Park Board asked to pause Vancouver Aquatic Centre demolition before court order expires November 3
A civic group is asking the new Park Board to pass an emergency motion at tonight's inaugural meeting before a BC Court of Appeal order pausing demolition expires at noon on November 3.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on cityhallwatch.wordpress.com.
A civic group is asking Vancouver's newly elected Park Board to pass an emergency motion at tonight's inaugural meeting before a BC Court of Appeal order pausing demolition of the Vancouver Aquatic Centre expires at noon on November 3.
CityHallWatch published a press release on November 1 from the Protecting Our Vancouver Aquatic Centre Society (POVACS). The society is asking all seven incoming commissioners to pass a motion during "other business" at the inaugural ceremony to extend the pause on demolition.
The deadline
The BC Court of Appeal issued an order on October 13, 2026, pausing demolition of the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. According to CityHallWatch, that order expires on November 3 at noon, 17 hours after the Park Board meeting begins.
The Park Board's inaugural meeting is at 7 pm on November 2 at VanDusen Botanical Gardens, 5251 Oak St. The full board is being sworn in that night.
What POVACS is asking
POVACS says the incoming board has an opportunity to review engineering and environmental reports it says were not shown to previous elected officials. The society says ASCENCO Engineering recommended further testing in 2023 and that the tests were never done. It also says a report found toxic petrochemicals on the site that, if demolition proceeds, it says could leach into False Creek.
POVACS puts the cost difference between demolition and a retrofit at over $100 million. The society has not published a breakdown of that figure. These are POVACS's own figures and numbers, and voche.me has not checked them independently.
POVACS also states that an Integrity Commissioner complaint has been filed three times against Green Park Board commissioner Tom Digby regarding his conduct. The press release does not name who filed the complaints or what they say. CityHallWatch carried no response from Digby. No ruling has been reported.
POVACS separately states that a police complaint has been filed for potential procurement fraud related to conversations between City staff and architects. That complaint is at the filed stage and no charge or ruling has been reported.
The new board
The seven newly elected Park Board commissioners are:
- COPE: Jamie Han, Sacia Burton, T'uy't'tanat Cease Wyss and Tamiko Suzuki
- Green Party: Tom Digby, Breanne Smart and Spencer van Vloten
COPE holds four seats and the Green Party holds three. The board has the power to pass a motion at its inaugural meeting.
Residents who want to attend the inaugural ceremony can go to VanDusen Botanical Gardens, 5251 Oak St, tonight at 7 pm.
Questions this story answers
When is the new Park Board's inaugural meeting?
The inaugural meeting of the new Vancouver Park Board is Monday, November 2, at 7 pm at VanDusen Botanical Gardens, 5251 Oak St. All seven newly elected commissioners will be sworn in at this meeting.
What is the BC Court of Appeal order on the Vancouver Aquatic Centre?
On October 13, 2026, the BC Court of Appeal issued an order pausing demolition of the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. CityHallWatch reported the order at the time. According to CityHallWatch, the order expires on November 3, 2026, at noon.
What is POVACS asking the new Park Board to do?
The Protecting Our Vancouver Aquatic Centre Society (POVACS) issued a press release on November 1 asking the new Park Board to pass an emergency motion at tonight's inaugural meeting to extend the pause on demolition. POVACS says this would allow commissioners time to review engineering and environmental reports it says were not shown to previous elected officials.
What claims does POVACS make about the demolition?
POVACS says demolition would release toxic petrochemicals into False Creek and require removing more than 60 trees. The society puts the cost difference between demolition and retrofit at over $100 million, a figure POVACS has not published a breakdown for. These are POVACS's own figures, and voche.me has not checked them independently.
Who sits on the new Vancouver Park Board?
The seven newly elected Park Board commissioners are Jamie Han, Sacia Burton, T'uy't'tanat Cease Wyss and Tamiko Suzuki of COPE, and Tom Digby, Breanne Smart and Spencer van Vloten of the Green Party. COPE holds four seats and the Green Party holds three.
What complaints has POVACS mentioned about Park Board Commissioner Tom Digby?
POVACS's press release states that an Integrity Commissioner complaint has been filed three times against Tom Digby. POVACS does not name who filed the complaints or what they say. CityHallWatch, which published the press release, carried no response from Digby. No ruling has been reported.
What is the Vancouver Aquatic Centre?
The Vancouver Aquatic Centre is a public pool at the south end of the Burrard Bridge. The City of Vancouver has a plan to demolish and replace it. A residents' group obtained a court order in October 2026 pausing that demolition, and the future of the facility has been a topic in the 2026 election.
Where can residents find more information about the Park Board's decision?
Residents can attend tonight's inaugural Park Board meeting at VanDusen Botanical Gardens, 5251 Oak St, starting at 7 pm. The meeting agenda and any motions passed will be reported by the Park Board. Read about the Park Board candidates at /candidates on this site.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- CityHallWatch: POVACS press release, November 1, 2026cityhallwatch.wordpress.com
- CityHallWatch: Inaugural Park Board meeting, VanDusen, November 2, 2026cityhallwatch.wordpress.com
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