PART II: DETAILED PUBLIC COMMENT SUMMARY PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT SUMMARY

Part II: Detailed Public Comment Summary is an appendix to the Public Engagement Summary (Part I) and documents a detailed summary of comments received during the 2019 Nelson Park Public Engagement process undertaken between October 19 and November 25, 2019. Part II also contains all verbatim comments received from survey participants. For a summary of the general findings, please refer to the Public Engagement Summary (Part I).

Both documents are available on www.vancouver.ca/nelsonparkrow.

BACKGROUND

BC Hydro is requesting permission from the Vancouver Park Board for rights‐of‐way to bury five underground power cables through Nelson Park to connect its planned underground West End Substation to the electrical network. Once built, the underground power cables would not be visible from within the park but there are short‐term construction impacts (estimated two months plus time to rebuild the park) and potential long‐term limitations as to what can be placed on top of the underground power cables. BC Hydro and the Vancouver School Board have also requested a right‐of‐way for a driveway access from Bute Street which would have

short‐ and long‐term impacts to the park.

The Vancouver Park Board is undertaking an independent study to understand potential impacts of BC Hydro’s request on Nelson Park. As part of this study, public engagement was completed to share findings to date and learn about public questions and concerns related to Nelson Park. Public input, along with a technical study, will be brought forward for Vancouver Park Board Commissioners to review as they consider BC Hydro’s request.

Spring 2020 1 | Page

PUBLIC COMMENT SUMMARY

Question 1: What do you think are the most important topics for the Vancouver Park Board to consider when making a decision about BC Hydro’s request to bury underground power cables through Nelson Park? Choose up to 3 topics.

Topic Percentage of Respondents Urban Forest 47% Construction Impacts 38% Public Health & Safety 37% Park Experience 37% Community Gardens 28% Access to Play 25% Dog Off‐Leash Area 23% Community Events and Gatherings 11% Other (please specify) 11% Don’t Know 2%

Other Important Topics (please specify):

General Comment / Key Theme Number of Mentions Importance of maintaining electrical grid for the broader public good 10 BC Hydro's compensation to the School Board to provide a school 5 Concerns about health and safety risks particularly with children 5 Maintaining park amenities e.g. walk‐through, benches, enjoyment areas, winter 3 garden, including returning the park to its full former use Concerns about the potential social impacts during construction process 2 Concerns about ongoing maintenance and operational impacts 2 Concerns about tree removal and related impacts 2 Better than alternatives such as an above ground substation or overhead 2 powerlines Concerns this will set a precedent to allow similar projects on parkland 1 Concerns about traffic impacts 1

Spring 2020 2 | Page

Question 1a: Please tell us why the topics you chose are important.

General Comment / Key Theme Number of Mentions Key neighbourhood gathering place for social connection, community health and 45 well‐being, mental and physical health, ability to experience park Preservation of trees, particularly mature trees, to maintain urban forest for 38 shade, urban character, environmental health, climate change factors Importance of green space and passive recreation in an area faced with limited 38 park space well‐used by many as their “backyard” Replacing, relocating, or maintaining community gardens for gardening 37 enjoyment, food, neighbourhood character, apiary; need for additional plots due to demand Concerns about perceived health and safety risks particularly with children (e.g. 34 EMF, accidents); public health should be a priority Need to provide a play area for children (school playground is preferred 31 playground as it is considered safe due to fence) Maintaining or relocating the dog park; limited options already exist for off‐leash 30 Support for BC Hydro to construct an underground substation as long as standards 29 met and BC Hydro provides due diligence, mitigates impacts, has a defined construction timeline, and restores park Disruptive to community in terms of long‐term construction impacts (e.g., noise, 28 dust, safety) compounded by development fatigue from other ongoing developments Need to maintain electrical grid as a basic need particularly as power needs 20 increase due to a growing community, technological changes, etc. Impacts will be temporary / short‐term and potentially manageable to still provide 17 access to park Importance of access via pathways for commuting, community connectedness to 12 other routes around the City Importance of maintaining community events such as the West End Farmers 9 Market as neighborhood asset Preference for alternative location (e.g. St. Paul’s, redevelopment of Dal Grauer, 7 under street, Burrard St) Need for a long‐term park vision or potential opportunities for park improvements 7 Support for a new school / compensation for new school 6 Disagreement in principle of project in park space that goes in contrast to the 6 mandate of Park Board to protect parks; issue of removing public space from public use Traffic impacts especially as Nelson Street used as a main connector 4 Concerns park use may be affected based on negative perceptions of EMF 4

Spring 2020 3 | Page

Need for penalties if BC Hydro does not meet construction standards, safety, and 3 construction schedule Too many impacts and too many unknowns about full impact of development 3 Appropriate compensation needed 2 Inadequate consultation by BC Hydro with previous Park Board and City Staff, 2 stakeholders Concerns about ongoing maintenance and operational impacts 1 Concerns will set a precedent to allow similar projects on parkland 1 Concerns about impacts to future park configuration 1

Question 2: Are there potential impacts on Nelson Park not reported in the Discussion Guide that you think are important to consider? Other Impacts (please specify):

General Comment / Key Theme Number of Mentions None 37 Concerns about health and safety risks particularly with children (e.g. unknown 23 effects of EMF, accidents, major disasters) including cumulative impacts and lack of assurance Significant and cumulative construction impacts (e.g. noise pollution, vibration, 19 safety and security, sleep) compounded by other construction initiatives Impacts to park experience and quality of life (e.g. social connections, community 13 well‐being) Increased traffic and pollution during construction process especially on Nelson 10 Street Impacts to trees but opportunities to replace with trees more suitable for 9 anticipated climate change impacts or to retain specific trees (e.g. Monkey Puzzle tree) for shading and that have a value to park Impacts to green space / urban oasis 9 Concerns about ongoing maintenance and operational impacts (e.g. noise, 9 vibration, other issues) Park configuration and features in terms of future park use as a priority (e.g. 9 amenities such as BBQs, winter garden, improved pathways) and Park Board’s mandate of meeting park space 1.1ha per 1,000 residents. How will park experience be enhanced? Impacts to long‐term ecosystem e.g. wildlife 6 Impacts to public gatherings including Farmers Market (e.g. parking, sidewalk 5 tables and chairs) Support for BC Hydro substation and the potential benefits that it could bring 3

Spring 2020 4 | Page

School related issues e.g. students attending Coal Harbour outside 3 neighbourhood, operational impacts on school Long duration of construction process 3 Concerns about resulting park design and character 3 Social impacts e.g. homelessness 2 Community gardens impacts – permanent impacts including to apiary 2 Concerns about design of replacement school (e.g. size and shape) that may 2 impact park and shading (compounded by other developments) Preference for alternative location for substation development (St. Paul’s) 2 Impacts to the walking paths 2 Concerns about impacts to playground 2 Potential water drainage issues that render grass areas soggy 2 Concerns about BC Hydro parking and storing vehicles and other materials in park 2 and laneway entrances Impacts based on tieback anchors for deep excavation and potential 2 encroachment to park in terms of rights‐of‐way Support for underground cables vs. above‐ground cables 1 Concerns about impact to park features e.g., small fountain area 1 Concerns about Emergency Preparedness of substation following major disaster 1 Concern about continued availability of public toilet at park 1 Appropriate compensation to enhance park space following construction 1 Setting a precedent ‐ how project could potentially change other neighbourhood 1 plans Opinion that land better used for neighbourhood / housing purposes 1

Spring 2020 5 | Page

Question 3: Do you have any ideas that could help address some of the impacts described in the Discussion Guide?

General Comment / Key Theme Number of Mentions Consider alternative location to construct substation or cables (e.g., under streets 26 industrial/commercial area, private property, St. Paul’s, hospital parking lot at Comox and Thurlow, redevelop at Dal Grauer site) or provide information why certain locations won’t work. Ensure cables are strategically placed to avoid impacting high priority trees, 19 community gardens, or other park features or consider approaches to either relocate or retain trees (e.g. hydroflushing or other non‐intrusive measures for installation, provide residents with opportunities to identify trees of community importance, identify off‐site areas in need of canopy cover). Do not permit the project / do not permit project on Park Board land. 17 Expedite the construction schedule by mandating project to be completed within 13 a short period of time (e.g., one year), by constructing in sections or at key periods (e.g., winter) to minimize impacts to park users. Provide open, transparent communication and ongoing public engagement that 11 includes reassurances about the overall Project design and the vision for the park including potential benefits that might be reflected in the park and/or community. Strict adherence to construction schedule including providing clear, transparent 10 communication about BC Hydro and subcontractor commitments to timelines, potential changes, routes, anticipated noise, potential issues, delays etc. that is easily accessible. Ensure BC Hydro commits to appropriate compensation to both restore and 10 upgrade the park (e.g., add more amenities) to offset the temporary loss of park use and inconvenience due to the construction process and mitigate issues even if Project costs more. Consider using compensation funds to purchase parkland elsewhere in West End. Commit to maintaining, replacing, or relocating the community gardens and 8 apiary including the addition of new garden plots to compensate for loss of those plots on school property. Consider additional garden plots on City boulevards (between roads and sidewalks). Proceed with the Project as upgrading power infrastructure is in the best interest 8 of the public (e.g., not upgrading will have negative consequences, better than an above ground substation, support for proposal). Provide alternative, temporary park space during construction (e.g., close Comox 7 Street at key times in addition to Farmers Market, find accessible, alternative green spaces for park users). Commit to maintaining, replacing, or relocating playground during construction. 7 Use Project as opportunity to replace and/or upgrade playground into high quality “destination” playground for all ages.

Spring 2020 6 | Page

Look at worldwide precedents for similar projects for construction standards and 7 EMF management including measures to minimize EMF from cables (e.g., bury deep, shield cables with materials). Commit to maintaining or relocating an alternative off‐leash dog park or 6 expanding areas such as Sunset Beach. Utilize creative measures to block views to construction or involve the community 5 such as construction hoarding, screens, painted fences, murals, viewports to see Project site, crane steering wheel for children to play with during construction. Limit hours of construction to reduce noise for nearby residents, those who work 5 from home etc. Provide independent, unbiased, scientific information about EMF to the public to 4 alleviate concerns about electric and magnetic fields. Consider reconfiguring the park to prioritize kids’ playground over the dog park. 4 Provide a traffic management plan that includes new exits to the neighbourhood, 4 no entrance at Bute laneway as it would be dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, and sidewalk access at all times. Consider ‘residents only’ traffic during construction. Ensure BC Hydro commits to replanting trees to account for loss on both park and 3 school property. Consider a plan that addresses the wider community changes including 3 densification, vulnerable communities impacted by the Project. Encourage West End Seniors' Network programming in Barclay Heritage Square 2 (similar to the arrangement Gordon Neighbourhood House has to program the mini‐park in front) including enforcement of this space, as it is commonly used as an off‐leash dog park. Ensure that BC Hydro commits to specific mitigation measures that address key 2 impacts including cumulative impacts and residual effects. Consult with City Office of Emergency Preparedness about maintaining DSA 1 availability during construction. Ensure proper drainage of area to reduce impacts on park land. 1 Consider new technology investments (e.g., solar or wind technology). 1

Spring 2020 7 | Page

Question 4: Do you agree or disagree with the Vancouver Park Board accepting BC Hydro’s request for underground power cables through Nelson Park?

Category Percentage of Respondents Strongly Agree 34% Somewhat Agree 19% Neither Agree nor Disagree 12% Somewhat Disagree 11% Strongly Disagree 24% Don’t Know 0%

Question 4a: Please tell us why you agree or disagree?

STRONGLY AGREE – 34%

General Comment / Key Theme Number of Mentions Need to invest in infrastructure upgrades to support consumption needs and 34 maintain reliable power source (due to increasing density, population growth, aging infrastructure, modernization). Less impact than an above‐ground substation once built or placing the right‐of‐ 21 way (ROW) under streets (i.e., potentially more disruption, greater cost, or additional trade‐offs with alternatives). A good idea and reasonable proposal to consider that can potentially be the best 18 use of land to provide both greenspace and power if done responsibly, process is managed, mitigation measures are undertaken, and appropriate compensation. Electrical utilities are a basic need. 16 Provides significant public benefits (i.e., opportunities/compensation to upgrade 8 school and park). Lack of viable alternatives / other options. 6 No reliable evidence of issues relating to electric and magnetic fields (EMF) based 5 on current studies (i.e., levels are low). Temporary disruption is acceptable for important municipal infrastructure and 4 Park Board has previously allowed ROW for water, sewer, and stormlines. BC Hydro will pay for a new school / need a new school. 3 Underground power cables provide storm proofing to avoid outages. 2 There is a need for sustainable, clean energy. 1 Streamlines construction impacts (vs. undertaking school and substation 1 construction separately).

Spring 2020 8 | Page

SOMEWHAT AGREE – 19%

General Comment / Key Theme Number of Mentions Need to invest in infrastructure upgrades to support energy consumption needs 23 and to provide reliable energy (increasing density, growing population, modernization). Lack of better alternatives that are not more cost‐effective or have more impacts 12 i.e., this may be the best option. The opportunity to improve park features / park experience may make the project 7 worthwhile if BC Hydro provides appropriate compensation and a commitment to minimal disruption. If impacts are mitigated (including public health concerns) and the process is 7 managed effectively and efficiently. Preference for underground substation over an above‐ground one (or overhead 6 power lines). Electricity is a basic need. 5 Best solution to meet power needs and to provide community benefit. 4 There is a need for sustainable, clean energy. 2 Need for a new school. 1 Underground power cables provides storm proofing to avoid outages. 1 No reliable evidence of issues relating to Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF) based 1 on current studies (i.e., levels are low). There are successful precedents (e.g., Cathedral Square, Europe). 1 Cannot see the impacts to the park if cables are underground. 1 VPB already has a role in supporting utilities and infrastructure (e.g., water, sewer, 1 stormwater). The proposal should be considered in the context of the West End and Downtown 1 Plan to investigate opportunities for decommissioning Dal Grauer Substation for Park Board benefit.

Spring 2020 9 | Page

NEITHER AGREE NOR DISAGREE – 12%

General Comment / Key Theme Number of Mentions Understand the need to provide reliable power to community. 11 Need more information to provide an informed view / don’t know enough / not 4 an expert. Lack of viable alternatives / other options not provided. 4 Acknowledgment of the decision being a challenging one. 3 If the process is effective and improve the park to maintain greenspace and 3 construction impacts are minimized. Concern about wider impacts (beyond cable installation) e.g., environment, traffic, 3 construction schedule. Concern that issues will not be adequately addressed / mitigated (e.g. tree 3 canopy, climate change, environment). Unknown effects of EMF (particularly for children, vulnerable people). 3 Lack of certainty in City enforcing BC Hydro to adhere to regulations (if City cannot 2 enforce existing bylaws). Preference for underground substation over an above‐ground one. 2 What happens if Park Board says no? 2 Lack of certainty about proposal concept / BC Hydro. 1 Increasing neighbourhood density is creating challenges including lack of low‐ 1 income housing. Too many unknowns. 1

Spring 2020 10 | Page

SOMEWHAT DISAGREE – 11%

General Comment / Key Theme Number of Mentions Too many impacts to mature trees / urban forest and lack of consideration for 6 time for saplings to mature. Concerns about public safety / perceived long‐term effects of EMF. 6 Inadequate consideration of impacts to community i.e., would be too disruptive. 4 Preference for ROW to go under streets or in an alternative location and for BC 3 Hydro to provide an explanation about why alternatives won’t work. Concerns about environmental health / biodiversity. 2 Lack of understanding about park improvements / how park will be enhanced 2 following cable installation. Understand need for substation / demand for electricity. 2 Concerns about construction impacts. 1 Lack of trust for BC Hydro. 1 Lack of community benefit. 1 Preference to have substation underground vs. above ground. 1 Too many unknowns. 1 Improper use of parkland for commercial / industrial purposes. 1 Preference for BC Hydro to provide innovations / renewable energy / more 1 sustainable models of power that do not require displacing communities or that require acres of land.

Spring 2020 11 | Page

STRONGLY DISAGREE – 24%

General Comment / Key Theme Number of Mentions Public health and safety especially EMF (especially children / vulnerable people / 20 animals). There is a lack of details about health implications / too many unknowns about cumulative impacts relating to EMF. Public perception about EMF. Too much disruption to the park, park experience, and park character including 18 impacts to the community gardens, public green space, and playground in already park deficient area. Too much disruption to community well‐being / quality of life in area. 15 Improper use of parkland for commercial / industrial purposes. Against the Park 15 Board “selling” / privatization of parkland. Concern that the value of parkland is considered less than land used for development. Concerns about Park Board not following the Park Board mandate. Concerns about construction impacts and construction duration. 6 Discomfort with concept of substation underneath school in principle (due to 5 concerns about EMF and disruption to families/kids in area). Too many risks for this project in a quiet, residential area (and long‐term concerns 4 relating to operations, accidents, future maintenance/upgrades, etc.). Removal of mature trees is counter to the goals of City of Vancouver. 4 Habitat impacts / ecosystem impacts. 4 Opposition to increasing development / density. 3 Preference for alternative location or street (i.e., keep utilities on street). 3 Lack of effort / innovation by BC Hydro for energy efficiency improvements. 3 Concept of a substation in a park. 3 Lack of public benefit. 2 The quick approval process / lack of public consultation for project. 2 Will set a precedent for other utility companies wanting access to parkland. 1 Lack of long‐term planning for BC Hydro to secure suitable brownfield / industrial 1 land at market price to build the project.

