Where every party stands on parks
9 of the 11 parties on the October 17 ballot have published something on parks and recreation. Here they are side by side, each with its source.
BEFORE YOU COMPARE
Who actually decides this
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.
Read the commitments below against that. Where a party proposes something the city cannot do on its own, the commitment carries a line naming who holds the power. That is not a criticism of the promise. A council can lobby, fund and argue, and saying so plainly is more useful than pretending the limit does not exist.
WHAT THE COMPARISON SHOWS
Reading this ballot on parks
9 of the 11 parties have published something here, and between them they have made 41 separate commitments. Independent Parks Party has published the most, with 9.
4 commitments carry a figure you can hold a council to after the election: A four-year path from 7.9% to 9% of the city's total budget, $1.35 billion, $400 million and others. The rest are directions without a number attached.
3 of the 41 commitments here depend at least partly on a government other than the city. That does not make them empty, but it does change what a council can promise about them.
SIDE BY SIDE
Every published position on parks
| Party | Published position | Commitments |
|---|---|---|
| Independent Parks Party | Not yet researched. | 9 |
| TEAM for a Livable Vancouver | TEAM would withdraw the request to abolish the elected Park Board, restore its control over its own budget and operations, halt current Stanley Park logging pending independent review, and target 1.1 hectares of park per 1,000 people. | 9 |
| Vancouver Liberals | Parks appear in the Vancouver Liberals’ published commitments as one of the services the 400 new front-line staff would improve. | 7 |
| ABC Vancouver | ABC commits $400 million to rebuild or revamp five community centres, with another five in the next capital plan, plus a rebuilt Aquatic Centre with a 50 metre pool. | 5 |
| Green Party of Vancouver | Not yet researched. | 5 |
| COPE | COPE would strengthen the independence of the elected Park Board and make more than 100 parks it describes as temporary into permanent ones. | 3 |
| OneCity | OneCity commits to renewing community centres, pools and ice rinks. | 1 |
| TrueBlue Vancouver | TrueBlue would address encampments and maintain parks and sidewalks. It is not running Park Board candidates. | 1 |
| Vote Vancouver | Vote Vancouver lists improving access to parks, pools and recreation among the issues it is focused on. Detailed commitments sit in the Public Services section of its policy document. | 1 |
| Affordable Housing | Not yet researched. | — |
| Bright Future Vancouver | Not yet researched. | — |
INDEPENDENT PARKS PARTY
Keep parks public, reverse outsourcing, and hold off major projects pending review
- Keep parks in public ownership
- Reverse outsourcing of park maintenance
- Make temporary parks permanent
- Freeze the Vancouver Aquatic Centre renovation pending a 50-metre pool review
Read all 9 Independent Parks Party commitments, with sources
TEAM FOR A LIVABLE VANCOUVER
Keep the elected Park Board and halt Stanley Park logging
TEAM would withdraw the request to abolish the elected Park Board, restore its control over its own budget and operations, halt current Stanley Park logging pending independent review, and target 1.1 hectares of park per 1,000 people.
- Withdraw the request to abolish the elected Park Board
- Restore Park Board control of its own budget and operations
- Target 1.1 hectares of park per 1,000 people
- Halt Stanley Park logging pending independent review
Read all 9 TEAM for a Livable Vancouver commitments, with sources
VANCOUVER LIBERALS
Keep the elected Park Board, a Joint Budget Committee, and a capital renewal plan
Parks appear in the Vancouver Liberals’ published commitments as one of the services the 400 new front-line staff would improve.
- Keep the Park Board elected and reverse the move to abolish it
- Create a Joint Budget Advisory Committee and restore funding to 9% of the city budgetA four-year path from 7.9% to 9% of the city's total budget
- Return facility management authority to the Park Board
- A capital renewal plan for community centres$1.35 billion
ABC VANCOUVER
$400 million to rebuild five community centres
ABC commits $400 million to rebuild or revamp five community centres, with another five in the next capital plan, plus a rebuilt Aquatic Centre with a 50 metre pool.
- Rebuild or revamp 5 community centres$400 million
- Rebuild the Vancouver Aquatic Centre with a 50 metre poolStated as "at cost"
- Deliver the River District Community Centre
- Create a playground improvement fund
GREEN PARTY OF VANCOUVER
A 100-year coastal plan, pollinator corridors, and parks that meet daily needs
- A 100-year plan for Vancouver's coastal parks
- Protect pollinator corridors and bird migration pathways
- Disclose the carbon cost of Park Board budgets
- Expand community food gardens and Indigenous healing gardens
Read all 5 Green Party of Vancouver commitments, with sources
COPE
Make the 100-plus temporary parks permanent
COPE would strengthen the independence of the elected Park Board and make more than 100 parks it describes as temporary into permanent ones.
- Strengthen the elected Park Board
- Make 100-plus temporary parks permanent
- Expand community gardens and food growing
ONECITY
Renew community centres, pools and ice rinks
OneCity commits to renewing community centres, pools and ice rinks.
- Renew community centres, pools and ice rinks
TRUEBLUE VANCOUVER
Maintain parks and sidewalks, address encampments
TrueBlue would address encampments and maintain parks and sidewalks. It is not running Park Board candidates.
- Maintain parks and sidewalks
VOTE VANCOUVER
Improving access to parks, pools and recreation
Vote Vancouver lists improving access to parks, pools and recreation among the issues it is focused on. Detailed commitments sit in the Public Services section of its policy document.
- Improve access to parks, pools and recreation
NOTHING PUBLISHED YET
2 parties have published nothing on this
A blank records that we looked on the date shown and found nothing on the public record. Some parties are not contesting the race that decides this subject, which is a reason to publish nothing on it.
Affordable Housing
Not yet researched by voche.me. Last reviewed September 22, 2026.
Bright Future Vancouver
Not yet researched by voche.me. Last reviewed September 22, 2026.