Drinking in public plazas

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About the program

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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 nearby land uses and existing management plans for day-to-day plaza operations.

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

  Note We continue to work with our community partners to ensure these public spaces are safe, properly managed, and well-maintained.

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  History

  Directed by Council, staff piloted the Alcohol Consumption in Public Plazas Program to enable seasonal public alcohol consumption in public plazas in 2020 and 2021.

  In 2022, Council adopted the Alcohol Consumption in Public Plazas Policy based on positive public space monitoring, strong public support for the program (92% in a 2021 survey), reported benefits to community partners, and an absence of any health or safety issues observed or raised by stakeholders (VPD and VCH) in previous years.

  This Policy outlines a framework for the Alcohol Consumption in Public Plazas Program to operate, and the 2025 program follows this Policy’s recommendations.

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  Safety and maintenance

  How we are ensuring responsible and safe consumption of alcohol

  Participating public plazas designated as drinking-permitted are located in busy areas with lots of ‘eyes on the street’. Signage will be installed to remind public space users of their responsibilities within designated drinking areas and to share information on washroom locations, waste disposal, and how to report issues. 

  We will continue to work with Vancouver Police Department (VPD) and plaza partners to ensure all sites are properly managed, safe and welcoming for all public space users. We will be monitoring all public feedback we receive about the sites from 3-1-1 and Van311.

  How the plaza will be maintained

  We are working with partners to ensure all plazas are well-maintained and within walking distance to essential public amenities like washrooms. Temporary portable washrooms will be installed at designated plaza sites without existing washrooms nearby.

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

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
  • Indigenous-led and culturally safe harm reduction services External website, opens in new tab
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  Engagement

  Thank you for your feedback on the 2021 pilot. Your input helped staff understand how people feel about drinking in plazas and informed the development of the continued program.

  Review a summary of engagement from the 2021 pilot PDF file (3 MB)

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  Documents

  • April 2026 Council report PDF file (842 KB) (Sites for 2026 to 2019 Alcohol Consumption in Public Plazas Program)
  • March 2025 Council report PDF file (966 KB) (Sites for Alcohol Consumption in Public Plazas Program)
  • April 2024 Council report PDF file (559 KB) (Sites for Alcohol Consumption in Public Plazas Program)
  • March 2023 Council report PDF file (820 KB) (Sites for Alcohol Consumption in Public Plazas Program)
  • March 2022 Council report PDF file (362 KB) (Alcohol consumption in public plazas policy)
  • March 2022 Council presentation PDF file (1.9 MB) (Alcohol consumption in public plazas policy)
  • July 2021 Council report PDF file (235 KB) (Additional sites for 2021 alcohol consumption in public spaces pilot)
  • May 2021 PDF file (788 KB) (2021 alcohol consumption in public spaces pilot)
  • March 30, 2021 Council minutes PDF file (213 KB) (Motion: Additional emergency COVID-19 measures)
  • July 2020 Council report PDF file (678 KB) (Alcohol consumption in public spaces pilot)
  • July 2020 Council presentation PDF file (678 KB) (Alcohol consumption in public spaces pilot)
  • June 23, 2020 Council minutes PDF file (287 KB)  (Motion: Reconsideration of Council decision of designating public space for responsible consumption of alcohol)