Stanley Park Restoration Wins National Award of Excellence and Innovation

October 29, 2008 (No. 62) - The Vancouver Park Board was the recipient of the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association's (CPRA) prestigious Award for Excellence and Innovation at their annual conference last week. The award was presented in recognition of the Park Board's demonstrated leadership in turning the crisis caused by the devastating windstorm that struck Stanley Park in 2006 into an opportunity for the long-term restoration and renewal of the park.

The award recognizes projects that set a new standard of innovation in the provision of parks and recreation services and have practical applications for use by other municipalities and organizations. An organization's ability to garner significant public involvement and forge creative partnerships is also considered in the evaluation process.

Park Board Chair, Korina Houghton, had this to say about receiving the award: "This is an incredible honour for all of us at the Park Board. It is a validation of our last two years of planning and restoration by the leaders in parks and recreation services across Canada. But, this award also belongs to over 7,000 Stanley Park donors and partners from our community and beyond. Without their support, and that of all three levels of government, this project would not have been possible."

This is the third award the Park Board has received this year in recognition of the ground-breaking work of the Stanley Park Restoration project.

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For more information, contact Carol DeFina, Communications Coordinator, 604-257-8440 or 604-377-3950.
www.vancouverparks.ca

The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation maintains 220 parks and 40 major facilities throughout the City of Vancouver. The Park Board's mission is to provide, preserve and advocate for parks and recreation services to benefit people, communities and the environment.