A park board bombshell, plus three updates of recent Lookout stories

Good morning, 

Nate with you today. As a reporter, these are the days you live for. A big story breaks early in a workday, and the day becomes a whirlwind of messages and calls as you try to get reactions and details on fast-moving events. I’m not going to lie, it’s an exhilarating feeling, and a rare one given the usual issues-based civic stories we cover here at the Lookout. 

The other thing with breaking news is that you’ve usually got something else planned for your day, which either goes out the window or gets shrunk down in the face of the temporary chaos. 

Luckily, we were able to adapt yesterday to bring you the big developments on the future of the park board, plus important updates on three other stories we’ve covered recently. 

Let’s get to it!

— Nate Lewis, Vancity Lookout

As always, you can send your tips, leads, and story ideas to Nate at [email protected].

PS - If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free. 

WEATHER

Friday: 12 🌡️ 9 | 🌧️

Saturday: 11 🌡️ 8 | 🌧️

Sunday: 8 🌡️ 3 | 🌧️

Monday: 13 🌡️ 5 | ☀️

PARK BOARD

Vancouver voters to decide fate of the park board

Vancouverites are getting the opportunity to vote on the future of the elected park board. After nearly two years of this issue dogging local politics, the province announced on Thursday that it would give Vancouver city council the authority to dissolve the park board if a majority of residents approve the decision in a city-wide vote. 

This is massive news and a huge step forward in resolving the made-for-TV saga that’s played out over the past two years, which has polarized the park board, community centre associations, and become a staple of local political discourse.

Beyond those who value the park board for its independence and narrow focus on the city’s parks and recreation assets, there has been strong criticism of Mayor Ken Sim for the unilateral it was rolled out. That approach has plagued Sim and ABC, which lost its majority on the still-functioning park board and provided ammunition for their political opponents and detractors. One of those former political opponents on city council, Christine Boyle, is now the person bringing forward the province’s proposal as the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs. 

“We appreciate Minister Boyle’s decision to move forward with legislation this fall that would enable the City of Vancouver to transition the elected Park Board under the oversight of City Council, following a positive outcome from a public referendum,” Sim said in a statement, adding the Mayor’s Office will be reviewing the legislation to “determine timing and next steps.” 

Today’s long-awaited announcement by the province stands in stark contrast to ABC’s approach. By allowing the city to hold a binding vote, they are taking the rare step of allowing the electorate to decide a consequential and divisive issue about how the city is run. 

“Ultimately, I really welcome this decision to require a referendum,” Park Board Chair Laura Christensen, a former ABC member who left the party in late 2023 due to Sim’s move, told Vancity Lookout. However, Christensen feels that a referendum should also include an option to increase the park board’s independence over its budget, which is currently controlled by the city. 

“If we’re going to change the [Vancouver] Charter… I think there should be a third option of ‘how do we improve it?’” Christensen said.    

Separate from the vote itself, the provincial legislation would also require a unanimous vote from council, and a public referendum, to remove permanent park designations, regardless of the outcome of the vote. That additional provision would strengthen protection for many city parks and make it more difficult for any administration inclined to carve up and develop parkland. 

However, Christensen pointed out that nearly 70 parks in the city don’t have permanent status. “These parks aren't going to be afforded the same protections. Why [does the legislation specify] just permanent parks and not all parks?”

It will ultimately be up to city council to decide if and when to hold a vote on the future of the park board, but it will almost certainly be a matter of when, not if, given the political interest in moving the issue forward and the optics of empowering direct democracy. 

Moving toward a new park in Champlain Heights 

In June, we reported on the efforts to protect a little-known trail network in the Champlain Heights neighbourhood in deep southeast Vancouver. The advocacy, led by local stewardship group Free the Fern, sought to have the area – which has had no formal protection as park land or otherwise since the neighbourhood was established in the late 1970s – protected from future development. 

The group’s work got the attention of Green Coun. Pete Fry, who visited the trail network and worked with Free the Fern to develop a motion at city council to address the issue, according to the non-profit’s executive director Grace Nombrado. 

