Vancouver Park Board votes to hire lawyer over mayor’s capital plan

Ken Sim is promising a substantial investment for the city’s aging community centres, but some groups are questioning what centres he chose to prioritize.

A growing rift between Vancouver city council and the elected park board is spilling into legal territory, sparked by Mayor Ken Sim’s proposed capital plan for community centre upgrades.

On Monday night, park board commissioners voted to hire independent legal counsel to determine whether the city’s capital plan crosses into the board’s jurisdiction. The legal review could cost up to $20,000 in taxpayer funds.

Park board commissioner Laura Christensen said the issue isn’t about blocking investments, but about making sure the right body is making the right calls.

“These are really important decisions that are shaping our city,” said Christensen, who tabled the motion. “We’re making investments that will last 50 to 100 years.”

Earlier this month, Sim and his ABC Vancouver majority on council unveiled a four-year capital plan that includes $400 million for upgrades to parks and community centres.

The proposal calls for replacement or major reconstruction of facilities in Dunbar, Kerrisdale, Hastings, Yaletown Roundhouse and Kensington, along with a new pool at Sunset Park.

Christensen argued that while city council controls funding, the Vancouver Charter gives the elected park board authority over park land and facilities, meaning council cannot dictate what is built or where.

“City council can’t say you’re going to build a pool at this location, because we control that land and what is built on it,” she said.

In a statement to CTV News, the mayor defended the plan, saying it is backed by staff’s most recent, evidence-based assessment of the city’s aging community facilities.

“City council has clear authority under the Vancouver Charter to set the capital plan and allocate funding across the city, including to parks and recreation facilities,” Sim said in a statement.

Christensen countered that other facilities, including Renfrew Community Centre, should be higher on the priority list, pointing to the park board’s own community centre strategy.

“These don’t align with the park board’s community centre strategy,” she said.

The dispute comes amid a longer-running governance fight at city hall. In 2023, Sim and his ABC council voted to abolish the elected park board and shift its powers to council, a move that stalled at the provincial level and has not gone to a referendum.

For now, Christensen said the goal isn’t a prolonged courtroom battle, but clarity and co-operation.

“It feels at times like the park board doesn’t exist,” she said. “But our jurisdiction is very real.” City council is expected to vote on the capital plan in July.