. I am so grateful for all the hard work of the volunteers. It made the campaign a lot easier and a lot more fun.

It was different too in that we had some really great independents running. Not only the hard-working and dedicated Jamie Lee Hamilton (actually not an independent, she ran under the IDEA banner), but others like Jenny DiCastris and James Buckshon. It is a shame that party politics have such a stranglehold on Vancouver politics, as these voices were not heard well above the din of the machines lubricated with millions of dollars from developers and other deep pocketed players.

This race was a lot more personal too. Not in a negative way, but in that I was much better known this time around, and people made an effort to tell me they were supporting me and the Green team. Our support came from a very diverse and wide circle. The Green message of openness, collaboration, and working for the common good, resonated in the electorate.

With being elected I will have to step away from my position of Governor of the VanDusen Botanical Gardens, a position I greatly enjoyed. My promise to them is to continue to advocate for all of our parks and gardens and ensure VanDusen continues to be a world-class destination and research garden.

There is much to do over the next four years. We must regain the trust of the public. We must not only do good, but be seen to do good. We must be vigilant against complacency. We must be open, honest, and accessible.

The Vancouver Green's made history. We have elected the largest group of Green members to any government in Canada ever. Two elected to the Park Board is a new milestone, being elected to all three levels of civic government is a new record. We are all grateful to the citizens and know it is an honour and privilege to serve.

Once again, I will take Glissando Remmy's wise words as my creed: ‘I’ll do the best I can, with the resources at hand, for all the people of Vancouver. Period.’

Better Parks are coming (back) to Vancouver

"Thank you Vancouver for electing me to the Board of Parks and Recreation. An awesome responsibility that I accept with humility and gratitude. Vancouver's natural beauty is worth protecting. Neighbourhood services are worth preserving. And you agreed"

That quote was from 2008 when I was first elected to the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.  It still pretty well sums up my feelings this time. Only things are bit different now. Now there are two Green's on the Park Board. My running-mate, Michael Wiebe and I were both elected. This is tremendous as now I will have a partner in this endeavour. It is unfortunate that we are once again facing a majority Board--last time it was Vision Vancouver, this time it is the NPA--which could mean more of the same, but I am optimistic. Optimistic that the NPA majority will be collaborative and not simply wield their majority as though no one else matters. The proof of that may come sooner rather than later.

Already the newly elected NPA have said they will rescind the cetacean breeding ban. How they do this may set the tone for the next four years. Will they simply bring in a motion and use their majority to pass it, or will they set up a collaborative process to examine the decision in more detail. I am hoping for the latter. I sat for three years with a Vision dominated Board who viewed the round table not as a metaphor for collaborative decision-making but as a wheel for crushing anyone who dared to disagree with them.

Regardless of the tone the NPA sets, Michael and I will be there to advocate for natural spaces, parks as parks, collaborative approaches, community consultation, and real Green ideals.We will be part of a larger Green caucus in Vancouver that joins City Councillor Adriane Carr and School Trustee Janet Fraser. We won't be making decisions in secret but will support each other as we face the difficult tasks of managing a city, collaborating on ideas to bring forth, and bringing the public back into the decision making process.

Thank you for giving me another chance to serve my community. Thank you for believing in better parks for Vancouver.

Mackinnon hopeful as voting nears end

Green veteran vies for comeback to park board and breakthrough for his party

Sandra Thomas / Vancouver Courier

November 15, 2014 08:39 PM

 Green park board candidate Stuart Mackinnon relaxes at home with his furry friend as he waits for election results. Photograph By Sandra Thomas

Two hours before the polls closed on the Nov. 15 civic election, Green Party park board candidate Stuart Mackinnon was relaxing at home listening to classical music by Gabriel Urbain Fauré in his small East Side condominium.

"It helps calm me," Mackinnon said.

It must work because, at least by appearance, the high school teacher showed no signs of nerves as the final minutes of this election season wind down. Surrounded by dozens of books, paintings and photographs of Vancouver, more CDs than a thrift store and accompanied by his faithful companion Kiku, the small shiba inu he rescued 11 years ago, Mackinnon was hopeful the Green party will make history tonight by winning numerous seats at council, school board and of course park board. Mackinnon was elected to the park board in 2008, but lost in 2011 placing 12th in the seven seat race with 44,000 votes.

Mackinnon said due to the ongoing dispute between the park board and community centre associations over their joint-operating agreements, more residents than ever are paying attention to this election, which could be one of the reasons for the huge turnout for advanced voting and even on election day.

