Vancouver Park Board votes to explore extended summer beach hours, citing over-policing concerns

FILE: Visitors are seen at Vancouver's English Bay Beach around sunset.

The Vancouver Park Board is exploring the possibility of extending beach hours during the longest days of the year, citing concerns about over-policing of peaceful visitors.

Commissioners approved an amended motion Tuesday asking staff to prepare a bylaw amendment that would keep the beach open until 11 p.m. from Victoria Day to B.C. Day, along with a report outlining the benefits and risks associated with doing so.

Beaches across the city normally shut down at 10 p.m., regardless of the time of year.

Commissioner Tom Digby, who put forward the original motion, said the hours have become a problem since “police surveillance activity has picked up” in the city.

“In the past, park rangers used to use appropriate discretion around the 10 p.m. closing, allowing people to wrap up their affairs and move on in due course without heavy-handed enforcement,” Digby said at Tuesday’s meeting.

But he and other commissioners said they’ve heard numerous complaints from residents who were forced off the beaches by police officers immediately at closing, no matter what they were doing or whether it was still light out.

Digby said that happened to him and his wife back in June at Spanish Banks, telling the board that officers with guns and body armour sent them away at around 10:01 p.m.

“It was like ‘Robocop’ on the beach,” he added.

Board vice-chair Brennan Bastyovanszky recounted a similar experience when he was walking his dog near Sunset Beach while it was still light out.

“It causes friction,” Bastyovanszky said. “It’s peaceful enough down there most of the time, the vast majority of people are down there enjoying the beaches and the sunset.”

According to Digby’s motion, there is still light in the sky until “at least” 11 p.m. around the time of the summer solstice.

Extending the beach hours to that time between Victoria Day in May and B.C. Day in August would also coincide with the FIFA World Cup, when international soccer fans are expected to converge on the city.

Allowing them to enjoy the scenery without police interruption would “highlight the benefit and attractiveness of life in Vancouver,” Digby said.