Rustad wants NDP to call a referendum on fate of Vancouver Park Board

The Vancouver Sun sent this email to their subscribers on December 14, 2023.

View this email in your browser

Canadian authorities are seeking the help of Interpol to find a Surrey truck driver who fled to India after he was found guilty of smuggling cocaine through a U.S.-Canada border crossing.

RCMP is asking the international law enforcement agency to issue a “red notice” for Raj Kumar Mehmi. If granted, the notice asks law enforcement worldwide to find and arrest Mehmi, 60, who was sentenced last month in absentia to a 15-year prison term.

(Arlen Redekop / PNG)

Rustad wants NDP to call a referendum on fate of Vancouver Park Board

VICTORIA — B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad says the provincial New Democrats should order a referendum on the fate of the Vancouver Park Board, rather than give Mayor Ken Sim carte blanche to eliminate it.

“People voted for these Park Board commissioners,” Rustad said via news release this week. “They deserve to have a voice — and a vote — in what happens here. We have a democracy.”

The Conservative leader also took a shot at the Vancouver mayor for a decidedly un-conservative approach to spending and taxes.

“Frankly, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim should get his own house in order before trying to fire other elected officials,” Rustad continued. “Vancouverites are paying more in property taxes than ever before. If Mayor Sim wants to cut costs, he should get his own spending under control.”

Vancouver City Council approved a 7.5-per-cent increase in property taxes for the year ahead, atop the 10.7-per-cent increase the Sim-led council approved for 2023.

The combined 18.2-per-cent tax hike is more than double the rate of inflation for the past two years.

Sim claims that “by not having an elected park board, we’ll save millions of dollars a year.”

Yet the part-time salaries for the board chair and six commissioners total less than $150,000. Or less than one-tenth of a percentage point of the park board’s annual $169-million budget, as Postmedia's Dan Fumano reported this week.

When Fumano asked for more details of the reputed millions, the mayor’s office declined to provide a breakdown, but promised to share “further cost details in the coming days.”

You’d think the mayor would have those details at his fingertips before embarking on such a controversial course of action.

As for the Conservative leader’s decision to inject himself into the civic debate, there is some justification because Sim and his council majority can’t complete the hit job without provincial government help.

The New Democrats will have to put through an enabling amendment to the Vancouver Charter, which is provincial legislation.

Rustad’s news release reminded the New Democrats what happened the last time they got drawn into a controversial action at the civic level, namely the back-and-forth struggle over the RCMP and the Surrey Police Service.

“In Surrey, the NDP created a mess by overturning democracy. They can’t be allowed to make yet another mess in Vancouver,” said Rustad.

The NDP’s initial, behind-the-scenes reaction was to give the Vancouver mayor what he wants.

The New Democrats have a better working relationship with him than with his predecessor Kennedy Stewart, despite Stewart being a member of the NDP.

Sim even agreed to serve as a validator when the province included Vancouver on the top-10 list of “naughty” municipalities targeted to do more in developing housing.

The first chance to amend the Vancouver Charter and enable the abolition of the elected park board is when the legislature convenes Feb. 20 for the spring session.

However, the New Democrats are planning a good news session with an eye to the fall election. To tighten the focus on the good and minimize the bad, they have reduced the span of the session from the usual 12 weeks to a mere 10.

A bill to amend the Vancouver Charter could be put through the legislature in a minimum of three days in the absence of significant opposition.

The last thing the New Democrats want is a protracted debate over the fate of the Vancouver Park Board.

If that is how it shapes up — and Sim has given his critics two full months to stir up opposition to what they regard as a trampling of democracy — then come the legislative session, New Democrats might well be looking for an escape hatch.

Rustad’s suggestion to call a referendum could offer them a way out.

The first sign of any wavering on the government side emerged this week from Spencer Chandra Herbert, NDP MLA for Vancouver-West End. He was asked on social media for his opinion on the move to abolish the elected park board.

“I believe that this should have been made an issue for the people of Vancouver to decide in the last election,” Chandra Herbert wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “As a former park commissioner, I have seen the real value of an elected park board. Decisions are closer to the community and there’s stronger accountability for them.”

Otherwise, New Democrats have been silent about Sim’s move. They are waiting for the anticipated formal request for legislative change from Mayor Sim and council.

Deep down inside, they must be whispering a prayer that this emerging civic controversy does not turn into another Surrey.

