Tag Archives: john coupar

Where the City Breathes: The Enduring Story of Vancouver’s Park Board

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The history of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, more commonly known as the Vancouver Park Board, is in many ways the history of Vancouver.

Few public institutions have done more to shape the daily lives of residents than the elected body charged with protecting the city’s forests, beaches, community centres,  gardens and public gathering places.

Long before Vancouver became celebrated for its livability, the Park Board was quietly laying the foundations for the city that would emerge — a city where parks were not an afterthought, but the framework around which neighbourhoods would grow.

For well over a century, Vancouver’s Park Board has remained one of the most cherished civic institutions anywhere in North America.

Current  2022 elected Commissioners mandated to oversee decision-making at Vancouver’s Park Board

It is one of a handful of fully elected, independent park boards across the continent, exercising powers granted under the Vancouver Charter.

While virtually every other major North American city places parks and recreation under the direct authority of city council or a municipal department, Vancouver entrusted those responsibilities to Commissioners elected directly by the public.

That institutional independence has often produced spirited political debates, occasional conflict with City Hall, and differing visions for Vancouver’s future.

Yet it has also allowed generations of Commissioners to devote themselves exclusively to parks, recreation and public space — an extraordinary civic experiment that has helped define Vancouver’s identity.

The origins of the Park Board date to 1888, only two years after Vancouver’s incorporation as a city.

The fledgling municipality recognized early on that preserving public land would be essential if the young city were to avoid the mistakes made elsewhere, where development consumed valuable waterfronts and forests before governments acted to protect them.

The Board’s original mandate was straightforward but ambitious: acquire, preserve and improve public park land for present and future generations.

Over time that mandate expanded dramatically to include playgrounds, sports fields, beaches, golf courses, marinas, swimming pools, arenas, horticulture, urban forestry, environmental stewardship, arts programming, recreation services, cultural events and, eventually, the management of one of Canada’s largest systems of community recreation centres.

Among the Board’s earliest achievements was the preservation and stewardship of Stanley Park, which remains one of the world’s great urban parks. Commissioners oversaw improvements to trails, beaches, seawalls, gardens and recreation facilities while preserving the park’s extraordinary natural landscape.

Throughout the twentieth century the Board continued acquiring neighbourhood parks as Vancouver expanded westward and southward. Small local parks became the green hearts of emerging communities, ensuring that nearly every resident would live within walking distance of public open space.

An equally transformative chapter began after the Second World War with the emergence of Vancouver’s community centres.

Across neighbourhoods, citizens had organized independently to build and operate recreation facilities. These community centre associations were grassroots organizations, led almost entirely by volunteers. Local residents raised money, organized activities, hired instructors, operated concessions, planned events and determined programming reflecting each neighbourhood’s unique character.

In the early through mid-1950s, these independent volunteer-run community organizations commenced discussions on realizing a formal partnership with the Vancouver Park Board that rather than replace local control embraced the volunteer model. The resulting partnership became one of the most successful examples of community governance in Canada.

To this day, community centre associations continue to elect volunteer boards composed of neighbourhood residents. The Park Board supplies professional staff, access to maintenance support — although, since 2009, the City has largely failed on that front — recreation expertise and long-term capital investment.

Together, the Vancouver Park Board, and the volunteer community centre Boards of Directors have worked together — sometimes fitfully — to create community recreation facilities that are responsive to the interests of neighbourhoods throughout the city.

Today Vancouver’s network of community centres remains one of the city’s defining civic institutions. They are places where children learn to swim, seniors meet friends over coffee, newcomers improve their English, teenagers play basketball, families attend festivals, artists teach pottery and musicians rehearse.

Unlike private fitness clubs or exclusive recreational facilities, Vancouver’s community centres have been designed around accessibility and inclusion.

No matter one’s income, ethnicity, language, sexual identity or age, the doors remain open.

Recognizing that financial barriers should never prevent participation, the Park Board long ago developed a comprehensive concession programme offering substantially reduced fees for low-income residents.

Through what is now the Leisure Access Programme, eligible residents receive significant discounts on admission to pools, skating rinks, fitness centres and recreational programmes, ensuring that recreation remains a public good rather than a luxury.

