Ping Pong In Vancouver has been trying for two years to get the attention of Vancouver’s park planners and/or parks commissioners. We haven’t been successful at making contact. We have emailed Vancouver Parks and Recreation requesting an interview; we even got close to speaking briefly with a senior planner over the phone to request an interview. He seemed bemused that we had breached the inner sanctum and told us in no uncertain terms that we would have to contact the communications department with our list of questions to request an interview with him. As expected, all attempts at contacting the Vancouver Parks and Recreation’s communications department were ignored. These mysterious bureaucrats, who we have concluded appear to be uninterested in what the public thinks, make long-term decisions that effect all citizens who use parks. For instance, someone at Vancouver Parks and Recreation planning department authorized the pathetic and dangerous table tennis court you see in the above photo, the one and only outdoor table tennis court to appear in a Vancouver park to date. Compare this Burnaby Parks and Recreation’s series of well-conceived outdoor table tennis courts situated safely in parks around the municipality. Here are a few images of Burnaby’s table tennis courts: