Category Archives: Stories of a Life

VanRamblings Weighs In On Raymond’s Health. Pt. 3

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To access Part One of my 2025 health update click here.

Part Two of my three-part health update may be found here.

I left you hanging yesterday. Sorry.

March and the early part of April this year proved to be the most painful period I have experienced in my life since October 2016, with my first cancer.

In early March, upon arriving home from a week’s vacation in Halifax visiting her mother, Kelly texted me from the airport to ask how I was doing. I told her I was in a great deal of pain, but I was going to tough it out. Despite having been up since 4:30am that morning, flying across the country, arriving back in Vancouver at 4pm, rather than drive home to be with her children, Kelly drove directly to my home, telling me, “Get in the car. I’m going to take you to UBC Hospital,” which she did.

UBC Hospital Admitting considered my situation to be an emergency, proceeding to immediately wheel me onto an emergency room bed, where I was seen by a doctor, who ordered the first of many CT scans, diagnosing me with a particularly severe case of diverticultis — which had hospitalized me in the autumn of 2023.

Diverticulitis can be, and proved to be in my case, a particularly painful gastrointestinal disorder characterized by inflammation of abnormal pouches — diverticula — that develops in the wall of the large intestine, causing severe lower abdominal pain, and could and would in my case worsen in intensity over the next week.

By the time I was diagnosed — with a distressingly painful catheter now inserted (which would remain in place for 6 weeks), I suggested to Kelly, as she sat by my side, that she must be beat, it was 1:30am Nova Scotia time, over the past 15 hours she’d flown across the country, and spent the last 5 hours by my side.

Given that I was now admitted to hospital, I assured Kelly that I’d be fine, and well cared by the attending physician, nurses, hospital staff and by my family doctor, who would visit me the next morning. As the hospital had provided with me with medication to lessen the pain, now was the time, I suggested to her, she return home to her family, and we’d talk the next morning.

Over the next two weeks, following a series of new CT scans, UBC Hospital changed its diagnosis to nephrolithiasis.

Nephrolithiasis specifically refers to calculi in the kidneys, commonly referred to as kidney stones. Renal calculi and ureteral calculi (ureterolithiasis) are often discussed in conjunction. Ureteral calculi originate in the kidneys, and as they grow can be lodged in the ureter. Genetic, metabolic, and environmental factors can contribute to stone formation. The majority of renal calculi contain calcium. The pain generated by renal colic is primarily caused by dilation, stretching, and spasm because of the acute ureteral obstruction.

I was told I would need surgery to remove a plethora of large kidney stones that were not only lodged in my intestines, but impacted and in my urethra, as well. That surgery occurred on April 9th at the Vancouver General Hospital. The attending surgeon removed a large kidney stone lodged in my uretha. Within the next hour, I passed 20 large kidney stones, and 20 somewhat smaller kidney stones.


Ocean Dental in Cancún, Mexico, providing high-quality dentistry (considered to be the best in North America) at a fraction of the cost, from 50% to 70% lower than in the United States and Canada.

The next day I got on a plane to fly to Cancún, Mexico for dental surgery, as I had arranged months earlier, that in Canada would cost me between seven and nine thousand dollars, but in Mexico — including air fare, accommodation, dental surgery preparation, X-Rays and examinations, extraction of an infected molar, periodontal surgery to repair infected gums, and the insertion of a state-of-the-art titanium tooth implant, the total came to $2700, while my companion, Nick Ellan and I, enjoyed wonderful four or five star Mexican cuisine each morning and evening. Although not particularly restful, I was grateful for the cost saving.

Note in passing: yes, I know many would consider it near insane for me to get on a plane, fly to another country for invasive dental surgery, following six weeks in bed / in hospital in Canada, and surgery to remove very painful kidney stones, that while still in pain, and very weak, nowhere near recovered, I would travel 6,333 kilometres away from home, from my doctors in Vancouver, and from safety.

I will write about my incredibly wonderful experience in Cancún, and a first rate relationship with Ocean Dental in another post. Suffice to say, I was very pleased.

