Jas Virdi is a sitting Vancouver Park Board commissioner seeking a second term with ABC Vancouver, ballot number 228. This record covers the campaign page, motions he moved and votes he cast from 2023 to July 2026 as recorded in the Park Board's own minutes, three integrity commissioner findings and the Board's decisions on them, and news coverage up to October 3, 2026.
The score counts how complete and checkable the published plan on this issue is. Whether the plan would work is a separate question, left to the reader. Measured October 3, 2026. The same seven points apply to every candidate for this office.
Parks and recreation7/10
2/2
A position in the candidate’s own words
“I'll continue advocating until South Vancouver gets the pools and investment our community deserves.”
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
ABC Vancouver’s platform on parks: 5 commitments, at least one with a number. Party text earns the candidate the position point only.
What this office controls. Vancouver is the only major city in Canada with a separately elected park board. Its seven commissioners control parks, community centres, pools, rinks and beaches.
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
What this office controls. Council, the Park Board and the Board of Education each set their own meeting rules, committees, public consultation and reporting. The Vancouver Charter and the School Act create the three bodies and set their powers, and only the Province can change those acts.
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
ABC Vancouver’s platform on taxes and budget: 5 commitments, at least one with a number. Party text earns the candidate the position point only.
What this office controls. The Park Board sets its own fees and approves its budget request. Council approves the City budget that funds it and the capital plan that pays for park buildings.
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
What this office controls. The Park Board manages trees, natural areas and the shoreline inside parks, and its own community centres, pools and rinks. The City’s building bylaw is Council’s.
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
ABC Vancouver’s platform on public safety: 5 commitments, at least one with a number. Party text earns the candidate the position point only.
What this office controls. The Park Board makes the bylaws and rules for parks and beaches and runs the park rangers. Policing is the Vancouver Police Department’s, and Council approves its budget.
The questionnaire has not been sent yet. No candidate has this point.
ABC Vancouver’s platform on transport: 2 commitments, none with a number. Party text earns the candidate the position point only.
What this office controls. The Park Board decides the roads, paths and parking inside parks, including Stanley Park Drive. City streets and bike lanes outside parks are Council’s.
On dates without a confirmed appearance the public schedule is unknown; the candidate may still have activities that day. This static page changes only when its research is updated.
01 / Introduction
About Jas Virdi
Jas Virdi appears on the City of Vancouver's final 2026 candidate list for Park Board, with ballot number 228. The City records the affiliation as ABC Vancouver.
The City's roster for the 2022 to 2026 term lists Jas Virdi as a Vancouver Park Board commissioner. The 2026 ballot entry is for the same office, so Virdi is seeking a second term.
The page says Virdi is an elected Park Board Commissioner with ABC Vancouver. The page says Virdi holds a Microbiology degree from Simon Fraser University and a Pharmaceutical Sciences degree from the University of British Columbia. The page says the candidate has been a pharmacist for nine years and has owned and run a pharmacy for six of them.
The ABC Vancouver campaign page says Virdi holds degrees from Simon Fraser University in microbiology and from the University of British Columbia in pharmaceutical sciences.
The ABC Vancouver campaign page says Virdi has worked as a pharmacist for nine years and has run his own pharmacy for six of them, including vaccination clinics at community centres.
The ABC Vancouver campaign page says Virdi played field hockey for Team Vancouver, Team British Columbia and Team Canada at the junior level.
Virdi was elected to the Vancouver Park Board in the October 2022 civic election as one of six ABC Vancouver commissioners. The published results table for that election records 58,709 votes for Virdi, fifth among the seven commissioners elected.
Virdi has told public meetings and reporters that the push for a sensory and accessible park came from personal family experience. Both the Vancouver Sun and Global News reported that point in January 2024.
Virdi appears on the 2026 ballot at number 228 as an ABC Vancouver candidate for Park Board commissioner.
voche.me assembled this profile from the official candidate list and the campaign material linked under Sources. The campaign has not been contacted, and no candidate-supplied content appears on this page.
voche.me reviewed this record again on October 3, 2026. That review read the Park Board's own minutes for meetings from February 2023 to July 2026 through Internet Archive copies, three integrity commissioner reports, a September 28, 2026 Vancouver Sun interview, ABC Vancouver's Raising Vancouver release and the forum listings for October.
Published positions and selected commitments, separated by election cycle. Status labels describe the evidence reviewed, not a numerical score or a complete audit of the platform. Council approval is different from delivery.
