Recreation Management System Contract
Motion 5 · Standing Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities, April 1, 2026
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And that completes report one. Okay, just bear with me for a moment here.
We are now going to move to council member motions. Motion one, supporting the 2026 Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade and Festival, which was co-submitted by Mayor Sim and Councillor Klassen, and is to be moved and introduced by Mayor Sim, who I don't see present. So, Councillor Klassen, I'm not sure if you're prepared to introduce that. I've just, sorry, Chair, I just asked one of the Mayor's Office staff to grab him. He's with our visitors that were here earlier.
Maybe we can take a recess for three minutes, a couple minutes.
Okay, here he is. So before we begin this agenda item, if anyone believes they have a conflict of interest, now is the time to declare it. Does anyone have a conflict of interest to disclose?
Okay, not seeing any. So Mayor Sim, you have two minutes to introduce your motion.
today sorry if you can just give me 30 seconds of course let's start about that everyone okay um i'm excited to introduce this motion in support of the 2026 vancouver fisaki parade and festival for generations fisaki has marked a time of renewal gratitude and community especially every year here in vancouver organized by historic uh the historic causa de juan society the vancouver fisaki parade is one of the largest festivals in the country, welcoming up to 250,000 people every single year. The Vaisakhi Parade is free, inclusive, and embodies the Sikh tradition of Langar where everyone, regardless of background, is welcome and fed. We know that hosting an event of this magnitude has its challenges, and the costs associated with public safety, security, and traffic management have risen significantly in recent years. Unfortunately, despite cost reduction measures, the organizers are still facing a shortfall of approximately $45,000 this year. This motion proposes a one-time extraordinary grant to bridge that gap and ensure the continued success of this important community event under the appropriate governance standards necessary for any grant. This motion is about supporting a long-standing cultural tradition and reinforcing Vancouver's identity as an inclusive and welcoming city. And I do encourage council and I hope council will support this motion. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mayor Simm. Councillor Klassen will second that motion. And we'll now hear from registered speakers to the motion. Public speakers should state whether they're in support or opposition to the recommendations and may only speak once. I will also ask speakers if they're residents of Vancouver, if it's not noted on the speakers list. And our first public speaker is Paul Beasley.
I saw Paul a few minutes ago. It might just be in the other room. Yeah. We can, using the restroom. I've seen him in the hallway, but we can come back to him.
We'll come back to Paul. Speaker number two, Preeti Freeko. Good morning.
Actually, sorry, the other one.
Thanks for joining us, trustee.
Thank you. Thank you. Good morning, Mayor Sim and the councillors. My name is Preeti Freethkot, and I'm speaking today as a community member. My family has been a part of Vaisakhi celebration since the late 1960s, and my grandfather served as a head priest at the Khalsa Devan Society from the early 1980s to the late 1990s. This event is really important for my family. For me, Vaisakhi is deeply rooted in our culture, community, and tradition. It's something I grew up with. A time when people come together, share food, and celebrate in a way that is open and welcoming to everyone. The Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade is one of the largest cultural events in the world. It's free, volunteer-led, and brings together hundreds and thousands of people from all backgrounds. But with that scale coming, the rising cost, especially around public safety, and it's becoming harder for our community to manage this all alone. From a cultural perspective, events like this are really important for everyone. They bring people together, build understanding, and reflect the diversity that makes Vancouver so special. I really appreciate the city of Vancouver, the council members, the mayor, and I'm just hoping that this important cultural tradition can continue safely for years to come. So I'm really looking for your support with this motion. Thank you very much.
Thank you very much for being here today. I see Paul Beasley here, so I'm just going to go back to speaker one. Paul, good morning.
Yep.
And you can raise it. It's fine. There's just some buttons there.
Thank you.
The timer's still going. Should I wait for it to be reset? Sure. Please go ahead.
Sorry.
Okay.
