Vancouver park board stifles HST initiative by barring canvassers from community centres
Four of the five biggest cities in Metro Vancouver have allowed anti-HST campaigners to collect signatures on petitions in community centres. However, the Vancouver park board has so far refused to permit opponents of the harmonized sales tax to canvass within any of its 24 community centres.
“We had inquiries from organizers to get involved in that,” Vision Vancouver park board chair Aaron Jasper told the Georgia Straight. “We do have policies, and so we have asked staff to come back to us and advise us of what our options would be.”
Jasper made the comment after the May 17 board meeting, at which acting general manager Peter Kuran told commissioners that it hasn’t been the “practice” to allow people to collect signatures on petitions in community-centre lobbies. Kuran described a lobby as a “neutral area where people come and go” without being “bombarded by signs”. He also mentioned that the board is prepared to rent space to anti-HST canvassers in community-centre rooms away from the lobbies.
Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond, and Coquitlam have all given registered canvassers a chance to gather signatures inside these public buildings without paying a fee. After the park board meeting, Green commissioner Stuart Mackinnon told the Straight that he didn’t see any need to change the policy to accommodate the anti-HST initiative. “If they wish to rent a room like any other group, we’re more than willing to rent it to them,” Mackinnon said.
NPA commissioner Ian Robertson concurred. “Certainly, there is going to be the impact of the HST on park-board services,” he told the Straight, “but I think there are a lot of residents out there that, despite their feelings either way on the issue, like to see their park-board facilities be a haven where they can come and relax without having to get engaged in issues of this nature.”
COPE commissioner Loretta Woodcock pointed out that political parties have been prevented from campaigning in park-board facilities. “From this basis, then historically, we haven’t engaged in any kind of political campaign,” she told the Straight. “HST is a political issue.”
The park-board policy troubles Ron Churchill, who filed a petition in B.C. Supreme Court after TransLink police arrested him for distributing political pamphlets at the Edmonds SkyTrain station during the 2000 federal election campaign. Churchill, a retired businessperson and former Canadian Alliance campaign manager, called the park board’s policy “antidemocratic”. He questioned whether it would survive a court challenge.
“They held me and they were recommending charges,” he recalled. “I took it to the Supreme Court and won as a pro se litigant [representing himself].”
In Churchill’s case, Justice A.F. Wilson ruled that TransLink’s ban on electioneering, which was part of its safety rules, was unconstitutional. The B.C. Civil Liberties Association later granted Churchill the Reg Robson award after his successful court fight.
Joseph Lin, an anti-HST canvasser, told the Straight by phone that he has been barred from entering the Riley Park Community Centre to collect names on petitions, so he has been waiting outside the building.
Meanwhile, Chris Delaney, a spokesperson for Fight HST, told the Straight by phone that his group has already met the legal threshold of collecting the signatures of 10 percent of registered voters in 72 of B.C.’s 85 constituencies. He acknowledged that the group has had less success in Vancouver than in other areas of B.C.
“Point Grey is probably our weakest riding provincewide,” he said. “In my honest assessment, it’s lack of organization on our part.”
When asked about the importance of being in Vancouver community centres, Delaney replied, “At this late stage, I don’t think they’re critical.” But he quickly added that community centres are central locations that help promote awareness of the anti-HST initiative.
What do you think about the park board restricting | |
“Frankly, it doesn’t surprise me that [the] park board won’t stand up for anything. But from a community-centre-association perspective, it is something that some of us have talked about. We just may put petitions in.” |
“I think most of the anger for the petition is surrounding the fact that the Liberal government so obviously lied to everyone. Regardless of what side anybody is on, people who want to get involved politically on a legitimate referendum issue should be allowed to use public property. Where else do you find the people?” |
“It’s a blocking of community members to be able to freely express themselves, especially around an issue where people are very organized and very vocal.”¦I’m really surprised to hear that people are running into difficulty at community centres—places that are designed to be public arenas for public forums as well as other public events.” |
“The HST is an important public social issue. The second thing is the petition is the first step to a referendum.”¦Elections [B.C.] thinks this issue should be solved by this kind of legal process, like an election. When we have an election, our government should try very hard to provide a convenient place for all citizens to express their views.” |
“I’m not speaking on behalf of the board, but as a single commissioner I’m not as concerned about being a bit flexible with respect to this issue—one, because this is a registered campaign with Elections B.C., and that all those canvassers are registered canvassers. This isn’t a willy-nilly thing, so it’s all aboveboard.” | |
Nancy Chiavario
Ron Churchill
Marla Renn
Joseph Lin
Aaron JasperFollow Charlie Smith on Twitter at twitter.com/csmithstraight.
