This was posted as a comment on another post. I’ve pulled it up to make sure everyone gets a chance to see it. Some of you who posted comments in response may want to cut and paste those also into here.
I know many of you are concerned about future changes of the Joint Operating Agreements (JOA) between the Park Board and Community Centre Associations.
I hope to answer some of your questions and address some concerns.
At this time, no final changes have been approved by the Board. At the last meeting, we have directed staff to undertake further negotiations with the Community Centre Associations to try to solve the serious issues we have under the existing JOA. At this time, a majority of the CCA’s are going to be sitting down with us to figure out a financial model that will work.
The process of attempting to update the JOA began over ten years ago – as various past Commissioners have tried to work on the issues that the current model has created. For example, some of the items we would like to be able to implement are:
– one pass for all Community Centres in the City;
– an acceptance of the low-income pass on the same terms at every centre across the City;
– some ability to operate more as a network of centres while maintaining local boards to represent their community; and
– some method of sharing costs or redistributing revenue to equalize services at centres much like public schools, libraries, and even ice rinks.
The volunteers who contribute their time at our Community Centres do amazing work. We don’t want that to change. They’re part of what makes our community centres what they are. That’s why after a year of over 50 meetings, we are continuing to negotiate with them over the next few months to reach a fair agreement.
From our discussions to date with CCAs, it appeared that we could not agree on a financial model that would help to equalize the system. How do we figure out a method to share across the system, while maintaining the independence of the Associations? So we decided to continue negotiations with the CCAs to try to agree on a better way forward. I believe that both sides would like a new agreement with principles of access, equity, accountability, and sustainability.
There’s been a lot of misinformation out there. So let’s be clear: Under any new partnership agreement:
– ALL programs and services offered by your community centres will continue.
– Community Centre Associations will still continue to fundraise, and determine local programming.
– NO buildings will be closed down.
– NO equipment will be taken away.
– The money that Community Centre Associations have currently raised – roughly $12 million – will remain with the associations. “Cash grab” claims are completely false.
– we have not made a decision to centralize the system, we made the decision to negotiate with the CCA’s to try to find a financial model that works
We will be having public consultations on this issue and would be happy to let you know when they will be so you can provide us with further input.
If you have any more questions feel free to call me 604 377 9415
Sarah Blyth
15 responses so far ↓
1 Bill Lee // Feb 9, 2013 at 2:05 pm
And did Frances Bula really go drinking at the King’s Head pub with Blyth and others as in her recent Twitter posting the other day with Bacchus, Blyth, Mickleburgh?
2 Bill Lee // Feb 9, 2013 at 2:07 pm
Hmm.
If I could see her original handwriting I might believe that. But no one does that anymore do they.
This is too much like a press release.
By the way, the original posting by Sara Blyth on FrancesBula.com can be seen in the midst of the maelstrom at:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/aeq8vc6
Of the Park Board commisioners, 4 of the 7 have demonstrated troubles in the past 2 years. Is the board becoming a holding area for those not clever enough to be Alderman/Councillors?
vancouver.ca/your-government/park-board-commissioners.aspx
3 Mira // Feb 9, 2013 at 4:39 pm
I am getting sick to my stomach. The hypocrisy, the lying, the spin, the grandstanding… Vision cubed, or is that democracy? So first you grab, you steal and then you want to give back? This Vision scum really think the electorate of Vancouver are a bunch of idiots? Oy.
4 Ned // Feb 9, 2013 at 5:19 pm
Sarah Blyth’s place and words are at home in this Penny Ballem approved blog! I don’t get it SB. Who do you want to convince? Yourself? Because sure as hell you are not going to convince me. After that despicable show that you and your Vision bunch put on, last Monday night, there’s only one place for you to go… down! How do you guys sleep at night?
5 Terry M // Feb 9, 2013 at 6:25 pm
Do you have at least a bit of shame left in you… Sarah Blah?
