Province not reopening Canadian side of Peace Arch Park anytime soon

A once busy cross-border park located remains closed off on the Canadian side, and there is no timeline for it to reopen anytime soon.

Peace Arch Park was an unofficial meeting place for Americans and Canadians to meet in the middle, as it is an “international park” and was built on the 49th parallel.

The park became very popular in the early days of the pandemic as the borders were closed to non-essential visitors for more than a year, offering many loved ones a chance to reconnect in-person, in which was criticized by some as a restriction “loophole.”

The surge in visitors led to concerns over large gatherings of unvaccinated people, without being required to self-isolate.

Dr. Bonnie Henry has said in the past that there were no outbreaks associated with the park, but many locals complained over the illegally parked vehicles along 0 avenue in Surrey.

It was closed on the Canadian side in June 2020, and at the time, officials said it was mostly due to gathering rules and the spike in visitors.

“The park will reopen when it is deemed safe to do so,” the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy wrote in an news release June 18, 2020.

However, with few restrictions remaining in B.C., and the border fully reopened to vaccinated travellers in November, there are questions as to why the park is still not fully accessible.

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The park is under the jurisdiction of the province, and in an email response to CityNews, B.C.’s Ministry of Environment says required measures such as checking for vaccines is among the reasons for the ongoing closure. Currently, proof of vaccine is still required to re-enter Canada, although the PCR test requirement was dropped last month.

The open nature of Peace Arch Park makes it highly challenging for BC Parks to monitor, the ministry says.

“BC Parks is aware that the Federal government has recently made some changes to the Canadian border and COVID testing requirements for entry, while other border entry measures, such as providing proof of vaccination, remain in place,” the ministry said Tuesday.

It adds, “BC Parks is continuously monitoring border entry and park safety measures, and continues to engage with Federal government agencies, local communities, and local First Nations and Indigenous communities, to ensure the eventual re-opening of Peace Arch Provincial Park once all COVID related border restrictions are lifted.”