City Councillors seem to think you support a pool in Mount Pleasant Park. The Park Board Commissioners do too. And many of the Mount Pleasant Community Centre Association (MPCCA) Board members.
My guess - they haven’t heard from you directly about why you are opposed to the pool.
I doubt if any City Councillors or PB Commissioners live in Mount Pleasant; many (most?) of the MPCCA Board do not live here. Yet here they are, making decisions about this beautiful but tiny, 1.12ha speck of a park.
I also question whether any of them spend any real time in the park. I know we do. For myself, I estimate that I am in or around that lovely gem about 268 days of the year. That’s a lot of time! I feel like I know the park like the back of my hand.
City Councillors and PB Commissioners must be told - clearly and in no uncertain terms - that you are strongly opposed to the proposed pool. Please do this now as we are almost out of time before city staff summarize the comments they’ve received from the public. Then it's up to City Councillors to decide how they use that information and what they fund under the 2023-2026 Capital Plan.
Signing this petition is good, but decision-makers need to hear directly from you. The City’s engagement period ends on May 22, so please don’t delay. Get in touch with them in one or both of the following ways:
1) Email: attention to Mayor Stewart, City Councillors and Park Board Commissioners.
Tell them in your own words why Mount Pleasant Park is the wrong location for a pool. It doesn’t have to be a lengthy email; just a few key points. Feel free to use any of the information we’ve prepared on this site. Here are email addresses for Mayor Kennedy Stewart, City Councillors and PB Commissioners:
Kennedy.Stewart@vancouver.ca; CLRbligh@vancouver.ca; CLRboyle@vancouver.ca; CLRcarr@vancouver.ca; CLRdegenova@vancouver.ca; CLRdominato@vancouver.ca; CLRfry@vancouver.ca; CLRhardwick@vancouver.ca; CLRkirby-yung@vancouver.ca; CLRswanson@vancouver.ca; CLRwiebe@vancouver.ca; Tricia.Barker@vancouver.ca; john.coupar@vancouver.ca; Dave.Demers@vancouver.ca; Camil.Dumont@vancouver.ca; Gwen.Giesbrecht@vancouver.ca; John.Irwin@vancouver.ca; stuart.mackinnon@vancouver.ca; PBcommissioners@vancouver.ca
2) Complete the City of Vancouver’s Shape Your City survey on the draft 2023-2026 Capital Plan.
It only takes 5 minutes. Here's their discussion guide.
Questions 8, 12 and 16 are critical for opposing the pool. For Q8 and Q12, support options that focus on renewing existing infrastructure, adapting and evolving existing infrastructure, and limiting how many new amenities and infrastructure are added. Also oppose any option that sounds like building new infrastructure and amenities. This will send a clear sign to the City that you don’t want a new pool, but you do want them to pay attention to existing community centres, libraries, roads, sidewalks, parks, etc. And for Q16, tell them in a sentence or two (or many more) why you oppose the proposed Mount Pleasant Park pool.
If you want more engagement and interaction, join us over on the Friends of Mount Pleasant Facebook site or email no_pool@icloud.com.
Best wishes.