DON’T KNOW – 0%

General Comment / Key Theme Number of Mentions Lack of alternatives / feasibility of running cables under street. Need that 1 information to answer that question.

Spring 2020 12 | Page

QUESTION 4 (COMBINED RESPONSES)

General Comment / Key Theme Number of Mentions Power infrastructure is aging and needs to be modernized / upgraded to provide 65 reliable power to meet increasing demands due to growing population, new buildings, changing technology, providing a sustainable energy source, building more homes, serves the greater good, etc. Reliable electricity source is basic to standard of living. 44 There are limited alternative locations – this is potentially the best solution / best 35 use of land / best use of taxpayer funds that would not be more costly or create more challenges than other solutions. Too disruptive to the park / wider community as it would change park use, park 32 character, park experience, and impact quality of life. Public health and safety concerns including unknown effects of EMF (particularly 32 on children) and cumulative effects, potential accidents, etc. Less impact than an above ground substation and provides better provides better 29 protection against outages from storms. Disagreement with principle of industrial us on parkland or building a substation 21 within a quiet, residential neighbourhood. BC Hydro should have purchased industrial‐zoned brownfield land at market price. Reasonable proposal to consider that may provide significant public benefits as 19 long as there is a thorough assessment, efforts to effectively mitigate impacts (including cumulative impacts and ongoing operation and maintenance of facility), high construction standards, a strong contract, and appropriate compensation. Impacts on mature trees including time‐lag for trees to mature – strong efforts 14 should be made to change routing or relocate trees. Cable installation over a 2‐3 month process is temporary and may bring long‐term 12 benefits to community which is an appropriate trade‐off. Significant construction impacts (e.g. dust, noise, duration) as well as construction 11 fatigue due to ongoing development in the West End. Project could potentially provide opportunities to upgrade the park in terms of 10 park restoration after construction. Preference for alternative location (e.g. keep utilities under street, use St. Paul’s, 10 use corner of Comox and Thurlow.) Significant impacts on natural environment / ecosystem. 10 There is a strong need for greenspace in a dense urban environment currently 11 underserved by parkland. Do not have enough information to provide an informed view (e.g., need more 7 information regarding construction schedule, what final park might look like, etc.) Concerns that impacts will not be adequately addressed or that there are too 6 many risks. A new school space is needed in the community. 5

Spring 2020 13 | Page

BC Hydro, in conjunction with appropriate levels of government, have not done 5 enough to ensure that new construction and retrofits are as energy efficient as possible and BC Hydro should explore more sustainable energy options first (e.g., energy conservation, innovation). There is a lack of clear benefits to the community. 4 There are impacts to the playground which is a ‘community builder’. 4 There are significant impacts to the community gardens. 4 There is a lack of trust for BC Hydro and opinion that there was limited public 4 consultation by BC Hydro before project was approved including a lack of information about alternative options or explanations why sites were inappropriate. Project will set a precedent for parks used for private interests / monetization of 3 parks. Vancouver Park Board already has a role in supporting utilities and infrastructure 2 in parks (stormwater, water mains, sewage etc.) Accepting BC Hydro’s proposal would be in contrast to Park Board mandate to 2 protect parks. Ongoing maintenance and operation for substation would impact park. 1 Concerns about the City enforcing BC Hydro to mitigate EMF. 1 Significant traffic impacts during construction. 1 There are existing precedents in other jurisdictions. 1 The Project should be considered within the context of the West End Community 1 Plan and the Downtown Plan (e.g., consider adapting Dal Grauer for community use, greenhouse in Nelson Park, year‐round community gardens, waste heat emission technology, etc.)

Spring 2020 14 | Page

ABOUT SURVEY PARTICIPANTS

If you visit Nelson Park, what do you usually do when you visit?

General Comment / Key Theme Number of Mentions Passive relaxation to enjoy green space and trees (e.g. Linden trees) to relax, read, 10 drink coffee, smoke, Partake in social events e.g., Worldwide Knit in Public Day, West End Moms Meet 9 Up, Qmunity BBQs, playground playdates, meeting with friends, attend music and plays Commute through or past (e.g., bike, walk) 6 Visit community gardens and chat to gardeners 4 Visit with dog 3 Residence overlooks park / is across from park 2 Walk the perimeter sidewalks 1 Attend emergency preparedness events 1 Illegal activities (e.g. purchase drugs) 1

Are you a West End Resident?

Category Percentage of Respondents Yes 83% No (please indicate neighbourhood) 15% I’m not sure 2%

Spring 2020 15 | Page

No (please indicate neighbourhood):

General Comment / Key Theme Number of Mentions Yaletown 7 Kitsilano 5 Coal Harbour 4 Sunset 4 False Creek 3 Mount Pleasant 2 Downtown (North, South) 2 Riley Park 2 Work in West End 2 East Vancouver 2 Kensington‐Cedar Cottage 1 Renfrew Heights 1 Vancouver Kingsway 1 UBC/UEL 1 Andy Livingstone Park 1 Chinatown 1 Burnaby 1 Richmond 1 North Shore 1 North Delta 1

Spring 2020 16 | Page

How did you hear about the Vancouver Park Board’s Nelson Park Impact Assessment & Public Engagement process?

Category Percentage of Respondents Talk Vancouver Invitation 47% Postcard Mailout 2% Community Poster / Sign 14% E‐Notification (from City) 9% E‐Notification (from organized group) 4% Project Website 3% Facebook or Twitter 3% Word of Mouth 31% Other (please specify) 8% I don’t know / remember 1%

Other (please specify):

General Comment / Key Theme Number of Mentions Farmer’s Market attendance and outreach 5 Park Signage 4 Follow Park Board matters and election of commissioners 2 Public Open House 1 Social Media 1 Email notification 1 BC Hydro event 1 School 1 Seniors advisory committee, GNH, WESN 1 News 1

Spring 2020 17 | Page

What worked well in this survey? How could we improve it?

General Comment / Key Theme Number of Mentions Good, informative (detailed information, well‐presented, appropriate graphics). 15 Questions are biased towards opposition to Project (e.g., no question provided 10 that asked if people think it is a good idea, about project benefits). Not enough information about specific topics e.g., traffic, vulnerable populations, 9 construction timeline, how park will change, dog park, health risks, demographics, accessibility. Better navigation and input including better link between discussion guide and 8 survey. More background information needed including more graphics, figures, maps, 7 videos, plans, pamphlets, more BC Hydro information, etc. User‐friendly (clear, easily understood). 6 Feeling that Project has already been decided so survey is irrelevant. 5 Short, brief. 5 More succinct information required (too detailed). 5 More presentation of alternatives including alternative alignments for cable 4 routing. More information needed about actual mitigation measures vs. possible 4 mitigation measures. More space to write additional comments. 4 Appreciation of allowing public to engage and provide comments. 4 Park Board should make the decision as the public will not be educated / informed 3 enough to provide an appropriate response. Questions are biased towards support for Project negative responses (e.g., no 2 section on EMF). Provided transparent information. 1

Upgrades for electrical infrastructure are essential so survey is redundant. 1 More publicity about the survey required. 1 Technical issues with survey. 1

Spring 2020 18 | Page

VERBATIM COMMENTS

Question 1: What do you think are the most important topics for the Vancouver Park Board to consider when making a decision about BC Hydro’s request to bury underground power cables through Nelson Park? If Other, please specify:

COMMENTS

Maintain walk-through Benches and casual quiet seating/enjoyment areas Failure to move forward Potential social impacts and potential economic impacts and benefits; cumulative impacts; potential impacts due to operation of the facility Children, cancer, and EMF None There are many people who use the park to spend their time: seniors who meet each other, families and the less than adequately housed Traffic BC Hydro Compensation Create a winter garden/park We need a substation. Please allow them to bury some cables. Economic impacts of refusal The need of BC Hydro request Maintaining the electrical grid Nothing The return of the park to its full former use Importance of project Tree removal and the effects this has surrounding area The need for two public bodies to demonstrate the willingness and ability to work collaboratively to achieve broader public good Ongoing maintenance is unknown. Once BC Hydro gets permission the first time, it sets a precedent to allow more projects. Public safety of crossing over powerful live cables. No tree cutting in Nelson Park or rights of ways to Hydro Hydro's capital allocation to the School Board, the importance of the cities future power needs, the benefit of not appropriating the low density Mole Hill properties for an above ground substation. Uprooting current growth and public spaces during construction School! Health risks and why this important topic is not included in the list of concerns. Future power needs of downtown residents. Health and safety of children Compare to overhead powerlines Needs of city residents

Spring 2020 19 | Page

Question 1a: Please tell us why (topics are important).

COMMENTS Old trees in particular should be preserved. I love walking through the park and checking out the gardens at all times of the year. We have a garden plot that looks like it would be removed. Will it be relocated or replaced? Folks, your political correctness is showing. This is electricity we are talking about here… pretty basic… we need to spend to upgrade & extend & improve our electric grid. If Hydro needs to dig up the park on a temporary basis, then grant the darned permits & get it done. Consider the alternatives: I flip a switch or turn on my stove and nothing happens…it is the 21st century…why are you even talking about this? Tree removal will significantly alter the feeling of the park. Significant resources must be allocated to ensure this feeling is restored as quickly as possible with as mature trees as possible. Follow up 2, 3, & 5 years after replacement must be conducted to ensure the urban forest is restored. I notice that this park is extremely well used and is an important green space for the residents of that area. I find it ridiculous that you are asking these questions before you have figured out the full impact of this development. I walk around perimeter of the park almost every day because the unpaved paths make my walker bounce and cause me pain in my joints. I love the forest canopy which shields me from the sun. Not physically able to care for a dog anymore I really enjoy watching the dogsy run and pla in the dog park. It gives me immense pleasure and is good for my mental wellbeing. Park serves passive users including seniors Safety and quality of life are key value to preserve I'm not too concerned about the impacts in the short term. The benefit of supporting West End growth and a new school is more important. Very disruptive I’m concerned about the safety of the children that will be sitting in classrooms above the underground cables, day in day out, year after year, is BC Hydro 1000% sure this is safe? I don't think its the smartest idea to put kids above all this Hydro equipment and cables. All these issues are temporary. The only thing I might notice is the trees but even the trees in Nelson Park are just so‐so. They're young, better to do it now and replant. The West End has limited park space and commensurate reduced levels of mature trees  critical to urban and individual health. Trees clean the air and provide cooling in the summer months. Park and nature experiences are known to promote higher levels of physical, emotional, and mental health. These are at severe risk of serious reduction or unacceptable loss. Nowhere in the Learning Materials does it address how long the whole substation installation and noisy dirty construction will take  only cable installation is addressed. Years of construction on the substation is not acceptable. There has been an unprecedented onslaught of high rise construction in the West End over the past few years and resident fatigue is setting in. Very little is said about constant construction noise pollution and ways to be taken to mitigate that. These issues MUST be addressed and BC Hydro must contract to written standards to be adhered to. If the standards are not met there MUST be prohibitive penalties that will hold BC Hydro to account. This is an area of expensive urban living and BC Hydro cannot be allowed to roll in and over as it pleases. I'm concerned about the loss of larger old‐growth trees. It's fine to say you're replacing 1 for 1 with new plantings, but a park full of just young saplings is very different in character from mature trees.

Spring 2020 20 | Page

Long‐term vision for this park is needed. It's one of the few parks in the downtown core. For the West End, it's the only one outside of Stanley Park ‐ which can be quite a walk if you're a senior or caring for young children. Power needs are increasing ‐ new City plans for energy use will require expanded electrical for any new development ‐even just for electric car charging. Top of the list is the dog park. The West End does not have enough off lease areas for dogs. The ones at Stanley Park and Sunset Beach are too small. The one at the beach is often a hang out for homeless people and when the tide is high the entire beach disappears. You cannot take another dog park away from people even for just a period of time. You would need to find another good alternative in the same area. BC Hydro must present a full picture for the Park Board to consider. This must include the cumulative impacts of this development in the West End, e.g., noise, air quality, traffic. The potential effects of this development must be assessed in context of all development occurring in the West End. The social and economic effects cannot be left out. We should not allow this if there will be a permanent public health hazard of significant consequence. Not enough Community Gardens in the West End as it is. Puppies need a place to play/socialize and be off lease. This park is a vital piece of our community fabric. Access to it must be maintained and minimally interrupted. Refusing BC Hydro's request is not an option. We need those cables. Well, I think that if it needs to be done for the future work of Hydro and maintaining a stable electrical grid then do for (it), people can put up with some closure. I live half a block away, after reviewing the display boards, I don't see any major problems as long as the construction is completed in time. The loss of the play area on Bute seems like a shape, but it appears that this due to the school expansion, not Hydro's work. This park site is scheduled to be a significant construction site for many years (with this construction, substation and school), essentially removing the park as a functional park space for 5‐10 years. Combined this is a huge impact to the park, which is a key part of the community. The construction could seriously impact traffic in the West End, as Nelson Street is a main connector to the Cambie and Burrard bridges (via Thurlow). The gardens are a beautiful gathering place, and the urban forest of the West End is incredibly important. Cancer and EMF ‐ self explanatory. Since most of the residents who live close to Nelson Park are in apartments, this is their only "green space". The children need a place to play. Dog owners (and there are LOTS of them!) need a place to let their dogs play and exercise. Also, these same apartment dwellers need a place to dig in the earth and grow flowers or vegetables or whatever. In a city as big as Vancouver a child needs a place to play and dogs need a place to exercise without bothering others. There aren’t many places in the West End to take dogs for off‐leash exercise. 1. This project is subjecting growing children, those that live on the north side of Nelson Street across from the school, and those that use the park to daily high doses of EMF. There is no clear evidence that this is safe. 2. There is a lot of construction going on in the west end in the near future, between the various towers going up between Burrard and Thurlow, from Davie to Howe/Smithe, and the demolition of St. Paul's Hospital. Adding this project will make life in the West End unbearable. 3. Access to play is major, as so many families rely on those playgrounds for local play areas in a dense urban neighbourhood.

