Drinking in public plazas pilot

Public plazas where drinking is allowed

2021 plaza locations will operate from 11am to 9pm and will be activated beginning May 31 at:

• Cambie St and 17th Ave
• 800 Robson St
• Fraser St and 27th Ave

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Note Sites will become available for public drinking until October 11, 2021.

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  How the sites were selected

  Public plaza sites were proposed by community partners and reviewed by City staff according to set criteria, including the feasibility of the space, and the management plan for day-to-day operations.

  Plaza sites were also reviewed by the Vancouver Police Department and Vancouver Coastal Health. 

  Note We continue to work with community partners, local police, and the regional health authority to ensure these public spaces are safe, properly managed, and well-maintained.

About the pilot

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  History

  In June 2020, City Council directed staff to update its alcohol by-law to allow people to drink in public plazas as a temporary pilot program for summer 2020. On May 18, 2021, Council directed staff to continue this pilot for summer 2021. 

  Why we are doing the second pilot

  The 2020 pilot demonstrated that drinking in public plazas can be done respectfully and responsibly. The 2021 pilot will allow:

  • Deeper engagement with partners and stakeholders
  • Refinement of management and monitoring plans
  • Testing of new partnerships and new plazas in a wider range of neighbourhoods
  • A longer time period for more public engagement and data collection
  • Continued support for local businesses and safe social gathering
     
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  Safety and maintenance

  How we are ensuring responsible and safe consumption of alcohol

  We are working closely with the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) and pilot partners to identify, mitigate, and plan for risks associated with this work. This includes:

  • Setting up management and stewardship plans with pilot partners to ensure sites are well managed on a day-to-day basis
  • Providing on-site signage and online resources for public space users to access information, specifically related to health and safety, harm reduction, and community services
  • Providing on-site signage to lay-out rules and responsibilities of public space users within designated drinking areas
  • Providing information on how to report issues should public space users observe or experience unsafe, irresponsible, emergency, and disrespectful behaviours within the drinking areas

  VPD support these approaches and are always available for emergency response. Staff will be monitoring the plaza sites for the duration of the pilot to support daily site management decisions.

  How the plaza will be maintained

  We are working with partners to ensure sites are well-maintained and within walking distance to essential public amenities like washrooms. Temporary portable washrooms will be installed at most public plaza sites participating in the pilot.

  Please review the on-site signage available at each site, which will provide you with information on proper waste disposal and nearby washrooms.

  How we will monitor the plazas

  We will be using a robust monitoring plan to collect data at the public plaza sites for the duration of the pilot, including:   

  • Incident, crime, and emergency data from police
  • Public feedback from 3-1-1
  • Individual and community health data from Vancouver Coastal Health
  • Observational scans of each pilot site, to be performed on a regular basis by staff and partners
  • Public feedback from a voluntary online survey for public space users, which will be available on signage and online

  These approaches will inform the day-to-day management of the sites and ensure that we and our partners are responding with real-time data to make our decisions. Data collected will inform long-range policy about public space. 

Resources and documents

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  Health and wellness resources 

  • Alcohol substances use harm reduction External website, opens in new tab
  • Women, gender diverse and non binary, and two spirit peoples health and safety External website, opens in new tab
  • Homelessness External website, opens in new tab
  • Indigenous-led and culturally safe harm reduction services External website, opens in new tab
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  Documents

  • May 2021 PDF file (788 KB)
  • July 2020 Council report PDF file (678 KB)
  • July 2020 Council Presentation PDF file (678 KB)
  • June 23, 2020 Council minutes PDF file (287 KB)  (Motion: Reconsideration of Council decision of designating public space for responsible consumption of alcohol)
  • March 30, 2021 Council minutes PDF file (213 KB) (Motion: Additional emergency COVID-19 measures)