"These are their communities," said Mackinnon. "While a lot of them don't quite understand all of the nuances of the joint operating agreements, they do recognize there's been a grab for money and power. That they understand."

There are 30 candidates seeking a seat on the park board including independents Roland Clarke, James Buckshon, Jenny De Castris, Eleanor Hadley, Matt Kadioglu and Earl Sunshine. Running for Vision Vancouver are Catherine Evans, Brent Granby, Naveen Girn, incumbent Trevor Loke, Sammie Jo Rumbaua and Coree Tull. NPA candidates include incumbent John Coupar, Casey Crawford, Jay Jagpal, Sarah Kirby-Yung, Stephane Mouttet, Erin Shum. Running for COPE is Ezra Bloom, Urooba Jamal, Imtiaz Popat, former park board commissioner Anita Romaniuk and Cease Wyss. Vancouver 1st candidates include Brent Hayden, Yogi Johl, Massimo Rossetti, Doug Starink and Richard Wong. Meanwhile Jamie Lee Hamilton is running for IDEA. Joining Mackinnon for the Green Party is Michael Wiebe.

sthomas@vancourier.com

twitter.com/sthomas10

(c) 2014 VanCourier

Vote with your heart and your head

“Remember something, if you will, about voting: Voting is not a horse race, you're not going there thinking "Gee, I gotta pick the winner so I can brag to my friends 'Oh, I picked so-and-so and he or she won'". Voting is voting your heart and voting your conscience and when you've done that, don't ever, EVER let [anyone] tell you that you've wasted your vote because the fact is, if you DON'T vote your heart and conscience then you HAVE wasted your vote.”
― Jesse Ventura

In the quote above, Jesse Ventura was referring to the American electorate and the two party Democratic/Republican system. But it can easily be translated to Vancouver and the 2 party system we have had here over the last 60+ years. In this election we are lucky to have a real choice as the 2 developer-backed parties are being challenged by smaller parties not beholden to any monied backers.

I'm proud to be one of those challenging the status quo. I'm proud to be running on a team with 7 great candidates. In this election the Green Party of Vancouver offers a real alternative. No matter where you put your Xs in Saturday's vote I hope you will consider voting for a mixed Council, School Board and Park Board. And I hope that mix includes 7 Green candidates.

Cleta Brown, Adriane Carr, and Pete Fry for City Council. Janet Fraser and Mischa Oak for School Board. And Michael Wiebe and me, Stuart Mackinnon for Park Board. Candidates that believe in people centred planning. People who believe in consultation. People who believe in independent thought.

Whatever your choice, vote with your heart and your head. There is no split vote; there is no wasted vote--except if you choose not to vote. That would be a waste.

Dogs Dogs Dogs

By far the most e-mail I received as both a Commissioner (from 2008-2011) and as a candidate (past and present) is about dogs. This is also the hottest button issue at the Park Board and has been for some years. Mostly it is advocates of off-leash areas who write, but occasionally I receive mail from people who think there are too many dogs in the city.

Here is my response to the Dog Owners Group (DOG Vancouver) and also what I send out to people who write:

As a dog owner for most of my life, including presently (I have a 13 year old Shiba Inu named Kiku) I know the importance of space for dogs to run about. I also know that dog ownership comes with responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is to not interfere with the peaceful enjoyment of others, both at home and in public. Off-leash dogs has been the biggest issue at the Park Board for more than 20 years. The Park Board has not been able to find a solution, so best practice would suggest that we look at other jurisdictions and see what has been successful.

Calgary is the closest Canadian city of comparable size and they have had a very successful policy for some time now. Calgary has a comprehensive dog off leash program which includes:

·         lots of parks and amenities;

·         real engagement with dog owners as stakeholders and park stewards and self-policing;

·         programming and outreach to encourage responsible ownership and engaging the community;

·         school outreach programs to teach kids about safe dog interaction;

·         partnerships with private sector to provide amenities (like stations and poo-bags courtesy of pet

      stores);

But it also has:

·         zero tolerance enforcement;

·         high licensing compliance rate;

·         completely self-financed animal control (ours needs to be subsidized because of licensing

       non-compliance);

·          

I think Vancouver could model our policies after Calgary’s as they have been very successful.  I look forward to hearing from the public on this issue. I will hear all input and perspectives with an open mind (setting my dog owner's hat aside), first as a candidate and, if elected, as a Commissioner. As a Park Board Commissioner from 2008-2011 the one thing I learned is that it is very hard to please everyone and accommodate every need. The best anyone can do is to welcome all input and work with all those concerned to come up with reasonable solutions that satisfy the vast majority of people.

