Greens' Park Board plan: SafeSport, more dog parks, shared parkland with Nations
The Green Party of Vancouver says its Park Board would give youth and equity-seeking groups priority for sports fields, adopt SafeSport standards, add dog parks in Mount Pleasant, Grandview and Kitsilano, keep parks free of encampments, and explore co-managing parkland with three Nations.
PARK BOARD · PAGE 49
Programming for All Generations and All Abilities: what the Platform 2026 says
Page 49 of the Green Party of Vancouver platform is about who gets to use parks and community centres. The party says youth and equity-seeking communities, meaning groups that face barriers to taking part, should come first in the booking system for sports fields. It would bring in SafeSport standards, which the platform links to the right to train and compete in safe, respectful and supportive places. Park design and programs would have to meet inclusivity standards for people with disabilities, neurodivergent people and seniors.
Other items go beyond sport. The Greens would support child care at community centres and at the schools linked to them, and allow pop-up events and services in parks and on beaches where they fit the neighbourhood. They want more dog parks, with Mount Pleasant, Grandview and Kitsilano named first. On encampments, the platform says the party would keep parks free of them by paying for community safety and for peer stewardship programs, in which people who have lived through homelessness, poverty, mental illness or addiction help care for parks.
The chapter also covers bike routes and reconciliation. The Greens would expand and connect cycling routes and greenways, and work with City Council and the School Board on a network linking bike routes to schools, community centres, parks, transit and jobs. Under the heading on reconciliation, the party would work with the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations to explore co-management of parkland, which means making shared decisions on how that land is run.
Park Board commissioners could act alone on field bookings, dog parks, park design and program rules, since the board runs those sites. Several items need partners. Child care licensing and operating money come from the Province, city streets and bike lanes are designed by Council, and any shared management of parkland would need the agreement of each Nation. School sites stay with the School Board.
12 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
Priority for youth and equity-seeking communities in field bookings
The Greens would prioritize youth and equity-seeking communities, meaning groups that face barriers to taking part, in the sports field booking system.
- Who has the power
- Park Board The Park Board runs the booking system for its sports fields and sets its rules.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 49
Implement SafeSport standards
The party would implement SafeSport standards. The platform says everyone has the right to train and compete in safe, respectful and supportive environments.
- Who has the power
- Park Board The Park Board can set conduct rules for its own sports programs and attach conditions to the permits it issues.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 49
Support childcare at community centres and connected schools
The Greens would support childcare initiatives at community centres and at the schools connected to them.
- Who has the power
- City, with others Child care licensing and operating funding are provincial and school sites are run by the School Board, so the Park Board can offer space and support at community centres.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 49
Pop-up events and services at parks and beaches
The party would support pop-up events and services at parks and beaches where they are consistent with neighbourhood values.
- Who has the power
- Park Board Events and services in parks and on beaches need permits from the Park Board.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 49
Inclusive park design and programming
The Greens would ensure park design and programming meet inclusivity standards for all abilities, for neurodiversity and for senior communities.
- Who has the power
- Park Board The Park Board designs its parks and runs its own programs.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 49
Keep parks free of encampments through safety and peer stewardship
The party would keep parks free of encampments by investing in community safety and in peer stewardship programs for people with lived experience of homelessness, poverty, mental health conditions and substance use disorders.
- Who has the power
- City, with others The Park Board controls park land, while shelter spaces are funded by Council and health and treatment services come from the Province and the federal government.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 49
More dog parks in Mount Pleasant, Grandview and Kitsilano
The Greens would increase the number of dog parks, especially in Mount Pleasant, Grandview and Kitsilano.
- Who has the power
- Park Board Dog parks are park land, which the Park Board plans and runs.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 49
Expand and connect safe cycling networks and greenways
The party would expand, improve and connect safe cycling networks and greenways. It would work with City Council and the School Board to build a safe and green active transportation network, meaning routes for walking, rolling and cycling, that connects cycling routes to schools, community centres, parks, transit and employment areas.
- Who has the power
- City, with others Council owns and designs city streets and bike lanes and the School Board runs school sites, while the Park Board builds the parts that run through parks.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 49
Explore co-management of parklands with three Nations
The Greens would prioritize collaboration with the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations to explore opportunities for co-management of parklands, meaning shared decisions on how that land is run.
- Who has the power
- City, with others The Park Board can open talks, but any co-management plan needs the agreement of each Nation.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 49
Seek guidance from traditional knowledge keepers
The party would seek guidance from traditional knowledge keepers and amplify their voices on ways to support stewardship, meaning long-term care, of park ecosystems.
- Who has the power
- Park Board The Park Board decides how it cares for park land and whom it asks for advice.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 49
Include urban Indigenous organizations in Park Board planning
The Greens would work with urban Indigenous organizations and community members to make sure they are included in the planning and initiatives of the Park Board.
- Who has the power
- Park Board The Park Board sets its own planning and consultation process.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 49
Indigenous naming, values, art and healing gardens
The party would incorporate Indigenous naming, values, art and healing gardens, placing cultural recognition at the centre of how facilities and outdoor spaces are designed.
- Who has the power
- Park Board The Park Board designs its facilities and outdoor spaces and names its parks.
- Source
- Platform 2026, page 49
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about programming for all generations and all abilities
Does the Green Party of Vancouver want to remove encampments from parks?
The Green Party of Vancouver says it would keep parks free of encampments. Its stated approach is to invest in community safety and in peer stewardship programs for people with lived experience of homelessness, poverty, mental health conditions and substance use disorders (platform, page 49).
Where would the Vancouver Greens add new dog parks?
The Greens say they would increase the number of dog parks in Vancouver, especially in Mount Pleasant, Grandview and Kitsilano. The platform does not give a number of new dog parks (platform, page 49).
Would the Green Party of Vancouver adopt SafeSport standards?
Yes. The Green Party of Vancouver says it would implement SafeSport standards, and the platform explains them as the right of everyone to train and compete in safe, respectful and supportive environments (platform, page 49).
How would the Vancouver Greens change sports field bookings?
The Green Party of Vancouver says it would give priority to youth and equity-seeking communities in the Park Board's sports field booking system. Equity-seeking communities are groups that face barriers to taking part (platform, page 49).
What does the Green Party of Vancouver propose on reconciliation in parks?
The Greens would prioritize work with the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations to explore co-management of parklands. They would also seek guidance from traditional knowledge keepers, include urban Indigenous organizations in Park Board planning, and add Indigenous naming, art and healing gardens to park design (platform, page 49).
Can the Park Board build the Greens' bike network on its own?
The Green Party of Vancouver says the Park Board would work with City Council and the School Board on a network connecting cycling routes to schools, community centres, parks, transit and employment areas. Council owns and designs city streets and bike lanes, and the Park Board runs the parks, so both bodies would have to act (platform, page 49).
Does the Green Party of Vancouver support child care at community centres?
Yes. The Green Party of Vancouver says it would support childcare initiatives at community centres and at the schools connected to them. Child care licensing and operating money come from the Province, so the Park Board's part is space and support (platform, page 49).
ON THE BALLOT
The Green Party of Vancouver candidates behind this
Sources
Every commitment on this page comes from the party's own material, marked SAYS SO ITSELF. It proves what the party says it would do. Who holds each power is our own addition, from the sources listed after it.
- Platform 2026, Green Party of Vancouver (72-page PDF, last updated September 29, 2026) SAYS SO ITSELFGreen Party of Vancouver · pages 49 · published · checked