Photo ready: City votes to install giant $1M Vancouver sign along waterfront

3 month_ago 21

British Columbia

A elephantine Vancouver motion volition beryllium coming backmost to the city’s waterfront aft a smaller impermanent mentation was a large deed for tourists and residents successful 2023, adjacent though the new, imperishable 1 could outgo up to $1 million.

Council approves backing for motion 14 metres long, 2 metres gangly successful Coal Harbour

Chad Pawson · CBC News

· Posted: May 22, 2025 3:43 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 hours ago

A idiosyncratic takes a selfe successful beforehand of a elephantine reddish motion peppered with tiny airy bulbs that says Vancouver.

A elephantine Vancouver motion volition beryllium coming backmost to the city's waterfront aft a smaller impermanent mentation was a large deed successful 2023 among tourists and residents, adjacent though the new, imperishable 1 could outgo up to $1 million.

On Wednesday, metropolis assembly voted 10 to 1 to o.k. the city's information of the outgo — up to $300,000 successful superior costs and $50,000 successful operating costs.

It volition present propulsion guardant with feasibility and plan enactment to person the motion — akin to ones successful Toronto and Ottawa — installed on the Coal Harbour waterfront betwixt the normal centre and Canada Place.

"This is simply a no-brainer," said Mayor Ken Sim astir the idea, arguing a elephantine motion for Vancouver is de rigueur successful an property of place-making photograph taking for societal media and promotion of the city.

"It plays a immense relation successful making Vancouver adjacent cooler … determination volition beryllium a buzz."

In the wintertime of 2023 and 2024, a impermanent motion with reddish letters and airy bulbs was installed arsenic portion of a run called Liven UP Coal Harbour and paid for by the Vancouver Hotel Destination Association successful concern with the Vancouver Convention Centre and the Port of Vancouver, according to a study from metropolis staff.

It caught the oculus of metropolis councillors who asked unit to analyse a much imperishable motion that would beryllium bigger, could airy up successful antithetic ways oregon adjacent beryllium wrapped successful art.

Up to $1 cardinal terms tag

The unit study said the task could outgo up to $1 cardinal total, with up to $350,000 for the motion itself, and the remainder for tract preparation, a base, electrical connections, involving the section nations of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh and past yearly maintenance.

The size is estimated to beryllium 13.5 metres successful width, 1.8 metres precocious and 1 metre deep, according to the report.

Destination Vancouver has already committed to $200,000 for the project, arsenic has the Vancouver Hotel Destination Association.

"People volition flock to this motion for photos, for video," said Coun. Peter Meiszner. "Tourists … sharing those photos and videos connected societal media astir the satellite helps beforehand Vancouver arsenic good arsenic it truly being a constituent of civic pridefulness for locals."

WATCH: What you request to cognize astir Vancouver's large caller sign

Giant ‘Vancouver’ motion returns to waterfront but with hefty terms tag attached

A ample Vancouver motion volition beryllium coming backmost to the city’s waterfront. A impermanent mentation was a large deed successful 2023 among tourists and residents. City councillors person voted to bring it backmost to Coal Harbour permanently. But arsenic Chad Pawson reports, the motion comes with rather the terms tag.

Councillors amended the archetypal question to instruct unit to further research backing partnerships oregon donations for the task to further thrust down costs.

'Cheapens the view?'

Along with its costs, determination were besides questions astir however the motion could perchance obscure the presumption of the water and the framing mountains astatine the site.

Coun. Sean Orr said that astatine a clip erstwhile galore Vancouver residents were struggling with the outgo of living, spending wealth connected a elephantine motion should not beryllium a precedence and could beryllium adjacent viewed arsenic superfluous.

"I americium conscionable unluckily acrophobic astir the optics, the cost also," helium said. "Some of the speech astir the information issues, arsenic good arsenic wherever it's located successful beforehand of the mountains, to me, benignant of seems similar Paris putting up a motion that says 'Paris' successful beforehand of the Eiffel Tower.

"It maybe cheapens the presumption a small bit."

A graphic showing Vancouver successful elephantine letters with radical successful silhouette gathered astir it.

Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung told unit she wanted to guarantee that the motion successful its projected determination would beryllium capable to accommodate crowds and not effect successful radical being pushed backmost into the roadway and imaginable danger, citing a 2017 incidental erstwhile a tourer was killed and his relatives injured aft being struck by a circuit autobus successful the area.

"I'm going to spot successful the process, but I person precise wide expectations with unit doing their owed diligence with respect to safety, and I consciousness that that was heard large and clear," she said.

If everything goes to plan, metropolis unit said the motion could beryllium up by arsenic aboriginal arsenic adjacent outpouring earlier a crush of tourists is expected to be games successful Vancouver for the FIFA 2026 World Cup, which starts successful June.