MEDIA RELEASE: Green Park Board candidates call for time out in community centre association negotiations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 24, 2014 

 Both sides need to reboot with new ideas for agreements 

After dozens of meetings and thousands of hours invested, and still no agreement in sight, everyone needs to cool off and take a time-out in negotiations between the City of Vancouver’s Board of Parks and Recreation and local Community Centre Associations for new Joint Operating Agreements (JOAs), say Green Party of Vancouver Park Board candidates.

“It’s time to pause and reboot,” says Green Park Board candidate Stuart Mackinnon, a Park Commissioner in 2010, when the process began after the Park Board started revisiting JOAs that are more than 40 years old.

"The atmosphere has been toxic from the start with mistrust from the CCAs and entrenched positions from the Park Board. The mistrust is understandable — you can't negotiate with someone who says it’s my way or the highway.

“There’s so much tension, negativity and animosity in the air that everybody just needs to take a breather then start again on better footing with a new Park Board.”

Mackinnon is calling for a halt in the talks, including the City’s threat that the CCAs will be “thrown out of their community centres.”

“With the election we have a natural opportunity to cool off, maintain the status quo and then resume negotiations in better faith with new park commissioners and new ideas at the table after November 15,” he adds.

Alternatives to sharing revenues do exist, says Mackinnon. For instance, CCAs could pay a fee for the facilities and utilities they use, with smaller centres paying less and larger ones more. The funds gathered could be used to offset disparities in programming across the city.

Another approach, similar to one used in some school districts to equalize the diversity of income in various neighbourhoods, would see the Park Board taking a percentage of all revenues after expenses generated by CCAs that would be put into a fund to be shared equitably across the system for programming.

“The kind of centralization we’re seeing with the proposed JOAs is only part of what’s been plaguing our city lately — the dismantling of local neighbourhood initiatives or values with little or poor consultation with the people most affected,” says Michael Wiebe, also running for Park Board for GPV.

“The community knows what services and programming works best in their neighbourhood so they have to be equal leaders in this.”

The six CCAs involved in the current lawsuit are Killarney, Kensington, Kerrisdale, Hastings, Sunset, and Riley Park Hillcrest.   

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Media contacts:
Stuart Mackinnon, Green Park Board candidate:778-389-1956
betterparks@gmail.com
Michael Wiebe, Green Park Board candidate:(604) 616-1220
becascadian@gmail.com
Glenda Bartosh, Media Liaison:604-669-3669
gbartosh@telus.net

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. Hoping for a world of peace and harmony

On Thursday, January 31, 1957, the Parliament of Canada proclaimed: A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October.

Stuart Mackinnon: Better parks, together

by Stuart Mackinnon on Oct 6, 2014 at 2:28 pm Straight.com

Stuart Mackinnon is a Green candidate for the Vancouver park board.

 
Vancouver parks and recreation facilities have been neglected and need to be made a priority again. Fields, gardens, natural spaces, and community centres are deteriorating and yet little or no money is being spent for their care and upkeep. It doesn’t have to be this way. Vancouver can be a beautiful, vital, and active city again if the priorities of the park board are focused on parks and recreation.

People and community groups have been marginalized over the past six years. Citizens feel left out and disrespected. It’s time for change. Change includes putting community centres back where they belong—at the centre of our neighbourhoods—by giving them the independence to make planning decisions that reflect community needs and values. Change means listening to people, not belittling them. We need to clearly define decision-making processes and roles to better include the community.

We need to find new ways to engage the citizenry to make consultation more open and meaningful.
Vancouver is changing and the park board has to change, too. Since parks have become the backyards for many people, they should be maintained to enhance and enliven everyone’s urban experience with flower gardens, playing fields, and natural spaces.

The Green Party of Vancouver has a plan to make better parks and recreation for Vancouver. This plan includes working with the citizens of Vancouver. When the park board works with the community, our neighbourhoods become more livable. When the city works with the park board, Vancouver becomes a better place to live.

Working with Green city councillors, park board commissioners and school trustees we can build a better Vancouver, together. On November 15 vote for a better city. Vote Green first.

