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First court ruling re community centres vs Vancouver park board goes in favour of the park board

October 29th, 2013 · 307 Comments

That’s the way it reads at first run-through.

I await interpretation from the various legal experts out there.

Here’s the judgment.

COMMUNITYCENTRESVSPARKBOARD1

 

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  • Morven

    Why would anyone bother expressing their views in a blog of this type.

    All it does is attract nasty ad hominem attacks that are designed to negate the well thought out views that emerged on this thread.

    And, to be fair, the ad hominem attacks are not uniformly from one side of the argument.
    -30-

  • Bill McCreery

    Morven. I respect what you’ve said. I would very much like to be able to have a straight forward discussion with well intended individuals on this blog. However, there re a number of aspects about what goes on here that you might want to consider.

    1) I have expressed my opinion here on a number of issues. These issues, such as the Park Board’s handling of the bike paths through and/or around Kits/Hadden Parks are political. The technical, hypothetical or the good/bad outcomes, etc. are important and interesting. Many, including myself, enjoy discussing them.

    But, if you wish to deal with the real problems it is my experience that the political aspects must be confronted. I do not agree with much that Vision Van has done in and to this City in the last 5 years. I feel strongly that they are doing significant harm to what has been an improving urban environment. What is wrong with someone saying that and in fact being encouraged to?

    2) Please look carefully at how waltyss, Jeff Leigh and Chris Keam respond to my and others comments. As well, I have watched these individuals over the last few years and do not trust their motivation. By what they say and how they say it, it is clear to me that they are intentionally trying to confuse, intimidate and generally mislead those who may comment and/or read their comments. As I pointed out their tactics are textbook examples from Troll School that I have read about.

    Given the control that has been exerted over civil servants, the media, the rewriting of reports, the manipulation and censoring of financial information, the use of taxpayer paid employees to control the message, and so on, should one not expect that attempts will be made to manipulate and control on-line dialogues as well?

    I have said here that I am speaking for myself. I have said I am not a candidate. And yet the above individuals deliberately keep trying to say the exact opposite. Why?

  • teririch

    Ooops, not all is well with another ‘bike lane’ and that ‘consultation’ process:

    Seniors fearful of upgraded Chinatown bike lane:

    http://thethunderbird.ca/2013/11/18/seniors-fearful-of-upgraded-chinatown-bike-lane/

  • Chris Keam

    @McCreery:

    “One of those organizations is TEAM. We are a grassroots Vancouver political party that offers voters a clear choice in the November 15, 2014 Civic Election.”

    That is your comment #55 in the Bulablog post entitled: ‘”With civic election just over a year away, NPA, COPE, TEAM, Cedar gear up to take votes from Vision Vancouver” of Nov. 6

    Maybe you aren’t a declared candidate (yet?). I apologize for assuming you are going to be running as a representative of your party. If you are confirming you will not stand for office in the next Vancouver civic election with your previous post, then so be it. Is that the reality?

    However, you are clearly campaigning. I stand by that interpretation of your comments and the belief that it’s a distraction from the process of un-aligned residents debating the merits of various initiatives.

    “As well, I have watched these individuals over the last few years and do not trust their motivation. ”

    I must apparently also reassure you once again that I have no affiliation with any political party, nor do I intend to support any with volunteer time. Additionally, I’ve never taken a dime from any political party for any purpose. If you are going to call me a liar at least make a phone call to learn who/what I am before you accuse me of being somebody’s troll. My contact information is one click away from any post I’ve made on this blog. I’m not interested in these divisive political tactics. Your inability to accept that is your problem, but you make it mine when you level false accusations about me. It’s really starting to get tiresome.

    I am what I am, which is someone with a modicum of understanding of the best practices for active transportation infrastructure and an interest in seeing those practices incorporated into the city’s planning as much as possible. If you can’t accept that I don’t know what to tell you. I do know that your inability to accept it certainly contradicts your party’s supposed interest in hearing what residents think and want for Vancouver.

  • Jeff Leigh

    Bill @various.

    Well, thank you at least for calling me polite. I think. Not for the Trotsky reference though, or some of the other charges you levelled.

    No, I am not working for a political party. Never have, and don’t plan to start doing so. No, I am not trolling. I have commented on a few issues that I care about. Active transportation is one of them. When I saw lies and nonsense being thrown around, I waded in. As Morven notes, that then appears to be an invitation to attack. Too bad.

    Another poster recently asked me if I was part of a paid bicycle lobby. Just because I didn’t agree with his position. For the record, the answer was no.

    You couldn’t have watched me over the last few years, as you posted, as for most of that time I didn’t use my real name with my very occasional posts. I started doing so some months ago because I think the practice helps to promote civility, something we could all use a bit more of. Off topic, but I did that because of a post on that topic written by a guy named Chris K. I’ve never met Chris, but I agreed with his point. It isn’t a guarantee of civility, agreed (evidence displayed above) but I think it can at least help.

    So yes, that is my real name. If you had come to the last Bula Blog Commenters pub night that Jen organized, we would have met. A few of us exchanged business cards, and followed up with each other afterwards, whether we agreed with each other’s views or not. Imagine that.

    So, do you want to rethink any of that “they are all spys out to get me” meme? It isn’t helping promote civility or good discussion.

  • waltyss

    Bill, I know you prefer to wrestle in tne mud and usually I am happy to oblige. However, you state:
    “I have said here that I am speaking for myself. I have said I am not a candidate. And yet the above individuals deliberately keep trying to say the exact opposite. Why? ”
    Let me respond. Whether you will be a candidate in the next election is irrelevant. On this and other threads you have set out to be and acted as the spokesperson for the new, old party TEAM. The only other person I have heard about being associated with it was Jonathan Baker (sort of from the same school of nasty as you) but Baker has returned to mama’s nest and it appears you guys are not friendly anymore.
    So you are it; the only person acquainting us plebes with what TEAM is about. Most of us can’t afford to go to $85 pp dinners and usually want a better idea of who we would be supporting before we do.
    And so far when I see the public face of the new TEAM, it ain’t pretty!
    And sorry, buddy, but neither you not anyone else, get to put on a hat, be polite and say, Now I am speaking for TEAM when moments later you try take off the hat and enter into an incoherent nasty rant. Doesn’t work that way.!

  • Morven

    The general nastiness of the most recent responses on this thread leaves Ms. Bula’s blog (despite the good story openings) as a very questionable source of any insight into public policy issues in Vancouver – which is to be regretted, both for the users and for the city at large.
    -30-

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