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Vancouver

COPE demands public

be allowed to plan
the future of the PNE

By LIBBY DAVIES
and PAT WILSON

The future of Hastings Park, better
known as the Pacific National Exhibition,
was the subject of two public meetings
called by Vancouver city council last week.
The Non-Partisan Association majority on
council have been ina hurry to adopt a task
force report on the PNE before June 1.

That’s the deadline set by the provincial
government for receiving input from the
city on a proposal for an expanded race
track on the grounds.

The task force — Mayor Gordon Camp-
bell, and aldermen George Puil and Carole
Taylor — are proposing three options for
the race track as the centrepiece of a new
plan for the whole PNE site. One option is
to leave the track as is; the other two involve
an expanded race track.

The hastily convened public meetings, on
the most important piece of public property
in the city’s northeast, are the NPA’s idea of
public consultation. Community activists
have already made it clear that they con-
sider this process an insult to the many local
groups and residents who care very much
about the future of the site.

The Committee of Progressive Electors is
concerned particularly with three aspects of
the NPA plan for the PNE.

First, we consider an expanded race track
acceptable only if it does not eliminate the
possibility of adding needed park space.

Second, the proposal for a “festival park”
at the PNE must be rejected. This proposal
would dump all of the various festivals now
organized in different parts of the city on
Hastings Park.

Third, there must be a genuine commun-
ity consensus before any new policies are
adopted for the PNE site. We don’t want
the NPA and the Socreds to ‘steamrolller
through their private plan. We need to
return the park to the people and create an
exceptional recreational amenity for east
Vancouver.

COPE believes that Hastings Park can be
a real community asset that we can be
proud of.

Hastings Park has been the source of
community enjoyment and good jobs
— but also a source of frustration and
community alienation. This frustration will
only be resolved when the PNE site is
brought under the city’s jurisdiction and
when local residents have a meaningful role
in decision making.

COPE’s approach to Hastings Park is
guided by two principles. First, this site is
the last realistic opportunity for a real
community park in the northeast of Van-

Council knuckles under
to another developer

The developers have won another battle
with city council. Actually it wasn’t a battle,
it was just a hasty retreat by the majority of
council. :

The case in question is the demolition of
the historic Medical-Dental Building on
Georgia Street, across from the Hotel Van-
couver, and its replacement with a 23-
storey, $100-million office building.

City council’s heritage advisory commit-
tee informed council that the terracotta (his-
toric decorative features such as depictions
of nurses and the archway) on the old
Medical-Dental Building must be saved.
The Community Arts Council of Van-
couver took the same position.

City council accordingly made a deal
with the developers, the Shon Group. They
agreed to delay demolition of the old build-
ing until the terracotta was removed.

Then, suddenly, it was brought to city
council’s attention that:

@ The developers had not carried out
their agreement and had saved only 30 per
cent of the terracotta.

@ The developers had not informed city
council that they were not carrying out the
agreement.

@ Without consulting city council the
developers had arbitrarily gone ahead and
weakened the building in preparation for
demolition to the point where they now
claim it is unsafe to enter it to save the
remaining terracotta. The developers even
took down the scaffolding.

Then the Shon Group demanded that the

2 e Pacific Tribune, May 29, 1989

city council issue the demolition permit.
The issue came up in city council on May
16.

We discovered that the agreement which
the city had made with the developers under
the direction of our Non Partisan Associa-
tion majority on council had questionable
legal validity. It turned out to be a sort of
“gentlemen’s agreement.”

Nevertheless city council still had a strong
case, even if it wasn’t legally binding,
because the intent of council had been clear
from the beginning. For the developer to
demand a demolition permit under these
circumstances not only took a lot of gall; it
was a direct challenge to council. The devel-
oper in effect was thumbing his nose at
council.

Committee of Progressive Electors alder-
men took up the challenge. We demanded
that a stop-work order be issued to be effec-
tive until the developer carried out the orig-
inal agreement.