Stuart Mackinnon is a Green Party of Vancouver candidate for the park board. Mackinnon is active in parks and green space issues, with a focus on access, preservation, and conservation. Having attended park board meetings for years even before being elected to the board, Mackinnon has been a strong, consistent advocate for maintaining Vancouver’s parks and green spaces in pristine condition.

Michael Wiebe for Vancouver Park Board

 Michael Wiebe is my running mate as a Green Party of Vancouver Park Baord candidate. Here is some information so you can get to know him better.

 Bio: Michael Wiebe grew up skating on Jericho pond, swimming at English Bay, and cycling Stanley Park. He’s now a local business owner and community leader who wants to work to preserve and enhance the best of Vancouver. He started by volunteering at age 12, by mapping out the wheelchair accessibility of all trails in Stanley Park. At age 16, Wiebe became a Lifeguard for the Park Board and would later co-found the Vancouver Lifeguard Association.
After earning his Bachelor’s in Business Administration, Wiebe worked for the Provincial Government in managing public board appointments and helped build the Best Practice Guidelines. He later migrated to the hospitality industry in order to gain management experience, ultimately leading him to opening his own restaurant.

As a director of the Mount Pleasant BIA, Wiebe feels called to be more involved in community advocacy work. He understands that Vancouver is in a phase of rapid growth with a powerful potential for change, and wants to help ensure that the right decisions are being made, guided by evidence-based policy and the principles of sustainability.

Why is Michael running for Park Board with the Green Party of Vancouver? - “I’m running for Parks Board Commissioner because the voices of our city have been lost,” says Wiebe. “I noticed this first-hand on the Mount Pleasant Implementation Committee. We need to take advantage of the opportunities this city has during a time of growth to work together to maximize our resources and build more natural parks and a healthier food system; foster grassroots community initiatives; and create a sustainable waste management program. ”
Learn more about Michael Wiebe at becascadian.com. 

On November 15 vote Green Party 1st: 

Mackinnon & Wiebe for Park Board

Better parks, together

Vancouver parks and recreation facilities have been neglected and need to be made a priority again. People and community groups have been marginalized. It’s time for change. That includes putting community centres back where they belong — at the centre of our neighbourhoods — by giving them the independence to make planning decisions that reflect community needs and values. We need to clearly define decision-making processes and roles to better include the community. Since parks have become the backyards for many people, they should be maintained to enhance and enliven their urban experience. When the Vancouver Parks and Recreation Board works together with the community, our neighbourhoods become more liveable. Our existing parklands are precious and limited. Adding or replacing parkland is expensive so working together is key in this time of growth. 

 

Your Vancouver Green Park Board candidates will work for: 

 

Community-driven planning  

Residents know what they want from their parks and recreation facilities. Community centre associations know best what their members want in programming. A stronger partnership between the Park Board and community organizations reflecting these values needs to be established. This can be achieved by:

• Including community groups in all decision making.
• Regarding community centre associations as partners, not adversaries.
• Working with community stakeholders, including community centre associations, to develop better programming as well as a fair and equitable recreation system.

Accessible, safe public spaces for everyone 

The need — and the desire — for more public spaces will continue to increase as Vancouver densifies. To ensure a healthy city, our citizens need great public spaces, so our priorities will be:

• Ensuring that changes to existing park space is supported by adjacent communities.
• Building public park spaces that meet the long-term needs of the area.
• Maintaining and enhancing parks and gardens with universal access.
• Expansion of park and recreational facilities that is proportional to population growth.
• Working with City Council to bring the amount of public spaces back to historical standards.
• Re-emphasizing community facilities vs. destination facilities. 

Strengthening stakeholder communication 

The Park Board must work with others to enhance our recreational experiences, and that means better communication with stakeholders to build better relationships. We will focus on:

• Participatory processes for determining priority funding for community facilities.
• Scheduled meetings with community groups to build communication channels.
• Working with Vancouver School Board to maximize fields and facilities.
• Partnering with sports and community organizations to prioritize field maintenance.

Maximizing facility usage with a stronger digital strategy 

The Park Board should be using new technologies to make easy access to all facilities available to everyone. Coordination of availability and bookings can be achieved by:

• Building an overall parks app that has the functionality of the current VanGolf app. Such an app will allow easy access to information; locate programming; and book facilities.
• Creating a network of connected facilities to increase information and data flow.
• Engaging park user database to provide feedback on community needs and decisions.

