Dissolution of Vancouver Park Board on pause: City

The city’s much-anticipated plan to dissolve the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation is facing another long delay.

In December 2023, city council passed a motion asking the provincial government to help transition Park Board responsibilities to council. The Park Board has most recently been challenging the move, voting to remain an elected body and preserve its 135-year existence in September 2024.

The decision to amend the Vancouver Charter to allow for dissolution was in the hands of the provincial government.

But, in an update Friday, the city says the province did not introduce the decision for consideration by the legislature before the end of the spring session Thursday.

“The provincial government has reaffirmed its commitment to at a future date enact these legislative changes,” said a statement from the city.

It says planning in preparation for a transition of governance has been paused.

In November last year, Mayor Ken Sim announced city staff had calculated that dissolving the board would save Vancouver approximately $7 million per year.

Sim had previously shared that the elected Park Board has done “amazing work” and added the transition has “nothing to do with the people or the love and care that they — the elected Park Board — show, we are talking about a broken city.”

“This move will bring Parks and Recreation under the direct oversight of city council. This aligns the management structure for our parks and recreation with how it’s done in literally every single city in Canada, and with the exception of Minneapolis, every single city in North America,” Sim said in 2024.

In a statement to 1130 NewsRadio Friday, B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said the province intends to work with Vancouver regarding its request.

“During the spring session, we prioritized legislation to secure our economy in the face of [U.S. President] Trump’s unjustified tariff threats,” said Kahlon.

The next provincial legislature session is expected to begin Sept. 6.

1130 NewsRadio has reached out to the Park Board for comment.

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—With files from Charlie Carey, and Michelle Meiklejohn