Candidates for Park Commissioner

Juliet Andalis emigrated from the Philippines to Canada in 1966, and has worked in the nursing profession for 38 years.

Juliet has been a nurse at VGH, Children's Hospital, Sunny Hill Hospital, and UBC Hospital. She is also a certified foster parent for mentally and physically challenged children and adults, and had people in her care intermittently from 1989-1999. Juliet has also recently worked as an instructor for the care aide program in Grand Forks, B.C. She is presently working as a nurse assessor for an insurance company.

Juliet's community involvement is extensive. She has served as president of the Filipino Association in British Columbia for six years, and as director for two years. She has volunteered for Parent Support Society in B.C., and the Mission Catolica Hispana. She currently serves as treasurer for the Canadian Red Cross Lord of Pardon Society, and also acts as a translator for Filipinos.

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Throughout his time on Park Board, Allan has worked effectively as a Commissioner with both colleagues and citizens, regardless of political affiliation. First elected to Park Board in 1993, Allan is the longest serving and most experienced Commissioner. During the past 12 years, he has played key leadership roles in improving the quality of parks, community centres and recreation facilities in every Vancouver neighbourhood. He has first-hand experience managing the Park Board's operating budget and forming the current $80 million capital upgrade program.

Prior to Allan's election to Park Board, he earned a well-deserved reputation for community service with organizations such as Ronald McDonald House, Chinatown Merchants Association and BC Paraplegic Association. Allan was born and raised in Vancouver and graduated in sales and marketing from BCIT. Allan owns and operates a successful real estate project marketing company. He is married to Wendy and has three adult children.

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Bill Grant has lived in Vancouver 36 of his 63 years. A graduate of UBC in Education, Bill has spent most of his carreer as a business manager and owner. He was President of Nabob Foods, founded Firstfund Capital Corporation and presently is CEO of Goldstar Resorts. Bill has residences and offices in Vancouver. He lives with Sue is wife of 35 years and their 3 adult children, graduates of UBC, all live and work in Vancouver. Bill is former chair of the Canadian Manufacturers Association and is presently chair of PACE, a member of the Vancouver Board of Trade, and has held many other voluntary positions including a past director of th YMCA. Bill has a high level of interest in the Parks activities, management and future direction.

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Spencer Herbert is currently Associate Producer of the UN World Urban Forum Arts and Culture Festival with Judith Marcuse Projects.

A community developer with the Roundhouse Community Centre, Leaky Heaven Circus, and the Vancouver East Cultural Centre Spencer has brought our city to life through celebrations in our parks and communities.

He's pushed for increased citizen involvement in civic life, and been recognized for his efforts with a Jessie Richardson Theatre award for his work with youth on the anti-violence production Fire.where there's smoke.

In demand as a facilitator and lecturer, Spencer has worked with Better Environmentally Sound Transportation, The Sierra Club, BC Civil Liberties, and the Gay and Lesbian Centre to build inclusive, healthy, and active communities.

A fan of baseball, Spencer has played and umpired at Little Mountain, Marpole, and Killarney. He lives in Grandview Woodlands with his partner Romi Chandra.

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Vancouver needs a proactive vision for parks and recreation that balances preservation of nature with efficient use of land and facilities for healthy living. It is important to be innovative and creative in how we use our space and resources.

Parks enrich the lives of all who live in Vancouver. Families have wonderful options for gatherings, group activities, exploring nature and having fun. Vancouver needs to preserve and enhance its precious natural environment and at the same time support the many recreational programs and activities that promote healthy, balanced living.

Vancouver citizens should be proud of their environmental practices, recreational programs, and safe, welcoming parks and facilities.

I want to use my PhD in Environmental Studies and my lifetime of participation in sports to promote healthy living in Vancouver for our bodies, minds and environment.

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Korina moved to Vancouver in 1993 after graduating with a BSc in forestry from the University of New Brunswick. She is currently employed as a Project Coordinator and Database Developer with J.S. Thrower & Associates Ltd., a forest resources consulting firm. In the past, she has worked with BC Hydro Recreation Areas, New Brunswick Ecological Reserves, and in Banff National Park. In 1998, Korina founded a federally registered, volunteer-run charity, The Foundation of Hope for Children's Hospitals, and currently serves as President and Director. Sports and recreational activities have been a fundamental part of Korina's life since she was a child. She grew up playing softball, basketball and volleyball, competed in track and field, and was a Governor General Bronze Medal Award recipient for academics and athletics. Korina has also volunteered as a coach for Special Olympics track and field athletes.