Spring 2020 21 | Page

Also, 4. People grow food there, which they consume, and having it exposed to EMF and who knows what else, and then consumed, seems dangerous. Also, the current plan seems to involve eliminating the community gardens which are a key component of the west end community. I believe that access to play, dog off leash area, and park experience are important to the people of that area. I believe that it is the Park Board that has the most potential control over these three topics that I have chosen. Having said that, the Hydro upgrade(s) are extremely important for the West End in the coming years and decades. The school playground gets used all the time and the one in Nelson Park is small and under utilized, even so, so remove both is limiting to families and children in the area. I like the Gardens and would like to see those remain while construction continues. And well the downtown core is full of construction and we know how impactful noise, and road stoppages can and are. It will be a shame to lose the established trees in the park, however our infrastructure can not be ignored. I use this park extensively however I fully support this project. I live across the park and use the park frequently as do most residents in the community. Noise, air quality and other environmental impacts should be minimized because it will affect me and my health conditions daily, as will the many seniors and hospice residents in the area. There are many older trees in the park that should not be removed. Even if you plant new trees later, the loss of these trees to the park will have a big impact. Nelson Park is an essential West End green space and the West End farmers market is a neighbourhood staple. Retaining as many healthy, mature trees as possible should be a priority! The trees and dogs make the park fun to visit and so special. The thing that will upset people most is the reduced access and long‐term plan for how the park will be used and enjoyed, and how long it'll be unavailable for. Public health is a no‐brainer. I think that all the other specific areas of the park are covered by the 3 I chose. Concern about cables on public health. Also, worried about how it will affect the trees and green space. And noise, I live around the corner. Nelson Park is in the middle of urban density and vast high rises, filmed with people. It offers a chance for those people to let their dogs have some happy running time, to give them a rare chance to garden and grow food and flowers, and help things grow, and even if one doesn't have an allotment, walking through the park allows others to vicariously enjoy them. The trees are magnificent and beautiful and take us through the seasons. I take photos of them in snow, with the leaves turned, in summer when they are so green. It is beautiful, and it is home. Trees take years and years to grow and removal of them is unacceptable. They are talking about removing TWENTY TREES. That's egregious and should not be allowed. I started writing this before reading the document. Now I am horrified. Both the Community Gardens and the off‐leash area are extremely well‐used. I live right beside the park and the dog park is busy from morning to night. I do not know where these dog owners would go without the park. The garden is not only beautiful, but provides a much needed outlet for apartment‐dwellers. I would prioritize keeping this intact. The West End Farmer's Market is a vital part of our community and there need to be repercussions in place in case construction goes over time, as an impact to the market would be unacceptable. Public health should always be a priority. The cable is needed. Just let them bury it. Basically the entire construction project will make Nelson Park & the unusable for 3‐5 years! You should not be allowed to do this in park space. Looking at the maps of the project and the pop ups I attended I have these concerns. None of the key principles include accessibility. Secondly, we are going to lose some community gardens to build the school and to help with this I see no thought of including roof top gardens on the new school building that non‐profits like Gordon Neighbourhood House (GNH) and the Westend Seniors Network now operate to provide food for low income families and seniors in he Westend as they now do on some market rental buildings . Why can't the new school accommodate this on their roof. We feed 600 low income residents each week with food from our food back at

Spring 2020 22 | Page

GNH and the churches who have weekly and monthly free meals have 150 users at each meal. This need will neve decrease only get higher. These seem to be the hardest/most disruptive to replace. We need more natural spaces and off leash areas. No more hardscapes! The park is a hub for my community (I live a block away). Construction must have as little effect on the day‐to‐day availability of the park to citizens. Because it's a charming park that people genuinely enjoy experiencing with lots of greenery, all of which should be protected, and also because public health impacts should be THE MOST IMPORTANT issue here. With increasing density in the Burrard Corridor, park space is increasingly critical. This is an important green space in the West End and for children/digs to have room to play. (I) love the community gardens there as well. BC Hydro should build underground. They’ve committed to a new school and have done their due diligence. Keep the park as is once they have completed the project. This question seems ridiculous. Because it's our neighbourhood and you're going to rip it up. Hopefully the impact to access of the park will be done so that people can still enjoy parts of the park during construction. The trees and gardens are the most important part of the park for me so as little impact on those is a priority. Also public health re: EMF. If the Park Board rejects it... then what happens? This seems like a must‐have, based on my understanding of the situation. I think all the current uses of the park are important and should be considered. However, the dog park is the only one in the West End. As well, due to gardening logistics/seasons, disruptions to the gardens will have longer lasting impacts. For example, digging up the garden for a month can disrupt the entire growing season for those gardeners (as well as they put a lot of personal money into the state of their lot). Also, a lot of people have long‐term established plants that can't easily be moved (e.g. rose bushes, palm trees, etc.) I don't think the current plan is doing enough/anything to attempt to preserve the community garden. I think it would be fairly easy to tweak the plan so that it preserved much more of the garden. The constant and continual noise produced during the construction phase. With so much residential growth in the neighborhood, we need green space. For families and dogs. These seem to be the things that the park is mostly used for. Nelson Park is an important space in our neighbourhood, especially the Lord Roberts School Annex. I think honestly, they should be allowed to bury the cables. Vancouver shouldn't be protesting necessary work and the park is barely used and not maintained to a high level anyway. It's a glorified path and has homeless people camping in it often. Most people living in the West End live in relatively small condos, with very few balconies/patios. It is extremely important that they have access to both community gardens to grow their own food and for an off leash area for their dogs. In terms of public health, there are a number of aspects. The health of the community due to the power build (and making sure that all standards are met). As well, the overall public health aspect with regards to use of the park is critical (making sure it is kept clean, that people do not erect tents or other structures, no needles or condoms etc. I like the park the way it is now ‐ an oasis of nature, trees, grass to play on, pathways and the Dog Off‐Leash Area. Most issues require mitigation but are short‐term.

Spring 2020 23 | Page

More noise. More disruption. More cutting down of trees. More pollution. It's time to put our collective foot down and shout "NO". I believe any installation needs to be as low impact as possible. As long as they are mindful of minimizing any damage, and that there are no negative long term effects, then I'm all for it. Dog park is rare in Vancouver and not many other options for dog owners. Good to read that most of my concerns are addressed in discussion guide. Lots of dogs in West End‐‐off‐leash areas very important. Playgrounds must be preserved or moved both during construction and afterwards. Further investigation of EMFs absolutely essential before committing to a plan. This is a very popular park for families. We don't know the short‐term and long‐term effects of having underground power cables on the health of the West End neighbours. It is a key space, in the middle of our neighbourhood, for a community of small apartments‐‐this space is part of our shared living space, and is generally quite active all day. Please note that the discussion guide names the park at Roberts Annex incorrectly. It should be the Sidney Golden park not the "Gordon". This is a lovely green space that is extremely well used by the local people. I want to be able to still use my park in a safe manner . My use of Nelson Park is from walking past or driving past while commuting, and in volunteering for emergency preparedness. At a high level, this looks like it will have big impacts during construction, and then the park goes back to status quo after construction is done. The impacts during construction don't bother me personally. The dog park is a hub for community gathering and connection. The park is also a major pedestrian commuter zone that is frequently used. Important for children playground This space is used by many different groups, so disruption should be kept to a minimum. The other items, though important, are more ephemeral. Urban Forest: because there are way too many stumps around West End where trees have been cut down and not replaced. Dog Off Leash Area: I don't own a dog, but this is a very popular area. Would be nice to retain something during construction. Public Health: Any effects from high energy power lines beneath our feet? The loss of the children’s playground will be a MAJOR issue. It’s not used by just the school children, but by the families and children that live in the area. This is the ONLY safe gated park in the West End. Forest: I'm concerned that the trees won't be replaced, I'd like assurances that the number of trees will not decrease. I'd also like assurances that attempts will be made to relocate the trees, not just chop them down. Play: the school playground is far better than the park one and it's important to me that kids in the area have an engaging space to be active. I'd like assurances that will be improved in the new plan. Community events: I'd like to maintain (as much) normal use as possible! Our trees are critical to the climate crisis. Life goes on for everyone in the neighbourhood! Nelson Park is a major part of our everyday life, play, relaxation, social implications! A safe place to be for young and old alike. My hope is that the construction team will strive to enable this to continue as much as is possible in the mid of their job. These points are the most important to the community in terms of impacts and direct issues with the construction. The park is used regularly by individuals and families as their "back yard" because most of the homes in the area don't have yards. During the construction period, the local residents will still need access to outdoor spaces. Great canopy in the summer for picnics etc. Community gardens are extremely important for nearby residents especially for lower‐income, both add character to neighbourhood and are loved by residents.

Spring 2020 24 | Page

The West End has a unique identity that is associated with and urban forest / canopy even the removal of a few trees will negatively affect public perception of the new park and will take away from the current park experience. This is the only green space in the West End. Not yet encompassed by gentrification. Your proposed substation has risks which have been acknowledged because of other substation accidents. It is like you are attempting to provide enough power for all the development that is occurring in the West End and ultimately is having an impact on the residence and traffic congestion. You state that this project will take approximately five years to build the substation! What about the surrounding neighbourhood and the existing Hospital across the street? What about Nicholson Tower which houses seniors, persons with disabilities, etc.? How was this not have a negative impact on people before, during and after the process? I observe. Park being used daily not only by nearby residents but people coming and going from the West End who obviously enjoy spending time in this beautiful Green Space which is also home to the summer Farmers Market. Community Gardens, a dog park a school, a zen garden, playground and just beautiful green space! You want to mess around with this? Personally I feel that I will have to be relocated because of my health challenges and I do not trust in your proposal or reports that it is safe. The West End doesn’t have enough parks with playgrounds for kids. I run a licensed family daycare in the West End and there’s about 6 caregivers and other families that use that playground every week. Not having access to the playground will be challenging as we would need to go further to find a playground. We look after kids from one years old and up to four years old. Some of them can’t walk far. Nelson Park is across the street from me. The next playground is about a 30 minute walk. There’s also a lot of seniors and patients that enjoy and walk through the park. It will also impact them if they have mobility issues. High voltage lines should not be buried in the park. These are potentially cancer causing. Regulation exists in several states and countries that would not allow these lines to be installed ‐ why are we taking the risk? Worried about disruption ‐ the construction will be going on for a long time. Concerned about impact on playground. There are more and more children in the West End and this park is heavily used. If the school is shut down parks should look at replacing the playground within the park. Current play structure is not built for young children and rarely used. The requested rights‐of‐way (ROWs) will permanently limit the future uses of the surface, including where trees can be planted, affecting how Nelson Park might be configured. BC Hydro compensated the Vancouver School Board with $73M+ toward the construction of a new school in exchange for similar surface restrictions. From the diagrams, the total surface area affected by the ROWs could easily total half the 'footprint' of the actual substation, justifying commensurate compensation. Worried about impacts of high power wires and substations and removal of trees and the beehive. A winter garden allow the community have entertainment during the wintertime in a garden surrounded by glasses and glass roof. My dream about this garden includes, besides flower and plants, music maybe a café. If there is some space, could add the Farmer’s Market Winter Season. Nelson Park is an important gathering place and amenity for local residents. Restricting its use will certainly be negative. I understand that the city needs this substation but I would be heartbroken if we lost too many trees. One of the best things about living in the West End is all the green. Please, please try to keep as many of the trees as possible or replace ones that have to be removed, especially along Nelson street. There are very few off‐leash dog areas as it is. Because burying underground cables isn’t going to impact these key things, once the work is complete. Just let them do their work please. Parkland is important but electricity is literally vital. Nelson Park is a major green space for West End residents, and minimizing the impact is important. The health and safety of the park users and its neighbours should be first when considering the parks use.

Spring 2020 25 | Page

Construction impacts: i.e. minimizing noise and neighbourhood disruption Safety: ensuring buried cables are safe e.g. protection against electrocution should undetected damage occur underground. Safety If it is necessary, just do it. Things to consider are safety, disruption mitigation and a defined construction timeline. Public health effects could be perceived negatively as the public are not well informed on what long‐term effects could be, or whether these effects are real. The other topics are either temporary effects, or long‐term effects that can be mitigated to some extent. Yaletown is very dense and depends on this key green space to play with kids, dogs and relax, we need to ensure access and experience are maintained for people. Given the current impacts and future uncertainty related to climate change, I think it's important to ensure maintaining Nelson Parks urban forest as much as possible in its current mature state. Construction impacts are temporary, and the results will reduce the need for less thoroughly planned maintenance. Any parts of the park that need to be demolished also provide an opportunity to build better facilities to replace them. Nelson Park is a great space for the community to use, either for people who live and work in the neighbourhood to relax in a peaceful green space or to gather as a community. Many people living in the area use the park, it’s always busy in the summer and winter. I live across the street from the playground and there are always kids playing and people walking along Nelson as the main road into the West End. I often walk through this park. I would like to maintain the sense of community vis‐à‐vis the community garden. I see a lot of people enjoying the green space it provides. The park is such a pivotal part of the community. We need to maintain the variety and lovely tall trees in our little urban forest. Having access to play space is important for families living in apartments in the West End, they need space to safely play and be outside enjoying nature. Construction is always going to have an impact on the park and the neighbourhood, hopefully it can be minimized. There are few places for people to take their dogs, to interact with each other. How will the construction (including cable burials) interfere with ALL of the areas around the substation (noise, dust, encroachment). I don't think EMF emissions have been adequately addressed, ahead of the go‐ahead for this project. 75% reduction may not be sufficient for public health, especially around children. Totally for Hydro to build underground  short term pain for long‐term gain. I just wanted to know how long it would take to start to finish the project! But still the benefits outweigh the temporary obstacles or impacts in the region...we have to think long‐term! I think preserving the urban forest and community gardens is important. It looks like mitigation measures are being considered so that's positive. The construction for the cables doesn't seem too onerous but the construction of the substation clearly has the potential for greater impacts. The more mature trees in downtown the better. Hardest to fix, renew. Looks like an excellent project with almost no impact. Underground cables are preferable to overhead wires. We need as many trees as possible downtown. If you need cables you run cables…common sense! Projected 5‐year industrial construction period in the City's most densely populated neighborhood! Five years of no elementary school and no access to playgrounds will make the memories of a lot of local kids’ childhoods. What will replace these playgrounds and where? We only just got the ones we have ande they ar in use ALL day every day! It

Spring 2020 26 | Page

is a hard sell to demolish a school and playgrounds in this old neighborhood and replace them one day on top of a massive industrial substation! Would you send your five year old child there? Why not put new substation under a new part of town like False Creek Flats? Massive liquefaction risk in the event of earthquake acceptable enough to relocate our main hospital down there! I next to the park. My daughter went to the school we are involved with the garden. Public space is limited in the area and having part of be a construction zone will have a huge impact on our quality of life. We have fewer and fewer green space. Having a nice green area, forest like, in the middle of neighbourhood is nice. Not that I garden or have dogs. But seeing residents able to use it, or walk through it is fantastic. I feel good whenever I pass the park to work! They bring community to the park. Nelson Park is so essential to the West End, my garden, the farmer's market, the dog park, the playground. It's where the community gathers to connect to one another and to nature! I enjoy Nelson Park because of the three areas mentioned above. This jewel of a community park is a recreation spot for a diverse population in the neighbourhood. It does exactly what a park should: provides oasis and calm for city dwellers. The greenery and multi‐use for informal recreation is extremely important as is the children's play area. Do the best, cleanest job possible. This plan is very disruptive to the local neighborhood, reducing quality of life for many years. Certainly I'm no engineer, but there must be options available to install these lines without cutting trees down. I've seen 'hydro flushing' used quite successfully on our city boulevards for pipe replacement and would like to see this option be considered. It takes only a few hours to cut a tree down, BC Hydro need to get creative! A substation should only be built under the park if the park can be restored to its full utility and beauty. Human health requires green spaces, play spaces, gathering in beauty and outdoors. We are wild at heart and city living constricts us too much. We need to smell earth, flowers, have the experience of digging in the dirt, planting, growing. This is a big centre for community events especially in the summer. The gardens are very nice for West End residents. The Vancouver Park Board should also take into account that this project is extremely important to residents' well‐being in the sense that reliable power is important and necessary to densify the area. I don't feel comfortable with the gentrification of the West End and ruining the only green space in the neighborhood. Kids and dogs need exercise daily. I have no outside space at my building on Comox. I have a plot at the community garden. I go to park for events. Just hope this does not harm people. I assume this won’t be a long project and everything will be returned to at least as good as it was? So all is fine. Living in high density neighbourhoods is only healthy when families have access to common greenspace with trees, to play areas for children, and to community gardens to avoid loss of relationship to earth, vegetation, seasonality on a personal level. Removing trees is not a good idea as they are a CO₂ absorbing and this plan calls for the removal of many tree. With such limited green space downtown, I worry about the kids of the neighbourhood who depend on this space for daily activity out of their condos. As someone who walks and drives by the park every day, I want to see our travel routes considered during the construction. These are impacts to daily life of the neighbourhood residents. The Nelson Park Community Garden Society funded and maintains their spaces and are a great neighbour in our park. Demand for gardens already outweighs those available with other 250 people on the waiting list. With two

Spring 2020 27 | Page

other gardens in the West End closing soon there is huge demand for additional garden space ‐ either in Nelson Park or elsewhere. I urge the Parks Board to make creating new garden space a priority in the West End. While I agree in placing as much infrastructure underground as possible to minimize surface and overhead dangers, the larger issue of removing public space from public use concerns me quite a lot. Time to put the concerns about EMF radiation to rest ... there's already an underground station at Richards & Dunsmuir, with a park on top. Noise levels this is a massive area. How long is the noise level going to be around? Impacts on area: dust / parking / traffic disruption. Many apartment dwellers who cannot make their way to the waterfront parks depend on this green space (36% of neighbourhood park space ‐west end is underserved). Discussion guide does not describe why the existing substation (Dal Grauer) cannot be redeveloped to meet this need. I have always been supportive of this initiative, and of the similar one for Coal Harbour. I am very concerned about the shorter term impacts on Nelson Park, which will be awful, but have to trust that the Park Board will be a proactive, responsible steward of and advocate for remediation when the construction is complete. These 3 contribute both to the physical environment and community health. The park is great spot for relaxing in the middle of the city, great place next to houses, and a community get together place. Carcinogenic impact of magnetic fields on humans, animals and plant; loss of right to quietly enjoy the park, the neighbourhood and homes; no place to play, walk, rest; kindergarten children exposed to carcinogenic impact of electromagnetic fields on daily basis. I believe our community has limited options in terms of community gardens, parks to play in and off‐leash dog areas. I personally do not have a dog or a community garden area but I believe they hold value. I will note that every option above is important, I just think the dog area and community gardens are limited in quantity. There are only a few vehicle entry and exit points out of the West End ‐ Nelson St. being one of them. It is already busy. DO NOT CLOG UP Nelson Street with trucks and closing off of lanes! The electromagnetic emissions are not safe enough for kids ‐ your guide is not convincing. Why take chances? They are not sure that the playground can go back to the original spot. Depth issues? What will be leaking? The community gardens are unique. It's one of very few dog off leash areas. Community gardens are a fantastic win‐win‐win program and has been super successful for Nelson Park. If I were on the Parks Board, I'd push for lots more of them in every park! I realize that studies show EMFs are not harmful, but it is hard to overcome this fear. I would not want to send my child to school directly above a substation. I think that public perception needs to be considered and given more weight, as fear and worry can have a real impact on health. I do wonder if this proposal would ever even be proposed in a wealthier neighbourhood like Point Grey. Removing 20 large trees would go against GCAP goals and it would take years for these trees to grow back to the same size. There is a huge shortage of community garden space in the West End. Nelson Park Community Garden has a 5 year wait list and the temporary garden at Davie and Burrard will be removed next year as the lot gets developed. The hospital garden also has an uncertain future as that lot goes up for sale. The west end needs more garden space not less / disruptions to the only garden that does exist. What are the health implications of exposure to ELF magnetic fields? Due to the limited number of underground substations existing in North America, few public concerns have been raised specifically about underground substations. However, a consideration is that children may be exposed to ELF magnetic fields when playing in greenspaces created above substations or attending daycares or schools situated nearby. In general, children are regarded as being more vulnerable to the effects of environmental exposures, including electromagnetic fields. Because ELF magnetic fields can pass through most materials, exposure to this type of non‐ionizing radiation is of particular concern. Additional environmental health risks that are not considered here, but may be pertinent to

