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The City of Vancouver could face a “heck of a legal challenge” if it cuts off neighbourhood groups that refuse to negotiate a new deal over their community centres.

This scenario, as well as the prospect of recreation equipment being removed from some of these facilities, was raised by former park-board employee Stew Jordan. Now a consultant to rebellious community-centre associations, Jordan outlined these potential consequences should the city invoke the 90-day dissolution clause of its agreements with community-centre associations.

“It would be very ugly,” Jordan told the Straight in a phone interview.

Jordan was recreation supervisor at the Kerrisdale Community Centre before he retired in 2010. He advises the associations in Kerrisdale, Sunset, Kensington, and Hillcrest. Including those in Killarney and Hastings, the six groups are not present at the negotiating table with the city.

“These community centres are not going to fold their tent…and just let themselves be pushed onto the street,” Jordan said. “They’re going to fight with everything they can.”

Twelve associations are talking with the park board. Two more, Strathcona and Roundhouse, are supportive of a new joint operating agreement, according to park commissioner Niki Sharma.

She maintained that the move to centralize planning and pool revenues isn’t a power and cash grab, as claimed by the insurgent associations. She asserted that these are aimed at improving access by users to community facilities across the city.

“It’s not really contentious except for a minority,” Sharma told the Straight by phone about the ongoing negotiations.

The city had originally planned to implement a new agreement with 20 community associations starting on July 1, 2013. According to Sharma, the timeline has been moved to December this year.

On Monday (July 8), Vancouver will roll out a single card offering systemwide access to park board–operated pools, rinks, and fitness centres. Pending approval by associations, the OneCard will be effective for all programs across the community-centre network on September 1.

Queried about the likelihood of the board invoking the dissolution clauses in agreements, Sharma said, “That would be a decision that would have to come to the board.”