10 commitments shown · Checked Oct 3
2026 · Recreation facilitiesCampaign pledge
New pools for Sunset and Marpole
Virdi says the work to win new swimming pools in the Sunset and Marpole areas of South Vancouver will continue. On July 13, 2026 he moved to replace the draft 2027 to 2030 capital plan with one that accepts 500 million dollars from City Council for new partly covered outdoor pools at Sunset and Marpole, planning for a 50-metre pool, and renewal of five community centres, and in a September 2026 interview he called a pool at Sunset one of his top priorities.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The Park Board minutes of July 13, 2026 show Virdi's amendment failed 3 to 4, with Commissioners Haer, Howard and Virdi in favour. The 500 million dollar figure covers the whole package of projects in the amendment, so the share for the two pools is not stated. The Indo-Canadian Voice report of July 14, 2026 quotes Virdi saying the campaign will continue, and ABC's September 28, 2026 Raising Vancouver release lists two new outdoor pools in Sunset and Marpole as a party commitment.
What still needs checking
Whether City Council's 2027 to 2030 capital plan funds pools at Sunset and Marpole, and how much goes to each.
The ABC campaign page says Virdi has worked on park maintenance, sports facility improvement and accessible community space, and will continue that focus.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
This comes from the party page alone. No independent source was found that measures what changed on maintenance or sports facilities during the 2022 to 2026 term.
What still needs checking
Which specific maintenance or sports facility decisions Virdi moved or voted for, and what was built.
In January 2024 Virdi asked the Park Board to plan a dedicated destination park for neurodivergent children and children with mobility challenges.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Global News reported that the board passed an amended version on January 23, 2024 that removed the dedicated park and instead directed staff to report on accessible and sensory features under the existing VanPlay policy. Virdi said the amendments ignored what parents had told the board. Later Board minutes refer to an inclusive destination playground and splash pad under design at Memorial South Park, which Virdi's December 8, 2025 motion asked to include a wheelchair-accessible swing and sensory play features.
What still needs checking
Whether the Memorial South Park playground opens with the features the December 2025 motion listed, and what the Queen Elizabeth Park planning work finds.
In December 2023 Virdi said publicly that the Park Board is redundant and inefficient and that one elected body should make parks decisions, and voted against a motion to reaffirm the board's independence.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The Park Board minutes of December 11, 2023 record the 4 to 3 vote, with Virdi, Marie-Claire Howard and Angela Haer opposed to the motion, and Daily Hive and Vancouver Is Awesome reported his statement. In July 2026 Mayor Ken Sim said ABC was dropping the plan to abolish the board and would run Park Board candidates instead. In September 2026 Virdi told Postmedia News he was 100 per cent sure that Sim and ABC would not try again to disband the board.
What still needs checking
Whether Virdi would support or oppose any future proposal to replace the elected Park Board.
Virdi moved a June 1, 2026 Park Board motion asking staff to design and run a program that gives every Vancouver resident free access to the first three levels of swimming lessons, with priority for children aged 3 to 12. In a September 2026 interview he named free swimming lessons as one of the things he wants to push.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The Park Board minutes show the Board replaced the direction to design and run the program with a request for a staff report on cost, capacity and service level options, including the service cuts elsewhere each option would need. Virdi voted against that change and then for the amended motion, which passed 5 to 1. Neither source gives a cost or a start date. ABC's Raising Vancouver release makes a similar party promise for children aged 3 to 12 without naming Virdi.
What still needs checking
What the staff report on cost options says, and whether a free beginner lesson program is funded.
In the same June 1, 2026 motion, Virdi asked the Board to direct staff to support a per-person target for pools and other swimming facilities, to be met by 2035, in the way the City sets targets for parkland.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The Board amended this part over Virdi's vote, replacing it with support for the existing VanSplash target of 5.0 swims per person. The motion as moved did not state the number the target would set.
What still needs checking
Whether the VanSplash update due in early 2027 sets a per-person target for pools, and what it is.
A second sensory, all-abilities park at Queen Elizabeth Park
Virdi moved a June 1, 2026 motion directing staff to plan a second destination sensory and all-abilities park at Queen Elizabeth Park, paid for from funding already in the approved 2023 to 2026 capital plan, with a pilot of picture and sign boards for people who communicate without speech or in other languages.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The Park Board minutes show the motion passed with no votes against after an amendment, which Virdi opposed, moved the staff memo from July 27, 2026 to the first quarter of 2027 and removed a named company from the list of experts. The motion sets no build date and no total cost.