From much of the 1970s through the late 1990s, Park Board Commissioners affiliated with the Non-Partisan Association (NPA) civic party frequently held governing majorities on the Board.

Although civic politics remained partisan, Vancouver’s Park Board  focused less on ideology than on practical questions of expanding recreation services, acquiring park land and maintaining infrastructure.

Numerous Commissioners developed reputations as diligent stewards rather than ideological combatants.

Civic figures and Park Board Commssioners who made a difference, taking the job of stewards of Vancouver’s system of parks and recreation seriously and as a public trust, include such figures as Bill McCreery — who VanRamblings will write about next Monday — Allan De Genova, Ian Robertson, Don Bellamy, Christopher Richardson, Trevor Loke, George Wainborn, Libbi Davies, Art Cowie, Tim Louis, Michael Wiebe, George Puil,  Donna Morgan, John Coupar, Erin Shum, Melissa De Genova, Alan Featherstonhaugh, Niki Sharma, Philip Owen, Laura McDiarmid, Aaron Jasper, Andy Livingstone, Constance Barnes, Sarah Kirby-Yung, Grace McCarthy, Stuart Mackinnon, and Sarah Blyth — among many, many other elected Park Board Commissioners — each left their own imprint, though representing different political movements and philosophies in Vancouver politics.

One of the most ambitious administrative reforms ever undertaken by the Park Board emerged decades later with development of the OneCard.

For years Vancouver residents were effectively members of individual community centres rather than the city-wide recreation system. Memberships, registrations and financial systems differed from one association to another.

Creating a universal Park Board access card allowing residents to use any community centre, pool, rink or fitness facility across Vancouver required years of sometimes fraught negotiation, involving the Presidents of the various community centre associations, and a too often uncompromising and intractable City of Vancouver, in the form of Vancouver’s imperious City Manager, Dr. Penny Ballem.

Presidents of the various community centre associations played an indispensable role. Many understood that while local identity should remain protected, residents increasingly expected seamless access throughout the city.

The discussions were often lengthy, often contentious and politically delicate. Associations wished to preserve their independence and financial stability. Park Board leadership / Dr. Ballem sought greater “consistency” across the system.

Ultimately co-operation prevailed.

The OneCard became a symbol of a unified recreation system while preserving the volunteer governance that had served Vancouver so well for decades.

Like every democratic institution, the Park Board has experienced controversy.

Perhaps no episode better illustrates the intensity of civic engagement than the debate surrounding the Bloedel Conservatory.

Facing financial pressures during the tenure of a Vision Vancouver majority on Park Board, in 2010 proposals emerged that contemplated closing the beloved conservatory atop Queen Elizabeth Park.

To many Vancouver residents, the Bloedel Conservatory represented far more than a greenhouse. It was a tropical sanctuary. A refuge during rainy winters. A place where generations of families introduced children to exotic birds and lush plant life.

Public opposition was immediate and passionate.


John Coupar loves Vancouver parks. In 1937, John’s father was hired as an apprentice gardener at Park Board, taking a leave to join the Canadian army in 1939. During the war, John’s father worked with the Allies on the liberation of Europe, returning to Park Board at the end of the war in 1945, where he was employed all of his working life, often taking John to the gardens and parks throughout Vancouver where he was working. When the Vision Vancouver Park Board, in 2010, threatened the closure of the Bloedel Conservatory, John — in concert with others — worked to save the Bloedel Conservatory, which he and his activist colleagues did, preserving the conservatory to this day.

Among those helping lead efforts to preserve the conservatory was future Park Board Commissioner John Coupar, working alongside community advocates, volunteers, horticultural supporters and civic organizations.

Following the 2011 civic election when he was elected to Park Board, and later as Chair of the Board following the 2014 civic election, John Coupar became one of the institution’s strongest champions. Rather than allowing closure, the Board pursued restoration, fundraising partnerships and renewed public programming.

Today the conservatory remains one of Vancouver’s treasured civic attractions.

