Tag Archives: city hall

#SaveOurParkBoard | A Passionate, Reasoned, Well-Attended Town Hall

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This past Thursday afternoon, Green Party of Vancouver City Councillors Pete Fry and Adriane Carr, and One City Vancouver Councillor Christine Boyle organized a spirited Town Hall — with more than 200 passionate, reasoned citizens in attendance, who oppose the elimination of an independent, elected Park Board — the event taking place in the Joe Wai Room, on the main floor of Vancouver City Hall.


Vancouver City Councillors, l-r:  the Green Party’s Pete Fry and Adriane Carr + OneCity Vancouver’s Christine Boyle

One of the most compelling speakers of the afternoon was Terri Clark, Vancouver Park Board’s Public Affairs Communications Manager from 1973 through 2008.

“In all my years at Park Board, our General Managers worked productively with Vancouver City Managers Fritz Bowers (1977-1990), Ken Dobell (1990-1998) and Judy Rogers (1999-2008). Ours was a relationship of mutual respect and co-operation.

Necessary funds were always provided by the City for the upkeep and maintenance of Vancouver’s parks, pools and community centres, in order to best serve the public interest.

               Photo credit: Elvira Lount
First row, above: l-r, Park Board Commissioner Tom Digby | John Coupar, former Park Board Chair | Tricia Barker, Commissioner, last term | Laura Christensen, current independent Commissioner; Bottom row, l-r. Michael Wiebe, former Commissioner, former City Councillor | Sarah Blyth, former two term Commissioner | Brennan Bastyovanszky, current independent Park Board Chair.

Recent maintenance problems at the Aquatic Centre or Kits Pool would never have been allowed to happen in Mr. Bowers’,  Dobell’s and Judy Rogers time as City Manager at Vancouver City Hall.

In September 2009, before Susan Mundick, Park Board’s General Manager (1998-2009), announced her “retirement“, City Manager Penny Ballem had stripped Ms. Mundick of all her duties, stating she would “help park board choose Ms. Mundick’s replacement”, a selection process City Hall had never previously been involved in.

If our pools and community centres are in disrepair today, as Mayor Sim has pointed out, such a circumstance arises from City Hall’s decision to cut Park Board out of any and all maintenance decisions, ceding those responsibilities to the City, which over the past dozen years has largely ignored the needs of what was once a world class parks and recreation system of which we were proud.”

Several past and current Park Board Commissioners addressed those who had gathered at City Hall last Thursday, including: Michael Wiebe, who spoke about the role of Park Board Commissioners in preserving the natural environment; past Park Board Chair, John Coupar, who addressed the role of Park Board in creating a livable city;  both Sarah Blyth and Tricia Barker reminded those present that “Ken Sim and his ABC Council were not given a mandate to abolish the Vancouver Park Board”; while formerly ABC Vancouver but now independent Park Board Commissioners Brennan Bastyovanszky, Scott Jensen and Laura Christensen committed to continuing their work in the community to preserve the invaluable 135-year legacy of an independent, elected Vancouver Park Board that serves the interests of all British Columbians and “those who visit our beautiful city”.

Several speakers referenced an article in The Vancouver Sun, written by Canadian gardening legend Brian Minter, who writes …

“The Vancouver Park Board maintains 242 parks that comprises 11% cent of Vancouver land. In addition, Park Board maintains 22 kilometres of seawall at Stanley Park, and walkways along False Creek. Park Board’s mandate includes 10 ocean beaches and a freshwater lake beach. Not only are they responsible for the city’s recreation programmes, services and community centres and facilities, park infrastructure comes under their jurisdiction.

In a time of significant climate change with the huge challenges of heat and drought, and the drive to expand green spaces, a high priority must be placed on the viability of parks. The importance of green spaces, the many proven benefits to both our health and wellness are well-documented, as our needs continue to grow.

The Vancouver Park Board is one of our region’s most important public assets and needs dedicated people and citizen engagement to ensure the long-term viability of  B.C.’s, and indeed, Canada’s, most spectacular green spaces, for generations to come.”

And then there’s the disposition of the 242 Vancouver’s parks, one hundred of which do not a have a protected park designation.