Morning, everyone. My name is Paul Beezla. I'd like to start off by saying a traditional greeting. And I want to recognize that I live, work, and play in the unceded territories of the Musqueam Nation, which I've grown up to call Sunset. But that was part of my upbringing. And I want to thank mayor and council for putting this motion forward to recognize and support this important event. This is in its, Vaisakhi is in its 47th year. And we were, like many other organizations and event producers, we are facing increasing challenges. And it was very easy for us to kind of give up. It was for a multitude of reasons, which I'll explain briefly here. But it required the spirit and the strength of our community in order for us to continue to organize this event in the face of all these challenges. The financial aspect is just one challenge that we face. The other is the logistical challenges, the complexities that surround that. And also the other motivating factor in this continuation of producing this event was really to ensure that we continue to build bridges with other communities and build understanding. That's another component of Vaisakhi. Other than practicing our Sikh principles, which are human principles, we wanted to ensure that we took this opportunity to bridge cultural understanding. particularly because recently we've seen a lot of anti-immigrant and anti-Indian hate online in person and so it was very important for us to not back down but to fight this new fight, if you will, against discrimination, against racism. And that's how I see Vaisakhi. It's not just an opportunity for us to share our Sikh values. It's not just an opportunity for our community to participate in the principle and spirit of seva, but to ensure that we counter these anti-immigrant and anti... rather anti-immigrant and anti-Indian discriminatory narratives that take place and continue to take place. So I just wanted to say in closing, I just want to say this support is very important, and I'm very thankful to Mayor, Council, and all our partners at VPD as well. Thank you, Paul.
Speaker 3, Gulzar Nanda.
I'm the past chair of the Punjabi Market Collective, but I'm calling in today as a community member. I'd like to call in to support this motion to fund the 2026 Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade.
You know, as a community member, as somebody who grew up in South Vancouver, I've had the opportunity to see this parade sort of transform. You know, and at a very intimate level, My family, we've been, you know, we've been enacting the principles of SEVA by doing lunger at the Vaisakhi Parade for close to two decades now. You know, every April, people in my family, people in our extended network, we come together and we serve South Vancouver. which is one of the most, I want to say, popular stalls in the market during Vaisakhi. But, you know, it's not just what we're serving. It's what we're experiencing that's really important, which is this connection with people of all walks of life. It doesn't matter what your faith is. It doesn't matter what your background is. It doesn't matter what your age is. Really, what we're doing is we're bringing people together and we're doing it under the principles of Sikhism and, you know, in pursuit of our faith and our values. So, you know, if you take a look at some of the photos from the very early days when Vaisakhi was this brand new concept in Vancouver, you can see that it was a very small community event. But, you know, over the last four decades or so, it's turned into this really important day in our in Vancouver sort of cultural calendar. And, you know, the city must do whatever it can to ensure that this is not lost for the residents of not just South Vancouver, not just Sunset, but, you know, the whole lower mainland and Canada. So I'm really hoping that you're able to support this motion and ensure that, you know, the community has the support it needs in order to, you know, change to, or sorry, in order to, you know, adapt to a changing landscape, especially when it comes around, you know, community safety, traffic management and security. So, you know, I'm not going to take up too much of your time. I'm calling in today. And I think that, you know, your vote to support will go a long way. So thank you so much.
Thank you for calling.
Speaker for JEGS, Sangira.
Not on the line. We'll come back to them. Speaker five, Taj Singh Johal.
Good morning, dear Americans and members of Vancouver City Council. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. Today is a meaningful moment for our community as we celebrated the opening of Securities Month. Through this official proclamation, it reflects Vancouver's ongoing commitment to diversity, inclusion, and recognizing the contributions of all communities. In that same spirit, I would like to speak about the Vancouver Vaisakhi Nagarketan Parade, not just as an event, but as a powerful example of our community in action. This year marks the 47th annual parade. What began as a small gathering has grown into one of the largest Vaisakhi celebrations in Vancouver. bringing together hundreds of thousands of people from all backgrounds. It is a space where families, seniors, youth, and visitors come together to celebrate, connect, and learn from one another. At its core, Vaisakhi represents the universal values, service, equality, and unity. Through SEVA, traditions like Lungood, these values are not just expressed, they are lived. This event is also driven by community leaderships. Volunteers, dedicated countless hours, and young people step forward to take a meaningful role. It creates a welcoming and inclusive environment that reflects the very best of Vancouver. However, as the parade continues to grow, so do the responsibilities, particularly around public safety. Coordinating traffic, emergency service, and crowd management requires significant increasing resources. These are the essentials to ensuring a safe, successful event. While we sincerely appreciate the city's support through the fast share policy funding, current funding does not fully meet the scale of these needs. At the same time, the parade contributes greatly to the city. It supports local businesses, brings people together, and strengthens community connections. Most importantly, it fosters understanding and unity across Vancouver. We are respectfully asking for your support in increasing funding for the Vancouver-Vasaki-Nagarketan Parade so that it can continue to grow safely, remain inclusive, and serve our community effectively. This is an investment in public safety, community connections, and cultural understanding, youth leadership, and the strength of Vancouver as a diverse city. Thank you very much, Mayor Kenson and City Council.