Sarah Kirby-Yung, current Vancouver City Councillor / former Park Board Commissioner / Chairperson

Another landmark achievement came through collaboration between Commissioners and senior Park Board management regarding cetaceans (whales, dolphins) in captivity at the Vancouver Aquarium.

After years of public debate, scientific evidence and changing public attitudes toward whales and dolphins in captivity, thanks to very fine work by then Chairperson of the Vancouver Park Board, Sarah Kirby-Yung, working with Park Board General Manager, the incredibly competent — and dare we say, well-loved — Malcolm Bromley, the two discovered an obscure 1923 by-law that allowed the Vancouver Park Board to adopt a policy that would ultimately end the keeping of cetaceans at the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park.

Pissed off future Vancouver City Councillor Colleen Hardwick complained loud and long that “the despicable Sarah Kirby-Yung” had ignored / rejected / gone against Non-Partisan Association policy that supported whales in captivity.

F-ck Non-Partisan Association policy VanRamblings says, and do the moral thing — which an ethical, principled Sarah Kirby-Yung did, allowing The Aquarium to continue their policy of providing service and succour to whales in the open ocean, rather than in the “cages” of the Aquarium, Vancouver’s Aquarium thriving to this day without keeping cetaceans in small pool, caged captivity.

The ever-so autocratic and, dare we say, kind of nuts — but still competent — Dr. Penny Ballem.

Perhaps the most significant institutional conflict emerged during the tenure of former City Manager Dr. Penny Ballem. Historically, the Park Board General Manager functioned primarily as the senior executive accountable to the elected Commissioners. Dr. Ballem restructured Park Board such that the Park Board General Manager became an employee of the City, reporting directly to her.

Not only that, Dr. Ballem also transferred responsibility for maintenance operations — including many park maintenance functions — to centralized City departments, which have done a piss poor job of maintaining Vancouver’s community centres, facilities and parks (lack of funding, don’tcha know, as do nothing Council after do nothing Council ignored these cherished community spaces), recently resulting in a scathing report by Vancouver Auditor General Mike Macdonnell, who found that 11 of Vancouver’s community centres are in “an advanced state of disrepair,” neglected for the past 18 years by the City and Mayors and City Councillors, as Vancouver’s public social infrastructure — community-owned recreation centres, pools, hockey rinks, golf courses, not to mention, libraries and community hubs — have eroded, many beyond repair (think: the Aquatic Centre, currently in the throes of being torn down, or Vancouver’s well-loved Kitsilano pool).

Which is why Vancouver Liberals’ candidate for Mayor, Kareem Allam, has emerged as the only candidate seeking office in 2026 committed to repairing, rebuilding, rejuvenating and building more neighbourhood community centres and pools across the city — including a new 50-metre pool —  increasing public library hours, committed to restoring social cohesion, says Vancouver’s only ‘can-do’ candidate.

The future of the elected Park Board itself became a defining issue following the election of Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC Vancouver administration in 2022.

Mayor Sim has argued that Vancouver’s governance structure unnecessarily duplicates administrative functions and that parks should become another department reporting directly to City Council, as he envisions replacing the elected Park Board with a standing committee of an already overworked Council.

An overflow crowd attended the rally at the Hillcrest Community Centre this past February

Mayor Sim’s arguments are specious, wrong-headed, devoid of facts, an unseemly power grab based on Trump-like disinformation — not to mention which, VanRamblings is given to understand that Mayor Sim has intention of selling off park lands in Vancouver to his well-heeled billionaire friends, a topic which we will address in greater detail another day.

Fortunately, British Columbia Premier David Eby and his government have declined — and will continue to decline — to introduce legislation that would abolish the elected Park Board arising from a motion passed unanimously by ABC Vancouver Councillors, vehemently opposed by the non-affiliated Councillors.

For nearly 140 years the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation has acted as the steward of those shared places.

Governments will change. Political parties will rise and fall. Commissioners will come and go. Administrative structures may evolve. Yet the parks themselves endure, growing greener with each passing season, shaped by generations who believed that beauty, recreation and nature should belong to everyone.

