'No fun city': Calls to extend hours at Vancouver beaches

Some Vancouver residents want hours to be extended at city beaches during the summer.

The request comes after a photo posted on social media showed park rangers and Vancouver police officers asking people to leave English Bay Sunday evening.

City parks, gardens and beaches are only open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m unless otherwise posted. After that, police and park rangers are able to enforce a bylaw, forcing visitors out.

Jeremy Omand, a Vancouver resident, said he’s been forced to leave the beach dozens of times, including Friday night. Omand was paddle boarding at Spanish Banks when he heard park rangers warn people the beach would be closing. He said he didn’t pack up his equipment in time, and found his car locked in the parking lot with others after 10 p.m.

“It’s a silly bylaw,” he said. “We’re in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The beach is one of the main aspects people come here for.”

Park board commissioner Tom Digby said it was disappointing hearing beachgoers had to leave the waterfront Sunday.

“People are just trying to enjoy the sunset down at English Bay,” he said. “We have this constant police surveillance now.”

In May, city council approved additional funding for the Vancouver Police Department as part of a pilot project allowing alcohol on seven beaches in the city. 

At the time Digby voted against the motion, calling an increased police presence in parks and beaches alarming.

Sgt. Steve Addison, VPD spokesperson, said officers are patrolling the waterfront with park rangers at the request of the board.

“This is something that’s been happening for a number of years,” he said. “It’s really nothing new. The objective? Public safety.”

Addison said warmer weather and crowds keep police busy, especially at English Bay, where he said officers deal with violence, noise complaints, and sexual assaults. According to data from the VPD, violent calls increased at English Bay from six in 2018 to 28 last year. 

“We absolutely understand that anybody who has ever seen the sunset from that location probably never wants the night to end,” Addison said. “However, we have been faced with a number of public safety challenges, particularly after dark in English Bay.”

In a statement to CTV News, the park board said: “During the summer months, we partner with the VPD in being more proactive about educating and enforcing the rules around operating hours. This is in the interest of public safety as we tend to see larger gatherings of people during warmer months at our more popular beaches.”

Digby said he thinks the bylaw hours should be adjusted depending on the time of the year, and that discretion should be used when enforcing the bylaw.

“If there’s not major trouble going on at the beach, you would think that police would use their discretion to give people a bit more time,” he said.

Some residents like Omand, think the bylaw should be scrapped altogether.

“No fun city,” he said. “That’s the message it sends.”