Thank you for speaking to Council.
Speaker number six, Jeff Tioli. Morning.
Morning, Mayor and Council. My name is Jeff Tioli. I'm a Vancouver resident. I'm the former Film Commissioner for the City of Vancouver and also served as a Senior Manager of Film and Special Events Branch. I support the report recommendations. However, it doesn't go far enough. This is a bit of a full circle moment for me. The last time I presented to Council was actually when we created the City's first comprehensive public event policy. The Vaisakhi Parade and Festival are an essential part of Vancouver's cultural fabric and ensuring it proceeds this year is the right decision. But let's be honest about what's happening here. This isn't new and it's not unique to Vaisakhi. We've seen this pattern before across multiple events in the city.
There's urgency.
A festival gets pushed to the brink and then at the last moment, There's a scramble to step in and save it. And yes, that response is necessary in that moment, but if that's the only time we show up, then we need to call it what it is.
If we only show up when something is about to fail, it is not support, it is neglect.
We've seen this dynamic play out again and again. We keep celebrating putting out fires instead of preventing them. This is not a reflection on any one decision or any one group. It is a pattern we have fallen into as a city. And the cost of that pattern is carried by the event organizers. People who put enormous effort into delivering these events and who are left operating year to year, never knowing if they have the support they need. I've worked inside the city and we've faced this exact issue before. And at the time, we didn't just respond to the immediate pressure. We worked towards a long-term approach that gave all festivals a significant increase in support and stability. That's when we designed the FestShare program. And for a while, that worked. But over time, we've drifted back into old patterns. So when festivals are struggling year after year, it's not a failure on their part. It's a signal that the system around them isn't keeping up. What we're doing today is important, but it's still reactive. If we want to do better, we need to start focusing on prevention. Because while prevention doesn't come with headlines or sound bites, and it doesn't create a moment for anyone to step in at the last minute, it is what stability looks like. A well-run city provides predictable and ongoing support. It allows organizations to plan, and it respects the work they do by not forcing them into crisis year after year. So yes, approve this motion. But let's be clear. If we're back here again next year, having the same conversation, then we haven't solved the problem. We're just repeating it.
Let's do better. Hey, thanks, Jeff.
That's the end of our speaker's list, but we're going to go back to speaker number four to see if they're on the line. Do we have Jag Sanghera?
Just checking. No.
I don't see them in the chamber.
Okay. Okay, thank you. So thank you, everyone, for speaking to our Standing Committee on Policy and Strategic Priorities. Committee members, is there any discussion?
Councillor Klassen.
Thanks very much, Chair. Just very simple remarks. This is an incredibly important cultural event for our city. It has been one that has been, it's arguably the largest in South Vancouver. It brings together tens of thousands, often over 100,000 people to gather. Most often on beautiful, bright days with the cherry blossoms going up and down our streets, the parade, the celebration is an absolute part of who we are as a city. And I am extremely supportive of making sure that we can help get this important event over the line and be successful this year and also continue
continue to seek ways to make sure that we are be able to support uh by sake festival and the community uh in in years to come thanks very much thank you counselor counselor bligh uh thanks very much happy to speak in support um of uh of the motion itself and um you know i think that uh based on of course our last speakers um
appropriate and salient points around long-term sustainability of our festivals, we're going to need to have a conversation about making sure that we've got the funding in place that is appropriate to current day financial pressures that these festivals face in the year leading up to planning for Basaki or any of these festivals. And I think in doing so, we set up the organizers for success. We can join, of course, as good partners with the community, particularly here for Vaisakhi. But that goes beyond. We saw a similar one-time ask for Lunar New Year Festival. And I know there are other festivals. We had a one-time ask for Car Free Days. So we... one-time ask to save fireworks for one night. Clearly we have a problem here. And so we don't want... to be reactive. And I certainly think the festivals are not as concerned as we may be in election years. They're concerned with putting on great festivals every single year. And so I support this ask, but what I really support is the last speaker's comments around bringing together what we've been doing iteratively over a number of years to make sure our festivals remain strong and well-funded. And there's a lot more work for us to do there. And that's really where I am going to be focusing my attention. So thank you very much to Mersim. for bringing this forward. We need to do more. Thank you.