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Omar Kassis has been a Vancouver School Board teacher since 2002. Before that, he taught for three years in Ahousaht, a village in Clayoquot Sound.

Presently Omar teaches at Cedar Walk, a newly-created alternative school for First Nations students run by the Urban Native Youth Association. He serves on the board of Aunt Leah's Society; providing services to youth at risk. He's also a board member and organizer for the Creative Peace Network, which hosts peace camps for Israeli and Palestinian teens.

Born and raised in Vancouver, Omar is fluent in English and French. In 2002 Omar and three friends, organized and mediated the Olympics Faceoff, an interactive pre-referendum debate featuring key figures from both sides.

Omar cycles several thousand kms a year and enjoys hiking and mountaineering and loves his two recreational hockey teams.

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A native Vancouverite, Mel Lehan is a teacher and longtime community builder. He and his wife Barbara have been married for 34 years and have three daughters, Shaina, Kathleen and Mira.

Mel co-founded St. James Community Square, a recreational and cultural space; organized a successful effort to save affordable housing in Kitsilano; and led the creation of adventure playgrounds at Tatlow Park and Beaconsfield School.

He was instrumental in the Park Board preserving the natural setting of the Pt. Grey foreshore; protecting it from development. He is now working on daylighting a neighbourhood creek and developing an urban park.

Mel is an active athlete who has coached youth teams. He believes in citizens being involved in their communities and organized Neighbour to Neighbour, a citywide coalition of neighbourhood associations.

For his work Mel has received awards from the David Suzuki Foundation, the Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce and Kitsilano Neighbourhood House.

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Vancouver's natural beauty is worth protecting. The citizens of Vancouver not only need places to play but also places to enjoy and explore nature. We need places of tranquil refuge from our busy lives and the animals and birds that help make our city lives enjoyable need places to nest and raise their young. As a Special Education teacher at Killarney Secondary I know the importance of having healthy choices for our youth. I want to ensure the children of today and tomorrow have safe, healthy places to learn and play, and our parks are models of conservation and sustainable living. We need to invest in our aging infrastructure and not allow neighbourhood facilities to be taken away. Outdoor pools, ice rinks and athletic fields are important. Parks and recreation are important. Natural spaces are important. On November 19 vote for People and Nature in Balance. Vote MACKINNON - Green Party.

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Tracey Jastinder Mann is currently completing a joint major in economics and Environmental Geography. Her past work includes the promotion of green policies at a local and international level, educating youth about the environment and working towards reducing barriers that prevent women from entering the political arena.

Tracey hopes that by running others; especially, women, visible minorities and youth; will feel empowered to use their voice to enact political change locally and globally. "There are many segments of Vancouver's population who are under-represented at the civic level. The more diversity we have, the better able we will be to address the varied sets of concerns of the citizens of Vancouver."

Tracey feels the parks and recreation facilities of Vancouver play an important role in creating a sense of community and a connection to the environment. These facilities need to remain open, safe and accessible to all.

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Since moving to Vancouver in 1993, Jenn McGinn has served on the Britannia Community Services Society Board of Management for four years, and is in her second term as President. She has been on the Board of Little Mountain Neighbourhood House. She is active in the LGBT community, and was an organizer of the Vancouver Stonewall Festival, as well as being on the Vancouver Advisory Committee on Seniors Issues.

Jenn's experience includes seven years on the Executive of the Vancouver East NDP Association. She is also a member of the Vancouver Mount Pleasant NDP and was a member of the COPE Executive.

Born in 1970, she was raised in Charlottetown, PEI and graduated from Concordia University with a BA in Political Science and Women's Studies.

Jenn is employed as Executive Director of the South Granville Seniors Centre. Prior to that, she spent six years working with women survivors of violence.

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My top priority is to ensure that all neighborhoods and sports programs have access to excellent facilities and top-notch playing fields. Like most parents who live in Vancouver and have children involved in soccer, I feel it's unacceptable that during wet and rainy weather, the kids have to play on gravel fields. I'm concerned about their safety and it's time we made providing adequate playing fields a higher priority.

But it's not just about soccer. We need to ensure that all sports groups have access to great facilities, be they fields, indoor gyms or ice rinks.

