Mayor Ken Sim has vowed to put an end to the elected body, and Blyth and eight other former commissioners have shown up to support the four park board commissioners who are fighting to keep it. Three of those commissioners are from Sim’s own ABC party, making this an especially bitter conflict.
Vancouver is the only city in Canada with an elected park board, and there’s been a continuing discussion about whether it’s necessary to have an elected board or if the responsibilities should be folded into city council to save resources and money.
But while Sim included a promise to get rid of the elected park board in 2018, when he lost to Kennedy Stewart, it wasn’t in the ABC platform when he ran and won in 2022.
What’re people’s opinions of the elected parks board? I genuinely don’t know much about this issue.
I don’t see a problem with a democratically elected parks board. The argument against is that it’s “inefficient,” I guess. Killing it concentrates more power in city hall. It would also allow the city to bury parks board work in other work at city hall. I don’t see how not having a dedicated group doing the work could improve anything.
There’s also a “Ken Sim sucks” argument that shouldn’t be ignored. I’m deeply suspicious of their intentions. Their likely goal here is not mproving the city, at least in the way most people would understand that.
Definitely many things to complain about regarding the parks board, but this move by Sim is definitely not going to address any of them.
I object to democratic institutions being dismantled without public consent.
Am I happy with the performance of the parks board? I’ve never really thought about it until now. I’m not that impressed with several aspects of the parks in Vancouver.