In the end, that may be the Park Board’s greatest achievement. It has never simply managed parks. It has cultivated a way of life. In every towering cedar, every neighbourhood playground, every crowded skating rink on a winter evening, every child learning to swim, every senior lingering in the warmth of a community centre, Vancouver’s Park Board has quietly sustained the rhythm of the city itself.

For Vancouver breathes through its parks.

Vancouver’s parks are our lungs, its common ground — offering the enduring promise that amidst the pressures of urban life there will always remain places where the city pauses, and remembers who it is.

#BCPoli | VanRamblings Formally Endorses B.C. Conservative John Coupar in the Riding of Vancouver-Little Mountain

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Today, VanRamblings formally endorses B.C. Conservative candidate John Coupar in the riding of Vancouver-Little Mountain.

We know John Coupar to be a man of calm and reason, an accomplished businessman, a successful past Chairperson of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, and a man of character and integrity who would well represent the constituents within the riding he has long called home, and where he is well-acquainted with and knows the issues of concern to his neighbours, issues he would set about to remedy should he be elected to office this upcoming Saturday, as the Member of the Legislature representing Vancouver-Little Mountain.

John Coupar — a Red Tory in the mould of federal Conservatives like Joe Clark, Robert Stanfield, Erin O’Toole and Michael Chong — was the first potential B.C. Conservative Party candidate the nascent party’s leader, John Rustad, approached back in March to run with the newly insurgent British Columbia political party.

Although Mr. Coupar was offered the opportunity to run in the, perhaps, more winnable riding of Vancouver-Yaletown, he chose to run as the B.C. Conservative candidate in the riding of Vancouver-Little Mountain, as we say above, a neighbourhood he has long called home. It should be noted in passing that John’s NDP opponent Christine Boyle does not live within the boundaries of the riding; rather, Ms. Boyle calls the east side neighbourhood of Grandview-Woodlands home.

VanRamblings knows John Coupar to be a steady and progressive voice of reason and compassion, a democrat of the first order, and a defender of the public good.

We believe that it is critical John Coupar be elected this upcoming Saturday.

John Coupar would most assuredly be a calm and steady voice of reason within the B.C. Conservative caucus — someone his colleagues would turn to for direction when division arises — and should the Conservative Party of B.C. be elected to government on Saturday, October 19 — certainly not outside the realm of possibility, based on the latest polls —  a steady voice of reason around the Cabinet table.

One of the issues B.C. Conservative Party leader John Rustad has raised as a party platform in recent days is the commitment to eliminate the SOGI 123 programme that protects LBGTQ+ and gender variant children, a programme a recently published UBC longitudinal study found reduced discrimination, while creating a more welcoming & inclusive educational environment for students across the province.

UBC professor Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc, Executive Director of the Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre at UBC’s School of Nursing, told CTV Vancouver …

“The longer SOGI 123 was in schools, we saw reductions in things like verbal harassment and social exclusion, physical assault in schools, as well as sexual orientation discrimination or discrimination because people thought you were gay, lesbian or bisexual,” she told CTV Vancouver. “Declining rates of discrimination weren’t only felt among 2SLGBTQ youth. That impact was felt by all students across the entire school, affecting the largest group in the school, of course, which would be heterosexual students.”

Should the Conservative Party of B.C. be elected to government this upcoming Saturday, as the newly-elected government looks to adopt an anti-bullying policy that would apply to all students, make no mistake, as a British Columbian, you want John Coupar’s voice to be heard as a member of the Committee of Cabinet — perhaps, along with Surrey-Cloverdale candidate, Elenore Sturko, Kelowna-Mission candidate Gavin Dew and North Island candidate, Dr. Anna Quindy, should they be elected — that would be struck to develop a new, reformed anti-bullying policy.

In April 2015, when a gender-variant policy, a year in the making, was presented to the elected Vancouver Park Board Commissioners, the most moving address to those gathered in a crowded Park Board conference meeting room was given by John Coupar, who thanked all of those who had presented to Park Board on an issue of importance to each person in attendance, as well as to him, saying …

“Sitting on Park Board for the past almost three years has proven to be the most enlightening and moving experience of my life, and never more so than was the case this evening. I want you to know that you have an advocate in me, and in my fellow Park Board Commissioner, Melissa De Genova, that we will fight for you, we will fight for inclusivity in our parks and in our community centres.