Spring 2020 28 | Page

underground substations, are the potential for noise, fire hazards, and vulnerability to seismic events. In general, scientific studies differ as to whether they conclude that chronic exposure to low‐level ELF magnetic fields may have health implications. Key findings of selected reports and reviews are summarized below. At the ELF range (≤ 300 Hz), electric and magnetic fields, when considered separately, do not cause photochemical reactions or tissue heating and therefore have been considered not capable of causing adverse health effects. In 2002, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified ELF magnetic fields as “possibly carcinogen to humans” (Group 2B) primarily based on limited epidemiological evidence of their association with childhood leukemia, which is the most common malignancy overall in children and youth. A 2016 review article supported the IARC 2B classification, citing recent studies showing an association between daily mean exposure levels exceeding 0.3 – 0.4µT with development of childhood leukemia. However, a causal relationship cannot be inferred as controversy remains about underlying biases, including selection bias, and there is a lack… Getting permission the first time sets a precedent for future projects. Next best option is for BC Hydro to route underground construction under surrounding routes. If using the park becomes the only option, will the park be able to charge BC for using the park? An initial lease and rights fee, as well as ongoing lease fees. Trees: There are very few places in urban environments where trees can flourish without roots running into underground infrastructure or parkades. Nelson Park is one the few places we can enjoy large trees. Given all the trees (including some substantial, important trees) on Lord Roberts Annex will be lost as part of the substation construction, routing underground cable trenches to minimize tree loss seems like the least that can be done. This block (park & school) will be much poorer from a tree canopy perspective after this project is complete. I'd like to see a no net loss approach and BC Hydro indicating where they will be planting trees to make up for the canopy loss here. Construction: There is a major excavation underway at Burrard & Nelson so the neighbourhood is already dealing with large quantities of construction vehicles. A plan to minimize the impacts (noise, exhaust, dust) will be important. The project was done without consultation at all by the previous board and city staffers. Keeping the work site safe and having a minimum impact while work is being done. Why are you asking about the cables when you have approved a substation under the school? The cables and the substation are I would assume a risk to children and adults. Studies have been done on people that live within 300 meters of a substation. There is some evidence to suggest and increased risk of some types of cancer. Are your children going to attend this school? The general public knows that construction needs to happen, but construction noise is not tolerated well. Lack of access to play spaces will have a huge impact on children and their parents. And citizens are always concerned when trees are cut down. Disruption of peoples lives. No park area to go to. Vital walkway connection to Downtown. Loss of community gardens. The people involved and what the gardens mean to the community and tourists. Security of the park due to gardeners being there a lot of the time. Construction impacts far, far too extreme to make this project acceptable. People with community garden plots invest tremendously in material & personal terms & should not be disturbed. I'm very worried about health effects not only during construction, but after completion. This park is a safe centre of play for all the parents in the upper West End especially at dusk. The market along Comox is also an essential community gathering which we all wish was open longer, not shorter. I think the older trees are the only thing to consider. It’s a good idea to do this. The trees and park experience are directly related to our health and quality of life. Except for Stanley and Alexandra Parks, there are next to no other green spaces (other than along the waterfront beaches) and so, it's extremely important to have a breathing space, such as Nelson (not least the community gardens!) Tree cutting in Nelson Park is unnecessary, green canopy in the City is diminishing, plant more trees not cut the ones we have.

Spring 2020 29 | Page

The substation location is a very bad location for the neighbouring community. Vancouver School Board okayed the site WITHOUT speaking with stakeholders. Vancouver School Board rammed the decision through. Loss of play space for 5+ years. Why not use Burrard St? Wall Centre tiled area frontage? St. Paul’s? VSB is low hanging fruit. Why not drop substation under roads? Trees and landscaping to facilitate a public space for events festivals. Tree placement. Preserve the social fabric. But really, keep the balance between the city and nature. I live beside the park and am affected by construction with the church already. I worry about the noise. The park is an amazing gathering place, as well as a home for some people. I would prefer they have safer accommodations for them, but it is what it is. I worrym about the being displaced yet again. In the summer there is a farmers' market. This feels vital to the community, and I absolutely do not want this affected in any way. And lastly, as stewards of the earth, if there is something, we can do to protect the nature there during construction, lets. I am not against this, I am for the substations, but these are my concerns. Hydro's capital allocation to the School Board ‐ this is a fantastic win‐win for everyone in the community. The importance of the cities future power needs. We live in a city and we need power for the future. Hydro energy is much preferred source. The benefit of not appropriating the low density Mole Hill properties for an above ground substation. If the underground substation is not given the green light the obvious next choice is to bulldoze Mole Hill for an above ground substation. The impacts to the surface of the park are temporary ‐‐ as soon as construction is over, they will be returned to normal. But the impacts to the trees are permanent. Safety and not enough schools already. The mature trees are very important for air quality and shade. Hundreds or even thousands of neighbourhood children use the playgrounds and green space and will be detrimentally affected by their loss, even if temporary. Public health is a significant concern, especially if there is a plan to re‐build ae school in th same location. I think that there would be no long‐term issues, just disruption during construction. Sad to see trees removed ‐ the urban forest is so important to the West End. Children in West End need playground space! Glad to see deep burial of the lines. Burying cables is good as it protects them from extreme storm conditions. I am only concerned about the impact of construction. Make sure that the park’s integrity is maintained throughout the project and no permanent damage to the green space is incurred. If it's better for all and doesn't create health issues or a mess, carry on. I believe there’s a lot of misinformation and fear‐mongering in the community about this somehow dangerous to the public. It would be good to attempt to dispel these fears. Everyday I walk through this park as a reprieve from work, stress, and all things that life throws at me. I feel like just reading about the impact of this project, not only will it affect my physical health and the health of my neighbours (I also happen to live nearby) but also my mental health as well. We have more people needing access to actual parks ( not concrete) so to reduce that for any time is problematic. And is it really necessary to go into a park? The playground at the Annex is a hub of the parenting community. So many use it & the enclosed playground is a vital place for parents, carers & children to meet & socialize. There needs to be some sort of playground during the construction. That the only area left untouched for the duration of the work was the dog park, rather shows that priorities are not in the correct order. I'm sure a compromise could be made with their space & the provision of a play structure, swings etc. I love dogs, but this space is supposed to also be for people. We live in apartments, with no outdoor space of our own. The park board should try to meet the needs of as many people as possible, not just dog owners because (as I was informed at the public info session) they kick up the most fuss if dog areas are touched.

Spring 2020 30 | Page

This is the only park in the West End. It is valuable greenspace. Electric cables have no place in this space. Impacts would mostly seem to be very short ‐term. People will never educate themselves enough on any matters that are important, so I think making the initiative to save as much of the park as possible, or at lease have it done as FAST as possible will be the only way to make the uneducated happy. The amount of trees that would have to come down is alarming but I'd assume more would be planted. We need to keep the small green space we have for children, gardens, air to breathe, calming. There are risks of cancers with the electrical frequencies emitted. Community gardens are needed for peace and stability. With new development in the West End and downtown, there will be additional power needs as the city grows. This should be considered as well in terms of big picture instead of looking at it from a single park issues. The park is obviously important but so is powering a growing city. Urban Forest/Park experience: Nelson Park is a rare piece of earth that has intrinsic value that cannot be quantified or negotiated. The fact that the Park Board is considering and voting on development of this land is shocking because that means the Park Board thinks Nelson Park is dispensable. It is alarming that the Park Board is asking the public to remind the commissioners of the benefits of a life‐giving green space. Nelson Park is in a 100% Residentially zoned district, and the park supports the residents. This is not a coincidence, and previous Park Boards have planned, preserved, and enhanced Nelson Park so that it contributes to the community. The legacy of all previous Park Board decisions to protect parks is at stake if now there is a transaction to accept cash or other consideration in exchange for park land to be developed for industrial use. Public Health: The concern that electric and magnetic fields present a health issue is shared not just by Park users but also by residents living beside the park. The Park Board vote affects each resident, and the Park Board is thereby determining the risk level that each resident shall accept based on the commissioners’ knowledge and understanding of the scientific studies. In 2009 BC Hydro wanted to increase the EMF into a residential neighbourhood in Tsawwassen and the property owners said No. BC Hydro and the Province ended up being compelled to purchase 138 homes because BC Hydro had no ability to convince homeowners toe accept th EMF risk. What expert EMF knowledge does the Park Board have now that no one else could come up with in the past? What level of risk % is the Park Board going to consider as acceptable for park users and neighbours? Specifically, if there was a 25% chance that EMF negatively affects human health will the Park Board impose that risk on park users and neighbours? This is the question that will be on the table and letters from Vancouver Coastal Health that quote studies. Public health: do we know what the effects of being so close to a substation area for children and neighborhood? Have we done anything to know it? Construction will affect in any way the health of the people living in that area. How this decision will affect the park experience of the people? Public health should always be a prime concern. EMF emitted from those cables could pose a permanent health problem. Park experience will include periodically digging up the park for maintenance and repairs plus construction impacts regarding permanent visible installations and damage to present infrastructure. Disrupting the gardens interrupts food supply for people who are depending upon it. I can't believe that someone is willing to put children at risk with this terrible idea. Please do not do this if you are not willing to let your children play in this park. I do not think that BC Hydro should be prevented from utilizing the Park's sub‐surface areas for running these High Voltage powerlines underground as other City infrastructure is already buried underground in the Park. The Park is criss‐crossed already with City ROWs. People need to know how safe they are from EMF already since they have NO idea how they get their Hydro delivered to their homes in the Westend. The additional bury depth will make these underground HV lines a lot safer than what is already in place all over the Lower Mainland. This is a project that is bigger than park specific issues.

Spring 2020 31 | Page

The trees in Nelson Park cannot defend themselves against development. The Park Board must defend the Park. If the Park Board cannot defend the Park then the Park Board should make a public statement saying this: "The Park Board will not be able to prevent development in Nelson Park". The downtown area is already critically populated with green areas beyond Stanley Park dwindling. Losing more space could be detrimental to the public in having outside spaces to relax that aren't at the beach. Pet play areas are also very, very few and far between. Dogs need a place outside to play off leash to increase their quality of life and in turn that effects the quality of life of pet owners. This is the only off leash park in the downtown core. The gardens are also a big part of this. We have already lost the other garden area in the West End. Losing these spaces decreases community engagement with one another. Public health. Children (and adults too) play here! Based on the impact assessment, I feel that these items are most likely to affect the community, and also the ones where BC Hydro can provide mitigation plans, some of which are already mentioned in the assessment. It is one of the last unique communities left in the West End which we should be fighting to reserve. The concentration of Monica Dale class people’s day pets that live in the area is high and public health should not be ignored. It’s the last hidden gem of the West End. The project should go forward AND the area needs to be accessible or alternatives available. The park is an oasis in the busy residential neighbourhood and the heavily used commuting streets Nelson and Thurlow. I'm really concerned about the loss of valuable mature trees and any alteration which makes the park feel unbalanced. I have low confidence in BC Hydro to mitigate ongoing negative changes to the feel of the park. This park is very precious and rare community green space and any change must enhance the park, not take away from it. It should be against the law to cut down all those trees and ruin the park. Try to keep the park as is right now. There are so few locations for community gatherings and gardens as it is. Would like to keep what exits.

Spring 2020 32 | Page

Question 2: Are there potential impacts on Nelson Park not reported in the Discussion Guide that you think are important to consider?

COMMENTS Can't think of any. This being an ongoing construction over years and years people will just not use the park except to cut through the area the gardens will be permanently affected as this is a place for people to unwind destress and enjoy nature with construction noise dust etc.? Take away the little parking that the farmers market vendors have? How is that going to work? That is a VERY popular market. I would like to use this opportunity to replace the removed trees with trees which are more suitable to expected climate change. Public gatherings are primarily focussed on Comox Street and sidewalk seating and tables and not in the Park as identified in Community Gatherings. Noise Noise pollution and quality of life for the area ‐ one that has been under a barrage of noisy and filthy construction for years. Length of Construction for the substation. I am concerned greatly about the size and shape of the replacement school building. The School Board does not seem to want to disclose what they intend to build. I realize this is not in Nelson Park, but it is part and parcel of the entire project and how I feel about it. I am sure the tin foil hat people will be aghast at this option but the lines will be buried and not overhead. I also think it might mess up the Farmers Market during the summer. People's sense of well being during and after construction. Cumulative effects of noise, traffic, air quality, etc. The discussion guide is silent on the potential impacts of the operation and de‐commissioning of the facility. The assessment must consider all phases of development. No Health risks to the children that do go to School, from 1 to 7; that's 7 years with the unknown of what the buried cables can or won't do to growing bodies. I really love the Monkey Puzzle Tree. I couldn't tell from the tree map what its fate will be, but I think it looks like you're going to take it out. Please don't. It's such a unique specimen in this park. Can you move it? No No Children, caner and EMF No According to BC Hydro's presentation, the vents are a major source of EMF etc. Based on what they said, it would not be advisable to spend a lot of time near these vents, yet it's unclear where they will be in the park and what danger they pose to park visitors. Also, 2 things which may not directly impact on the park are the impact on families whose children go to the school, and the health of those children. Additionally, Nelson Street is the major thoroughfare through the centre of the West End, and there may be significantly increased traffic and pollution from idling vehicles as a result. Most / all impacts on Nelson Park have been reported on in the discussion guide from what I can see. Not particularly.

Spring 2020 33 | Page

Is there operating noise associated with the completed substation? What are future impacts within the Hydro rights‐of‐way (service access, digging, limits on what park features are allowed within)? The park design, features & functions should be a priority. Hydro right of way extents should be located to minimize impact on current and future park uses. Homeless and social use Noise level, loss of power Traffic is always a consideration. Nelson is a key through road from the West End to South Cambie. No As stated in the above box. One issue is the 3 non‐profits have events in the park on a regular basis in the summer and fall and it would be good to have a fireplace like in Stanley Park only much smaller for when we BBQ. The park does service several senior’s apartment complexes around the park. Public safety ‐ particularly for the small children at the near by school. Upheaval, loss of natural elements. How about that residents don't want their lives uprooted for years and their park decimated for years while construction goes on? This has been discussed at nausea! All the radiation is less then your cell phone. If this is a HUGE deal for Park Board, then stop your colleagues from the outrageous amount of condo builds. That water drainage is not impacted, to reduce soggy land. I think you have been pretty comprehensive. Making the local children go all the way to Coal Harbour will be difficult for them and their parents as it is much farther away. No n/a No, very thorough. Cutting it down and re‐landscaping it (yet again) will forever alter Nelson Park's role as an urban oasis in the middle of a busy neighbourhood. Many people who have housing insecurity spend part of their day in this park, as well as key social and community time for seniors and families who might otherwise be cooped up at home all day. Impacts to wildlife during construction. I don’t feel having a power substation right in the heart of a school ground I’d healthy for the kids. No Emergency preparedness. After a major earthquake or disaster, how well will the substation and the distribution cables survive? Will this project make the Hydro infrastructure more robust, or will the burying mean that, once broken, it takes longer to recover? There is a City Disaster Staging Area (DSA) container near the construction zone. Consult with City Office of Emergency Preparedness about whether it's OK to move the container (I suspect yes). But I think it's a bad idea to make this emergency preparedness resource unusable for more than a few days during construction. Community resilience. One disaster scenario is that there are widespread power outages in the West End. Will this substation be an island of intact power? Is there a way to surface this power in the form of public outlets or charging stations which can be activated in a disaster? Neighbour Lab https://www.neighbourlab.com/ may have some ideas. There are generalities about how demand for parks will grow as the West End population rises, but there is not much in the Guide about how the project will affect this long term. It would be bad if this project ratchets down the park services available from Nelson Park long‐term.

