City of Vancouver employees want the council to include a seventh public drinking area in the city's current list of outdoor drinking locations.
On April 10, the council will be requested 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.
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.
Several parks in Vancouver permit public drinking.
The Public Plazas Alcohol Consumption Program was introduced in 2020, initially to support a 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.
Related
- Vancouver to allow drinking in public plazas year-round
- Here's a list of Vancouver beaches and parks where drinking will be allowed
