It is clear that any opposition to Vision Vancouver has been targeted. The city is facing an unprecedented number of lawsuits from various citizen groups. For example, I became president of Kensington at an interesting and challenging time. At about that time, Kensington and many other community centre associations were involved in negotiations with the park board to revise and enter into a new joint operating agreement (JOA) with the park board, as the agreements we currently had in place were quite old—Kensington’s JOA dated back to 1979.

During my time with Kensington Community Centre Association, I have become especially aware of how the city and the park board carry out their duties under the Vancouver Charter and bylaws and how they honour their contracts affects practical matters that are important to my community, such has how funds are allocated for community centre and recreational programs, how those programs are delivered, and how the public is engaged.

I felt that the public was not in support of these changes the park board recommended. A group of community centre associations, including Kensington wanted to gauge the public’s reaction so we hired a market research group—Mustel Group—to carry out a public opinion poll. The results of the poll, received in February 2014, showed that the majority of Vancouver residents polled did not support the park board’s planned changes.

Due to the fact of my opposition to Vision Vancouver, my boss told me that I would not be allowed to speak on behalf of Kensington at any city/park board meetings, ever. It was my understanding of his letter that if I did speak out in the future that I would face disciplinary action, be suspended, or even fired. A complaint was made to the Human Rights Tribunal and is pending.

The muzzling of staff, senior staff, and personnel is so pervasive that anyone putting a request to speak to elected or non-elected personnel must run the gauntlet of 33 highly paid communications staff who ask for your questions prior to speaking to media or anyone. Vancouver 1st’s position is to reduce the number of communication staff to five. Media will be able to speak to staff, senior staff, and elected officials without any restrictions. Vancouver 1st will review the Code of Conduct policy and recommend changes to implement to ensure staff, senior management, and politicians are not muzzled.

I have always felt strongly about the importance of the accountability of elected bodies to the public and with stakeholders on matters of policy. Vancouver 1st would sit down with all groups in litigation without any pre-conditions.

Vancouver 1st is the only logical alternative in the upcoming civic election. Vancouver 1st’s slate includes two former community centre presidents, a former Olympic wrestler, and a bronze medalist swimmer to start. On November 15, vote for Milan Kljajic and the Vancouver 1st team.