Vancouver park commissioner seeks authorized guidance about mayor’s transfer to abolish board
‘We are however forced into a circumstance not of our building,’ says Eco-friendly Party’s Tom Digby
Green Get together park commissioner Tom Digby strategies to introduce a motion at the Feb. 5 park board assembly to request up to $20,000 be put in on lawyers to request authorized tips on “the deserves and chance of success” of quashing Mayor Ken Sim’s move to abolish the elected board.
The ask for is in reaction to Sim’s announcement in December and later movement approved by his ABC greater part of councillors to abolish the board and carry parks and recreation under management of metropolis council.
“We are sadly pressured into a situation not of our generating,” Digby claimed. “And we come to feel there is a strong basis to push again against the mayor on lawful grounds, as properly as political grounds. But we need at the very least these two prongs of the method operating in tandem.”
Digby’s movement exclusively requests independent counsel. He defined that in-house legal professionals doing the job for the Metropolis of Vancouver simply cannot be tasked with mediating an challenge concerning the town and the park board.
Tied to Digby’s ask for is a further motion that he and the three former ABC commissioners passed in December 2023to immediate park board staff members not to take part in any changeover strategies that would guide to abolition of the board.
Digby said he believes his request to request authorized tips will pass, noting he has the support of former ABC commissioners Laura Christensen, Scott Jensen and Brennan Bastyovanszky. Bastyovanszky outlined his aid in a news launch from the Greens.
“This concern was not on the mayor’s election system, and council has no democratic mandate to abolish a further elected physique,” he reported in the release.
Sim’s go to scrap the board demands an modification change to the Vancouver Constitution, which has to be authorised by the provincial govt. Leading David Eby has not pushed back again versus the ask for, but has claimed it’s not his government’s prime priority.
“Local democracy is by no means a carried out deal,” said Digby in response to Eby not balking at Sim’s request.
“Local democracy issues to all of us, and we have constructed this park technique with public input for 135 several years. Folks are declaring it truly is a finished offer, but there’s no basis for that. It might just be an undone deal.”
At a news conference past 7 days, Sim and metropolis manager Paul Mochrie defined that consultation carries on with First Nations, unions and some others who could or would be affected by the abolition of the elected board.
Glacier Media asked Sim at the news convention no matter if abolition was lawful.
He 1st responded by indicating that he and his get together have been “very clear” ahead of the October 2022 election that his group of candidates was heading to consider to “fix the framework of the elected park board and if it didn’t get the job done, we would go to the province to make alterations.”
Then he reported: “It’s quite obvious that all we need to have to do is make a Constitution improve in the Vancouver Charter. And which is the course of action. It is really pretty spelled out there.”
In April 2021, right before Sim secured ABC Vancouver’s mayoral nomination, he issued a press launch with the subject matter line, “abolish the park board.”
In August 2022, Glacier Media asked Sim about regardless of whether he was likely to make very good on his assure to scrap the board. He didn’t offer a sure or no respond to.
“We are unable to wait around two to 3 years for legislative alterations to the Vancouver Constitution [to cede jurisdiction to city hall],” he said at the time.
“We feel the provincial government is going to be preoccupied [with the NDP leadership race], so it won’t get the full awareness that we need to have from them. Our infrastructure is crumbling, and we have to jump in now. So we pivoted. We are operating a bunch of amazingly proficient candidates with diverse lived ordeals that are going to help us reshape our parks.”
In the meantime, Digby’s colleagues on council — Pete Fry and Adriane Carr — will host a city hall meeting Feb. 1 at city hall with OneCity Coun. Christine Boyle pertaining to the mayor’s system to scrap the board.
The conference operates from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The Feb. 5 park board assembly, where by Digby will introduce his motion, commences at 6:30 p.m. at the board’s business office in Stanley Park.
