Vancouver Park Board
News Release
January 18, 2018
The Vancouver Park Board applauds the
announcement today by the Vancouver Aquarium that it will end the importation
and display of live cetaceans in Stanley Park.
In May of 2017, after thousands of
community submissions on the issue and a number of special public meetings, the
Park Board approved
and enacted amendments
to the Parks Control Bylaw governing importation and display of cetaceans at
the Vancouver Aquarium. The amendments provided for the continuing care and
display of existing cetaceans. There is only one cetacean, a Pacific
white-sided dolphin named Helen, currently at the facility.
“We are pleased that the Aquarium, with
this decision, has acknowledged and recognized what we as Commissioners
observed in passionate public debates on this issue over the last years,” said
Park Board Chair Stuart Mackinnon.
“The public told us they believed the
continuing importation and display of these intelligent and sociable mammals
was unethical and incompatible with evolving public opinion and we amended our
by-laws accordingly. We look forward to working with the Vancouver Aquarium as
it intensifies its focus on Ocean Wise research and conservation.”
Last summer, the Vancouver Aquarium
launched a legal challenge to the Park Board’s amendment of its by-laws. The
matter is still being considered by the BC Supreme Court. As this legal
matter is pending and unresolved, there will be no further comment by the Park
Board at this time.
The Board, along with applicable
provincial and federal laws pertaining to cetaceans, regulates Vancouver
Aquarium activities in Stanley Park. The Board has issued a long-term license
to the 60-year-old Vancouver Aquarium to allow it to operate within Stanley
Park. The Aquarium has operated under a legal agreement with the Park Board
since 1956 and the current license agreement runs to 2029.
Stanley Park is owned by the Government of Canada and leased in perpetuity to the City as a park. City Council has designated Stanley Park as a permanent public park under the Vancouver Charter. The Park Board has exclusive jurisdiction and control over Stanley Park.
