About me

Jason Upton has lived and worked in the City of Vancouver his entire life.  The city has changed drastically since the 1970's. There has been significant development as we grew from a small city to a large one and, along the way the cities amenities also grew. However, in the last  10-15 years, there has been a major gap happening in regards to new condos and the park and recreation space available for the growing population.  While we have added nowhere NEAR enough facilities and parks to keep up, the ones in place have degraded and been damaged.

I first become aware of this issue, back in 2010, when the City wanted to close the Bloedel Conservatory due to the repairs needed, that was the last straw for me. On top of letting the important treasures degrade, now their state of disrepair was being used as an excuse to close them and redevelop the land.  I jumped into the Park Board race and was happy to see the public and other Commissioners ensure it did not close, even though was only close to being elected myself.

Today, we have many improvements needs to most of our parks and facilities. There are plans in place and studies, but not enough is actually being done and it's a disgrace. Jericho Pier, enjoyed by many, has been closed from a windstorm for 8 months now and not a single board has been fixed. Its fenced off. Kitsilano Pool, used by thousands was closed for part of the summer.  When our precious assets are broken, they should be fixed immediately  - period. It's the people who use them that suffer from them not being available and they metal fences are a blight on the City.

If elected, I vouch to make sure that our parks are protected so they can never be closed or taken away, there can NEVER be any commercial development on them.  I also pledge to keep developers responsible for adding new parks.  The Oakridge mall property had a covenant requiring new parks but the plans show much of this will be a green roof on a parking lot - a parking lot is NOT a park.  We are adding millions of square feet and housing without enough consideration of green space, organized sport fields, ice rinks, pools and gym space.   Our outdoor pools are in disrepair with some closed. We need to fix them all and add several to the City. Vancouver has one of the lowest rates of outdoor pool space for major cities in Canada, yet has the most moderate climate. I pledge to work to get our pools fixed and improved immediately.

Vancouver is a beautiful City and always has been. With growing traffic and population, it will not stay that way unless the right team is on guard to ensure it. Jason Upton and the NPA is the right team and electing us will increase the quality of life for all our residents and guests. I'm excited for this challenge and appreciate all your support.

Let's Unlock the Fun!!