Spring 2020 34 | Page

N/A Long‐term potential for disruptions due to lifetime maintenance requirements of the infrastructure and substation facilities. No There are 7‐8 development projects in and around the immediate St. Paul’s area and this park. Should they all move ahead at the same time, residents and commuters will be impacted, adding to the growing frustration with connections to communities, traffic delays, noise, congestion and impact to our green spaces. It is truly difficult to assess what kinds of conditions will have greater or lessor impact until one is actually experiencing same. Where I live construction is going on all the time. We have oily/dusty residue drifting in daily; and noise is at times unbearable. I try to get out away as much as possible. Don't know how to assess the residue of dirt impact. None I can think of. Nothing that I can think of. I feel it is going to have a long‐term negative impact on the environment and ecosystem. Building an underground substation on bedrock I'm building a school next to it seems to be a very extraneous and long‐term project. Radiation. The EMF information is inaccurate. The WHO and Health Canada have not reached and conclusions about EMF. Most research is focused on radio frequency EMF generated by electric appliances not low frequency not non‐ ionizing radiation generated by power lines. These lines are a different issue ‐ why are we exposing children to high‐ voltage lines when There is credible research that it can cause leukemia? (Cancer.gov) In 1999, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) acknowledged that, because of "weak scientific evidence that exposure may pose a leukemia hazard," it could not entirely rule out the possibility that EMF exposure caused health problems. The population of the West End and Downtown will increase dramatically in the next decade‐plus. Several new towers being proposed or are already under construction east of Thurlow Street, including the current St. Paul's Hospital site (once the new False Creek Flats campus is complete), and between Burrard & Hornby south of Davie. This will put additional pressure on Nelson Park. If BC Hydro feels it's too expensive to acquire land in the vicinity of the current Dal Grauer Substation, imagine the challenges to the Park Board to meet its mandate of 1.1ha per 1,000 residents. The ROWs may limit how Nelson Park is configured such that it isn't possible to increase the carrying capacity of the park. The beehive. Sure there are but I have not had time to think about it. If we had a winter garden / park it would be a tourist attraction to the City during the winter. Noise. The construction that is happening around the West End contributes heavily to noise pollution. More and more folks work from home here, or are trying to raise small children. Daytime noise is just as if not more troublesome than nighttime noise. This will only add to it. I recently moved away from Patina on Barclay Street because of it. :( Shading from surrounding tall developments, built, approved, and applied for. No No Rebuilding the park once the work is done and hopefully removing the gravel pathway through the Park. Some linemen and electricians will need to bury some cables under the park. Please accommodate them. While construction impacts are mentioned, it does not address the fact that Nelson St. is a major thoroughfare through the West End, and any traffic disruptions to Nelson St. would have a major impact.

Spring 2020 35 | Page

Long term exposure to substations in densely populated residential areas. Health of the children and dogs. Any potential impact on the future school? Homelessness ‐ perhaps that's covered under "gathering"? No. EMF emission level affects to children, as opposed to adults. No Traffic delays? No See my comment above. No The Roberts Annex parents fundraised for years to replace parts of the school playground and had a generous donation that made it possible. This playground is only a few years old and will be removed. It’s a waste of so many years of work by the neighbourhood parents and there is no replacement playground in the area. There's so much construction going on in the West End, so many parking spaces being taken away. I had a friend look for nearly 40 minutes for a spot just to drop off some things. As someone who works from home, the noise at times is almost unbearable. I hope the city can spread these things out more and take into consideration. Disruption to the walking path. EMF emitted so close to a school and public park. Why can't the substation be located on the St. Paul's Hospital lands under the parking lot at the corner of Comox and Thurlow? Noise pollution. Degraded wild space. Reduction of beauty of nature. EMF’s radiation. People tent there from time to time. You need to ensure the site is secure at each stage of construction. I wouldn’t want my kid going to school above a substation. Hope it is safe for people and animals and hope it is safe in the event of an earthquake. Damaged ecosystem of soil and trees. The biggest impact I see is that 5 years of extended construction are going to have a cultural impact on the neighbourhood. It will not be a pleasant place to spend time during the construction and will leave a huge void in the community. I think investment into creating the best possible public spaces after construction are needed for this community to return. What if something goes wrong underground and they need to rip up the park entirely? Health impacts, dust levels, and the community. Continued availability of the automated, public toilet facility. I worry that poor landscape design will result in a more 'sterile' looking park in future Not that I can think of. Carcinogenic impact on humans, animals and plants; noise and vibration during the construction; noise and vibration from the vents; removal of trees; loss of green space; loss of a park; loss of community gardens; loss of weekly farmers market.

Spring 2020 36 | Page

No Noise ‐ hum issues? Nope No No What are the health implications of exposure to ELF magnetic fields? Due to the limited number of underground substations existing in North America, few public concerns have been raised specifically about underground substations. However, a consideration is that children may be exposed to ELF magnetic fields when playing in greenspaces created above substations or attending daycares or schools situated nearby. In general, children are regarded as being more vulnerable to the effects of environmental exposures, including electromagnetic fields. Because ELF magnetic fields can pass through most materials, exposure to this type of non‐ionizing radiation is of particular concern. Additional environmental health risks that are not considered here, but may be pertinent to underground substations, are the potential for noise, fire hazards, and vulnerability to seismic events. In general, scientific studies differ as to whether they conclude that chronic exposure to low‐level ELF magnetic fields may have health implications. Key findings of selected reports and reviews are summarized below. At the ELF range (≤ 300 Hz), electric and magnetic fields, when considered separately, do not cause photochemical reactions or tissue heating and therefore have been considered not capable of causing adverse health effects. In 2002, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified ELF magnetic fields as “possibly carcinogen to humans” (Group 2B) primarily based on limited epidemiological evidence of their association with childhood leukemia, which is the most common malignancy overall in children and youth. A 2016 review article supported the IARC 2B classification, citing recent studies showing an association between daily mean exposure levels exceeding 0.3 – 0.4µT with development of childhood leukemia. However, a causal relationship cannot be inferred as controversy remains about underlying biases, including selection bias, and there is a lack… I think the tree loss in the park needs to be viewed in conjunction with the complete annihilation of all trees on the school site. Overall this is a significant hit to an important neighbourhood asset. Yes, people who live around the area are mainly low income seniors and people living with Cancer and HIV/AIDS. The power surges in the neighborhood that will result in the power station is not healthful to the residents here. Traffic on Nelson as the uncontrolled intersections. as the pop grows the two four way intersections are way too busy to continue as uncontrolled four way intersections. Please look at the intersections along Nelson as the big projects in the West End get closer to completion. Can you assure the public there is no unseen risk to travelling overpower cables? Not that I can think of. Can't imagine all the impacts until they happen. Traffic access. Nelson Street is an essential clear and rapid exit point to the community. Especially with Bute blocked. Nelson provides us easy access to the bridges and south Vancouver without having to drop down to West Georgia or Davie. Truck traffic on Nelson would slow us down and add to the frustration. There are also a lot of shift workers in the neighbourhood. A seven am construction start will greatly disturb sleep routines. No The casual social experience beyond structured events and gatherings. Every stroll through the park equals social interactions and feeling connected to the community. Not really There has not been enough public information about how traffic on Nelson Street will be impacted by substation construction, ROW installation, school construction, and other housing developments along Nelson Street.

Spring 2020 37 | Page

Yes, Hydro rights of way through the park will prevent tree planting, limit park design, and give BC Hydro the right to park vehicles and store materials in the park. Stop BC Hydro in park! Please no laneway entrance! Trees have a cost and value. City of Seattle have novel signage around Seattle Centre where they have posted the cost/value of trees in construction sites to remind the construction companies that the trees will not be killed / removed during construction. Why can't City of Vancouver? Trees provide shade. Trees need to be replaced. We need a shady park. Where/How do families get shade in the West End for five years? None that I can think. Just keep as many trees as possible. You seem to have missed reporting on all the benefits to the community this project brings. Was that an ethical way for government to interact with its constituents? Will the park be usable during construction? Is there any health impact to burying cables? The school! No How would this change other neighbourhood plans? Just the ecology of the flora and fauna and I think messing with that will impact. No The impact of the lack of playground is stated, but the real impact to the community as a whole is really not addressed or appears to be fully understood. No Wetness Nelson Park would be impacted with tieback anchors which are used to support deep excavations from caving. The discussion guide and communication with the Park Board should include drawings that show the tiebacks. Visit any excavation underway in Vancouver and you will see 25 ft. steel rods drilled into neighbouring land to the excavation and then filled with a concrete grout. This encroachment will be large as they are spaced close and probably on all sides of the park border with Vancouver School Board land. Also, any drawing or artist rendering of the future of Nelson Park should not include a possible school that is not guaranteed. It is very likely that Nelson Park will be an unappealing site that the public will avoid. Nelson Park may turn out to be just a driveway, an underground parking lot, and a substation. A realistic view is required when voting on a development that includes giving up control over your land. Haven't read the guide yet. Health and safety of humans. Require that the BC Hydro grounding field and grounding field impact radii be contained completely within the BC Hydro legal property footprint without any fault potential impacts beyond the sub station property line into the Park. It is not good when a utility controls activities beyond their ROW or Property Lines. Housing! Indirectly this could have been a spectacular residential site. The VSB land is zoned RM‐5B which is Residential! Clearly the VSB has decided their land is surplus because they just sold it and therefore this is a giant loss of Residentially‐zoned RM‐5B land adjacent to a Park that could have been housing/daycare/community space. Nelson Park could have complimented the housing. Did the City or the Park Board not understand this is a loss of housing? Should this have been discussed and presented to the public as a loss of housing? Were housing advocate groups told or invited to discuss with the City and the Park Board that the best thing to do with raw RM‐5B land in Vancouver is to destroy its potential? How will maintenance of these lines be approached? Will the cables just be encased in concrete or is there something surrounding the concrete to prevent damage or erosion? How will the affected trees be disposed of? How will the construction of these underground lines affect future tree growth for the park? Will all of the lines be constructed at once or will the lines be constructed over the course of 10 months? How will traffic to other

Spring 2020 38 | Page

surrounding parks be addressed and will there be increased services and maintenances to those parks? Any why is this happening? Dangers of EMFs. I cannot think of any. Yes, asthmatics, foot traffic, and trees. Destroying a community. What will happen with road traffic on Nelson and on Thurlow? No It covers the main concerns. I don't see a vision for how the park experience will be enhanced after BC Hydro has completed the work. Any change should leave us with a better, enhanced green space for the long term benefit of all users. I don't see how Park Board land and park users will benefit from the changes. (I understand the need for the Hydro infrastructure, but question if disrupting Park land is the only option for connecting to the City power grid.) Keep the small fountain and the greenery around it.

Question 3. Do you have any ideas that could help address some of the impacts described in the Discussion Guide?

COMMENTS

Why do the cables need to go through the park at all? Directly off Nelson St. makes more sense. Then follow Bute/Thurlow/Comox to their destinations. At least, why the 3 parallel lines off Comox? One ditch with several cables should do, then split at the substation area. Commitment to replace or relocate the community gardens. Limiting hours of construction and its associated noise will lessen impact on the neighbourhood. Noise from current projects adjacent or close to where I live are having a very negative impact on my quality of life and have sometimes necessitated leaving my home. If the work goes ahead it should be done rapidly and if they don't have the budget approval or work force, they should delay it. Yes, put it elsewhere OR stop all that over construction of super high-rises you are ruining the still liveable West End. The electricity and magnetism cause concern re the dogs as they are more sensitive than we are. They could also affect the birds and small animals which frequent the park. Close off Comox Street at times in addition to the Saturday Market for Park users during the construction. Bury cables in the street where they belong not through the park. Disrupt drivers, who should not be using cars in the downtown in the first place and don't always impact pedestrians. I am not a construction expert. We should look to Europeans construction standards for similar issues and projects. The "ordinary joe" seems to get better concern for well being and quality of life on Europe. Get the School Board to be a team player and disclose what their intentions are for a future school building. The playground at Lord Roberts Annex is sad and could use a major rehaul. Use this opportunity to build those kids and the entire community a fantastic playground. This is the only playground outside of Emery Barnes, Stanley Park, and Coal Harbour for West End kids. The other play structure in Nelson Park is strange and now used by most kids. Plus it excludes the youngest children. Often simpler is better. Is there any alternative location - the needs for the West End are real and need to be addressed since there is not enough supply at this time?

Spring 2020 39 | Page

Other than finding another dog park, I don't know. It is impossible to address this question when the discussion guide does not present actual impacts or the level of the impacts. For instance, the guide states best practices will be used to address noise, air quality and traffic and these will generally meet local by-laws. BC Hydro must identify what these mitigation measures (best practices?) are, and what the residual effect will be. Experience with development in the West End is that noise and construction traffic is intolerable. The residual effects MUST be put in context of cumulative effects. Bury Hydro installation deeply and consider shielding of some kind to minimize fields (if that is feasible). I'm primarily concerned about noise. I live next to the park and we are subjected to near constant construction noise from the monstrously huge building going up on the North side of Nelson, the retrofitting of St. Andrews Wesley and internal construction within my own building. It's making living and working here very difficult and unpleasant and I really don't know how much more I can take. That said, I can't afford to move because this city's rents have gone insane in the 9 years I have lived here. I just want my quiet West End back! Move the school No Route cables under streets not through park. Expedite the construction schedule by mandating it is completed in a short period of time. Encourage organizations like the West End Seniors' Network to more easily program Barclay Heritage Square. This will require more enforcement of this space, as it is commonly used as an off-leash dog park. Do not allow it. Currently, there are drivers who come off the Lions Gate Bridge and turn onto Denman Street, and then left onto Nelson St or Davie St. We need to limit it to "residents only" during this construction as traffic will be greatly affected by construction vehicles, etc. Post signs about the construction when, where, and for how long. Temporarily relocate the off leash dog area and replace with a higher fence Scrap this project...? There will of course be impacts during a project as large of this one. However, NOT upgrading power infrastructure would likely have negative impact on the West End of Vancouver. Not really. For access to the park and for the distribution BC Hydro should not only pay to reconstruct but also provide upgrades to the park. Send/distribute info pamphlets to neighbourhood residents ahead of major construction steps to notify people ahead of time of disruptions/changes to walking routes, park access, noise (i.e. drilling for the next 2 weeks during these hours) and similar events so that the community is given advance notice to modify their method of getting around the neighbourhood and accessing the park. I think your assessment that another dog park could be used...where? Which one? I've lived in this city, and there's nothing close by or reasonable. I think you're being dismissive of the need for that park. It's Dog's livelihood. Ensure the freaking cables are placed where there are no trees. Moving away. I think that BC Hydro should be asked to commit to rebuilding a playground equivalent to the one currently at the school annex on the park site. I do not think "committing to exploring" it is anything. I also think that new garden plots could be created in a different part of the park to make up for the loss of some on the school property. Finally, they should have to commit to planting a new tree for every tree taken down. Do it in winter when the park is least used. Cancel the entire substation construction! No, the project is going to take five years which seems like a long time to build the school and put the hydro underground but it appears you are trying to accommodate this. I suppose that's related to the trenching costs - I don't have enough info to give a detailed trenching route. Don't allow it.

Spring 2020 40 | Page

Expand the off-leash dog area at Sunset Beach - more beach and onto the grass. When the tide is in, there's no beach there at all so it should be expanded anyway. Work in sections. Have alternate dog area for when that section is pulled up. Have an alternate green space with benches for when that section comes up. Ensure the sidewalks are 100% accessible at all times. How about putting this under some existing industrial building/warehouse/area instead of under a park? This neighbourhood does not want to start becoming an industrial or business zone... it's a living space, not a working space. See above! It’s getting old... Pay attention to proper drainage of the area. The Bute St. Requested Right of Way (ROW) cuts through a huge portion of the community garden. Couldn't this be moved slightly to preserve the community garden plots? It would be nice if BC Hydro could invest in some improvements to the park, to offset the temporary loss of use & construction inconvenience. Move the BC Hydro project to private property. Perhaps some of the private property in our neighbourhood that has been bought by BOSA. The substation could go under a 67-storey condo tower instead of an elementary school. Just build it. n/a Although the science is clear, you will have problems handling EMF worries. Take a look at how other jurisdictions have done it (e.g., UK). BC Hydro will almost certainly mishandle it if left to its own devices. Yes. Say "No" to BC Hydro. I think it would be necessary for a consultation with a horticulturist, to make sure any harm to the park is minimized. Vulnerable communities aren't mentioned at all that I could see in the impact statements, so perhaps start there. Potentially consider a wholly alternate plan, that didn't dig up one of the few community spaces in a dense and diverse neighbourhood. Re-route the path they can use to build. Maybe through the dog park instead to not remove the big tree beside the parking law school. I feel they should by the hospital parking lot on the south east corner of Comox and Thurlow to put this substation in and it won’t have the impact that it will have on the park or school. No Consult with City Office of Emergency Preparedness about maintaining DSA availability during construction. Consult with Neighbour Lab https://www.neighbourlab.com/ and City Office of Emergency Preparedness about adding a electricity and resilience feature to Nelson Park as a long-term legacy of the project. Make a strong requirement that Nelson Park end this project offering more park services, not less, after construction and restoration is over. No ratcheting down! St Paul's Hospital will move away in a few years. What comes after in that area? Will it reduce the pressure on the park for hospital visitors specifically? Just that the plan looks incredibly disruptive to many of us who live there. Terrible. No Look into enhanced shielding to limit potentially harmful effects of the EMF on people and surrounding trees. No Yes, don’t do the project. I think some public reassurances or information about the rebuilt school, play areas, and urban forest would help me feel better about the project. If I knew things would be better in 2-3 years than they are now, it's easy to accept the effects of construction. Not really, other than keeping good communications around the progress and things like when there will be major noise or dirt particles in the air. None I can think of. I think keeping the focus on the fact that the construction period is relatively short helps. Resident "save the tree" exercise (residents are shown which trees are at risk of being cut down and this gives them a chance to truly identify importance instead of guessing as a non-resident).