But what did council do? Faced with
developer demands the NPA aldermen
cravenly knuckled under. By a vote of eight
to three (with COPE aldermen opposing),
NPA aldermen passed a motion not only
allowing the demolition but accepting the
developer’s failure to live up to the agree-
ment as satisfactory. The capitulation was
pitiful and shameful to see.

The performance bond asked by the city
of this developer was another example of
how leniently the NPA treats developers. It
only amounted to $250,000. That’s peanuts
compared to the cost of the whole
project — $100 million.

Such small performance bonds en-
courage developers. to break agreements
— it’s often cheaper to break them and pay
a penalty than to carry them out. I had
proposed that the performance bond be $10
million but our mayor and NPA aldermen
wouldn’t even consider it.

So there we have it. One more victory for
the developers; one more loss for the city.

couver with significant acreage of green
space. Second, Hastings Park is home to
important public facilities that provide
employment to many local residents.

Can these two things go together? Yes,
provided there is a proper plan, with com-
munity and worker involvement.

COPE has several proposals for Hastings
Park:

@ ‘Liberate park space now under con-
crete.

@ Unite Hastings Park with New
Brighton Park to create a major east side
park that extends to the waterfront.

© Maintain the annual fair as an agricul-
tural event suited to a park environment.

© Maintain the major facilities that pro-
vide employment and public services such
as the Coliseum and Agrodome. _

© Consolidate and improve parking to
minimize neighbourhood parking prob-
lems and to free up more space for a com-
munity park.

The problem with the task force report
now before council is that is was worked out
behind closed doors by the mayor and two
aldermen. Now, suddenly, their plan is
sprung on the community for two quick
meetings so they can claim there has been
public input.

When this process was put before council
on May 16, the COPE aldermen tried to get

PNE GROUNDS ... return Hastings Park to the people, COPE says.

another public meeting scheduled for tWo
weeks after the hurry-up meetings last week,
That would have provided some time for
people to think about the proposals and
prépare additional responses. But the NPA
and the independent NPA alderman (Tay-
lor) defeated COPE’s motion.
The mayor, Ald. Puil and Ald. Tayloy
have from the beginning avoided an open
and consultative dialogue on the future of
Hastings Park. Instead, they chose to meet _
privately with various groups. Obviously
you cannot create a community consensus
unless civic leadership brings people
together. But that is not the NPA’s style.
COPE opposes pushing through the task |
force report before a genuine community |
consensus is reached.
The city owns Hastings Park. But the |
Social Credit government appoints the
PNE board and makes the real decisions
about the future of the fair.
The PNE should be given back to the
people of Vancouver, and the city of Van.
couver should provide real leadership to
create a new Hastings Park for the enjoy.
ment of future generations.
Libby Davies and Pat Wilson of the Com. |
mittee of Progressive Electors are, respec. |
tively, an alderman and parks commissioner |
in Vancouver.

_ May Day, 1989, has come and
gone, but it should be noted that
our dedicated supporters in
Penticton took the opportunity to
organize a fundraiser in
celebration of that date and
donate the proceeds to the Pacific
Tribune. Tribune editor Sean
Griffin attended the event on
behalf of the paper and the
response was enthusiastic, to say
the least.

The attendance and success of
the event reflected the spirit with
which our Okanagan readers are
taking in making sure they are
doing their part in adding to the
success of the drive. Penticton was
one of the first clubs to reach and
exceed their quota of $600 and
press director Lauri Honkala will
certainly make sure that by the
time our drive is complete on June
24, that Penticton will be helping
us reach our goal of $82,000 with
further donations.

Working for $82,000

The folks in Penticton, along
with other clubs throughout the
province which have already
reached their quotas, understand
the importance of keeping the
Trib alive. They work to ensure
that no decree from the Attorney-
General’s office or the RCMP can
muzzle the voice of labour; that
the Tribune is essential to keeping
that voice strong and in the
forefront of today’s struggles.

The fact that the authorities
have tried to financially strangle
us by halting our raffle can not
and will not deter us from
reaching our goal on schedule and
on time. The Tribune is just too
important.

Lets follow the spirit set by
clubs like Penticton. We need
$45,000 more over the next three
weeks to get us over the top.
Don’t hold back. Help us get
there on time.