Another pilot project approved to allow drinking in select Vancouver parks

It’s almost drink-a-beer-in-the-park season, which is technically illegal in Vancouver, although it’s not unusual to see people cracking a cold one outdoors during the warmer months.

Fortunately for Vancouverites preparing for spring, the municipal park board is considering a pilot project that could change that.

It’s been over three years since the board first brought up the idea, but February 7’s Vancouver Park Board meeting covered a motion to start a second Alcohol in Parks Pilot for 2022 onwards. 

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In the meeting report, staff say they plan to use the lessons they learned from their July-to-October pilot, which included 22 parks last year.

Results from that pilot were presented in December, showing most people drinking in parks were respectful and enjoyed the experience. 

One problem they’d like to fix moving forward is unclear signage.

“Designated drinking areas were not well-defined and the signage available was not very effective in communicating the boundaries,” reads the staff report on the results. 

“Park users didn’t generally abide by designated drinking areas when drinking alcohol on site.”

Commissioners also passed a motion this evening directing staff to design and implement a second Alcohol in Parks Pilot for 2022 taking into consideration lessons learned from the 2021 pilot. Staff have been asked to report back to the Board with recommendations for next steps. pic.twitter.com/Kjsc1lgHgR

— Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation (@ParkBoard) February 8, 2022

Some solutions they’re considering are making the signage more obvious and effective or just allowing people to use the whole park to drink instead of specific zones.

Staff also suggested implementing additional monitoring at the pilot sites and improving the recycling and waste management systems there.

The Vancouver Park Board will post updates as they become available.