Spring 2020 41 | Page

Choose another site for the substation. BC Hydro should build the substation elsewhere or upgrade their current substation. Or the substation should be built in Stanley park away from schools and heavily used park areas. No high voltage lines should cross the park. The existing playground should be relocated to Nelson park during construction. Gardens should not be relocated off of Nelson Park. Although the machinery is expensive, and the process involved, it may be possible to save and relocate some of the affected trees: https://youtu.be/aK3BX39G36M. Indeed, this might be an investment for the Park Board going forward as city densification increasingly affects both private and public land. Sure. The "winter garden” described above. Request compensation, and use it to buy park land elsewhere in area. I like the idea of blocking the view of the construction with fences with paintings/murals on them. No Ensure the work follows the dedicated timeline and that the park is returned to the public on schedule. Put up some fencing to give them room to work. Build substations in industrial or commercial areas when possible as could be done here. n/a Information regarding public health effects or measures to avoid or mitigate these effects will go some way to address public's concerns. There should be no impacts outside of the construction time. The actual construction may disrupt the enjoyment of the park which is not ideal. Community consultation, make information easily accessible to residents. Locate the substation at a different place in the Westend. Most seem to have been addressed in the guide, such as replanting or moving trees and relocating gardens and scheduling construction during winter months. Use the flexibility of the cables to keep as many trees as possible. You can mitigate any electromagnetic field impacts using liners. Far better it be in the park and underground than near homes and above ground. No There are none. Build the substation somewhere where it won't screw over one of the oldest and most diverse neighborhoods in the city by kicking kids out of their school, taking away their gardens and playgrounds, and give them the fear of cancer and tumors when they are returned to a new school built on top of a massive substation. The existing park is fine! Don't try to put lipstick on this pig! Don't do it, its a stupid idea. Ongoing information signs to keep the public updated. Suggest an alternative plan to keep the existing school, the newly constructed playground, the park space and community gardens in this dense neighborhood as is. Put the Hydro facility elsewhere. As mentioned above in 1a: hydro flushing is when the earth a particular tree is planted in gets flushed out with water and the roots exposed for as much as is needed to install the new pipeline. The roots of the tree are left intact and once the pipe is installed the earth is filled back in. Construction should not exceed a period of one year. Find another location please. The revenue and loss financially and socially of the garden plots should be compensated for. Our city must have more commons, more veggie plots, and yes, the dogs and kids need their space. So find more in the West End. No Given the space requirements of both the station and the new school, and the need to have play areas adjacent to the school, I suggest using a portion of the dog off-leash area to create a new playground for the school kids and all children who come to the park to play. Perhaps the dog off-leash area could be moved to be over the station since the footprint is about the same.

Spring 2020 42 | Page

Move the machinery in from the dog park or part access as to minimize environmental tree impact. Could garden space be added in the grassy space between the road and sidewalks throughout the West End? On some streets this has already happened. Perhaps some public engagement opportunities ... such as windows into the construction site. A construction site at Helmcken & Richards installed a view port and crane steering wheel for children to play with during construction. Depends on the levels of impact and time this is going to take. Consider redeveloping the existing substation (Dal Grauer). Consider using St. Paul’s site for new substation (which will become available with hospital move). Close the portion of Comox Street, and potentially also Bute Street that runs along the park, and make it a temporary park from beginning of construction right through to the new park opening. Publicly commit to solid commitments re: numbers of large trees to be replaced/ replanted in the remediated park. Ensure the beautiful pond is restored. Give area residents some legally-binding commitments to behave responsibly toward the park in the long-term. The ideas already collected seem detailed to me. Don't give BC Hydro permission to bury the cables through Nelson Park. There should be an alternative park within walking distance that should offer these community features while the Substation is being built and connected. Stop building substations near where people live. Bury the NIMBYS in the hole along with the power cables. If it has to go in (which I don’t think it should), don’t put the station right under the school. Why not another corner? Prioritize creating another community garden in the West End to compensate for disruption and impact on the Nelson Park garden. Replace trees with equal sized trees and make BC Hydro pay for it. What are the health implications of exposure to ELF magnetic fields? Due to the limited number of underground substations existing in North America, few public concerns have been raised specifically about underground substations. However, a consideration is that children may be exposed to ELF magnetic fields when playing in greenspaces created above substations or attending daycares or schools situated nearby. In general, children are regarded as being more vulnerable to the effects of environmental exposures, including electromagnetic fields. Because ELF magnetic fields can pass through most materials, exposure to this type of non-ionizing radiation is of particular concern. Additional environmental health risks that are not considered here, but may be pertinent to underground substations, are the potential for noise, fire hazards, and vulnerability to seismic events. In general, scientific studies differ as to whether they conclude that chronic exposure to low-level ELF magnetic fields may have health implications. Key findings of selected reports and reviews are summarized below. At the ELF range (≤ 300 Hz), electric and magnetic fields, when considered separately, do not cause photochemical reactions or tissue heating and therefore have been considered not capable of causing adverse health effects. In 2002, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified ELF magnetic fields as “possibly carcinogen to humans” (Group 2B) primarily based on limited epidemiological evidence of their association with childhood leukemia, which is the most common malignancy overall in children and youth. A 2016 review article supported the IARC 2B classification, citing recent studies showing an association between daily mean exposure levels exceeding 0.3 – 0.4µT with development of childhood leukemia. However, a causal relationship cannot be inferred as controversy remains about underlying biases, including selection bias, and there is a lack… Implement a tree canopy replacement plan. If the loss can't be made up for on site, identify off-site locations in need of canopy cover and have the project cover that. Stop the project and get solar or wind technology invested in the city. Information on timing of the project and clearer information on where the equipment sits, when work starts, and when it’s done - daily. You have already sold out...why ask now? Twice this was attempted and turned down...but not now. It would be good for the Park Board to display signage at the park itself explaining what is happening and the schedule of events. Relocation of all garden plots, raised beds, apiary well before construction starts. Working with the Park Board from the garden to work out timelines, compensation due to construction. Stop this insane project. New exits to the neighbourhood for cars should be considered. The school playground should be preserved in some form during construction. It is a community builder.

Spring 2020 43 | Page

I like the idea of investing in beautiful hoarding that screens the construction. Please save these trees on Nelson Street and just as many trees as possible. Placement of a HIGH wooden fence around the construction site (especially) on the south side of the site. Making it easier for the West End Seniors' Network to program the green space in Barclay Heritage Space (like the arrangement Gordon Neighbourhood House has to program the mini-park in front of it). See enclosed diagram and notes I have attached (Reference 1). 1. No entrance at Bute laneway. Enter at Nelson/Bute corner not the laneway. Super dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists - super busy sidewalk! 2. New million dollar playground at Lord Roberts Annex (LRA) main. Lord Roberts playground needs updating - destination playground (like in Richmond). Build an amazing playground at LRA main school. The kids need a playground to replace the well-used Annex playground. Spend money on an amazing playground. Vancouver School Board does not fund playgrounds anymore. Build a second skookum playground destination at Stanley or Beach. Don’t kill the trees. I guess just consulting the right people. Talking to arborists and horticulturists to find the best way to care for the plants that may be affected. See if we can get our friends in the park at least on a waiting list for housing. I have no idea what you could do about the noise; that seems inevitable. But if you find a solution, please let me know. - Your friendly autistic neighbour. Green lighting the project now addresses all the negativity brought forth in the discussion guide. Please proceed what is in the best interest of the populace. This is a fantastic proposal from Hydro. The "exploration of alternate routes that would avoid high-priority trees" should absolutely be done. Un-intrusion installation. I agree with some of the solutions discussed - e.g., cable routing that avoids high priority trees. I can't think of any others aside from finding a different location for the project. I would also like to see BC Hydro mitigate these issues as much as possible even if it results in the project costing more. They are saving so much money by using public land that they should be prepared to spend more on ensuring that the project has less impact on local residents. Is there a way to just not put this in a residential area? I see no other way. Or maybe just dig like somewhere downtown where there are no trees or wildlife. Can they choose a different route? Give over some of the dog park for an enclosed/fenced good play area with slides & swings etc. (i.e., something more substantial than the Nelson Park Playground.) Put the cables under the road not the park. Information on what will be above the underground substation would be very helpful. The discussion guide provides no information on this relevant topic. Nope, it needs to happen. Perhaps shut down the power to the West End and see how fast people understand the need for infrastructure of this magnitude. I live in the neighborhood and feel we just need to start and finish this. Identifying alternative, accessible park spaces for e.g. play, relaxation. Do not put these hazardous structures in a family-oriented area, certainly not in a park attached to a school! Get independent unbiased scientific opinions on electric and magnetic fields potential affects on human health. Then Park Board/City make their own educated assessment. Don't outsource making the assessment/opinion on EMF. Request that at least three unrelated science authorities all answer the exact same questions and then compare/ review the answers. Make the questions simple, clear and effective. i.e., what new knowledge is available that changes any previous concerns about EMF on human health? Would the science professionals live and raise a family across the street from this project with zero concern? Would the science professional recommend there would be zero negative health affects to teachers and students if a school was built adjacent to the substation and cables? Hiring an external company, not related to the interests of BC Hydro neither to the landowner, to research what it could be the health problem caused by this construction site. No. Short-term duration of higher impact disruptions have to be weighed against dragging out a project for a longer duration but with only slightly less than higher impacts. Construction is noisy. Construction will displace activities. A lot of time bending over backwards to all neighborhood concerns for the job will increase the time duration. It really won’t take very long to slam these duct banks into the ground. The disruption from the actual substation construction and school rebuild will be much greater to park enjoyment and usage than the duct bank construction hands down. It is a simple fact that the density of the West End and Downtown Core requires this kind of unique

Spring 2020 44 | Page

substation design/location thinking. The only alternative that I can think of is to wait until 2026 and build the substation at the St. Paul’s Hospital site. Given BC Hydro's procurement process the timelines may coincide with the availability of some land This land would have to be expropriated for this purpose. Ensure most of the park is usable outside construction hours. Consider the human impact on destruction of these areas. Power is 100% important to get to the downtown area but quality of life re: noise and losing park space is detrimental to that too. Seeing if other places can be repurposed into park space should be considered as much as putting up new buildings when possible. Not a good place to bury power cables. Too densely populated and children intimately interact with that property. While this does not address the impact occurring, I would suggest a strong emphasis on timeline management, where any timelines provided by BC Hydro are thoroughly reviewed and only approved and published if there is agreement that they are realistic. Any subsequent timeline delays that are in any way under BC Hydro‘s control (including subcontractors) should be seriously treated, and, detailed explanations published with any updated timelines. I feel that this will help community acceptance. Put it in an industrial area. Put it somewhere else. Transparency in the process. Information on impact if transfer station NOT built in this location. A tight construction timetable would help as well as professional horticultural input to increase the beauty of the site. I would like to see some further assessment of impact on biodiversity and I would like to see a vision for the future. If Park Board could articulate that the park is going to be better after all the work is done, then it might garner more public support. I don't see the benefit, only that the public will be forced to sacrifice elements of a much loved green space. Where is the school playground when all this is done? Where is the parking lot for teachers?

Spring 2020 45 | Page

Question 4: Do you agree or disagree with the Vancouver Park Board accepting BC Hydro’s request for underground power cables through Nelson Park?

STRONGLY AGREE – 34%

COMMENTS Well, folks, last I checked, electricity was pretty basic to our standard of living. Infrastructure in the city is ageing; we must allow it to be upgraded. Significant public benefit. We have to have new modern infrastructure in the West End. With increased density and the potential for dozens of new high rises in the next 30 years, we have to future proof. It's for the greater good. We get a new substation for BC Hydro and it only affects a park and a school  both of which are in dire need of an upgrade anyway. Electrical wires need to go somewhere. Let’s take advantage of this opportunity to upgrade this declining park. BC Hydro will pay for new schools. This is needed for future clean energy use for this highly dense area. I agree that the request is reasonable to consider. The decision must be based on a thorough environmental and socio‐economic assessment of all phases of development (construction, operation, decommissioning), including the cumulative impacts of the construction and operation of the facility. We need those cables. BC Hydro needs to keep up with the density in Vancouver and thus need to build underground so it is less impact once built – never would know it was there. BC Hydro has committed to a very short window of construction (2‐3 months) during the winter when it will have less impact. If the cables do not go through Nelson Park, it would mean much more upheaval to put the cables under Nelson Street or elsewhere. Less cables to be disrupted due to storms. Electrical infrastructure upgrades are required for a growing population. We must look forward to what is needed and best for the future in the area. The city will never decrease in its size and scale ‐ only increase. Infrastructure must keep pace with increases / changes. With the increased density with the West End, it seems reasonable to put in more power to supply the up‐and‐ coming buildings. Plus, infrastructure is going to be upgraded eventually. The other options would be to bury the cables in the street; however, I think that will cause significantly more disruption to the area. This seems a logical location for the cables. It is much better than having an above‐ground power substation. All power in the West End should be buried. Because the downtown core needs the power infrastructure and the whiners aren't exactly complaining about all the other underground power infrastructure in the city. Just because this one's new doesn't make it scarier or bad. See last comment! It has to go somewhere and studies have shown that electromagnet waves are harmless. We cannot ignore the fact that expansion space above ground is not an option anymore. I think it is the best use of the land. Underneath and above ground. We need power and green space.

Spring 2020 46 | Page

They are badly needed and I'm sure they are perfectly safe. The park isn't that great and need much more construction work to make it appeal anyway. We all use power, the population is growing, we need improved infrastructure, and all of this needs to go somewhere. If done responsibly, this seems like the best solution. Power upgrades will serve downtown for a generation. This is an infrastructure upgrade that is needed. (If power needs are not addressed for a metropolitan area, and there is a risk of a power shortage over a moderate period of time, the impact would be catastrophic, i.e. chaos could occur). A new substation is needed in downtown to support our energy consumption needs. Putting it somewhere else would be more costly and likely involve the loss of residential units that are needed. Progress. We need to bury cables to prevent outages. As a city, we need to be upgrading our infrastructure. I see this as a need. Because it affect us and we can provide our side of the vision re: Nelson Park. Because the proposal makes good sense. The city is growing. Accommodation for an expanding electrical grid needs to be made. Especially for more electric car charging capability. Temporary disruption is acceptable for important infrastructure. There is no reliable evidence of harmful effects. Short‐term pain for long‐term gain. Safer and less unsightly than above‐ground cables. If we want power, we have to compromise and the cables have to go somewhere. Because probably they need to do that, as this downtown does not stop growing. It's needed infrastructure, the alternative doesn't seem feasible. Just manage the process. It's a big city, construction happens. Electricity infrastructure is essential to our daily lives. Some short‐term disruption and minor long‐term inconvenience is an appropriate trade‐off. Access to electricity is important to all residents of the neighborhood, and an underground substation will long‐ term have the least impact on the neighborhood. Given that the cables are underground, they should not interfere with the long‐term use of the park. If BC Hydro says that this is a necessary project to secure power supply to downtown, then it’s ridiculous to reject this proposal even if there are some short‐term inconveniences to park users. Infrastructure improvements are always welcome! Demand for electricity is growing and will continue to do so as more people adopt electric cars. The City needs to find ways to accommodate this and there are only so many options. We can't let NIMBYism to hold us back on major infrastructure improvements like this. Resiliency of the electrical grid is important. Buried underground is more reliable and much less visible than overhead wires. Underground cables are better than overhead wires. We need stable access to power. Common Sense.