Thank you. Councillor Zhou.
Yeah, thanks, Chair. So also want to, you know, express my strong support of this motion to provide this much-needed funding to support 2026 Wasaki Parade in the City of Vancouver. I'll keep my remark brief. So, you know, I attended many Vaisakhi parades in the past. I think it's more than just a celebration. It is a deeply meaningful cultural and spiritual occasion that reflects the value of renewal, generosity, and community services. And here in Vancouver, it has grown into one of the largest and one of the most inclusive festivals in our city, welcoming hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors each year. We all know at the heart of this celebration is the Casa de Van Society, which has served the Sikh community and the broader Vancouver community for well over a century. Their leadership in organizing this event year after year speaks to an extraordinary commitment to volunteerism, cultural preservation, and civic pride. One of the most remarkable traditions of Wazaki is, I'm very impressed by that, is the sharing the free food, free food, free drink with anyone and everyone. It's a powerful expression of equality, humility, and service. In many ways, it reflects the very best of what Vancouver strives to be, inclusive, welcoming, and compassionate. The motion proposed this much-needed grant to help bridge the gap. I want to emphasize that it's about responding to a unique set of circumstances to ensure the continued success of this event and bring so much value and fun to our city. Supporting Vaisakhi is about supporting the community. It's about recognizing the contribution of Sikh Canadians and ensuring that this cherished tradition can continue to thrive for future generations. So with this, wholeheartedly support this motion and I look forward to seeing everyone at the parade. Thank you.
Thanks, Councillor. Councillor Maloney.
Thanks. The Vaisakhi Parade is an important celebration of sea culture and community and for South Vancouver itself, and I'm very supportive of this motion. I want to take a moment to acknowledge that South Vancouver is a neighbourhood that's historically received less investment than other parts of the city, which makes community festivals like this all the more important. And I'm really glad that it sounds as though this project This event will go ahead this year and I hope it signals a broader commitment to showing up for South Vancouver. And I'm also grateful for the comments of the last speaker and to Councillor Fry for the upcoming motion to explore more permanent solutions to sustainable festival funding, especially given the increasing costs of running them safely and the return on investment, both financial as well as social and cultural contributions that festivals make.
Thank you. Thank you.
Councillor Fry. And I'll keep it brief. I want to thank the mayor and Councillor Klassen for recognizing this funding shortfall and the need to step in and support what is one of my favorite... absolute favorite festivals. I'm very much looking forward to some good weather, some good food, and good company as we walk through South Vancouver from D1 Society and up to Punjabi Market and enjoy all the fun and festivities. And I just want to... with gratitude that we are stepping in and we're going to be able to support this and ensure that it goes off. But I also want to recognize the leadership of, in particular, Paul Beasley and his work in the logistics side of things and recognizing that, you know, in light of the tragic events of April 26th, to pivot with a safety plan that is responsive to... some of the new reality and ensuring that our participants and everybody enjoying Vaisakhi can be sure that they're being utmost safety and consideration of their safety. And I really appreciate that level of leadership that came through from Paldisa and the Khalsa Diwan Society and super looking forward to it. I'll see you guys on April 11th. Thanks.
Thanks, Counselor. Counselor Dominato.
Yeah, thanks, Chair, and echoing the thanks to the Mayor and Councillor Claassen for bringing forward the motion. I think with the upcoming Vaisakhi, it'll be my ninth Vaisakhi parade and festival, and it always brings great joy. But what I've experienced over the years is it has deepened my understanding and knowledge and awareness of the Sikh community and principles and practices that guide And I think that is something that's not only a benefit to me as an elected councillor, but also to the broader community at large. And that was spoken to earlier when we were doing the Heritage Month proclamation. My younger daughter has attended Vaisakhi with a number of her friends. And so for me, I find that to be one of the offshoot benefits is the deepened knowledge and understanding that I take away and engagement with the community. And so I thank all the organizers. I appreciate Councillor Fry's acknowledgement of Paul Beazley's work behind the scenes, but for all community members involved in putting it on, and I'm incredibly excited to be joining you in a couple weeks' time. So thank you.
