Vancouver park board moves to end agreement with six community centre associations

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      The Vancouver park board plans to “cease doing business” with six community centre associations that launched a legal action against the board last week.

      In a statement released Thursday (August 29), park board chair Sarah Blyth said staff have been directed to serve notice to the six associations that their joint operating agreement will be ending on December 31.

      “By commencing this claim the Plaintiff associations have shown that, in contrast to the other 16 CCAs in the Park Board community centre network, they are not prepared to work with the Park Board to bring the relationship into alignment with the Board's public policy goals,” the statement from Blyth reads.

      According to the park board, programming at the centres will continue to operate as normal until the end of the year. A “transition plan” will be put in place for next year, and the board wants to see a new arrangement in place by the fall of 2014.

      Non-Partisan Association park board commissioner Melissa De Genova said she's "very disappointed that it's come to this".

      "I think that had things been handled differently, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now," she said in a phone interview. "And we have to remember that...we had a very good relationships for over 40 years with our associations. And it’s only been under Vision Vancouver that it’s come to this."

      Negotiations with 16 community centre associations are set to continue this fall, and the park board expects to reach a new joint operating agreement with the centres by the end of December.

      Under an interim agreement ratified by 16 community associations in June, a OneCard access pass was implemented for park board facilities.

      The OneCard will not be accepted at the six centres behind the legal action–Killarney, Kensington, Kerrisdale, Hastings, Sunset and Hillcrest–throughout the fall.

      Comments

      13 Comments

      Cat Fight

      Aug 30, 2013 at 9:39am

      Yeah Baby Cat Fight...MEOW

      Lack of leadership, waste of money/energy

      Aug 30, 2013 at 12:32pm

      I believe that the amount of money spent on lawyers, advertising for OneCard represents a fundamental disservice by all involved to the community centre users.

      One must continue to ask the question "how do the actions I am taking actually benefit Vancouverites" or does it serve to advance posturing and empire building?

      Vancouver needs real leadership at local and senior levels.

      PollySchmolly

      Aug 30, 2013 at 12:37pm

      The Vancouver Park Board
      Either you're with us, or you're dead.

      Gwyneth

      Aug 30, 2013 at 7:21pm

      Not sure about the accuracy of that last line. I just used my One Card at Hillcrest tonight and got in without a problem.

      No Mellisa

      Aug 30, 2013 at 7:26pm

      The CCA/Park Board relationship has been sour for a long time just ask you NPA colleagues who were despised by CCAs by the time they were unelected.

      Chris

      Aug 31, 2013 at 9:09am

      How do I vote to get a new board of directors at the Riley Park Community Centre?

      Chris

      Aug 31, 2013 at 9:16am

      Sorry. Meant Hillcrest.

      MichaelHere

      Aug 31, 2013 at 10:19am

      Vision continues to use Harper's tactics but with a different visage.

      Vision are totalitarians...

      Aug 31, 2013 at 10:58am

      They do not believe in democracy and they cloak there fascist agenda in a cloak of green which makes people think they are democratic. But they are not. When is this city going to wake up to what kind of people are in city hall.

      Jen

      Aug 31, 2013 at 1:29pm

      Glad Park Board is not being bullied by the Ainslie Kwan and the like!