In the months since mid-April, I have continued hormone treatment for my prostate cancer, with Jonathan Ma, and my uro-oncologist, Dr. Miles Mannas, had another biopsy (I’m still recovering), have worked with my skilled dentist / dental surgeon, Dr. Sandy Ko, who last month built a bone graft to facilitate the placement of another tooth implant this upcoming January — as a 31 year very appreciative patient of Dr. Ko, and given my impecunious circumstance, Dr. Ko is matching the price for the tooth implant charged by the UBC Dental Clinic. Next month, Dr. Ko will place a crown over the tooth implant I received in Mexico. Next June, I will have a crown placed over the tooth implant that will be inserted in January.

In addition to the above, I suffer from debilitating neuropathy, that makes it both difficult to walk, and to keep my balance (I have an almost complete loss of balance, standing in the shower is difficult, I am unsteady … no fun, let me tell you); have arthritis in my hands that makes it difficult to type; my Type 2 diabetes and once high A1C / blood sugar count is now pretty much under control; high blood pressure that is, for the most part, now under control; my two concerning heart conditions; and the ever concerning cancerous state of my prostate, with attendant constant fatigue and woeful lack of energy, intermittent pain — gastrointestinal distress (a near constant upset stomach leading to an utter lack of appetite, a concerning weight loss, a 60 pound weight loss in the past year) — such that I have to force myself to eat in order to remain healthy, headaches, hives, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), ever worsening atopic dermatitis, and more. 

Let me leave you with two thoughts, one quite bracing, the first one from my daughter Megan, the person who loves me most in this world.

“Any discussion of your health is nothing more than a morbid plea for undeserved sympathy.“

From my friend, Vancouver School Board trustee, Christopher Richardson …

“Raymond, you and I suffer from the same malady. On the surface, both of us look healthy, when that is far from the case. From my COPD — which often makes it hard for me to breathe, or catch my breath, and the lack of energy attendant to my health disorder — and your prostate cancer and heart conditions, the two of us couldn’t look more healthy, when both of us know that is not our reality.

Both of us are high energy men, we’re driven, in our daily lives we set about to accomplish much, to contribute. But we do that because that’s who we are, despite our various debilitating health issues that make our work in the community ever more difficult. Still, how spiritually satisfying it is for the both of us that we can, and feel we must continue in our work to make a difference for the better.”

This year I am seventy-five years of age. At one time that was considered old. But not any more. Dr. Brad Fritz tells me I’ve got another 15 good years in me, that I will make it through my current troubling health circumstances to live a long and productive life, I should not worry, that I am in good hands, receiving the best of care, whether it’s with him, Dr. Miles Mannas or Dr. Sandy Ko. Vivas tempore et bene sit.

VanRamblings Weighs In On Raymond’s Health. Pt. 2

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Part One of my 2025 health update may be found here.

At my December 5th, 2024 appointment with Dr. Brad Fritz, my family physician for the past 42 years, while addressing the issue of my prostate cancer diagnosis and the necessity for an immediate MRI following an alarming late November PSA — prostate-specific antigen — blood test, arrangements were made for a follow up bone scan to determine if the cancer had spread (as it has for former president Joe Biden), with a prostate biopsy to follow.

In addition to the prostate cancer, I told Dr. Fritz that throughout the autumn I had been passing out / falling a great deal, in the shower, when walking across my living room, and when leaving my apartment. The issue was that I was passing out for just a second before “coming to”, before getting my bearings.

Dr. Fritz told me that he thought that my passing out was related to my heart, and immediately made an appointment at UBC Hospital for me for an EKG (electrocardiogram), a test to check my heart for the aberrant electrical activity, such as an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmias), atrial fibrillation, heart attack, heart failure, blocked or narrowed heart arteries, and enlarged heart. The EKG was also to check for damage to my heart muscle, and assess the effectiveness of heart medications or devices like pacemakers, and investigate symptoms like chest pain, dizziness, or shortness of breath. An appointment for an EKG at UBC Hospital was set for Christmas Eve, at 4:30pm.