Thank you, Councillor. Councillor Kirby Young.
Yeah, thanks very much, Chair. I will echo my gratitude and appreciation. It's a nice morning of synergy, having the opportunity to proclaim Sikh Heritage Month and have the community here and share that together, and then discussing a festival that is of such importance to the community. Like others, I have attended many times. It is a joyful... a wonderful celebration. The spirit of SEVA is very apparent. I think one of the things I look forward to the most is the snacks along the way that are so generously handed out by community members and I know that you get to sort of know where those fun favorite spots are on the route and I know the route's going to change a bit this year. So I really look forward to supporting it. I want to make a couple of reflections and observations and I think that all of city council is committed to a vibrant Vancouver that has very much been, I think, part of the DNA of this council. And in fact, I think it's part of the DNA of the city and who we are as, sorry, who we are as a collective group of a diverse and welcoming city. And it is through our festivals that we have the opportunity to come together, to gather, to share culture, food, experiences, and learn about each other. And I think that that is an excellent thing. I think this council has been fully supported. It was referenced that there's been a number of ongoing changes over the years, such as establishing fest share and seeking to reduce things like public safety costs, all of that ahead of Lapu-Lapu. I just want to level set us a little bit around where we are at this moment in time right now. Lapu-Lapu was just a year ago. And I think the staff have been working. We have myself brought a motion for it in 2022, I believe, about making it easier to host outdoor festivals and events and recognizing that the city needed to do the best that it could. And that resulted in the creation of a festival advisory group as to how can we better look for leveraging commonalities in terms of costs, et cetera. Since then, we've had extraordinary times, as I mentioned, Lapu-Lapu new requirements. And we have seen a... perfect confluence of challenges in terms of increasing costs, reduction in corporate sponsorship, the federal and provincial governments pulling out from their support. The city has stayed the course. And now we're at a moment where we have to respond and think, what more can we do? Can we do things differently, better, et cetera? and how we can support. And I think council's aligned on that. And so I'm very happy to support the motion. I think that it would do a disservice to the alignment that council has had around supporting the vibrancy of events when I hear comments from my colleagues around, is it political or an election year? When again, Lapu-Lapu was just last year, all of these things that we're seeing now about, for example, some problems that's coming out has happened. for this year in the year. And so I'm struck a bit by the irony of a reference by one of my colleagues that it's political when we have a political candidate wearing a political button in council chambers. And I think we all know that it is our practice to not have signage slogans and political branding in the chamber. So if it wasn't political, I don't think we'd have a candidate wearing a political button. So I hope that we can all rise above that and actually support our festivals and events sector. collectively and as a council and as a whole because it makes our city richer and I think we are better when we are divided and speaking in one voice on this for the right reasons that respond to our community who are saying this is when we need you to stand up and help and we are here to do that and here to help and I'm proud to support the motion. Thank you.
Thank you, Councillor. I'm going to pass the chair to my vice chair just to make a few brief comments. I wholeheartedly support this support for Vaisakhi. I'm really excited for two weeks from now. As many of us know, and as many Vancouverites know, this is an amazing celebration in Vancouver. And it celebrates the vibrant culture of the Canadian community in South Vancouver. And fingers crossed for good weather this year. As mentioned by many of my colleagues, all festivals across our city have been facing increasing costs due to inflation and also increased security in light of the tragedy at the Lapu Lapu Festival last year. And we're actively working to seek ways to better support festivals across our city. In addition to our fest share program, as mentioned by my colleague, Councillor Kirby Young. The city has remained and in many cases increased our support of festivals and parades across our city over the past year, while unfortunately the province and federal government have retreated and in many cases pulled back funding for festivals. So we are there. We're there to support festivals across our city. We know this is what makes living in Vancouver vibrant and exciting and rich in culture and diversity. And in closing, I'm really happy to support this motion, and I want to thank Mayor Sim for bringing it forward and helping to support this year's Visaki Festival and Parade, which I'm very much looking forward to. Thank you.
I'll take the chair back. So that completes our speaker's list, and I'm now going to call the vote. Clerk, if you could please take us to the voting screen. And committee, if you could please register your vote on the voting panel.
