Dispute over Kitsilano bike path reaches B.C. Supreme Court

In October 2013, the Vancouver Park Board approved plans to build a Kitsilano bike path that connected Jericho Beach to Canada Place in Vancouver. Now, the plans for the $2.2 million (estimated) path are tied up because of an impending court case.

A local group are opposed to the project and how its development came to be. The Georgia Straight has reported how a resident of the area, Megan Carvell Davis, questions the merits of the bike lane in the context of the agreement upon which the land was originally donated to the City of Vancouver in 1928. Davis’ lawyer Robert Kasting cites a lack of consultation from the city and is demanding that the proper process is undertaken before the project proceeds.

According to Kasting, the trust states that the park is to be kept in its natural state. The case will ultimately come down to the interpretation of the words of the trust and whether the city’s plans fit into the parameters of the original agreement.

Ultimately, the City of Vancouver will have to convince a judge that their proposed bike path will keep the area as “near as possible to its present state of nature.” On March 12 and 13, the Supreme Court of British Columbia will host a hearing regarding this matter. Until further notice, any and all construction on the bike lane has been halted.