There’s a pretty solid chance Burnaby Lake Regional Park will one day be in the hands of the municipality, but the transfer could still be a few years away.
The City of Burnaby has requested the park, which is currently being managed by Metro Vancouver, be returned to the city at some point before the end of a lease agreement that expires in 2020.
While the regional district has in principal supported the request to return the park to the city, there is no timeline in place for the transfer, according to Burnaby councillor Sav Dhaliwal.
The councillor, who also sits on the Metro Vancouver parks committee, pointed out the issue is still being discussed and would need to be approved by the board.
Dhaliwal also suggested the city would be comfortable waiting until the lease expires in four years, or taking over operations before, if Metro Vancouver makes a decision sooner.
A regional parks service review from Metro Vancouver in 2014 recommended the regional district begin in the “relatively near future” to prepare for the transfer to the city and “initiate discussions with Burnaby aimed at facilitating a smooth transition” of the lands.
The 140-hectare park has been operated by the regional district since 1978, most recently under a 21-year lease at a cost of $1 per year.
About 75 per cent of the land around the park is owned by the city.
Dhaliwal suggested Burnaby wants the regional park back in the system so the municipality can plan for the future and provide its own vision for the park.
“Our parks division is well equipped to manage our parks,” he told the NOW. “They do a wonderful job, and we believe this would be one more park that we can look after and plan its future.”
Dhaliwal also argued resources are scarce within Metro Vancouver to acquire and enhance parks, adding looking after parks is not a core function of the regional district.
“It’s not an acrimonious fight; it’s a suggestion and we’re happy offering to take some of that work away from Metro [Vancouver],” he said, adding the regional district should still be in charge of managing and preserving more eco-sensitive areas of the region.
The councillor noted part of the discussion over the transition will include the city providing assurances to Metro Vancouver that the municipality can not only maintain the park, but make it even better.