Green initiatives: zero waste, local food systems and access to nature 

The Park Board needs to become a leader in green initiatives in Vancouver. We can improve our Park Board practices to become both a role model and an educational model for the community by:

• Increasing education on waste diversion with a leading zero-waste program.
• Introducing more local products into our food supply streams for parks facilities.
• Introducing an animal-waste composting program for our local dog parks.
• Creating a “no net loss of green space” policy regarding changes to our city parks.
• Working on stream day-lighting and seek salmon-safe certification for all parks.

Parks that focus on natural features

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, and this can be achieved by:

• Preserving all green open space in a form as natural as possible for future generations.
• Creating policies to end the continuing erosion of parks by commercial enterprise.
• Increasing the planting of native species in all parks and public spaces.
• Using natural materials to build new children’s playgrounds.
• Working with urban planners to develop parks that need less maintenance.

Revitalized facility and park infrastructure 

For too long our recreational facilities have been neglected: neighbourhood outdoor pools have been closed; community centres have deteriorated due to poor upkeep; and too little money has been reinvested when there was no choice but to upgrade. Many community centres need to be replaced but no money has been allocated in the City’s Capital Plans. We can’t afford to lose what we have, so we will:

• Create a long-term budget and financing plan for continued facility maintenance.
• Ensure transparency on all expansions and upgrades to facilities.
• Work to maximize mixed use of facilities by partnering with non-profits and other civic organizations.
• Ensure long-term planning includes capital expenditures to replace aging community centre infrastructure.

 

Green Party of Vancouver members affirm candidates for Park Board and School Board

At a special general meeting this morning, Green Party of Vancouver members voted to officially endorse as candidates for Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation and Vancouver School Board the nominees approved by the party’s Candidate Screening Committee in August. Stuart Mackinnon and Michael Wiebe are the Green candidates for Park Board;  Mischa Oak and Janet Fraser are running under the Green Party banner for School Board.

The four Park Board and School Board candidates join the Green Party of Vancouver Council candidates endorsed by its members in May: current Vancouver City Councillor Adriane Carr and running mates Pete Fry and Cleta Brown.

"I’m thrilled to have our whole team in place – and what a fabulous team”, says Green Party of Vancouver lead Adriane Carr. “By electing three Greens to Council, two Greens to Park Board and two Greens to School Board, Vancouverites will get not only incredibly hard-working representatives who will put public interest first, but also strong teams that will bring sorely needed balance and a collaborative approach to each governing body.”

Green Party of Vancouver Chair Jacquie Miller says that it is the party’s goal to elect all seven of its candidates on November 15^th – an objective that the most recent polling suggests is within reach. It shows the Green Party of Vancouver running in a dead heat with Vision Vancouver and the NPA.

More about the latest additions to the Green Party of Vancouver 2014 campaign team:

• Stuart Mackinnon (Park Board):
                Green Party of Vancouver Park Board Commissioner: 2008-11
                Vice President, VanDusen Botanical Garden Association
                Teacher, 24 years; with Vancouver School District since 2001
When he served as Green Park Board Commissioner from 2008-2011, Mackinnon earned a reputation as the most knowledgeable, well-prepared Park Commissioner – he attended Park Board meetings and paid close attention to Park Board issues for years before being elected. Mackinnon has been a strong, consistent advocate for maintaining Vancouver’s parks and green spaces in pristine condition. Mackinnon will campaign for the same this fall.

"I want to return Vancouver to the beautiful city with well-maintained parks and gardens it once was. A city where everyone can play in their own neighbourhood, and where common sense and community values are what drive decision making,” says Mackinnon. "Park maintenance must be a priority. That is what we pay our taxes for."

Regarding last year’s controversy over Vision’s removal of community centre associations’ financial autonomy, Mackinnon says "Community centre associations are the heart of our neighbourhoods. They should be partners not adversaries."

• Michael Wiebe (Park Board):
                Owner, eight ½ restaurant lounge — based on sustainable values
                Vice President, Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association
                Co-founder, Vancouver Lifeguard Association
Wiebe has had a love affair with Vancouver’s parks and recreational facilities since childhood when he mapped out the wheelchair accessibility of Stanley Park’s entire trail system at age 12. He went on to become a lifeguard for Vancouver Park Board at age 16. In 2003, Wiebe co-founded the Vancouver Lifeguard Association; he continues his love for parks, using them for ultimate frisbee, bocce, soccer, and more.

