THE TALK OF THE TOWN
/PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING COMPLETED
Concerns Expressed Over Process & Choices
Last month West Enders participated in a City of Vancouver’s Participatory Budging initiative, and many who took part expressed concerns about both the process and the outcomes.
With a reported 8,600 votes cast over ten days of voting at fifteen West End locations, organizers were understandably delighted with the apparent turnout. “Our goal had been 2,400 voters,” said West End Seniors’ Network (WESN) executive director Anthony Kupferschmidt in announcing the results on February 8 at a public meeting at Gordon Neighbourhood House. “That would have represented about five percent of the West End’s population.”
The Participatory Budgeting initiative was designed to seek community input on spending $100,000 from new parking permit revenue generated by the City’s West End Parking Strategy, implemented in 2017.
Under the leadership of the community-led We Choo$e Impact team, led by Kupferschmidt and Kendal Fish, a total of 14 potential projects were shortlisted using predetermined criteria from more than 1,700 idea submissions. The projects ranged in complexity and cost from $10,000 to $50,000 and included public health programs, community beautification projects, funding for music and sports equipment at local schools, and public art.
The three projects, out of a possible 14, that were selected included, in order of the number of votes cast for each: $50,000 for the creation of a public callisthenics park at Barclay Heritage Square, at the corner of Haro and Nicola (4,791 votes);
(4,791 votes), to be shared by King George Secondary School and Lord Roberts Elementary; $30,000 for sidewalk replacements and repairs at six West End locations (1,867 votes); and a $20,000 Christine Fretwell and Kathryn Gibbons Memorial Gift to West End Students (1,590 votes).
Some West Enders, including City Councillor Adriane Carr, expressed concern that the sidewalk repair initiative was included in the balloting, feeling that this sort of infrastructure work should be an ongoing part of the City’s mandate and should already be included in the City budget. As Kupferschmidt explained it to The West End Journal, since the proposed projects had come from the community, and were confirmed by the community voting, it did not seem appropriate for the initiative organizers to impose additional criteria after the fact. As well, he pointed out, the $30,000 now earmarked for this work is over and above the City’s current street improvement budget and may well speed up the process. Councillor Carr confirmed this, saying that she had raised that question at Council and been told by the City Manager that it was likely that this extra infusion could speed up the street improvements which were already in the planning stages.
Also of concern to some West Enders was the fact that while each ballot only allowed each voter to select up to four projects, there were no controls on the voting process that would ensure that only one ballot was submitted per voter.
Following the voting and results, one West End resident informed The West End Journal that he had actually voted four times for his preferred project. More concerning, he also said that he knew someone with some serious computer savvy who had created a bot to enable him to cast about 200 votes for his favourite initiative.
“We know that the process was imperfect,” Kupferschmidt acknowledged in response to this information. “We will be addressing that issue for future such initiatives. Our concern at the time was in ensuring that the voting process was as low-barrier as possible and that nobody was excluded.”
“We now have a good baseline that we can tweak and improve on in the future.”
The City is committed to completing each of these projects within the next 18 months.
According to information provided by Amelia Huang, the City of Vancouver public engagement specialist who was the City’s point person on the project, the total amount dedicated to this year’s initiative was $175,000, which included $100,000 for the chosen projects and $75,000 for administration costs. Huang noted that the percentage taken up by administration costs will is expected to decline in future years if future Participatory Budgeting initiatives take place. That would require a decision by City Council
The “extra” funds raised by the increase in parking revenues amounted to $175,000 in 2018 and is projected to come in at $280,000 for 2019 and $370,000 in 2020.
Full details on the Participatory Budgeting process and outcomes can be found here.
UPDATE: The above story has been updated (March 12) to correct the order of the list of winning projects, clarify Ms. Huang’s position with the City, and to note that any future Participatory Budgeting initiatives would require City Council approval.
TO PARKLET OR NOT TO PARKLET
Plans To Remove Jervis & Davie Bus Stop Opposed
West End seniors opposed to a proposal put forward by the West End Business Improvement Association to replace the bus stop at Davie and Jervis with a community parklet turned out in force at two community meetings on February 11 and 20, facilitated by Gordon Neighbourhood House.
Parklets are street-level platforms that include public seating, landscaping and/or bike parking. The purpose of the parklets is to widen sidewalks, expand public space and foster social life.
Stephen Regan, executive director of WEBIA, noted that Davie has five bus stops over a five-block stretch — at Burrard, Thurlow, Bute, Jervis and Broughton — and expressed that at the cost of losing one bus stop there would be a net benefit for the whole community.
Opponents noted that there is a high proportion of seniors and persons with disabilities and mobility issues in the neighbourhood and that the stop also served St. Paul’s Anglican Church at Jervis and Pendrell, which provides many community services, facilities, and events throughout the week which are widely used by seniors and other West Enders.
Anthony Kupferschmidt, executive director of the West End Seniors’ Network, noted that “any risk of losing that important transportation connection is viewed as very problematic.”