On December 24th, I entered the lobby of a near deserted UBC Hospital, taking the eleevator to the second floor, where I waited outside the office that had an EKG sign to the right of the door. I waited 15 minutes before the technician came out and invited me into the his clinic offer for the EKG, having me take of all of my top clothing, before have my lie down on a bed. Moving the EKG machine into place, electrodes attached, a thorough 20-minute electrocardiogram commenced. To say that the technician was alarmed at the result would be to understate the matter, as he asked me a series of questions, “Are you alright? Will you be able to stand? Do you think we should admit you to the hospital.” I assured him that I was fine, and would make my way home, after which I walked to the bus “loop” at UBC, and took the #9 Broadway bus home, settling in on my sofa to watch the news.

No sooner had I settled in than Dr. Fritz called me, sounding frantic (Brad is one of the most calm and centered persons I have ever met, so his “behaviour” I found to be unusual and out of character). Long story short, Dr. Fritz told me I was a candidate for a heart attack or stroke, that one of my arteries was clogged, that he’d left a message for my pharmacy to provide me with two medications he’d prescribed. Brad Fritz told me that if felt at all ill, I should call 911 and have an ambulance pick me up, and he’d meet me at Vancouver General Hospital. I told Brad I felt fine.

Turns out that in addition to the atrial fibrillation, I have a blockage in one of my arteries. Dr. Fritz told me that surgery is not an option, because if the blockage becomes unstuck, it could very well travel to my brain, and it’d be lights out for me. I tell ya, that kind of news sure makes for a happy Christmas season.

My pharmacy did not open until December 28th, the date I picked up my two prescribed medications. I already had a pulse oximeter, but purchased a Kardiamobile which records and analyzes a single-lead, medical-grade electrocardiogram (EKG) in 30 seconds employing my smartphone, allowing me to detect my heart arrhythmia (atrial fibrillation, AFib), as well as bradycardia (slow heart rate) and tachycardia (fast heart rate), all in the comfort of my home.

The Kardiamobile confirmed that I had atrial fibrillation (my heart rate would spike to 140 beats a minute), as well as (months later) bradycardia, which first came to my attention when my pulse oximeter indicated I had a pulse rate of 36 beats a minute, confirmed by my Kardiamobile.

I will note here that I felt fine then, and I feel fine now, despite my prostate cancer and two heart conditions. As I wrote yesterday, I feel fatigued throughout the day, am sleeping a great deal more than I usually do, and have some trouble performing basic households tasks, like making breakfast or dinner, making my bed, doing the wash, or vacuuming and washing my floors.

Throughout late January and February all proceeded as it should. My prostate cancer was under control, I was under the care of not only Dr. Fritz and Dr. Miles Mannas, my uro-oncologist, but a fine fellow by the name of Jonathan Ma, who is the Vancouver co-ordinator for the Guns Study — or genomic biomarker-selected umbrella neoadjuvant study for high risk localized prostate cancer trial — as well as the fine women in the prostate cancer supportive care centre.

Then all hell broke loose in early March, with hospitalization, five weeks of immense pain, a painful catheter throughout this entire period, surgery (not the kind that would knock me out), a flight to Cancún for dental surgery (again, I was not knocked out, I just fell asleep during the procedure), a loss of balance (thank you neuropathy), Type 2 diabetes, a tremendous weight loss, a new computer so I can post to VanRamblings (my old computer died) again, hives, and …

Come back tomorrow for the thrilling, heart wrenching, hopeful conclusion of Raymond’s 2025 Health Update. See you back here then.

VanRamblings Weighs In On Raymond’s Health. Pt. 1

fixin to die rag, Food & Health, Stories of a Life, Unbelievable Truth, Vancouver, VanRamblings, , ,

One year ago today I was diagnosed with prostate cancer by my family physician of 42 years, the phenomenally skilled Dr. Brad (“call me Brad”) Fritz, who in 2016 also diagnosed me with my first rare form of terminal cancer, hilar cholangiocarcinoma, more commonly known as Klatskin’s tumour, a type of bile duct cancer.

My latest cancer diagnosis arose from a concerning PSA — prostate-specific antigen — blood test, an early detection of prostate cancer, that would require an MRI, followed by a biopsy of my prostate, to confirm Dr. Fritz’s diagnosis. 

