Waiving 2026 Park Board Fees for Italian Day
Motion 5 · Park Board Meeting, May 25, 2026
Summary
- Directs staff to waive all applicable Park Board fees for the 2026 Italian Day on the Drive Festival (June 14), including event-related park use fees where operationally feasible.
- Brought as an urgent motion given the June 14 event date and the need for timely financial certainty for organizers.
- Fees estimated at approximately $4,000, not exceeding $5,000.
- Commissioner Virdi noted a parallel motion had also been submitted and acknowledged Mayor Ken Sim's public call to waive fees and a City Council-approved $60,000 emergency fund supported by Councillor Dominato.
- Commissioners broadly praised the festival as a celebration of culture, community, and family that draws attendees from across the city.
Vote
Transcript
10 segments
Yes, thank you so much. I am going to be raising an urgent member's motion. It has been submitted in writing. The urgent member's motion is titled Waving 2026 Vancouver Park Board Fees for Italian Day on the Drive. It is being moved as urgent member motion due to the timeliness necessary for the financials of a June date for their uh for the successful launch of the Italian day on the drive it is okay June 14th is the date of the event so okay so I'm obliged to make a ruling on whether this deemed as urgent and I'll just pause for one minute while the clerk reminds me
All right. The chair deems this to be an urgent matter, given that Italian Day is almost upon us, and if we're going to make a commitment, we need to do it now.
Commissioner Jensen, please bring your motion, and you're the mover. Do we have a seconder for your motion? I see Commissioner Bastiwanski, and we will ask the commissioner to... I'll read it out so that... Give us his motion.
Okay. Therefore, be it resolved that the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation direct staff to waive all applicable Vancouver Park Board fees associated with the 2026 Italian Day on the Drive Festival, including event-related permanent park use fees where operationally feasible. And if you'd like to ask me some questions, you may. If you already understand the rationale behind this motion, you may consider it, and we can move to comments. Commissioner, questions?
Do we know approximately how much the fees are, Commissioner Jensen?
Yes, approximate. And so we're looking at no more than $5,000, approximately around $4,000.
Less than $5,000, around $4,000. Thank you. Any further questions around the table?
And I have been in contact with the organization group since hearing about this in the media a week and a half ago. So doing my best, but not able to get that exact figure down. But certainly I've been working very diligently to get this information since seeing it in the news.
Thank you very much. All right. Seeing no further comments, then we'll move to a vote. All those in favor of the motion as presented. Please, so finished with questions, and we'll now move to comments on the motion. Do commissioners have comments on the motion?
I see Commissioner Verity.
First of all, I just want to thank Scott for bringing this forward. I had a similar motion that I submitted as well in response to Mayor Ken Simms' request for us to get rid of the fees. And I also want to thank Councillor Dominato for providing the $60,000 emergency fund motion, which was supported by the councillors as well. So I just want to thank... Commissioner Jensen for listening to Ken Sims call as well.
Thanks Commissioner Jensen well if thanks are going to be given out. I would like to thank the Italian day uh, board, um, that puts us on for all the hard work that they do. I'd also like to, to thank, uh, Digby, Commissioner Digby, Commissioner Bascovansky, um, for their support, um, with the Italian Day Festival. I, I, you guys were there last year with me and it was, uh, a wonderful event. Um, further to that, I know that, uh, I spoke with Commissioner Pete Fry yesterday. Pete Fry is a big advocate for the Italian Day Festival, and I think that that motion passed unanimously, so every single councillor deserves the recognition for supporting the Italian Day on the Drive. This is such a non-political issue. This is about supporting a festival that matters to so many people, not just those that live nearby the commercial drive, but all all those that come and celebrate, celebrate culture, celebrate community, celebrate family. It is a very worthwhile event, and I'm hopeful that more people will be able to enjoy it this year because of the support that this park board has shown.