The motion, which recognized the importance of maintaining the trail system, asked staff to explore different ways to preserve and protect the area, including by establishing it as a designated public park. 

Nombrado said she and the motion’s many supporters were “incredibly surprised” when it received unanimous support from council, including from Mayor Ken Sim, who shared a personal story of growing up in the neighbourhood and catching tadpoles in nearby Everett Crowley Park to incubate into frogs at school and release back into the park. 

“Because you voted yes, we'll have even more children being able to connect with nature in our area,” Nombrado told Sim after the vote. 

Non-profit arts centre to cut programming, lay off staff after rent hike in city-owned building 

In July, we wrote about how Vancouver’s art scene is reaching a breaking point, with increasing costs and stagnant funding creating big operational challenges, especially for smaller organizations. 

Now, VIVO Media Arts Centre – a non-profit exhibition space, resource hub, and archive for digital arts in Vancouver – has had to temporarily lay off three of its staff members after its rents were raised by 30 per cent at VIVO’s city-owned building earlier this year. 

“Our expenses are getting higher and we haven’t had a [funding] increase,” from the city, province, or Canada Council for the Arts in years, VIVO’s general manager Carla Ritchie told Vancity Lookout. 

The $30,000 increase in annual rent by the city early this year eats up most of the $37,500 operating funding that VIVO receives from the city, Ritchie said, adding that VIVO is now two months behind on its rent payments. 

In addition to the temporary layoffs, every VIVO staff member has taken cuts to their hours, and the Centre will be cancelling its exhibitions and most of its workshops for next year, Richie said, adding that the priority is to maintain VIVO’s extensive archive of video tapes and digital history that they’ve been building since the 1970s. 

“We're one of the biggest archives of this type in Canada, and we have to protect it… so we’ve had to make sacrifices,” Richie said. 

VIVO is running a fundraiser to support its operations, which has currently brought in around $12,000 out of a $50,000 target. 

Kits co-op makes difficult decision to cut decades off its lease to avoid provincial tax 

In May, we reported on a co-op housing group in Kitsilano that was asking the province for an exemption to the Provincial Property Tax (PTT) that would be charged as soon as they signed a new long-term lease with the city. 

In late May 2025, NDP Finance Minister and South Granville MLA Brenda Bailey told the group there would not be a tax exemption. That was after Bailey, whose riding includes the Kits co-op, and Premier David Eby said during the 2024 election campaign that a PTT exemption for non-profit co-ops would be a priority, according to co-op members who met with Bailey and Eby. 

That “betrayal,” as co-op member David Diamond called it, meant they had a decision to make. Either limit their lease renewal to under 30 years – the bar for triggering the PTT – or sign a 40-year lease with the opportunity for a 20-year extension and pay just over $1 million in tax now. 

Ultimately, members decided to sign a 30-year-minus-one-day lease, avoiding the hefty tax bill but giving the co-op less long-term stability. 

“We do not have confirmation from the City either way about what will happen at the end of the ~30 years. It will depend on the politicians and housing policies at the time,” co-op member Carla Pellegrini told Vancity Lookout. 

THE VANCOUVER NUMBER

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Property taxes won’t be going up next year, with ABC councillors approving a motion brought forward by Mayor Ken Sim. City staff recommended a property tax increase of 5-6 per cent to maintain services, plus a one per cent levy to invest in infrastructure. The tax freeze will require about $100 million in cuts to the city’s operating budget for 2026. The motion passed 6-4 on party lines, with non-ABC councillors voting against the freeze. Read more. [Global]

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THE AGENDA

💰 Vancouver resident and billionaire Chip Wilson has to pay a $600 fine for failing to register as a third-party sponsor before putting a giant anti-NDP sign in front of his Point Grey home during the last provincial election. Read more. [City News]

📖 The city is inviting residents to provide feedback about the Vancouver Official Development Plan (ODP), which will influence how the city develops over the next 30 years. Read more. [City of Vancouver]

