Dan Fumano: ABC Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim unveiled a proposal in December 2023 to dissolve the park board, a plan that caught the city by surprise.

You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.

With Vancouver voters expected to head to the polls soon, it could be a chance for them to weigh in on a contentious municipal debate: the future of the city’s elected park board.

City hall could use next year’s byelection to seek the public’s input on ABC Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s proposal to dissolve the park board, a plan that caught the city by surprise when unveiled in December 2023 and has yet to be realized.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

This might not happen. There doesn’t seem to be much support in local political circles for the idea of including a plebiscite or referendum question in the byelection.

Sim declined to comment. And opponents of the mayor’s plan say they believe the park board’s future should be put to the public — but in the next municipal election in 2026, and not in a relatively low-information, low turnout byelection.

Vancouver needs to hold a byelection to fill the council seat vacated by OneCity Coun. Christine Boyle, who was elected last month as a B.C. NDP MLA for Vancouver-Little Mountain. Boyle is currently on unpaid leave from the city, and will officially resign in December, which means the byelection will likely take........

© Vancouver Sun