November 26, 2009 - 4:20 pm |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
The petting zoo is on its way out, and in consideration of what could have been cut, it makes complete sense.
As most readers are well aware, yesterday the Park Board decided by way of a 4-3 split vote to end subsidies to the Stanley Park petting zoo and the Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park.
As I was told, there were 30 impassioned speakers last week when the vote was deferred, and a contingent of close to 50 for last night’s proceedings.
There is no doubt that these people were sincere in their efforts. For some, both are “iconic” institutions that will be greatly missed.
But in public office, when you are dealing with taxpayers money, and of course an obligation to balance the books year in and year out, tough decisions inevitably need to be made. And quite frankly, the fact that these two institutions are on the chopping block as opposed to other essential core services is a sound decision.
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November 6, 2009 - 1:34 pm |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
Seems pretty innocuous to me, but because I am unaware of details, I am going to let the release speak for itself:
MEDIA RELEASE NOV. 6
On the evening of Sunday, October 25, I went to the PNE’s Fright Nights with four other members of my extended family. At approximately 8:15, our group went through a haunted house. On exiting the attraction, a Fright Night actor dressed as a mental patient came close to a member of our group, as is expected at Fright Night. While I am unclear as to what startled him, I understand that my cousin pushed the actor away from him. A complaint of assault was then logged by the actor with PNE security. My relative was asked to leave the premises as per the zero tolerance policy at the PNE and he did so. The rest of our group was allowed to remain in the theme park and we did so.
I sincerely regret the actions of my cousin. As a member of the board for the PNE I have a duty to set a high standard of conduct for the organization. I have an old fashion view of responsibility and while I had no role in the incident, I am concerned that my role on the board has been compromised. To protect the integrity of the PNE board and to eliminate any perceived conflict of interest due to this incident, I have stepped down from my position as a member of the board of directors for the PNE.
In closing, let me state that I have the highest personal regard for all PNE staff and I am still very upset that this incident occured. I want to thank PNE security for their professionalism and apologize for any confusion the disturbance caused. In addition I want to extend my apologies to the staff member. I hope this actor will continue to do excellent work at the PNE in the years to come.
Raj Hundal
Park Board Commissioner
November 2, 2009 - 7:08 pm |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
To Charlie Smith of the Georgia Straight, wards mean the dawn of a new political age in Vancouver.
Wards, wards, wards…if you are reading the Georgia Straight these days, Charlie Smith seems to have little interest in covering anything else these days.
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October 27, 2009 - 8:46 am |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
I finally received a call back from Peter Kuran, who as a result of Susan Mundick’s immediate departure, has now risen to the position of acting General Manager for the Vancouver Park Board.
First, I was told that Anita Ho, the Director of Corporate Services, had also received another inquiry besides CivicScene’s regarding Ian Robertson’s use of the Vancouver Park Board logo on his personal and partisan website. In fact, it was Ho that added the “Proudly 1 of 7 Elected Officials of the” to the logo to try and smooth things over.
In consideration of the fact that this logo is a representation of a public entity, I didn’t feel that this was sufficient, hence my follow-up with Kuran.
Want to use this on your website? Feel free, because you are unlikely to get much pushback from the Vancouver Park Board.
What I discovered in our conversation, however, was very surprising to say the least.
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