👮 A suspected gangster and alleged murderer may be hiding out in Vancouver, according to police. Bryan Fuentes Gramajo is believed to be a member of a Montreal gang that also operates in the DTES. Read more. [Vancouver Sun]

🏢 A new report by commercial real estate firm Colliers Canada says that thanks to record-level domestic tourism, ‘buy Canadian’ sentiment and the upcoming FIFA World Cup, Vancouver retail real estate vacancies have dropped to 2.9 per cent, down from 3.3 per cent this time last year. Read more. [North Shore News]

🚁 North Shore Rescue responded to four calls on Sunday. The search and rescue team is reminding people to bring the proper equipment, have a trip plan, and plan for less daylight now that it’s October. Read more. [North Shore News]

🏒 18-year-old centre Braeden Cootes made his NHL debut in the Canucks’ season opener last night. It’s uncommon for someone so young to make a big league roster, but Vancouver’s 1st round pick this year displayed the poise and well-rounded game he’s quickly become known for in the Canucks’ 5-1 win over the Flames.

🦉 Park board commissioners apologized for approving a Harry Potter-themed event in Stanley Park this winter. Author J.K. Rowling has been a leading voice and financial backer of the anti-trans movement in the U.K., and the decision to host the event was made in a closed-door meeting, without the opportunity for public input. The event, which is expected to generate “hundreds of thousands” of dollars in revenue, will proceed in November, despite the official apology.  Read more. [CTV]

🍗 Here’s what’s open and closed this long weekend. Read more. [Daily Hive]

WEEKEND EVENT GUIDE

VIFF Talks | Until Oct 12 | Film enthusiast? These events are for you. VIFF Talks connect you with the creative minds behind your favourite film and television | Learn More [Sponsored]

Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival | Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre – 181 Roundhouse Mews | Oct. 10–12 | Annual festival showcasing 56 visual and performing artists challenging mainstream conventions through inclusive, community-driven programming | Free

Value: Rebecca Belmore | UBC Museum of Anthropology – 6393 NW Marine Dr. | Until Oct. 19 | Multimedia installations challenging colonial and social value systems | Tickets $26

Lene Lovich with Royal Strays, The Hausplants | Rickshaw Theatre, 254 E. Hastings St. | Oct. 11, 7 pm | New Wave icon Lene Lovich returns to Vancouver for the first time in over 40 years | Tickets $47

The World of Hans Zimmer | Pacific Coliseum – 100 N Renfrew St. | Oct. 11, 7:30 pm | Symphonic performance of Zimmer’s greatest film scores, curated by the composer | Tickets $51.05+

Harvest Days | VanDusen Botanical Garden – 5251 Oak St. | Weekends until Oct. 19, 10 am–4 pm | Family fall festival with garden tours, autumn maze, and vibrant seasonal displays | Tickets $14

Whirl at This Gallery | This Gallery – 108 E Broadway | Now until Oct. 19 | Solo exhibition by Leon Phillips exploring perception and colour through gestural abstract works | Free

Winter Extreme Vancouver Ski & Board Sale, Rail Jam & Exhibition | PNE Forum, 2901 E. Hastings St. | Oct. 17 | Canadian Ski Patrol’s annual gear sale is back — this time with a rail jam | Tickets $12

Teen Angst Night | Fox Cabaret, 2321 Main Street | Oct. 22, 8 pm | Brave people read the most embarrassing excerpts from their teenage diaries and notebooks. 19+ | Tickets $20

Women in Tech Vancouver – OutGeekWomen | Global Relay Communications, 220 Cambie St., 2nd Floor | Oct. 23, 6–8 pm | Mid/senior-level women in tech networking with hiring teams and CTOs | Tickets $50

Man Up Halloween: MURDER ON THE DANCEFLOOR | The Birdhouse, 44 W. 4th Ave. | Nov. 1, 9 pm | Undead disco drag because disco never dies! | Tickets $16

Vision Zero Vancouver Presents: Life After Cars | SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 149 W Hastings St. | Nov. 8, 6:30 pm | A discussion with The War on Cars podcasts hosts Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear about their new book! | Tickets $35

