See some of Vancouver’s best attractions without paying

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – People who live in Vancouver can now visit some of the city’s most popular attractions without paying. All you need is a library card.

The city has introduced the Vancouver Inspiration Pass, or V.I.P. It will be available at all Vancouver Public Library branches starting November 1st. You can reserve a pass starting today.

The V.I.P. is good for free admission at the Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver Bach Choir, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Roedde House Museum, Museum of Vancouver, UBC Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver Maritime Museum, Vancouver Police Museum, Beaty Biodiversity Museum, Bloedel Conservatory, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, Nitobe Memorial Garden, Science World, UBC Botanical Garden, Vancouver Aquarium, and VanDusen Botanical Garden.

It is also good for free skating, swimming, and other activities at rec centres across the city.

“With this pass, the doors to all of these organizations will be open to Vancouver residents, again at absolutely no charge,” says Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson. “It’s really important that we enable our residents to re-discover why [Vancouver is] the most livable city.”

“It works like this,” says the mayor. “Once a year Vancouver residents aged 14 or older can use their library card to borrow a V.I.P., Vancouver Inspiration Pass, at no charge.”

Robertson says one pass covers the admission for “a family of two adults and up to four kids, or a group of up to six youth between 14 and 18.”

“There will be 120 passes,” says Robertson. “Fifteen of them will be kept at the main branch of the Vancouver Public Library downtown, while five will be kept at each of VPL’s satellite branches.

Checking out a pass is just like checking out a book. The V.I.P. is good for two weeks. During that time you can visit each venue once. Unlike books, you can check out the V.I.P. from the library only once a year.

“Vancouver has a wealth of cultural and recreational attractions that enrich the lives of so many of our citizens,” says Patrick Lewis, Director of the UBC Biodiversity Collections, which includes the UBC Botanical Garden, the Nitobe Garden, and the new Beaty Biodiversity Museum.

“The list of partners on the Inspiration Pass just highlights how diverse these venues are,” he adds. “We also have many residents who do not have the financial means to visit our facilities.”

“This is something that at UBC we’ve struggled with for a long time,” says Lewis.

Mayor Robertson says the pass will not cost taxpayers any money.

“The goal with this pass is that we get a whole new generation accessing Vancouver’s great organizations,” he adds. “Right now, we could use more people attending all these. This is a way to inspire people and turn them into regular goers to all of these cultural institutions.”

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