---
title: "New Vancouver Park Board holds inaugural meeting at VanDusen Gardens on November 2"
description: "The seven newly elected Park Board commissioners meet for the first time on Monday, November 2, 2026 at VanDusen Botanical Gardens to be sworn in and elect a chair."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/news/new-park-board-inaugural-meeting-vandusen-november-2"
last_updated: "2026-10-28T19:54:16.389Z"
---

Vancouver's seven newly elected Park Board commissioners will hold their inaugural meeting on Monday, November 2, 2026 at 7:00 pm at VanDusen Botanical Gardens Visitor Centre, 5251 Oak Street, according to CityHallWatch.

The meeting is largely ceremonial. Commissioners will be sworn in and the board will elect a chair and vice-chair for both regular and committee meetings. CityHallWatch reports that substantive board business will not begin until November 30, 2026.

## Who sits on the new board

COPE holds four of the seven seats: [T'uy't'tanat Cease Wyss](/candidates/t-uy-t-tanat-cease-wyss), [Tamiko Suzuki](/candidates/tamiko-suzuki), [Jamie Han](/candidates/jamie-han) and [Sacia Burton](/candidates/sacia-burton). The Green Party of Vancouver holds the remaining three: [Tom Digby](/candidates/tom-digby), [Spencer Van Vloten](/candidates/spencer-van-vloten) and [Breanne Smart](/candidates/breanne-smart).

All seven were elected on October 17, 2026. In the preliminary count released by the City, [Tom Digby](/candidates/tom-digby) received 78,751 votes, the most of any Park Board candidate. [Sacia Burton](/candidates/sacia-burton) received 59,480 votes, the lowest total among the seven elected commissioners. These figures are from the City's preliminary count and the official count has not yet been released.

The new board replaces one that was dominated by ABC Vancouver, which held the majority through the previous term. COPE and the Greens ran separately in the election but their combined seven seats mean they now hold the entire board.

## Aquatic Centre deadline

The meeting falls one day before a BC Supreme Court order blocking demolition of the Vancouver Aquatic Centre expires on November 3, 2026. The existing facility contains a 50-metre pool, and previous plans called for replacing it with a smaller one. CityHallWatch notes this as one of the first major decisions the new board will face. Substantive business, including any position on the Aquatic Centre, is scheduled to begin at the November 30 meeting.

## What the new board oversees

The Park Board manages Vancouver's parks, community centres, pools and recreation facilities across the city. It sets its own budget and hires its own staff. The board's relationship with City Council over capital spending authority has been contested in recent years.

## What a voter can do

The inaugural meeting is open to the public. Attend in person at VanDusen Botanical Gardens Visitor Centre, 5251 Oak Street, on Monday, November 2, 2026 at 7:00 pm. Read the profiles of all seven elected commissioners on this site, starting with [Tom Digby](/candidates/tom-digby).

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.