What still needs checking
The staff memo due in the first quarter of 2027, and whether a site and budget are set.
Virdi named the turf field at Moberly Park as one of his top priorities in a September 2026 interview. On April 13, 2026 he moved approval of the Moberly Park concept plan, which includes a new synthetic turf field, a new fieldhouse and a walking loop.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The Park Board committee minutes of April 13, 2026 record the Moberly Park part of the plan passing 6 to 1, with Commissioner Tom Digby opposed. The Vancouver Sun reported that installation is expected to begin in 2027. Neither source gives the cost.
What still needs checking
Whether construction of the Moberly Park turf field starts in 2027 and what it costs.
Each entry below names its source. Campaign material is the candidate's own account. Nothing here is presented as a verified outcome unless the entry says so.
Approved
Sensory and accessible park motion, amended by the board
The Park Board passed an amended version of Virdi's motion. The amendments removed the dedicated park and directed staff to report on progress on accessible and sensory play features under an existing policy, and asked the Vancouver Parks Foundation to raise private money for sensory equipment.
Scope, limits and sources
Board chair Laura Christensen said passing another unfunded motion would not achieve the objective. The chair of the Pacific Autism Family Centre Foundation wrote to the board calling the amendments offensive.
Sunset and Marpole pools left out of the capital plan
At the July 13, 2026 Board committee meeting on the draft 2027 to 2030 capital plan, Virdi moved to replace the staff plan with one that accepts 500 million dollars from City Council for five community centre renewals, new outdoor pools at Sunset and Marpole, planning for a 50-metre pool, and Britannia and Kitsilano Pool renewal planning. The amendment failed 3 to 4, with Commissioners Haer, Howard and Virdi in favour.
Scope, limits and sources
The Indo-Canadian Voice reported that commissioners from the Vancouver Liberals and the Vancouver Greens argued South Vancouver already has enough investment. Residents had spoken in favour after the closures of Sunset Pool and the Langara YMCA pool.
At the November 24, 2025 special meeting Virdi moved the staff recommendation to approve the 2026 park and recreation fees. Commissioner Brennan Bastyovanszky added a request that City Council provide 800,000 dollars so that community centre admissions, lessons, programs and permits stay at a 0 percent increase; that addition passed 4 to 3 over the votes of Haer, Howard and Virdi. The fee schedule itself passed 4 to 3, with Christensen, Haer, Howard and Virdi in favour. Virdi told the board the increases were needed to help meet a citywide zero percent property tax increase target.
Scope, limits and sources
Bastyovanszky, Scott Jensen and Tom Digby opposed the fee schedule and said core recreation services should not be cut to meet the tax target. CBC reported that staff expected the fee changes to raise an estimated 1.9 million dollars in 2026 as part of an 11 million dollar savings target, and that the board separately approved a 191.9 million dollar operating budget and a 126.4 million dollar capital budget for 2026.
Pool consultation motion turned down without going to committee
Virdi brought a motion asking the Park Board to hold public consultation on restoring aquatic facilities at Sunset Community Centre, including a possible 50 metre pool. His motion to send it to committee to hear from speakers failed 3 to 4, and the motion was then defeated after he left the meeting.
Scope, limits and sources
Board chair Laura Christensen said normal procedure was followed and that all motions referred to committee still require a board vote first. Virdi said he felt discriminated against and left the meeting before the vote.
Voted to remove the temporary Stanley Park bike lane
Virdi voted for Commissioner Angela Haer's motion to remove most of the temporary bike lane on Stanley Park Drive before the end of May 2023, restore parking at Lumberman's Arch, and have staff report back on a dedicated bike lane proposal for summer 2024. The Park Board minutes record the vote as 6 to 1, with Commissioner Tom Digby opposed.
Scope, limits and sources
A 2025 integrity commissioner investigation later found the ABC commissioners had held private meetings before this vote to agree in advance how to vote on the bike lane and on the Moberly Park turf fields. CBC reported that all the ABC commissioners of the time voted together on the bike lane.
Virdi seconded Commissioner Marie-Claire Howard's tree planting motion and voted for it. It directed staff to work with City Council toward planting 100,000 new trees by 2026, to plant first in hot areas with little tree cover, and to report on a strategy.
