Mark Halyk, a former Vancouver Park Board manager responsible for / transforming the concessions operated by the Board of Parks and Recreation, is running for the position of Vancouver Park Board Commissioner with the Vancouver Liberals.
After spending more than a decade working inside the Vancouver Park Board as a senior leader in Commercial Services, Mark brings something increasingly rare to civic politics: real operational experience and firsthand knowledge of how the system actually works.
One of Mark’s proudest accomplishments during his tenure with the Park Board was helping transform the concession portfolio into a more financially sustainable model. Projects such as the partnership with Batch at Kitsilano Pool demonstrated how creative thinking and responsible public-private partnerships can revitalize public spaces while generating meaningful revenue to support parks and recreation programming.
Batch at Kitsilano Pool, the licensed Kits Beach concession stand, joint and patio — featuring great food
Mark — the must-elect candidate for Park Board in the 2026 Vancouver municipal election — believes that Vancouver’s Park Board can be both fiscally responsible and community-focused — a recreation and parks system in Vancouver that maintains pools, fields, community centres, and green spaces, while ensuring families in every neighbourhood across our city has access to modern, affordable recreation. Vancouver’s iconic amenities, including beloved destinations like Kitsilano Pool, deserve practical long-term planning that balances fiscal responsibility, climate resilience, and community access.
Today, VanRamblings features a ‘Hey Dad’ video, filmed by Mark’s young son — as you’ll see, an up-and-coming Spielbergian master of the cinematic arts — which will provide you with insight into the issues of concern to must-elect Vancouver Liberals candidate for Vancouver Park Board, the entirely tremendous Mark Halyk.
Why i stepped forward after 12 years at the Park Board..Hey Dad question #kareemformayor #Vancouverliberals pic.twitter.com/PywHAwLwxM
— Mark Halyk (@mark4Vanparks) August 10, 2026
As a follow-up to what Mark Halyk has to say above, in Wednesday’s VanRamblings post we will publish an indictment of current Mayor Ken Sim, and each of the civic administrations that have formed municipal government in Vancouver dating back to 2008, as each successive Mayor and Council has utterly failed to provide Vancouver’s parks, gardens, arboretum, swimming pools, hockey rinks, community centres, playing fields and community recreation facilities with the necessary sustained investment they require to function properly and in the interests of those of us who live in one of the twenty-three, diverse neighbourhood communities, who elect Vancouver’s next Mayor and Council each election cycle.