At the time, I was told that there would be a 3 month wait for an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) test. By month’s end, I was told that the wait for an MRI was one year, and offered the opportunity to have a $2500 MRI at a privately operated clinic, not covered nor funded by the province’s public medicare system.

My annual income is $25,000. I would require more than one MRI. Paying privately for an MRI was simply out of the question.

I thought to myself, as a long time supporter of the NDP, “If David Eby or Adrian Dix were diagnosed with prostate cancer, would they have to wait a year for an MRI?” Not likely,  I thought. Neither did I believe that either of these two gentlemen would avail themselves of a private MRI, given the optics of the situation.

As such, my coverage of last autumn’s provincial election took on a distinctively — and utterly out of character — harsh tone on VanRamblings.

Note should be made that prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer for men, with a five year survival rate of 90% for most forms of prostate cancer, and 37-50% for Stage 4 cancer. I kept thinking to myself, “What if I have Stage 4 cancer —which proved to be the case — if I have to wait a year for an MRI, and longer than that for a prostate biopsy, what are the chances I would even be around for an MRI appointment a year from the date of my original diagnosis?”

I spoke with the constituency staff in David Eby’s office — he’s my MLA, I’ve worked on all of his campaigns — who shrugged when I told them of my dilemma, telling me there was nothing they could do for me, I’d just have to wait.

I will note that the response of David’s constituency staff on this occasion was completely out of character for any of his past, or present, constituency staff, a one time aberration for an overworked constituency staff, too often subject to concerning — often fear inducing — protests outside of his constituency office.

My friend Kelly Ryan — a one-time host of CBC’s As It Happens — was none-too-pleased with the response of David Eby’s constituency staff. Neither was she overly pleased with the level of Dr. Fritz’s advocacy — who I believe and know to be the best, most caring, most skilled and most competent doctor in the city, who has always been an advocate of the first order for me, dating back to 1983.

As the weeks went by, Kelly (“Men! They just don’t know how to take care of themselves. They require a strong woman to advocate for them”) insisted I make a follow up appointment with Dr. Fritz, which occurred on December 5th, an appointment to which she accompanied me, none-too-happy about the circumstance, nor Dr. Fritz. I had a PSA test conducted at the LifeLabs clinic across the street from Dr. Fritz’s office, the week before my December 5th appointment.

Sitting in Dr. Fritz’s office, he expressed alarm. The results of my PSA test was off the charts, requiring immediate emergency action on his part. Right then and there, he contacted VGH and attempted to make an emergency MRI appointment for me. Fortunately, there was a cancellation in the prostate clinic biopsy clinic at VGH the next morning at 3:35am, which I was more than happy to attend.

The three MRI technicians who performed the MRI were outstanding. Dr. Fritz received the results of the MRI later that week, and made an early January appointment with uro-oncologist Dr. Miles Mannas (“Raymond, he’s the best. That’s why I’m referring you to him. If, as I believe will prove to be the case, you require surgery to remove your prostate, he’s the most skilled surgeon, and will provide you with the very best care. You’ll be in good hands with Dr. Mannas”).

Dr. Fritz made an appointment for me with Dr. Mannas for early January of this year. Dr. Mannas, in turn, made an appointment for me for a bone scan at VGH, to determine if the prostate cancer had spread. Even before my appointment with him, and the biopsy he would conduct, Dr. Mannas believed that I had prostate cancer. The only question was, how severe was the prostate cancer?

The good news. The bone scan indicated the prostate cancer had not spread into my bones, unlike poor Joe Biden (who, given the results of his bone scan, indicating spread, has 5 – 7 years to live). The not-so-good news: my Gleason score was 9, as bad a score as is possible (no one has a Gleason score of 10). The prostate cancer was so severe that neither radiation nor chemotherapy would be offered. The only route: surgery, preceded by months of hormone therapy. Surgery to remove my prostate is schedule for mid-November.