Spring 2020 47 | Page

Needs to happen. I want a continuous supply of electricity & the infrastructure must go somewhere. Building underground & in Nelson Park is ideal. There are no real problems with EMF except for crackpot conspiracy theories. Not building the substation would impact the reliability of the hydro grid and would reduce the ability to build new denser housing. They're needed and it is the logical route. I'd rather they be installed underground than above ground and this project needs to move forward. It is in the best interest of taxpayers: the city continues to grow, creating demands on infrastructure  we have to find ways to cooperate with expanding city infrastructure, while at the same time managing cost. It is hard to be specific since I’m not an engineer. Are there viable alternatives that would not be even more disruptive  short and long‐term  to our neighbourhood. In the best interest of the West End residents, families and taxpayer. I agree it seems a necessary project and a new school is sorely needed. It’s the way forward and the right thing to do. Since Lord Roberts Annex is under construction, allowing BC Hydro to work at the same time will minimize the length of time surrounding residents will be impacted by construction noise. To me, it's quite obvious that with Vancouver growth over the many past years, the Burrard substation will most likely be UNABLE to handle any further growth for very long! Power consumer will always increase. It’s infrastructure investment. No other space centrally. Because it is a fantastic idea that benefits all Downtown residents for the future, both from a School’s perspective and from a ‘Power to the People’ perspective. Underground is greatly preferred to an above‐ground substation where land would have to be expropriated. The dual purposing of the site is in the best interest of the populace. Utilities are essential. If the lines must run through the park, then they must run through the park. I just hope that the impacts to the older trees are minimized. Infrastructure has to go somewhere! In Europe, almost all cables are underground and it removes the unsightly appearance of the urban landscape. Also, if these cables are underground, they are less susceptible to extreme storm conditions. This is a big city and a densely populated area. This seems to make sense. It would appear there aren’t alternatives and there is a need to improve the electrical system. (If there are alternatives, the discussion guide should have laid them out.) This is much better than a non‐underground substation in the West End. Good steps to mitigate impacts on the community seem to have been well considered. It has to be done and I'd assume we'd receive amenities in exchange. Without connective cables, the substation project cannot move forward. The only alternative I see would be routing through streets ROWs which would have greater impacts on foot/cycle/vehicle traffic, street trees, access, cost and timeline. The city is growing and new residents needs places to live. As the city hopefully builds more homes at a faster rate it will require power. Can't really be a little bit pregnant. I don't think Parks should disallow utility ROWs running through them. We kind of need Water, Sewer, Storm and Electrical ROWs available for infrastructure improvements. If we did not have to maintain service while the new services were going in then it would be easy to use the old ROWs by ripping out and

Spring 2020 48 | Page

replacing. There will more disruption to the West End if Nelson, Comox and Thurlow are dug up much more than if by digging through the Park. Burying the substation is a good option for this infrastructure and the cables are a necessary consequence, without much additional impact. With so many new neighbours soon moving into the West End, I understand there may be additional demands on the electricity grid, and those cables need to go somewhere. There are limited areas with open space, do the park seems like a good option, as long as BC Hydro is held to high standards. Environment and health needs to come first! Upgrade is essential. I like receiving safe electricity. We need the infrastructure to support new, denser housing in the neighbourhood. Because it is needed.

SOMEWHAT AGREE – 19%

COMMENTS New school space in downtown is desperately needed. I can appreciate the need given the dramatic increase in the West End's population and new e‐smart buildings which require increase demands of energy. I get why we need it. I don't like that it's going to mess up our park, but if you make enough park improvements afterward, it might be worth it. I have no children, so I have no dog in that race and don't feel particularly strongly one way or another about the school being rebuilt. Can all this digging and disruption please wait until after the summer park use season though? The disruption will be so much less if done in the Fall/Winter. If this is needed, burying the substation seems like a better solution than raising it above ground. I doubt there are better alternatives, and upgrading infrastructure is vital. Without infrastructure we cannot operate a city. I live in the West End. A storm 3 years ago knocked out our power. We were without electricity for 3 days. It sucked. I agree that we should take this move if BC Hydro has identified a need for a new substation. Underground power lines are aesthetically much more pleasing, and also safer in the case of windstorms. However, I think that we should be stronger in what we ask BC Hydro to commit to in terms of the reconstruction of the park after construction. We need them and if the other way of doing this isn't any better or cost effective then why not. I do not fear health affects as others do. It’s needed and I am unaware if another potential location. Power is important, I trust that this was the best way to achieve this goal. Moving toward a sustainable electrical grid is important for reducing climate change, so more electricity will be needed. A growing city needs infrastructure improvement. This seems like a reasonable compromise. From the reading that I have done on the subject, this kind of development project has been done successfully in other jurisdictions. I think that sustainable, stable access to electric services will be critical for the future.

Spring 2020 49 | Page

It seems to me that keeping cables invisible underground is preferable to having them hanging on poles over streets. I'm not aware of any other alternatives. If mitigation is in place under a strong contract and the price is right. As they are committed to minimizing the impact and addressing the public health concerns. If building the power station is a given, they are going to have to move the power in and out of the station somehow. I can't see how this is negatively affect the park. The school should be built as high as possible. We need infrastructure. I'm not in a position to second‐guess BC Hydro that this is the infrastructure we need. The project won't really improve Nelson Park as a park, but it looks like it won't hurt long‐term. There are limited cost effective and minimally invasive solutions for this required upgrade. If we want to increase electrification and densify our neighbourhoods, then we have to compromise somewhere. We need to plan for the future and there don't seem to be many options. I'd like public commitments to making the park experience better after the work is done (better play area, better school, more trees, etc.). I think in a perfect world, the cables would be buried somewhere that doesn't affect anyone but this situation is far from perfect. I think this a likely a case of this being the best of several options given that we live in a crowded space that requires upgraded services to be retrofitted. Vancouver Parks already have a role in supporting utilities and infrastructure. This includes a sewage pumping station in North China Creek Park, and a water main through Stanley Park. So long as impact is minimized, and the Park Board is adequately compensated, the City benefits overall from such partnerships. This proposal for Nelson Park should not be considered in isolation, but rather as part of an overall West End & Downtown plan. With the West End Community Centre scheduled for an upgrade, and will be challenged given its small footprint and shared jurisdiction with the Vancouver Library and Lord Roberts School. However, a three‐way option exists. This involves the Dal Grauer Substation, which will be decommissioned when the new Nelson Park Substation comes online, and which due to its historical designation which prevents demolition and significant modification. Although I've never been inside, photos of Dal Grauer indicate it has high ceilings,d which woul be ideal for a gymnasium, fitness centre, and even a small ice rink. Moving these facilities to Dal Grauer would reduce pressure on the existing WECC site, and bring recreation services to the east side of the West End ‐ perhaps in partnership with the YMCA across the street. It could either be administered separately or, as with Coal Harbour, become part of WECC. A more modest option is a greenhouse facility located in Nelson Park adjacent to the substation, which takes advantage of the waste heat emitted from the substation. This would extend the community gardens to a year ‐round amenity, allowing flower and vegetables to get an early start, and provide a lush indoor space to be enjoyed in the cold months. Only if compensated; it's electricity infrastructure and we all will be paying so a small percentage could go to parks and with school. There’s more and more people downtown and we need more power and there’s just not that many places you can put a substation. It's necessary, and although the construction phase will be painful for those of us who live nearby, I acknowledge that hydro infrastructure is needed. There are limited area in the CBD where the power cables can be located. Provided the temporary/permanent effects are addressed appropriately this is an appropriate location. It is necessary to maintain/improve current infrastructure to be able to provide service to the growing neighbourhood. I would much rather have buried lines than above ground lines. Power cables should be BURIED anyway. We are in 21st century. UK has buried long time ago. The city needs power upgrades and demand is set to grow with electric vehicles and increased density.

Spring 2020 50 | Page

Unless they are able to do it quickly with minimal disruption, I'm not happy with it going ahead. If there are no other options, BC Hydro should go to additional lengths to payback the local community. Providing donations to help and promote local food markets and local vegetable gardens would go a long way. It is the least bad option out of the alternatives. The Substation needs to be built and be as efficient as it can for our community. That being said, it is awful short term for our community in terms of the access to school and park. West End has to commit to be a part of the downtown core and the need to bring in the infrastructure is necessary part of that growth. In the long run, it's probably for the best. Increases the robustness of the power grid and removes unsightly power poles. We need power to go, plain and simple. If it's what's needed to make sure my West End community is operating at peak performance, so be it. I can't think of an alternative to this plan that would not be more expensive and more disruptive. As long as all the ideas you provide to minimize impacts are followed, then I agree. We need the infrastructure. The cables have to go somewhere. Having underground power lines in an area where there are trees is a good idea for any branch caused damage to be prevented and would reduce eye pollution at the park. If the downtown core needs more power for the growing population then that is a basic necessity and should be addressed. However, minimizing impact is just as important. Are there other options besides pulling up the park? Are these choices being made because this is the simplest route instead of the least impactful? I am in favour of and support well‐planned and vetted densification of the West End. It is a shame that we need to disrupt a park space to do so.

NEITHER AGREE NOR DISAGREE – 12%

COMMENTS Not really sure what to think about it, to be honest. Reduction of harm to public safety needs to be the top concern I'd say. The city needs power and we can't all be NIMBYs. My concern is the trade‐off. I hope for regular measurements and ENFORCEMENT. The City does not enforce other bylaws e.g. cyclists on the sidewalks on Robson St. which terrorize seniors into stay at home out of fear of being hit and breaking a hip...the steep slope to death. Why are cyclists more important than seniors? If the city does not enforce bylaws already how can they be trusted to enforce levels of electricity and magnetism coming from buried cables and the substation. I am not confident! See my previous answers. The issues are not adequately addressed and negatives not adequately mitigated with any sense of assurance. In Brief ‐ "I am not buying it". Underground cables alone seems to be a low‐impact request. The information provided, while substantial, is not enough to allow for an informed point of view. The unknown of the effects of live buried cables on growing bodies of children. I want to ensure that the impact on the natural environment in the area and the traffic will be minimal. I'm not an expert in city planning but I understand both the reticence to tear up the park (it's an important community hub!) and the need for stable power downtown.

Spring 2020 51 | Page

It's a tough one. I think there will be a lot of upset people. I think the best plan to make this work is to give that park a facelift, and make it as user friendly following the lines going in, so that people forget how upset they were before it started. I believe this is happening as the city will tear down more old buildings to construct new ones in a continued effort to eliminate lower income housing. I think it's fine if they do so, I assume they have good reasons. I don't have strong feels as to why they shouldn't. I don't know enough about the necessity of it. If it's needed and is the best solution then OK. It's a pretty good spot for it to be hidden underground. I do think it's important to keep the park as lush or make it lusher. We should NOT give up any green space. And yes, please improve the dog area, the gravel is awful ‐ hurts their paws, is dusty to for us and them to breathe, and could be so much better. I understand that this is necessary. However, the proposed path and its impacts concerns me. Seven out of 16 trees for top priority protection are at risk or being removed. It seems to me that simply altering the path of the cables would mitigate this risk. As I don't know the specifics, my hope is that, again, there are no public health concerns that have been overlooked. Reliable power is essential. I have to trust that the VPB has researched Hydro's rationale for installing underground cables. Need more information such as: how long will the construction take? Will there be any change to the way the park looks are any areas going to be off‐limits? The reality is that the power is needed. I am not sure how this could be accomplished without the cables. I will always have concerns around any health issues around them, wondering if we can truly trust the science, we are given related to this. I wonder how much is impacted by the Dollar more than what is real? I understand the location choice, but it is a real bummer that this park will inevitably be uprooted. Downtown needs access to power but the impacts to a green space like Nelson park are greater than land that is already being used for some kind of commercial or industrial application. Other options were not provided. I understand that we need power. Burying them is probably less unsightly than running them in the air. And yet it's such a disruption to the ecosystem. Too many unknown factors. If you’re going to take away an area of rest and content, please have an area where we can go to feel the same. As we move to becoming a Renewable City, it will be critical that BC Hydro upgrade their equipment to support increase use of electricity. So, I do support investment in electrical infrastructure. But I'm also gutted at the massive mature trees that will be lost (along with the loss of space for ever growing trees that big again). Given the climate change impacts we face, trees and canopy cover are going to be some of our most critical adaptation tools, so mowing down a forest to build a substation is a tough trade‐off to make. I don't understand what if the Parks Board says no to the Cables. Does that mean the Substation will not be built? If it is not accepted, will the power lines all need to exit the substation to the north via Nelson Street? What is the alternative? Is that a better option? Is it feasible? We need new infrastructure. It appears land is of short supply and this is the largest area available it seems. There is that plot of land on Robson that isn’t developed, but I'm sure that was looked into as well.

Spring 2020 52 | Page

SOMEWHAT DISAGREE – 11%

COMMENTS Already said. Too much disruption of irreplaceable old trees. Saplings will take decades to grow that big. It's distressing enough to see all the trees on the construction site being removed. Surely some of the larger ones can be saved. And there are ways of moving medium‐sized trees; expense be damned, Hydro should foot that cost. Not through park, use street access. Too disruptive and BC Hydro cannot be trusted. Don't trust that it is safe. The health effects on the public and neighbouring community/ and wildlife. I feel that this plan hasn't adequately considered the impacts on our most vulnerable residents who use the park daily, or considered alternate plans. Magnetic fields. Concerned about the impact to Nelson Park such as losing trees, construction noise, and long‐term health concerns of living near a substation. I understand we need better Hydro infrastructure but I hate the disruption this project will make for the neighbourhood. The disruption of one‐half of the park is bad enough to tear up the rest of it have underground cables concerns me; however, it would be worse to have them overhead. It is a fear of the unknown. I don’t want to traverse a park where there is potential for electrical damage. Substations should be built on property for that exclusive use. It's a toss‐up between having more lines up in the air that give off electric waves and digging up a whole park that has recently been completely overhauled. I'm really on the fence here considering it looks like we'll lose a significant number of trees if the lines are underground. I think the substation should be located kitty‐corner to the park, under the parking area at St. Paul's Hospital at the corner of Comox and Thurlow. While recognizing that demands for electricity are growing especially in high‐population areas, we need BC Hydro and other power suppliers to be moving to less monopolized, renewable and sustainable systems of power supply. I don't mean market competition, but developing new more locally responsive models that don't require losing thousands of acres of farmland or displacing entire communities. The West End needs innovation, not same‐old‐ same‐old, and I think people would be receptive. And who the heck thinks of building a school next to a substation? Idiots. Alternative sites should be considered, or explanations why other sites are inappropriate. The park is so nice as it is with the mature trees. It would be wonderful if the well‐used, rare public park space is actually improved after the power cable installation. Anything impacting green space worries me. I do not see any improvement in my life during or after this work. I want to understand how the Park Space will be enhanced for users for the long‐term because of this project. I want to understand the plan for increasing urban forest cover and local biodiversity. I want to be assured that BC Hydro will not make an error that will result in the loss of high and moderate value trees.

Spring 2020 53 | Page

STRONGLY DISAGREE – 24%

COMMENTS The West End is very densely populated. We need our park. You are destroying the livability of the West End. Hydro in conjunction with appropriate levels of government have not done enough to ensure that new construction, and retrofits, are as energy efficient as possible. Safety. The impact of the cables and also related substation will essentially remove this as a park asset for the city for many, many years, and even following construction, will then require future maintenance, upgrades etc. Children, cancer, and EMF. This project is going to do major damage to a park that is a pillar of this community. It will take what is currently a haven from urban life and will make it a potentially dangerous place to be. Families will not want to bring their children there, people will not want to grow their food there, they will not want to spend time there. Even if after it is all completed people would be willing to return to the park, after so many years of severe disruption the habit will be lost. It will be a severe blow to the West End community. 1) There are too many risks with such a project in a quiet, residential neighbourhood where the park is such an integral factor that contributes to the quality of life in the area. Underground projects like this also risk impacting a lot of the underground infrastructure in a small and densea urb an are like this. 2) It's an unnecessary disruption to the elementary school, kids & families that live in the neighbourhood. 3) Such a project always leads to trees being removed which is counter to the aims of Vancouver being a green city. Because they want to remove 20 trees! Those trees are beautiful and cherished and take a really long time to grow. I was not against it before I heard about the trees. It's egregious. Basically, the entire construction project will make Nelson Park & the unusable for 3‐5 years! This is Community park space! Leave it alone. So tired of utilities telling us we must go along. They need to find better ways outside of parkland. Same for Telus charging stations on the beach. Greed. I've already stated my reasons, this is redundant. Keep this neighbourhood pure, and for enjoyable living. Stop trying to turn it into an industrial area. We need this school and green space. Should not have a substation here (under a park). Should be using land by St Paul’s which will become vacant soon. Our neigbourhood has enough disruption going on already with everything being sold to developers. For reasons already mentioned. Enough with the cutting, digging, and destroying. I don't agree with building a substation under school grounds in the first place. They gave other area to build them. I worry a lot about the magnetic radiation and all the noises for 5 years. All the big and old trees removed. It's a shame. We need more details about the health effects. You’re selling out the park and not putting the children’s safety first. It will be very disruptive to an open space in the urban core that is well used as a place to relax, connect, and commute. The health impacts of the magnetic changes are not fully known. How large of an impact area will it be?

