If Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim wishes to disband the Board of Parks and Recreation, a citywide vote will determine its fate.
This decision comes as part of a new bill proposed by the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, Christine Boyle, in the B.C. Legislature on Thursday.
In December 2023, the city council passed a resolution seeking provincial assistance in shifting Park Board responsibilities to the council. However, the Park Board opposed this move and voted to maintain its elected status, which has been in place for 135 years, in September 2024.
The authority to amend the Vancouver Charter to allow for the dissolution of the Board rests with the provincial government, which has postponed any action since the end of the last legislative session in May.
Boyle has now announced that the province will permit the city council to disband the Board, pending approval from the public through a voting process, allowing Vancouver residents to have a voice in the decision.
The legislation also includes provisions to enhance protection for permanent parks. It mandates a unanimous vote by the Vancouver council, in addition to public assent, to lift a permanent park designation. Any transfer of permanent parkland to First Nations, as requested by the city, would be exempt from the public voting requirement, the province noted in a statement.
1130 NewsRadio has reached out to the mayor’s office for their response.