One of my concerns about the surgery — my second surgery ever, my first surgery the removal of my tonsils at age 4 — was the loss of my sexuality, long an important part of my life. That concern was soon put to rest. With the 4 apalutimide tablets I take each morning, along with 4 Zytiga tablets — each of the tablets is huge, and hard to swallow — as well as the prednisone tablet Dr. Mannas has prescribed that I take each morning, all of the testosterone in my body has been knocked  out, my sexuality gone, obliterated.  And you know what: it’s no big deal, I had nothing to fear or be concerned about. In fact, it’s kind of a relief. I have been very, very lucky in my love life to have been loved by strong, beautiful women of accomplishment and great intelligence, and consider myself to have been very, very fortunate in my romantic and sexual life.

The other salutary result of the medication I’m on: my latest PSA test indicated a negligible result, perfect for my upcoming prostate surgery.

The down side to all the medication I’m on (more on that tomorrow) is that I am constantly fatigued, have a difficult time getting out of bed in the morning, and conducting the affairs of my life. To some great extent, I have become incompetent in the conduct of my life, when for many years I considered myself to be “a man’s man,” able to take on any chore, with a ready approach to any challenge.

No more.

Fortunately, in addition to acting as the best possible advocate for me lo these many months, my friend (and saviour) Kelly Ryan has afforded me the opportunity to “co-parent” Teague the dog, only the friendliest, most loving waggly tail dog in the whole world, a loyal companion who I take for several walks a day most days, when I might otherwise remain prone on my bed fatigued and lifeless all day long, my iPad by my side, who resides with me on occasion — as he did for most of July and early August, and for much of this past week.

Writing on VanRamblings, keeping up with daily posting has become all but impossible. The only things that keeps me active on VanRamblings are the prospect of Kareem Allam becoming Vancouver’s next Mayor — a man I believe to be brilliant, skilled, humane and well-schooled, the most sophisticated political operative I have met in the 60+ years I have covered politics, a charismatic political figure — who believes in and practices the politics of joy — who fills me with hope for our world, who I believe will emerge as a transformational Mayor for our city next year, as well as our nation and perhaps beyond in the years to come, our best Mayor since Philip Owen, or going back to the 70s, Art Phillips.

And for the next six weeks, writing about the Vancouver International Film Festival, long our window on the world, and most cherished arts festival.

In the past, whether covering municipal, provincial or federal politics, or my most beloved VIFF, it was not unusual for me to dedicate 20 hours a day attending political events or festival screenings, arriving home to write about each until 5am, creating videos, or transcribing interviews. No more.

I am all but bereft of energy.

I have 8 weeks remaining on my daily regimen of apalutimade, Zytiga and prednisone — which Dr. Mannas tells me is at the seat of my daily fatigue / lack of energy  — in the lead up to my mid-November prostate surgery. Post surgery, it will probably be another 6 to 8 months before any semblance of energy returns.

How do I feel? I feel lucky. I feel fortunate to have a roof over my head within a housing co-op I have called home for 41 years this year. I feel fortunate to be surrounded by my Co-op neighbours, the finest people it has ever been my good fortune to work and enjoy life with, who couldn’t be more supportive and caring. I feel gratitude to VanRamblings’ many readers who hang in with me despite all.

Now, Dan Fumano — PostMedia’s first rate civic affairs reporter — will be disappointed with me (as will Charlie Smith, the once upon a time superb editor of The Georgia Straight) for writing at too great a length today. “Raymond, keep your columns at 750 words. Any longer than that and you’ll lose readers.” I proffer an apology to Dan, to Charlie and to you.

Sadly, my prostate cancer is the least of my health woes. More tomorrow.

#SaveOurParkBoard | Tender Moments of Change at Park Board, Pt 2

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In 2012, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson opined about the idea of scaling back Langara Golf Course and turning part of it into residential housing as part of the city’s broad new approach toward creating denser neighbourhoods.

“At this point it is debatable as to whether that is valuable green space,” the mayor said. “The public can’t access it, it is not biodiverse ,” as he went on to suggest that Langara is “underused”, that there may be “opportunities to transform that space, to maintain golf on that site, to increase public access, to increase public housing.”


Pictured: Park Board Commissioners Melissa De Genova, John Coupar, Aaron Jasper, Constance Barnes, Niki Sharma & Trevor Loke. Commissioner Sarah Blyth had stepped out for a moment, during a break.

