Vancouver. Education. Cultural life and recreation

Education. Schools. Vancouver has about 100 public elementary schools and about 20 public high schools, with a total of approximately 70,000 students. The city's public school system also operates the Vancouver School of Art and the Vancouver Vocational Institute. In addition, Vancouver has about 40 church-supported schools and private schools.

The University of British Columbia, on Point Grey, is one of the largest universities in Canada. It has about 27,000 students. Simon Fraser University is in Burnaby.

Libraries. The Vancouver Public Library system includes a central library in the downtown area and about 15 branches. The University of British Columbia Library owns about 7 million volumes, including microforms.

Cultural life and recreation. The arts. The Vancouver Opera Association performs in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Major stage attractions are presented in the Playhouse Theatre next door. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performs at the Orpheum Theatre. The Vancouver Art Gallery features paintings by European and Canadian artists.

Museums. The Vancouver Museum and the H. R. MacMillan Space Centre form part of a modern cultural center at the mouth of False Creek in Vancouver. The museum features exhibits on the settlement of western Canada. The space center includes simulated space flights and a planetarium. Nearby on the waterfront, the Vancouver Maritime Museum displays the Arctic exploring ship St Roch. This vessel was the first to sail through the Northwest Passage from both the west and the east The ship made the voyages between 1940 and 1944. The Museum of Anthropology, one of the finest museums of its kind, is located at the University of British Columbia.

Parks. Vancouver has about 135 parks that cover a total of approximately 2,700 acres (1,090 hectares). Stanley Park occupies 1,000 acres (400 hectares) and ranks among the largest city parks in Canada. It includes the Vancouver Public Aquarium, which is one of the finest marine centers in the world and the largest in Canada. The aquarium has more than 8,000 specimens. Stanley Park is also known for its flower gardens. Queen Elizabeth Park includes an arboretum and the Bloedel Conservatory.

Vancouver's mild climate makes it attractive for many outdoor activities, including fishing, golfing, and tennis. Vancouver also has many fine beaches. The Pacific National Exhibition, western Canada's largest fair, attracts many tourists to Vancouver in late August and early September every year. It includes agricultural and industrial displays and many kinds of entertainment.

Government. Vancouver has a mayor-council form of government. The voters elect the mayor and the 10 members of the city council to two-year terms. Property taxes furnish most of the city government's revenue. But these and other taxes do not provide enough money to pay for public services and needed improvements. As a result, Vancouver depends on funds from the federal and provincial governments to meet its expenses.

Other problems in Vancouver include air and water pollution and a shortage of low-rent housing. City leaders are also concerned about the increasing rate of construction on land that may be needed for parks or for other recreational use.