Scope, limits and sources
The minutes record the vote as 6 in favour, with Commissioner Tom Digby abstaining. This record does not show how many trees were planted afterward.
Voted against reaffirming the Park Board's independence
Virdi voted against Commissioner Brennan Bastyovanszky's urgent motion that reaffirmed the Park Board as an independently elected board, told staff not to plan for a transition, and asked the Chair to write to the Premier if Council passed the Mayor's motion to end the elected board. The motion passed 4 to 3, with Virdi, Angela Haer and Marie-Claire Howard opposed.
Scope, limits and sources
The vote came days after Mayor Ken Sim proposed asking the Province to end the elected Park Board.
Moved the 2024 fees with a hold on minor baseball diamond fees
After City Council amended the Park Board's 2024 fees, Virdi moved to cancel the November 2023 fee decision and approve the 2024 fees again, this time putting off the planned 2024 increase for prime-time baseball diamond rentals for minors. Both motions passed with no votes against.
Scope, limits and sources
The re-approved motion also directed staff to explore an infrastructure fee for repairs to facilities that earn revenue.
Moved free tickets for wheelchair spots on the Stanley Park Train
Virdi moved an urgent motion that tickets for the wheelchair-accessible spots on the Stanley Park Train be free for the rest of 2024. The Board added wording from Commissioner Tom Digby on keeping existing accessibility in all Park Board services and passed the motion as amended with no votes against.
Scope, limits and sources
Commissioner Howard abstained and Commissioner Haer was absent. A week earlier the Indo-Canadian Voice reported Virdi's plan to bring the motion.
Moved low-cost parking passes for lawn bowling club members
Virdi moved a motion for a low-cost annual parking pass at Lot 67 in Queen Elizabeth Park for members of the Vancouver Lawn Bowling Club, with the price set with the club. No commissioner seconded it, so it was not debated.
Moved to speed up the Moberly Park track and turf field
During debate on using Memorial South Park as a FIFA World Cup training site, Virdi moved that the Board speed up the track and turf field at Moberly Park to make up for lost amenities at Memorial South. It failed 2 to 5, with Commissioners Howard and Virdi in favour.
Scope, limits and sources
The Board instead added direction to consult the Killarney and Memorial South communities on park amenities for the 2027 to 2030 capital plan.
Virdi moved the committee recommendation to make the summer alcohol on beaches program permanent at seven beaches. Commissioners amended it to depend on operating funds from City Council and to ask staff about changing beach closing times, over Virdi's vote, and the amended motion then passed with no votes against.
Scope, limits and sources
Park rules on alcohol at beaches are set by the Park Board.
Moved a 50-metre training pool for the Vancouver Aquatic Centre
At the February 24 and 25, 2025 committee meeting, Virdi moved amendments so the Vancouver Aquatic Centre renewal would include a 50-metre training pool instead of the 25-metre lap pool staff recommended. The amended recommendation passed 3 to 2, with Bastyovanszky, Haer and Virdi in favour and Digby and Jensen opposed.
Scope, limits and sources
On March 31, 2025 the committee went back to the staff design with a 25-metre pool and added a commitment to a 50-metre pool somewhere in Vancouver within 10 years. Vancity Lookout named Virdi among the three commissioners who brought the February amendment.
Moved a report on a temporary pool during the Aquatic Centre rebuild
Virdi moved that staff report on whether a temporary pool could be added at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre site for swimmers displaced during the rebuild. It passed 3 to 2 with two abstentions and became part of the final motion, which Virdi voted for.
Scope, limits and sources
The same motion approved the staff design and moved 7.6 million dollars from the West End waterfront parks project to it.
Moved "Think 50 Metres" for a South Vancouver pool
Virdi moved a motion to make a new 50-metre pool, preferably in South Vancouver, a priority and to ask Council to put it in the next capital plan. The Board replaced it with a version that asks federal and provincial officials for funding help for an indoor 50-metre pool and directs staff to include South Vancouver's needs in the VanSplash update. The final motion passed with no votes against.
Scope, limits and sources
The replacement text came from Commissioner Bastyovanszky and dropped the preference for South Vancouver as the site.
Virdi moved a motion directing staff to work with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and Equip Sport to pilot free sports equipment lending stations in Vancouver parks, modelled on Surrey's program, with a report after the first year. It passed with no votes against.
Scope, limits and sources
An amendment to run the idea through the unsolicited proposal process failed 1 to 5.
