Vancouver Park Board to vote on first steps toward Jet Ski ban
Posted June 1, 2026 8:56 am.
Last Updated June 1, 2026 1:10 pm.
Less than a month since a disturbing incident with a grey whale near Stanley Park, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation will vote Monday evening on whether to support a ban on the use of Jet Skis and Sea-Doos by the city’s shores.
Commissioner Tom Digby proposes the board advocates against ‘motorized personal watercraft’ in Burrard Inlet, where he says there’s been a “notable increase in sightings of cetaceans and marine wildlife in recent years, including orca, humpback, and grey whales.”
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!On May 4, a man riding a personal watercraft collided with a whale near the Siwash Rock.
Video of the incident shows the whale suddenly cresting the water’s surface to breathe as the rider approaches at high speed, slamming into the animal’s back and flying off the vehicle.
The rider, who wishes to remain anonymous, apologized for the incident, swearing he didn’t know about any whale activity in the area. He was treated in hospital for his injuries. Meanwhile, people in the area have continued to report grey whale activity.
The Vancouver Police Department says its officers are assisting the federal Department of Fisheries in its investigation into the collision. The rider says he has cooperated with department officials.
Digby’s motion says the incident intensified public awareness of the risks posed by the fast-moving vehicles.
“Personal watercraft are uniquely capable of operating at high speeds in shallow near-shore waters, intertidal zones, and ecologically sensitive areas that are increasingly being prioritized for biodiversity restoration, eelgrass protection, and habitat enhancement initiatives.”
He cites Sydney, Australia, Washington state, Hawaii, Toronto, and Quebec as having implemented similar exclusion zones, restrictions or enhanced enforcement measures to protect whales.
The Park Board meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday.
If passed, the motion would have the board adopt the policy position in favour of the prohibition, advocate to senior governments, and have staff report on the board’s jurisdictional methods to discourage launching or operating personal watercraft from Park Board-operated facilities.
The board says it would engage with “relevant federal and regional authorities,” including Transport Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, and the Vancouver Police Department Marine Unit.
