Skip to content

Burnaby park expansions get voter approval

Burnaby voters approved expansion for eight city parks - 27.98 more hectares in total - by 90.57 per cent during Saturday's election. The community opinion questions were included in the ballots for Burnaby.

Burnaby voters approved expansion for eight city parks - 27.98 more hectares in total - by 90.57 per cent during Saturday's election.

The community opinion questions were included in the ballots for Burnaby.

The parks put forward for new land were Burnaby Lake Regional Nature Park, Burnaby South Memorial Park, Confederation Park, Burrard Inlet conservation lands, Cumberland Place conservation lands, Deer Lake Park, New Haven conservation lands, and the Still Creek conservation lands.

All of the park expansions passed, with the following results:

- Burnaby Lake - by 94.2 per cent.

- Burnaby South Memorial Park - by 90.9 per cent.

- Burrard Inlet conservation lands - by 90.4 per cent.

- Confederation Park - by 92.3 per cent.

- Cumberland Place conservation lands - by 88.8 per cent.

- Deer Lake Park - by 88.4 per cent.

- New Haven conservation lands - by 88.8 per cent.

- Still Creek conservation lands - by 90.8 per cent.

The largest amount - 8.68 hectares - is going to Burnaby Lake.

Confederation Park gets the second largest increase, with an additional 7.58 hectares.

"Since '93, council has let the public decide," Dave Ellenwood, director of parks, recreation and cultural services, said in an interview with the NOW in July. "I think that's a good move."

Since council began including the park dedication questions with the election ballot, the response has been very favourable, he said, estimating it is in the 95-per cent approval range.

The dedications are spread fairly evenly throughout Burnaby, he said, but there aren't any major changes.

These are lands the city has acquired or made available since the last round of dedications in 2008, according to Ellenwood.

Situations that have prevented the city from adding this land in the past have been resolved, he added.

In the case of Confederation Park, the land at 250 Willingdon Ave. consisted of unconsolidated parcels of land, but the city has since consolidated them, so the dedication can go ahead, he said.

The 27.98 hectares is about half the amount put forward in the 2008 election, which was 57 hectares.

Responses in the last election ranged from 88.9 to 92.9 per cent in favour.

Burnaby's parks cover about 24.5 per cent of the city.