“I’m excited to officially join the amazing group of seven Green candidates,” says Wiebe. “This is the logical step in my advocacy career as it gives me the chance to strengthen my voice – one that is focussed on bringing my business background to the strategic decision making that’s now needed at the Vancouver Park Board. Our city is in a state of growth, which leads to great opportunities to work together to build a healthier place to live.”

Learn more about Michael Wiebe: becascadian.com

• Mischa Oak (School Board)
                Teacher-on-call, Vancouver School District
                Vancouver Centre NDP Electoral District Association President, 2012-13
                Vancouver Pride Society: former Board Member & Volunteer Coordinator
Oak is strongly motivated by his own experiences in Vancouver schools both as a teacher-on-call who has worked in almost every school in the city, and as a student growing up in Vancouver schools. Prior to embarking on a career in education, Oak obtained a degree in Commerce from Queen’s University. He has been active in a wide range of community and political organisations.

Oak is running to be a strong advocate for Vancouver’s public schools and its students. “We live in one of the most liveable cities in the world, but our schools don't reflect that, they are getting worse", says Oak who has been a Vancouver teacher for 6 years and has taught in all 18 Vancouver high schools and 65 of our 75 elementary schools.

"I will protect programs that support our most vulnerable students and work to create programs that give kids skills for the future.  For a vibrant Vancouver tomorrow, we need vibrant schools today."
Learn more about Mischa Oak: www.voteoak.com

• Janet Fraser (School Board)
                PAC Chair / Co-Chair for 10 years
                Co-founder: Marpole Matters, a neighbourhood organization
                PhD chemist: 10 years’ experience in Vancouver’s biotech industry
 As an active parent of three school-aged children and engaged resident of her Marpole community, Fraser knows the issues facing Vancouver’s schools inside and out. As co-founder of the neighbourhood organisation Marpole Matters, she has a reputation for thoroughly informing herself on community issues and educating her neighbours about matters affecting them.

 “I have three children in Vancouver's public schools, and have spent 10 years in PAC leadership.  I listen to parents and will use their experiences to improve schools for all of Vancouver's children,” says Fraser. “Schools are the hearts of communities.  I will work to ensure students, staff, parents, and the local community work together so that every child can achieve success.”

Learn more about Janet Fraser: www.vangreens.ca/schoolnominees
Motion calling for fully funded schools and binding arbitration
Additionally at the same meeting, Green Party of Vancouver School Board candidates Mischa Oak and Janet Fraser introduced a motion for the Green Party of Vancouver to declare its support for fully funded schools, and calling on the provincial government to agree to binding arbitration in its current dispute with the BC Teachers' Federation. The motion received unanimous support from Green Party of Vancouver members.

Its full slate of candidates now in place, the Green Party of Vancouver will officially ring in its 2014 civic election campaign with a fundraising event on September 28 at Performance Works Theatre.
Full platforms for Council, Park Board and School Board will be unveiled throughout the month of September.

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Join us at Graze!

Stuart Mackinnon for Parks Board Fundraiser Dinner & Campaign Launch

Enjoy a fantastic meal and help me launch my campaign for Park Board!

Dine at Graze Restaurant on September 9th, and Graze will donate 20% of all dinner sales to my campaign!

All you have to do is make a reservation referencing Stuart's campaign and enjoy a fabulous meal! To make your reservation please call: 604-620-8822

 Graze - 3980 Fraser st. Vancouver, BC

For more information about Graze visit their website.

GRAZE food & drink

DELICIOUS, CREATIVE, ORGANIC, SUSTAINABLE & COMPASSIONATE

Our concept from the very start was to provide people of all eating preferences something that they can really fall in love with.  Whether you're a strict vegetarian who is starving for choice, a flexitarian who enjoys trying everything, or an omnivore who simply wants a familiar & satiating meal, Graze was created for you.  Chef Karen McAthy's dishes are culinarily creative, nutritionally balanced and simply delicious!  And with the widest range of gluten free options in the city, our menu is a refreshing oasis for people with restricted diets.

Graze's all plant-based menu (including all of our wines, beers & spirits) incorporates as many locally & organically produced ingredients as possible.  Building on this foundation, we also grow our own herbs & vegetables, collect rainwater for our garden, compost our kitchen waste, reduce/reuse/recycle everything we can, support ethical suppliers, reduce our power consumption, solar heat our hot water, are very particular about our paper and cleaning products and are always looking for ways to do even more.

Please join us for a relaxing meal in our elegant dining room and cocktail lounge, where you'll enjoy comfortable seating, intimate lighting, interesting art covered walls and a professional staff that is truly happy to serve you.