Okay, that passes unanimously. Thank you, everybody.
Okay, we're now going to move to motion two, fostering inclusive and diverse democracy through harassment prevention, which is to be moved and introduced by Councillor Orr. Before we begin this agenda item, if anyone believes they have a conflict of interest, now is the time to declare it. Does anyone have a conflict to disclose? Okay, Councillor Orr, you have up to two minutes to introduce your motion. Please go ahead.
Statement Watch
Thank you. Thank you. Good morning, Mayor Sim and the councillors. My name is Preeti Freethkot, and I'm speaking today as a community member. My family has been a part of Vaisakhi celebration since the late 1960s, and my grandfather served as a head priest at the Khalsa Devan Society from the early 1980s to the late 1990s. This event is really important for my family. For me, Vaisakhi is deeply rooted in our culture, community, and tradition. It's something I grew up with. A time when people come together, share food, and celebrate in a way that is open and welcoming to everyone. The Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade is one of the largest cultural events in the world. It's free, volunteer-led, and brings together hundreds and thousands of people from all backgrounds. But with that scale coming, the rising cost, especially around public safety, and it's becoming harder for our community to manage this all alone. From a cultural perspective, events like this are really important for everyone. They bring people together, build understanding, and reflect the diversity that makes Vancouver so special. I really appreciate the city of Vancouver, the council members, the mayor, and I'm just hoping that this important cultural tradition can continue safely for years to come. So I'm really looking for your support with this motion. Thank you very much.
Statement Watch
Morning, everyone. My name is Paul Beezla. I'd like to start off by saying a traditional greeting. And I want to recognize that I live, work, and play in the unceded territories of the Musqueam Nation, which I've grown up to call Sunset. But that was part of my upbringing. And I want to thank mayor and council for putting this motion forward to recognize and support this important event. This is in its, Vaisakhi is in its 47th year. And we were, like many other organizations and event producers, we are facing increasing challenges. And it was very easy for us to kind of give up. It was for a multitude of reasons, which I'll explain briefly here. But it required the spirit and the strength of our community in order for us to continue to organize this event in the face of all these challenges. The financial aspect is just one challenge that we face. The other is the logistical challenges, the complexities that surround that. And also the other motivating factor in this continuation of producing this event was really to ensure that we continue to build bridges with other communities and build understanding. That's another component of Vaisakhi. Other than practicing our Sikh principles, which are human principles, we wanted to ensure that we took this opportunity to bridge cultural understanding. particularly because recently we've seen a lot of anti-immigrant and anti-Indian hate online in person and so it was very important for us to not back down but to fight this new fight, if you will, against discrimination, against racism. And that's how I see Vaisakhi. It's not just an opportunity for us to share our Sikh values. It's not just an opportunity for our community to participate in the principle and spirit of seva, but to ensure that we counter these anti-immigrant and anti... rather anti-immigrant and anti-Indian discriminatory narratives that take place and continue to take place. So I just wanted to say in closing, I just want to say this support is very important, and I'm very thankful to Mayor, Council, and all our partners at VPD as well. Thank you, Paul.
Statement Watch
I'm the past chair of the Punjabi Market Collective, but I'm calling in today as a community member. I'd like to call in to support this motion to fund the 2026 Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade. You know, as a community member, as somebody who grew up in South Vancouver, I've had the opportunity to see this parade sort of transform. You know, and at a very intimate level, My family, we've been, you know, we've been enacting the principles of SEVA by doing lunger at the Vaisakhi Parade for close to two decades now. You know, every April, people in my family, people in our extended network, we come together and we serve South Vancouver. which is one of the most, I want to say, popular stalls in the market during Vaisakhi. But, you know, it's not just what we're serving. It's what we're experiencing that's really important, which is this connection with people of all walks of life. It doesn't matter what your faith is. It doesn't matter what your background is. It doesn't matter what your age is. Really, what we're doing is we're bringing people together and we're doing it under the principles of Sikhism and, you know, in pursuit of our faith and our values. So, you know, if you take a look at some of the photos from the very early days when Vaisakhi was this brand new concept in Vancouver, you can see that it was a very small community event. But, you know, over the last four decades or so, it's turned into this really important day in our in Vancouver sort of cultural calendar. And, you know, the city must do whatever it can to ensure that this is not lost for the residents of not just South Vancouver, not just Sunset, but, you know, the whole lower mainland and Canada. So I'm really hoping that you're able to support this motion and ensure that, you know, the community has the support it needs in order to, you know, change to, or sorry, in order to, you know, adapt to a changing landscape, especially when it comes around, you know, community safety, traffic management and security. So, you know, I'm not going to take up too much of your time. I'm calling in today. And I think that, you know, your vote to support will go a long way. So thank you so much.