Nor is there any sign of B.C. United taking a side in the debate, which won’t be a surprise to anyone who has followed them trying to have it both ways on the long-running standoff over policing services in Surrey.

Rustad labours under no such constraints. Once again, he has acted quickly to stake out exclusive territory for the Conservatives on an emerging political issue.

Voices

As Vancouver's council prepares to decide the fate of the city's elected park board, questions remain around what this significant change could mean for some of the city's best-loved public spaces, writes Vancouver Sun columnist Dan Fumano.

Current and past city councillors and park board commissioners have been raising red flags this week about what Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim's proposed new governance structure could mean for park lands that fall under various classifications, which includes some iconic waterfront properties.

Current park board commissioner Laura Christensen said Wednesday she worries that the proposed changes could make the roughly 40 per cent of Vancouver parks not formally classified as "permanent parks" open to sale, development, or "being anything other than a park, which is what it should be."

***

Canada has been exposed as an undependable, unprincipled ally, writes Ottawa bureau chief John Ivison.

A joint statement the Trudeau government issued Tuesday with Australia and New Zealand did call Hamas’s attack “heinous,” said the group was responsible for sexual violence against Israelis, and that it used Palestinian populations as human shields.

But crucially, while the statement said Hamas cannot be allowed to govern Gaza any longer, it then called for the ceasefire that would neuter Israel’s ability to defeat Hamas through military force.

***

Today’s world needs more robust leadership from good-guy states that operate under international law, in order to deal with the bad-boys’ club led by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia is kicking butt in the global schoolyard. Unpunished, it exports chaos-making beyond Ukraine, writes Oksana Bashuk Hepburn, former director of Canada’s Human Rights Commission.

After nearly two years of Russia’s brutal war, the good guys have yet to stop it. Russia commits atrocities in Ukraine while NATO watches, and military aid from friends and allies is loaded with pro-Russia conditions, such as no bombing of the country the European Union deems a state sponsor of terrorism. This inflicts minimal pain on the aggressor and fails to stop it. Even Gen. Ben Hodges, former U.S. Commander Europe, says Washington needs to decide if it wants Ukraine to win.

