Vancouver mayor, park board chair spar over VPD cutting beach patrols

Beachgoers sit on logs in Vancouver in this file photo.

The Vancouver Police Department won’t be staffing Vancouver beaches with officers on ATVs this summer.

The VPD said it’s due to a lack of funding from the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, but the chair of the park board is disputing that.

In a statement to CTV News, thepolice department said: “Over the last two years in 2024 and 2025, VPD officers were deployed on beach patrol to support park rangers, the primary agency responsible for patrolling Vancouver beaches.”

The VPD said officers will still respond to calls at the beaches that warrant a police response and will support park board staff when called.

CTV News asked the VPD if the change was related to Vancouver’s FIFA World Cup hosting duties, but the VPD said it had no connection.

Alcohol on beaches

In 2025, following a two-year pilot project, the park board decided to permanently allow alcohol consumption all summer long at seven popular beaches.

The policing costs for the program in 2025 were $450,000.

The year prior, the VPD boosted its budget by about half a million dollars through the pilot program.

At the time, VPD Insp. Marco Veronesi told CTV News the city’s funding was for overtime pay for 12 officers who would work mostly nights and weekends.

Park board chair wants apology

Park board Chair Tom Digby said the board did not receive a specific funding request from the VPD for the beach patrols this year, and that the board did not decline any budget requests.

“We assumed it was because the police were too embarrassed, because they received a $50 million budget increase this year,” he said. “Every other city department, including the park board, got cut.”

Mayor weighs in

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim slammed the move, saying it raised serious questions about park board priorities.

“To be clear, we fully support alcohol consumption on our beaches and in our parks, but public safety cannot be an afterthought,” he said. “If you are expanding alcohol access at beaches and parks, you must also ensure there are adequate resources in place to keep people safe, support frontline responders, and maintain order for families and residents enjoying these spaces.”

Sim added:“Residents expect common sense. If Vancouverites are enjoying a beer or a wine on the beach, public safety considerations must remain a priority."

Digby said he wants a retraction from both the VPD and Sim, and characterized their comments as “misinformation.”

“I’m demanding that the police chief and the mayor get together and apologize and retract their statement, because they’re completely misleading.” he said. “It is not the park board’s responsibility to fund public safety on our beaches. That’s the police department. They have a (more than) $450 million budget this year, and they can find the money to keep the city safe, especially during this FIFA season.”