Moved accessible features for the Memorial South Park playground
Virdi moved a motion that the renewed Memorial South Park playground include a wheelchair-accessible swing, a wheelchair-accessible merry-go-round, sensory play features and quiet spaces. An amendment, passed 4 to 3 over his vote, made these items for staff to consider if they fit the existing budget. The amended motion passed with Virdi in favour.
Virdi moved approval of the concept plans for Moberly Park, with a new synthetic turf field, fieldhouse and walking loop, and for Ross Park, with a spray pad, washroom and playground renewal. He also moved an addition, which passed, to plan for a future seniors' room at Ross Park. The Moberly Park part passed 6 to 1.
Scope, limits and sources
A second amendment he moved, on international hockey field standards for the turf, was ruled out of order as already covered.
Voted against setting aside Council's capital plan priorities
Virdi voted against Commissioner Laura Christensen's motion directing staff to prepare the Park Board capital plan without regard to the projects City Council listed on April 22, 2026, and to hire outside lawyers to advise on the Board's powers over park land. It passed 4 to 3, with Haer, Howard and Virdi opposed.
Scope, limits and sources
Earlier in the meeting Virdi voted with the majority to overturn the chair's ruling that the motion was not urgent.
Virdi moved a motion for free beginner swimming lessons for all residents and a per-person target for pools by 2035. The Board changed it to a staff report on cost options and support for the existing VanSplash target, and passed the amended motion 5 to 1 with Virdi in favour.
Scope, limits and sources
The motion's background section said the Park Board runs 1,133 beginner lesson programs a year for 6,498 participants.
Moved "Think Accessible Play" at Queen Elizabeth Park
Virdi moved a motion directing staff to plan a second destination sensory and all-abilities park at Queen Elizabeth Park with a communication board pilot. It passed with no votes against after an amendment that moved the report date to the first quarter of 2027.
Scope, limits and sources
The Park Board received 43 messages in support before the meeting, the minutes record.
Read original statements and reporting, or open the publisher’s video. A summary of a speech is labelled separately from a full recording.
Speech
Park Board meeting statement on the board's effectiveness
At the first Park Board meeting after Mayor Ken Sim proposed abolishing the board, Virdi said motions pass but nothing gets done, that studies on unfunded motions waste money, and that the board is redundant and inefficient.
Virdi argued that a destination park was needed so that families of neurodivergent children would know they would meet others in the same position, and said the amendments set aside what parents had told the board.
Statement on the Stanley Park Train's accessible carriage
The Indo-Canadian Voice reported Virdi's plan to bring an urgent motion to cut or remove ticket costs for the Stanley Park Train's accessible carriage, and to ask for a pass that lets a support worker ride with no added cost. It quoted him saying a more inclusive Vancouver is an issue he cares about personally.
Vancouver Sun interview after the Sunset pool vote
Virdi told the Vancouver Sun that the board is broken and that the split between ABC and independent commissioners stops it working. Virdi said the objection was that the motion was voted on before going to committee, and said the treatment felt discriminatory.
Virdi told the board the city was in tough times and that the park board needed to find savings the same way provincial and federal governments were, while voting for the fee increases.
Board speech on Think Free Swim and Think Accessible Play
The Park Board minutes record that Virdi introduced his two motions on free beginner swimming lessons and a sensory park at Queen Elizabeth Park and answered commissioners' questions on them.
Virdi told Postmedia News he had considered not running again but heard from people in his southeast Vancouver community who wanted him to continue. He said he was 100 per cent sure that Mayor Ken Sim and ABC would not try again to end the elected Park Board, and named a pool at Sunset, the turf field at Moberly Park and free swimming lessons as what he wants to push.
Records are labelled by type, including official findings, civil proceedings and political disputes where applicable. Each entry identifies the response found in the sources and the latest status verified for this page.
Official finding
Integrity commissioner found a public statement about a fellow commissioner was untrue
Integrity commissioner Lisa Southern investigated a complaint by Commissioner Laura Christensen after Virdi said at a public meeting on January 23, 2024 that Christensen had made a discriminatory remark about autistic children at a 2022 ABC platform meeting. Southern concluded the evidence showed Christensen did not make the remark and that Virdi's statement was therefore untrue, and that Virdi had given no explanation for not being reckless about its truth. The Vancouver Sun reported the finding as a breach of the board's code of conduct.
Candidate or party response
Virdi told the investigation that the remark could not have come from anyone else and argued that his statement was true and so was protected. He said it was made during a heated meeting on a subject of personal importance. No separate public apology or reply by Virdi was found.
