Bob Mackin
An investigator hired by the Vancouver Park Board’s Integrity Commissioner found commissioners who were originally elected in 2022 on the ABC ticket slandered each other last April.
Jamie Pytel of Kingsgate Legal said ABC Comm. Jas Virdi defamed independent Comm. Scott Jensen at an April 14 Park Board meeting with false accusations of discrimination.
Pytel also ruled that, a week later, independent Comm. Brennan Bastyovanszky defamed Virdi on a CKNW’s Jas Johal Show when he questioned Virdi’s integrity as a commissioner
Investigation
Pytel’s Dec. 1 report, released Dec. 12, said there was insufficient information that Jensen and Bastyovanszky regularly denied Virdi an equal opportunity to participate in meetings or that his time was limited compared to others.
At the April 14 meeting, Virdi proposed Park Board explore the feasibiilty of a new indoor and outdoor pool at Sunset Community Centre. Board chair Laura Christinsen called a vote. Virdi unsuccessfully objected, because he said past items were simply referred to committee.
Virdi said at the meeting 10 times that he was discriminated against and said once that Sunset community members were being discriminated against.
“He repeatedly stated that he was being treated differently from other commissioners who were allowed to simply ask that their member’s motion be referred to committee, without a vote taking place,” Pytel wrote. “Comm. Virdi declined to answer questions about his member’s motion and left the meeting before the vote on his motion, which motion was defeated.”
During an April 21 interview on CKNW, Bastyovanszky suggested Virdi focused on Sunset because it is a close walk to his business. That implies Virdi is “making motions in his role as a Park Board commissioner that could personally benefit him.”
“This contravenes the code provisions which permit freedom of expression, but to do so without defaming someone,” Pytel wrote. “The investigator finds that this allegation is substantiated.”
As for sanctions, Pytel recommended a letter of reprimand to Virdi, a request for an apology and Virdi’s response to the request.
For Bastyovanszky, he suggested Park Board request a letter of apology to Virdi.
Meme
A social media post by Bastyovanszky on April 15 that offended Virdi did not breach the code of conduct. It depicted Virdi with a smartphone and the headline “When Jas calls Ken [Sim] and it goes straight to voice mail.”
Virdi posted underneath “shame on you… you know I was calling Commissioner [Marie-Claire] Howard because she got logged off our meeting.”
Bastyovanszky said he did not create it, but shared it once. He later apologized.
Pytel said the meme was not accurate about what Virdi was doing — he was not calling the Mayor when the image was captured — and that a reasonable person reading the post would not think Virdi was actually trying to call Sim.
“However, even if taken literally, the alleged damage is not apparent,” Pytel wrote.
ABC split
Bastyovanszky and Jensen were members of the ABC caucus until December 2023 when Sim suddenly proposed ending the elected park board as a cost-saving measure.
Sim did not get the needed support of the NDP government to amend the Vancouver Charter.
Original Integrity Commissioner Lisa Southern began a preliminary assessment of the duelling complaints, but decided to combine the investigations and refer the files to Pytel.
Southern’s four-year term was to expire by the end of December. But Tracey Lee Lorenson took over in November.
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