--- title: "Pools, Parking, Festivals and the PNE: the Vancouver Liberals plan | Vancouver 2026 | voche.me" canonical_url: "https://voche.me/parties/vancouver-liberals/2026-platform/parks-and-recreation/pools-parking-festivals-and-the-pne" last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:00:57.339Z" meta: description: "The Vancouver Liberals say they would invest $1.35 billion in parks, recreation and pools, keep 50-metre pools at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, remove ever..." "og:description": "The Vancouver Liberals say they would invest $1.35 billion in parks, recreation and pools, keep 50-metre pools at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, remove ever..." "og:title": "Pools, Parking, Festivals and the PNE: the Vancouver Liberals plan | Vancouver 2026" "twitter:description": "The Vancouver Liberals say they would invest $1.35 billion in parks, recreation and pools, keep 50-metre pools at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, remove ever..." "twitter:title": "Pools, Parking, Festivals and the PNE: the Vancouver Liberals plan | Vancouver 2026" --- ** Vancouver Liberals · Vancouver 2026 # Vancouver Liberals: $1.35B for parks and pools, no beach parking meters, a PNE audit The Vancouver Liberals say they would invest $1.35 billion in parks, recreation and pools, keep 50-metre pools at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, remove every parking meter at beaches and community centres within a year, call for an auditor general investigation of the PNE and lower festival policing costs. All 5 commitments [Read the party's own page ](https://www.vancouverliberals.com/issues) [**19**Candidates](https://voche.me/parties/vancouver-liberals/candidates) [**9/10**Issues with published policy](https://voche.me/parties/vancouver-liberals/platform) [**9**Sources on file](https://voche.me/parties/vancouver-liberals/money) **9**Questions answered PARKS AND RECREATION ## Pools, Parking, Festivals and the PNE: what the Kareem's Plan for a Better Vancouver says The parks section of the Vancouver Liberals' issues page carries the party's largest dollar figure. It says investing in parks, libraries and community spaces is how a city reduces crime, and it commits to what it calls a historic $1.35 billion investment in parks, recreation and pools, alongside its 400 new front-line workers. The party says Vancouver has the fewest public swimming pools per person in Canada, and it publishes that point in French and English. On pools, the party says the Vancouver Aquatic Centre deserves 50-metre pools, and it opposes building 25-metre pools there instead. On parking, it says Mayor Ken Sim added hundreds of new parking meters at community centres and beaches. Within the first year of a Vancouver Liberal government, it would remove every parking meter in front of beaches and community centres across the city. Two items reach beyond parks. The party says attendance at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) is falling, with large cost overruns on building projects and big operating deficits, and it calls for an auditor general investigation. It also says festival organizers now pay higher policing fees, which raises the cost of community events and adds to what it calls Vancouver's no fun city reputation. Pointing to the rise in the police budget, it would find a fair way to make policing affordable for all community events. The Park Board controls parks, community centres, pools and beaches, while Council approves the capital plan that pays for big building projects. Council also approves the police budget, and the Vancouver Police Board directs the department. THE PARTY'S NUMBERS ## Figures in this chapter **$1.35 billion** Investment in parks, recreation and pools the party commits to The party's figure **50 metres** Pool length the party wants at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, against the 25-metre pools it opposes The party's figure **first year** Time by which the party says it would remove every parking meter at beaches and community centres The party's figure 5 COMMITMENTS ## What the party says it would do 1. ### $1.35 billion for parks, recreation and pools The Vancouver Liberals commit to what they call a historic $1.35 billion investment in parks, recreation and pools, alongside 400 new front-line workers.
Who has the power
City, with others Council approves the capital plan and budget that would hold this money, and the Park Board runs the parks, pools and community centres it would pay for.
Source
Kareem's Plan for a Better Vancouver (Issues page)
2. ### 50-metre pools at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre The party says the Vancouver Aquatic Centre should have 50-metre pools, and opposes 25-metre pools there.
Who has the power
City, with others The Park Board runs city pools, and Council approves the capital plan that pays for rebuilding them.
Source
Kareem's Plan for a Better Vancouver (Issues page)
3. ### Remove parking meters at beaches and community centres Within the first year of a Vancouver Liberal government, the party would remove every parking meter in front of beaches and community centres across the city. It says Ken Sim added hundreds of new meters at these sites.
Who has the power
City, with others Beaches and community centres are run by the Park Board, and Council sets parking rules on city streets, so either body may have to act depending on where a meter stands.
Source
Kareem's Plan for a Better Vancouver (Issues page)
4. ### An auditor general investigation into the PNE The party calls for an auditor general investigation into the PNE. It says attendance is falling and that there are large cost overruns on capital projects and big operating deficits.
Who has the power
City Council The party presents this as a City Hall decision. The platform does not say which auditor would carry out the investigation.
Source
Kareem's Plan for a Better Vancouver (Issues page)
5. ### Make policing affordable for festivals and community events The party would find a fair way to make policing affordable for all community events. It says festival organizers are paying higher policing fees under Ken Sim and ABC Vancouver, while the police budget has risen.
Who has the power
City, with others Council approves the police budget, and the Vancouver Police Board directs the police department.
Source
Kareem's Plan for a Better Vancouver (Issues page)
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT ## Where the power sits for this chapter City, with others4 City Council1 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ## Questions about pools, parking, festivals and the pne
Would the Vancouver Liberals remove parking meters at Vancouver beaches? Yes. The Vancouver Liberals say that within their first year they would remove every parking meter in front of beaches and community centres across the city. The party says Mayor Ken Sim added hundreds of new meters at these sites (party issues page).
What do the Vancouver Liberals want for the Vancouver Aquatic Centre? The Vancouver Liberals say the Vancouver Aquatic Centre should have 50-metre pools, and they oppose building 25-metre pools there. The party says Vancouver has the fewest public swimming pools per person in Canada (party issues page).
How much would the Vancouver Liberals spend on parks? The Vancouver Liberals commit to what they call a historic $1.35 billion investment in parks, recreation and pools. The page does not say over how many years or how it would be paid for (party issues page).
What do the Vancouver Liberals say about the PNE? The Vancouver Liberals call for an auditor general investigation into the PNE. The party says attendance is falling, with large cost overruns on capital projects and big operating deficits (party issues page).
Would the Vancouver Liberals make festivals cheaper to run? The Vancouver Liberals say festival organizers pay higher policing fees under Ken Sim and ABC Vancouver, and they would find a fair way to make policing affordable for all community events. Council approves the police budget, and the Vancouver Police Board directs the department (party issues page).
ON THE BALLOT ## The Vancouver Liberals candidates behind this ### Park Board [208**Mark Halyk**Ballot 208](https://voche.me/candidates/mark-halyk) [211**Shayla Bird**Ballot 211](https://voche.me/candidates/shayla-bird) [220**Scott Jensen**Ballot 220 · Vancouver Park Board commissioner](https://voche.me/candidates/scott-jensen) [221**Amanda Bains**Ballot 221](https://voche.me/candidates/amanda-bains) [223**Amir Bajehkian**Ballot 223](https://voche.me/candidates/amir-bajehkian) [229**Tricia Barker**Ballot 229](https://voche.me/candidates/tricia-barker) ## 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. 1. [Kareem's Plan for a Better Vancouver (Issues page) ](https://www.vancouverliberals.com/issues)SAYS SO ITSELFVancouver Liberals · checked September 26, 2026 ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.