Mayor’s party punts lifeguard funding request to Vancouver Park Board

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and members of his ABC party punted a request Tuesday to restore lifeguard service at several beaches in time for summer, despite pleas to ensure the safety of swimmers.

Green Coun. Pete Fry put forward a motion this week calling on the city to provide the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation with up to $600,000 to keep seasonal lifeguards at Spanish Banks, Sunset Beach and Third Beach—after cuts made amid financial strain from ABC’s “Zero Means Zero” budget, which froze property taxes heading into an election year.

An amended motion referring the proposal to the board “for information” was passed in a 6-4 vote supported by the ABC majority and rejected by opposition councillors.

“The responsibility for setting service levels and allocating resources is within the operating budget of the Vancouver Park Board, and that includes lifeguard staffing and hours,” said ABC Coun. Mike Klassen, who submitted the amendment.

“Where we find ourselves today has nothing to do with a zero per cent property tax increase, this has everything to do with the park board not properly prioritizing lifeguards at our beaches.”

Board commissioners previously said they were tasked with finding $15 million in spending reductions as a result of the 2026 budget passed by council, and that the lifeguard cuts would save between $400,00 and $600,000.

Before Tuesday’s vote, COPE Coun. Sean Orr said he expected bipartisan support for Fry’s motion, and that he was surprised to see it “unnecessarily politicized.”

“We can’t delay, I mean we’re talking about lives and we’re talking about the summer season right upon us,” he said.

“I just think it behooves us to act immediately.”

Fry noted the park board already voted unanimously to ask council for the funding needed to restore lifeguard services, arguing Klassen’s amendment to refer his motion to commissioners “makes absolutely no sense.”

Dozens of speakers signed up to address the meeting, including Iris Gutowski, president of the Vancouver Open Water Swim Association, who said her group has seen “huge demand” for ocean swims in the city.

“We’ve also seen a lot of new, inexperienced swimmers taking up this hobby,” Gutowski said. “Unlike things like pool swimming or running, even if you’re fit there’s a lot of unknown risks.”

The city’s lifeguards do crucial work in “preventing tragedies just by informing people of the proper precautions they need to take,” she added.

The Vancouver Park Board has assured that lifeguards will remain at some of the busiest beaches this summer, including Kitsilano, Jericho, Locarno, English Bay and Second Beach.