Former ABC, now independent PB Commissioners, l-r: Laura Christensen, Brennan Bastyovanszky, Scott Jensen

Perhaps the most articulate and moving participant in Thursday afternoon’s Town Hall was Laura Christensen’s month-old daughter, who cried throughout most of the proceeding, voicing the despair clearly felt by her mother — to whom Mayor Ken Sim had committed his support, when he asked her to run as a Park Board Commissioner on his ABC Vancouver slate — and the despair and frustration of those who had gathered together in common cause to, as one speaker, said “fight ABC’s undemocratic initiative to abolish our cherished, independent Park Board.”

#VanPoli | Meet Vancouver’s Next Mayor | Jody Wilson-Raybould

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Vancouver’s next Mayor, Jody Wilson-Raybould, principled and a voice for our city, and our nation

The woman pictured above, former federal Liberal Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Jody Wilson-Raybould — although something of a polarizing political figure, and although she has yet to announce her bid to become Vancouver’s next Mayor — come Saturday, October 15th, 2022 will become Vancouver’s 41st Mayor.

Possessed of great integrity — for which she is justly famous, and highly regarded — incredibly bright, accomplished, articulate and human in a way one rarely finds in the political realm, Jody Wilson-Raybould will likely announce her bid for the Mayor’s chair in early 2022, not out of any cynical calculation, but because Ms. Wilson-Raybould is a protector of our land, our city, and possessed of the kind of integrity that is all too rare in Vancouver politics — which is to say, she’s not involved in politics to enrich her bank account, or find herself beholden to developer interests — but honestly believes that she possesses the innate knowledge on the functioning of government and how best to achieve one’s policy goals, the heart, the humanity and the wit essential to emerge not just as the leader of our city, but a leader across our nation, as Vancouver’s necessary voice on the national stage.

VanRamblings believes that Ms. Wilson-Raybould will announce her candidacy for Mayor in the new year, following a series of meetings with the membership of the Coalition of Progressive Electors — represented by Jean Swanson on Council — and OneCity Vancouver, represented on Council by Christine Boyle.

Given that Ms. Wilson-Raybould is known for doing her homework, and given that affordable housing and human-scale development in Vancouver are key issues of concern for the voting electorate, Ms. Wilson-Raybould will also seek out the learned counsel of Patrick Condon, the James Taylor chair in Landscape and Livable Environments at the University of British Columbia’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, among a host of other academics who care deeply for our city, including Simon Fraser University’s Andy Yan and Josh Gordon, and UBC’s Scot Hein, a highly-regarded former city planner.

Calgary’s new and first woman Mayor, Jyoti Gondek

Calgary’s new Mayor Jyoti Gondek — the first female Mayor in the city’s history, who on her way to victory, defeated 26 challengers to replace outgoing Mayor Naheed Nenshi; Montréal’s re-elected Mayor Valérie Plante, who defeated incumbent mayor Denis Coderre in 2017, trouncing him again last month.

In Nunavut, the Nunavut News stated a new trend had emerged in the territory of young women in politics, as 24-year-old Ningeolaa Killiktee was elected Mayor of Kimmirut, and Pam Gross as Mayor of Cambridge Bay. In the Northwest Territories, one media outlet stated that “Female candidates swept the municipal elections in the NWT,” and the CBC reported the victories of female Mayoral candidates in Hay River, Inuvik, Fort Smith and Yellowknife.

Canadian feminist and Mayor of Ottawa, Charlotte Whitton, was the first woman Mayor of a major city in Canada, serving from 1951 to 1956 and again from 1960 to 1964. Whitton was a Canadian social policy pioneer, leader and commentator, as well as a journalist and writer.

Janice Rhea Reimer became the first female Mayor of Edmonton, Alberta, serving in that capacity from 1989 until 1995. Saskatchewan Mayor Sandra Masters was sworn in as Regina’s 35th Mayor, after having swung to victory as the next year city’s first elected female Mayor, on November 23rd, 2020.

Kate Rogers elected as Mayor of Fredericton in 2020, the first woman to hold the position

Toronto Mayors June Rowland & Barbara Hall, Montréal’s Valérie Plante, Edmonton’s Janice Reimer, Regina’s Sandra Masters, Calgary’s Jyoti Gondek, Ottawa’s Charlotte Whitton, Cambridge Bay’s Pam Gross & Kimmirut’s Ningeolaa Killiktee, Halifax’s Moira Leiper Ducharme (1991-1994), Charlottetown’s M. Dorothy Corrigan, St. John’s Suzanne Duff, and Fredericton, New Brunswick’s current Mayor, Kate Rogers — all duly-elected Mayors of Canadian cities.

