Vancouver Park Board votes to hike service fees, add amenity improvement charge in 2025

The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation unanimously passed a motion Monday that will hike the price of its programs and services by an average of six per cent in 2025, while a new three per cent amenity improvement fee will be added to select attractions and services.

Board staff said in the motion that the increases reflected a balance of maintaining affordability, while being mindful of cost pressures and the need for long-term financial viability.

The motion noted that a 2024 public engagement survey found more than 70 per cent of respondents were willing to pay more user fees for services.

The amenity improvement fee will be added to certain services like filming permits, the Stanley Park miniature train and admission to the VanDusen Botanical Garden.

Money raised from the fee will go into a reserve fund that will be reinvested in the direct upkeep of facilities, as part of a multi-year pilot program.

"Staff continue to put conscious thought into the question around who should pay, acknowledging that services that benefit all and better community at large would be funded through taxes, while areas benefited by more discrete groups be funded through user fees," said Steve Jackson, Vancouver's general manager for parks and recreation, on Monday.

Jackson said that the board had very few levers to pull, and that increasing fees was preferable to reducing services or increasing taxes.

Parking will go up by an average of six per cent in 2025, and admission to arenas and aquatic and fitness centres will increase by seven per cent.

The city's McCleery and Fraserview golf courses will see adult admission hiked by four per cent in the spring and summer, while admission to Langara golf course will be increased by eight per cent — and 15 per cent in the winter.

While the motion was passed unanimously, park board commissioner Scott Jensen made an amendment to study whether the city could reduce the financial pressure on non-profits that use pay parking.

The popular Stanley Park miniature train ride is among the park board services getting the steepest hike on average, with a ticket going up by nine per cent once the amenity improvement fee is factored in.

Many members of the public attending Monday's meeting were opposed to the fee increases.

They included Sherry Chen, a Vancouver mother who spoke about how the cost of living was already making it difficult for families to use park board services.

"I really ask for you to look at alternative plans for the people who cannot afford any more increase," she said.

In supporting the motion, park board chair Brennan Bastyovanszky said the City of Vancouver doesn't allow the park board to directly keep the money generated by its services — which is what led to the amenity improvement fee.

A majority of the park board and city council continue to butt heads over Mayor Ken Sim's plan to dissolve the board and transfer its responsibilities to council.

"It is unfortunate that the cost of service [is] going up and the revenue or money that we need and have requested from the city is not being met," Bastyovanszky said.

"So the park board is doing everything we can to ... keep our fees as low as possible."