A Strathcona resident has started an online petition in an effort to pressure the City of Vancouver to cancel its plan to build a temporary fire hall annex in a small tree-filled park adjacent to a popular bike route.
As of Thursday afternoon, Dana Deschene had collected more than 700 signatures via her change.org petition, which she started July 14.
“I was shocked honestly when I saw the city put those [rezoning signs] up and read about their plan,” Deschene said. “It just seemed pretty bonkers to me for a lot of reasons.”
Those reasons include residents using the park regularly, whether it be to seek shade, walk their dog or meet other people in the neighbourhood. The space has also been a refuge for homeless people, with some tents pitched there Thursday.
'Quiet, calm neighbourhood'
The park, which doesn’t have an official name, is in the 700-block of Gore Street, between East Georgia and Union streets. City staff refers to the green space not as a park, but a right-of-way.
The Union Street bike route runs alongside the property, and the Nora Hendrix temporary modular housing complex is located on the opposite corner. The new St. Paul’s Hospital is being built one block from the park.
The city’s plan to build a temporary fire hall annex was announced in July 2023 at a council meeting, but Deschene said she didn’t notice the rezoning signs on the property until a month ago.
“I just want to get people riled up and speak out — like we don't need a temporary fire hall in our residential, quiet, calm neighbourhood,” said Deschene, a creative services director for a design group, who has lived in Strathcona for 12 years.
“There’s also a lot of low-income people around there who can't speak up for themselves.”
No. 2 hall busiest in B.C.
At the council meeting in July 2023, Armin Amrolia, a deputy city manager, said the annex was necessary to address overcrowding at the No. 2 fire hall, where up to 14 firefighters per shift work inside the cramped building at Main and Powell streets.
No. 2 hall is also not big enough to accommodate one of its medic-rescue trucks, which is parked outside and has had its windows smashed and tires slashed. Firefighters’ personal vehicles have also been vandalized.
The city hired security guards in the fall of 2022 to patrol the hall.
The No. 2 hall is believed to be the busiest in B.C., if not Canada, as Glacier Media learned in November 2022 during a ride-along with 14 firefighters, who were dispatched to fires, overdoses, alarms and calls for medical assistance.
A city staff report said the hall is six times busier than the average hall in Vancouver.
The number of firefighters at the hall increased in recent years because of council-approved measures to respond to a spike in calls, particularly overdoses and fires.
If approved, the annex will be built using previous modular structures used in the redevelopment of other fire halls in the city.
Council heard from staff that most of the $3-million cost will be to prepare a foundation and hook up services to the annex, which will be located on the north portion of the property.
'A better solution'
Deschene emphasized that her petition should not be viewed as a criticism of the work firefighters do in the Downtown Eastside, which she said is crucial for the many people who need medical attention.
But she questions why the city couldn’t have found another location.
“There's a lot of vacant lots over on Hastings Street. Isn't that where the firemen are going? Why would you not put the services where they're needed?” she said.
“Or maybe we don't send fire trucks every time [to an emergency call]. Maybe we build a paramedic station down on Station Street. Maybe that's a better solution. I don't know. I'm not a city planner, but I think that maybe there's some other ideas that could be explored.”
The mixing of fire trucks responding to emergencies and cyclists using the Union Street bike route, which was busy during Glacier Media’s visit to the park Thursday, is another concern.
“It seems very dangerous to me,” she said.
'Temporary' annex could operate eight to 10 years
Glacier Media sent a series of questions to the city this week regarding Deschene’s concerns.
What follows are answers that a representative of the city’s communications team provided to those questions:
What is the rationale for building a temporary hall in that green space at Union/Gore streets? Were any other locations considered?
“The site at 722 Gore Avenue is the nearest available city-owned land to the current fire hall 2 that can accommodate the needs of the temporary fire hall 2 annex. The temporary fire hall 2 annex must be in proximity to the current fire hall 2 to ensure Vancouver Fire Rescue (VFRS) can effectively continue to provide critical emergency services in the area.
"Working closely with VFRS, staff assessed response times and performance for VFRS services in the Downtown Eastside and Strathcona neighbourhoods from various potential locations for the temporary firehall 2 annex.
"While sites farther from the current fire hall 2 showed poor response times and performance, 722 Gore Avenue offers improved response performance for these two neighbourhoods.”
Did city staff consider concerns from residents about lack of green space/tree canopy in Strathcona, and its proximity to a very busy Union Street bike route?
“Understanding the importance of public space, the proposed site plan preserves as much green space and trees as possible and includes pre-planned public art. This is balanced with the need for the site to support the temporary fire hall 2 annex to relieve pressures the current fire hall 2 is experiencing, and to ensure VFRS can effectively continue to provide critical emergency services in the community.
“As a part of the rezoning application, a traffic study was completed that included looking at signalling requirements, parking assessments and inbound/outbound movements.
"It is not uncommon for fire trucks to cross intersections with bikeways, even in higher traffic areas than this site. Vancouver Fire Rescue Services staff are very understanding of the need to take bikers into consideration and following traffic signalling requirements.”
If built, how “temporary” will the fire hall annex be?
“Pending rezoning approval and once construction is complete, it is anticipated the temporary fire hall 2 annex will be operational for eight to 10 years. It is not intended to be permanent, but to provide temporary relief to the current pressures fire hall 2 is experiencing in the Downtown Eastside.
"To support Vancouver Fire Rescue Services long term, staff will recommend to council to prioritize funding for the renewal and expansion of fire hall 2 in the next capital plan.”
An arborist’s report conducted by Arbortech Consulting identified 18 trees on the site, along with 26 “neighbour trees” that abut the property and three “municipal trees” on the edge of the park.
According to the city, six trees will need to be removed from the park, with plans to eventually add eight new trees. A giant sequoia at the rear of the site will not be touched.
Strathcona has worst tree canopy cover
Strathcona was identified in a recent independent report that assessed Vancouver’s tree canopy cover as the most tree-deficit neighbourhood in the city.
Diamond Head Consulting found that Strathcona’s tree canopy was less than 10 per cent; Shaughnessy had the highest canopy cover at more than 30 per cent.
“We're in a time of climate change, and we need more green spaces, not less,” said Deschene, who will host a poster-making workshop Saturday in the park.
“Taking away green space increases heat, and [vulnerable] people [in the community] are the ones that are impacted the most by increased heat in the city.”
The Strathcona Residents Association, she added, plans to send a letter to Mayor Ken Sim and councillors that requests the proposal for the fire hall annex be scrapped.
No date has been set for a public hearing on the rezoning application. If approved, the annex is expected to be fully operational by mid-2025.
