After the vote: how to follow and speak to Vancouver's Park Board and School Board

The Park Board and the School Board run their own meetings, each with its own rules for the public. Both new boards start work in November 2026. This guide covers when they first meet, how each picks a chair, when they meet after that, how to speak to them, and where to find agendas and video.

For what each board controls, read our guides to the Park Board and school trustees. City Council has its own rules, covered in our guide to speaking at City Council.

Park Board: the first meeting

The Park Board sets its own meeting rules in its Procedure By-law. The version the City links to was passed on October 4, 2021.

Section 4.1 of that by-law says the General Manager, who is appointed by the board, calls the first meeting of the new board for 7pm on the first Monday after November 1. In 2026 that is Monday, November 2. Under section 4.2, the agenda includes the oath of office for each commissioner and the election of a chair and vice-chair.

How the Park Board picks its chair

Sections 2.3 to 2.6 set the steps:

• The General Manager runs the vote for chair. The new chair then runs the vote for vice-chair.
• Any commissioner may be nominated. Another commissioner must second the nomination, and the nominee must accept.
• Commissioners vote by ballot, or by a show of hands if everyone present agrees.
• If the vote is tied, the nominee with the fewest votes is dropped and the board votes again, until a chair is elected.

Under section 2.8, a chair elected at the first meeting after an election serves until December 31 of the next year. After that, the board elects its chair and vice-chair at its last meeting each December, for a term of January 1 to December 31.

Park Board meetings after that

The board's meetings page says it generally meets every two weeks, with a committee meeting followed by a regular board meeting. Meetings are at the Park Board office, 2099 Beach Avenue in Stanley Park, unless the notice says otherwise. The meeting listed there in July 2026 started at 6:30pm on a Monday.

Section 3.1 says staff propose a schedule for the next calendar year in the last three months of each year, and the board approves it. Section 3.2 says the approved schedule is posted on the Park Board website.

Speaking to the Park Board

Speakers are heard at committee meetings and special board meetings. The meetings page says regular board meeting topics are closed to speaker sign-up. To speak about a staff report, sign up for the committee meeting where it is discussed.

• Deadline. Section 15.1 says requests must arrive by noon on the day of the meeting.
• How. Sign up online, or call the meeting line at 604-257-8158. Give your name, the agenda item, and any group you speak for.
• Format. Section 15.2 lets you take part in person, online or in writing.
• Time. Section 15.3 gives each speaker up to 5 minutes, once. A change needs a vote of two-thirds of the commissioners present.
• Questions. Under section 15.8, each commissioner has 3 minutes to question you, only to clarify your position on the report's recommendations, and without debate.

Section 15.7 asks speakers to stay respectful. It lists conduct that is not allowed, including threats, insults and profanity.

The meetings page says agendas are posted and the speaker form opens in the week before each meeting. It asks people to watch online when they can, because space in the room is limited. You can write to commissioners at any time through the "Contact the Commissioners" webform.

School Board: the first meeting

The School Act sets the timetable for trustees. The district says the new term runs from November 2026 to 2030. Section 67 of the Act says the secretary treasurer must call the first meeting of the new board within 30 days of the term starting. The secretary treasurer is the official who, under section 69, must record the board's decisions.

The Vancouver School Board has set its inaugural meeting for Monday, November 9, 2026, at 5pm, according to its 2026 trustee election page. New trustees attend orientation sessions from November 2 to 5.

How the School Board picks its chair

Section 67(2) of the School Act says the board must elect a chair at that first meeting, and may elect a vice-chair. Section 67(4) lets a majority of the board elect a new chair or vice-chair at any time. The district says trustees elect a chair and vice-chair each year, for a one-year term.

School Board meetings after that

The district's trustee election page lists the regular public board meetings for 2026 to 2027:

• November 9, 2026 (inaugural)
• December 2, 2026
• January 27, February 24, April 28, June 2 and June 23, 2027

Closed meetings for legal, privacy and staff matters are usually held on the same day. The board's four standing committees cover policy and governance, facilities planning, the Education Plan, and finance and personnel. They usually meet 4 times a year, on Wednesdays at 5pm or later. Section 69 of the School Act says board meetings are open to the public, unless the board decides the public interest requires a closed session.

Speaking to the School Board

The School Board hears the public at separate public delegation meetings, held on the Monday before a regular board meeting. The dates listed for this school year are:

• November 30, 2026
• January 25, February 22, April 26, May 31 and June 21, 2027

Each starts at 5pm. To take part:

1. Write a short statement of what you want to present.
2. Send the online delegation request form by 4pm on the Thursday before the meeting, with a copy of your brief or presentation. Only the form for the next meeting is open.
3. The board chair checks each request against the board's Policy 7, Board Operations, and tells you whether it is approved.

The district's rules for delegations:

• Each delegation has 5 minutes.
• Topics must concern board policy, board decisions or the budget. Specific employees or students cannot be discussed, and commercial presentations are refused.
• A delegation may present on the same topic only once in a board term.
• Trustees may ask questions to clarify. There is no debate, and the board makes no decisions at that meeting.
• Slides or written comments to be shared must reach the Secretary Treasurer's office by noon on the business day before.
• You may present in person or online. Recording the meeting is not permitted.

Where to find agendas and video

Park Board. The board's meetings site lists each year's meetings with agendas, reports and a link to the live webstream. Section 5.20 of the by-law says adopted minutes are posted on the Park Board website.

School Board. The district says agendas are posted on its website on the Friday before a meeting. Meetings are streamed live and recorded on the district's YouTube channel. A short summary is posted the next day. Minutes are posted after the board approves them at its next meeting.

The Vancouver Charter and the Park Board's Procedure By-law govern the Park Board, and the School Act governs the School Board. Each board's own website carries the current dates and forms and has the final word.