OneCity Park Board plan: three new pools, a 40% tree canopy, lifeguards
OneCity's Park Board candidates say they would let the Park Board keep the money it earns, grow park land from 11% to 12% of the city, raise the tree canopy target to 40%, keep pools open with enough lifeguards, and build new pools in Mount Pleasant, Hastings and Marpole.
BETTER PARKS, PIPES, & POOLS
A Plan for Better Parks, Pipes, & Pools: what the Our Plans says
OneCity's Park Board candidates John Irwin, Tyler Petersen and Dominic Denofrio released their plan on September 29, 2026. It covers how the Park Board is paid for, how much of the city is green, and whether pools stay open. The party says more than a third of Vancouver is covered in blacktop and that parks suffered under four years of ABC budgets.
The money part is called an Evergreen Funding Model. The Park Board would keep the revenue it earns, which the party says now goes to general city funds, and would open a small gift shop program in some parks so people can support parks without any fee going up. ReWild Vancouver would add park land, grow urban meadows and bring buried creeks back to the surface, a step called daylighting. The targets are a 40% tree canopy, park land growing from 11% to 12% of the city, and up to three creeks daylighted.
On swimming, the party would keep public pools open and staffed with qualified lifeguards, trained through a city-run certification focused on equity, with long-term funding. It names three sites for new pools: Mount Pleasant, through the redevelopment of Kingsgate Mall, Hastings Community Centre and Marpole. One of them would be the 50-metre pool the party says Vancouver needs. The Park Board runs pools, beaches and park land. Keeping its own revenue and building new pools would also need City Council, which approves the operating budget and the capital plan.
THE PARTY'S NUMBERS
Figures in this chapter
Tree canopy target OneCity would set
The party's figureShare of city land OneCity would have as park land, from today to its target
The party's figureBuried creek systems OneCity would bring back to the surface
The party's figureNew pools OneCity would build, in Mount Pleasant, Hastings and Marpole
The party's figureLength of the competition pool OneCity says Vancouver needs
The party's figureShare of Vancouver OneCity says is covered in blacktop
The party's figure4 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
An Evergreen Funding Model for our Independent Park Board
OneCity would build Park Board revenue through no-cost and low-cost tools, as part of a long-term plan for a more independent board. The Park Board would keep the revenue it earns, which the party says now goes to general city funds, and a low-cost gift shop program in some parks would let people support parks without any fee going up.
- Who has the power
- City, with others The Park Board can run gift shops in its parks, but letting it keep its own revenue needs City Council, which approves the city's operating budget.
ReWild Vancouver
The party would increase park land, grow urban meadows and resurface buried creeks. It would raise the tree canopy target to 40%, grow park land from 11% to 12% of the city's total land, and daylight up to three creek systems buried under streets.
- Who has the power
- City, with others The Park Board controls park land, while the buried creeks run under city streets, which Council controls.
Every Beach Guarded and Every Pool Opened
OneCity would keep public pools open, staffed with qualified lifeguards trained through city-run certification focused on equity, and funded over the long term.
- Who has the power
- Park Board The Park Board runs the city's pools and beaches and hires their lifeguards.
Three New Pools
The party would build new pools in Mount Pleasant, through the Kingsgate redevelopment, at Hastings Community Centre and in Marpole, including the 50-metre pool it says Vancouver needs.
- Who has the power
- City, with others The Park Board runs pools, but new buildings need money in the capital plan, which Council approves.
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about a plan for better parks, pipes, & pools
Where would OneCity build new pools in Vancouver?
OneCity's Park Board candidates name three sites: Mount Pleasant, through the redevelopment of Kingsgate Mall, Hastings Community Centre, and Marpole. One would be the 50-metre pool the party says the city needs (OneCity Parks, Pipes, & Pools plan, September 29, 2026).
What would OneCity do about lifeguard shortages?
OneCity says it would keep public pools open, staffed with qualified lifeguards trained through a city-run certification focused on equity, and funded over the long term. Its Park Board candidates say ABC cut lifeguard staffing (OneCity Parks, Pipes, & Pools plan, September 29, 2026).
What is OneCity's tree canopy target?
OneCity would raise the tree canopy target to 40%. Under its ReWild Vancouver plan it would also grow park land from 11% to 12% of the city and bring up to three buried creeks back to the surface (OneCity Parks, Pipes, & Pools plan).
How would OneCity fund the Vancouver Park Board?
OneCity calls it an Evergreen Funding Model. The Park Board would keep the revenue it earns, which the party says now goes to general city funds, and a low-cost gift shop program in some parks would raise money without any fee going up (OneCity Parks, Pipes, & Pools plan, September 29, 2026).
Can the Park Board build new pools without City Council?
The Park Board runs pools, but money for new buildings comes through the capital plan, which City Council approves. OneCity's three new pools would need both bodies, and the Mount Pleasant pool is tied to the redevelopment of Kingsgate Mall (OneCity Parks, Pipes, & Pools plan).
Who are OneCity's Park Board candidates?
John Irwin, Tyler Petersen and Dominic Denofrio are OneCity's Park Board candidates. They released the party's parks plan on September 29, 2026 (OneCity Parks, Pipes, & Pools plan).
ON THE BALLOT
The OneCity 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.
- OneCity's Park Board Team Announces Parks, Pipes, & Pools: Three New Community Centres, More Lifeguards, and a Plan to Fund the Park Board SAYS SO ITSELFOneCity · published · checked