What kind of a City do you want? Part 2

The City of Vancouver has entered its second phase of consultation on the 2015-2018 Capital Plan. Here is a blog posting I wrote earlier this year. The link at the end is for the new city website.

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 of the City's Capital Plan.

The City will allow you to provide feedback on the draft capital plan in various ways:

• Fill out the Talk Vancouver questionnaire (until the second week in September)
• Attend an open house on:
  • Thursday, August 28 from 3:00pm-7:00pm at the Hillcrest Community Centre
  • Thursday, September 4 from 11:00am-4:00pm at the Central Library

In addition, in August, an independent professional research firm based in BC will recruit by phone a representative sample of Vancouver residents and business owners to take an online survey in English and Chinese.

For more in information go here.

Stuart Mackinnon hopes for another term on Vancouver Park Board

 Andrew Fleming / Vancouver Courier
August 12, 2014 01:46 PM

 
 Stuart Mackinnon. Photo Dan Toulgoet

Former Green Party park board commissioner Stuart Mackinnon wants to get his old job back. Mackinnon, who lost his seat in 2011 after serving one term, is one of only three Green Party candidates ever elected to office in Vancouver.

He is joined on the campaign trail by political newcomers Michael Wiebe in running for park board, as well as Janet Fraser and Mischa Oak for school board.

Mackinnon said he is disappointed with how the seven-member park board has performed while under the control of a Vision Vancouver majority.

“I really think that [it’s] the lack of park maintenance, the lack of respect shown to community centre associations and the lack of attention to what the mandate of the park board is,” he told the Courier. “I’m hoping these are going to be the real issues during this campaign.”

Mackinnon, a special education teacher at Killarney secondary school and vice-president of the VanDusen Botanical Garden Association, was known for his outspoken opposition to keeping cetaceans in captivity at the Vancouver Aquarium while in office. He said the recent decision to ban them from breeding was made by commissioners who aren’t seeking re-election as a way to avoid addressing the emotional issue head on.

“I think it is a deferral of any real decision,” said Mackinnon. “What I called for when I was on park board before was a plebiscite to let the people of Vancouver decide what happens on their park land. The aquarium is in a park so it falls under the jurisdiction of the park board and I think the people of Vancouver have a right to say what happens. [Vision] have a very difficult time making those kinds of decisions and so what they’ve done is deferred the real decision-making to another board.”

He acknowledged that, even if both Green candidates are elected, holding a referendum will be a long shot but pointed out that COPE endorses the idea as well.

Mackinnon was the only incumbent park board commissioner not to be re-elected three years ago, coming in twelfth out of 21 candidates. He also ran unsuccessfully last year for the provincial Green Party in the Vancouver-Fraserview riding, coming in a distant third to Liberal candidate Suzanne Anton and NDP runner-up Gabriel Yiu.

Wiebe is the owner of Eight ½ restaurant lounge in Mount Pleasant, which specializes in sustainable food, and is a former lifeguard for the park board.

Fraser has a PhD in chemistry and is a co-founder of neighbourhood organization Marpole Matters, who has also spent the past 10 years volunteering for a parent advisory council. Oak, a substitute teacher who claims to have worked in almost every school in the city, is a former NDP electoral district association president for Vancouver Centre and a board member for the Vancouver Pride Society.

The four candidates still need to receive official party endorsements at a Sept. 7 nomination meeting. The party’s three candidates for city council are Cleta Brown, Pete Fry and incumbent party leader Adriane Carr.

The election is Nov. 15.

afleming@vancourier.com
twitter.com/flematic

© Vancouver Courier

Green Party of Vancouver announces Park Board and School Board nominees

Posted by Green Party of Vancouver on August 07, 2014 ·

With 100 days to go to the civic election, Green Party of Vancouver Chair Jacquie Miller is pleased to announce the Party's four nominees for Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation and Vancouver School Board: Stuart Mackinnon and Michael Wiebe for Park Board; and Mischa Oak and Janet Fraser for School Board.

Miller says the Party’s Candidate Screening Committee has examined each of the applicants and is impressed that they will make excellent candidates and be highly effective in their elected offices. They join a strong Green Party Vancouver City Council team: Adriane Carr, Cleta Brown and Pete Fry. The Candidate Screening Committee will recommend that the Green Party of Vancouver’s members give their official endorsement to these nominees at a September 7 nomination meeting.

