Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Ron Basford Park

    4.0 (7 reviews)

    Ron Basford Park Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Ron Basford Park

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Ron Basford Park
    M C.

    Stanley Ronald "Ron" Basford, PC (April 22, 1932 - January 31, 2005) was a long-time Canadian Cabinet minister in the Liberal government of Pierre Trudeau. Based in British Columbia, he was known as "Mr. Granville Island" for his support of the Granville Island redevelopment project in Vancouver. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba Basford moved with his mother to Comox, BC, following the death of his father, where he completed his last 3 years of high school. He then attended the University of BC, earning a Law degree in 1956. Following his period of Articles, he was admitted to the Bar, and practiced law for the next 6 years. Basford had become interested in politics in his early teenage years and was very active in the Liberal Party while at university. He was nominated as the Liberal candidate in Vancouver Burrard in March, 1962, and contested the election in June of that year, at the age of 29, losing by 94 votes. Basford was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Vancouver--Burrard in the 1963 election and was re-elected in the 1965 election. From 1968 to 1979, he represented the riding of Vancouver Centre. In 1968, Trudeau brought Basford into cabinet as Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs. He subsequently served as Minister of State for Urban Affairs (1972-1974), Minister of National Revenue (1974-1975) and Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada (1975-1978). As Vancouver's leading cabinet minister, Basford is credited with helping to scuttle plans for an expressway along the city's waterfront that would have levelled the Gastown and Chinatown neighbourhoods, for encouraging local planning and neighbourhood improvement, and for helping win federal support for the construction of thousands of units of co-operative housing in the city. As Consumer and Corporate Affairs minister, Basford shepherded the passage of legislation that dramatically reduced pharmaceutical prices. This gave Canada the lowest drug prices in the industrialized world into the late 1980s when the legislation was repealed by the Mulroney government. Basford also had passed into law the Hazardous Products Act that eliminated flammable children's bedding and clothing from the market. His most controversial move, at the time, was the adoption of the SI (metric) system as Canada's official standard of weights and measures. This provoked strong opposition from many Canadians, but has since been accepted. During his 30 months as Minister of State for Urban Affairs, Basford led the new Ministry into the uncharted waters of Federal/Provincial/Municipal consultation and cooperation through the development of Tri Level Concerences and working groups, improving the relationships among Canada's three levels of government. At the same time, he sponsored a complete revision of the National Housing Act, which initiated an era of wider programs of social housing and financial aid to municipalities through the Neighbourhood Improvement Program and the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program. As Justice minister, Basford arranged a clemency agreement that kept abortion rights campaigner and practitioner Henry Morgentaler out of jail. He was also Justice minister in 1977 when Canada abolished capital punishment, and when the Canadian Human Rights Act was amended to require equal pay for equal work regardless of gender. Basford retired from cabinet in 1978, as the longest-serving Minister from BC since Confederation, and did not run in the 1979 election. He practiced law with the Vancouver law firm of Davis and Company, and was named Coordinator by the governments of BC and Canada of the complex Northeast Coal Development in 1982. Hill is centre of Ron Basford Park in Granville Island Ron Basford Park at Granville Island is named after him

    See all

    7 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    18 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of M C.
    21
    234
    70

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    15 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    16 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Parks 1,407 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Rio Theatre - From the balcony of the Rio Theatre for Petunia & The Vipers Dec 27, 2024.

