Vancouver Park Board votes to keep legal advice over mayor’s prepare to scrap it – BC

The Vancouver Park Board voted Monday to look for independent authorized tips about complicated Mayor Ken Sim’s plan to disband the elected system.

Sim has questioned the provincial govt to open up the Vancouver Charter in buy to scrap the 135-year-aged board and to bring parks administration under the authority of metropolis council.

The move is opposed by the vast majority of park board commissioners who do not sit with Sim’s ABC Vancouver get together.

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Opposition councilors request public enter on the potential of the Vancouver Park Board

On Monday, the board narrowly voted to allocate up to $20,000 for legal assistance on launching a judicial review of the mayor’s strategy.

The vote broke 4-3, with non-ABC commissioners supporting it, and ABC commissioners voting versus it.

“We’re facing a fully novel concern, which is not only do we have continue to these ongoing inquiries of jurisdiction with the city, but the town is threatening to abolish this park board completely,” stated Eco-friendly Commissioner Tom Digby, who proposed the movement.

“If there is going to be any variations we want to be absolutely sure the town is acting the right way.”

The board also approved an amendment by board chair Brennan Bastyovanszky to search for legal tips on irrespective of whether disbanding the elected board mid-term violated voters constitution legal rights.

“I want I did not have to (vote for) this, I have been put in this predicament where by we have to have legal suggestions for the reason that all of our rights, each individual appropriate of just about every man or woman in Vancouver is remaining violated because of this, and I want clarity on that,” he mentioned.

“This would established a terrifying precedent across the nation the place votes don’t make a difference. The place no issue how many persons come out, their voice can be snuffed out at any level if another person in electric power does not like what they hear.”

ABC commissioners spoke towards the motion, concentrating mainly on the expense.

“I’m a tiny anxious that we already have a extremely lower spending plan, our infrastructure is falling apart, we have a good deal of upgrades to make in Vancouver, you know that, the place is this $20,000 coming from?” Commissioner Angela Haer claimed.

“You know, you’re a law firm, that $20,000 isn’t heading to be sufficient, we’re heading to have to place in a large amount a lot more, probably hundreds of countless numbers of dollars.”

The revenue for the proposed authorized tips would occur from the park board resources allocated to the standard manager’s business.

Sim at first floated getting rid of the elected park board in 2021, but reversed that placement in 2022 when ABC ran a slate of park board candidates and he pledged as a substitute to “fix” the board.

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Vancouver mayor forges forward with dismantling park board

In December, he all over again reversed study course, arguing that the “system is broken and no volume of tweaking will resolve it.”

The provincial govt has signaled willingness to open the Vancouver Constitution, but that the city should first tackle “a quantity of items” including land ownership, the foreseeable future of workers and session with neighborhood First Nations.

Last thirty day period, Sim unveiled a new changeover group devoted to advancing the system to scrap the park board.

The group has been provided a 6-month timeline to present suggestions and opinions to council on how it can interact with the public on its proposed governance above parks and recreation products and services, as properly as review the present-day governance framework and local community relations practices of the elected board.

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