Pandemic traffic changes in Stanley Park were discriminatory, group alleges in human rights complaint
Five people who are elderly or have disabilities are taking the Vancouver Park Board to task over the decision to implement traffic changes in Stanley Park during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They’re doing so with the help of human rights lawyer Philip Rankin, who is representing them pro bono.
“Everybody's a volunteer; we have no money,” explained Rankin. “We are the David, they are the Goliath.”
But that hasn’t held them back from taking their complaint against the board and the City of Vancouver to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, where a hearing is finally underway after nearly two years.
They launched their complaint at the start of the pandemic, when the park board closed Stanley Park to vehicle traffic for about two months.
Rankin said his clients – an elderly individually with a heart transplant, a man with multiple sclerosis, a paraplegic, an elderly woman with dementia and an elderly cancer survivor – needed their cars in order to access the crown jewel.
“We're saying disabled people under the Human Rights Act and elderly people under the Human Rights Act are entitled to the same services as able-bodied people. And if you discriminate against services, such as going to a park, then you are violating the Human Rights Act,” he explained.
Since June 2020, many parallel and angled parking spots have disappeared to make room for a temporary bike lane on Stanley Park Drive.
Rankin said some attractions are too far from the parking lots for people with mobility issues.
“What they feel is that they're basically persona non grata, that the park is for other people – for young people, for other people,” he said. “Not for the elderly, not for the disabled.”
In the two years since the complaint was first filed, Rankin said his clients’ health conditions have worsened. One can no longer drive, another now requires two canes instead of one, and the woman with dementia has seen her health go downhill.
“These two years have hurt them. They've gone backwards in their health. And a lot of them see that the decision of the park board has contributed to their ill health to some degree,” he said.
The complainants are hoping the crown jewel will return to how it was before the pandemic.
They’re also looking for an apology from the park board, and for the board to guarantee public consultations before making changes that would impact the elderly and disabled.
The hearing started March 11 and is scheduled to go until March 20.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
W5 Investigates 'I'm in financial ruin': Canadian homeowners sound alarm over contractor accused of fraud
This W5 investigation focuses on mother and daughter homeowners who found themselves in a fight with a general contractor over money they say they're owed, and over work that was never completed on their dream home.
'What are we talking about?' Experts respond to Trump's 'economic force' comments
Incoming U.S. president Donald Trump's threats to use 'economic force' against Canada and its industries are sparking worry and disbelief.
Thousands flee as wildfires burn out of control in and around Los Angeles and homes are destroyed
California firefighters battled wind-whipped wildfires that tore across the Los Angeles area, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled and straining resources as the fires burned uncontained early Wednesday.
Is Donald Trump kidding? Americans in Canada react to tariff, annexation threats
While Donald Trump's comments on tariffs and Canada becoming 'the 51st state' have drawn anger and fear among Canadians, reaction from Americans who live, study or work in Canada has been mixed, and is largely influenced by how they voted in the presidential election.
Thinking of a career change? Here's what employers are hiring for this year
As 2025 gets into full swing, gaps in Canada's job market offer new opportunities to start fresh -- in some sectors, more than others.
Liberal MPs gather for first time since Trudeau announced his resignation plans
Liberal MPs are meeting in Ottawa today for the first time since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he will step down.
A B.C. mom's real-life nightmare and the search to find her trafficked daughter
A Vancouver island mom shares the story of what happened to her teenaged daughter – and a warning for other parents about sex trafficking.
Trump is open to using 'economic force' to acquire Canada; Trudeau responds
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said 'there isn't a snowball's chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States,' on the same day U.S. president-elect Donald Trump declared that he's open to using 'economic force' to acquire Canada.
EU will not tolerate attacks on its borders, France says after Trump Greenland comments
The European Union will not let other nations attack its sovereign borders, France's foreign minister said on Wednesday, responding to comments by U.S. president-elect Donald Trump on taking over Greenland.