Vancouver Park Board commissioners vote to save the board — but it isn’t unanimous

The Vancouver Park Board had its first meeting Monday evening since Mayor Ken Sim announced his intention to dismantle the elected body, and while the board passed a motion to push back on the proposal, it appeared not all commissioners were completely against the mayor’s plans.

Commissioner Brennan Bastyovanszky called for a motion to reaffirm park board Independence and “save the park board.”

“All of the commissioners should reaffirm their vows and their oath to office,” he said. “They made a promise to keep the park board; they made a promise to keep it and to fix it. The board reaffirms its position as being independent and elected. Never in Canadian history has an elected board been removed in this way.”

Bastyovanszky said Mayor Sim is “both out of his lane, and he has no idea about how to evaluate the success or progress of the park board.”

However, Commissioner Jas Virdi was vocal in his opinion that the board was not worth keeping.

“I’m going to be very honest here: I feel sick to my stomach coming here every day,” he said. “When I first got elected, I was so happy to be a part of the park board. I thought we’re going to make changes, we’re going to do things. Later on I learned that, you know, all our motions get passed, but nothing gets done.”

He says the board wastes taxpayer money, doing expensive studies that lead to unfunded motions.

“Our board is redundant and it’s inefficient and that’s how I honestly feel,” he said. “There’s no golden lining after this for me; this is it.”

Commissioner Marie-Claire Howard says she echoes Virdi’s sentiments.

“After spending one year here, you do wonder what exactly is the purpose of this board,” she said.

She said if council were to take over the work of the board, if would be a more efficient and cost-effective system.

“I feel sick to my stomach coming here just eating free meals and going to free events,” she said. “And at the end of it we do nothing until council funds our motion.”

The motion to effectively fight Sim’s plan passed 4-3 in favour.

The board will now direct the chair to send a letter to Premier David Eby and the minister of municipal affairs and reaffirm its role as an independent body.