Verified status and limits
Southern's May 24, 2024 report made no specific recommendation about Virdi and said publishing the report was the correction Christensen had asked for. All commissioners were told to complete code of conduct and respectful communication training by the end of June 2024. On July 8, 2024 the Board voted 3 to 2 to request that Virdi issue a letter of apology to Christensen, with Bastyovanszky, Digby and Jensen in favour and Haer and Howard opposed; Virdi and Christensen left the meeting for the item, and Virdi's lawyer gave a statement on his behalf. In a 2025 complaint Virdi called that vote disproportionate; investigator Jamie Pytel found a written apology was a proportionate request in the circumstances. Whether Virdi wrote the letter was not found.
Integrity commissioner found ABC commissioners met on board business out of public view
After a complaint by Green Councillor Pete Fry, integrity commissioner Lisa Southern found that six commissioners elected in 2022 under ABC, including Virdi, used an ABC-only group chat and held meetings in February and May 2023 that advanced Park Board decision making out of public view, including agreeing in advance how to vote on the Stanley Park bike lane and Moberly Park turf fields.
Candidate or party response
Virdi, Angela Haer and Marie-Claire Howard argued the meetings were protected by the Vancouver Charter and that the complaint fell outside the board's policies, and Southern rejected that argument. Her report records that the three, through their lawyer, cancelled interviews set for December 2024, produced no documents, saying the messages had not been kept, and sent a written submission on January 31, 2025. ABC president Stephen Molnar said in a statement that the party disagreed with the narrow interpretation and that the gatherings were informal strategy sessions with no binding decisions.
Verified status and limits
Southern's February 21, 2025 report found the complaint well-founded. She made no further recommendation for sanctions, writing that publication served the public interest and that the Board could not reach a quorum to set sanctions because six of the seven commissioners were named. No sanction was found in later reporting.
Investigator found Virdi defamed a fellow commissioner, and the Board endorsed a reprimand
Investigator Jamie Pytel of Kingsgate Legal, hired to act as the Park Board's integrity commissioner, reported on cross complaints from April and May 2025 between Virdi and independent Commissioners Scott Jensen and Brennan Bastyovanszky. theBreaker.news reported the December 1, 2025 report when it was released on December 12, and voche.me has also read the report itself. Pytel found insufficient information that Jensen and Bastyovanszky regularly denied Virdi an equal chance to take part in meetings, so that part of Virdi's complaint was unsubstantiated. Pytel found that Virdi defamed Jensen at the April 14, 2025 meeting by falsely suggesting that Jensen discriminated against him and against Sunset residents. Pytel also found that Bastyovanszky defamed Virdi in an April 21, 2025 CKNW radio interview by suggesting Virdi acted out of self-interest, and that a social media post by Bastyovanszky did not breach the code.
Candidate or party response
The report says Virdi denied the allegation in the investigation and maintained that he had been treated differently from other commissioners. It records that he declined informal resolution, and that at the April 14 meeting he declined the chair's request to withdraw his comments. At the January 19, 2026 Board meeting he declared a conflict of interest and left for the item, and no commissioner spoke on his behalf. No public response by Virdi to the report or to the request for an apology was found.
Verified status and limits
Pytel recommended publishing a letter of reprimand to Virdi and a request for an apology, with Virdi's response, and recommended that the Board ask Bastyovanszky for a letter of apology to Virdi. On January 19, 2026 the Board endorsed both recommendations 3 to 2, with Commissioners Christensen, Digby and Jensen in favour and Haer and Howard opposed; Virdi and Bastyovanszky left the meeting for the item. Whether Virdi apologized or published a response was not found.
A dated reading list from independent publishers. The headings below are voche.me summaries; follow each link for the original article, context and any corrections.
Reporting
Vancouver Is Awesome
Commissioners vote 4-3 against Vancouver mayor's plan to abolish elected park board
Mike Howell reported the 4 to 3 vote on Brennan Bastyovanszky's motion to reaffirm the board's independence, opposed by ABC commissioners Marie-Claire Howard, Angela Haer and Jas Virdi, and quoted Virdi's criticism of the board.
“We waste taxpayers' money”: ABC commissioner on Vancouver Park Board's existence
Kenneth Chan reported Virdi's remarks at the December 11 meeting about unfunded motions, spending on food and events, and the view that one body should make parks decisions.