Working together with all of the Commissioners, I commit to you that our parks and community centres will become welcoming and safe havens for you, where you will be respected always.

I look forward to working together with you, and with Park Board staff, on the early implementation of all facets of the gender-variant policy on which you have worked so hard, and has proved of such service to our community. Should I be elected to Park Board for a second term this November, and become the Chairperson, I commit to ensuring the implementation of what you have asked for: gender neutral washrooms, carrels in changing rooms, and an exclusive and safe gender variant swim on Sunday mornings at Lord Byng and Templeton pools.

Throughout my life, I have made a commitment to inclusivity, fairness and equity — let us work together, go forward and write a new chapter in our social and political history in our city and at Park Board, as we work towards a community of comfort, respect and acceptance that serves the interests of all of our citizens.”

Make no mistake, John Coupar is tough and strong-minded, and — take our word for it — does not suffer fools gladly.

The B.C. Conservative Party, if they don’t know it to be the case already, will learn that John Coupar is also the quintessential team player, whose only ambition is to do well for the citizens of British Columbia. Whether in caucus, or in Cabinet, B.C. Conservative Party leader John Rustad will come to learn, if he doesn’t know it already, that John Coupar will always have his back, and over time will become a trusted and loyal lieutenant within an almost certain to be fractious caucus.

Over the course of the past fourteen years, VanRamblings has come to know John Coupar very well, as a man of uncommon intelligence and compassion, articulate, achingly bright and principled, whose love for and knowledge of British Columbia is unparalleled among any of our acquaintances.

Married to the love of his life, Heather, for the best part of his life, John Coupar — a native of Vancouver, who loves our city as he does our province — raised his 2 children in Vancouver. As his children grew and left the family nest, John and Heather downsized, about 15 years ago, moving into the Village on False Creek, considered by many to be one of the greenest and most livable communities on the continent.

#BCPoli | Election 2024 Kindness as a Core Value in the Political Realm

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Recently, VanRamblings was afforded the opportunity to meet Dallas Brodie, the B.C. Conservative Party candidate in the riding of Vancouver-Quilchena.

Ms. Brodie, when she approached VanRamblings, told us that one of her campaign workers had made mention to her that we had recently written about her on our blog. Ms. Brodie followed up her initial comment to us by saying, “I read several articles on your blog. You’re a very good writer. Thank you for what you do!”

Now, did Ms. Brodie have to be kind, greet us with a warmth of character and a disarming and engaging complimentary élan?

Nope, she didn’t — particularly given that we’re an opinionated sort of fella, and chances are that Ms. Brodie read some VanRamblings commentary or other with which she was not necessarily in agreement (apparently, Ms. Brodie and VanRamblings, we are told, do not share a “political philosophy” .. alas).

Nonetheless, Dallas Brodie was invariably kind during the few minutes we spoke with one another — in an often too contentious world defined by an unwholesome divisiveness, VanRamblings came away from our encounter hopeful and heartened.

VanRamblings takes this opportunity to congratulate Dallas Brodie on her pending win in the Vancouver-Quilchena riding, where we feel quite assured that she will more than ably represent the concerns and interests of her grateful constituents.

The Role of Kindness as a Core Value in Politics

In an era where political discourse is often dominated by divisiveness, hostility, and polarization, the concept of kindness might seem quaint or naïve.

When we examine the foundational purpose of politics — the organization of society for the common good — kindness emerges as a practical and necessary value.

At its core, kindness represents empathy, respect, and a genuine concern for others. When woven into the fabric of political practices, kindness fosters collaboration, promotes inclusivity, and enables the pursuit of justice and equality.

Kindness must be viewed not as a weakness, but as an essential guiding principle in the development of government policy, and political conduct.


Premier David Eby, one of the kindest, most empathetic persons VanRamblings has ever known, a man  committed to social and economic justice, and a robust full employment economy.