On July 9, 2012, the Vancouver Park Board met to consider the instruction of Mayor Gregor Robertson to “hive off half of Langara Golf Course for the development of low cost condominiums.”

City Manager Penny Ballem and Mayor Robertson’s Chief of Staff Mike Magee had, previous to the meeting, called in Vision Vancouver Park Board Commissioner Aaron Jasper to City Hall to demand he move a motion to redevelop the Langara Golf Course, in order that the Mayor’s wishes might be realized, that half of the golf course would be developed for housing.


Vision Vancouver Park Board Commissioner, Aaron Jasper, set to carry out the wishes of the Mayor

Subsequent to Aaron Jasper’s meeting with Ballem and Magee, in an interview with the media, Jasper suggested that the course could be downsized from 18 holes to nine holes, which would free the land for public park space.

Alternatively, Jasper pointed out that the course could be eliminated altogether to develop a full park in its place. Golfers would be redirected to the city’s two other golf courses, McCleery and Fraserview.

One hundred and fifty irate, activist members of the community turned up at the contentious July 9th meeting of Park Board — spanning every age group, from young pre-adolescent children to seniors, with members of the cultural and ethnic mosaic of the Vancouver well-represented among those who had gathered to oppose Mayor Robertson’s “vision” for a redeveloped Langara Golf Course.

More than two dozen speakers slammed the Vancouver Park Board that cool, mid-summer Monday evening, fearing they said that the city-owned Langara golf course might be changed into a park or affordable housing.

Many speakers, as well as Commissioner John Coupar, said they feared the motion to ask staff to compile usage and revenue figures for the city’s golf courses might be the first step toward turning Langara into a park or residential development.

“The way this has been rolled out, I think is a little scary,” Coupar said of the motion, which came after Mayor Gregor Robertson publicly questioned whether Vancouverites are best served by a golf course in the area.

The first speakers to present to the Park Board Commissioners that evening were two 23-year-old women of Chinese descent, who said the following after introducing themselves …

“The two of us grew up in the area surrounding the Langara Golf Course. We grew up in some degree of poverty, living a kind of hand-to-mouth existence. Our parents each ran business, one a small corner store, the other a dry cleaning business. We were often left to our own devices, alone, without much to do. This was in an age prior to social media, when cell phones — which we couldn’t have afforded anyway — were not a feature of life.

With the Langara Golf course nearby, and given that it was the only green space in the neighbourhood, we took to walking around the trails that surround the golf course. Soon, we were running around the golf course, and over the years, from age six through our teens, we continued to run around the trails surrounding Langara. Over time, our running skills were strengthened, we joined the track team at our high school, and not long soon after we were recommended by our PhysEd teachers to the Canada Olympic Committee.

Long story short, the both of us became Olympic gold medal winning runners at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Later this month, we will both be competing again at the London Summer Olympics.

Were it not for the opportunity we were afforded to, over many, many years, to run around the track surrounding the Langara Golf Course, we most certainly would not have become Olympic gold medal winners. Langara is a critical resource to families like ours, a welcoming green space like no other. We do not want to see the Langara Golf Course developed into condominiums.

With all due respect to the Mayor, we are present here tonight to speak against the initiative moved by Commissioner Jasper, on behalf of Mayor Gregor Robertson.”

At the conclusion of the address of the two accomplished young women, applause broke out. Observers, and Park Board staff and Commissioners, could well see that the 150 members of the community who had arrived at the Park Board offices to oppose the initiative of the Mayor to develop the Langara Golf Course were heartened and moved by what they’d heard. A new feeling of hope permeated the room.

The next speakers up were two UBC climate scientists who spoke about climate change, making the case for the preservation of the Langara Golf Course …

“In its present form, as the ‘lungs of our city’, as a health resource for citizens not simply because of the recreational resource it provides, but for the vital role Langara plays in addressing the role of climate change in our city, preservation of the Langara Golf Course must be seen as a paramount consideration.”

The scientists were followed by a groups of baby boomer, Gen X and millennial age women who spoke about the safety that they were afforded in their daily walks on the trails surrounding Langara. “There are always eyes on us. We feel safe. Langara in its present form is an invaluable resource for us. Please do not develop the site.”

