VANCOUVER, B.C.: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is applauding Mayor Ken Sim for the decision to scrap the Vancouver Parks Board. 

“The Parks Board is an extra layer of unnecessary bureaucracy which is unique to Vancouver,” said Carson Binda, British Columbia Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “Scrapping extra bureaucracy is a good move when the city is facing budgetary challenges.” 

Scrapping the Parks Board would require changes to the Vancouver Charter. That requires the province to work with the city to make the necessary changes. 

“Vancouverites are having to tighten their belts, so any attempts to reduce repetitive layers of bureaucracy to save taxpayers money is the right thing to do,” said Binda. “We need to see the city and province moving quickly on this project so that any savings can offset the unacceptable 7.6 per cent property tax hike that is expected in the next municipal budget.”   

The Vancouver Parks Board is the only elected body of its kind in Canada. The move comes after a report showed the Parks Board facing gaps in revenue management.

“Other big cities in the province like Kelowna, Victoria and Abbottsford do not have an elected parks board,” said Binda. “Those communities are able to provide a high quality recreation services to their residents without the duplicated bureaucracy of a parks board.” 

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