At the Park Board’s Services and Budget Committee meeting on July 20, staff reviewed two proposals to retain the Bloedel Conservatory.  One from LMTP Inc. and the other from Friends of the Bloedel (FOTB) and the Van Dusen Gardens Society (VDGS).  Both have plusses and minuses but at the end of the day, the committee [...]

Children’s farmyard, Bloedel Conservatory face reprieve By Frank Luba, The Province May 4, 2010 The Vancouver Parks Board has received four proposals to keep the Bloedel Conservatory operating and another two proposals aimed at continuing the Children’s Farmyard in Stanley Park. The proposals were all received before the Friday deadline. Ian Robertson, Non-Partisan Association parks [...]

The Bloedel Conservatory and efforts to save it are still making headlines.  In a recent Globe and Mail article by Frances Bula here, she reports that sources close to city hall reveal the Mayor’s office is working on a plan to save the Conservatory.  While I welcome his Worship’s involvement, it’s interesting to note that none of Vision’s park [...]

Over this past weekend I received attendance figures for the Bloedel Conservatory for the month of December.  Guess what?  Attendance has tripled over December 2008 and in fact is the best December since at least 2005.  Attendance for December 2009 was 8,213 compared to 2,571 for 2008. OK, credit the media and the fact that [...]

Plans to permanently close the Conservatory and Children’s Farmyard in Stanley Park were temporarily put on hold Monday night…for at least another four months. The Park Board voted in favour of issuing an RFP (Request For Proposal) from private interest groups to develop plans to keep both facilities open.  Deadline for submission to the Board [...]

Just returned from a week away on business and came home to over 115 e-mails in my in-box all expressing opposition to the cuts to the park board budget and the impending closure of the Bloedel Conservatory and Children’s Farmyard in Stanley Park.  There is a huge groundswell of support to keep these two icons open.  [...]

…are the questions I am being asked these days.  Today my voice mail was full by 10:15am with messages from people across the city and around the province…yes, I even got a message from Smithers.  People are angry and they want to know what they can do.  Most people that called had read the article [...]

On Nov 25 my four Vision Vancouver Park Commissioner colleagues voted to accept the reduction of $2.8 million to the park board’s budget.  Myself along with Commissioners Stuart Mackinnon and Loretta Woodcock voted against the cuts.  I did not support the motion as the park board is being unfairly targeted – the park board is being asked to cut its budget [...]