4 days ago
Process to dissolve the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation paused
A seagull takes flight off a statue of Captain George Vancouver outside Vancouver City Hall, on Saturday, January 9, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The City of Vancouver has put a pause on its process transitioning governance of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, marking another delay to its much talked about plan to fully collapse the board.
In December 2023, Mayor Ken Sim announced his plan to abolish the board and reallocate its responsibilities to city council in a bid to save money. In November last year, a report from the city's Parks and Recreation Transition Working Group said the disintegration of the board would save the city approximately $7 million a year.
Removing the park board would require making an amendment to the Vancouver Charter, a provincial statute, and the city would need the legislature to vote on whether those changes could go ahead.
In a message sent to City of Vancouver staff and shared by Vancouver Park Board commissioner Thomas Digby, the city noted that the province made changes to the Vancouver Charter earlier this month, but made no mention of the park board.
'The provincial government did not introduce Charter amendments for consideration by the legislature in the spring session, which ended yesterday, May 29,' the statement read.
'The provincial government has reaffirmed its commitment to, at a future date, enact these legislative changes.'
In the meantime, any planning that was in place to prepare for a transition of governance has been paused.
Any information regarding the timing of any legislative changes will be released once the city receives it, it said.
