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" To provide programs, activities and services that respect individual differences and enhance community spirit, while meeting the recreational and social needs of all residents in the Kerrisdale Community."

Kerrisdale Community Centre Society

Open letter to Kerrisdale Community Centre Patrons

As the new President of the Kerrisdale Community Centre Society I thank Mr. Oscar Bisnar, our Past-President, for leading the Society over the last two years. More recently, Oscar has been steadfast in this challenging period when potentially drastic changes to our relationship
with the Park Board are imminent.

As you may now know, in closed discussion held over the past year the Park Board demanded control of programming and all revenues generated at our Centre and at the 20 other Community Centres currently operated under contract with the Park Board by
independent Societies. Well-attended public meetings held in January, 2013 forced the Park Board to go public with these plans. Media coverage of this conflict has been exceptional. An independent Mustel survey showed the public supported the position of the Societies two to one, with 69% of respondents aware of Park Board’s effort to take over control of Vancouver’s
Community Centres.

The Society is willing to negotiate a new Joint Operating Agreement (JOA). However, we do not presently trust the Park Board to negotiate transparently and in good faith. One example of this mistrust stems from the Park Board General Manager admitting to five community centre
Presidents that Park Board had indeed violated terms of our JOA, but he would not guarantee the Park Board would not disregard the JOA again. To make the matter worse, the JOA dispute resolution mechanism gives the Park Board —the signatory that violated the JOA in the first
place--power to rule on any dispute. This is one aspect of the JOA that must be revised.
As an example of disrespect to Community Centre Societies, and the Park Board’s predetermined agenda, the Park Board General Manager has written letters to Park Board staff instructing them to develop plans to implement new systems to facilitate low income access and “flexipass” across the network of Community Centres, despite the fact that no Society has agreed on the mechanisms by which these services might function.
Ten of 21 Community Centres currently operated by independent Societies are not participating in current JOA negotiations with the Park Board. Six of these 10 centres, including Kerrisdale, are actively resisting all efforts by Park Board to get control of Community Centre revenues. Park Board must rebuild trust with us, and negotiate with transparency and in good faith. We will be happy to bargain with the Park Board, provided the Park Board agrees to the following:
1) settle the violations of the current JOA;

2) instruct Park Board staff to cease implementing operating policies and procedures that violate the current JOA;

3) drop imposed timelines to reach a new agreement; and

4) open all issues to negotiation.
Your support for the Board of Directors has been fantastic with many of you writing letters to our elected Park Board Commissioners, City Councilors, and the Mayor addressing the Park Board take-over plans. Please keep up the pressure on our elected officials and let them know you want to keep community in Community Centres.

Robert Lockhart, President, Kerrisdale Community Centre Society

Society Board of Directors 2013-2014

President ............................................................... .Robert Lockhart
Past President........................................................Oscar Bisnar
Vice President........................................................ Kathleen Bigsby
Vice President........................................................ Barb Mikulec
Treasurer................................................................. Aaron Law
Secretary................................................................. David Eaton

Board Members

Aaron Law, Alison Verghese, Barb Mikulec, Bill Harris, Colin Booth, David Eaton, Don Munton, Donald C. McCarthy, Donald Wong, Fred Jay, Irene Ronnie, Kathleen Bigsby, Keiko Honda, Laura Suarez Acuzar, Onno Bakhoven, Oscar Bisnar, Robert Lockhart, Ron Stromberg, Vincent Law

Kerrisdale Society Baord Members