Vancouver park board commissioners continue to clash over Oppenheimer Park

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — One Vancouver park board commissioner is calling on another to quit over remarks made in relation to Oppenheimer Park.

A question over who has jurisdiction over the park was raised by a TV reporter after an unsanctioned warming tent was set up in the park this week.

Current board chair Camil Dumont’s equivocal reply, saying it’s a place where many jurisdictions have influence, did not impress fellow commissioner John Coupar.

“He’s taken on the responsibility to be chair of the park board. Clearly, he should understand the jurisdiction of Oppenheimer Park is the park board — everybody in the city knows that,” Coupar says. “If he doesn’t want the responsibility he should resign.”

Dumont, who is a Green Party member, and Coupar, who belongs to the NPA, are on opposite sides of an ongoing debate over whether the board should seek an injunction to clear the park of campers, who have been living there for months. Dumont is on the side of the majority of the board opposing the course of action. Coupar is one of two commissioners in favour of an injunction.

But Coupar says their disagreement over how to proceed has nothing to do with the call for resignation.

“When I see somebody not taking the role seriously that concerns me greatly and it’s nothing to do with politics,” he says. “His responsibility as the chair, as one of seven commissioners, is to endure clean and safe parks for Vancouverites and I thought his answer was very glib and I expected better of him.”

Coupar also took issue with another commissioner’s apparent reluctance to answer questions from media, describing Stuart Mackinnon as “running” from the same TV reporter who questioned Dumont.

“Reporters are just trying to do their job, And it’s our job as elected officials to try and answer the best we can and be available to the media,” he says. “If you believe you’re doing the right thing … and then you don’t want to defend it that’s of concern.”

He says ultimately the response to the warming tent will be decided by Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services.

But he wants an end to the impasse at the park board and to see people moved out of the park.

“I’d like to see a little more respect for the institution. I’d like to see us work together and come to a solution here. I think it’s gone on too long. People are suffering in that park and we shouldn’t have people sleeping in tents in the cold in Vancouver. I think we can do better as a city.”

The City of Vancouver has officially rejected a request to set up a warming tent as temperatures plummeted.

NEWS 1130 has reached out to Camil Dumont and Stuart MacKinnon for comment.

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