Starting Saturday you’ll be able to have an adult beverage on some Vancouver beaches.
The City of Vancouver is launching the second year of its Alcohol on Beaches pilot project on June 1.
Under the program, people of legal drinking age can bring and consume their own alcohol on seven beaches:
Vancouver Park Board director of parks Amit Gandha said the city was “re-piloting” the initiative for 2024, based on feedback from staff, police, health officials and the public.
“Most Vancouerites appreciated the chance to drink on the beaches safely and responsibly,” he said. “However, there were some small challenges we faced in English Bay and Sunset Beach.”
English Bay and Sunset Beach were not included in the 2023 pilot as legal drinking areas. During the summer, however, Gandha said calls to 311 from the two beaches quadrupled, with about half of calls related to drinking complaints.
Officials also found the number of violent incidents at Kits Beach tripled from four in 2018 to 12 in 2023.
Gandha said the 2024 pilot would include a boosted police and park ranger presence.
“Our park rangers will be out there educating and wayfinding people that may be drinking in areas that aren’t permitted and helping them relocate,” he said.
A city report released earlier this month found that increased park board and police presence associated with the pilot would cost $930,300 for 20204.
Vancouver police Const. Tania Visnintin said officers would be present on foot, on horse and on ATV at all Vancouver beaches, and that police would “have a conversation” with anyone found drinking outside the designated areas.
“It is important to know where you can and cannot consume alcohol,” she said.
Those conversations could range from asking people to move to the proper area to issuing tickets to potentially arresting someone if they’re unruly, she added.
Paramedics are also warning anyone who chooses to consume alcohol at the beach to take extra care.
“Its ok to consume alcohol in an environment like this in a safe manner, and that’s what we want people to do,” said BC Emergency Health Services spokesperson Brian Twaites. “Be responsible, be mindful of others, and also mindful of their consumption levels knowing there is a risk being in the water.”
Twaites said paramedics responded to more than 50 drowning-related calls across the province last summer, and that mixing alcohol or drugs and swimming, tubing or boating only increases the risk.
“The use of either can impair judgment by distorting people’s perception of risk, it can also increase risk-taking behaviour by lowering people’s inhibitions,” he said.
The pilot will operate from June 1 to Sept. 30.
The city also now allows drinking in parts of 31 parks year-round, along with 16 additional parks in the summer.
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