    Rio Theatre

    4.3(101 reviews)
    4.5 km•Grandview-Woodlands, Kensington-Cedar Cottage

    The Rio Theatre, located on Broadway at Commercial Drive (which is extremely transit convenient),…read moreis a fixture of the Commercial Drive neighbourhood. I don't know the entire history of the theatre, but apparently it was built in 1938. The Rio is known for screening cult classic movies and live shows, and in 2012, it fought the outdated BC Liquor board so that movie theatres could serve alcohol -- a big win! In the past, I have gone to a handful of shows (mostly movies showing at the Vancouver International Film Festival), but I didn't go often for two reasons: many of the movies I was interested in started way too late for me (such as at 9:30pm or 11pm), and years ago, I had a really negative experience. I don't recall when the incident happened -- perhaps it was after they had acquired a liquor licence -- but you had to be 19+ to go (that's the legal drinking age here), and while I was much older than 19, apparently I looked young, so I used to get so much shit for my appearance. Shortly before the event, my ID had expired and I was waiting for a new one to come in the mail. In the meantime, I was using my passport as ID. The person at the door was extremely rude and aggressive and made a big deal of specifically asking ME for ID -- from his tone, I think he didn't expect me to be of age. I pulled out my wallet from my purse to grab my ID, then remembered that I didn't have it as it was being renewed, so put it back into my purse and reached for my passport. As I was reaching for my passport, the rude and aggressive employee sneered, "Oh, you forgot your ID, I see, huh?" Yes, even thought this was nearly 15 years ago, I still remember this incident, and it always upset me. The guy was so fucking rude. Also, they used to insist on stamping your hand, and I hate having the inside of my wrist stamped because the ink rubs off on the side of my shirt, so prefer to have the top of my hand stamped. This guy was also rude about this. Anyway, due to events not working with my schedule and my encounter with the rude employee, I had little interest in going to the Rio unless it was for the film festival. However, recently, there have been several events I have been interested in: a screening of The Shawshank Redemption with a Q&A with Gil Bellows in July; a screening of The Room presented by Greg Sestero in August; a screening of Clue in October; a screening of the original Carrie presented by Mike Flanagan in October; and a film festival movie in October. And each time I had a great experience -- no more rude and aggressive employees! The most recent event I went to was John Waters live on December 3. My husband is a huge John Waters fan, so I bought tickets for his show. However, I had only bought the regular tickets, and my husband then told me he would have liked the VIP tickets (better seats, a signed poster, a post-show Q&A). On the Rio website, they clearly state that all sales are final and that tickets cannot be returned or exchanged. So what did I do? Emailed them asking if I could exchange the regular tickets for the more expensive VIP tickets, despite their policy. Their answer was an enthusiastic "absolutely!" and it was easy to exchange the tickets. Amazing customer service! I am a fan of the Rio and I look forward to seeing more shows and events! [Yelp collections: Theaters]

    One of my favourite classic theatres for classics and oddball films! They do shows too but I mostly…read morehere for the movies! Theatre is old but very maintained. Definitely a visit if you are looking for a good classic movie to watch!

    Photos
    Rio Theatre - December Highlights at the Rio Theatre

    December Highlights at the Rio Theatre

    Rio Theatre
    Rio Theatre

    See all

    The Improv Centre

    The Improv Centre

    4.4(109 reviews)
    0.4 km•Granville Island/False Creek
    •$$

    Had a great night at The Improv Centre on Granville Island with my kids, ages 12 to 17. Everyone…read morehad a blast. The TheatreSports format is fast and easy to follow. The performers were the best part. Super funny and quick on their feet, making stuff up on the spot that had us laughing the whole time. Good pick for families too. The content stayed pretty clean, nothing really inappropriate for a 12 year old, not that a typical 12 year old hasn't heard worse. They've got one intermission, free water, and a bar with snacks, popcorn, and drinks. The seats have cup holders so you can enjoy your tasty beverage while watching the show. Three people from the audience get picked to judge each scene from 1 to 5. They get chosen randomly before the show. Need to be at the tables at the front or in the first or second row to get picked, I think. Would totally recommend for a family outing especially if you have kids interested in comedy, high school drama class, SNL or similar. And Granville Island area is so nice to walk around it makes for a nice evening. Just keep in mind that the market closes at 7pm so arrive to island by at least 6:30pm to buy and eat your dinner, and then walk the 4 minutes to the Improv Centre. Or else skip dinner and eat Snickers bars and popcorn at the Improv Centre. Bought my tickets only the morning of the show. Easy to do.

    Not gonna lie, this far exceeded my expectations. came in on a friday night for the early theatre…read moresports show, not sure what to expect I was thoroughly entertained not having laughed like that in a long time. actors were fully committed and nothing seemed forced. they had a deal where you could catch the second show for $20 and we happily did that for unhinged. Really the only difference I could tell is they added like a twist or extra rule (you can only use x number of words) to each game. I honestly preferred the regular theatre sports version as the extra added unnecessary confusion and I rather enjoyed watching the actors be creative vs. bending over backwards to adhere to a random rule. All in all, I had a great time and would definitely make an effort to come back whenever I'm in the area.

