Oppenheimer Park reopens Monday after vocal backlash during heatwave

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The City of Vancouver has announced that the west side of Oppenheimer Park, in the Downtown Eastside, will reopen Monday.

The city says fences will remain around the full perimeter of the park, however entrances on the west side will be open to the public at all hours of the day.

However, the shadiest area of the public grounds will remain cordoned off, as the city says the fieldhouse, playground, and house posts will undergo further restoration and repairs.

Oppenheimer Park was first shut in May 2020, after a large tent encampment was cleared from the area. The next closest park is Maclean Park in Strathcona, more than 850 metres away.

Donnie Rosa, Vancouver Park Board general manager, says they know how integral the park is to the community.

“We are pleased that people will now be able to socialize, play and attend city programming in the western section,” Rosa says.

This comes in the wake of vocal backlash against the delay in re-opening the neighbourhood’s only greenspace, as its residents battle through an oppressive heatwave.

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On Friday, DTES advocate Karen Ward demanded the park be opened.

“It’s been over a year, we haven’t had a park for the entire pandemic,” Ward says. “Now, we’ve got this incredible heat, and this is a heat desert, it’s so hot, and there’s no where to go.”

Ward says many people were moved from the park into SRO accommodations when Oppenheimer was cleared out last year. However, she pointed out that many of the suites are ill-equipped to deal with the soaring temperatures.

Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neighbourhood battles with an “urban heat island” effect, due to its disproportionate lack of accessible greenspaces and dense concentration of buildings and pavements.

The city says that while the fieldhouse is closed for repair, city staff will temporarily install a trailer to ensure public access to washrooms.

Rosa says the city has also committed to continuing to speak to community members, cultural groups, and park users to gather feedback whilst they phase in the reopening of the park.

“Reopening takes much more than restoring grass, trees, or structures. It’s important that our staff take the time to meet with community members and park users in a meaningful way to better understand their needs around programming, and other sacred cultural elements like the house posts, totem pole and baseball backstop.”

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