Logs still missing from Vancouver beaches, more than two years after removal
Posted July 5, 2022 8:40 pm.
Last Updated January 27, 2023 9:16 am.
Vancouver’s beaches are getting busy again with warmer weather, but visitors might notice a big difference with the scenery.
More than two years after they were removed at the start of the pandemic, Vancouver’s beach logs have not made a full return.
Some locals say they miss using the logs and wonder when they will be brought back.
“They’re just in a pile just a little ways away. It just seems sad to me, anyways. I thought, well why are these logs still not put back? The beaches are open, the logs don’t spread COVID, being in outdoor spaces is what we want, and the logs are a great place to sit. I mean, not everybody brings a chair or a towel and the logs are there. And they’re safe,” Ebru Montagano, a long-time Kitsilano resident, told CityNews.
She says the first time she noticed the logs were gone was when she brought her students to Jericho Beach in June. Instead, she says they were collected in a corner of the beach.
“I think that’s also not very aesthetically pleasing. Everybody’s wondering why the logs are there,” Montagano added.
“I’m hoping they’ll change their mind this year. I think everybody misses those logs.”
The Vancouver Park Board says in a statement the logs were “originally removed in response to the pandemic and need for social distancing but have been kept off the beaches in light of several learnings that arose from that change.”
The board says cleaning the beach is a lot easier now without the logs.
“Since removing the logs, we’ve found there to be fewer needles, broken glass and other hazards. It also provides staff, Rangers and the police clearer lines of sight across the beaches,” the park board statement explains.
“Previously, people would just walk away from their trash. Once the logs were removed, we noticed an immediate reduction in the amount of garbage left behind.”
The Park Board says it’s also realized there’s more room for people to space out, and if there’s extreme weather, there’s less of a chance of injury or infrastructure damage.
Logs have been used as seating at Vancouver beaches since the 1960s after architect Cornelia Oberlander, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 99, came up with the idea and called up a park board commissioner.
Many others are also missing Oberlander’s influence. Some people have told CityNews logs are part of their memories from local beaches spanning back years.
The Park Board says it’s aware residents and visitors appreciate the logs. As a compromise, it says it’s left a few of them at local beaches. It also notes it is “consulting with the Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee to ensure accessibility is enhanced/supported with this new model.”
However, Montagano hopes there will be a change of heart.
“I’m hoping they’ll change their mind this year. I think everybody misses those logs and it’s just somewhere to sit, impromptu, you don’t have to bring a chair or a blanket,” she said.