Whither Vancouver?

Every Mayor of Vancouver, from Malcolm A. MacLean in 1886, through until Kennedy Stewart today, have been white men of privilege more often than not elected to serve the monied interests of our city. Why is it that in 135 years, the good citizens of Vancouver have never seen fit to elect a woman as Mayor of our city, when almost every other city in Canada has seen fit do do so?

In all likelihood, Vancouver City Councillor Colleen Hardwick will throw her hat into the ring to become Vancouver’s next Mayor.

Rumour has it, too, that former Vision Vancouver Councillor Andrea Reimer is considering a bid to become Vancouver Mayor. VanRamblings’ sources have told us Coalition Vancouver’s Wai Young is set on running for office, as Mayor, in next year’s Vancouver civic election.

Andrea Reimer, former Vision Councillor (l); Adriane Carr, Green Party; Wai Young, Coalition Vancouver

The Green Party of Vancouver’s Adriane Carr is also reportedly considering a run for Vancouver’s top elected office next year.

And there remains to this day, the persistent rumour that current populist and well-schooled Vancouver City Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung may also run for office as Mayor in next year’s municipal election.

A surfeit of qualified women candidates for Mayor of Vancouver, any one of whom would well represent our city, should she be elected to the office of Mayor in the 2022 Vancouver civic election, only 321 short days from today.

#VanPoli | The Mayor’s Race | They’re Off and Running | Oct. 15, 2022

BC Politics, Politics, Vancouver, Vancouver Votes 2022, , ,

A Better City, Ken Sim; NPA Vancouver, John Coupar; Progress Vancouver, Mark Marissen

The three men pictured above are running to be Vancouver’s next Mayor.

Ken Sim, the man pictured on the left, ran as the Mayoral candidate with the Non-Partisan Association in 2018, and came within a hair’s breadth of becoming Mayor, garnering 48,748 votes for 28.16% of the vote, but losing to the candidate backed by the Vancouver District and Labour Council, and longtime New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for Burnaby South, Kennedy Stewart, who won 49,705 votes, or 957 more votes than his centre-right rival, to become Vancouver’s 40th Mayor, and the only Mayor to win in Vancouver running as an independent.

In 2022, Ken Sim is running with the newly-formed A Better City municipal party, a breakaway NPA Vancouver centre-right civic party formed by Mr. Sim, and former, longtime President of the Non-Partisan Association, Peter Armstrong.

In 2020, the NPA Board of Directors was taken over by members who held far-right extremist views, causing NPA elected members to desert the party, both at Council and at School Board.

Ken Sim deserted the Non-Partisan Association soon after.

Here’s what Charlie Smith, editor of The Straight has to say about Ken Sim …

“Ken Sim wants to preserve single-family neighbourhoods, anchoring his rental housing policy on the creation of more secondary suites. If A Better City won a majority on Council, here’s what I think would happen: a rewriting of the Downtown Eastside area plan to make it easier to build condos, along with a clampdown on rezonings in neighbourhoods like Dunbar and Shaughnessy. A Better City might also try to undo a Vision Vancouver policy to turn First Shaughnessy into a heritage conservation area, which irritated the local homeowners.”

In other words, Ken Sim envisions a regressive, developer-friendly, back to the future Vancouver, which serves the interests of the wealthy and the well-to-do.

All of the above said, Ken Sim comes into the 2022 campaign for civic office as the best funded Mayoral candidate, with the strongest and most well-practiced behind-the-scenes campaign team of any of the Mayoral candidates running for office in 2022. Sophia Leung, a former federal Liberal Cabinet Minister, has set about to secure the Chinese vote for Mr. Sim in every neighbourhood across our city. With half a dozen or more serious-minded candidates running to be Vancouver Mayor next year, if Ken Sim can somehow manage to keep the 48,748 votes cast for him in 2018, 323 days from now Ken Sim could very well become Vancouver’s next Mayor.