Jen St. Denis reported on the December 2023 split over ending the elected Park Board, including Virdi's view that the vote on the Moberly Park turf field showed the board was broken, and that he did not answer a former commissioner's question on whether he would sit on an appointed board.
Vancouver Park Board scuttles dedicated sensory and accessible park idea
Simon Little reported that the board passed an amended motion that removed the dedicated park, with reaction from Virdi, board chair Laura Christensen and the Pacific Autism Family Centre Foundation.
Vancouver park board dispute sparks integrity commissioner probe
Mike Howell set out the integrity commissioner's investigation into Virdi's January 2024 claim about a remark by Commissioner Laura Christensen, including the evidence each gave.
Vancouver's integrity czar says park board commissioner breached code of conduct
David Carrigg reported that a park board commissioner breached the code of conduct by falsely stating that a rival commissioner made an offensive comment about children with autism.
Watchdog finds Vancouver ABC park commissioners flouted policy with secret meetings
Akshay Kulkarni reported the integrity commissioner's finding that six commissioners, including Virdi, held caucus meetings that advanced Park Board decision making out of public view.
Park board commissioners split on the future of the Vancouver Aquatic Centre
Reported the debate over a 25-metre or 50-metre pool at the new Vancouver Aquatic Centre, naming Virdi among the three commissioners who brought the February 2025 amendment for a larger pool.
Vancouver park board is 'broken,' says commissioner after pool vote
Denise Ryan reported Virdi's account of leaving the April 14, 2025 meeting after the board voted on the Sunset pool motion without sending it to committee.
Vancouver Park Board hikes fees amid divisions over 0% property increase plan
Recorded the split vote on 2026 park and recreation fee increases, quoting Virdi saying the board needed to do its part on savings, and quoting opponents who said the cuts contradicted what residents expect from the park system.
Bob Mackin reported on investigator Jamie Pytel's December 1, 2025 report into cross complaints between Virdi and two independent commissioners, and the recommended sanctions on both sides.
ABC's park board commissioners aren't actually going to run again, are they?
In an opinion column, Nathan Caddell wrote that the Straight had asked the three remaining ABC commissioners, including Virdi, whether they would run again and received no reply, and read a recent post by Virdi as a sign of a return to the race.
Once again, it looks like ABC Vancouver members won't be attending all-candidates debates
An opinion column reporting that ABC members were not scheduled to attend a council candidates debate organised by Women Transforming Cities and that the party did not answer questions about it. The column does not name individual Park Board candidates.
Ken Sim's ABC platform promises property tax freeze, end to residential parking permit fees
Kenneth Chan set out ABC's combined platform. The Park Board part promises new aquatic centres in Sunset and Marpole with a 50-metre lap pool, an end to paid parking at Jericho Beach, Spanish Banks and community centres, double the number of dog parks, permanent repair of the Stanley Park Train, and open access at Kitsilano Pool. These are the party's commitments.
Vancouver Sun (Postmedia), republished by Yahoo News Canada
Just one of six former ABC Vancouver park board commissioners to run for party this time
David Carrigg reported that Virdi is the only one of the six ABC commissioners elected in 2022 running again for ABC, and quoted his priorities: a Sunset pool, the Moberly Park turf field and free swimming lessons.
Sources checked October 3, 2026. Official records establish decisions; campaign material establishes stated positions; reporting adds investigation and context. None alone establishes every claim.
No personal campaign website was found. A Facebook page and an X account (@JaspreetVirdi19) publish under Virdi's name; only one X post was read, because X and Facebook do not show posts to automated readers. Virdi did not answer the Vote4Tomorrow climate questionnaire, and no answer from him was found in the Vancouver Public Space Network Park Board survey. VoteMate shows no profile written by him. The Kerrisdale Community Centre listed Virdi among 23 Park Board candidates confirmed for its September 29, 2026 forum, but no report of what was said there was found, so the forum is not recorded as an appearance. No forum between October 3 and October 17, 2026 names him. The campaign page claims about the SFU and UBC degrees, the nine years as a pharmacist and the field hockey teams were not confirmed by any independent source. The 2022 vote total comes from a published results table that cites the City of Vancouver; the City's own results page could not be opened. Whether Virdi wrote the apology letters the Board requested in July 2024 and January 2026 was not found. Park Board minutes were read through Internet Archive copies because the Park Board site refuses automated requests; meetings without an archived copy were not read.
