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City of Vancouver staff are asking council to add a seventh public drinking space to the city’s existing roster of outdoor boozing sites.
On April 10, council will be asked to add a public drinking “plaza” on the west block of West 18th Avenue at Cambie Street to six other similar sites that have been approved over the past few years.
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There is already a public drinking plaza on West 17th Avenue at Cambie Street. If approved, both Cambie Street sites will be managed by the Cambie Village Business Association.
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There are several Vancouver parks that allow public drinking.
The Alcohol Consumption in Public Plazas Program was introduced in 2020, initially to support a harm reduction-based safe outdoor drinking site on the 100-block of Princess Street that is managed by the PHS Community Services Society.
Over the past few years, several other sites have been added to the program on small blocks that are blocked to traffic and have public washroom access.
According to the city staff report, there have been no negative outcomes from the sites, which allow drinking year-round from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. (The Kitsilano plaza operates seasonally).
PHS’s Drinker’s Lounge program on Princess Street has been in operation since March 2021 and has generated no complaints or issues raised from surrounding businesses or the Vancouver Police Department.
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