No glass bottles allowed on Vancouver beaches during alcohol consumption pilot: Park Board

As the summer season is fast approaching, so too is the possibility of consuming alcoholic beverages on some Vancouver beaches.

June 1 marks the beginning of the second year of the Alcohol on Beaches pilot project after initially being introduced to a select number of Vancouver beaches last year.

In an update Thursday, Amit Ghanda, the Park Board’s acting director of parks, explained that from Saturday, Vancouverites will be able to legally have a beer, wine, or other alcoholic drink at Jericho Beach, Spanish Banks, Kitsilano Beach, Locarno Beach, Second Beach in Stanley Park, John Hendry Park at Trout Lake, and New Brighton Beach.

Drinking will not be permitted at English Bay Beach, Sunset Beach, Third Beach, CRAB Park Beach, or the beaches along the Fraser River, Ghanda said.

“This decision was made after careful discussions with the Vancouver Police Department and the City of Vancouver,” he shared. “Most Vancouverites appreciated the chance to drink on the beaches safely and responsibly. However, there were some small challenges that we faced at English Bay and Sunset Beach.”

He says that complaints via 311 have quadrupled at those two beaches.

Ghanda said in the second year of the pilot, more resources from the Vancouver Police Department and extra staff will help with the implementation.

“What that means is our park rangers will be out there really educating and wayfinding people that may be drinking in areas that are not permitted and trying to help them relocate or move to areas that they are permitted to have alcohol on,” he said.

Ghanda said during the pilot, beachgoers need to keep in mind four rules: “respect others — this has really been considered with beachgoers keeping music and noise levels to appropriate levels,” he explained.

“No glass. Avoid bringing glass to the beach. Broken glass poses injury risks and it’s actually quite difficult to clean along the beaches.

“Dispose of waste properly. Use waste bins and recycling stations, especially at busy beaches … so, leave no trash behind.

“And last but not least, is safety first. We want to make sure we avoid going into the water with alcohol or after drinking.

“If we just follow these guidelines we can ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone at the beaches this summer,” Ghanda said.

Speaking on behalf of the VPD, Const. Tania Visintin shared that police officers will be out patrolling the city’s beaches and making sure people follow the bylaw.

“Beachgoers in Vancouver can expect to see VPD in many different forms along the beaches. So, we’ll have officers on foot, officers from our mounted unit on horses will be out, we will also have officers on ATVs,” she shared.

Visintin explained that it’s important for the public to know where and where you cannot consume alcohol this summer.

“There’s various beaches and parks in the city where you cannot be consuming open alcohol,” she said. “If that is the case, and our officers are on the beaches and we do see people drinking open alcohol, those people can expect to have a conversation with us.”

“We have many tools that we can use to stop any disruptive behavior. And it ranges from having a conversation, issuing a ticket, and if there’s unruly aggressive behavior, that could be a time in jail as well.”

Meanwhile, Brian Twaites, BCEHS paramedic information officer, is urging the public to never mix alcohol or drugs with any water activity. “This includes tubing, boating, and swimming.”

“The use of alcohol and other substances can actually heighten the risk of drowning the use of either can impair judgment by distorting people’s perception of risk. It can also increase risk-taking behavior by lowering people’s inhibitions.

“It also can reduce coordination and balance which would not only make swimming more difficult, but also making the ability to get in and out of the water more challenging. That also impairs reaction time.

“Alcohol is a depressant, which means it reduces the time and the rate that the brain is able to process information and it can also increase your chances of hypothermia,” he explained.

“Stay safe. Stay hydrated. And don’t forget the sunscreen. Let’s all have a safe, enjoyable summer season at our local beaches.”

With files from Kate Walker.

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