Montreal-based hotelier Blue Hole Investments will set up shop at English Bay Beach next month as the Vancouver Shade Company to rent umbrellas as well as upright and lounge chairs to sun-lovers and shade-seekers.
In the first year of a two-year trial run, the private company will pay the Park Board 10 per cent of revenue. in 2017, that amount climbs to 15 per cent.
The Park Board approved the decision Monday night though Green Party commissioners Michael Wiebe and Stuart Mackinnon dissented.
Mackinnon opposed the “commercialization of parks,” which he feared would separate those who can and others who can’t afford rental rates.
“We’ve gone 100 years without this, and I don’t see why we need to bring it in now,” said Wiebe, who previously helped launch the Vancouver Lifeguard Association and asked if the umbrellas would interfere with safety or interrupt lifeguard sightlines.
Catherine Evans, the lone Vision commissioner on the board, said the rentals would benefit tourism and wanted to see a lower rate for seniors.
“It could well be that seniors find the chairs particularly useful,” she said. “I’m hoping that it is as affordable as can be made possible.”
Chairwoman and NPA commissioner Sarah Kirby-Yung said there was a “tremendous branding potential” on the pop-up rental tent and the chairs and umbrellas themselves.
The costs for hourly, daily and weekly rentals was not set. However, one example presented in a staff report was a $7.50 hourly and $25 daily rental for both a chair and umbrella.
Read more about rental rates in the US: Rental chairs and umbrellas considered for Vancouver beaches
The rental chairs will not remain fixed in a designated portion of the beach as a roped-off service seen at beach resorts the world over. Instead, patrons will select their location and make an order through what was deemed a “full-service model” before staff delivers the chairs and install the umbrella, which is expected to have a corkscrew pole for added stability.
Staff recommended a maximum 100 chairs.
The two-year pilot program will launch in roughly four weeks towards the end of June with 40 upright chairs and 10 longer, lounge chairs.
The colour of the chairs was not set.
NPA commissioner John Coupar favoured stripes in “Park Board green” and emphasized the value of sun protection and the ability to visit English Bay Beach without a car.
“It encourages active transportation so you can walk down to the beach or ride a bike,” he said. “I can’t wait to sit in one of those chairs.”
Twitter: @MHStewart
