Heading to Mount Seymour? You'll soon need to get a day pass first
Due to what the province calls a "growing surge" of parkgoers, outdoor enthusiasts will soon need to have a day pass to spend time at a park on Metro Vancouver's North Shore.
The B.C. government announced an upcoming pilot program for Mount Seymour Provincial Park in a news release Wednesday.
Anyone who wants to spend time at the North Vancouver park, outside of the ski resort area, between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. will need to have a day pass starting Dec. 15.
These passes, which can be booked up to two days in advance on the bcparks.ca website, are free, but mandatory.
The pass is only needed for those using the park and backcountry areas not covered by tickets purchased through the Mount Seymour ski resort.
They're also only good for part of the day. Visitors who choose a morning pass need to be out of the parking lot by noon, and those who opt for the afternoon pass won't be guaranteed a parking spot unless they get to the park between noon and 4 p.m.
A pass is required for every vehicle, and a maximum of one vehicle pass can be booked per timeslot, account and day.
And because cellphone service may be spotty at Mount Seymour, parkgoers are advised they should print out their pass, or download a copy on their phone before getting to the park.
The passes are meant to reduce traffic to the park, so those heading uphill can "enjoy a safe and less crowded experience," Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement.
At least for now, Seymour is the only provincial park that requires a pass. The program will be in place until March 31.
CTV News has reached out to the ministry to see whether people heading to the ski resort for lessons or with a pre-purchased lift pass also need to obtain a day pass.
The winter pass program follows a similar summer pilot program at some provincial parks in the province that also had the goal of reducing traffic to popular spots.
It was a controversial program first launched in 2020.
Recreation groups told CTV News that the province missed the mark, leaving some people out and forcing others to take trails they may not be prepared for, if they couldn't get a pass to the appropriate level of hiking route.
"Literally locking people out of parks with gates is not something we thought was the smartest move," said Taryn Eyton, president of the Friends of Garibaldi Park Society.
And the timing was tricky for some struggling with the impacts of the pandemic, Eyton said.
"It made it more difficult to access parks in a time when our health authorities are telling us that going outside is good for our physical and mental health."
Many groups said a better solution would be to open up trails and build more, rather than restricting access.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Scott Hurst
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.