The Pending Fate of Vancouver’s False Creek Boaters and How You Can Help

May 5th, 2008 Categories: Downtown, Real Estate News, Vancouver Real Estate

Vancouver’s False Creek provides prime moorage for boaters but Esso is set to close its marine gas station

Esso has closed its marine gas station in Steveston, Port Hardy, Nanaimo and West Vancouver. Will False Creek be next? They have told Allan Keefe, the manager, that they are getting out of the marine gas business, after 23 years of serving the neighbourhood.

The station was meant to be closed in February but is now on a month to month til the end of the third quarter. Esso has offered to privatize the gas station but is concerned the investors won’t have sufficient capital to run it long term.

Vancouver Parks Board operates the False Creek marina. The chair Korina Houghton thinks it should be taken over by a third party, but not the Vancouver Parks Board.

Should the False Creek gas station be shut down, boaters would have to go all the way around to Coal Harbour for gas.

Apart from the inconvenience to boaters, what would be the impact of the closure? Houghton believes it will effect False Creek businesses. Imagine a major city like Vancouver not having a gas station Downtown. This would undoubtedly reduce the number of boaters who visit the city, not to mention the boating business.

In addition, Houghton believes it would encourage boaters to use jerricans instead and that would be detrimental to the environment as they leak and the gas ends up in the waters of False Creek.

How can you help the boaters? Register your voice with Vancouver Parks Board or email them pbcomment@vancouver.ca

Are you in favour of the Esso station remaining open? Do you think boats add are a plus to our waterfront?

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