Vancouver city council gets update on proposed park board transition

The ongoing saga between the Vancouver Park Board and the city's mayor continued Wednesday morning as council heard an update on the potential transition plan if the elected board is eliminated.

The transition, which can only go ahead if the province amends the Vancouver Charter, will have two streams, council heard Wednesday. The first is to address the legislative, legal and governance changes that would be required, if the province gives them the green light.

The second stream would be actually implementing that transition of governance from the park board to council and considering "opportunities for service improvements."

The report also gave an update on council's request to speed up park protections by identifying additional spaces that could receive a permanent park designation. City staff told council that work is underway.

"I am pleased with the progress that has been accomplished by our team in such a short time and have full confidence in their ability to execute the transition plan successfully," Mayor Ken Sim said in a news release after Wednesday's update.

"Their dedication and expertise have been and will continue to be indispensable in ensuring Vancouver’s parks and recreation facilities can serve our community to their fullest potential."

The briefing to council comes two days after the park board voted in favour of hiring legal counsel to look into whether a judicial review could quash the mayor's dissolution attempt.

"It is important for clear and transparent information to be presented to this board to guide our direction in light of the mayor's undemocratic move to disenfranchise thousands of Vancouverites," park board Commissioner Scott Jensen, who voted in favour of the motion, wrote on social media after Monday's meeting.

While waiting for the province's decision on whether it'll change the Vancouver Charter, the city says it'll communicate with the public what the next steps are.