Spring 2020 54 | Page

I think it's a waste of time and money and will have a negative impact on the park and the neighbourhood. Noise disturbances and no green space to spend time in peace and quiet. Would you want to reside next to a construction site for over 5 years plus? I don’t think Hydro should build a substation under an elementary school because there’s concern for radiation. They don’t allow this to happen in the US for a reason. And the magnetic fields. Danger from EMF not fully understood. Other potential for dangerous situations. Disruptive to the park. Disruptive during construction. Impacts playground. Impacts planting. Can be located on street to avoid the park. Keep utilities on the street. Health reasons. The privatization of public lands. Safety. It will disturb the park experience and green space that so many people in the neighbourhood use, is what attracts people to live in the neighbourhood and is what makes the West End a special place to live. I don't agree with building the substation so close to an area mostly used by children. That space should be dedicated to the school and park. The West End desperately needs a new additional elementary school and to replace King George. While Hydro has offered to build a school at Coal Harbour, they only say they might put the school back at Nelson Park. The net increase of student space could be zero. See above: it's crazy! If it was a good idea how come no one explained it to the community before substation was approved? There is not enough public space in the area as is and the school does not need to be replaced. This doesn't make any sense. Who benefits? I really feel like tearing up the centre of our community is a real mistake. There are gardens that have been then for 20 years! I do not believe that the disruption and urbanization of this park space is appropriate. Yes, the space will eventually continue as a school and a park, but the feeling of the park will be changed and will become less of a neighbourhood park and more of an urban setting. I have visions of Emery Barnes Park. While the space was needed in that area, that ISN'T the kind of park the oldest neighbourhood in Vancouver deserves. Extremely disruptive and destructive to local amenities the neighborhood uses and loves, potentially dangerous as well. Impact on ecosystem and public health. More digging up and loss. Given the rate of development all through downtown and the West End, I don't understand why one of very few larger‐sized parks in the area, and all the trees, play areas for kids and community gardens are valued less than land used for development and profit to limited individuals. Huge environmental impact and the magnetic radiation causes are not very clear, especially when putting this substation next to a school. The impact on human health and environmental impact are enormous. Was not consulted with the West End population. Should not build substations near where children play/school & near where people live. Period. Reduction in the use of centralized power should be the objective not its increase. See previous responses. Public perception/fear of EMFs and small kids; disruption to already deficient garden space in our community; removal of large trees. What are the health implications of exposure to ELF magnetic fields? Due to the limited number of underground substations existing in North America, few public concerns have been raised specifically about underground

Spring 2020 55 | Page

substations. However, a consideration is that children may be exposed to ELF magnetic fields when playing in greenspaces created above substations or attending daycares or schools situated nearby. In general, children are regarded as being more vulnerable to the effects of environmental exposures, including electromagnetic fields. Because ELF magnetic fields can pass through most materials, exposure to this type of non‐ionizing radiation is of particular concern. Additional environmental health risks that are not considered here, but may be pertinent to underground substations, are the potential for noise, fire hazards and vulnerability to seismic events. In general, scientific studies differ as to whether they conclude that chronic exposure to low‐level ELF magnetic fields may have health implications. Key findings of selected reports and reviews are summarized below. At the ELF range (≤ 300 Hz), electric and magnetic fields, when considered separately, do not cause photochemical reactions or tissue heating and therefore have been considered not capable of causing adverse health effects. In 2002, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified ELF magnetic fields as “possibly carcinogen to humans” (Group 2B) primarily based on limited epidemiological evidence of their association with childhood leukemia, which is the most common malignancy overall in children and youth. A 2016 review article supported the IARC 2B classification, citing recent studies showing an association between daily mean exposure levels exceeding 0.3 – 0.4µT with development of childhood leukemia. However, a causal relationship cannot be inferred as controversy remains about underlying biases, including selection bias, and there is a lack… Giving permission sets a precedent that BC Hydro, Fortis, other utilities and private companies will want similar access to any of Vancouver’s parks. I don’t want to see any parks used for utilities or private interest. It could generate lots of revenue but that is not the purpose of Parks. I don’t want any park monetized...otherwise this will turn into “Stanley Park by Telus.” Find new solutions to the energy needs of people who are sick in the neighborhood. This area is full of seniors, people with disabilities, cancer and HIV/AIDS. The city needs to invest in clean renewable energy sources now that the climate crisis is in full force. Already have. Potential health hazards to adults, children and animals. How can the Parks Board possibly reconcile this decision with their mandate, which is to protect our parks? It reeks. If it was within my power, I would conduct a forensic audit of how this decision came about in the first place, and tell BC Hydro to look elsewhere that won't ravage my park. I live half a block away, and can't bear to think of 10 years of heavy industrial activity on my doorstep. Surely this could be done down Comox. It is a low‐use street. This project will destroy too many mature trees. It will take a generation to recover. We are losing the largest green space in the City that isn't waterfront. People rely on being connected to the community for their wellbeing. This is devastating. It's wrong, unimaginative, and unnecessary. No more tree cutting. We are losing an alarming number of trees in the neighbourhood. Just leave this area alone you are destroying the beauty of the West End for money. For all of the reasons identified in the Discussion Guide. I think there are significant public health concerns that haven't been properly explored, and impacts on quality of life of neighbourhood residents considering the significant length of time it will take to complete the project. Plus, I disagree with the idea of using public land, particularly land occupied by a park and a school, for a Hydro substation in order to save money when there is commercial land that could be used instead that would have less impact on the public. I just don't feel comfortable about a huge power‐station near where I live. Also, I pass through Nelson Park all the time ‐ this is literally the only park I go through every single day. The construction, dust, noise, and long‐term effects on health are my biggest concerns. Like I don't think it would also be healthy for the pets / children that play all the time in this park. There are literally more places downtown that don't have a park would be affected. Why build in an area that has so much nature and residents? People in the West End need that green space. How will we see the compiled results of the survey? I'd like to know who shares my concerns & also have some answers from those in charge if they decide to ignore all the issues raised.

Spring 2020 56 | Page

Power cables have no place in the park, Period. We don't want to lose the green space. Dangerous and inappropriate near children or any people. I don't believe the Park Board or the City of Vancouver should allow this development in Nelson Park. No benefit is in this for Nelson Park. The BC Hydro power supply requirements are to service "downtown Vancouver". It is a raid to destroy a residential west‐end neighbourhood greenfield site to service downtown with power just because BC Hydro could not in its long‐term planning secure suitable brownfield land. BC Hydro should have purchased brownfield Industrial‐zoned land at market price given that they will be selling 944 Burrard street at market price in the future. Keep in mind, the most recent substation built in Mt Pleasant is and always was zoned I‐1 Industrial. The VSB land at 1150 Nelson Street is zoned RM‐5B multi‐family residential which makes this project a huge net loss to housing stock in the West End. Also, the Park Board is elected to protect green space, not develop land for cash or other consideration. I already have in the previous question. Because of the short‐ and long‐term effects on the safety and health of children people using the park. Terrible project! The City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Park Board should have told BC Hydro that the Park is not available for development. The City and the Park Board should have made this clear in writing in April 2018 and put a stop to the proposal. If the City and the Park Board have no ability to make this call, then they should say so and identify the party that is telling them that the Park must be sacrificed. Already stated. This antique hidden gem is a haven for the hundreds of families that live here. Please don’t jeopardize our health. It will ruin the while green space feel of the park.

DON’T KNOW – 0%

COMMENTS What is the alternative? Running all of the cables out through Nelson Street? Is that even feasible? Without that information, it is impossible to answer this question.

Spring 2020 57 | Page

ABOUT SURVEY PARTICIPANTS

If you visit Nelson Park, what do you usually do when you visit? If Other, please specify.

COMMENTS Check out the gardens and chat to the gardeners. Visit the community gardens, sit under the linden trees when they bloom to enjoy the beautiful calming scent. I walk around the paved perimeter sidewalks because the path surface is not hospitable to anyone with joint pain. Commute past on my bike each morning. I overlook the park. Enjoy viewing the community gardens, just looking at them and admiring. Sip coffee. Attend Roberts Annex. Sit with my dog and read as I don’t have a balcony at my building. Walk with my little dog on leash, sit with her as well. Revell in the surroundings. Enjoy some activity such as music, plays. Walk my dog. One of my very favourite activities is to read under one of the beautiful trees. It is a very important means of handling city stress. Pass through. Tour community gardens / enjoy them / talk to gardeners. Draw. Walk past on Thurlow. Read. Smoke. I mostly drive or cycle through it or around it. I own property adjacent to the Park. I am in this park multiple times a day for years.

Spring 2020 58 | Page

Attend another community event (please specify).

COMMENTS Worldwide Knit in Public Day West End Mom’s Meetup Qmunity Emergency preparedness at City Disaster Staging Area (DSA) Qmunity BBQs Gatherings of friends Stanley Park visits ‐ see us walk through this park Playground playdates Social events

Are you a West End Resident? If no, please indicate the neighbourhood you live.

COMMENTS Mount Pleasant (but I work in the West End) Coal Harbour Coal Harbour Yaletown False Creek South Renfrew Heights Yaletown Kitsilano Sunset False Creek Coal Harbour Richmond Yaletown Riley Park Yaletown Yaletown Coal Harbour Andy Livingstone Park

Spring 2020 59 | Page

I used to live in the West End and may return. I'm now in Chinatown. Yaletown Yaletown Kensington‐Cedar Cottage Sunset North Shore Downtown South Vancouver Kingsway Mount Pleasant but I work in the West End. UBC/UEL Sunset East Van Riley Park Burnaby Kits Hornby Street Davie Village Kits SE False Creek East Vancouver Kitsilano Kitsilano North Delta

Spring 2020 60 | Page

How did you hear about the Vancouver Park Board’s Nelson Park Impact Assessment & Public Engagement process?

COMMENTS Seniors Advisory Committee, Gordon Neighbourhood House (GNH), West End Seniors Network (WESN) BC Hydro was set up in our neighbourhood and did an informative session. From school. Saw it at Farmers Market. I closely follow Park Board matters. Farmers Market Open House Sign Farmers Market Noticeboard at Nelson Park Election of Commissioners Info at park Outreach at Vancouver Farmers Market News Social media You emailed me. Billboard and Booth

Spring 2020 61 | Page

What worked well in this survey? How could we improve it?

COMMENTS The reason Hydro needs to disrupt the park with cables isn't made clear. They can use the roadways! Don't be such nitwits. If we don't invest in our electrical infrastructure, we will become PG&E north. We are not in the third world. This is such a basic service; I don't even know why you are doing this survey. Your surveys are not good you slant for the response you want. Short. Good as is. You were very clear about the potential impacts relating to the buried lines. Illustrations made sense. The Parks Board is being pretty up‐front about impacts to the park. The School Board is not ‐ especially in regard to the replacement school building. Maybe a bit more info at the beginning. The background information was well presented; however it did not clearly present mitigation measures for the potential effects. There are too many "could consider" and "may" statements. The public needs to understand what the potential effects will be before mitigation measures and after mitigation measures, and what the level of these effects will be. The background information was devoid of any positive effects. Will there be any? We deserve to know all potential effects. Much of the information provided is equivocal. I would hold off doing these surveys until city staff completes its research and can provide firmer and more complete background information. Well detailed info, enough for good decisions and able to vote accordingly. I know it is out of scope, but neither BC Hydro nor the Parks Board are addressing the issue of impact on traffic along Nelson Street. By not asking biased questions and posing questions to further what the city of Vancouver wants to see happen. Short and easy to work through. It was easy to follow / comprehend. Publicise it more vigorously. In the initial question you didn’t give people that think it is a good idea to bury the cable a box to tick. It was like you were only looking for negative responses. Easy. Boxes to add your comments on the project and how it affects my community. No comment. Maybe allow for summer / winter to be answered differently. I can’t go outdoors most of the winter due to my lungs but enjoy looking at Nelson Park from my window every day! Graphics/videos of present and proposed plans would have been appreciated. Focus on how the new, rebuilt Nelson Park will deal with dangerous, transient individuals and groups that gather in the park and who threaten the public. I liked the graphic displaying impacts to each of the areas.

Spring 2020 62 | Page

Are there any viable alternatives to what BC Hydro proposes? If so, it would be informative to have them presented. Including the pamphlets re: what BC Hydro plans to do. There was no specific information regarding exactly what is going to be happening during construction and how the park will be changed during and after. Where possible, include information related to the question near the question itself, not in a separate document that is clicks away. I am 80 in a few days! I am grateful for the West End! Truly a blessing. Love the parks, street gardens and mix of cultures and generations! The future is for the young, keep that in mind when you create your surveys! No comment. Clear questions and possibility to add extra information. No, this was good. I do this same work for the province (Ministry of Communications, Public Engagement) and am consistently impressed by the work City of Vancouver does here. :) Extract key visuals (figures / maps) from the document. I appreciate having the discussion guide to read before answering the questions. Maybe make it more obvious that it should be read before taking the survey. Less bias. Concise. Some more succinct info regarding construction timeline will be useful. The information provided in the guide is very dense, and I think can be simplified and be expressed with less words, and more simple illustrations. Much more detail on dog park "improvements" needed. The last time Nelson Dog Park was "improved" two thirds of it was lost and the remainder was covered in a gravel that produces dust in the summer and mud in the winter. It was easy to understand what was required of me and the information provided for reference was comprehensive and easy to read. It was structured well. Not having two‐ part questions that require us to figure out that it's a two‐ part question. You are elected to do your job, asking the public about a very nuanced situation like this is why we elected you. Review the material, figure out the facts, and make a decision. If you ask people who don't have all the data and context (and even if you give it to them, who's going to read it, not many!) you'll likely get a negative view. It was clearly presented. OK as is. Do not know. Not much information was provided. Allowing the public to have the opportunity to respond. At least you have one. Not that public input matters the thing is a done deal. It was a good survey ...not too long. Ask directly if we approve of doing this project at all. You know what the answer will be. (Maybe that’s why you didn’t ask?)

Spring 2020 63 | Page

You're asking the policy questions you need to answer, you should be asking questions the audience can easily answer and you make the translation to policy. I fill this out because I've worked on surveys before. One thing I've noticed is that when the results of the survey do not agree with what has already decided, they're completely ignored. May be my 'flaw' but I don't think I (or most people) would be educated/informed enough to provide valid feedback on the underground cables question. It was pretty good although perhaps some further details on the plan should be clearly written in the survey rather then have it in a separate link. I appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback and really hope residents' opinions are being considered and not rubber stamped. There was some redundancy in questions. Nothing. It was great. God bless you guys. Too long. Condense if possible. The survey was too short and not specific enough. There should be a part of the survey where people can set new topics. Background in the case of new residents new to the situation. Posters may be up, but how they get information from the city about it could be changed a little to keep attention clear for people. You have approved the substation so why bother asking about the cables. They will go where they want to put them. You put up this farce of asking the public. So far, I haven't seen a space for other comments or ideas. Might be coming later in the survey. No other comments. They open‐ended questions were good. Maybe opening up the gender question a bit more. I identify as male, but am trans. Also, ask about accessibility issues people may face. The Discussion Guide seemed totally slanted towards pointing out impacts that could arise from the proposal but did nothing or little to illuminate the positive benefits of the proposal. Please run all future Surveys or Discussion Guides through something like a non‐bias committee. No suggestions. I think there is no information on the benefits of having a substation at this site. However, since this is the only park near me that I actually walk through everyday, I feel like whatever benefit the substation would bring would not outweigh the long term consequences of having it in this park. The survey is good, but can there be a link to see the compiled results of the survey? The survey was fine, the discussion guide has some major omissions. The info graph was helpful, but perhaps it should be forced page to look at instead of clicking a link to view it, as many will just be enraged and skip over it. Nice and short. Could more closely connect questions with background info, e.g. hover‐over panels. Detailed. I appreciated the opportunity to express an opinion about my neighbourhood. Mentioning the health risks would make this seem less one‐sided. The project was only looked at in terms of what it meant to the park and didn’t take a big picture view. Are there alternatives for a different site? What does it mean for residents or future residents if this project isn’t built? Will power needs be met in the future if this project is not constructed. Rather than a nimby view of this project. What this project means for the city and the greater good of all residents should be considered.

Spring 2020 64 | Page

Don't know. I am a little confused on the process. If Parks Board says no to the ducting, BC Hydro will just put them in Comox, Nelson and Thurlow. And the chance for amenities from BC Hydro will be quite diminished. I liked the survey. Make sure the heath implications section is more specific on risks. Show statistics on how truthfully this impacts senior’s health and the wellbeing of the children and daycare located steps away. The email that was sent had a link that didn't work. The tweet I tried to respond to also had a broken link. I'm concerned that others may have missed out on providing feedback which makes it seem like West End residents aren't concerned or care enough to respond.

Spring 2020 65 | Page