In the 17 years we have enjoyed a political alliance with David Eby, we have always found him to be kind, not just to VanRamblings, but to everyone who comes into his orbit. David Eby is one of the kindest, most empathetic and entirely decent persons we have ever known, possessed of a beneficent social conscience, and as you may have noticed since he became Premier, a grassroots, democratic pragmatism that reflects the best interests of those he serves.

VanRamblings very much believes in the concept of “dancing with the one that brung ya.” As such, we’ll work diligently on David’s upcoming campaign.

Kindness as a Tool for Justice and Equity

Kindness in politics also has a powerful role in advancing justice and equity.

At its core, political decision-making is about determining how resources, rights, and opportunities are distributed within society. When kindness is embedded in this process, it ensures decisions are made with empathy for our most vulnerable populations.

In practical terms, policies that reflect kindness take into account the well-being of all citizens. The commitment to social and environmental justice is not an act of charity but an acknowledgment of our shared humanity.

The importance of kindness in addressing issues like climate change cannot be overstated. Climate change disproportionately affects the poorest and most vulnerable communities.

A kind approach to environmental policy prioritizes the well-being of future generations and ensures that those who are least responsible for climate change are not left to bear its worst consequences. By fostering and promoting a sense of responsibility, political leaders who prioritize personal and social kindness (and equity) can guide the world toward more sustainable and just solutions.


John Coupar, a candidate for the B.C. Conservative Party, in the Vancouver-Little Mountain riding.

We had written on VanRamblings last week that we’ll be endorsing John Coupar — a past Vancouver Park Board Chairperson, and current Conservative Party of British Columbia candidate — in his bid to win the newly-created Vancouver-Little Mountain riding in the upcoming provincial election.

For maximum exposure, VanRamblings’ plan will be to publish our formal endorsement of Mr. Coupar early next month, a couple of weeks away from British Columbia’s October 19th provincial election date.

As we have written on social media, at least in part (and for us, an important part) of our endorsement of John Coupar arises from the fact Mr. Coupar, in the time we have known him, has always been one of the kindest, most open and most welcoming human beings we have ever encountered.

Which is not to say that John Coupar isn’t a take no guff, tough but fair-minded man of conscience, a man possessed of integrity and great character, a man who while not suffering fools gladly will stand up always for and behind what he believes is right and just, and serves the best interests of the community, and those he has been elected to serve and represent (which means, of course, all of us).

Kindness as a core value in politics is not just an idealistic aspiration; it is a pragmatic approach to creating a more just, equitable, and functional society.

By humanizing political dialogue, building trust, and promoting co-operation, kindness can repair the fractures in our political systems and enable leaders to address the pressing issues of our time with empathy and clarity.

Kindness in politics is a reflection of strength — the strength to listen, to compromise, and to fight for a society where all individuals are treated with dignity.

#BCPoli | BC Election 2024 Vancouver-Little Mountain May the Best Wo/Man Win

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On Friday, May 3rd, the Conservative Party of British Columbia announced former Vancouver Park Board Chairperson John Coupar as their candidate in the newly-created riding of Vancouver-Little Mountain, in the upcoming provincial election.


John Coupar announced as BC Conservative Party candidate in the riding of Vancouver-Little Mountain

John Coupar is best known for his role in saving and restoring the iconic and much beloved Bloedel Conservatory atop Queen Elizabeth Park, located at the geographic centre of Vancouver and the Little Mountain riding.

“Public safety is issue number one. Residents deserve to walk down the street without worrying about being assaulted or robbed,” says Coupar. “I know this riding and the people who reside in it. I’ve lived in Olympic Village for over a decade.”

Upon accepting the Conservative Party of B.C. nomination, John Coupar had this to say about Christine Boyle, his BC NDP opponent in Vancouver-Little Mountain.

“The current NDP candidate, Christine Boyle, has not represented the concerns of this community. She doesn’t even live in the riding. She promoted the ‘defund the police’ movement, and supports reckless policies on illicit drug use. Quite simply, Christine Boyle is out of touch with the concerns of the community. The residents of Vancouver-Little Mountain require a common-sense approach to governance that will restore public safety, make life affordable, and a responsible MLA in the B.C. Legislature who will represent the best interests of the community,” concludes John Coupar.