Comments
8 Comments
Socrates
May 20, 2010 at 1:36pm
It seems that some Parks Board Commissioners don't want to enable citizens to exercise their democratic rights through the Provincial Initiative legislation. I am going to exercise my democratic rights next election and vote them out.
AWP
May 20, 2010 at 4:58pm
I think that the long term economic benefits of the HST outweigh the short term pain. It irritates me that stores, real estate firms and public facilities are used for Mr. VanderZalm's ego stroking petition. I posed the question to one NDP member if they got elected would they rescind the HST the babble answer basically boiled down to No. They relalize along with academic economists that the HST is good for the long term economic growth. But the masses are fooled by VanderZalm's charisma, just like I was when he destroyed the Socreds and had to resign the premiership.
I just signed.
May 20, 2010 at 9:18pm
I just signed the petition!
Next we recall.
Pat
May 21, 2010 at 10:38am
This is the worst Parks Board Commission in Vancouver history. They voted to gas Vancouver’s jewel, the Bloedel Conservatory; and now, unlike virtually every other city in the lower mainland, are tacitly blocking the HST initiative with their stand against canvassing in our community centres. Remember the names, Aaron Jasper, Constance Barnes, Raj Hundal, and Sarah Blythe (the four commissioners who voted to close the Bloedel) when they come asking your vote before the next election, and send them packing.
Susan
May 21, 2010 at 6:50pm
@Pat - Did you even read the article? Jasper's the only one who seems open to letting the HST campaign get access to the community centres. It's interesting that you don't seem to have any criticisms for Mackinnon, Robertson or Woodcock on this issue. As far as Bloedel, from what I hear, Vision has been able to get 4 proposals to keep it going....more than the NPA's ever done for that attraction!!
Pat
May 21, 2010 at 9:41pm
@ Susan: The Bloedel is not saved yet; and the only reason it is in jeopardy in the first place is because of the four Parks Board Commissioners – Jasper, Barnes, Hundal, and Blythe - that voted to close it down. The existence of some proposals to save it – primarily because of Ian Robertson, not Jasper – is no guarantee that the Bloedel will survive. And it certainly is not enough for me to overlook who it was that voted to shut the it down. And, yes I read Jasper’s comment about HST canvassing in community centres. He says, in a nutshell, that he’s indifferent. He does not say that he will be playing an active role in fighting to change the current ruling. He’s basically going to sit on the sideline and let the current state of affairs continue. Jasper and the three other anti-Conservatory commissioners will not be getting my vote in the next election. And they are complacent with regard to changing an unpopular rule about the community centres.
Pascal Roussel
May 24, 2010 at 5:40pm
It should hardly come as a surprise that Vancouver Recreation Centres are preventing lambda citizen from campaigning in their facilities: they are used to squashing the petitions of their own patrons, even when the issue is as innocuous as a request to keep a particular weight machine in a fitness centre. ( For an example of this at the new Mount Pleasant Recreation Centre, check out : www.surlaroute.net/mpcc). It seems that Recreation Centre management’s idea of being accountable to the community follows the principle of minimizing the community's involvement in the issues that affect them, and a policy of silencing any attempt to voice the need for improvements, among both patrons and their own staff, even on an issue that will affect our ability to use the very facilities, and infringes on constitutional rights. Pity the poor little weight machine that gets stuck in their political machinations...
Susan
May 25, 2010 at 7:27pm
@Pat - Are we talking about the same Ian Robertson who while serving as the Chair & Vice Chair of the Park Board, didn't bother to come up with a plan to deal with dwindling attendance at Bloedel? Or are we talking about the Ian Robertson who didn't advocate that the roof replacement should've been on the last capital plan? If I understand your position, you think that this Board should've shut down a community centre to subsidize Bloedel. Let's see what happens. But I bet that under this Board, Bloedel will be saved without sacrificing pools, rinks or community centres.