The Vancouver Park Board has now ADMITTED that putting a drinking zone at Vanier Park ponds WILL cause a "disturbance to this ecologically sensitive area.", but yet they plan to go ahead anyway, with an imaginary bandaid -- adding a "5 metre buffer around edge of freshwater pond to MINIMIZE disturbance". (There are actually two ponds at Vanier, not just one! Has anyone from the Park Board actually looked at the site!)

As if the urban wildlife at the ponds are familiar with the metric system, and will limit themselves to the 5-metre area around the ponds. As if the urban drinkers at Vanier will stay away from the ponds and outside that TOTALLY INADEQUATE "5-metre buffer". How exactly does the Park Board plan to enforce, and to mark off, this boundary? Do they plan to turn the duck ponds into a ZOO with a high fence that the wild birds can't fly over it, or that humans can't jump over, or knock down?

In the featured photo on this update, the proposed "new" Vanier pond boundaries are in RED. I've added a more appropriate perimeter around the ponds with a BLACK circle to indicate where the wildlife at the pond habitually like to roam, "trim" the grass and deposit their droppings (LOL). It's actually most of Vanier, which everyone knows who enjoys visiting the ponds. The northwest tip of Vanier, outside of my black circle, is the kite flying area. Being quite windy it's not an ideal spot for hanging out and picnicking. Naturally, drinkers will gravitate to the ponds instead, and likely some of the more inebriated will use them as a pissoir, as they do at the Jericho ponds. 

ACTION ALERT: This inadequate change to the drinking zone boundary at Vanier will be voted on at the Park Board meeting at 6:30pm on June 21, 2021, along with a few changes to other designated drinking areas in other parks. Please email the Park Board Commissioners  prior to noon on Monday June 21,  PBCommissioners@vancouver.ca, with the subject heading: PROTECT OUR URBAN WILDLIFE. PLEASE DON"T PUT A DRINKING ZONE AT VANIER PARK.

Add your own comments into the body of the email. The Commissioners may not read all your email, but they will see the subject heading, so the more who write in the better. Refer to the link below for the by-law amendment scheduled for June 21:

Parks Control By-law. Amendment Regarding Liquor Consumption in Parks – Schedule 2

Exact wording for Vanier:

"f)  Vanier Park - added a 5-metre buffer around edge of freshwater pond to minimize disturbance to this ecologically sensitive area."

So why even proceed with this area as a designated drinking zone? Why cause even a minimal amount of disturbance to this "SENSITIVE ECOLOGICAL AREA", that potentially could result in a major disturbance? 

Let's remind the Park Board its not their mandate or legal responsibility to allow people to drink in the park. It's their mandate and legal responsibility to PROTECT our "sensitive ecological areas", and to protect OUR URBAN WILDLIFE who live there.

There are far more appropriate areas of Kits Beach, already frequented by people who drink alcohol, that are not "sensitive ecological areas". Why pick this location at Vanier? It makes zero sense!

We are asking the Park Board Commissioners to reconsider this ill-advised and harmful choice, and to remove it from the list of 22 "designated places where liquor may be consumed during the Alcohol in Parks Pilot (Liquor Consumption in Parks Pilot)." 

Email the Park Board Commissioners by June 21, 21: PBCommissioners@vancouver.ca

Thank you for your continued support and action!

Elvira Lount Keep Kits Beach Wild