Members of the Kerrisdale Community Centre Society are voting Tuesday on whether to accept a new operating agreement with the Vancouver Park Board.
With a Sept. 30 deadline to sign the new Joint Operating Agreement (JOA), it appears the long-standing dispute between some centres and the board could be heading to the courts.
The Park Board wants “a legal contract defining the roles and responsibilities of … the Park Board and the Community Centre Association,” according to its own website.
The new JOA, which was approved by the board back in April, would replace an older agreement that dates back to 1979.
The new agreement would make several changes, including ensuring full access to all community centres for residents without a membership, and acceptance at all centres of the city’s OneCard and Flexipass.
Park Board chair Michael Weibe said the agreement is part of a process of rebuilding trust, but admits relations between the board and some community centres have been frosty in the past.
“They don’t trust the park board because there has been very few things for them to believe and I think that’s part of the biggest deal here is that yes, it’s a fair agreement, and yes, it gives them a lot of the things that they’ve asked for,” he said.
“But there’s still a few comments and a few wordings that they aren’t a hundred per cent confident with.”
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But Kathleen Bigsby, president of the Kerrisdale Community Centre Society (KCCS), said she’s expecting a “no” vote from members, describing the new JOA as a power grab by the park board.
“We already have audited financial statements, they go to our membership, they’re posted on our website, like what more do they want?” she said.
Bigsby said the KCCS is concerned about potential interference with the society’s internal operations, and that the agreement does not address recreational services.
“It seems to be very controlling, and not controlling the things they have a legitimate interest in.”
The KCCS is one of five community centre associations (CCAs) that have yet to sign the agreement.
Back in 2014, a court issued an injunction against the city after it tried to force six associations from their community centres, and Wiebe said that issue could end up in a civil trial if the new JOA is not ratified.
CCAs are volunteer organizations that deliver programming in community centres, and jointly operate all but three of Vancouver’s 24 community centres with the park board.
The board operates and maintains the city-owned buildings, and runs pools, rinks and some fitness centres.
The board says the new JOA was developed earlier this year after a year-long consultation with the CCAs.
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