Western part of Vancouver’s Oppenheimer Park reopens to public

The phased reopening of Oppenheimer Park began Monday more than a year after a tent city was cleared from the green space in the city’s Downtown Eastside.

The western portion of the park opened to the public 24/7 starting Monday. The east side of the park, which includes the fieldhouse, playground and house posts, will remain closed until restoration and repairs are complete.

2:06 Community leaders want Vancouver’s Oppenheimer Park to reopen in day and shut down at night

The fencing will remain in place around the full perimeter of the grounds as that work continues.

“We know this park is integral to the community, and we are pleased that people will now be able to socialize, play and attend City programming in the western section,” Park Board general manager Donnie Rosa said in a statement.

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The Downtown Eastside park had been fenced off since May 2020, when the province took control and moved campers to housing as part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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— With files from Kristen Robinson