Storm-battered Jericho Pier should be demolished, Vancouver park board staff recommends
Staff with the Vancouver Park Board are recommending that the damaged Jericho Pier – which has been closed since 2021 – be demolished instead of repaired or rebuilt.
The risk of future damage from extreme weather is one of the reasons the 80-year-old pier is "at the end of its service life," according to a report outlining the recommendation, which is set to come before the board at its Sept. 11 meeting.
"Over the years, the pier has been repaired several times in response to storm damage. During recurring storm surge events, the pier deck has been fully inundated. Climate change is increasing the frequency of severe storm events, and sea level rise is expected to significantly impact this site," the report says.
Mike Cotter, general manager of the Jericho Sailing Centre Association, agrees with the staff’s recommendation to tear down the dock.
“I'm emotionally attached to the Jericho Pier as anyone,” he told CTV News. “But with sea level rise, it was beyond its service life. The deck floods regularly in the winter at its current level and to repair it, really, is throwing good money after bad.”
The sailing centre has used the dock for its rescue program and adaptive sailing program, but over the last two summers since the pier’s closure, the programs were able to make changes so they wouldn’t rely on the pier.
NEW PIER COULD COST $25 MILLION
A plan for renewal was approved by the board in 2017 but staff say the project would cost as much as $25 million and notes that fundraising efforts have been largely unsuccessful.
The cost of a "like-for-like" repair of the pier would amount to $350,000, but the board says the "vulnerability" of the structure to future damage means that annual maintenance costs could come in at anywhere from $100,000 to $2.35 million.
"This vulnerability is forecast to increase in light of climate change effects [sea level rise and an increase in frequency of king tide and storm surge events]. While this option would require significantly less capital funding, the expected ongoing costs of this approach is significant, and is likely to exceed the costs of the recommended option over time," the report says.
Park Board Commissioner Tom Digby said rebuilding the existing pier does not seem feasible.
“That’s an unlikely option given the massive cost to maintain a pier like that in the face of these rising sea levels,” he said.
Digby said many other waterfronts in Vancouver are dealing with the reality of climate change.
“For me it’s just another tragic cost of climate change,” he said. “[With] sea levels rising, it’s going to go up by a metre by the end of a century, and it’s causing tremendous damage to all the assets and beaches along the waterfront.”
Instead of replacing or repairing the pier, the plan being proposed is to "deconstruct" the pier and reinforce the breakwater, which will cost between $500,000 and $2.8 million.
"The decision will not preclude future opportunities to redevelop the pier site if or when sufficient funding becomes available and if future plans for the site call for its replacement," the report concludes.
The pier was initially closed in November of 2021 due to what the board describes as "moderate damage." Two months later, a storm surge and king tide flooded and battered the pier, causing far more significant damage.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Banking mogul suing government after intelligence leaks leave him shut out of Canadian economy
Chinese Canadian banking mogul Shenglin Xian has launched a $300 million lawsuit against the federal government. It’s a means to find the source of intelligence leaks which Xian says has cost him his livelihood.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Suspected would-be assassin ordered detained as Slovak prime minister's condition is stable
The man accused of attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was ordered to remain behind bars Saturday as the nation’s leader was in serious but stable condition after surviving multiple gunshot wounds, officials said.
Here's how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could make the first debate stage under stringent Biden-Trump rules
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long argued that the biggest hurdle of his presidential campaign is the perception that independent candidates can't win. He has looked to the debates as a singular opportunity to stand alongside Joe Biden and Donald Trump in front of a massive audience.
N.B. man takes talent to the air, hoping others catch his love for extreme pogo stick performing
Duncan Murray is one of only a handful of Canadians to be considered a professional extreme pogo athlete.
Backlash over NFL player Harrison Butker's commencement speech has reached a new level
The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.