6 waltyss // Feb 10, 2013 at 1:04 am
Frances, obviously Mira, Ned and Terry M. didn’t read the thread about uncivil commenters. Didn’t really expect they would, to be honest.
However, at least I now know that “I can typing” is a composite drawing of the three of them.
7 Glissando Remmy // Feb 10, 2013 at 11:57 am
Thought of The Day
“Look who’s taking a fall, from a wall… ”
Instead of responding to Da “Chair” I’ll respond to… Waltyss.
Guess what W., you “can typing too”!
Considering the indignities 300+ people faced at the hands of this Chair and her Visionless Bunch last Monday night, the previous comments you referred to, look more like Coke Max Zero Calories drink.
The “14% Elected” officials!
– People stood there, inside W E Community Centre for NINE hours
– 70+ people addressed the Park Board
– 95% advocated against voting on the Park Board proposal
– Intimidation tactics were used… either Ballem’s summoned city staff happily putting overtime at 1.5, or one of the Vision executive hacks, called the Vancouver Police to… “serve & protect” their asses from the “fury” of the overtired, abandoned, disappointed, group of seniors, some of them tattooed with …
H-E-L-L-O P-E-N-N-Y
… on their show-off iron pumped biceps… right?
– Then at 3.30AM they voted a Vision Vancouver 5-2 to carry on, and on and on …
Despicable.
Sarah Blah can write anything she wants.
Even poetry.
She’s finished politically, though I am not sure she ever understood what politics really are, or who was she supposed to serve and listen to, in the first place.
All the arguments in the world cannot bring an iota of her credibility back. Or to any of her Visionaries.
“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the kings’ horses and all the kings’ men,
couldn’t put Humpty back together again.”
Sarah Blyth, Humpty Dumpty-ed herself on this one.
We live in Vancouver and this keeps us busy.
8 waltyss // Feb 10, 2013 at 2:30 pm
@Glissy, I am pleased that you continue with your over the top hyperbole and avoid a calm reasoned discussion at all costs. I for one value constancy, old buddy.
I happen to think the Vision PB is wrong on this although not in the hash induced descriptions you choose.
I too stood outside the meeting room at the West End community centre and listened to people who, even though overall I agreed with them, were no more interested in any point of view than their own than the Visionistas. Contrary opinions were booed. Given the tone of your comments (which is to say your usual tone), no doubt you were among the booers. Probably shouting Commie or Stalinist or some other verbal relic of the Cold War .
Will Vision lose the next election? They may but they are not even half way through this mandate and (a) people have short memories and (b) people tend to vote on the basis of more than one issue. There are of course people like you who are almost professional Vision haters. But then they have not lost your vote; they never had it. That is probably true for many of the others who were there or who post their anti-Vision screeds on this site, like you, Mira, Ned and Terry M.
The next election will also depend on who the candidates are who run against Vision. If we see a collection like the last NPA slate, well, you will probably be happy as you get to spew your hyperbole for another 3 years. If the NPA runs a reasonable slate, then given the rate at which Vision is chewing up its political capital, we may have a new majority. I just hope that whatever happens it is a more evenly divided council and deadwood like Elizabeth Ball is not reelected.
But you know Glissy, my dear old NPA troll, even if your guys get in the next time, you can rest assured that they will not have a mandate greater than 14%, as measured by your questionable math. By your measure, no-one can ever get a majority mandate.
Well, maybe they can in the gulag of your (hash) pipe dreams.
9 Glissando Remmy // Feb 10, 2013 at 10:07 pm
Thought of The Evening
“Any evening without a personal message from Waltyss, is a ruined evening!”
Walty, thanks for your candid response.
I mentioned it in a previous comment … I did not attend that Monday night meeting, though I watched a number of video clips from the meeting, also was ‘live’ on Twitter!
It was clear for me, since 2008, that Vision’s |business as usual” was going to be “We know it best, so screw the rest!”.
I have plenty examples.
I am not a professional Vision hater, I only have a very strong allergic reaction to hypocrisy, lying, grandstanding, arrogance, you know the drill… asshole-ism in general. It could have been NPA, COPE… I don’t really have favorites.
