THE TALK OF THE TOWN

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What Do We Have For You This Month?

Welcome to “The Talk of The Town” for June, 2023. Scroll through the following features to find:

Our Lead Story

FEATURE FOUNTAINS MAY BE ON THIS SUMMER
Community Pressure Might Turn Some Taps

The fountain at Haro and Bute is a case in point. (James Oakes Photo)

by Nate Lewis
(click images to enlarge)

The idle fountain in the Bute and Haro plaza could be up and running this summer. Deactivated in fall 2021, the fountain remained dormant last spring and summer, and is still turned off nearly halfway through 2023. But it’s far from the only neglected fountain around the city. 

The Bute and Haro fountain was one of approximately 25 water features across Vancouver that were turned off in 2021 to save potable water. That’s just under a quarter of all water features in city parks, including water bodies and splash pads, turned off for more than a year-and-a-half.

“We do recognize that there are a lot of fountains and water features throughout this city that are not operational and we see those and we recognize the cost to the community and how much that they’re loved. We do see them and we do want to address that,” said Park Board chair Laura Christensen. 

At issue is the design of these fountains – whether they are built to recirculate the water they use or have to be fed by a continuous flow of fresh drinking water. The latter is not permitted under existing city bylaws and the regional conservation plan against wasting water. 

Non-recirculating fountains use about 6 million litres of water per year according to city staff. 

Former West End resident and first-term City Councillor Peter Meiszner has gotten an exemption to Vancouver’s bylaws that would allow some fountains, like the one at Haro and Bute, to be turned back on “until such time as they can be retrofitted.”

Meiszner walked by the Haro and Bute fountain “all the time” when he was living in the West End and noticed it was growing moss and generally in “a bit of a sorry state,” he said. 

Charlotte Tarver, pictured, celebrating an approved motion from Vancouver City Council to turn on the Haro and Bute Street fountain (James Oakes photo)

Meiszner said his motion to turn some of these fountains back on is “all about balancing people’s mental health and well-being with the need to retrofit the fountains.” 

Advocacy for the Haro and Bute fountain from residents of Haro Park Centre like Charlotte Tarver and West Enders like Paige Campbell and James Oakes got Meiszner’s attention. 

Meiszner said he took note of how important the fountain and plaza space is to the neighbourhood; for people to socialize, connect with community, and experience nature in the middle of downtown. It’s particularly critical for seniors and others with limited mobility. 

At a late May Park Board meeting, several speakers spoke passionately about the importance of their local water features. 

Paige Campbell, a West Ender and member of the West End Waterfront Plan Community Advisory Group, argued it’s the interaction between West Enders, Vancouverites, tourists, and animals that make mini parks like Haro and Bute so important. Though these fountains may seem insignificant to some, “when things fall apart it’s only a matter of time before we all notice and speak up,” Campbell said. 

The Haro and Bute fountain makes for an interesting case study. The Park Board said it was originally designed and built to recirculate water. However, when the fountain pump failed it was removed rather than repaired. It then operated “for quite some time” as a once-through feature. Park Board communications staff would not share how long the feature was in need of repair. 

The fountain was turned off in fall 2021 despite having the proper infrastructure, but not the needed maintenance, to comply with city bylaws. 

In mid-May, workers were seen pressure washing and replacing interior components in the water feature, shortly after Meizsner’s original motion was passed. 

“I don’t think just turning all the fountains off because they’re not recirculating is a plan or a way forward,” Meiszner said. 

City Council targeted ten water features and ponds for these exemptions. Park Board staff recommended five of those be turned on, and commissioners passed a motion (here) to do so, including the fountains at Beach and Pacific and in Barclay Heritage Square. The fountain at Bute and Haro can be turned on once its pump is repaired. 

Park Board communications staff could not provide a timeline for fixing the Haro and Bute fountain by the time of publication.  

When asked why the motion targeted just some, rather than all the city’s derelict features, Meiszner suggested that “if we turned on every single non-recirculating fountain around Vancouver, that would perhaps be maybe a step a little bit too far.” 

But Kathryn Langmead feels some neighbourhoods are being prioritized over others. Langmead argued at a Park Board meeting for the addition of a similar exemption for South Memorial Pond, which sits just southeast of Fraser and 41st.

“South Vancouver is ignored and we resent being treated as if we don’t matter,” Langmead said in a fiery speech. 

The five fountains to be exempt are located in the West End, Yaletown, and Fairview. 

When Langmead spontaneously approached the councillors’ table following the successful motion – which was not amended to include Memorial South Pond – she asked what she should do. Langmead was told the Park Board is currently working on a report assessing all water features in the city, which they expect to finish by the end of 2023. 

There has been sporadic maintenance work happening on the plaza fountain since a city council decision in late April. Council Passed By-Laws on May 31 to allow some fountains to legally operate . (James Oakes photo) 

There is currently $2 million budgeted for water feature conversions and repairs, which won’t be sufficient to address all the issues with the city’s fountains according to a Park Board presentation. 

“I think it’s a good compromise… because there is going to be significant expense attached to retrofitting these [fountains]. Once we get these retrofitted, then we can take a look at the other ones that are shut off,” Meiszner said. 

The pump repair needed at Haro and Bute would be paid for within the Park Board’s existing budget for expedience, with the City ultimately covering the costs of the repair. Park Board communications staff declined to share the cost of the repairs.  

Meiszner’s motion was passed unanimously by City Council and the discussion around the motion was occasion for some sharp criticism from fellow ABC councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung. 

“Quite honestly, we have neglected a lot of our infrastructure,” Kirby-Yung said in the meeting.

“Hopefully, [this motion] lights a bit of a fire to get some of this retrofitting work actually done because it’s been years,” Kirby-Yung said, adding that retrofitting work has not been a priority in capital or work plans over the last nine years she spent as a park board commissioner and city councillor. 

The Park Board said they will be prioritizing getting swimming and wading pools, spray parks, and drinking fountains ready for summer operation before they conduct repairs or turn on any decorative water fountains.  

With motions passed and bylaws amended it’s now up to civil servants to move forward with the work to repair and restore the selected features. 

West End News & Notes

The scene of the May 27 stabbing, early the next morning. (Aviva Lazar Photo)

STABBING AT BUTE & DAVIE

UPDATE (May 1): The stabbing victim has been identified as 43-year-old Jonathan James Bulloch. Police are still seeking witnesses.

A man was stabbed outside the Bute Street liquour store near Davie just before 10 p.m. on May 27. When police arrived he was alive but badly wounded, according to a police media release.

"No arrests have been made and the investigation remains ongoing," the release added.

Anyone with information about the man or the incident is asked to call the Vancouver Police Department's homicide unit at 1-604-717-2500.

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