Advertise with us

Text-only version of this email

B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad says the provincial New Democrats should order a referendum on the fate of the Vancouver Park Board, rather than give Mayor Ken Sim carte blanche to eliminate it. View this email in your browser W INFORMED@PINION Curated by Dharm Makwana Canadian authorities are seeking the help of Interpol to find a Surrey truck driver who fled to India after he was found guilty of smuggling cocaine through a U.S.-Canada border crossing. RCMP is asking the international law enforcement agency to issue a “red notice” for Raj Kumar Mehmi. If granted, the notice asks law enforcement worldwide to find and arrest Mehmi, 60, who was sentenced last month in absentia to a 15-year prison term. (Arlen Redekop / PNG) Rustad wants NDP to call a referendum on fate of Vancouver Park Board Vaughn Palmer VICTORIA — B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad says the provincial New Democrats should order a referendum on the fate of the Vancouver Park Board, rather than give Mayor Ken Sim carte blanche to eliminate it. “People voted for these Park Board commissioners,” Rustad said via news release this week. “They deserve to have a voice — and a vote — in what happens here. We have a democracy.” The Conservative leader also took a shot at the Vancouver mayor for a decidedly un-conservative approach to spending and taxes. “Frankly, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim should get his own house in order before trying to fire other elected officials,” Rustad continued. “Vancouverites are paying more in property taxes than ever before. If Mayor Sim wants to cut costs, he should get his own spending under control.” Vancouver City Council approved a 7.5-per-cent increase in property taxes for the year ahead, atop the 10.7-per-cent increase the Sim-led council approved for 2023. The combined 18.2-per-cent tax hike is more than double the rate of inflation for the past two years. Sim claims that “by not having an elected park board, we’ll save millions of dollars a year.” Yet the part-time salaries for the board chair and six commissioners total less than $150,000. Or less than one-tenth of a percentage point of the park board’s annual $169-million budget, as Postmedia's Dan Fumano reported this week. When Fumano asked for more details of the reputed millions, the mayor’s office declined to provide a breakdown, but promised to share “further cost details in the coming days.” You’d think the mayor would have those details at his fingertips before embarking on such a controversial course of action. As for the Conservative leader’s decision to inject himself into the civic debate, there is some justification because Sim and his council majority can’t complete the hit job without provincial government help. The New Democrats will have to put through an enabling amendment to the Vancouver Charter, which is provincial legislation. Rustad’s news release reminded the New Democrats what happened the last time they got drawn into a controversial action at the civic level, namely the back-and-forth struggle over the RCMP and the Surrey Police Service. “In Surrey, the NDP created a mess by overturning democracy. They can’t be allowed to make yet another mess in Vancouver,” said Rustad. The NDP’s initial, behind-the-scenes reaction was to give the Vancouver mayor what he wants. The New Democrats have a better working relationship with him than with his predecessor Kennedy Stewart, despite Stewart being a member of the NDP. Sim even agreed to serve as a validator when the province included Vancouver on the top-10 list of “naughty” municipalities targeted to do more in developing housing. The first chance to amend the Vancouver Charter and enable the abolition of the elected park board is when the legislature convenes Feb. 20 for the spring session. However, the New Democrats are planning a good news session with an eye to the fall election. To tighten the focus on the good and minimize the bad, they have reduced the span of the session from the usual 12 weeks to a mere 10. A bill to amend the Vancouver Charter could be put through the legislature in a minimum of three days in the absence of significant opposition. The last thing the New Democrats want is a protracted debate over the fate of the Vancouver Park Board. If that is how it shapes up — and Sim has given his critics two full months to stir up opposition to what they regard as a trampling of democracy — then come the legislative session, New Democrats might well be looking for an escape hatch. Rustad’s suggestion to call a referendum could offer them a way out. The first sign of any wavering on the government side emerged this week from Spencer Chandra Herbert, NDP MLA for Vancouver-West End. He was asked on social media for his opinion on the move to abolish the elected park board. “I believe that this should have been made an issue for the people of Vancouver to decide in the last election,” Chandra Herbert wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “As a former park commissioner, I have seen the real value of an elected park board. Decisions are closer to the community and there’s stronger accountability for them.” Otherwise, New Democrats have been silent about Sim’s move. They are waiting for the anticipated formal request for legislative change from Mayor Sim and council. Deep down inside, they must be whispering a prayer that this emerging civic controversy does not turn into another Surrey. Nor is there any sign of B.C. United taking a side in the debate, which won’t be a surprise to anyone who has followed them trying to have it both ways on the long-running standoff over policing services in Surrey. Rustad labours under no such constraints. Once again, he has acted quickly to stake out exclusive territory for the Conservatives on an emerging political issue. Voices As Vancouver's council prepares to decide the fate of the city's elected park board, questions remain around what this significant change could mean for some of the city's best-loved public spaces, writes Vancouver Sun columnist Dan Fumano. Current and past city councillors and park board commissioners have been raising red flags this week about what Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim's proposed new governance structure could mean for park lands that fall under various classifications, which includes some iconic waterfront properties. Current park board commissioner Laura Christensen said Wednesday she worries that the proposed changes could make the roughly 40 per cent of Vancouver parks not formally classified as "permanent parks" open to sale, development, or "being anything other than a park, which is what it should be." *** Canada has been exposed as an undependable, unprincipled ally, writes Ottawa bureau chief John Ivison. A joint statement the Trudeau government issued Tuesday with Australia and New Zealand did call Hamas’s attack “heinous,” said the group was responsible for sexual violence against Israelis, and that it used Palestinian populations as human shields. But crucially, while the statement said Hamas cannot be allowed to govern Gaza any longer, it then called for the ceasefire that would neuter Israel’s ability to defeat Hamas through military force. *** Today’s world needs more robust leadership from good-guy states that operate under international law, in order to deal with the bad-boys’ club led by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia is kicking butt in the global schoolyard. Unpunished, it exports chaos-making beyond Ukraine, writes Oksana Bashuk Hepburn, former director of Canada’s Human Rights Commission. After nearly two years of Russia’s brutal war, the good guys have yet to stop it. Russia commits atrocities in Ukraine while NATO watches, and military aid from friends and allies is loaded with pro-Russia conditions, such as no bombing of the country the European Union deems a state sponsor of terrorism. This inflicts minimal pain on the aggressor and fails to stop it. Even Gen. Ben Hodges, former U.S. Commander Europe, says Washington needs to decide if it wants Ukraine to win. Advertise with us © 2023 Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. 365 Bloor St East, Toronto, ON, M4W 3L4 You received this email because you are subscribed to the Vancouver Sun's Informed Opinion Newsletter, registered as [email protected] • • • Contact us • Digital Ad Registry © 2023 Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved.

Show all