Ian Robertson
NPA Park Commissioner Ian Robertson demands Mayor respect independence of Park Board
Vancouver—NPA Park Commissioner Ian Robertson is brining a motion to the Park Board meeting on March 22, 2010 that he hopes will force a public debate on the independence of the Vancouver Park Board and its authority to hire its next General Manger.
"Mayor Gregor Robertson and his Vision Vancouver Councillors are gutting Vancouver’s Park Board,” says Park Commissioner Ian Robertson. "The Park Board has built one of the best municipal parks systems in the world, but this Mayor seems determined to destroy the Park Board or make it so dysfunctional it will simply die off on its own."
Commissioner Robertson's motion demands that Council delegate sole authority to the Park Board to select and oversee the Park Board General Manager. Vancouver's City Manager Penny Ballem has indicated she will have a role in hiring and overseeing the Park Board Manager. Commissioner Robertson says this is a recipe for failure.
Past Park Commissioners are backing the call to maintain the independence of the Park Board. Former Park Board Chair Malcolm
Ashford: "The Park Board has a long history of independence that has allowed us to build and protect our parks and recreational services for decades. I know the public does not endorse this kind of interference from City Hall. Vancouverites are very protective of their Parks System and a full public process will confirm this. There is no logical reason to change something that has been so successful.”
Five-term Commissioner Allan De Genova is also bothered by the City’s direction: “The citizens of Vancouver set it up so the Park Board is elected directly by them to run the park system. It has worked beautifully for over 100 years. They have successfully managed their budgets. We have the best run parks in North America and the hiring of the General Manger is critical to that. Why is the Mayor changing something that isn’t broken?”
“Up until this Mayor and Council, the Park Board has been independent and very successful,” says Commissioner Robertson. “If the Mayor is going to change that, they shouldn’t do it by stealth. There should be a public debate.”
Vancouver—NPA Park Commissioner Ian Robertson is brining a motion to the Park Board meeting on March 22, 2010 that he hopes will force a public debate on the independence of the Vancouver Park Board and its authority to hire its next General Manger.
You can read the full news release in the Media Centre.
Continued Commissioner Robertson, "On the eve of a massive, sold out fundraising dinner to celebrate real solutions I've been working on with community groups and individual citizens alike, the Mayor and Vision Vancouver tried to change the channel by sending out a press release yesterday that smacks of the kind of cynical opportunism Vancouverites can't stand. How can Gregor say with a straight face that he looks forward to finding solutions to save the conservatory? It was his party, Vision Vancouver, his representatives, Commissioners Barnes, Jasper, Hundal and Blythe that tried to kill this very important landmark and continue to maintain that position. Now the Mayor says, contradicting his own Vision Commissioners that he wants to find solutions. Gregor Robertson has no shame and Vision Vancouver are backtracking only because they are in re-election mode. I do not believe they care about anything except trying to deceive the people of
Ian Robertson and his wife Pamela will proudly be attending a sold out fundraiser for the Bloedel Conservatory at 7:00pm this evening at the Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park.
By far one of the most rewarding activities as a Park Commissioner is to attend the opening of a new piece of infrastructure and on January 16th the new Mt. Pleasant Community Centre at 1 Kingsway will officially open.
This new community centre has been in the works for a long time; in fact the development process was undertaken and approved before my first term on the Park Board in 2005.
Kudos to the community for coming together and helping to shape what is going to be a very popular place.
So come and join the community and celebrate the opening. Official opening ceremonies kick off at 1:00pm on Januray 16th in the gymnasium.
“The Conservatory is a treasured icon and the public want it saved” says Robertson. “The past five years have not been kind to the Conservatory. With the re-development of the reservoir and Canada Line construction, Queen Elizabeth Park and the Conservatory have not been an attractive or a convenient place to visit.”
The Vancouver Park Board voted 4-3 in November to shut down the Conservatory and have issued an RFP for a private operator to run the Conservatory. Interested parties have until April 30, 2010 to respond with a business case. If no one comes forward the heritage facility will shut down.
Due to business travel that has taken me out of the province I am not able to attend and speak tonight.
I want to add my voice to the residents across the city who are speaking out against the cuts to the parks and recreation budget and the impact it will have on many services including reduction in park sanitation services, community centre hours, street trees and the closure of two of Vancouver’s treasured attractions – the Bloedel Conservatory and the Children’s Farmyard at Stanley Park.
We must work together across all political parties to send a message to this mayor and council that enough is enough, keep our park and recreation services intact and allow us to live up to our reputation as the best and greenest city in the world.
Dear Mayor and Council,
Business travel will prevent me from attending the Council meeting on Dec 3 and speaking against the $2.8 million cut to the park board budget.
I have heard loud and clear from residents across the city that they are not in favour of the reduction to the park board budget and specifically the impact it has leading to the closure of the Bloedel Conservatory and Children’s Farmyard in
I am asking for 60 days to allow staff to investigate alternate operating models and confirm if there is any interest from corporate sponsors and individuals who are prepared to make a sizable donation to either facility.
Case in point is Mr. Joseph Wosk who contacted me on Nov 25 and made a $100,000 commitment over four years to the operation of the Farmyard; $50,000 in 2010 and $50,000 from 2001 to 2013. There is also an additional $50,000 that was willed from a generous benefactor to the operation and improvements to the Farmyard. Surely there are other opportunities to pursue donations – we need additional time to allow individuals and corporations to come forward.
Thank you for your attention and consideration of my request.
Regards
Ian Robertson
Commissioner