BC NDP candidate, Vancouver City Councillor Christine Boyle, seeks office in Vancouver-Little Mountain

After a hard fought nomination race, on April 4th of this year, two-term Vancouver City Councillor Christine Boyle secured the British Columbia New Democratic Party nomination in the newly-created riding of Vancouver-Little Mountain.

“It’s an incredible honour to be your BC NDP candidate in Vancouver-Little Mountain in the upcoming B.C. election,” Ms. Boyle posted on the X social media platform upon securing the nomination. “Thank you for your support, for your encouragement and for your passion as together we work towards building a fairer, healthier and more affordable British Columbia for all.”

BC NDP candidate Christine Boyle for Vancouver-Little Mountain, with media after winning nomination

David Eby weighed in when Ms. Boyle secured the Vancouver-Little Mountain nomination.

“As a Vancouver City Councillor, Christine Boyle is a tireless champion for everyday people and the social good,” Eby said.

“I know she’ll bring that same energy and compassion to her work for people as a BC NDP MLA. Christine will be a strong addition to our team, and a great representative for people in Vancouver-Little Mountain and the issues they care about.”

Christine Boyle is a strong advocate for rental, co-op and non-market housing.

Since first being elected to Vancouver City Council in 2018, and re-elected to a second term on Council in 2022, Christine Boyle has only served to strengthen her environmental and climate advocacy bona fides — including, leading the development of Vancouver’s Climate Emergency Action Plan — which, when you consider that BC Conservative party leader John Rustad believes climate change to be a hoax, makes Ms. Boyle’s election to Victoria all that much more important.

Sources within both the BC NDP and the BC Conservative Party tell VanRamblings that Christine Boyle currently enjoys a five-point lead over John Coupar in the race to become the Member of the Legislature representing Vancouver-Little Mountain.

In the interest of full disclosure, as we wrote on social media yesterday, VanRamblings will formally endorse John Coupar in the lead up to British Columbia’s October 19th provincial election, when we will express why we believe it is critical to the interests of B.C. citizens that John Coupar becomes a member of the BC Conservative Party caucus, a goal that could be achieved should the residents of Vancouver-Little Mountain in all their wisdom elect John Coupar to represent them in the British Columbia Legislature over the next four years.

Here’s what we wrote yesterday on social media in support of John Coupar’s candidacy for elected office under the Conservative Party of B.C. banner.

“I am supporting John Coupar, who I’ve know well since 2011, someone I speak and meet with regularly, someone who saw me through my cancer journey, one of the best men I have ever known, a compassionate and caring man of character who doesn’t suffer fools gladly and stands up for the guiding principles that have defined his life of service and contribution, a champion of the gender variant community, and a person of character who I believe it is critical to have sitting in the BC Conservative caucus.

In the case of John Coupar, it is the privilege of my life to count John among my friends.

My endorsement of John is not meant to suggest that Christine Boyle — his NDP opponent — is not a worthy candidate, or that she wouldn’t make a fine member of the British Columbia Legislature.

The above said, my support for the re-election of British Columbia’s New Democratic Party government could not be stronger, as will be evidenced in my writing in the weeks to come.”

Make no mistake, this will be a close election, with either the NDP eking out a win to form government over the next four years, or the Conservative Party of B.C. — with the wind at their back, riding the coattails of popular federal Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, who is currently polling at 50% support among the B.C. electorate — forming government, from late 2024 through the fall of 2028.

We’ll know the outcome of the provincial election on Saturday, October 19th.

Whoever secures government on the evening of October 19th, VanRamblings implores you to not allow yourself the destructive indulgence of division.

When you awake on a peaceful October 20th morning, those who love you will still love you, and as we head into the holiday season in November and December know that there will be much to be thankful for in all aspects of your life.

Yes, elections are important, and we all — well, at least those diminishing few of us who are engaged in the conditions that impact on our lives, and give a good galldarn about politics, and know how important the role of government is in determining the livability and economic and social viability of our province — will continue on with our lives as we always have, experiencing occasional peripatetic joy, while appreciating the natural beauty of our province, and the love of all those who play a critically important role in the stability and the livability of our lives.