Next up: groups of young boys and girls, and seniors, who spoke about their love for golf, about how they could never afford the hundreds and thousands of dollars that would be required to join a private golf course, but that for as little as seven dollars they could afford several hours of play on the Langara Golf Course.

“Better that we should be outside and in the environment,” they averred, “than at home watching TV, or playing video games.”

And with that, the speakers / intervenors / community input portion of the Park Board Committee meeting drew to a close.


Aaron Jasper, Chairperson, Vancouver Park Board, 2012

During the course of the evening, several speakers who had presented to the Commissioners made mention of the fact that the Langara Golf Course was usable only six months of the year. Given the poor / virtually non-existent drainage on the course, users could not play the course when the autumn rainy season began, through the end of March, and sometimes April.

Without asking for remedy to such, Aaron Jasper had the following to say …

“I would like to make a motion asking staff to report back to the Board this upcoming early autumn, with recommendations and costing of installing a proper drainage system within the Langara golf course, such that the course might be used year-round. I would ask for the unanimous support from the Board for the motion I will put on the table.”

Aaron Jasper’s motion passed unanimously.


Sarah Blyth, multi-term Commissioner on the Vancouver Park Board

In a conversation VanRamblings had with former, multi-term Vision Vancouver Park Board Commissioner Sarah Blyth earlier this week, she told us the following …

“From time to time, my Vision Park Board colleagues and I found ourselves in conflict with the Mayor, with city staff and our Vision colleagues on Council. Never once, though, were we bullied by the City Manager or the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, and most certainly not by our elected Vision colleagues on City Council.

The Mayor and the Vision Councillors realized that we had been elected by voters to fulfill a mandate to preserve, protect and enhance Vancouver’s parks and recreation system, and to work on behalf of all the citizens of our city to maintain the best parks and recreation system on the continent.”

Did Aaron Jasper, and his Vision Vancouver colleagues on the Park Board, follow the “instruction” of Penny Ballem and Mike Magee to pass a motion that would lead to the halving, at best, of green space on the Langara golf course? No, no, they did not. Instead, as it turned out, in the autumn of that year, the Board unanimously approved a motion from Mr. Jasper to have installed a new drainage system — at a cost of $4 million — on the Langara golf course property, allowing golfers to use the course year-round, more than doubling the revenue derived from Langara, easily “repaying” the initial $4 million restoration expenditure.

And what was the political fallout for Vision Vancouver Park Board Commissioners Aaron Jasper, Trevor Loke, Sarah Blyth, Niki Sharma and Sarah Blyth?

Nada, zero, zilch.

The Vision Vancouver Commissioners on Park Board continued on representing the best interests of the citizens of Vancouver, unscathed and much admired.

At the conclusion of the 2014 Vancouver civic election, as the incumbent Vision Vancouver Commissioners chose not to seek another term, Vision Park Board candidate Catherine Evans topped the polls, on a newly reconstituted Vancouver Park Board that saw Michael Wiebe and Stuart Mackinnon elected as Greens on the Board,  with Non-Partisan Association candidate John Coupar re-elected to a further term in office, joined by NPA colleagues Sarah Kirby-Yung, Casey Crawford and Erin Shum, the four emerging as the new majority on the Vancouver Park Board.

What is being left unsaid in this column? Yes, you’re right.


Vancouver Mayor / autocrat “play ball with me, and my office, or consequences will be severe” Ken Sim

Unlike the autocratic “if you step out of line, we’ll end you” ABC Vancouver administration of Mayor Ken Sim, the Vision Vancouver and the Non-Partisan Association Park Boards were left alone by the Boards of Directors of each long serving Vancouver political party, as well as their respective party’s colleagues / elected representatives on Vancouver City Council — free to do their jobs as they best saw fit, the jobs they had been elected to perform, unbidden and unscathed.

For part 1 of this series, click on the following link …

#SaveOurParkBoard | Tender Moments of Change at Park Board, Pt 1

Click / tap on the graphic above to sign  the Save Our Park Board Petition started by Sarah Blyth