BTW, FWIW my math is far from questionable, is in fact impeccable. Again, I did study Math, and not Billing, ok?
As for your sweet friendly nicknames & descriptors like … NPA troll … spew your hyperbole … hash induced descriptions … in the gulag of your (hash) pipe dreams… all I can say is:
“Well, ain’t that nice?”
We live in Vancouver and this keeps us busy.
10 Mickey Bee // Feb 11, 2013 at 9:43 am
Sarah Blythe has posted, what I suspected, a “form letter” response as it is the same reply I received from the only VV Commissioner who did reply when I emailed all the Parks Board Commissioners describing my disagreement and concerns with the way the PB has generated and is handling this issue – from the top down. FORM LETTERS, in my opinion, on an issue like this, are a complete show of disrespect.
Commissioner Coupland responded with what I consider is a sincere, personally written reply.
VV elected officials, both Parks Board Commissioners and City Councillors, display an ever increasing attitude of arrogance and hostility to any legitimate critique of their governance style which increasingly appears to reflect very undemocratic and ideological principles.
This has been the biggest disappointment as I previously supported Vision Vancouver. Note the use of the word “previously” because that support is now extinct, as in wiped out, gone, vanished and will NEVER return.
11 Terry M // Feb 11, 2013 at 5:09 pm
Thank you Glissando @7
You delivered the goods as always 🙂
‘Humpty Dumpty’ she did!
Forget Waltools, I couldn’t are less of his opinion of me. I’m right and I’m not alone in my characterization of Sarah Blah.
Mickey Bee @10
I hope people will remember this total disrespect shown by Vision Vancouver. Why did they give them a second term? Masochism?
I never voted for them before, will never do.
12 waltyss // Feb 11, 2013 at 9:44 pm
Glissy@9. Your math is as impeccable as your logic. My point which you fail to grasp, is that by counting those too lazy or uncaring to get off their ass to vote, you strip a mandate from anyone who runs for political office. By that so called logic, PB Commissioner De Genova is shooting her mouth off with about 10%o of a mandate.
You claim not to be a professional Vision hater; ok, just a particularly vitriolic amateur one then.
You might read Mark Viulamy’s (sp?) post on another thread about what the PB actually decided to give this matter a historical perspective. I appreciate that nuance and complexity are not something you or your fellow travellers are interested in, but you never know.
13 Glissando Remmy // Feb 11, 2013 at 11:27 pm
Thought of The Night
“Math deals with Quantities. Logic deals with Assumption. Math is a Science because it’s judgement is based on the forms of rationale. Geometry=form of space. Arithmetic=form of time. Logic is not. It doesn’t aggrandize our knowledge… analyzes our flawed abstractions.”
Wally,
According to your Math…
[1+1= (2 x Y)]
Y – variable depending on the client’s solvency
I feel your pain. I do.
Ahem, Melissa De Genova … she captured 39% of the actual vote OR 13.49% of the total registered voters.
Chair SB… 42.95% OR 14.84%!
Very close, yet one is speaking on behalf of the Cit-izens of Vancouver, the other on behalf of Cit-y Staff of Vancouver aka Penny Ballem’s Entourage.
According to your Logic…
What Logic?
Believing in what the Vision Park Board & Chair, City Staff, Mark Viulamy etc. are saying at the same time, is the same as not believing in anything at all.
I form opinions on actions not words. I have 4+ years of “actions” to fall back on.
Vision’s goaty approach is not going to change. They can dress for the occasion, sure, but to no effect, you know what they say “one can put a tuxedo on a goat, still a goat!”
Anything else I could help you with?
We live in Vancouver and this keeps us busy.
14 waltyss // Feb 12, 2013 at 12:04 am
Glissy@13. Well, what can I say, you proved everything that I said in post #12. Nothing to add, is there.
15 Terry M // Feb 12, 2013 at 6:25 pm
Jesus, Walroos
You never fail to get it wrong.
Keep it up!