Seeking the Green Party of Vancouver members’ nomination for Vancouver Park Board are:

• Stuart Mackinnon:

       Green Party of Vancouver Park Board Commissioner: 2008-11

       2nd Vice President, VanDusen Botanical Garden Association

       Teacher, 24 years; with Vancouver School District since 2001

Mackinnon is well known for advocating for an end to cetacean captivity at the Vancouver Aquarium during his term on Park Board and in recent debates. Having attended Park Board meetings for years even before being elected to the Board, Mackinnon earned a reputation as the most knowledgeable, well-prepared Park Commissioner while in office. He has been a strong, consistent advocate for maintaining Vancouver’s parks and green spaces in pristine condition.

Mackinnon says, “I'm running for Park Board with the Green Party because I want to return Vancouver to the beautiful city with parks and gardens it once was. A city where everyone can play in their own neighbourhood, and where common sense and community values are what drives decision-making.”

            Learn more about Stuart Mackinnon: www.betterparks.org (blog) 
                                                                      and www.betterparks.ca (website)

• Michael Wiebe

       Owner, eight ½ restaurant lounge — based on sustainable values

       Vice President, Mt Pleasant Business Improvement Association

        Co-founder, Vancouver Lifeguard Association

Wiebe has had a love affair with Vancouver’s parks and recreational facilities since childhood when he mapped out the wheelchair accessibility of Stanley Park’s entire trail system at age 12. He went on to become a lifeguard for Vancouver Park Board at age 16. In 2003, Wiebe co-founded the Vancouver Lifeguard Association; he continues his love for parks, using them for ultimate frisbee, bocce, soccer, and more.

“I’m running for Parks Board Commissioner because the voices of our city have been lost,” says Wiebe. “I noticed this firsthand on the Mount Pleasant Implementation Committee. We need to take advantage of the opportunities this city has during a time of growth to work together to maximize our resources and build more natural parks and a healthier food system; foster grassroots community initiatives; and create a sustainable waste management program. ”

              Learn more about Michael Wiebe: becascadian.com

Seeking the Green Party of Vancouver members’ nomination for Vancouver School Board are:

• Mischa Oak

   Teacher-on-call, Vancouver School District

   Vancouver Centre NDP Electoral District Association President, 2012-13

     Vancouver Pride Society: former Board Member & Volunteer Coordinator

                 

Oak is strongly motivated by his own experiences in Vancouver schools both as a teacher-on-call who has worked in almost every school in the city, and as a student growing up in Vancouver schools. Prior to embarking on a career in education, Oak obtained a degree in Commerce from Queen’s University. He has been active in a wide range of community and political organisations.

“I’ve been a Vancouver teacher since 2008 and have experienced firsthand the challenges our schools face,” says Oak. “As your school trustee I will work to get the Vancouver School Board to stand up to BC’s provincial government and demand fair funding for public education. Too many kids and families face discrimination and fear at school, so I have a plan to move our schools to be more LGBTQ + Diversity Proud.”

            Learn more about Mischa Oak: www.voteoak.com

• Janet Fraser

      PAC Chair / Co-Chair for 10 years

      Co-founder: Marpole Matters, a neighbourhood organisation

      PhD chemist: 10 years’ experience in Vancouver’s biotech industry

As an active parent of school-aged children and engaged resident of her Marpole community, Fraser knows the issues facing Vancouver’s schools inside and out. As co-founder of the neighbourhood organisation Marpole Matters, she has a reputation for thoroughly informing herself on community issues and educating her neighbours about matters affecting them.

“I’m seeking the Green Party nomination to run as a school board trustee to make sure all of Vancouver’s children have the opportunity to thrive at school and become engaged and successful citizens,” Fraser says. “The core value I’ll bring to my role as School Trustee is sustainability — sustainability of the school community, the student family, and school infrastructure and processes.”

           Learn more about Janet Fraser: www.vangreens.ca/schoolnominees

Green Vancouver City Councillor Adriane Carr urges Vancouverites to elect the entire Green Team this November: “These are excellent candidates with extensive community experience who will bring a much-needed balance to our City Council, Park Board and School Board. They’ve all got enthusiasm, a strong work ethic and dedication to creating a better Vancouver. I couldn’t be happier with our entire team.”

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Green Party of Vancouver’s official nomination meeting for Park and School Board candidates: September 7, 11 a.m.; Alliance for Arts and Culture Boardroom, 938 Howe St., Vancouver. Click here for more info or to RSVP.