Your Vancouver Province
Aquarium plan unveiled
New pools for whales, dolphins part of $80m expansion
Jack Keating, The Province
Published: Tuesday, May 29, 2007
VANCOUVER - The Vancouver parks board was asked last night to give final approval to the development permit design plan for the Vancouver Aquarium's controversial expansion project.
The plan, which will increase the size of the aquarium by 50 per cent to 4 1/2 acres, is expected to cost between $80 million and $100 million and includes construction of larger pools for its beluga whales, dolphins and sea lions.
It will also include an underwater viewing area for sea lions, a new sea-otter pool and a redeveloped dolphin facility.
An expanded gift shop, a new restaurant, two new galleries and meeting rooms are also part of the plan.
"We're hoping to break ground in September of this year," said aquarium spokeswoman Brenda Jones, with the new facility opening in the fall of 2009.
Commissioner Loretta Woodcock voted against the plan because she is opposed to the expansion of the pools for the dolphins and the whales.
"I don't think that we should be putting whales and dolphins in pools," said Woodcock. "They are too intelligent, they're too mobile and in light of what happened with Hana [the dolphin's miscarriage] last week, I think it was sort of like an omen. I think she was telling us something."
Two aquarium belugas and three orcas have been stillborn or died young in recent years and Hana the dolphin has miscarried twice.
Animal rights-activists also spoke against the motion. "People have strong opinions," said Jones.
Vice-chairwoman Korina Houghton supports the design and has no problem with expanding the pools to house the current number of whales and dolphins being held at the aquarium.
"I think that if they're going to have the dolphins and belugas in those areas that they need to be as large as possible just for the health of the animals themselves," said Houghton.
"We want to make sure that the animals that do live in these facilities are not ones that in essence should be out in the wild. The ones that are there are essentially there because if you put them back out into the ocean they would more than likely die."
The NPA majority on the parks board was expected to approve the development but the vote took place after The Province's deadline.
The board also voted to refer the concept of a "privately developed and operated observation tower in Queen Elizabeth Park" to a public review process.
Park staff received a proposal from architect Richard Henriquez as part of its directive from the board "to be more entrepreneurial" and build a privately funded $10-million observation tower that will jut 50-metres into the air atop the park.
Local residents all spoke against the project with one resident calling it a "monstrous" edifice.
The major concerns would be how many trees would have to be chopped down, the cost of visiting the tower and if the tower would be obtrusive to the park and the neighbourhood.