    Photos
    The Improv Centre - View from patio

    View from patio

    The Improv Centre
    The Improv Centre - Stage area

    See all

    Stage area

    Centre For Performing Arts - jesse cook, captivating a full crowd with his performance

    Centre For Performing Arts

    3.5(18 reviews)
    1.7 km•Downtown

    we got tickets to the jesse cook show at the centre in vancouver on 777 homer street, which feels…read morepretty new and sleek. the moment we stepped inside, that curved marble staircase caught my eye, it was elegant and dramatic, with mirrored panels that bounced reflections around in such a cool way. the venue itself is small, it seats around 1800 people across three levels, with great acoustics and comfy purple chairs. during intermission, i was surprised to see there were no long lines at the washrooms, there were plenty of stalls, the concession stand was actually a lot longer. you can bring drinks into the auditorium, but note, there are no cup holders. jesse cook's performance gave off the gypsy kings energy, upbeat, rhythmic, and full of flamenco and andalusian flair. he's not only a talented guitarist but also a natural storyteller. between songs, he shared little anecdotes about how he met one of his bandmates or what inspired a particular piece of music. he was accompanied on stage with four other band members. there was lots of hand clapping along with the rhythm, and toward the end, he invited everyone to get up and samba. it gave the night this warm, easygoing energy.

    First time watching Bini, and it was at the Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts. The venue is…read moresmall, and my seat was on the 3rd floor, making it hard to see the performers. I could've used a telescope! This was Bini's first big sold-out performance, and when I booked my ticket, I didn't realize how confusing the seating would be. Although I had a wonderful night, the height of the second and third floors wasn't ideal for those who want to be closer to the stage. By the time I bought my ticket, most of the seats were already gone, even though I booked as soon as they went on sale. Still, it was worth it!

    Photos
    Centre For Performing Arts
    Centre For Performing Arts - Curved marble staircase with mirrored panels

    Curved marble staircase with mirrored panels

    Centre For Performing Arts

    See all

    Pyatt Hall - Art Willms Salon

    Pyatt Hall

    4.0(2 reviews)
    1.5 km•Downtown, Granville Entertainment District
    •$$

    Very intimate recital hall next to VSO. The design is like…read moreCollegiate Gothic "light" (reminds me of Barnet Halls) but this was built within the last 15 years. The layout as a guest heading in to the hall as one circles the staircase was a bit odd/like a school multipurpose room. As a performer, it's also odd as the washroom and halls leading backstage is all the same corridor- no elements of grandeur/ privacy/zones hence what I meant about a multipurpose room. Attended a masterclass here recently and the guest was amazing, however I felt the layout was just odd and too casual. Considering this is next to VSO and part of the VSO Academy, I dare say it needs improvement.

    I would never have known about this jewel concert theatre had I not attended the most magical "Vino…read more& Forte" performance by Orianna White and Ivan Tucakov last night. The venue is exquisite. Once in the glass doors off the street, ascend the staircase to the spacious and comfortable landing on the second floor. There's a wine bar counter and ledges to set your wine glass during the reception between performance sets. All is in cool grey and natural wood and black granite, perfectly appointed. The theatre itself seats about 120 in "theatre" format with the stage large enough for a grand piano and the highest of hi-tech precision sound balancing beams of wood all around the room allowing for configuration of the beams to provide ultimate acoustic experience for various types of performances. It's a very intimate venue and the plush red covered theatre seating and chairs are high quality and very comfortable for the one, two or three hours of sitting during recitals and performances. Apparently, the theatre is multi-functional, whereby the floor can be configured with theatre seats, or chairs in different arrangements, and allowing for many different configurations. The performance we saw last night was AMAZING. I highly recommend following Ivan Tucakov (http://tamburarasa.com/shows.php). In this show, Ivan brought his guitar genius and sounds of eastern and western Europe (Spanish, variations of Flemenco, Fado... fused with Balkan traditional sounds and beats) and blended playfully in a duet with traditional and classically trained Orianna White on piano. The interplay was moving to say the least, and the overall performance was pure MAGIC. The performance was greatly enhanced by the venue where, during intermission, we sampled wines brought in especially for the performance and lingered and mingled with friends and the performers.

    Photos
    Pyatt Hall - Pyatt Hall

    Pyatt Hall

    Pyatt Hall - Lobby

    Lobby

    Pyatt Hall

    See all

    Ron Basford Park - parks - Updated October 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...