Vancouver to remove lifeguards from some beaches for 2026 season

The Vancouver Park Board says budget pressures are behind the decision to remove lifeguards from a number of popular beaches this summer.

The City of Vancouver will not be providing lifeguards at certain beaches this year, CTV News has learned.

The number of lifeguard-staffed waterfront and beach sites will be reduced from 10 to five, according to an email sent to staff.

The sites that will no longer have supervision include: “Spanish West, Spanish East, Sunset, Third and Trout Lake.”

The city said the move is part of aligning park board services with the approved 2026 budget.

“I understand that this change may raise questions, and we are collaborating with CUPE 1004 to provide staff with as much clarity as possible as seasons planning continues,” the email states.

Steve Kellock, director of recreation at the Vancouver Park Board, told CTV News that budget constraints mean staff will be prioritizing Locarno Jericho Kits, English Bay and 2^nd beaches this summer.

“We did an analysis when we realized we were going to have to make some difficult decisions and we looked at where is our greatest attendance in our outdoor spaces,” he said, adding staff looked at which beaches had the most swimmers and most incidents requiring a lifeguard.

Kellock says the park board is also looking to “increase capacity” at outdoor pools this season by refocusing lifeguards there, which has been a challenge since the pandemic.

“We are prioritizing our highest risk spaces. We are doing the best we can with limited resources,” he said.

In November, city council approved a ‘Zero Mean Zero’ budget that has resulted in cuts to various departments and staffing.

CTV News has reached out to the City of Vancouver and CUPE 1004 for more information and will update this story when a response is received.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Kaija Jussinoja and Pete Cline