ABC drops bid to kill Vancouver park board, will run candidates for commissioner

In making the announcement, Mayor Ken Sim asks park board to lift Kits Pool COVID-era restrictions

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC Vancouver party are dropping their long-standing attempt to dissolve the Vancouver park board. Instead ABC will field a full slate candidates for park board in the fall civic election, hoping to take a majority of the seats. “This current park board is broken, and Vancouverites deserve better,” Sim said Monday at a news conference at the Kitsilano Showboat, flanked by ABC candidates.

At an improvised news conference after Sim’s news conference, park board chair Tom Digby repeatedly emphasized that Sim was the only mayor in Vancouver in 140 years to try to get rid of the park board. Park board commissioner Brennan Bastyovanszky added a bit of colour by attending the press conference in a bathing suit. He had been swimming at Kitsilano pool, next door to the Kitsilano Showboat.

Earlier, park commissioner Laura Christensen had accused Sim of flip-flopping on the issue. Christensen and Bastyovanszky ran for ABC in the last election, but were kicked out of the party after refusing to support Sim’s call to dissolve the park board. “It’s all a whim to him,” said Christensen.

“I think ultimately he’s running the candidates so he can get more funding for the election. He has no intention of supporting the park board in any way. The last four years have shown that.”

In late 2023, the ABC-majority council passed a motion asking the province to amend the Vancouver Charter so that the elected park board — a unique body among B.C. cities — could be abolished and allow parks and recreation to fall under city council. The Charter gives the park board exclusive jurisdiction and control over the city’s parks, with decision-making power over 240 parks and beaches, 19 community centres, 14 pools, 155 sports fields and eight ice rinks. - The City of Vancouver is targeting a mid-June opening of aging Kitsilano Pool — with what it becomes in the future uncertain.

- The battle over a reservation system that limits access to Kitsilano Pool has become part of the turf war between the Vancouver park board and Mayor Ken Sim. - 1Story continues below In October 2025, B.C. Housing Minister Christine Boyle, a former Vancouver councillor, introduced the Vancouver Charter Amendment Act at Sim’s request. It would have allowed Sim’s party to dissolve the park board if supported by citywide referendum.

That bill was later paused by the province following criticism it had not adequately consulted with local First Nations and the city. In announcing that he was no longer seeking the park board’s dissolution, Sim on Monday called on the park board to drop the COVID-era reservation system that has restricted access to Kitsilano Pool and other public pools. Broadcaster Jody Vance, who has led the fight to lift the restrictions on Kits Pool, joined Sim at a news conference outside the pool.

She’s encouraged that the mayor wants to lift the pool restrictions, which dramatically limits the number of people who can use it. “Any time somebody will support fully reopening this vital community amenity to its former glory that was in place for more than 80 years, I’ll take it,” said Vance. “Where are the rest of the candidates for mayor (on the issue)?

Where are the rest of the candidates for council? And where are the candidates who plan to run for park board in October? “Because they should be talking right now, all of them.

The Free Kits Pool movement is not going away. It’s only getting bigger.” But Christensen said most users back keeping the reservation system.

“There was a very fulsome report done by staff on the topic. ... It was already considered by the board, and I don’t see a reason at this point to reopen that discussion. There was lots of good data in there that showed that a large number of people do actually appreciate the system right now.

“Last year, there was only two swim sessions that you had to turn away drop-in swimmers. So if you want to swim at the pool, go drop in. You’re going to get in.”

Vance countered that. “Historically, this pool has a capacity of 1,800. Right now, on the busiest day, the park board has limited that to a maximum of 400.

Seventy-five per cent of access to the pool is online, advanced reservations that are sold out days in advance, leaving 25 per cent for drop-ins.” The drop-in system had worked for Bastyovanszky. “I’m a bit flabbergasted as to why the mayor would suggest that drop-ins aren’t allowed,” he said.

“I just did it. It was $8 or something. I paid as an adult to do a drop-in.

I did my laps, came here. I’m going to go back because it gave me a window until three o’clock.” Then he realized it was after three.

“Ah, I just missed. I would rather be swimming.”