City Council to consider installing a permanent "VANCOUVER" sign

Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive

The existing temporary “VANCOUVER” sign at Canada Place Way will be removed by the end of this week, but it could be replaced by a new, permanent sign at some point in the future — though not necessarily at the same location.

ABC City Councillor Peter Meiszner announced today he will be putting forward a member motion to install a permanent “VANCOUVER” sign.

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“It’s time we get our own permanent Vancouver sign to share our love and pride for our beautiful city, not just with locals but with visitors around the world,” said Meiszner in a video message, noting that he would love to hear ideas on the design, location, and other considerations. He says he plans to involve the local First Nations in the design process.

Good morning Vancouver! ⛰️ ☀️ Today, I’ll be serving notice of motion at City Council to bring a permanent “Vancouver” sign to our city. You may have seen the temporary one down by Canada Place—which has been a huge hit with locals and tourists alike. Unfortunately, it will be… pic.twitter.com/YYu5ckQgHL

— Peter Meiszner (@PeterMeiszner) February 27, 2024

The existing sign, first installed in early December 2023, has been a major success with locals and visitors — made apparent by the steady, non-stop traffic of people taking photos with the sign at the highly prominent location on the downtown Vancouver waterfront, backdropped by the harbour and mountains. It is located near the entrance to the Canada Place pier.

However, the existing sign was always intended to be temporary, as it was not designed to withstand the elements over the long term. This was part of the wintertime Liven UP Coal Harbour activations on the waterfront, which was a joint initiative led by the Vancouver Hotel Destination Association with other event partners, including the Vancouver Convention Centre and Port of Vancouver.

This temporary sign was originally planned to be removed at the end of January 2023, but Liven UP indicated late last month that, due to the sign’s popularity, it would see a one-month extension at its location through the end of February.

“VANCOUVER” sign as seen on January 6, 2024. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

“VANCOUVER” sign, as of December 16, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

“VANCOUVER” sign as seen on January 20, 2024. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

“VANCOUVER” sign, as of December 17, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

“The ‘VANCOUVER’ sign at Canada Place has been a great initiative to help showcase our wonderful city, and we’ve loved seeing the positive response of locals and tourists alike. While we don’t currently have any plans to implement a permanent sign on Vancouver Convention Centre property, we look forward to working with our partners on future activations and potential longer-term plans,” the convention centre told Daily Hive Urbanized in late January when asked to comment on the idea of installing a permanent sign.

Similar signs spelling out the name of a city or destination have been highly popular around the world, with some of the most famous signs being of the city names of Toronto and Amsterdam. Over the years, their signs have become landmarks and some of the most photographed objects in both cities.

City Council is expected to deliberate Meiszner’s motion in about two weeks.

“TORONTO” sign at Nathan Phillips Square at Toronto City Hall in downtown Toronto. (TRphotos/Shutterstock)

“I AMSTERDAM” sign at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam museum. (Andrii Lutsyk/Shutterstock)

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