2025 Eastside Culture Crawl | Eastside Arts District | Nov. 20–21, 5–10 pm; Nov. 22–23, 11 am–6 pm | Four-day open studios with 500+ artists, galleries, and crafts | Free

Fright Nights | Playland – 2901 E Hastings St. | Select nights until Oct. 31 | Vancouver’s haunted amusement park with seven haunted houses and 15+ thrill rides | Tickets $50–60

Submit your event and it could appear here and reach 28,00+ Vancouver locals

ARTS REVIEW

Wolf is an intimate, never-at-rest percussive circus performance

Though billed as a “circus,” Wolf, the Cultch’s season-opener for 2025-26, is hardly a family-night extravaganza, but rather more of a subtly interesting date-night for anyone who enjoys thinking. If Canada’s own Cirque du Soleil presents a grandiose, focus-group-tested, almost symphonic Big Top take on “circus,” Australia’s Circa’s Wolf offers a far more nuanced chamber ensemble version.

The intimacy of the production is further enhanced by setting the performance in The Cultch’s boutique York Theatre on Commercial Drive, rather than the ~700-seat downtown Vancouver Playhouse, which hosted Duck Pond, a previous engagement here this past January.

The performance evolved on-the-fly as an organically workshopped collaboration between its 10 ensemble acrobats, its choreographer/director (and Circa CEO) Yaron Lifschitz and Israeli DJ/composer Ori Lichtik.

Wolf can be described as many things, but genteel isn’t one of them. Lichtik’s music wraps as snugly around the acrobats as costume designer Libby McDonnell’s stripey black-and-tan mesh-lycra body stockings. The sound thumps, clacks, squeals, clangs, chimes and clatters non-stop at top volume and brisk syncopation throughout the 90-minute show (except for the 20-minute interval). 

Ushers at the York doorway offer entering ticketholders the optional balm of foam earplugs. Don’t use them except in case of dire medical necessity, lest you miss the full mesmerizing, almost trancelike musical impact.

Unremitting as it may be, however, the percussive pulse of the show is anything but monotonous. Never really at rest, the 10 members of the acrobatic Wolf pack skirt the edge between disciplined physicality and feral, raw energy as they gyrate aloft on ropes, silks or trapezes in gravity-defying solos. 

Some of their swirls and swings require one acrobat to go deadweight limp as a cantilever to a partner’s manoeuvre, only to snap back the instant the pivot is completed. Even amidst the dazzling displays, they remain impervious to the crowd, never missing a beat as they lope through their paces with the opaque stares of uncaged beasts in the wild. 

Af the end, the stage brightens blank white as the 10 stars line up for repeated standing ovations. And for the first time all evening, they seem to take note of us and flash us their well-deserved smiles. 

Do take in Wolf at the York to cheer them on.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

A stunning shot of last weekend’s imposing full moon 😮 🌝 Shout out to the paddleboarder for getting in perfect position for the pic.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Discover cutting edge cinema in VIFF Modes this weekend, with three different programs taking place each day. Get your tickets now! [Sponsored]

• A local mixologist is listing their favourite bars. [Vancouver Sun]

• Folks from the Keefer Bar and Savio Volpe are teaming up to open a new Italian restaurant in Mount Pleasant. [Daily Hive]

• FREE: The INCLUSION Art Show & Sale (we’re assuming the sale part isn’t free). [Vancouver is Awesome]

• Pacific Coastal Airways is launching a new nonstop flight between Vancouver and Quesnel. [Daily Hive]

• B.C. Ballet’s TRILOGY features a collaboration with Vancouver’s Arts Umbrella, former dancer-turned-choreographer Sofia Nappi’s world premiere with the ballet, and dances inspired by poetry. [The Tyee]

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VANCOUVER GUESSER

Virtually everyone knew last week’s pic was the Museum of Vancouver in Kitsilano’s Vanier Park. Too easy!

For this week’s Guesser, let’s try something a bit more difficult. Can you tell me which neighbourhood this elementary school is in?