Following the Easter long weekend closure of Deas Island and Boundary Bay Regional parks the City of Delta is asking Metro Vancouver to re-open them, albeit with limited access.
In a letter sent to Metro Vancouver Wednesday morning, Mayor George Harvie says the closure of the parks was the right move and thanked Metro Vancouver for its quick actions in closing the parks in advance of the Easter long weekend.
“In light of the great weather we saw over the weekend, this action was undoubtedly essential in preventing the spread of COVID-19,” said Harvie. “Despite the closure, Delta police had to turn around approximately 600 vehicles that were seeking to access Boundary Bay Regional Park on April 11. If we had allowed the park to remain open, it would have been impossible to ensure safe physical distancing.”
Harvie said Delta is seeking a new, compromised solution with Metro Vancouver that would allow these parks to be used for exercise by residents while limiting the potential for gatherings of people from throughout the region.
“We are asking that Metro Vancouver allow for limited access to both Deas Island and Boundary Bay Regional Park for those who can reach the parks without a vehicle,” said Harvie. “The parking lots for both parks need to remain closed at all times to limit the potential for large gatherings.
“By re-opening the parks on this limited basis while keeping the parking lots closed, we will be supporting Dr. Bonnie Henry's joint directives around exercise and physical distancing while staying close to home.”
Delta police Chief Neil Dubord, in an interview Tuesday, echoed the feelings of Delta staff that the park closures was essential during the long weekend.
“We certainly felt some degree of pressure, our police officers did, from people who are in the area that would like to walk the dike or walk the path and not really stay in the park, but use it as an access point to the dike,” said Dubord. “I think that overall there is some validity to that, but at this point in time three things made our decision fairly resolute.
“The first thing was it was the Easter long weekend and more people would be home than usual. Second, we knew the weather was going to be fantastic and third, and more important, that this was the peak time period, according to Dr. Bonnie Henry, that we should be avoiding those areas, so the decision to shut down the park worked based on those factors.”