Regan, contacted by The West End Journal on February 28, said that the West End BIA is expecting a report from Gordon Neighbourhood House, with a summary of the two community meetings, and noted that at the moment it looked like “we will not likely be going forward with this idea.”
Other ideas will be explored, including placing a parklet several yards west of the bus stop or finding some other form of street furniture to create appropriate public seating near the bus stop. As several attendees at the meetings stated, “we aren’t against parklets, we’re for the bus stop.”
SPRING 2020 PROGRAMS ANNOUNCED
Community Centre Guide Now Out
The West End Community Centre Association (WECCA) Spring 2020 Program Guide is now off the presses. This quarterly guide provides programming and activity information for WECCA’s three facilities, the Denman Street West End Community Centre, the Coal Harbour Community Centre, and Barclay Manor.
Registration for courses and programs opens, online and in-person, on Tuesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. and by phone from 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 11. Pick up your copy at one of the three WECCA locations or download the Guide here.
SKOOKUM OUT
Stanley Park Music Festival Cancelled
The Skookum Music Festival, which in the summer of 2018 brought upwards of 50,000 music fans to Stanley Park and provided Coal Harbour and other nearby West End residents with a perhaps unwelcome weekend of musical entertainment, will not be returning this summer.
The event was cancelled for 2019, amid promises of a return in 2020, but organizers announced late February that the music and arts festival will not take place this summer either.
“As the owners of the SKOOKUM Music Festival, we regretfully announce that we have made the difficult decision to not move forward with the second year of the festival,” said organizers in a press release. “The inaugural event was held in 2018 at Stanley Park and cost projections for continuing the event are unsustainable.”
Last June, Vancouver Park Board commissioners unanimously approved the return of the festival in 2020, adding it to the annual calendar of major special events.
“Although we’re disappointed, we thank the fans who came out and supported the event, which we believe combined one of the world’s most beautiful settings, great music and strong partnerships,” the organizers’ announcement concluded.
HERONS ARE BACK
Another Sure Sign Of Spring
The Stanley Park herons have returned!
The Pacific Great Blue herons began returning to the stand of trees next to the Vancouver Park Board office late last month.
According to the Park Board, last year there were an estimated 82 active nests in the colony, three fewer than in 2018. However, those 82 nests resulted in 112 fledglings, 14 more than the year before.
The Stanley Park colony is one of the largest urban colonies in North America.
“The number of active nests and fledglings raised last year is consistent with previous years indicating the nesting site it favourable to the herons’ breeding success,” park board chair Camil Dumont said in a press release.
The Park Board will provide a moderated Facebook Live Q&A, where Stanley Park Ecology Society (SPES) staff will answer questions about the herons. SPES will set up a weekly in-person interpretation at the colony to answer questions and share colony news. Follow the Park Board and SPES pages on Facebook to receive updates.
The herons are long-time residents of Stanley Park. The first documented breeding in the park was in 1921 near Brockton Point. They moved into the current location in 2001.
View the Heron Cam online here.
WEST END SENIORS’ PROJECT RECEIVES FUNDING
$50,000 To Support Room Pairing
A proposal by The West End Seniors’ Network was one of 14 projects included in $625,000 in renter services and SRO revitalization grants approved last month by Vancouver City Council.
The organization will receive $50,000 to support a rooming pairing service for older adults.
"The new Renter Services Grants program enhances opportunities for Vancouver renters and the organizations that support them to educate on and advocate for renter rights and directly support renters at risk of displacement from their homes and communities," city manager Sadhu Johnston wrote in a report to council. "This significant new investment focussed specifically on renter needs amplifies existing City investments in renter serving organizations through Direct Social Services (DSS) Grants".
The Vancouver Tenants Union, which has a West End chapter, received $40,000 for neighbourhood-based infrastructure for renter education, advocacy, and mutual support.
SENIORS FOCUS OF PROPOSED ROBSON POT STORE
A Vancouver pot retailer is planning a store on Robson Street with a specific market in mind.
It’s the “thousands of seniors in the West End”, according to Inspired Cannabis Co.
Inspired Cannabis made their proposal in a letter to the City of Vancouver, as part of its development application for 1710 Robson Street. According to the proposal, thousands of West End seniors are “exploring cannabis to help them with pain management and other health therapies”.
The company states that it knows this situation because the same owners and management run a chain of community pharmacies that owns The Pharmacy West End across the road at 1747 Robson Street.
According to Inspired Cannabis, that outlet is filling prescriptions for 2,000 senior citizens per month.
“Since cannabis was legalized in October 2018, many of these senior citizens have indicated an interest in cannabis, and have sought advice from our pharmacists,” the company wrote in its proposal.
“Our knowledgeable pharmacists can advise our current clientele at The Pharmacy on whether cannabis use is permitted in combination with their prescription medication, dosage, and on which cannabis products will suit their needs,” Inspired Cannabis wrote.
The company also stated that it aims to become the “trusted local cannabis retail store [for] senior citizens in the West End”.