Research status
What voche.me has checked
Evidence reviewed on October 3, 2026: the ABC Vancouver candidate page, ABC's September 28, 2026 Raising Vancouver release, Park Board minutes from February 2023 to July 2026 read through Internet Archive copies, three integrity commissioner reports, a September 28, 2026 Vancouver Sun interview, the VoteMate profile, the Vancouver Public Space Network and Vote4Tomorrow candidate surveys, and October forum listings.
8 commitments are recorded in Virdi's own words, from the campaign page, his 2026 Board motions and reporting that quotes him, and 2 come from an earlier term with no link from a 2026 page. Every quotation from abcvancouver.ca was read from the live page through a reading tool, because that site blocks automated requests.
Checks still to do: whether Virdi wrote the apology letters the Board requested in 2024 and 2026, what was said at the September 29 Kerrisdale forum, and what his Facebook and X accounts say about the campaign.
The ballot name, office, ballot number and party label come from the City's final candidate list. Everything described as campaign material is the campaign's own account and has not been confirmed by an independent source, except where a source other than the campaign is named.
03 / Background
Experience & community
Current term
Vancouver Park Board commissioner
The City's roster lists Jas Virdi in this office during the term that ends with the 2026 election. Motions he moved and votes he cast, as recorded in the Park Board minutes, are listed under the record section of this page.
Elected in October 2022 on the ABC Vancouver slate. Remained with ABC after three colleagues left the party in December 2023, and stayed in the ABC minority group on the board for the rest of the term.
The campaign page says Virdi has practised as a pharmacist for nine years and has owned a pharmacy for six, providing vaccinations and community health clinics.
Proposed questions for a future interview. They have not been sent to the candidate, and no answers have been supplied.
Which facility improvements from your current term are complete, and what remains unfunded?
No response has been submitted.
How would you divide funding between existing-facility maintenance, affordable access and new construction?
No response has been submitted.
Have your own question?
Ask Jas Virdi directly. We send it to the campaign, and publish the reply here if we get one.
05 / About this page
Questions about this page
Facts voche.me can state about Jas Virdi's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
Is this an official page for Jas Virdi?
No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Jas Virdi's own campaign.
What is Jas Virdi's ballot number for the 2026 Vancouver election?
Jas Virdi is number 228 on the City of Vancouver's official 2026 ballot for Park Board.
What party did Jas Virdi run with?
Jas Virdi ran for Park Board with ABC Vancouver.
Does Jas Virdi currently hold public office?
Yes. Jas Virdi currently serves as Vancouver Park Board commissioner.
How many sources does this Jas Virdi profile cite?
This profile lists 3 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
Has Jas Virdi filed nomination papers for the 2026 election?
voche.me has not yet added a nomination record for Jas Virdi. This does not mean no nomination paper was filed, only that voche.me has not completed that research yet.
Why do some questions on Jas Virdi's page show no answer?
The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Jas Virdi in a future interview. They have not been sent yet, so the page says plainly that no answer has been supplied instead of leaving the section blank.
When was the election Jas Virdi ran in?
The 2026 Vancouver municipal election, including the Park Board race, was decided on October 17, 2026.
06 / Candidate contributions
Space for campaign updates
Added Park Board minutes, the integrity report itself, and corrections
This review read the Park Board's own minutes and added motions Virdi moved from 2023 to 2026, including his June 2026 motions on free swimming lessons and a sensory park at Queen Elizabeth Park and his July 2026 capital plan amendment for Sunset and Marpole pools. It added the investigator's December 2025 report itself and the Board's January 19, 2026 vote to endorse a reprimand, and the Board's July 8, 2024 request that Virdi apologize to Commissioner Christensen. Corrections: the biography said Virdi's current office differs from the office on the ballot, when both are Park Board commissioner; the 2025 fee entry said the request to Council for 800,000 dollars failed, when the minutes show it passed 4 to 3 over Virdi's vote; the capital plan vote is dated July 13, 2026, the meeting day, instead of July 14, the report's date; and the 2023 Stanley Park bike lane vote is now sourced to the minutes, which name Virdi, and counted under transport. No calendar events dated before October 3 were on the record, so none were removed.
Added the 2025 fee increase vote and the Sunset pool consultation motion
New reporting found in this review: Virdi backed the Vancouver Park Board's November 2025 fee increases, and a motion he brought in April 2025 asking the board to send a Sunset Community Centre pool proposal to committee before a vote was turned down at the same meeting.
