In June 2025, the City of Vancouver began what it characterized as a "competitive procurement process" to determine “qualified vendors" to log out another 111 hectares of forest in Stanley Park.

The response window was a mere four weeks. Proponents were required to submit at least two implementation strategies, which were to include "public safety, wildfire risk reduction, environmental considerations, archaeological and cultural values, operational considerations, recreational and tourism values as well as economic considerations and cost estimates."

Not surprisingly, only one company submitted a proposal: Blackwell.

Stanley Park Preservation Society alleges that this so-called procurement process was a sham, in that it was stacked in favour of Blackwell. Due to its previous assessment and logging work, Blackwell was the only company that had sufficient knowledge of Stanley Park with which to develop strategic plans, let alone within four weeks. An assessment would be required to propose a plan, and the City of Vancouver made no effort to provide access to the park, or sufficient time, to allow competing vendors to survey and assess the park. It seems that the City’s intention from the beginning was to contract with Blackwell, rendering the “competitive procurement” process a perfunctory farce.

Additionally, despite the stated requirement for cost estimates for each implementation strategy, there is no evidence that Blackwell provided such cost estimates. The City of Vancouver presented the three strategic options developed by Blackwell to the Park Board commissioners for decision, but none of the options included a cost estimate.

With respect to cost, the City told the commissioners only that the “contract value will exceed $3,000,000.” According to which fiscal management strategy are contracts approved on minimum amounts only?

Amazingly, despite all these glaring defects in the procurement process, the Vancouver Park Board commissioners—who have the fiduciary duty to protect Vancouver parks and protect the interests of the citizens who elected them— approved the award to Blackwell with only one “no” vote, Angela Haer. 

Commissioner Haer attempted to amend the resolution to address the unfair procurement but was not allowed to do so—no discussion, no vote. That will be the subject of our next petition update to follow shortly.

See the report submitted to the Park Board commissioners

We will be appearing before the Supreme Court of British Columbia to get this decision quashed and block further logging. We are in need of financial support for this legal effort. Please contribute.

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