Statement Watch
Good morning, dear Americans and members of Vancouver City Council. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. Today is a meaningful moment for our community as we celebrated the opening of Securities Month. Through this official proclamation, it reflects Vancouver's ongoing commitment to diversity, inclusion, and recognizing the contributions of all communities. In that same spirit, I would like to speak about the Vancouver Vaisakhi Nagarketan Parade, not just as an event, but as a powerful example of our community in action. This year marks the 47th annual parade. What began as a small gathering has grown into one of the largest Vaisakhi celebrations in Vancouver. bringing together hundreds of thousands of people from all backgrounds. It is a space where families, seniors, youth, and visitors come together to celebrate, connect, and learn from one another. At its core, Vaisakhi represents the universal values, service, equality, and unity. Through SEVA, traditions like Lungood, these values are not just expressed, they are lived. This event is also driven by community leaderships. Volunteers, dedicated countless hours, and young people step forward to take a meaningful role. It creates a welcoming and inclusive environment that reflects the very best of Vancouver. However, as the parade continues to grow, so do the responsibilities, particularly around public safety. Coordinating traffic, emergency service, and crowd management requires significant increasing resources. These are the essentials to ensuring a safe, successful event. While we sincerely appreciate the city's support through the fast share policy funding, current funding does not fully meet the scale of these needs. At the same time, the parade contributes greatly to the city. It supports local businesses, brings people together, and strengthens community connections. Most importantly, it fosters understanding and unity across Vancouver. We are respectfully asking for your support in increasing funding for the Vancouver-Vasaki-Nagarketan Parade so that it can continue to grow safely, remain inclusive, and serve our community effectively. This is an investment in public safety, community connections, and cultural understanding, youth leadership, and the strength of Vancouver as a diverse city. Thank you very much, Mayor Kenson and City Council.
Statement Watch
Morning, Mayor and Council. My name is Jeff Tioli. I'm a Vancouver resident. I'm the former Film Commissioner for the City of Vancouver and also served as a Senior Manager of Film and Special Events Branch. I support the report recommendations. However, it doesn't go far enough. This is a bit of a full circle moment for me. The last time I presented to Council was actually when we created the City's first comprehensive public event policy. The Vaisakhi Parade and Festival are an essential part of Vancouver's cultural fabric and ensuring it proceeds this year is the right decision. But let's be honest about what's happening here. This isn't new and it's not unique to Vaisakhi. We've seen this pattern before across multiple events in the city.
There's urgency.
A festival gets pushed to the brink and then at the last moment, There's a scramble to step in and save it. And yes, that response is necessary in that moment, but if that's the only time we show up, then we need to call it what it is.
If we only show up when something is about to fail, it is not support, it is neglect.
We've seen this dynamic play out again and again. We keep celebrating putting out fires instead of preventing them. This is not a reflection on any one decision or any one group. It is a pattern we have fallen into as a city. And the cost of that pattern is carried by the event organizers. People who put enormous effort into delivering these events and who are left operating year to year, never knowing if they have the support they need. I've worked inside the city and we've faced this exact issue before. And at the time, we didn't just respond to the immediate pressure. We worked towards a long-term approach that gave all festivals a significant increase in support and stability. That's when we designed the FestShare program. And for a while, that worked. But over time, we've drifted back into old patterns. So when festivals are struggling year after year, it's not a failure on their part. It's a signal that the system around them isn't keeping up. What we're doing today is important, but it's still reactive. If we want to do better, we need to start focusing on prevention. Because while prevention doesn't come with headlines or sound bites, and it doesn't create a moment for anyone to step in at the last minute, it is what stability looks like. A well-run city provides predictable and ongoing support. It allows organizations to plan, and it respects the work they do by not forcing them into crisis year after year. So yes, approve this motion. But let's be clear. If we're back here again next year, having the same conversation, then we haven't solved the problem. We're just repeating it.