CCAs slam proposed deal with park board
15 groups unhappy with final draft
A proposed new deal between the Vancouver park board and 20 community centre associations that’s been more than a decade in the making may be in jeopardy even before it’s implemented.
If approved, the joint operating agreement would signal a new chapter in a relationship that, in the case of some community centre associations, has been fraught with acrimony and legal disputes in recent years.
But 15 associations have criticized the final draft of the proposed deal, saying it contains major hurdles to a successful pact.
“We are incredibly concerned that the feedback from the 15 CCAs isn’t included in the final draft,” said Ainslie Kwan, past-president of the Killarney Community Centre Association and spokeswoman for the 15 groups. “There were major pieces that were virtually ignored.”
Kwan said one of the key concerns is membership.
Mandatory membership is required for the associations to receive grants as non-profit societies, she said, adding they were willing to forego membership fees, thus eliminating the park board’s concern over membership acting as barriers to access.
Other concerns include financial costs, dispute resolution, governance and autonomy, as well as termination clauses in the agreement Kwan says fail to provide long-term security on the existence of the community centre associations.
The 15 associations unhappy with the draft plan are Champlain, Douglas Park, False Creek, Hastings, Kerrisdale, Killarney, Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant, Renfrew, Roundhouse, Thunderbird, Trout Lake, Strathcona, West End and West Point Grey.
In a report to the board, staff said the proposed plan reflects park board policy objectives, including universal access and equity among community centres.
It would implement the OneCard and Flexipass across all centres and establish a new Community Centre Investment Fund that requires centres to contribute one to two per cent of annual gross revenue to fund community centre network priorities and potentially subsidize other centres.
The park board plans to hold a news conference on Wednesday to announce the proposed joint operating agreement, which was presented to community centre associations Dec. 1.
The proposed document is the result of an eight-month consultation process with the community centre associations, said board chairwoman Sarah Kirby-Yung.