I also want safe parks. There is no reason why anyone, anywhere in this city, should walk through their parks and not feel safe. I want to put police back in the neighborhoods and patrolling the parks as part of their regular patrol.

For more information or to contact Ian, go to www.ianrobertson.ca

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Anita Romaniuk was elected to the Park Board in 2002. She was Vice-chair in 2003, Chair in 2004, chairs the Finance Committee, and is liaison to the Library Board and Vancouver City Planning Commission.

Previously, Anita served on the Douglas Park Community Associations's Executive and Arts and Park Improvement committees. She was active in her residents' association, and secretary of the Neighbour-to-Neighbour Association for four years.

Anita served four years on the BC NDP's Provincial Council, and was a candidate in Vancouver-Fairview in 2001 and Vancouver-Langara in 2005.

Anita has a M.Sc. from the University of Victoria and an M.B.A. from U.B.C. She works as a systems analyst for a distribution company. She enjoys playing the piano, researching family history, and needs more time to swim. She and husband Ray like walking around Vancouver, attending the theatre, and globetrotting.

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Born June 3, 1925 in the City of Calcutta, India. Educated in India. Worked in public affairs in India, the United States and Canada. Worked for 16 years for the Sun and Province Newspapers. Now retired.

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My name is Earl Sunshine. I am running for the position of Parks Commissioner. I am from Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation. I got a job at Labor Link. I am have been actively involved with the community for many years. I volunteer at Healing Our Spirit BC Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Awareness Society (Board Member 1998-99), Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Center, St. Paul's Hospital visiting people living with HIV/AIDS (10C ward). I have also volunteered when needed with the Greater Vancouver Native Cultural Society. I have also volunteered with various civic, provincial, and federal candidates so I understand about politics.

If you would like more information, you may call Sunshine Enterprises 604-897-6373 after 6 pm.

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Erik is the founder of DF Technologies, an information technology service company that provides IT consulting and management for large projects. With extensive experience in cost control and management, Erik's fiscally responsible point of view would be an asset on the board. He believes that with inclusive, responsive planning, the park board can maximize resources and provide better value for everyone. Erik wants to implement a central contact system so that the board can communicate more efficient and effectively with stakeholders, which would allow park users to participate in the decision-making process in an informed way.

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Sheryl moved to Vancouver over a decade ago and firmly rooted herself and her family into the community. She holds key positions in several community organizations and has participated in many initiatives such as:

• West End Citizens' Action Network (WECAN), Chair
• West End Integrated Neighbourhood Network (WEINN), Steering Committee Member and Working Group Lead
• Safe Streets Coalition, Member
• Family Services of Greater Vancouver (1134 Burrard Project), Community Advisory Committee Member
• Four Pillars Coalition, Participant
• Justice Review Task Force (Street Crime Working Group), Past Participant
• Police Board Deliberative Dialogue, Past Participant

Sheryl is the Director of Operations of a privately owned business in Vancouver and holds several industry designations. She is a Certified Marketing Executive with a Diploma in Sales and Marketing from the Sauder School of Business at UBC. She is married with one child.

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As part of the highly effective 2003-2005 Park Board, Loretta Woodcock will continue to advocate for sustainability in the design, construction and maintenance of our parks and facilities and further energy and water conservation, encourage wellness through active use of our parks and facilities, protect improvements made in public participation and consultation, respect the ethnic diversity of citizens, address needs of the disabled, and promote arts and culture through programs and events.

Loretta spearheaded lowering seniors user fees that were increased by the previous park board. As union vice president of airline employees in Canada for nine years, Loretta brought positive communication, strategic and problem solving skills to her park board liaison positions at Dunbar, Killarney, West Point Grey and Champlain Heights Community Centres, Everett Crowley Park Committee, City Hall Advisory Committees on Seniors and on Diversity Issues (multiculturalism).

She resides with her family in the Dunbar neighbourhood.

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I am running for Park Board Commissioner because of my background in athletics and recreation and my experience in fundraising, I know that I can make a difference in many areas.

Sports and recreation is one of the best ways for young people to thrive in our society. Unfortunately, too many of them, through no fault of their own, do not have the privileges that my own children have had. I believe that I can assist young inner-city kids in getting engaged with what our Park Board system has to offer. It is time for them to have their own advocate and I intend to be that person.

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