John Coupar Running to Become Vancouver’s next Mayor | Photograph by: Wayne Leidenfrost, PNG

John Coupar is currently serving his third term as a Vancouver Park Board Commissioner, after having first been elected to Park Board in 2011. John (he’d want you to call him ‘John’) became Chair of Park Board in late 2014, when the Non-Partisan Association elected a majority to Park Board. John Coupar’s first act as Park Board Chair was to create swim sessions at Templeton & Lord Byng pools that would be open exclusively to members of Vancouver’s transgender and gender variant communities, an initiative for which they had lobbied.

In 2018, John sought the NPA Mayoral nomination, but lost out to upstart politico, Ken Sim, in a ballot-box stuffing venture initiated by then NPA President, Peter Armstrong, who bused in hundreds of ‘there only to vote’ NPA members at the June 2018 Mayoral nomination meeting.

In 2020, John Coupar was appointed the NPA Mayoral candidate for 2022, causing quite some consternation among NPA City Councillors Lisa Dominato, Colleen Hardwick and Sarah Kirby-Yung.

Now, John may be running with the NPA, Vancouver’s oldest and most successful municipal party, but unlike NPA Board members, John Coupar is not a far-right extremist. In fact, he is anything but. Still, according to the polls, the NPA has lost favour among the voting electorate. Hard to say what kind of money Mayoral candidate John Coupar will have to back his campaign for office, although word on the street has longtime NPA financier Rob MacDonald remaining loyal to the NPA.

In the months to come, VanRamblings will have a great deal more to say about each of the Vancouver Mayoral candidates running for election to Vancouver City Hall in 2022. Suffice to say for now that in order to break out of the right-of-centre pack, John Coupar’s best bet to become Vancouver’s next Mayor will be to run a tough, no nonsense Rudy Guiliani-style ‘law and order’ campaign, committed to hiring more police officers, cleaning up the streets (quite literally), and working to make Vancouver the safest city in Canada.

Whether 2022 Non-Partisan Association Mayoral candidate John Coupar has it in him to run that kind of successful campaign for office, only time will tell.

Longtime political strategist and the federal Liberal ‘operative’ who campaign-managed Stéphane Dion to victory as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, on December 3rd, 2006, Mark Marissen was also involved in his ex-wife Christy Clark’s winning campaign for office in 2013 as leader of the B.C. Liberal Party.

Make no mistake, Mark aims to win in 2022 & become Vancouver’s next Mayor.

Vancouver is a centre-left city.

In the 2020 provincial election, the B.C. New Democrats won every Vancouver riding, with the exception of the wealthy burgh of Vancouver Quilchena. Federally, the progressive and decidedly left-of-centre Justin Trudeau-led Liberal Party of Canada won every Vancouver seat, with the exception of the New Democrat-held seats of Vancouver East & Vancouver Kingsway.

In 2022, no Mayoral candidate identifying him/herself as centre-right has any chance of becoming Vancouver’s next Mayor (unless John Coupar goes for the gusto, and runs a ‘law and order’ campaign). Mark Marissen knows that well.

VanRamblings sees Mark Marissen as the high energy, strategically-wise, take no guff, entertaining Vancouver Mayoral candidate who’ll campaign from the left, and should he become Mayor in 2022, ‘rule’ from the centre (not to mention, in favour of the contingent of developers backing his campaign for office).

Seven months back, the folks at Press Progress published an article titled, Here’s a List of Vancouver’s Right-Wing Municipal Parties That Are All Currently At War With Each Other (the article is as relevant today as it was last spring).

Here’s their take on the shenanigans that is Vancouver right-wing politics …

“The city’s wealthy right-wing political class appear to have already decided on their winning strategy: Declaring war on each other. The city’s oldest municipal party, the Non-Partisan Association, is currently embroiled in an internal conflict between its elected caucus and far-right Board of Directors.

Meanwhile, the NPA’s former mayoral candidate (Ken Sim) is planning to run against his old party (with A Better City), and a Liberal backroom operative (Mark Marissen) has thrown his hat into the mayoral ring, too (with Progress Vancouver), for good measure. If you’re struggling to keep track of all this right-wing in-fighting, you’re not alone.”

We’re still 11 months away from Vancouver’s 2022 municipal election.

There’s lots to ponder about what’s going on at Vancouver City Hall and even more to reflect on in the days, weeks and months to come leading up to what may very well emerge as a crucially important Vancouver 2022 civic election, one that could set the course for our city for a generation, or more, to come.