The Mount Pleasant Community Centre Association (MPCCA) collaborates with other CCA’s on common issues, in particular through the Association Presidents Group (APG), which consists of 17 CCA’s which have signed a Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) with the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation. Our partnership with the Park Board facilitates our ability to host recreational activities at our community centres and offer programs for the community. We value our connection to the Park Board; some of our staff at community centres are employed by the Park Board and others by the Association, and the expertise and experience of Park Board employees are a major contributor to the operation of our community centres. We also value our direct connection to the Park Board via the elected commissioners: each of the 17 community associations has a liaison commissioner who is not only a liaison to us, but through us becomes more informed of the community we serve.
There are other reasons for not eliminating our elected Park Board, including the lack of robust public consultation, loss of accountability, and a diminishing of democracy. Since the motion to eliminate Park Board was passed on December 13 2023, this decision now passes to the provincial government. Some of the CCA’s have been in touch with the MLAs in Vancouver and what we are hearing from them is that the decision to amend the Vancouver Charter will not likely be taken until after the next provincial election in October 2024, and that they need to hear from those of us who oppose the elimination of the elected Park Board to make an informed decision.
To facilitate this, the APG has created a website and also prepared a form letter which makes it easy to send an email to the MLAs, the Premier, and the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
The two QR codes below provide a link to both the background information on the APG website, and to the form letter.
