{"id":15702,"date":"2012-12-28T10:00:56","date_gmt":"2012-12-28T18:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingvancouver.ca\/?p=15702"},"modified":"2025-04-08T23:36:45","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T06:36:45","slug":"2012-inreview-barnes-and-bromely-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2012\/12\/28\/2012-inreview-barnes-and-bromely-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"2012 InReview: Barnes and Bromely Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

As 2012 comes to a closes and our Spacing Vancouver contributors take a well deserved break, we would like to take the opportunity to look back of what we’ve covered over the last 12 months. Each day this week, we will be posting some of our favourite posts from the past year.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Malcolm Bromley & Constance Barnes Interview<\/h1>\n

Originally<\/i> posted on July 16, 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Parks are some of the most significant and meaningful public spaces in our cities. As traditional spaces of leisure, nature, and sport, parks have played an integral part of in the history of city life. And as cities have changed in response to complex global forces and urban technologies, so have the roles of park within them. From the movement to daylight streams and start connecting isolated urban parks into more ecologically sensitive city-wide parks networks to the creation of Mountain Bike Parks under highways<\/a> and the Wi-Fi parks<\/a> in New York City, the parks of the future promise to be as interesting as the cities that house them. Here in Vancouver\u2014a city known for its natural setting and home of renowned Stanley Park\u2014parks are particularly important.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, however, discussion around parks goes largely under the radar. Spacing Vancouver Editor Erick Villagomez and contributors Brendan Hurley and Yuri Artibise had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Vancouver Park Board Commissioner (and recently announced NDP  candidate for the Vancouver False Creek riding!) Constance Barnes<\/a> and Malcolm Bromley<\/a>– General Manager of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation \u2014to discuss the role of parks in the Vancouver, challenges and interesting initiatives on the horizon. This is the first of a four-part series.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u2022\u2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spacing Vancouver: <\/strong>Thank you both for taking the time to chat with me and share some of your insights with Spacing readers. All Vancouverites know and use parks, but many don\u2019t really have a good sense of those in charge of the system. So to start, do you mind explaining both your roles here as Parks Board Commissioner and General Manager of Parks and Recreatkon, respectively?<\/p>\n

Malcolm Bromley:<\/strong> I\u2019m the General Manager at the Board. It\u2019s called the Board of Parks and Recreation. Historically it\u2019s been called the Parks Board, which a lot of people still call it that, who\u2019ve been around for a while.<\/p>\n

My job is the senior administrator here. I\u2019m responsible for all the operational and management issues at the Park Board and the staff\u2014we\u2019ve got about 700 people. We have about a $105 million budget, of which 60% comes from the City of Vancouver\u2014we are City employees\u2014and 40% comes from fees, charges, leases and agreements that we have. So we generate about 40% of our own budget.<\/p>\n

Constance Barnes:<\/strong> I\u2019m the chair of the Vancouver Parks board and a second term Commissioner. There are seven Commissioners. We are the only elected Board of Parks and Recreation in Canada. I consider my job to be an advocate\u2014a voice of the people. What are we doing in our community centres<\/a>, our rinks<\/a>, our pools<\/a>, our recreation and green spaces, our parks<\/a>, our programming<\/a>, and early care<\/a> and learning?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s very complex, its extremely layered, but it gives us a real opportunity to bring to Malcolm and staff what the people want. Vancouver is huge but very diverse, and every community has different needs. I think of my job to be bringing forward what we are hearing out there in the community. That, and kind of directing staff as to what the needs are.<\/p>\n

Read the full article here<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

*<\/p>\n

Other Spacing Vancouver and Spacing interviews:<\/em><\/p>\n