VANCOUVER – Organizers of the annual 4/20 pot protest in Vancouver have plans to move it to Sunset Beach from the Vancouver Art Gallery this year. But the idea of thousands of demonstrators lighting up on a no smoking beach doesn’t sit well with the park board.

Park board chair Sarah Kirby-Yung said Saturday they are drafting a letter to Mayor Gregor Robertson outlining their concerns, specifically that demonstrators will violate the city’s smoking bylaws, block popular amenities in the area such as the seawall, the Aquatic Centre, and a nearby daycare for children. There’s also worry the park may be damaged, and safety fears over the proximity of the event to the water.

“The board feels very strongly that this is not an appropriate site for this event,” she said, adding that the city made recommendations to 4/20 organizers without proper consultation with the park board, which has jurisdiction of Sunset Beach. “Given the nature of this event it wouldn’t qualify for a permit.”

Kirby-Yung would like to see the unsanctioned event, which drew more than 20,000 people to the downtown core last April, take place at either Larwill Park, where the FIFA Women’s World Cup events were held, or on the Concord Pacific-owned land near the viaducts.

“We respect people’s rights to gather and protest, but this is really not what this event is. It has turned into a festival with booths and vendors. They are acting like a festival without getting permits.”

However, 4/20 organizer and marijuana activist Jodie Emery disagrees, and says while marijuana continues to be illegal in Canada, they will continue to protest prohibition.

Although Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, Emery noted that Mounties in many cities are still raiding medical cannabis dispensaries, so there is still much to protest.

“Why would (police) arrest people for pot when (the government) intends for them to have it legally? There is still a lot of concern,” said Emery.

As for the location, she says organizers already met with city staff, and they recommended two sites, either a parking lot under the south side of the Cambie Street bridge or Sunset Beach.

“We went with the one that’s most appropriate for our needs,” said Emery. “This is where Pride is held and so it is suitable ... It’s a nice open air space.”

There are two main reasons for the move away from the Art Gallery, where the event has been held for more than 20 years. One is because the event has grown too large for the downtown core, and the second is because the north plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery is set to undergo renovations this spring.

Emery emphasized that through donations, 4/20 organizers will pay for their own radios to communicate with police, first aid, security, insurance, and toilets.

Kirby-Yung hopes the city will work with 4/20 organizers to find another location, but if the event goes ahead at Sunset, the park board will work with the Vancouver police to ensure safety measures are in place, and will expect that lifeguards will be on site.

“It’s really up to police how they enforce the smoking bylaw. When you have thousands of people it’s a major challenge for police.”

Park rangers can also enforce the no smoking bylaw and hand out tickets, which are a minimum of $250. but Kirby-Yung said because this event is so large they won’t jeopardize the ranger’s safety, so they will defer to the VPD for crowd control and law enforcement.

Last year, Vancouver police announced they would go after promoters of unsanctioned events to recover policing costs, after costs for the 4/20 and May Day events in the city swelled to tens of thousands of dollars.

The city’s tally for 4/20 costs last year was $93,000, according to city spokesman Jag Sandhu.

ticrawford@vancouversun.com