GRACE MCCARTHY Commemorative Naming Park Board Committee Meeting - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Park Board Committee Meeting

RECOGNITION OF GRACE MCCARTHY

Commemorative Naming

May 13, 2019

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Presentation Outline 1. Purpose of Presentation 2. Previous Board Decisions 3. Background 4. Discussion 5. Next Steps 6. Recommendation

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Purpose of Presentation The purpose of this presentation is to celebrate the legacy of Grace McCarthy and to seek Board approval for the commemorative naming of the plaza surrounding the Bloedel Conservatory as “Grace McCarthy Plaza”.

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Previous Board Decisions On June 19, 2017, the Board approved the motion titled Recognition of Grace McCarthy, which directed staff “to work with Grace McCarthy’s family to develop an outdoor space that recognizes and tells the story of Grace’s tremendous contribution to the Park Board, our City, and the Province of British Columbia”.

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Background

Grace McCarthy 1927 – 2017

Officer of the Order of Canada Recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal Life Achievement Award, Influential Women in Business Honorary Doctor of Laws from UBC and Simon Fraser University

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Background: Grace McCarthy

Background: Grace McCarthy

• Leader for women’s and children’s rights
• Park Board Commissioner (1960-1966)
• Member of the Legislative Assembly for the

Vancouver-Little Mountain District (elected in 1966, 1969, 1975, 1983, and 1986)

• First female Deputy Premier in Canada
• Lobbied the federal government to introduce

a law allowing unmarried women to apply for mortgages without a male guarantor.

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Background: Grace McCarthy As a Park Board Commissioner, Grace McCarthy:

• Became first female Vice Chair;
• Helped to secure open spaces for park

development;

• Led efforts to coordinate recreational activities for

people with disabilities;

• Played a significant role in the completion of the

Bloedel Conservatory; and

• Campaigned to turn part of the old Shaughnessy

Golf Course into a botanical garden.

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Background: Legacy The legacies of Grace McCarthy include:

• Stanley Park Christmas train;
• Lights on the Lion’s Gate Bridge; and
• CH.I.L.D Foundation, which has raised

millions in research funds for children suffering from Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and liver disorders.

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Discussion

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Discussion: Commemorative Naming

• Staff met with Ms.

McCarthy’s family and friends to discuss ideas for commemoration.

• In light of the input received,

staff recommend naming the plaza surrounding the Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park in Grace McCarthy’s honour.

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Discussion: Commemorative Naming Proposed site:

• High profile and much-loved

plaza

• Located in the heart of the

park and one of the highest points in the city

• Supported by Ms. McCarthy’s

family

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Next Steps

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Next Steps: Commemorative Naming

• Should the Board’s approve of the

recommendation, staff will develop a signage and landscape concept in consultation with Ms. McCarthy’s family, and plan a public event to celebrate the commemoration in late 2019.

• The concept will also be integrated

into the Queen Elizabeth Park Master Plan.

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Recommendations

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Recommendation THAT the Vancouver Park Board approve the commemorative naming of the plaza surrounding the Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park as “Grace McCarthy Plaza” in recognition of Ms. McCarthy’s contributions to the Park Board, the City of Vancouver, and the Province of British Columbia.